Stanley Cup
Crosby, Malkin responsible for Pens’ drive to brink of history
The Pittsburgh Penguins and Nashville Predators are ready to open the best-of-seven championship series in the National Hockey League that will decide the 2016-17 Stanley Cup champion. Game 1 is in Pittsburgh on Monday night.
Above all else, the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the Stanley Cup final chasing history because of two longtime organizational pillars: Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
Crosby and Malkin helped the Penguins climb from the depths of the NHL to the pursuit of a third title in the last nine years and, potentially, the first repeat win in the salary cap era.
“They’re both special,” Penguins winger Phil Kessel said. “If you watch them out there, they do some pretty special things.” Good fortune is largely why both ended up in Steeltown. The Penguins were the NHL’s worst team in the 2003-04 season, but it was the Capitals who drew the first pick and opted for Alex Ovechkin.
That left Malkin there for the taking at No. 2.
A year later, every team in the league had a shot at the No. 1 pick following the 2004-05 lockout, but the Pens – one of four teams with the maximum three lottery balls – emerged as the winner of the Crosby sweepstakes.
A franchise was changed – and perhaps saved – as a result. Crosby and Malkin have already won two Cups for the Penguins and rank as two of the most prolific post-season performers in NHL history. Crosby is tied for ninth all-time with 1.11 points per-game, trailed closely by Malkin in 15th at 1.07. “They just do whatever it takes to win,” said Justin Schultz, struck by the practice habits and competitiveness of the duo when he joined the Penguins last season.
The Penguins begin the Stanley Cup final on home ice tonight at 9 p.m. Atlantic. Crosby said he was motivated more by the opportunity to win than any history at stake. Getting back wasn’t easy – the Penguins won two series in seven games – and he wanted to take advantage. Pittsburgh also lost his and Malkin’s first trip to the final in 2008 and after winning in 2009, needed another seven years just to get back once more.
“We wanted to get back here and we knew that it was going to be difficult and there’d be a lot of obstacles and we found a way to get here now so it’s up to us to do something with the opportunity,” Crosby said.
The Cole Harbour, N.S., native can join one-time mentor Mario Lemieux, Steve Yzerman and Wayne Gretzky as the only players to captain back-to-back Cup winners in the last 30 years. He could eclipse even Mario with a third Cup (Lemieux has added two as an owner) and add to an already storied legacy, which includes a Conn Smythe Trophy. Crosby and Malkin have already made an dent as the first team in the cap era to reach the final four times. They managed to get back this spring despite losing their best defenceman, Kris Letang, for the season and top goalie, Matt Murray, for the better part of the first two rounds.
The two are described by teammates as understated leaders who drive the group mostly by example.
Both players have had shredded foes again in the postseason, ranked 1-2 in scoring – Malkin with 24 points, Crosby with 20.