Penguins repeat
Patric Hornqvist scores with 96 seconds left to break 0-0 tie as Penguins win Stanley Cup again,
When Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby raised the Stanley Cup after a 2-0 victory Sunday night, he undoubtedly did it the right way.
The Penguins embraced coach Mike Sullivan’s “play the right way” motto and conquered the Nashville Predators in six games to win the fifth Stanley Cup championship in franchise history.
With Crosby leading the way, the Penguins survived the loss of No. 1 defenseman Kris Letang, a mid-playoff goalie switch and Game 7s against the Washington Capitals and Ottawa Senators. The Penguins became the first NHL champion to repeat since 1998, when the Detroit Red Wings made it two in a row with a sweep of the Capitals.
When the Chicago Blackhawks won their third title in six seasons in 2015, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman referred to them as a dynasty.
With three titles since 2009 and four trips to the Stanley Cup Final since 2008, the Penguins deserve that distinction as well, especially when you factor in their repeat.
As strong as the Blackhawks have been in recent years, they couldn’t win two in a row. The Los Angeles Kings, with their stingy defensive play, could win only two in three years (2012 and 2014).
Given the loss of Letang before the playoffs, this year’s Stanley Cup run seemed much more difficult than last year’s. The Penguins needed 24 games to win the Cup last year and 25 this year.
The 49 games represent the most playoff games an NHL team has played over two seasons.
What didn’t change this season is that Crosby led the way and goalie Matt Murray’s poised style was a stabilizing factor.
In the 2016 playoff run, Murray was the star in net, but this season he was injured right before the playoffs and Marc-Andre Fleury became the starter. But since Murray returned in the Eastern Conference finals, the Penguins have been a stronger team.
Crosby had 27 points in the playoffs and seemed to be at his best in every big game. He totaled 19 points last season when he was the Conn Smythe Trophy winner for the first time.
Another Stanley Cup adds to Crosby’s legacy as a superstar who knows how to win. He now owns three Stanley Cup championships, two Olympic gold medals, a world championship, a World Cup championship and a world junior championship.
Evgeni Malkin also stepped up as well, leading the team in points. The Crosby-Malkin onetwo punch at center is what defines the Penguins dynasty.
No team the Penguins faced had centers who matched up comfortably against these two, particularly the Predators, who played without No. 1 center Ryan Johansen.
The play of Jake Guentzel (13 goals) was the biggest surprise of this playoff run. Nobody could have foreseen the impact he would have.
The forgotten man in this Penguins dynasty is Mario Lemieux. He won two Stanley Cups as a player and now has three Stanley Cups as an owner.
Where would this franchise be if Lemieux had not bought it and pulled it out of bankruptcy in 1999? Maybe not even in the city, but certainly with three fewer Stanley Cups.