PHILADELPHIA -- Former University of North Dakota All-American Jonathan Toews led his Chicago Blackhawks to their first Stanley Cup since 1961 with a 4-3 overtime win in Game 6 tonight over host Philadelphia, earning Conn Smythe Trophy honors in the process as the most valuable player in the playoffs.
Toews collected his NHL-best 22nd assist in tonight's Cup-clinching victory to tie the Chicago playoff record with 29 points. He also won 64 percent of his faceoffs in Game 6, including 14 of 18 (77.8 percent) in the first two periods. His 29 playoff points are the most since Joe Sakic scored 34 in 1996.
Earlier in the playoffs, Toews set a Chicago playoff record with a 13-game point-scoring streak.
Toews is the 10th former Sioux to win the Stanley Cup and the first since Mike Commodore did it with Carolina in 2005-06. Toews is also the first former Sioux to win the Conn Smythe Trophy and the first WCHA player to captain a team to the Stanley Cup.
"This is unbelievlble, this as good as it gets," Toews told the CBC Hockey Night in Canada post-game show. "We worked so hard for it and we believed in it. I'll never forget this moment."
The Winnipeg, Manitoba, native also became just the fourth NCAA player to win the Conn Smythe, joining Cornell's Ken Dryden (Montreal, 1971) and Joe Nieuwendyk (Dallas, 1999) and Boston College's Brian Leetch (New York Rangers, 1994).
The Stanley Cup victory and Conn Smythe honor cap a tremendous season for the 22-yeard old Toews, who led Canada to an Olympic gold medal in February and was named the tournament's top forward. Adding to his historic season, Toews is the youngest player in hockey history to have won a Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal, a World Championship and a World Junior Championship.
Toews spent two seasons at North Dakota in 2005-06 and 2006-07, earning first-team All-America honors as a sophomore. He finished his collegiate career with 85 points (40 goals, 45 assists) in 76 games, leading UND to the NCAA Frozen Four in each of his two seasons.
UND's Stanley Cup Champions
Craig Ludwig, Montreal, 1985-86
Jay Caufield, Pittsburgh, 1990-91
Jay Caufield, Pittsburgh, 1991-92
Troy Murray, Colorado, 1995-96
Ed Belfour, Dallas, 1998-99
Tony Hrkac, Dallas, 1998-99
Craig Ludwig, Dallas, 1998-99
Rick Wilson, Dallas, 1998-99 (assistant coach)
Brad Bombardir, New Jersey, 1999-00
Mike Commodore, Carolina, 2005-06
Jonathan Toews, Chicago, 2009-10 (Conn Smythe Trophy winner)
UPDATE: There is plenty of coverage of Toews in the aftermath of Chicago's Stanley Cup victory. Here is a sampling:
~Go Sioux~
