1 The Chicago Blackhawks have never clinched a Stanley Cup championship at the United Center and have only clinched on home ice for their first two titles: in 1934 and in 1938.
2 When the Blackhawks won the title in 1938, there was one notable absence from the arena: the Stanley Cup. The NHL didn’t make sure that the prized trophy was in the old Chicago Stadium when the Hawks beat the Toronto Maple Leafs.
3 The Blackhawks have worn three different jerseys in clinching their five championships. In 1934, the team wore their black and white striped jerseys. In 1938, the red and black barberpole sweaters were used. For their final three titles, the team wore their white jerseys when they won. If the Blackhawks clinch tonight, it would be the first time the team has worn their iconic red jerseys in a Cup-clinching victory.
4 The last time a team won the Stanley Cup after losing Game 5 on home ice and going down 3-2 in the series? 2004, when the Tampa Bay Lightning defeated the Calgary Flames in seven games.
5 During the Joel Quenneville era, the Blackhawks have a 15-4 record when they can eliminate an opponent from the postseason. This year, they are 3-1 in such games, with their only loss coming to the Nashville Predators in Game 5 of the teams’ first round series.
6 In their history, the Blackhawks are 5-4 in games that they can clinch the Cup. Three of those losses came to the Montreal Canadiens, and they recovered from a loss in 1934 to win the Cup in four games over the Detroit Red Wings.
7 The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox have only played once on a day when the Blackhawks clinched the Stanley Cup championship. Both teams were in action on June 9, 2010 when the Hawks took down the Flyers, and both won. The Cubs won 9-4, and the White Sox won 15-3.
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8 If the Blackhawks win the Stanley Cup, eight team members will become the first in franchise history to win three titles with the organization. Duncan Keith, Brent Seabrook, Jonathan Toews, Patrick Kane, Bryan Bickell, Patrick Sharp, Niklas Hjalmarsson, and Marian Hossa were all with the team in 2010 and in 2013.
9 This series is the first in NHL history in which the teams have not been separated by more than one goal through the first five games.
10 The Blackhawks and Lightning are knotted up at 136-136 in terms of shots on goal in the series. The Blackhawks do hold a miniscule lead in terms of goals scored, with an 11-10 edge in that category.
11 Both teams have identical 11-1 records when scoring first in this postseason. Tampa’s lone loss when scoring first came in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, while the Blackhawks’ lone defeat when notching the first goal came in Game 5 of their first round series against Nashville.
12 With a win in either Game 6 or Game 7, Corey Crawford would tie Tony Esposito for the most postseason wins by a goaltender in Blackhawks history. Esposito currently holds the record at 45 wins (he was also coincidentally acquired by the Blackhawks in a trade with the Canadiens on this date in 1969).
13 The Lightning have faced elimination three different times in this postseason. In those games, Ben Bishop has given up just two goals and stopped 75 shots. He also shut out the New York Rangers and Detroit Red Wings in do-or-die Game 7’s.
14 Since the start of the 2009 playoffs, the Blackhawks are 12-1 in Game 6’s. Their only loss came to the Phoenix Coyotes in 2012.
15 If the Lightning can force a Game 7, they will set an NHL record for most games played in a single postseason. They currently sit in a tie for first at 26 games.
h/t to the NHL's PR department for help with some of these facts
