Devils Win Cup!
Archived from 2002-03 season.
The New Jersey Devils won their third Stanley Cup title in nine years with a 3-0 blanking of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in Game 7.
"It's been a bumpy ride, with a great deal of adversity," goalie Martin Brodeur said.
Brodeur bounced back from a poor showing in Game 6 to shut out the Ducks for his third shutout of the finals and record seventh of the playoffs.
Jeff Friesen had two goals against his old team, but the game-winner was scored by rookie Michael Rupp, who was playing in his fourth career playoff game.
"I don't know what to say, I'm caught up in everything going on," Rupp said. "Two weeks ago I never would have thought this would happen."
It was an abrupt end to Anaheim's magical playoff run, which started with a sweep of defending champs Detroit Red Wings. At the end the difference was the Ducks couldn't win a game in New Jersey, where they have lost ten straight and were outscored 15-3 in the four games of the finals.
"Right now it's an empty feeling," Ducks coach Mike Babcock said. "I'm real proud of our guys who came in this year."
The home ice was the key to New Jersey's success. The Devils were 12-1 at home in the playoffs and became the first team since the 1974 Philadelphia Flyers to win the Cup with a losing road record (4-8).
"We feel really at ease playing in our own building. The only reason we won the Stanley Cup is because we were so dominant in our own building," Brodeur said.
Anaheim goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere was selected the Conn Smythe trophy winner as the playoffs MVP. He was only the fifth player to win the Conn Smythe on the losing team -- all but one goalies -- and first since Philadelphia's Ron Hextall in 1987.
"It's tough to lose like that," Giguere said. "It was really tough to see them [the Devils] cheer. ... Like I said, this is not the one you want. You want the big silver one."
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