The seven years of adversity since he last held the trophy were firmly in his past. The rough start to this season that led to a coach being fired.
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Six months to the day after coach Mike Sullivan took over, the Penguins are champions again.
Pittsburgh beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 to win the Stanley Cup in six games.
“I have a greater appreciation this time around”, Crosby said.
“I was just thinking about how hard it was to get to this point, just trying to enjoy every second of it”, Crosby said. The first five games of the series featured one team leading by one goal or the two tied 87 percent of the time.
Sullivan observed Kessel’s diligent play away from the puck and intensity in competing for loose pucks in the defensive zone.
A panel of 18 members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association voted to award NHL ice hockey player Sidney Crosby, the coveted Conn Smythe trophy.
“It was pretty special”, Daley said.
“He can adapt and change his game to different things”, Chris Kunitz said.
“We don’t get where we are without him”, Patrick Marleau said of Jones. “He’s a great player, but he’s an even better person”.
So it was no surprise to see Dupuis hugging his teammates following another Penguins’ Stanley Cup title while dressed in full uniform, skates and all. He led first and foremost through his play.
The Sharks, in their history, had never come all the way back from a 3-1 series deficit. There was no second celebration in the Crosby era – until now. Crosby won the Conn Smythe (SMYTH) Trophy was the MVP of the playoffs. “Hopefully there’s a few more for them”. San Jose LW Tomas Hertl missed his fourth straight game of the finals with lower-body injury.
“They play with unbelievable speed, and we couldn’t match that”, team owner Hasso Plattner said in an interview with Comcast Sportsnet.
The Penguins were in control for nearly the entire final. They did not trail until Game 5 at home and responded to a strong push from San Jose in the clincher to avoid a decisive seventh game.
San Jose’s struggles to penetrate were epitomized by managing only one shot on goal during the first 19 minutes of the final period – a wrist shot by Logan Couture at 3:45.
“You dream your whole life for this”, said Kessel, the former Maple Leaf who led the Penguins with 22 points this postseason. His 15 playoff wins by a rookie equals a Stanley Cup playoffs record.
For the Sharks the loss marked a sad ending to their season, after making it to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in 25 years. Martin Jones made 24 saves and was San Jose’s best player for the series.
The Sharks remarkable season, and their historic playoff run, came to and end Sunday. “We’ve been going since September, 106 games”. “It’s just tough right now”.
The Sharks scrambled to create scoring opportunities in the final period.
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The visitors had two of the game’s first three shots when Pittsburgh’s pinching defenseman Brian Dumoulin drew a tripping penalty from San Jose left winger Dainius Zubrus at 7:50. One that doesn’t force the issue, but takes advantage of the opportunities presented. Couture joined Philadelphia’s Daniel Briere (2010), Malkin (2009) and Crosby (2009) as the only players in the past 20 years with 30 points in a postseason.
