* The Blackhawks are just the third club in NHL history to win a Stanley Cup-clinching game it had trailed in the final five minutes of regulation and the first to do so in regulation time. In 1944, Montreal scored twice in the final five minutes of regulation to force overtime and defeated Chicago 5-4 at 9:12 of extra time on a goal by Toe Blake (Game 4). In 1951, Toronto scored at 19:28 to tie Montreal 2-2 before Bill Barilko’s Cup-winning tally at 2:53 of overtime (Game 5).

* There has only been one other Stanley Cup Final game decided in regulation time in which the winning team trailed in the last five minutes of the third period. That was Game 1 of the 1992 Final between the Penguins and Blackhawks, with Pittsburgh prevailing 5-4 thanks to a tying goal by Jaromir Jagr with 4:55 remaining in the third period and a game-winning tally by Mario Lemieux with 13 seconds left in regulation time.

* The only previous playoff series-clinching regulation win by an NHL team in a game in which it trailed in the last two minutes of the third period was Carolina’s 4-3 victory in Game 7 of their 2009 first-round series against New Jersey. Jussi Jokinen scored the tying goal for the Hurricanes at the 18:40 mark of the third period and Eric Staal scored the game-winner at 19:28.

* The Blackhawks became the fifth club of the 2013 postseason to win a game it had trailed with 90 or fewer seconds remaining in regulation. Chicago was the only one of the five to win the game in regulation.

HOW CLOSE WAS THIS SERIES?
* Chicago and Boston were tied or separated by one goal 87% of the time. The widest lead was a two-goal margin (just 13% of the time).

* The Stanley Cup Final was the first in 20 years to feature three overtime games. Overall, it was the sixth Stanley Cup Final series since 1927 to have at least three games go past regulation.

* It also was the second consecutive Stanley Cup Final to have Games 1 and 2 go to overtime. Prior to 2012, it had been 61 years since the first two games of the Final required extra time. In the epic 1951 Stanley Cup Final, all five games between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens went to extra time. The Maple Leafs won four of the five games to capture the Stanley Cup.

* Game 6 marked the third time that the team scoring first did not win (the Blackhawks won twice when surrendering the first goal, the Bruins once). The last time that happened more than once in the Stanley Cup Final was in 2007, when three of the five games between Anaheim and Ottawa were won by the team that allowed the opening goal (two by the Ducks, one by the Senators).

* Five of the six games were essentially one-goal affairs (Boston won Game 5 by a 3-1 score after recording an empty-net goal).

* The Blackhawks outscored the Bruins, 17-15, in the series.

KANE SMYTHE
Chicago right wing Patrick Kane won the Conn Smythe Trophy, awarded to “the most valuable player to his team in the playoffs.” The winner is selected in a vote by a panel of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association at the conclusion of the Stanley Cup Final.

Kane was at his best down the stretch, tallying seven goals, including two game-winning scores, in his last eight games of the 2013 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He recorded his second career playoff hat trick in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final against Los Angeles, including the series-clinching goal in double-overtime, and netted a pair of goals, including the game-winner, in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Kane totaled nine goals in 23 games during the 2013 playoffs, tied for second in the League and one behind teammate Patrick Sharp. His 19 postseason points also ranked second in the NHL, seven behind Boston’s David Krejci (9-17—26).

Kane tied for the team lead (with Dave Bolland) in scoring in the Stanley Cup Final with 3-2—5 in six games. He also led the team in the 2010 Final vs. Philadelphia with 3-5—8 in six games (6-7—13 in 12 career Stanley Cup Final games).

The 24-year-old Buffalo, N.Y., native is the third consecutive U.S.-born player and fourth overall to win the Conn Smythe, joining New York Rangers defenseman Brian Leetch in 1994, Boston Bruins goaltender Tim Thomas in 2011 and Los Angeles Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick in 2012.

BECAUSE IT’S THE CUP
Several players battled injuries to make an impact in Game 6:

* Boston forward Patrice Bergeron revealed he played with a broken rib, torn cartilage and muscles, and a separated shoulder, logging 17:45 and registering two hits.

* Chicago forward Andrew Shaw returned to the game after getting hit with a puck in the face, posting a +1 rating and two shots on goal.

* Chicago captain Jonathan Toews recorded 1-1—2 after sitting the third period of Game 5 with an upper-body injury.

* Among those playing hurt: Boston’s Zdeno Chara (TBA) and Nathan Horton (shoulder); Chicago’s Bryan Bickell (knee), Michal Handzus (hand/knee) and Marian Hossa (back).

HAWKS’ HEROICS
* Chicago forward Bryan Bickell scored nine goals in 23 playoff games, matching his total in 48 games during the regular season.

* Chicago goaltender Corey Crawford posted a 16-7 record with a League-leading 1.84 goals-against average and .932 save percentage in 23 playoff games. He made 30-or-more saves five times, including a 51-save performance in the Blackhawks’ triple-overtime win in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final. Crawford is the first goaltender in franchise history to finish with a goals-against average below 2.00 in a playoff year in which he appeared in at least 10 games. The previous low was by Glenn Hall (2.10) in 12 games when Chicago won the Stanley Cup in 1961.
* Defenseman Duncan Keith led the Blackhawks in average time on ice during the Stanley Cup Playoffs (27:37), led all Chicago defensemen in scoring (2-11—13) and posted a +10 rating in 22 games. Keith played a game-high 28:51 in Game 6 of the Final.

* The Blackhawks improved to 19-4 in Games 5-7 of a playoff series under head coach Joel Quenneville, including a 7-0 mark in the 2013 playoffs.

* Chicago forward Patrick Sharp led all players with 10 goals in 23 postseason games.

* Chicago captain Jonathan Toews finished the Blackhawks’ Stanley Cup run with 2-3—5 and a +5 rating in his final three games, including the team’s first goal and the primary assist on Bickell’s game-tying scoring in Game 6.

TRENDS
* The Blackhawks won all four of their series in the 2013 playoffs in the first game in which they had a chance to eliminate their opponent, becoming the first NHL team to do so since the 2002 Red Wings.

* The Blackhawks are the first club since the 2008 Red Wings to win the Presidents’ Trophy as the League’s top regular-season club and the Stanley Cup in the same season.

* The Blackhawks became the fifth club in the past six years to win the Stanley Cup on the road. Detroit clinched the championship at Pittsburgh in 2008, Pittsburgh won at Detroit in 2009, Chicago won at Philadelphia in 2010 and Boston won at Vancouver in 2011.

* The Blackhawks improved to 18-3 all-time when holding a 3-2 lead in a best-of-seven series, including a 3-1 mark in the Stanley Cup Final. The Bruins fell to 3-19 all-time when trailing 3-2 in a best-of-seven, including a 1-4 record in the Final.

BRUINS NOTES
* Boston forward David Krejci led all playoff scorers with 9-17—26 in 22 games. It marked the second time that Krejci finished atop the playoff scoring list; he tallied 12-11—23 in 25 games to lead all players during the Bruins’ Stanley Cup-winning postseason in 2011. Krejci is the first player since Colorado’s Joe Sakic (1996, 2001) to lead the League in scoring in multiple postseasons.

* Boston goaltender Tuukka Rask finished the 2013 playoffs with a 14-8 record, 1.88 goals-against average and League-leading .940 save percentage in 22 games. Rask also tied for the League lead in shutouts (three) with Los Angeles’ Jonathan Quick.

* Milan Lucic scored Boston’s go-ahead goal with 7:49 remaining in the third period. He led all players in the Stanley Cup Final with 4-2—6 and notched 4-5—9 in his last 10 playoff games.

LOOSE PUCKS
Chicago captain Jonathan Toews was mic’d up when he lifted the Stanley Cup . . . Chicago forward Bryan Bickell and Boston defenseman Adam McQuaid gave their thoughts following Game 6.

SWEET TWEETS
Barack Obama (@BarackObama)
Congrats, @NHLBlackhawks. Thanks for bringing the Stanley Cup back to Chicago.

Rahm Emanuel (@RahmEmanuel)
Congratulations to your Stanley Cup Champions Chicago. The @nhlblackhawks make us all proud.

Stephen Harper (@pmharper)
The Stanley Cup is the greatest trophy in sports & the hardest to win. Congrats to the Blackhawks, the deserving champions #becauseitsthecup

Chuck Schumer (@ChuckSchumer)
Congrats to the Pride of South Buffalo @88PKane, Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe Trophy winner.

LeBron James (@KingJames)
Congrats to @88pkane and the Chicago Blackhawks on winning the Stanley Cup #WhatAFeeling #NothingLikeIt http://instagram.com/p/a924n6CTEK/

Phil Jackson (@PhilJackson11)
AAHH, what a finish for the Blackhawks. Congrats! Didn’t they show great heart in that comeback effort? Great series.

Mr. T (@MrT)
Congratulations @NHLBlackhawks...I tip my Mohawk!

Michael J. Fox (@realmikefox)
Congrats to the Hawks...this year’s top dog. pic.twitter.com/eWDVPBsIKz

Chris O’Donnell (@chrisodonnell)
Hawks!

John Cusack (@johncusack)
Hawks win! Congrats chi town !!

Jim Belushi (@JimBelushi)
https://vine.co/v/hzbv1WVmKdU

Denis Leary (@denisleary)
Congrats to Chicago. A great victory for their fine city. And now I’m going to smash this phone.

Denis Leary (@denisleary)
Woke up this morning. Bought a new phone. Threw it at Corey Crawford. He caught it.

Donnie Wahlberg (@DonnieWahlberg)
Congrats to Chicago. The best team always wins. Proud of our Bruins. Proud of our city! #bostonstrong

Colin Hanks (@ColinHanks)
Couldnt even finish that joke about tying the game. And then the hawks scored again. What an unreal finish.

Jack Welch (@jack_welch)
What a great series.....Hockey back!!!!

Peter Gammons (@pgammo)
With all due respect, the NBA finals was John Williams, the Stanley Cup Finals Beethoven

Michael Strahan (@michaelstrahan)
Congratulations to the Champion Chicago Blackhawks for the amazing comeback in a matter of less than 2 minutes!!!!

Evan Lysacek (@EvanLysacek)
Congratulations @NHLBlackhawks!! An incredible series and an inspiring win.

Paula Faris (@paulafaris)
Speechless. The @NHLBlackhawks score two third-period goals in :17 on @NHLBruins to win their second #StanleyCup in four years. #Blackhawks

Duff Goldman (@Duff_Goldman)
Hey, @grahamelliot, congratulations to the @NHLBlackhawks! @NHLBruins fought hard. Great series.

Graham Elliot (@grahamelliot)
CONGRATS @NHLBlackhawks!! This city’s about to get wild ;) #ChiTown #STANLEYCUP

Leeann Tweeden (@LeeannTweeden)
INSANITY!!! Congrats to the Chicago @NHLBlackhawks STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!!!!!!!!!!

Steve Byrne (@stevebyrnelive)
.@NHLBlackhawks @DaveBolland @NHL CONGRATS ON THE WIN BOYS!!! Way to bring the Cup back to Chicago!!! #StanleyCup Game winner for 36!!!

Dave Bolland (@DaveBolland)
pic.twitter.com/D3X9pJb43a

Viktor Stalberg (@VStalberg)
INSANE!

Brandon Bollig (@Bollig87)
Never thought in a million years this moment would ever happen. Clearly shocked by the look on my face. pic.twitter.com/MQ7yBhMIpT

Jamal Mayers (@jamalmayers)
What a feeling! 20 yrs ago tmrw I was drafted into the NHL! Today I am a SC Champion! Wow! pic.twitter.com/F2jbJ0FzRZ

Ben Smith (@BenASmith12)
Best night of my life. So proud of this group. #StanleyCupCHAMPIONS

Henrik Lundqvist (@HLundqvist30)
Both teams deserved to win it. Impressed by both. Congrats to @NHLBlackhawks #StanleyCup

Mike Rupp (@Rupper17)
Great Finals! Both teams gave it all they had! Every other player in the league that is watching at home, just got a lil’ hungrier tonight!

Matt Duchene (@Matt9Duchene)
Gives me chills to watch the Cup celebration. Amazing to watch, but I’m always insanely jealous. Gonna be us soon Colorado!

Ryan McDonagh (@RMcDonagh27)
What a crazy finish to this years NHL season. Greatest sport on the planet!

David Perron (@DP_57)
We need more of that for hockey! Great year Hawks! #congrats

Sam Gagner (@89SGagner)
I can only imagine that feeling. Hardest trophy in all of sports to win. What a great series. Congrats to the Hawks. #NHL

Willie Mitchell (@Willie_Mitch33)
Goosebumps knowing the emotions that @NHLBlackhawks are going through right now #unreal #stanleycup #fueltobeback

TODAY’S HEADLINES
The Chicago Tribune hails the “Return of the Cup!” . . . The Chicago Sun-Times touts the city’s “Refill!” . . . “Bolland and Bickell’s goals ended this classic, almost unbearably tense series, in which three games went to overtime and every game was razor close.” (Jeff Z. Klein, New York Times) . . . “It was a series about players who refused to be bowed by lead changes in games or the series itself. It was about players overcoming incredible pain and injuries to push their respective teams forward in an achingly tight series.” (Scott Burnside, ESPN.com) . . . “At a time when the players grow beards, the only razors are in references to the margins between victory and defeat.” (Nicholas J. Cotsonika, Yahoo! Sports) . . . “So many variables, so many factors, so many bounces, and it produced a series where all but one game was decided by one goal, and the other one featured an empty-netter. It was so close.” (Bruce Arthur, National Post) . . . “It is the greatest crown in sports because it’s the hardest trophy to win. It is the greatest trophy in sports because it’s the hardest to lose. And only after much blood, considerable sweat and maybe even some tears does a group get to dance with hockey’s most prized possession, only after Lord Stanley has giveth, and Lord Stanley has taketh away.” (Barry Rozner, Daily Herald) . . . “It was a certified Instant Classic.” (Steve Buckley, Boston Herald).

Research from the Elias Sports Bureau was used in compilation of these notes.