Pittsburgh Penguins Defeat San Jose Sharks to Win Stanley Cup

Pittsburgh Penguins Defeat San Jose Sharks in Game Six to Win Second Stanley Cup Since Last in 2009

Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in game six to capture their second Stanley Cup Championship since 2009.

After several days of deliberation amongst fans and media, Pens captain Sidney Crosby was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as Playoff MVP. Many believed that Matt Murray and Phil Kessel were front-runners, but it’s difficult to argue with the selection of Sid.

Defenseman Brian Dumoulin opened the scoring in the first period with a powerplay goal assisted by Justin Schultz and Chris Kunitz. San Jose Sharks leading playoff scorer Logan Couture tied the game early in the second period, but Pens stud blueliner Kris Letang put his team ahead a little over a minute later. Patric Hornqvist eventually scored an empty netter to put the game away.

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For players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Marc-Andre Fleury (among others), this Stanley Cup Championship marks seven years to the day exactly since they won their first as a group of kids.

It was only 7-8 months ago that people were asking, “What’s wrong with Sidney Crosby”, “Is Sid’s game on the decline?”. Well Sid broke out of that slump with a Hart Trophy performance – but he still felt the snub at the All-Star Game in favor of names such as John Scott. It’s okay, Sidney had his eyes on the big prize all along.

As for that Conn Smythe that he adds to the Trophy case, just add that to the long list of Sid’s accomplishments: Lou Marsh Trophy (Canada’s Top Athlete), Canadian Press Male Athlete of the Year (2009-10), Mark Messier Leadership Award (2009-10), Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy (2009-10), Art Ross Trophy (2006-07, 2013-14), Hart Trophy (2006-07, 2013-14), Ted Lindsay Award (2006-07, 2012-13, 2013-14), Olympic Gold Medal – Team Canada (2010, 2014)… and now Conn Smythe Winner/Two-Time Stanley Cup Champion

Without putting too much of the spotlight on Sidney Crosby, this Pittsburgh Penguins win was truly a team effort in 2016.

Rookie netminder Matt Murray was unbelievable replacing an injured goalie (Marc-Andre Fleury) who very well could have carried this team himself. Murray’s maturity and poise in goal makes GM Jim Rutherford‘s life very difficult moving forward.

JR needs to figure out what to do with two elite goaltenders and potential looming expansion. Don’t be surprised if Pittsburgh looks to move Marc-Andre Fleury – as long as they can get him to waive that full no-movement clause.

Three other players who stood out noticeably for the Pittsburgh Penguins: Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, and Kris Letang.

For Phil, it’s somewhat of a redemption story after being forced into an uncomfortable situation in Toronto. The fit was always there with Pittsburgh where he could play in the shadows of bigger stars.

Bonino was part of the HBK line that took the NHL by storm late in the regular season/into the playoffs. Any doubts regarding the Brandon Sutter trade should be safely swept under the rug after his performance in the postseason.

Give Kris Letang a ton of credit, the Pens blueline took a lot of criticism, but he stepped up in a big way for Pittsburgh. He put up a strong performance in the regular season which left him just on the outskirts of the conversation for the Norris Trophy; he once again found himself on the outskirts of the Conn Smythe discussion.

It’s also important to give credit to those secondary players who made a big difference. Players such as Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary (among several others) who were AHL call-up’s found ways to step up at crucial moments (i.e. Rust in the final game against Tampa Bay).