Penguins Seek the Elusive Spirit of '71

As this NHL season comes down to one last winner-take-all night of hockey, history favors the Red Wings.

There have been 14 game sevens in the history of the Stanley Cup Final. The home team has won 12 of them.

When you consider that the home team has won every game of this year's Final, you have to believe the Pittsburgh Penguins will face a monumental challenge on Friday night.

The odds are even longer for the Penguins, because they are also trying to complete a comeback that history says is nearly impossible.

Only one team has ever fallen behind 3-2 in the Stanley Cup Final, won game six at home, and then followed through by winning game seven on the road.

That's the 1971 Montreal Canadiens.

For Montreal fans, the '71 Final is one of the all-time great playoff comebacks.

For anyone else, it's the year the Blackhawks blew it.

Chicago's 1971 collapse goes down as one of the most demoralizing losses in Stanley Cup history.

After failing to clinch the Cup in Montreal, the Blackhawks took control in game seven.

With the second period winding down, Chicago held a 2-0 lead with the hometown crowd cheering them on.

Then Montreal's Jacques Lemaire carried the puck to center ice...

Continue reading: How the Chicago Blackhawks blew the 1971 Stanley Cup