The Pittsburgh Penguins have hung on to win the Stanley Cup over the San Jose Sharks, 4 games to 2!
The final score tonight was 3-1 Pittsburgh, and first of all let me say hats off to the San Jose Sharks. These guys were highly worthy opponents who never quit. Martin Jones in goal was doing some magic back there; that’s for sure.
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin now match the great Mario Lemieux with two Stanley Cups.
The Conn Smythe Trophy for Most Valuable Player goes to Sidney Crosby! He was a man on a mission this time.
Not a very gracious reception by the San Jose fans, unfortunately, who also had some trouble this evening with rule interpretations on icing, penalties, etc. Not showing much class here.
Matt Murray, the Penguins goaltender, ties the record for most wins by a rookie in the Stanley Cup playoffs with 15, tying luminaries like Patrick Roy with that mark.
Phil Kessel! They said you couldn’t be a team player, but you were solid gold throughout these playoffs! You deserve this, man!
Trevor Daley, broken ankle and all, gets to skate the Cup anyway! Oh man, and they let Pascal Dupuis come out in his No. 9 and skate it, too!
Marc-Andre Fleury gets it next, and we would not be here if it weren’t for his stellar play during the season to get us here.
Malkin, Cullen, etc. Everybody gets a chance to hoist it. I can’t name them all: Bonino, Hagelin, Rust, Hornqvist, Lovejoy, Fehr, etc., etc., etc.
And let’s not forget the job that Mike Sullivan did behind the bench, and how GM Jim Rutherford set us up with some unbelievable moves. They said Rutherford was washed up when he came over from Carolina, but I don’t think anyone’s saying that now.
As Jiggs McDonald pointed out in 1991 when the Penguins won their first Cup, “One of the great joys of having won this thing on the road: Flying home tonight with that Cup.”
CONGRATULATIONS TO THE PENGUINS AND EVERYONE IN PITTSBURGH!!