Bishop, Darling Make History, Face Off in Stanley Cup Final
Two former University of Maine goaltenders are competing for the NHL Stanley Cup.
Ben Bishop is the starting goalie for Tampa Bay and Scott Darling is the valuable backup for Chicago. It is the first time in Stanley Cup Final history that goalies who played at the same university will contend for the coveted cup.
Bishop played in 99 games for the Black Bears from 2005 to 2008, and posted a mark of 55–35–7, with a 2.29 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage. He recorded five shutouts for the Black Bears and led UMaine to the 2007 Frozen Four, which was played in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri.
Darling played at UMaine during the 2008–09 and 2009–10 seasons. He compiled a record of 25–20–3, with a 2.92 goals-against average and a .895 save percentage.
One will have his name engraved on the chalice, sometimes referred to as Lord Stanley’s Cup or the Holy Grail.
Chicago and Tampa split two meetings in 2014–15, each winning at home. Chicago earned a 3–2 shootout win Nov. 11 and Tampa Bay won 4–0 on Feb. 27
Bishop has had an outstanding season for Tampa Bay. In the playoffs, he is 12–8–0, with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .920 save percentage. He has notched three shutouts and three assists. Bishop posted shutouts in games 5 and 7 in the Eastern Conference final against the New York Rangers. He becomes the third goalie in NHL history to record two Game 7 shutouts in a single season, joining Patrick Roy (2002) and Tim Thomas (2011). Bishop became the first goalie in NHL history to record shutouts in each of his first two Game 7 starts of his career, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Darling has played in five playoff games for Chicago, making four starts. He is 3–1, with a 2.21 goals-against average and a .936 save percentage. Darling stopped all 42 shots he faced after replacing Corey Crawford in a first-round game with Nashville on April 15. He made 50 saves in a triple-overtime win over Nashville on April 21.
The best-of-seven Stanley Cup Final series begins at 8 p.m. June 3, in Tampa. NBC is televising the contest. The series continues at 7:15 p.m. June 6, in Tampa, (NBC). The series then moves to Chicago; Game 3 will be played at 8 p.m. June 8 and Game 4 will be June 10 (NBCSN). Game five, if necessary, will be played in Tampa at 8 p.m. June 13 (NBC). Game 6, if necessary, will be in Chicago at 8 p.m. June 15 (NBC), while Game 7, if necessary, would be played in Tampa at 8 p.m. June 17 (NBC).