The Tampa Bay Lightning are Stanley Cup champions

The Tampa Bay Lightning have won the Stanley Cup.

A #StanleyCup Playoffs like no other. A celebration like no other. ????#NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/gq1FgYSNBK

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 29, 2020

Brayden Point scored his 14th goal of the playoffs, while Andrei Vasilevskiy earned the shutout, and the Lightning beat the Dallas Stars 2-0 on Monday to capture the best-of-seven Cup final in six games.

It’s the second Stanley Cup in franchise history for the Lightning. The first was in 2004, when Tampa Bay toppled the Calgary Flames in seven games.

Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy. The award is given out to the best player throughout the NHL playoffs.

Captain and Markham, Ontario native Steven Stamkos was on hand to accept the cup from Commissioner Gary Bettman despite missing most of the playoffs with injury.

The coach and the captain. #StanleyCup champs! ????#NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/Z0EHYb17nX

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) September 29, 2020

The Stanley Cup final was played at Edmonton’s Rogers Place with no spectators in a so-called bubble to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The game six victory on Monday night concludes one of the strangest seasons in NHL history.

After a shortened regular season and more than a four month hiatus at the hands of the coronavirus pandemic the NHL began their postseason play on August 1^st.

Due to rising case counts in much of the United States the league arranged their postseason play in two Canadian hub cities. Bubbles were set up in Edmonton and Toronto where teams entered and were required to stay, barring injuries or other emergencies, until their team was eliminated from play.

The Lightning emerged as Eastern Conference champions. The Stars were the Western Conference champions out of the Edmonton bubble.

The drought for Canadian teams sipping from Lord Stanley continues. A Canadian team hasn’t won it all since the Montreal Canadiens did so in 1993.