2014–15 Chicago Blackhawks season
The 2014–15 Chicago Blackhawks season was the 89th season for the National Hockey League (NHL) franchise that was established on September 25, 1926. The Blackhawks finished the season with a 48–28–6 record, finishing in third place in the Central Division. They defeated the Nashville Predators in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs, four games to two. In the next round, they swept the Minnesota Wild in four games. In the Western Conference Finals, the 'Hawks outlasted the Anaheim Ducks, winning the series four games to three. In the Stanley Cup Finals, they faced the  Tampa Bay Lightning. On June 15, 2015, the team won the Stanley Cup, defeating the Lightning four games to two and winning the Cup at home for the first time since 1938. This was the Blackhawks' third Cup championship in six seasons. Duncan Keith received the Conn Smythe trophy as MVP of the playoffs. On December 21, 2014, the Blackhawks debuted a special decal in remembrance of the passing of assistant equipment manager Clinton "Clint" Reif who died during the season, the Blackhawks wore "CR" on their helmets for the remainder of the 2014–15 season. Off-season. On July 14 , 2014, the Blackhawks announced that Kevin Dineen, a former teammate of head coach Joel Quenneville, had been hired as an assistant coach. Pre-season. The Chicago Blackhawks' pre-season schedule included a September 28, 2014, exhibition game held at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, against the Edmonton Oilers. Playoffs. The Chicago Blackhawks entered the playoffs as the Central Division's third seed. The Blackhawks lost the last four games of the regular season, thus they did not win the Central Division title. After defeating the Nashville Predators four games to two in the first round, they went on  to sweep the Minnesota Wild in the second round, then defeated the Anaheim Ducks four games to three in the Western Conference Final. It was only the third time in Blackhawks history that they had won a playoff series after trailing three games to two. On May 19, 2015, the Blackhawks played the longest game in their history (116:12) against the Ducks as part of the Western Conference Finals. The Blackhawks defeated Anaheim in Game 7 and moved on to face the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final. On June 15, 2015, Chicago won the Stanley Cup in  Game 6 by a 2–0 scoreline. This marked the Blackhawks' third Stanley Cup victory in six seasons. This was the first Blackhawks Stanley Cup clinched on home ice in 77 years, having won the decisive games in 2010 and 2013 titles on the road, and the first time a Stanley Cup title has been won in Chicago since 1992 when the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Blackhawks at Chicago Stadium. It was also the first time any Chicago sports team won a Championship at home since the Chicago Bulls in 1997 Player stats. Final stats Goaltenders. Denotes player spent time with  another team before joining the Blackhawks. Stats reflect time with the Blackhawks only. Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Blackhawks only. Bold/italics denotes franchise record. All Star Game. Chicago Blackhawks NHL All-Star representatives at the 2015 National Hockey League All-Star Game in Columbus, Ohio at Nationwide Arena. Transactions. The Blackhawks have been involved in the following transactions during the 2014–15 season. Draft picks. Below are the Chicago Blackhawks' selections made at the 2014 NHL Entry Draft, held on June 27–28, 2014, at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 2014–15 Chicago Blackhawks