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Bud Light announced Friday it has signed Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov to an endorsement contract after he drank the company's beer during his now-viral shirtless press conference after the NHL team won its second straight Stanley Cup title on Wednesday night.

https://twitter.com/budlight/status/1413556068492447755

Kucherov delivered some brutally honest postgame remarks in wake of the championship celebration, most notably taking aim at fans of the runner-up Montreal Canadiens for their response to a Game 4 overtime win despite the Bolts' 3-1 lead in the series at the time (NSFW language):

"The fans in Montreal acted like they won the Stanley Cup last game. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their final was last round."

Just an incredible press conference from Nikita Kucherov here.#ItsOn | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/rmaNrCQVHB

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 8, 2021

The Lightning scored a 1-0 victory in Game 5 on Wednesday to close out the series. They are the NHL's first back-to-back champions since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and 2017.

Kucherov, who missed the entire 2020-21 regular season while recovering from hip surgery, didn't miss a beat when he returned for the postseason. He led all playoff scorers with 32 points (eight goals and 24 assists) in 23 games during Tampa's title run.

The 28-year-old Russian, who was equally impactful with 34 points in last year's playoffs, is a three-time All-Star and won the Hart Memorial Trophy as the NHL's MVP for the 2018-19 season.

Kucherov, a 2011 second-round pick, has averaged better than a point per game (546 points in 515 appearances) in the regular season since making his debut for Tampa in 2013.

The Bolts will face difficult roster decisions in the offseason as they deal with a salary-cap crunch while trying to keep as many pieces from their championship rosters together, but Bud Light's newest endorser is a lock to return for the three-peat bid.

Montreal Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry provided more context behind his bloodshot eyes that created quite the visual during the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Petry told reporters Friday that he had medical personnel reset his pinky finger after it was caught in the glass. During that process, he "basically passed out and popped all the blood vessels in my eyes."

The 33-year-old missed Montreal's Game 4 victory over the Winnipeg Jets in the second round and the team's 4-1 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights to open the Stanley Cup semifinals.

When he returned to the ice, fans were immediately drawn to his significantly bloodshot eyes.

Montreal's Jeff Petry is seeing red ahead of Game 2 👀#Habs #ItsOn pic.twitter.com/9xEkOE0Vb2

— Tim and Friends (@timandfriends) June 17, 2021

He has suffered a subconjunctival hemorrhage, which is when blood vessels in the eye burst. The injury often looks far worse than its practical effects are.

Based on Petry's comments, the worst appears to have transpired before his eye injury occurred. The pain from resetting his pinky must have been significant for him to react in such a visceral manner.

Doctors told him the pinky would require surgery, a step that would've ruled him out for the remainder of the playoffs. He opted instead to tape the pinky to his ring finger to continue suiting up for the Canadiens.

Even though appearing in the Stanley Cup Final is normally a joyous time for an NHL player, Montreal Canadiens winger Brendan Gallagher had a very difficult stretch in Florida. 

In addition to his Canadiens losing the series against the Tampa Bay Lightning after a 1-0 loss in Game 5 on Wednesday night, Gallagher revealed on TikTok that his home was robbed while he was away:

Could things get any worse? 😓😟

(🎥: @BGALLY17) pic.twitter.com/WHvlALoR04

— theScore (@theScore) July 8, 2021

The Canadiens traveled to Tampa following their 3-2 overtime win in Game 4 on Monday. David Lazar of the New York Post noted that Montreal traveled to Florida for Game 5 at some point on Tuesday. 

It's unclear when the robbery occurred or what was taken. 

This season marked the Canadiens' first trip to the Stanley Cup Final since 1993. They advanced past the first round of the playoffs since the 2014-15 season. 

Gallagher appeared in 57 games for the Habs between the regular season and playoffs. The alternate captain finished fourth on the team with 14 goals during the regular season. 

In 22 playoff games, the right wing had six points on two goals and four assists. The 29-year-old has spent his entire nine-year career with the Canadiens. The Edmonton native was a fifth-round pick by the organization in the 2010 draft.     

Ice from the Tampa Bay Lightning's Amalie Arena used during Game 1 of the 2021 Stanley Cup Final against the Montreal Canadiens was collected and brewed into "Champions Ice," a limited-edition beer from Coors Light to commemorate the team's second straight championship.

"We thought it'd be awesome to celebrate with the people in Tampa by creating a special batch of Coors Light for them to enjoy, created from the ice where the Lightning put all of their blood, sweat and tears into winning the championship," Coors Light marketing director Chris Steele told ESPN's Greg Wyshynski.

Coors Light, an official beer of the Lightning, is making the first beer made with the actual ice the Stanley Cup Final was played on. Coors Light has scraped ice from rink & has been brewing beer in Colorado. “Champions Ice” will be in Tampa bars & 32 oz. growlers starting 7/12. pic.twitter.com/yKsFLFoCTU

— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) July 8, 2021

Tampa won the first three games of the NHL's championship series before Montreal took Game 4 to send the series back to Amalie Arena, where the Bolts closed out another title with a 1-0 win Wednesday night.

Steele explained to Wyshynski the ice was shipped overnight to the company's brewery in Colorado after Game 5 to allow for a quick turnaround, with sales set to begin July 12.

"We did an official de-ick-ifying," he said. "But in all seriousness, what is being shipped to Tampa Bay has gone through all our food and safety requirements. We took the ice, passed it through several different, incredibly effective filters. We filtered out the unhealthy stuff. But the magic and the spirit of the Tampa Bay Lightning are still in it."

Along with helping the Lightning celebrate their back-to-back championships, Steele added the beer is also aimed to help local restaurants and bars trying to recover from the financial impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We really wanted to help support the businesses in Tampa Bay as they bounce back, and they'll also have Coors Light available for those who aren't quite up to consuming hockey rink ice," he said.

Tampa Bay's latest triumph marked the third title in franchise history with the other coming in 2004.

Bolts goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the NHL's playoff MVP.

Tampa Bay Lightning superstar forward Nikita Kucherov played through a fractured rib during the Stanley Cup Final.

Kucherov's agent, Dan Milstein, revealed the nature of the injury Thursday to Joe Smith of The Athletic.

Milstein also told Smith that Kucherov required multiple injections throughout the series after suffering the injury during the Conference Finals on a cross-check by New York Islander defenseman Scott Mayfield in Game 6:

Not sure if it contributed to the injury but Kucherov cross-checked earlier that shift by Mayfield in corner. Was a bit slow to get up there too pic.twitter.com/7Hp1MA9PAq

— NHL Review (@nhl_review) June 24, 2021

Despite the injury, Kucherov managed to play in Tampa's Game 7 win over the Isles, and he was in the lineup for all five Stanley Cup Final games as the Lightning beat the Montreal Canadiens 4-1 in the series to win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.

The 28-year-old Kucherov was the driving force behind Tampa's offensive success during the playoffs, as he appeared in all 23 games and led the team with 32 points. His 24 assists were also tops, while his eight goals were tied with Steven Stamkos and Alex Killorn for second on the team behind Brayden Point's 14.

Goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP thanks to his 16-7 record, 1.90 goals-against average, .937 save percentage and five shutouts, but Kucherov was a strong candidate as well and may have won the award most other years with the numbers he put up.

Making Kucherov's postseason performance even more impressive is the fact that he didn't appear in a single regular-season game in 2020-21 while recovering from a hip injury.

Getting Kucherov back for the playoffs was huge for Tampa's Stanley Cup chances, as he has been one of the most dynamic offensive players in the NHL over the past five years.

Entering this season, Kucherov posted four straight seasons with at least 85 points, including 100 in 2017-18 and a career-high 128 in 2018-19.

Kucherov set career highs in goals (41), assists (87) and points (128) in 2018-19 en route to winning the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, as well as the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer.

After not missing a step in his return from injury during the playoffs and battling through a rib injury to put up huge numbers, Kucherov is poised to return to MVP contention in 2021-22 provided he can stay healthy.

Kucherov set career highs in goals (41), assists (87) and points (128) in 2018-19 en route to winning the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP, as well as the Art Ross Trophy as the league's top scorer.

After not missing a step in his return from injury during the playoffs and battling through a rib injury to put up huge numbers, Kucherov is poised to return to MVP contention in 2021-22 provided he can stay healthy.

During their run to the Stanley Cup Final, the Montreal Canadiens pulled off several upsets. They overcame adversity and staged unlikely comebacks. However, this time was different. The Tampa Bay Lightning were far too dominant.

The Lightning successfully completed their quest to repeat as Stanley Cup champions Wednesday night, beating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 at Amalie Arena. After winning the Cup once in its first 27 seasons as an NHL franchise, Tampa Bay has now won two in two seasons.

Not only that, but the Lightning's back-to-back Cup wins also came less than a year apart. They won it in September in the NHL bubble, defeating the Dallas Stars in a season that had been paused because of the coronavirus pandemic.

This time, Tampa Bay's fans got to join in on the celebration as soon as the final horn sounded. And even better for them, the Cup-clinching victory came on the Lightning's home ice.

Here's a look back at the final game of this year's Stanley Cup Final.

                 

Notable Stats

Tampa Bay goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy: 22 saves, zero goals allowed

Tampa Bay forward Ross Colton: one goal, one shot

Tampa Bay defenseman Ryan McDonagh: one assist, one shot

Tampa Bay defenseman David Savard: one assist, two shots

Montreal goaltender Carey Price: 29 saves, one goal allowed

              

Highlights

There wasn't much offense in Game 5. With Vasilevskiy and Price as the goaltenders, that's what many expected this series to look like. It wasn't always the case, especially as the Lightning dominated early on, but the final contest of the series met those expectations.

Because of how strong Vasilevskiy has been in the net, Tampa Bay wasn't going to need much offense to close out this series—especially considering that the 26-year-old goaltender continually plays his best in the biggest moments of a playoff series.

The only puck that got into the net Wednesday night came off the stick of the rookie Colton, who had scored three previous goals this postseason but none since Game 5 of the Lightning's second-round series against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Colton redirected a puck in front of the net past Price, putting Tampa Bay ahead with six minutes, 33 seconds to go in the second period:

THERE IT IS!

THE LIGHTNING BREAK THE ICE IN GAME 5. #GoBolts | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/iVeWIE6RXL

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) July 8, 2021

According to the NHL, Colton is only the seventh rookie to score a Stanley Cup-clinching goal—the New Jersey Devils' Mike Rupp (2003) is the only other player to have done that in the past 90 years.

But this series belonged to Vasilevskiy. He had a tremendous postseason, and he took his game to another level on the biggest stage. Over the five-game series against the Canadiens, Vasilevskiy allowed only eight goals and collected 132 saves.

That impressive performance earned Vasilevskiy the Conn Smythe Trophy. He's the 14th goaltender to win the award and the first since the Los Angeles Kings' Jonathan Quick in 2012.

Andrei Vasilevskiy is the 2021 Conn Smythe Trophy Winner. #GoBolts | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/5dCFKzcyUv

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) July 8, 2021

Vasilevskiy ensured that the one goal the Lightning scored Wednesday night would be enough. The Canadiens pulled Price late, and they had the puck behind the Tampa Bay net in the closing seconds.

However, the Lightning's defense clamped down and prevented the Habs from getting off a final shot, clearing the puck to the other end of the ice. Before the Canadiens could bring it back down, the clock ran out and Tampa Bay had secured another Cup victory:

STANLEY CUP CHAMPIONS!#StanleyCup | #GoBolts pic.twitter.com/MIN764Thu5

— NBC Sports Hockey (@NBCSportsHockey) July 8, 2021

"[Vasilevskiy's] compete level is as high as it can be," Lightning forward Nikita Kucherov said, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press. "I remember him when he was 16. He was always the guy that cares about the game and wants to be better and he wants to be No. 1. And, as we can see, he is."

It hadn't been too long since a team had completed a Stanley Cup repeat, as the Pittsburgh Penguins won it in both 2016 and 2017. However, it's been much longer since a team has had a three-peat. The most recent team to do it was the New York Islanders, who won four straight Cups from 1980-83.

With how impressive the Lightning were throughout the postseason, it's only fitting that their final victory was one of their most dominant. And it showed exactly why Tampa Bay again made it to this point.  

Tampa Bay Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov took aim at Montreal Canadiens supporters during a Bud Light-fueled press conference following the Bolts' Game 5 win Wednesday night to clinch their second straight Stanley Cup championship.

"The fans in Montreal acted like they won the Stanley Cup last game," Kucherov said about the celebration after the Habs' Game 4 win. "Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their final was last series"

"The fans in Montreal acted like they won the Stanley Cup last game. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Their final was last round."

Just an incredible press conference from Nikita Kucherov here.#ItsOn | #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/rmaNrCQVHB

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) July 8, 2021

Kucherov was nothing short of spectacular throughout the Lightning's title run. He tallied 32 points (eight goals and 24 assists) in 23 playoff games, including 19 power-play points as the team converted 32.4 percent of its opportunities on the man advantage.

His availability for the postseason was a point of contention all year, though.

The 28-year-old Russian winger underwent hip surgery in December after Tampa's Stanley Cup triumph last season, which allowed the franchise to place him on long-term injured reserve and avoid his $9.5 million cap hit to remain under the salary cap for the 2020-21 campaign.

Cap rules don't apply for the playoffs, however, so the Lightning were able to activate him before the opening round without any violations or being forced to bench any key players to create cap space.

In June, Tampa Bay general manager Julien BriseBois said the NHL reviewed the situation and cleared the Bolts of any wrongdoing.

"I know [the NHL] investigated the Nikita Kucherov one, and we have to be able to justify the surgery, the rehab time, the return to play clearance to make sure that everything was done according to the rules and according to the circumstances, and those were the cards we were dealt," BriseBois told reporters.

The Lightning face a similar problem heading into the offseason—they're already a projected $3.5 million over the 2021-22 salary cap with only 17 of the necessary 20 players, per CapFriendly—so how they navigate the situation will be watched closely over the summer once again.

Meanwhile, it's hard to blame Canadiens fans for their hearty celebration after Game 4. They made a highly unexpected run to the NHL's championship series and beat the star-studded reigning champions in overtime on home ice. That's reason enough to go wild despite the fact they were still staring down a 3-1 series deficit at the time.

Kucherov's comments will surely stick in the minds of the Habs and their supporters heading into next season and beyond, though. He'll be public enemy No. 1 every time he enters the Bell Centre from this point forward.

Tampa Bay Lightning forward Alex Killorn said he was aiming to play in the final two games of the Stanley Cup Final despite suffering a broken fibula in Game 1.

Killorn told reporters he recently underwent surgery, but his return plans were rendered moot as the Bolts shut out the Montreal Canadiens in Game 5 on Wednesday night to win their second straight NHL championship.

The 31-year-old was a key contributor for the Lightning before the injury. He tallied 17 points (eight goals and nine assists) in 19 playoff games, an uptick from his regular-season scoring rate of 33 points (15 goals and 18 assists) across 56 appearances.

Teammate Blake Coleman praised Killorn for his wide-ranging impact before Game 5 but also credited those who stepped into larger roles in his absence during the Final:

He's got his fingerprints all over this team. He's a great penalty killer. He plays on our first power-play unit. He's great 5-on-5. Good puck possession guy. He's physical. There's not many things he doesn't do for us. We certainly miss him when he's not in the lineup. Thankfully we've got a next-man-up mentality and a lot of depth in this room. Guys like [Mathieu Joseph] have stepped in and done a great job. There's certainly areas where his presence is missed, but it's just next man up.

Ross Colton, one of those depth players Coleman was referring to, stepped up in the biggest way possible by scoring the only goal in Tampa's 1-0 win Wednesday.

Make no mistake, the Lightning are built on star power, led by Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Brayden Point and Conn Smythe Trophy winner Andrei Vasilevskiy, but it usually takes quite a bit of secondary scoring to win the Cup, and the Bolts had that too.

While all of Tampa's key players are under contract for next season, they could face some difficult decisions elsewhere on the roster in the offseason. They're projected to be $3.5 million over the salary cap for 2021-22 with only 17 of the 20 roster slots filled, per CapFriendly.

Killorn, who's under contract for two more seasons with a $4.45 million cap hit, could be one of the players whose name is bandied about in trade rumors as the Lightning work to get under the cap.

Even with some necessary moves on the horizon, Tampa Bay will likely enter next season as the favorite to take home a third straight Stanley Cup.

It's hard to win the Stanley Cup. It's even more difficult to win it two years in a row. However, the Tampa Bay Lightning are a special team, one that's going to go down in history as one of the best of the salary-cap era.

On Wednesday, the Lightning successfully completed their Cup defense, beating the Montreal Canadiens 1-0 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final at Amalie Arena. After winning the first three games of the series, Tampa Bay fell on the road in Game 4 but bounced back in a big way.

In case you have forgotten, the Lightning won 62 regular-season games during the 2018-19 campaign before getting swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Columbus Blue Jackets. Since then, Tampa Bay has been unbeatable in the postseason, as The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun pointed out:

The 62-win Lightning of 2018-19 got swept by Columbus in the first round. Since then, Tampa Bay has won eight straight playoff series, never trailed in a series, never lost back-to-back playoff games en route to winning back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
That’s something.

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) July 8, 2021

Prior to last season, the Lightning had won the Stanley Cup only once in their first 27 seasons as an NHL franchise. Now, they have won two in less than a year. They beat the Dallas Stars in September in the NHL bubble once the season resumed amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Perhaps the Lightning have had a good luck charm: Tom Brady. Tampa Bay has won back-to-back Stanley Cups since Brady joined the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also won the Super Bowl earlier this year. And it isn't the first time Brady has brought good fortune to a city:

When Tom Brady was in Boston as a NE Patriot (2000-2019). Pats won 6 SB's, Red Sox won 4 WS, Celtics and Bruins each won one championship. Since signing with Tampa Bay in March 2020, Bucs have won a SB, Rays the ALCS, and the Lightning 2 SC's. The GOAT of good luck charms

— Squire Barnes (@sbarnesglobal) July 8, 2021

One of the biggest reasons for the Lightning's success this postseason was the play of goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy, who was the recipient of the Conn Smythe Trophy. The 26-year-old allowed only eight total goals in the five-game series, while recording 132 saves.

After Vasilevskiy ended the Stanley Cup Final with his fifth shutout of the postseason, there were plenty of people on Twitter giving Tampa Bay's goaltender the praise that he deserved:

Vasy wins the Conn Smythe! So well deserved! The biggest of games he posts shutouts! #GoBolts https://t.co/PwEStj8yYa

— Linda Cohn (@lindacohn) July 8, 2021

Just rename the Conn Smythe the Vasy Trophy lol

Dude was unstoppable. No way Lightning win the #StanleyCup without him.

Brick. Wall. #GoBolts

— John Sabol (@John_Sabol) July 8, 2021

Andrei Vasilevskiy has shutouts in the last five #TBLightning series-clinching games. Incredible.

— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) July 8, 2021

The Lightning were so impressive this postseason that they may even be converting fans of other teams. Professional wrestling legend and WWE Hall of Famer Kevin Nash, who is a known fan of the Detroit Red Wings, clearly liked what he saw from Tampa Bay:

So should I open a Lightning hockey town bar in Tampa? I've lived 25 years now in Florida. I'm wings till I die. But Tampa out skates everyone and goaltending is incredible. Florida is the hockey state. WTF?

— Kevin Nash (@RealKevinNash) July 8, 2021

When the Lightning had a 3-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final, a lot of attention was garnered by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who suggested that the team should lose Game 4 in Montreal so that it could win the Cup on its home ice in Game 5. Of course, that's a risky thing to do. Momentum can easily shift in a series.

As it turned out, though, that's how things unfolded. The Canadiens extended their season with a Game 4 win, but the Lightning rebounded to provide Tampa with a championship celebration. That resulted in Castor chiming back in after the victory:

Now didn't I tell you all that winning at home would feel great?! #GoBolts #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/QHpV2soIkG

— Jane Castor (@JaneCastor) July 8, 2021

For now, the Lightning will continue to celebrate their latest Stanley Cup victory. But at some point, their focus will shift to the 2021-22 season. They will be looking to become the first team to win the Cup in three consecutive years since the New York Islanders, who won four straight from 1980-83.

Considering how strong this Tampa Bay team is, it has a strong chance to do just that.

It was almost as if it was scripted. 

With the Tampa Bay Lightning trying to clinch the Stanley Cup on their home ice Wednesday night in Game 5 of the Final after being unable to celebrate with fans, friends or family one year prior in the bubble. The only two players on the ice who were not in the bubble made sure the Bolts would get that celebration. 

Tampa Bay's David Savard slid a pass to Ross Colton in the crease. Colton beat Montreal Canadiens goalie Carey Price to give the home team a 1-0 lead in the second period.

It might not seem like much, but a 1-goal margin is more than enough for the Lightning and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, who won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP. 

"You knew after that first goal that Vasy was going to shut the door," Tampa Bay captain Steven Stamkos said.

Just ask the New York Islanders, who lost 1-0 in Game 7 of the semifinal round. This team is strong enough to make it stand up and the Habs were gassed. 

The Cup was presented. Stamkos lifted it as a packed Amalie Arena crowd roared. 

"We just went back-to-back," forward Patrick Maroon said. "That's (expletive) amazing." 

Amazing doesn't begin to describe this Tampa Bay team. The term historically great might be more applicable. 

They play a suffocating brand of hockey and they can win in a variety of ways. They didn't use their vaunted power play, they didn't get a hat trick from a star, but Vasilevskiy, pitched a shutout — his fifth straight in a series clinching game — and two role players came up big when it mattered the most.

This isn't like the Pittsburgh Penguins of 2016 and 2017. This isn't the Los Angeles Kings of 2012 and 2014. And this Lightning team might be better than the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty. 

Tampa Bay has long been the best team in the salary cap era but didn't have much to show for it until last year. They passed the eye test, they stifled their opponents in the regular season, won the President's Trophy in 2019 and they regularly went deep into the postseason, even making it to the Cup Final in 2015 and going to the Eastern Conference Final in 2016 and 2018. 

Two years ago, they were the most loaded team in hockey but they were embarrassingly swept out of the first round by the Columbus Blue Jackets. 

So maybe that was the key for this Bolts team, that is largely homegrown, has stayed mostly intact throughout the last five seasons and has been led by the same coach: They had to learn to handle failure before they could learn to handle prosperity. 

What the Lightning have done well is mining talents outside of the first round and working the trade market for undervalued talents. It's a very Moneyball type of approach, but with the money. They are $18 million over the salary cap, after all. 

Brayden Point and Alex Killorn were third-round picks in their respective draft years. Ondrej Palat was a seventh-round pick. Yanni Gourde was undrafted, as was his linemate Barclay Goodrow, who was acquired ahead of the 2020 trade deadline. Blake Coleman came over at the deadline from the New Jersey Devils. At the time, New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald said he couldn't have guessed that Coleman would turn into a power forward who averages 20 goals a season, but Coleman has been an impactful player on two straight Cup teams. 

Even Nikita Kucherov, who is only the third player in NHL history to post 30 or more points in back-to-back postseasons (Wayne Gretzky and Mario Lemeuix are the other two), was drafted in the second round.

The team tanked for Stamkos and drafted him first overall in 2008. A year later, the club selected defenseman Victor Hedman second overall. In 2012 they drafted Vasilevskiy in the first round. They developed their core talent and convinced Stamkos to stick around for a while. 

The player that set up the Colton goal was defenseman Ryan McDonagh, arguably the best Tampa Bay skater in the Final round. The former New York Rangers captain was traded to the Lightning in 2018, triggering a rebuild on Broadway. 

Former general manager Steve Yzerman began the building process and current GM Julien BrisBois picked up where Yzerman left off. Jon Cooper, the longest-tenured coach in the NHL, has integrated these players into the lineup masterfully. It's a blueprint that other organizations should strive to emulate but it's not that easy. Some of it is luck and some of it is smarts. For every draft pick that made them look smart there was one that didn't quite pan out. 

But management did a fantastic job of filling in the gaps with the right players when they were needed. 

The strange pandemic-shortened season made their title defense even more difficult. But in the end, the scrappy Habs could not match the talent level of such a deep team. They were a great story with a great goalie who deserved a shot at hockey glory. That goalie, Carey Price, tried to shoulder the blame saying he felt that he didn't play well enough at the start of the series. 

Montreal captain Shea Weber interrupted him to dispel that notion. 

"I don't think that's the case," Weber said in his postgame Zoom press conference. "I think we weren't good enough in front of Carey. They're here for a reason, they're a heckuva team. They were better than us in the end."

The Lightning is the best team of the salary cap era and they could very well win a third one next season. It's becoming more and more difficult with the flat cap and another expansion team, the Seattle Kraken. And while this management team always seems to have an answer for everything, the entire team knows the reality of the cap situation. It's something they have talked openly about throughout this postseason run. 

Tyler Johnson will likely be gone, as will Coleman and Goodrow.  

"It's so hard to win the Stanley Cup. And then you do it two years in a row, you deserve to go down in history," Stamkos said. "And this group, no matter what happens from here on out, this group is going to be etched in history forever and that's pretty f-ing special. I'm so proud of the guys. You can't soak it in yet. It's so fresh. It's so new. You don't even realize what's going to happen. We won the Stanley Cup and we still have the Stanley Cup. That's just amazing." 

After Stamkos and Hedman took their laps with the Cup, it was handed off to Savard, the only veteran in the group who had never won one in the past. It was fitting. 

It was exactly how management drew it up.