[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9970]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 205--CONGRATULATING THE CHICAGO BLACKHAWKS ON WINNING 
                          THE 2015 STANLEY CUP

  Mr. DURBIN (for himself and Mr. Kirk) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 205

       Whereas, on June 15, 2015, the Chicago Blackhawks Hockey 
     Team won the Stanley Cup;
       Whereas the 2015 Stanley Cup title is the third Stanley Cup 
     title for the Blackhawks in 6 years;
       Whereas Blackhawks fans at the ``Madhouse on Madison'' 
     witnessed Duncan Keith and Patrick Kane score show-stopping 
     goals while goaltender Corey Crawford seemed to stand on his 
     head at times, stopping all 25 shots he faced;
       Whereas the Blackhawks won their sixth Stanley Cup, tying 
     the Boston Bruins for fourth on the franchise list of most 
     titles won;
       Whereas the Blackhawks joined the National Hockey League 
     (referred to in this preamble as ``NHL'') in 1926 and have a 
     rich history in the NHL;
       Whereas the Blackhawks were 1 of the 6 original teams in 
     the NHL;
       Whereas the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup in 1934, 1938, 
     1961, 2010, and 2013;
       Whereas for the first time in 77 years, the Blackhawks fans 
     saw their heroes win the Stanley Cup on home ice;
       Whereas the Blackhawks began the playoffs with a double-
     overtime victory against the Nashville Predators;
       Whereas a goal scored by Brent Seabrook in triple-overtime 
     of Game 4 helped the Blackhawks defeat the Predators in 6 
     games;
       Whereas a sweep of the Minnesota Wild followed in the 
     second round of the playoffs, setting up a showdown with the 
     Anaheim Ducks in the Western Conference Finals;
       Whereas the Blackhawks earned triple and double-overtime 
     victories against the Anaheim Ducks in Games 2 and 4 on their 
     way to winning the series in 7 games and clinching a berth in 
     the Stanley Cup Finals;
       Whereas the Blackhawks followed a familiar pattern in 
     dropping Games 2 and 3 of the Stanley Cup Finals against the 
     Tampa Bay Lightning, but took a 3-2 series lead into Game 6 
     on home ice on the night of Monday, June 15, 2015;
       Whereas in another close contest, Patrick Kane scored a 
     goal during Game 6 that marked the first time either team led 
     by more than 1 goal in the series;
       Whereas it was a great night for fans of the Blackhawks and 
     the culmination of a tremendous team effort;
       Whereas Antoine Vermette, acquired at the trade deadline, 
     scored 2 game-winning goals in the Stanley Cup Finals;
       Whereas Goaltender Scott Darling, when called upon in 
     relief of Corey Crawford, stood tall in net when his team 
     needed him the most against the Predators;
       Whereas Duncan Keith was an ``ironman'', earning the Conn 
     Smythe Trophy for Most Valuable Player in the playoffs while 
     logging more than 700 minutes of ice time in 23 games;
       Whereas Niklas Hjalmarsson blocked shots left and right and 
     seemed to be in the right place at all times;
       Whereas General Manager Stan Bowman, Head Coach Joel 
     Quenneville, President John F. McDonough, and owner Rocky 
     Wirtz have put together and led one of the greatest dynasties 
     in NHL history;
       Whereas the Stanley Cup returns to the City of Chicago and 
     gives Blackhawks fans across the State of Illinois a chance 
     to celebrate championship hockey;
       Whereas the Nashville Predators, Minnesota Wild, Anaheim 
     Ducks, and Tampa Bay Lightning proved to be worthy and 
     honorable adversaries and also deserve recognition: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the Chicago Blackhawks on winning the 
     2015 Stanley Cup;
       (2) commends the fans, players, and management of the Tampa 
     Bay Lightning for an outstanding series; and
       (3) respectfully directs the Secretary of the Senate to 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to the 2015 
     Chicago Blackhawks hockey organization and Blackhawks owner 
     Rocky Wirtz.

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