TAMPA BAY — On Wednesday night, the Tampa Bay Lighting beat the Montreal Canadians in the Stanley Cup Finals, 1-0, to win the cup for the second year in a row.
The win also meant former Colorado College Tiger Curtis McElhinney became the second former CC hockey player to win multiple Stanley Cups.
Tampa Bay is the first team to win the NHL title in consecutive seasons since the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2016 and '17.
McElhinney, who did not make an appearance in the playoffs, appeared in 12 games for the Lightning during the 2020-21 regular season and posted a 4-6 record and a 3.09 goals-against average. He played 18 games for Tampa Bay last season.
The 2005 CC graduate joins Doug Lidster (1994 and '99) as former Tigers with a pair of the Stanley Cups. Jaden Schwartz (2019) and Bill "Red" Hay (1961) also have their names engraved on the most recognized trophy in professional sports.
Colorado College is the only college in the country to have a former player win the Stanley Cup each of the last three seasons.
McElhinney, who has played for eight different NHL teams, compiled a 62-15-8 record in his four years at Colorado College and earned a First-Team All-American selection in 2005 when the Tigers advanced to the NCAA Frozen Four.
