from Neal Boudette of the Wall Street Journal,

If the Chicago Blackhawks hoist the Stanley Cup in Boston Monday night, it could turn out to be another big win for American hockey.

There is no dispute that Canada remains the world’s premier hockey-playing nation, but the U.S. continues to elbow its way into the spotlight. One of the leading candidates for the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the finals is Patrick Kane, a 24-year old native of Buffalo, NY.

Kane had both goals in Chicago’s 2-1 Game 5 victory Wednesday. Another standout performance and the Smythe might be his. If that comes to pass, it would be the third time in a row an American has emerged as the star of Stanley Cup finals.

Last year, Jonathan Quick, the goalie for the Los Angeles Kings and a product of Milford, Conn., was named MVP. The year before it was Tim Thomas, of Flint, Mich., who led the Bruins to the Cup. The only other American-born player to win the Conn Smythe was the New York Rangers’ Brian Leetch in 1994.

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