Nico Sturm from Augsburg 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.
The 27-year-old Sturm 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.
In Tampa, the hosts took the lead through captain Steven Stamkos. Nathan MacKinnon equalized with his second goal in the final series, Artturi Lehkonen also scored in the second period to make it 2-1.
“It’s a feeling of disbelief. It’s hard to describe. Seeing all these warriors fight, it feels amazing. 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.
