This season may not have gone as expected, but in the end, the Pittsburgh Penguins got it done.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are champions once again.
After ousting the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup finals, the Penguins have accomplished a feat no other team has done in almost 20 years; win back-to-back Stanley Cups. And the captain; Sidney Crosby, earned his second straight Conn Smythe trophy, becoming the third player to ever accomplish this feat.
After another four gruelling playoff rounds the Penguins experienced, they can look back at the last two seasons with execution on the ice, pride in their hearts and two Stanley Cup rings around their fingers.
For many players, it wasn’t their first rodeo (I know, it’s still too soon Nashville fans). The core group of players of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, and Kris Letang each won their third championship. Veteran Chris Kunitz picked up his fourth Cup, winning his first in Anaheim back in 2007. Ron Hainsey made his Stanley Cup playoff debut after playing over 900 regular-season games and is now flying higher than ever before.
Forward Matt Cullen — who questioned retiring last year after the Penguins Stanley Cup victory — held on for one more demanding NHL season and again proved that he is still too young to not be a key piece in the Pens well-oiled machine.
Rookie Jake Guentzel stunned everyone by leading the playoffs in scoring and tying the rookie record in points. Even those following Guentzel before he started with the team this year could have never predicted the success he experienced as a rookie.
Phil Kessel was traded from the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2015 and has since proven that he can shine on the scoreboard, even behind Crosby and Malkin. Over the past two seasons, the trio has shown that the Penguins hands down have the greatest three-headed monster in all of sports.
The most notable moment on the ice wasn’t the play of the team, but more importantly what happened after the game. While it’s usually older players who get their turn early with the Cup, Matt Murray was also lumped into that group. After having his skate with the Stanley Cup, Fleury handed the trophy to the rookie goaltender; not only showing how close their relationship is but also signifying the end of an era. Fleury’s time with the Penguins is most likely over as he is one of the available players the Las Vegas Golden Knights can choose from in the upcoming expansion draft.
This season may not have gone as expected due to injuries from important players throughout the year and cutting it close on multiple playoff rounds, but in the end, the Penguins got it done. Each player had their job and executed it with precision and the skill you need to win back-to-back championships.
