Avalanche fights for title: Storm is fifth German Stanley Cup winner

Avalanche battle for the title
Sturm is the fifth German Stanley Cup winner

27/6/2020 6:34 AM

In a tough game, the Colorado Avalanche made himself an early Stanley Cup winner – thus elevating forward Nico Storm to an exclusive club: only five Germans managed to capture the most important trophy in ice hockey.

Nico Storm of Augsburg won the Stanley Cup in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Avalanche. Denver won Game 6 of the final series over defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning Sunday night (local time) 2-1 (0-1, 2-0, 0-0) and thus the decisive fourth win. Sturm is the fifth German professional ice hockey player to win the NHL Championship mega trophy. Recently, national goalkeeper Philip Grobauer managed to win the title of Washington Capitals in 2018.

“Every emotion you can imagine,” said Avalanche coach Jared Bednar. “I am very happy and very proud of these people and what they have accomplished here. It is hard to describe seeing them being rewarded for all their hard work. There is a sense of relief, a feeling of satisfaction. It is not quite so clear yet. When the bell rang, there was almost disbelief that we made it.” It has been an incredible journey and I am just grateful to be a part of this with this team.”

As for the avalanche, this is the third title in its history and the first in 21 years. In Tampa, the landlords advanced through Captain Stephen Stampus. Nathan McKinnon tied for his second goal in the last series, and Arturi Likonen scored in the second half to make it 2-1. The avalanche used his second game point after the defending champion from Florida managed to extend the series again into the weekend with 3:2.

“It’s a feeling of disbelief. It’s hard to describe. Seeing all these warriors fighting, it’s an incredible feeling. Words can’t describe what I feel,” McKinnon said on American TV. “The core of this group has been here for ten years. It’s unbelievable. It’s unbelievable.”

Augsburg-born and educated Nico Storm trained at Clarkson University in Potsdam/New York, and has been playing in Avalanche for only three months. The German striker was on the ice for 5:43 minutes in the last game of the last series. The huge trophy will also come to Germany after winning the title in the summer: according to the old tradition, each player can bring the trophy for one day.

The Lightning team has won the Stanley Cup the past two years, but went to the Finals series against Colorado as an underdog. The avalanche kept his 100% success – every time the team reached the decisive streak for the title, they ended up winning the championship: 1996, 2001 and 2022.