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Nico Sturm with the Stanley Cup
Photo: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images
German ice hockey pro Nico Sturm won the Stanley Cup in the National Hockey League with the Colorado Avalanche.
The team from Denver won the sixth game of the final series against defending champion Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday evening (local time) 2-1 (0-1, 2-0, 0-0) and thus the decisive fourth win.
Sturm, who was traded to Denver from the Minnesota Wild just three months ago, clocked 5:43 ice time in the deciding game.
The Augsburger is only the fifth German ice hockey professional to win the huge trophy for the NHL championship.
Most recently, national goalkeeper Philipp Grubauer succeeded in winning the Washington Capitals title in 2018.
For the Avalanche it is the third title in its history and the first in 21 years.
"It feels incredible"
In Tampa, the hosts took the lead through captain Steven Stamkos.
Nathan MacKinnon equalized with his second goal of the finals series.
Also in the second period, Artturi Lehkonen scored to make it 2-1, MacKinnon collected an assist.
“It's a feeling of disbelief.
It's hard to describe.
To see all these warriors fight, it feels incredible.
Words can't describe what I'm feeling," MacKinnon said on US television.
“The core of this group has been here for ten years.
That's incredible.
It's so incredible.«
The Lightning had won the Stanley Cup the past two years, but went into the Finals series against Colorado as underdogs.
The Avalanche maintained their 100% haul through success - every time the team made it to the deciding series for the title, they ended up winning the championship: 1996, 2001 and 2022.
cev/dpa
