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Red Wings Daily: Sakic Beats Yzerman to Stanley Cup Double; Helm Third-Longest Between Cup Wins

Joe Sakic is the first person in NHL history to be captain and GM of a Stanley Cup winner with the same franchise

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2 years ago

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Steve Yzerman Red Wings, Joe Sakic, Avalanche
Joe Sakic won Stanley Cups as both captain and GM before Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman could.

On a weekend when everyone was reflecting back on the Detroit Red Wings-Colorado Avalanche Rivalry through the ESPN E60 documentary Unrivaled, a key figure in that battle was making Stanley Cup history.

Joe Sakic became the first person to win the Stanley Cup as a captain and a GM with the same franchise when the Colorado Avalanche captured Lord Stanley’s mug on Sunday with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 6 of the final series.

Sakic was serving as captain when the Avalanche won their previous Stanley Cup titles in 1995-96 and 2000-01. He’s the third in NHL history to win the Cup as both captain and GM.

Eddie Gerard was the first. He captained the Ottawa Senators to three titles (1919-20, 1920-21, 1922-23). Gerard was GM of the 1925-26 Cup champion Montreal Maroons. Bob Gainey was captain of the 1985-86 Montreal Canadiens and GM of the 1998-99 Dallas Stars.

Detroit GM Steve Yzerman captained the Red Wings to three Stanley Cups (1996-97, 1997-98, 2001-02). He’s still looking for his first Cup as a GM. Although he built the Tampa Bay club into an NHL power, Yzerman left for the Red Wings job prior to Tampa Bay’s 2019-20 and 2020-21 Cup success.

Helm’s Cup Gap is Third Longest

Darren Helm won the Stanley Cup as a rookie with the Red Wings in 2007-08. Fourteen years later, he won his second title with the Avalanche.

That gives Helm the third-longest span between Stanley Cup inscriptions. Chris Chelios went 16 years between his win with the 1985-86 Canadiens and the 2001-02 Red Wings. Mark Recchi won in 1990-91 with the Pittsburgh Penguins and again in 2005-06 with the Carolina Hurricanes, a gap of 15 years.

It’s been a big season for the last two active members of Detroit’s 2007-08 Cup-winning squad. Valtteri Filppula captained Finland to an Olympic gold medal and a world title.

Getting Griffy With It

Helm joined Tomas Kopecky as the only two-time Stanley Cup winners who played for the AHL Grand Rapids Griffins.

Avalanche coach Jared Bednar, another ex-Griffins player, was also making history. He’s the first to coach Kelly (ECHL), Calder (AHL) and Stanley Cup championship teams.

Red Wings In Case You Missed It

Hockey Now Network

Colorado: Yes, that just finally happened. The Colorado Avalanche are Stanley Cup champions.

Pittsburgh: Is Sidney Crosby the only untouchable member of the Pittsburgh Penguins?

Vancouver: Making a case for the Sedin twins of the Vancouver Canucks to both be first-ballot Hall of Famers.

Montreal: Sean Burke is leaving the Montreal Canadiens to serve in a goaltending instructor position with the Vegas Golden Knights.

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Philadelphia: Joel Farabee has undergone disc-replacement surgery and the Philadelphia Flyers forward may miss the start of the 2022-23 NHL season.

Washington: Colorado Avalanche forward Andre Burakovsky is the first member of the 2017-18 Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals to win a second Cup.

Islanders: With New York Islanders prospect William Dufour scoring four goals, the Saint John Sea Dogs beat the Shawinigan Cataractes 5-3, earning their way into the Memorial Cup final.

Florida: A conversation with new Florida Panthers coach Paul Maurice.

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