Steel City is host to a bowl: the Super Bowl (or at least the trophy). Today, the city is now host to a cup: the Stanley Cup. With a 2-1 victory over the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won their first Stanley Cup since 1992. In the two most recent Stanley Cup Finals between the Penguins and Red Wings, Marian Hossa has been on the losing end. Hossa was traded to the Penguins before the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and he bolted off to Detroit from the free agency during the ensuing offseason.
Maxime Talbot scored both goals for the Penguins as they fended off a late Detroit comeback. Talbot is now the first player since teammate Ruslan Fedotenko to net both goals in a 2-1 victory in Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals; Fedotenko scored both goals for the Tampa Bay Lightning in a 2-1 victory over the Calgary Flames in Game 7 of the 2004 Finals.
At 21 years of age, Sidney Crosby becomes the youngest captain to ever win a Stanley Cup. However, he only played just one shift after taking a hit from Johan Franzen during the second period.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s the stuff you dream of as a kid. It’s reality now,” said Crosby. “We worked so hard. It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come, and couldn’t feel any better.”
Evgeni Malkin, who assisted on Talbot’s first goal, earned the Conn Smythe trophy as the postseason MVP.
Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves on 24 shots; his two saves at the end of regulation, as well as a Niklas Kronwall shot that clanged off the crossbar, helped save the day for the Penguins.
Jonathan Ericsson scored the lone goal for Detroit at the 13:53 mark of the third period; his shot from the right point ended Fleury’s bid for a shutout.
Photo Source: www.espn.com
Hossa wasn’t sent off. He bolted off as a free agent thinking he would have a better chance of winning the cup with Detroit.
Well, Marian, I hope you enjoy 2nd place. (again)
Whoops! Bad choice of words. Thanks for pointing that out.
this is awesome. my first team to wina championship!