Stanley Cup 2013 | Blackhawks won Stanley Cup | Patrick Kane June 24, 2013

Stanley Cup 2013 | Blackhawks won Stanley Cup | Patrick Kane June 24, 2013

Stanley Cup 2013 | Blackhawks won Stanley Cup | Patrick Kane June 24, 2013

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Stanley Cup 2013 | Blackhawks won Stanley Cup | Patrick Kane June 24, 2013

Two goals. Seventeen seconds apart. A second Stanley Cup victory in four seasons for the Chicago Blackhawks. Seventy-six seconds away from defeat and a trip home for a decisive seventh game, Bryan Bickell tied it.

Then, while the Bruins were settling in for another overtime in a series that has already had its share, Dave Bolland scored to give Chicago a 3-2 victory in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals on Monday night.

The back-to-back scores in about the time it takes for one good rush down the ice turned a near-certain loss into a championship clincher, stunning the Boston Bruins players and their fans and starting the celebration on the Blackhawks' bench with 59 seconds to play. "We thought we were going home for Game 7. You still think you're going to overtime and you're going to try to win it there. Then Bolly scores a huge goal 17 seconds later," said Chicago forward Patrick Kane, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason's most valuable player.

"It feels like the last 58 seconds were an eternity." The team that set an NHL record with a 24-game unbeaten streak to start the lockout-shortened season won three straight games after falling behind 2-1 in the best-of-seven finals, rallying from a deficit in the series and in its finale.

Corey Crawford made 23 saves, and Jonathan Toews returned from injury to add a goal and an assist in the first finals between Original Six teams since 1979. "I still can't believe that finish. Oh my God, we never quit," Crawford said. "I never lost confidence. No one in our room ever did." Trailing 2-1, Crawford went off for an extra skater and the Blackhawks converted when Toews fed it in front and Bickell scored from the edge of the crease to tie the score. Perhaps the Bruins expected it to go to overtime, as three of the first four games in the series did. They sure seemed to be caught off-guard on the ensuing faceoff. Chicago skated into the zone, sent a shot on net and after it deflected off Michael Frolik and the post it went right to Bolland, who put it in the net. "It's unbelievable man," Crawford said.

Stanley Cup 2013 | Blackhawks won Stanley Cup | Patrick Kane June 24, 2013

"So much hard work to get to this point. Fantastic effort by everyone on the team." The Blackhawks on the ice gathered in the corner, while those on the bench began jumping up and down. It was only a minute later, when Boston's Tuukka Rask was off for an extra man, that Chicago withstood Boston's final push and swarmed over the boards, throwing their sticks and gloves across the ice. "In 2010, we didn't really know what we were doing. We just, we played great hockey and we were kind of oblivious to how good we were playing," said Toews, who scored his third goal of the playoffs to tie it 1-1 in the second period, then fed Bickell for the score that tied it with 76 seconds to play. "This time around, we know definitely how much work it takes and how much sacrifice it takes to get back here and this is an unbelievable group," Toews said. "We've been through a lot together this year and this is a sweet way to finish it off." The Bruins got 28 saves from Rask, who was hoping to contribute to an NHL title after serving as Tim Thomas' backup when Boston won it all two years ago. "It's obviously shocking when you think you have everything under control," Rask said quietly, standing at his locker with a blue baseball cap on backward and a towel draped over his shoulders. The sold-out TD Garden had begun chanting "We want the Cup!" after Milan Lucic's goal put the Bruins up 2-1 with eight minutes left, but it fell silent after their team coughed up the lead. "Probably toughest for sure, when you know you're a little bit over a minute left and you feel that you've got a chance to get to a Game 7," Bruins coach Claude Julien said. "And then those two goals go in quickly."

Stanley Cup 2013 | Blackhawks won Stanley Cup | Patrick Kane June 24, 2013

The arena was almost empty -- except for a few hundred fans in red Blackhawks sweaters who filtered down to the front rows -- when NHL commissioner Gary Bettman handed the 35-pound Cup to Toews, who left Game 5 with an undisclosed injury and wasn't confirmed for the lineup until the morning skate.

The Chicago captain skated the Cup right over the crease in which the Blackhawks mounted the comeback and in front of the fans in Blackhawks sweaters who lined the front row behind the net. Toews banged on the glass while the remaining Bruins fans headed up the runways. He then continued the tradition of handing it from player to player before the team settled to the side of the faceoff circle for a picture with the trophy they will possess for the next 12 months. The Blackhawks opened the season on a 21-0-3 streak and coasted to the Presidents' Trophy that goes to the team with the best regular-season record. But regular-season excellence has not translated into playoff success: Chicago is the first team with the best record to win the Cup since the 2008 Detroit Red Wings. The Blackhawks went through Minnesota in five games and Detroit in seven, rallying in the Western Conference semifinals from a 3-1 deficit and winning Game 7 in overtime. They got through the defending NHL champion Los Angeles Kings in five games to return to the Cup finals, where Boston was waiting.

The Blackhawks won the first game at home in three overtimes but dropped Game 2 -- another overtime -- and fell behind 2-1 in the series when it returned to Boston.

But since then, it's been all Chicago. The tightly contested finals -- with three games going a total of five overtimes -- may help fans forget the lockout that shortened the season to 48 games and pushed back the opener to Jan. 19. That left the teams still playing ice hockey on a 95-degree day in Boston on June 24, matching the latest date in NHL history. Fans in their Bruins sweaters filtered into the air conditioned TD Garden to see the last game in Boston for the year with the hope there would be one more in Chicago: a seventh game just like two years ago, when the Bruins rallied from a 3-2 deficit, then won in Vancouver for their first NHL championship since 1972. Both teams were bolstered by the return of star forwards, Selke Trophy winner Toews of Chicago and Patrice Bergeron, who was a finalist for the award given to the top defensive forward in the league.

Wimbledon 2013 | Rafael Nadal eliminated in first round June 24, 2013

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Wimbledon 2013 | Rafael Nadal eliminated in first round June 24, 2013

Maybe it was fatigue, maybe it was his balky left knee acting up again, or maybe it was the grassy courts at Wimbledon, but Rafael Nadal was in a shocking first-round loss to Belgian Steve Darcis on Monday. Darcis, unseeded and ranked 135 in men's singles, won in straight sets 7-6, 7-6, 6-4 over No. 5 Nadal, fresh off his record eighth French Open title. Darcis scored the match point on a resounding ace.

Wimbledon 2013 | Rafael Nadal eliminated in first round June 24, 2013

Nadal, a 12-time Grand Slam winner, had never lost in the first round of a Grand Slam event and was 34-0 heading into Monday's match. As Nadal battled in the third set, it became increasingly obvious that his left knee, which forced Nadal into a seven-month hiatus last year, was giving him increased pain.

Wimbledon 2013 | Rafael Nadal eliminated in first round June 24, 2013

After the match, Nadal was dismissive of any lingering injury. "It's not the day to talk about these kinds of things. I am confident that I will have a good recovery and be ready for the next tournaments," he said.


Asked if he was targeting Nadal's knee, Darcis said to ESPN, "I think if you start to focus on him, it's tougher. I tried to focus on myself." Nadal's lateral movement was clearly inhibited, and he was unable to reach shots he customarily returns. That may have partially been a result of his transition from the clay courts at Roland Garros to the grass of Wimbledon. 


"In grass it's difficult to adapt yourself, to adapt your game when you don't have a chance to play before. I didn't have that chance this year. It's tougher and I didn't find my rhythm," Nadal said. It's the second-straight year Nadal has faced an early Wimbledon exit. Last year year he was beaten in the second round by Lukas Rosol, which prompted Nadal to sit out and let his knee recover for the rest of the year.

Since returning, Nadal has won seven of the nine tournaments he's entered. He's the first French Open winner to lose in the first round at Wimbledon since 1997. After the match, Darcis was nearly at a loss for words. It was his first win over a top-five opponent. "I don't know what to say right now. I'm really happy," he told ESPN. Darcis owned a 2-6 singles record this year before Monday's triumph. Nadal has won two Wimbledon championships.