Somebody else can eyeball
this list and see if I'm missing something but I think Pittsburgh is the first team to win a Cup one year after losing in the finals since Montreal did it in 1968 (beating St.Louis) after losing (to Toronto) in 1967.
On the other hand, Detroit is the fifth team to lose in the finals one season after winning the Cup (NJ in 00-01, Dallas in 99-00, NYI 83-84, Philly 75-76)
Meanwhile, Game 7 was the
most watched hockey game in the US in 36 years.
Game 7 of the Detroit Red Wings-Pittsburgh Penguins series, won by the Pens, averaged 8 million viewers, the most to tune into an NHL game since Game 6 of the 1973 finals between Montreal and Chicago drew 9.4 million.
It also boosted viewership for the five Stanley Cup games carried on NBC to an average 5.6 million, the best since ABC averaged 5.8 million for three telecasts in 2002.
Versus carried the other two games, and it, too, set records, with the two contests becoming the most-watched telecasts in network history.
Game 7 was also the highest-rated series-ending game since 2003, averaging a 4.3 household rating and 8 share. The game averaged a season-high 3.2 among adults 18-49.