Red Wings Win Stanley Cup
Archived from 2001-02 season.
The Detroit Red Wings finished what they started last October with the mission accomplished as they won their third Stanley Cup in six years by beating the Carolina Hurricanes 3-1 in Game 5 of the finals.
Dominik Hasek, who signed with Detroit before the season started, finally won the Cup to crown a great career. Hasek said he needs a little time to decide if he is retiring.
"The biggest thing for me was to win the Cup, and I've done it. I've got other trophies, but there is no better feeling than to win the Stanley Cup," Hasek said. "But I want to go back to the Czech Republic and decide. Give me three or four days, and then I will make the announcement."
One who's not coming back is Scotty Bowman, who announced his retirement before putting on his skates to take a victory lap.
"It's my last game as a coach. I've been thinking about it," he said. "I made up my mind at the Olympic break."
"It's time to go," said the 68-year-old Bowman, who will stay with the team as a consultant. "I just told my wife 10 minutes ago. I'm not an old man, but it's time to go. I never knew before, but I felt this year that this was it. I'm so happy that I was able to go out with a winning team."
Defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs -- the first European to win it, just as Hasek is the first European goalie to lead his team to the Cup.
"I was really surprised to win it," Lidstrom said. "I wasn't even thinking about it, really. I'm more happy about winning another Cup, but winning the Conn Smythe is really an honor that I'll never forget."
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