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The 2002 Stanley Cup Finals was the NHL championship best-of-seven series of the 2002 Stanley Cup Playoffs contested by the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings and the Eastern Conference champion Carolina Hurricanes. It was Detroit's twenty-second appearance in the Final, their last appearance being a win in 1998. It was Carolina's first appearance in the Final in franchise history. Detroit defeated Carolina in five games to win their tenth Stanley Cup championship in franchise history. The Red Wings became the first team in NHL history to win the Cup after starting the playoffs with two losses at home. After losing the first two games in the Conference Quarterfinals to the Vancouver Canucks, the Red Wings then won 16 of their next 21 games en route to win their third Cup since 1997 for coach Scotty Bowman. Bowman's win, his ninth, established a new coaching record, surpassing the mark he held with Montreal coach Toe Blake.
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Carolina defeated the New Jersey Devils the Montreal Canadiens, and the Toronto Maple Leafs, each in six games to advance to the Finals.
Detroit defeated the Vancouver Canucks 4–2, the St. Louis Blues 4–1 and the defending Cup champion Colorado Avalanche 4–3 to advance to the Finals.
This was the first appearance in the Cup Finals for the Hurricanes (formerly the Hartford Whalers), who made an unlikely run to the Cup. While they were seeded third as a division winner, in actuality they had the second-lowest point total (91) for a playoff team not only in the Eastern Conference, but also the whole NHL. In their whole NHL history, they had only won one playoff series prior to this season (as the Whalers), and had streaks of 5 and 6 seasons in which they did not make the playoffs. With the Red Wings having won the Presidents' Trophy with 116 points, the 25 point was the largest point differential between two teams in a Stanley Cup Finals since 1994 (27 points between New York Rangers (112) and the Canucks (85)).[1]
The Hurricanes stunned the Red Wings in Game 1 of the Finals on the strength of Ron Francis's overtime goal. That would be Carolina's only win in the series as the Red Wings won four straight including a triple overtime win in game three that proved to be the turning point in the series. The Cup win would be the first for many veterans on the team including goaltender Dominik Hasek, forward Luc Robitaille, as well as defensemen Steve Duchesne and Fredrik Olausson. It also marked the second Cup win for Chris Chelios, 16 years after he first won the Cup as a member of the Montreal Canadiens in 1986.
| June 4 | Detroit Red Wings | 2 – 3 | OT | Carolina Hurricanes | Joe Louis Arena | Recap |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | 7 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 26 |
| Detroit | 8 | 12 | 5 | 0 | 25 |
| June 6 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 – 1 | Carolina Hurricanes | Joe Louis Arena | Recap |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | 7 | 4 | 6 | 17 |
| Detroit | 9 | 8 | 13 | 30 |
| June 8 | Carolina Hurricanes | 2 – 3 | 3OT | Detroit Red Wings | Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena | Recap |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1OT | 2OT | 3OT | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 6 | 7 | 16 | 11 | 6 | 7 | 53 |
| Carolina | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 8 | 9 | 43 |
| June 11 | Carolina Hurricanes | 0 – 3 | Detroit Red Wings | Raleigh Entertainment and Sports Arena | Recap |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit | 10 | 6 | 11 | 27 |
| Carolina | 6 | 7 | 4 | 17 |
| June 13 | Detroit Red Wings | 3 – 1 | Carolina Hurricanes | Joe Louis Arena | Recap |
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carolina | 5 | 7 | 1 | 17 |
| Detroit | 12 | 8 | 7 | 27 |
(played 2 playoff game)
| Preceded by Colorado Avalanche 2001 |
Detroit Red Wings Stanley Cup Champions 2002 |
Succeeded by New Jersey Devils 2003 |
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