Detroit end their 42-year drought

The last time the Detroit Red Wings won the Stanley Cup none of their players was born. On Saturday they beat the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 to complete a four-game sweep of the National Hockey League championship series and take the Stanley Cup back to Detroit for the first time since 1955.

Nicklas Lidstrom and Darren McCarty scored for Detroit and Mike Vernon made 26 saves as the Red Wings outplayed the bigger, younger Flyers.

Vernon, who was in the Detroit goal for all 16 of the team's play-off wins after being relegated to back-up for all the regular season, was named Most Valuable Player, but virtually anyone on the team could have won the award. Vernon, a previous winner with Calgary in 1989, had an almost flawless defence in front of him.

The Red Wings beat St Louis, Anaheim and the defending champions Colorado Avalanche on their way to the final series. They dominated the Flyers as Detroit's Scotty Bowman became the first coach to win the Stanley Cup with three different teams, having already won with Montreal and Pittsburgh.

There were some tense moments when Eric Lindros scored with just 15 seconds left. But it was too late for Philadelphia, and as Vernon steered the puck behind his net as the final seconds ticked away, his captain Steve Yzerman, a Detroit player for 14 seasons, jumped into his arms. The rest of the team mobbed the pair and pandemonium ensued.