March of the Penguins – Pittsburgh Wins the Stanley Cup on Foreign Ice
The ultimate level of the sport’s compelling combination of speed, grace, physical mayhem, stick skills and intensity were on full display last night as that band of youngsters, the Penguins, with superstar kids Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin and a rookie coach defeated the dominant dynasty of the era, the Red Wings (NHL champs four times in a dozen years) in Detroit 2-1 taking the decisive Game 7 and the 2009 Stanley Cup.
Both sides let it all out battling over every inch of ice, contesting every shot, but it was Max Talbot’s two second-period goals and Marc-Andre Fleury ’s 23 saves that gave Pittsburgh its first cup since owner Mario Lemieux was the team’s captain in 1992.
In a bit of irony, Pittsburgh’s reversal of fortune came in Joe Louis Arena winning the NHL crown on the road just as Detroit did in Pittsburgh last year. It should also be noted that the Penguins are the first to win the title the year after losing in the finals since Edmonton did it 25 years against the New York Islanders – the last finals rematch before this one.
Evgeni Malkin, who assisted on Talbot’s first goal and led the playoffs with 36 points, earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason MVP, but the win would certainly have not been possible without Fleury’s brilliance in the net. The Penguins’ goalie may have been overlooked when compared to counterpart Chris Osgood who owns three Stanley Cup titles.
After Jonathan Ericsson cut Pittsburgh’s lead in half at 2-1 with 6:07 remaining with a powerful shot from inside the blue line sending the hometown fans into a frenzy, Fleury stepped up his intensity with some outstanding saves in the waning moments. But the goalie will be the first to say luck also helps. With one second left, Fleury dove across the crease and knocked away a shot by Niklas Lidstrom.
“I knew there wasn’t much time left,” Fleury said. “The rebound was wide. I just decided to get my body out there and it hit me in the ribs so it was good.”
Good indeed.
How tough is it to win Game 7 on the road?
Since the NHL introduced the best-of-seven format in 1939, the home team has won 12 of 14 Cup Finals that have gone the distance.
Pittsburgh became the first to take Game 7 on the road after the home team won the first six games since the 1971 Montreal Canadiens beat Chicago.
wow! you gotta love this even if you’re not a hockey fan. just great competiiton. a tremendous series indeed.
absolutely spot on Rory, what a great boost for the sport to have such a grand finale.
It simply had all the intensity and drama one could ask for. It symbolized why sports can be so compelling.
I had always heard how tough it was to win Game 7 on the road in the nhl, from your stats it is clearly evident now. hats off to Pittsburgh.
Here’s to Pittsurgh starting their own championship run like Detroit has enjoyed.