Pittsburgh got it's 4th Stanley Cup last night in a 3-1 rout of San Jose, giving them a 4-2 series win. That's Big Metal Trophy #15 for the Steel City, aka the City of Champions, where the Pirates have accumulated 5 World Series titles (Last one: 1979), the Steelers have 6 Lombardi's (Last one: 2009), and the Penguins now have 4 Stanley Cups (Last one: Last night!!!). How did they do it? Well:
1. Sidney Crosby
The man everyone who's not a Pittsburgh fan loves to hate. Call him a whiner, say the referees favor him, attack his skill level, say whatever you want, he's our guy and all yinz haters just wish he was on your team.
His precision is untouchable. While being tossed into the boards he can make a backwards-between the legs pass straight to a winger, just like he did last night, and if you give him a seam down the middle you better bet he's going to find a way to get the puck in the net. He doesn't shy away from contact, despite what Flyers fan might think, and proved it in the series versus the Sharks by getting into scraps left and right, having his helmet ripped off more than once by Burns and Thornton.
He hoisted the Conn Smythe trophy, not only because of his athletic ability, but because of his leadership. This team was out of the running for the playoffs in December, and the coach, Byslma, who led Crosby and company to #3 in 2009, was axed. Crosby kept the locker room from turning on each other, and after Sullivan was pulled out of the minors, turned the team into champions.
2. A Defense that came out of nowhere
Whatever you may think of him, Letang is the anchor of the defense. But who else is there? After Daley went down with a broken ankle in game 4 against Tampa, things looked abysmal. With a patchwork crew that had no star name recognition how could we possibly get into the final, let alone hoist the cup over the West?
Doumolin, Lovejoy, Maata, and Cole all accepted the challenge when called. A Sharks team that blew out the favorite St. Louis Blues, that's known for tight defense and a strong goalie, could not seem to get anything working against the Penguins, and their league best playoff power play numbers were shrunken and stymied. The defense came out and blocked shots however they could: with their stick, with their body, sliding, and, a few times, with their head. There were 133 block shot attempts for Pittsburgh, averaging about 23 a game, which made the task a lot easier for Matt Murray. Which brings me to my next point...
3. Matt Murray
What were you doing at 21? I definitely not playing in the playoff of a lifetime, and, my guess, most people were drinking. Not Matt Murray.
Murray came out in the final 3 weeks of the regular season to fill in for Fleury who went down with an injury. While Fleury has a Stanley Cup to his name, sometimes he can be a bit shaky. Murray, on the other hand, had a veterans presence with all of the acne of kid. The Sharks did not get many chances, but they made the most of them with tight shots that needed world champion level saves. Drink a beer on the city Murray, you'll be around for a while yet.
4. HBK
I don't speak Punjabi, but I get that announcer.
Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel wasn't a strung together line until late March, but once their formula worked, oh man did it work. The Pens had paid a big ticket price to get Kessel from Toronto, where the papers definitely wanted him gone, and he spent the season just trying to get going. It wasn't working with either Malkin or Crosby, so, after a late season acquisition of Hagelin from Anaheim, Sullivan put together the HBK line that devastated the playoffs.
With three top-tier lines that caused mismatches on defense, and a group of shift-able wingers to keep opposing coaches on their toes, the Pens were able to dominate time of possession in the playoffs. HBK was the best all around line for the Penguins, capitalizing on 3rd string defenses to combine for the most points in the playoffs for the team.
The Penguins only have 2 unrestricted free agents. If the team can keep it going next year, we could see the first repeat championships in the Steel City since 1990-1992.
But that's next year. The parade is scheduled for Wednesday, and the cup will spend time with all of the players, making its way to different houses and countries, and being treated like it should in the City of Champions.
