The 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 9, 2008, after the 2007–08 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions played a best-of-seven series for the Stanley Cup.
The Finals ended on June 4, 2008, with the Detroit Red Wings defeating the Pittsburgh Penguins four games to two to win their eleventh championship and their fourth in eleven seasons. It was the first championship in the 16 year career of Red Wings winger Dallas Drake, who retired following the season. Red Wings winger Henrik Zetterberg was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the playoff's Most Valuable Player. Sidney Crosby and Henrik Zetterberg both led the tournament with 27 points.
Read more about 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs: Highlights, Playoff Seeds, Playoff Bracket, Stanley Cup Finals
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“Where he gets his spirits
It’s a mystery. But the stuff keeps him musical:”
—William Stanley Merwin (b. 1927)
“Sunday morning may be cheery enough, with its extra cup of coffee and litter of Sunday newspapers, but there is always hanging over it the ominous threat of 3 P.M., when the sun gets around to the back windows and life stops dead in its tracks.”
—Robert Benchley (1889–1945)