Penguins march to glory

'It's a dream come true,' Crosby says as Pittsburgh finally wins on road to claim third championship

By Kevin McGran
Toronto Star Sports Reporter
http://www.thestar.com/sports
June 13, 2009

DETROIT–The kids are all right. In fact, the kids on the Pittsburgh Penguins are more than all right, they're Stanley Cup champions.

Superstar Sidney Crosby, limping on his left leg after a second-period hit and playing just one shift in the third, became the youngest captain in NHL history to hoist the Stanley Cup when the Penguins shocked the Joe Louis Arena crowd with a 2-1 win last night over the Detroit Red Wings.

DETROIT - JUNE 12: Sidney Crosby(notes) #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 2-1 to win Game Seven and the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Joe Louis Arena on June 12, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

At just 21, he's two years younger than Wayne Gretzky when the Great One first lifted the Cup.

"It was a lot heavier than I thought, but it was worth it," said Crosby, who played only 32 seconds in the third because of his injury and watched the rest from the bench. "It's a dream come true.

"It's everything you imagine and more. It's all the sacrifices you've made, and your parents. It's what all your coaches have done for you.

"All these people I wanted, I wanted to do it for. And the guys sitting next to you."

Crosby's knee got jammed when he was hammered by Johan Franzen in the second period.

"I couldn't stop or turn and couldn't afford to be out there,"

The Penguins' other young gun – 22-year-old Evgeni Malkin – took home the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Marc-Andre Fleury, 24, made a Cup-saving stop in the dying seconds, setting off a celebration few involved will ever forget.

Crosby hugged his father, Troy, who'd followed his son throughout the playoffs. Maxime Talbot put his toddler son in the Cup. Hal Gill carried around his daughter. Jordan Staal, just 20, joked he'd have to cross the river to Windsor to legally drink champagne out of the Cup.

"This is what we dream of, this is what hockey's all about, this is why we love the game," said veteran Bill Guerin, a trade deadline pickup last won the Cup 14 years ago.

"All I wanted the rest of my career was one more crack at it. Thank God for Max Talbot."

It was Talbot – a lesser light in a series dominated by stars – who was the Game 7 hero. The eighth-round pick in 2002 scored twice in the second period.

"That's why we won, everybody did their bit," said Talbot. "Look at Miro Satan, blocking shots. It's a storybook for me, I guess, but we won the Cup. I don't care how many goals. ... We won the Cup and I want to celebrate."

Detroit defenceman Jonathan Ericsson scored on a slapshot at 15:53 of a crazy third.

Wings captain Nicklas Lidstrom had a chance to force overtime, with a wide-open net off a rebound in a wild scramble in the dying seconds, but Fleury got over to stop it.

"That save was oo-wee," said Pens coach Dan Bylsma, shaking his head while reliving the moment.

DETROIT - JUNE 12: Mario Lemieux of the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrates after defeating the Detroit Red Wings by a score of 2-1 to win Game Seven and the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Joe Louis Arena on June 12, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Given Game 7s are pretty rare, what mattered to a lot of people was that the game itself rose to the occasion. The NHL had the sporting stage to itself on American TV and front-office types were hoping for a close game and a good show.

They got one. In a series that had just about everything, it finally had a victory by a road team. The Pens became the first team since the 1971 Montreal Canadiens to win the Stanley Cup after dropping the first two games on the road.

It was the experienced Wings who simply made too many mistakes.

"I thought we looked out of gas all series," said coach Mike Babcock.

It was the young Pens who had the poise – an aggressive forecheck and just enough defence with timely poke checks and blocked shots – that is the mark of champions.

And it was the third Cup for the Pens, now owned by the man – Mario Lemieux – who captained the 1991 and 1992 Cup-winning teams.

"The character we showed during the playoffs was unbelievable," said Lemieux. "The last two months, trying to get to the final. But the last few minutes of the game, they were a little long."