>>> Craig Berube is the second former Flyers player to win the Stanley Cup as a head coach. Who was the first, and for bonus points, what is that man’s connection to this year’s champions?
(Answer Below)
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>>> The 2018-19 St. Louis Blues became just the second NHL/NBA/MLB team in a multi-round postseason to win a championship despite a losing home playoff record (6-7). They were 10-3 on the road.
The first was the 1996 Yankees (3-4 at home, 8-0 on the road).
There were seven MLB title teams that went 1-2 at home from 1903-68, when the World Series was the only postseason action. They were 1906 White Sox, 1923 and 1952 Yankees, 1926 and 1934 Cardinals, 1945 and 1968 Tigers.
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>>> According to @StatsByStats, the Bruins have now lost a title at home seven times, the most in NHL history and second among the four major sports to the Lakers (8) and Yankees (8).
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>>> According to ESPN, Conn Smythe winner Ryan O’Reilly is the first player in NHL history to score a goal in Games 4, 5, 6, and 7 of a Stanley Cup Final series. His 2019 playoff goal totals:
3 . . . First 22 Playoff Games
5 . . . Last 4 Playoff Games
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>>> If the Toronto Raptors can manage a win in either Game 6 Thursday or Game 7 Sunday, this will mark the fifth time that both the NHL and NBA titlists were first-time champions. The previous four:
1989: Calgary Flames / Detroit Pistons
1991: Pittsburgh Penguins / Chicago Bulls
1999: Dallas Stars / San Antonio Spurs
2006: Carolina Hurricanes / Miami Heat
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>>> Terry Crisp, who played on both Flyers’ championship teams, guided the Calgary Flames to the 1989 Stanley Cup from behind the bench. He also was a player on the Blues teams that lost in the 1968, 1969 and 1970 Finals.