June 2 NHL History
1972: The NHL’s new Atlanta franchise, scheduled to begin play in the 1972-73 season, announces that the team will be called the Flames. The nickname is chosen by contest winner Mickey Goodman, a 19-year-old college student at DeKalb University. The Flames keep the name when they move to Calgary in 1980.
2003: Jean-Sebastien Giguere becomes the first goaltender in NHL history to win each of his first seven Stanley Cup Playoff overtime games. Giguere makes 26 saves before Steve Thomas scores 39 seconds into overtime to give the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim a 1-0 victory against the visiting New Jersey Devils in Game 4 of the Cup Final.
2008: The Pittsburgh Penguins prevent the Detroit Red Wings from winning the Stanley Cup in front of their fans at Joe Louis Arena.
The Red Wings are less than a minute from winning the Cup for the fourth time in 12 seasons after rallying to take a 3-2 lead on Brian Rafalski’s goal midway through the third period of Game 5 of the Final. But with 20,027 fans ready to celebrate and Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury on the bench for an extra attacker, forward Maxime Talbot beats goaltender Chris Osgood at 19:25 to force overtime.
The Red Wings dominate the first overtime, and each team has chances in the second. But at 9:21 of the third overtime, Detroit’s Jiri Hudler takes a double minor for high sticking Pittsburgh defenseman Rob Scuderi, and a power-play goal by Petr Sykora at 9:57 gives the Penguins a 4-3 victory, ending the fifth-longest game in the history of the Stanley Cup Final and sending the series back to Pittsburgh for Game 6.
The goal comes after Sykora tells his teammates he would score to end the game.
“Between periods, something stupid, I said, just ‘Guys, I’m just going to get one. So just don’t worry about the game. I’m going to get a goal,'” said Sykora, whose rising shot over Osgood’s glove extends the series.
2012: Jeff Carter scores at 13:42 of overtime to give the Los Angeles Kings a 2-1 victory against the Devils in Game 2 of the Final at Prudential Center. Carter beats Martin Brodeur to give the Kings their second straight overtime victory and a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series. New Jersey’s Ryan Carter ties the game 1-1 when he beats Jonathan Quick at 2:59 of the third period, but the Kings outshoot the Devils 11-3 in overtime.
2013: The Chicago Blackhawks chase Quick by scoring four goals and defeat the Kings 4-2 in Game 2 of the Western Conference Final at United Center. Andrew Shaw and Brent Seabrook score in the first period, and goals by Bryan Bickell and Michal Handzus in a span of 2:09 in the second send Quick to the bench. The victory gives the Blackhawks a 2-0 lead in the best-of-7 series.
