# 2013 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2013 [Stanley Cup playoffs](https://www.edgepedia.org/stanley-cup-playoffs) was the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league)'s postseason tournament for the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, played from April 30 to June 24, 2013, and won by the [Chicago Blackhawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/chicago-blackhawks), who defeated the Boston Bruins four games to two in the Stanley Cup Final.[1](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013/01/2012-13-nhl-lockout-ends/) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Champion | Chicago Blackhawks, second Cup in three years and fifth in franchise history[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234) • [3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/) |
| Final | Chicago defeated Boston 4-2, outscoring the Bruins 17-15[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234) • [4](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/n6wgt9sabpr5ljpxzrob.pdf) |
| Deciding moment | Bryan Bickell tied Game 6 at 18:44 and Dave Bolland scored the Cup-winning goal at 19:01, goals 17 seconds apart in the last 1:16[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234) |
| Playoff MVP | Patrick Kane won the Conn Smythe Trophy, with seven goals in his last eight postseason games[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234) |
| Season context | A 119-day lockout canceled about 60 percent of the regular season, which was reduced to 48 games[5](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2013/article/pdf/the-hockey-lockout-of-2012.pdf) • [6](https://www.si.com/nhl/2013/01/17/10-things-know-about-nhl-season) |
| Regular-season leader | Chicago went 36-7-5, earned points in each of its first 24 games (21-0-3), and won the Presidents' Trophy[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234) |
| Historical note | The Final was the first between Original Six teams since 1979 and the first Bruins-Blackhawks Final ever[3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/) |
## A season shaped by the lockout
An owner-imposed lockout ran from September 15, 2012 to January 12, 2013 and wiped out roughly 60 percent of the regular season, along with the All-Star Weekend and the New Year's Day Winter Classic; the settlement gave owners a 50-50 split of hockey-related revenue.[5](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2013/article/pdf/the-hockey-lockout-of-2012.pdf) The season was shortened to 48 games per team, and after hastily arranged training camps the playoffs began on April 30, 2013.[1](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013/01/2012-13-nhl-lockout-ends/) • [6](https://www.si.com/nhl/2013/01/17/10-things-know-about-nhl-season)
**Chicago entered as the league's best team.** The Blackhawks earned points in each of their first 24 games (21-0-3), breaking the NHL's previous season-opening streak of 16 games, and finished 36-7-5 to capture the [Presidents' Trophy](https://www.edgepedia.org/presidents-trophy) as the top regular-season club.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234)
## Chicago's road to the Final
The Blackhawks beat the [Minnesota Wild](https://www.edgepedia.org/minnesota-wild) 4-1 in the first round, then survived their hardest test against the [Detroit Red Wings](https://www.edgepedia.org/detroit-red-wings). Down 3-1 in the series, Chicago won the last two games, taking Game 7 by 2-1 on an overtime goal.[3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/) In the Western Conference Finals, Chicago beat the [Los Angeles Kings](https://www.edgepedia.org/los-angeles-kings) 4-1.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234)
[Patrick Kane](https://www.edgepedia.org/patrick-kane) delivered the clinching moment of that series, scoring his second career playoff hat trick in Game 5 against Los Angeles, including the series-winning goal in double overtime.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234)
## Boston's road to the Final
In the opening round, fourth-seeded Boston met the [Toronto Maple Leafs](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-maple-leafs), another [Original Six](https://www.edgepedia.org/original-six) club making its first playoff appearance since 2004, and took the series 4-3; the Bruins clinched Game 7 by overcoming a 4-1 shortfall to prevail 5-4 in overtime.[3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/) Boston then beat the [New York Rangers](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-rangers) 4-1 in the second round and swept top-seeded Pittsburgh 4-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals.[3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/)
## The Stanley Cup Final
The series was the first Bruins-Blackhawks Final in history, despite both franchises dating to 1924 and 1926, and the first Final between Original Six teams since Montreal beat the New York Rangers in 1979.[3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/) Five of the six games were decided by one goal, four of them in overtime.[3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/)
**Game 1** in Chicago on June 12 went three overtimes, the Blackhawks winning 4-3 on Andrew Shaw's goal 12:08 into the third overtime. Boston outshot Chicago 54-63 in the marathon, and Bruins goalie [Tuukka Rask](https://www.edgepedia.org/tuukka-rask) came in with a 149:36 shutout streak that ended on [Brandon Saad](https://www.edgepedia.org/brandon-saad)'s second-period goal.[3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/) **Game 2** also went to overtime, Daniel Paille scoring at 13:48 of the first extra period for a 2-1 Boston win.[3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/) The Bruins took the series lead with a 2-0 win in Game 3 at home, then [Brent Seabrook](https://www.edgepedia.org/brent-seabrook)'s overtime goal gave Chicago a 6-5 victory in Game 4 to even the series.[7](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/stanley-cup-finals-brent-seabrooks-ot-winner-helps-blackhawks-even-series-with-bruins/2013/06/20/b792a392-d95d-11e2-a016-92547bf094cc_story.html) Chicago won Game 5 at home 3-1 behind two Patrick Kane goals.[3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/)
**Game 6** produced the defining sequence of the playoffs. Boston led 2-1 on a [Milan Lucic](https://www.edgepedia.org/milan-lucic) goal midway through the third period, and the Bruins were under two minutes from forcing a Game 7 when Bryan Bickell tied the game at 18:44; 17 seconds later, with 59 seconds left, Dave Bolland scored the go-ahead goal, and Chicago held on for a 3-2 win and the championship.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234) • [3](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/) Chicago outscored Boston 17-15 across the series.[4](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/n6wgt9sabpr5ljpxzrob.pdf)
## Aftermath
Patrick Kane won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP after tallying seven goals in his last eight games of the postseason.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234) The title was Chicago's second in three years under captain Jonathan Toews, head coach Joel Quenneville, and general manager Stan Bowman, and the franchise's fifth overall; the Blackhawks won again in 2015 for their sixth.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234) • [4](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/n6wgt9sabpr5ljpxzrob.pdf) The 2012-13 Blackhawks also remain a reference point in league history as the last Presidents' Trophy winner to win the Stanley Cup in the same season.[8](https://www.axios.com/2020/09/18/stanley-cup-final-teams-lightning-stars)
## References
1. [2012-13 NHL Lockout Ends, Sports Media Watch](https://www.sportsmediawatch.com/2013/01/2012-13-nhl-lockout-ends/)
2. [Stanley Cup Champions 2010-2016, NHL.com](https://www.nhl.com/news/nhl-stanley-cup-champions-2010-2016-287974234)
3. [2013 Stanley Cup Final, Pro Stock Hockey](https://www.prostockhockey.com/hockey-resources/stanley-cup-finals/2013/)
4. [Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Playoffs Record, NHL Media](https://media.d3.nhle.com/image/private/t_document/prd/n6wgt9sabpr5ljpxzrob.pdf)
5. [The hockey lockout of 2012-2013, Monthly Labor Review, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics](https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2013/article/pdf/the-hockey-lockout-of-2012.pdf)
6. [Ten things to know about the 2013 NHL season, Sports Illustrated](https://www.si.com/nhl/2013/01/17/10-things-know-about-nhl-season)
7. [Stanley Cup finals: Brent Seabrook's OT winner helps Blackhawks even series with Bruins, The Washington Post](https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/stanley-cup-finals-brent-seabrooks-ot-winner-helps-blackhawks-even-series-with-bruins/2013/06/20/b792a392-d95d-11e2-a016-92547bf094cc_story.html)
8. [The Stanley Cup Final is set, Axios](https://www.axios.com/2020/09/18/stanley-cup-final-teams-lightning-stars)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › National Hockey League › NHL seasons, playoffs, and Finals*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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