The sport’s biggest stage — with the world’s most famous trophy hovering behind the benches as an untouchable temptation and the ultimate motivation — has the unique ability to make heroes out of anyone, to enshrine them into hockey and franchise lore for contributions on the elusive platform the Stanley Cup Final provides.
For decades before the Stars’ 4-1 victory over Tampa Bay in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday night, timely goals led to fabled status. Enter the unlikely trio of heroes on Saturday night: Joel Hanley, Jamie Oleksiak and Joel Kiviranta.
Each of them scored goals in Game 1, puncturing Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy thrice for just the second time in his last 10 games. Their goals made sure Anton Khudobin’s 35-save effort stood up, and gave the Stars a 1-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Final. Jason Dickinson added an empty-net goal in the waning minutes of the third period.
With three more wins, the Stars will claim the second Stanley Cup in franchise history and the first one since 1999. Game 2 is Monday night at 7 p.m.
The Stars can thank their unexpected conquerors.
There was Hanley, the journeyman and undersized defenseman who’s bounced around professionally since leaving college in 2014. He is the Toronto-area native who only dreamed of playing in the Ontario League, but was denied the chance when he was cut at tryouts for the London Knights.
Hanley played four seasons at UMass Amherst before signing a professional tryout in the AHL for a $40,000 salary, prorated for the number of games he played. At one point, Hanley was demoted to the ECHL, and said last year that “was kind of a moment where I’m like ‘Shoot, I don’t know what’s going to happen next.’ ”
Across the last two seasons, he’s found a home in the Stars organization as an injury replacement and AHL call up. It led to his moment on Saturday night, when he picked the upper-left corner after Kiviranta’s forecheck and Roope Hintz’s assist.
It was Hanley’s first career NHL goal, either in the regular season or postseason.
There was Oleksiak, the former first-round pick humbled by being traded twice for the same fourth-round pick. When he returned to Dallas, the expectations mellowed as his number changed from No. 5 to No. 2. He found his game in this postseason, paired with Miro Heikanen as he turned into a bonafide top-four defenseman.
Oleksiak’s been confident in the playoffs, leading the rush and finding open space in the offensive zone and filling it with his 6-7 frame. On Saturday night, he smoothly slipped into the slot for a shot, then collected the rebound and roofed it past Vasilevskiy before the Tampa netminder knew where the puck was.
There was Kiviranta, the long-haired Finn who has already written his playoff legend via his Game 7 hat trick against Colorado in the second round. Had he not scored another goal in the playoffs, no one would have thought any less of Kiviranta and his playoff resume.
But Kiviranta — the undrafted rookie 25-year-old forward signed last summer by the Stars at the recommendation of Jere Lehtinen — has piled on to his stats. He scored the game-tying goal in Game 5 against Vegas, and the insurance goal on Saturday night. In Game 1, he squeaked a shot through Vasilevskiy late in the second period to give the Stars a 3-1 lead.
From there, Khudobin locked down the game, fending off 22 Tampa Bay shots in the third period.
Before the game, the Stars thought about the chance in front of them. Only two players on their roster have won a Cup and their 65-year-old coach has never lifted the hardware. So was interim coach Rick Bowness nervous entering Game 1?
“I’m excited, not nervous,” Bowness said. “Very little at my age and my stage of my career makes me nervous, I’ve got to tell you that. I’m excited. I’m really looking forward to it. As I told the players again this morning, you never know when you’re getting back to these Finals, so I want them to enjoy it.”
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