Penguins upset Wings, win the Stanley Cup

By Scott

Yes, as predicted, the Pittsburgh Penguins have earned themselves the title of Stanley Cup Champions. While it's obviously a stretch to say David beat Goliath, there was little hope of a Penguins win in Detroit last night, in game 7 nonetheless. But, in retrospect, everything added up to a predictable Penguins victory last night. First and perhaps most importantly, goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury displayed the most crucial attribute a goalie can possess: a flare for the dramatic. He transformed into a brick wall in the fading moments of game 6, stoning Dan Cleary's breakaway chance and somehow preventing Johan Franzen from poking in a rebound with just seconds left (with plenty of help from Rob Scuderi), and then showcasing his clutch once again last night as he made a diving save to prevent Niklas Lindstrom's put-back from sending the game into overtime, effectively clinching the championship.

Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby's appearance in this year's cup as opposed to their disappearance last year, provided an immeasurable boost for the Penguins. Combining for 67 points throughout the postseason, Malkin and Crosby transcended themselves into hockey immortality with Crosby becoming the youngest captain to hoist the cup, and Malkin becoming the first player to win both the Conn Smythe and Art Ross trophy since his boss, Mario Lemieux won both in the '91-'92 season.

And finally, enough credit can not be given to Dan Bylsma. He took a dead team, nearly double digits out of the 8th spot in the East, pressured to trade one of their superstars to build the depth that Pittsburgh appeared to lack, and went an incredible 18-3-4 with them over the last 25 games of the regular season. And in fairy tale fashion he defeated the man whom some regard as the best coach in hockey, and who once coached Bylsma to a Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 himself, Mike Babcock. Student defeated teacher.

As mentioned in our playoff preview, there is nothing more dangerous than a hot team coming into the playoffs, and even more dangerous than that is a hot team with a great goaltender, and the Penguins just happened to have both.

Great Moments from Game 7

• Detroit fans bombarded Commissioner Gary Bettman with boos as he walked out to present the Stanley Cup, the true sign of a good fan base; however, it was great to hear applause for the Penguins throughout the celebration and most of them stuck around to watch. There's no doubt watching a team winning a championship on the road is a bit anticlimactic, but Detroit fans made it enjoyable.
• Watching Bill Guerin lift the cup over his head after 18 years of pro hockey had to send chills down your spine. Although Guerin did win a cup with the Devils in the '94-'95 season, he played in only 48 regular season games, and was not a key component to their championship, so you can imagine now after several clutch playoff performances, Guerin will take this one to heart.
• Speaking of trophies, Geni Malkin almost dropped the Conn Smythe at least 5 times (notice the boos reigning down on Bettman). I know he was probably just looking forward to getting his hands on the cup, but still, it's the freaking Conn Smythe trophy and Malkin was just dangling it around. But, I guess you really can do whatever you want if you score 14 goals in the playoffs.
• Verne Lundquist once called Cowboys TE Jackie Smith the "Sickest man in America" after Smith dropped a touchdown pass that arguably cost the Cowboys, Super Bowl XIIII. But, Marian Hossa may take over that title now. Hossa turned down a contract extension from the Penguins after last year's loss to the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals. Believing he had a better chance to win in Detroit, Hossa signed with the Wings, and the rest is history. The worst part for Hossa is that he did not even score a goal in the finals after leading the Wings in goals during the regular season with 40. He can become a free-agent July 1st if the Red Wings don't re-sign him, and rest assured if he leaves, he will be criticized.
• We may have witnessed the birth of a dynasty last night, and we certainly did not see Sidney Crosby & Co. lift the cup for the last time. With only a few key players, and no really notable players headed to the free agent market, the Penguins will surely make a run next year, and I think they repeat.
• Prediction for the '09-'10 season: Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Chicago Blackhawks in 6. Depending on free agency and retirements the Red Wings could be back, but it's really difficult to predict considering their age. Even their "young" stars like Pavel Datysuk and Johan Franzen are 30 and 29 respectively, there seems to be too much working against them to consider them the biggest threat in the West.
• Football is sooo close.