Not a Kid anymore: Crosby a bona fide champ

By Bucky Gleason
AT THE STANLEY CUP
The Buffalo News
http://www.buffalonews.com/sports/
06/13/09

DETROIT — Sidney Crosby made it clear the Penguins would win the Stanley Cup when nobody was on the ice Friday night. He emerged from the dressing room in full equipment, confirming nothing would prevent him from accepting the trophy that belonged to him for his entire life.

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 Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

Crosby sprained his knee after he was drilled into the boards by Johan Franzen in the second period. He looked all but finished considering he needed assistance to limp into the dressing room. An hour later, he showed no problems skating around Joe Louis Arena with Lord Stanley's trophy hoisted over his head.

"It's a dream come true," Crosby said. "It's everything you would imagine and more. I would have loved to do it in four [games]. It's a little hard on the nerves. It was tough watching the clock wind down. It seemed like it took forever."

It was a fitting ending, with the 21-year-old Crosby becoming the youngest captain in history to win the title after a 2-1 victory over the Red Wings in Game Seven.

The Penguins were coming out of bankruptcy and in danger of moving when they won the draft lottery in 2005 and selected Crosby first overall. Sid the Kid carried them into a new age and led them to the final in consecutive seasons. And when he was no longer available in the biggest game of his career, the Penguins were there to carry him.

Years from now, that's what people will remember more than him being held to a goal and two assists in the series. Pens fans will celebrate the glorious night when they came together and beat odds that seemed insurmountable. Somehow, they found a way to properly end a series for the ages.

"He is our team," said winger Max Talbot, who scored both goals for Pittsburgh. "He's the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's our leader, and what he brings to the rink every day is special. He respects the game and he loves the game. Tonight is so special to win this for him. He was the one who brought this Cup to Pittsburgh."

Man, what a series.

The Penguins and Red Wings saved the best game for last, right down to the final heart- pounding seconds. Detroit will spend the summer wondering how Marc-Andre Fleury stopped Nicklas Lidstrom just outside the crease with two seconds remaining. Or how Niklas Kronwall's shot rattled off the crossbar with a one-goal deficit.

Talbot was hailed as the hero after scoring twice in a nine-minute span to give Pittsburgh a lead it richly deserved. The Pens were the better team in the first two games at the Joe and for their effort they were slapped with two losses. This time, the scoreboard reflected their tireless work ethic.

Pittsburgh should have sent a thank you card to Brad Stuart after the Wings defenseman all but gift wrapped the first goal early in the second period. Stuart, who had a rough night, was attempting to clear the zone when his pass landed on Evgeni Malkin's stick. Talbot drove to the net and buried Malkin's pass between Chris Osgood's pads.

Talbot scored his second goal during a two-on-one with Tyler Kennedy while Crosby nursed his knee in the dressing room. Talbot grabbed the puck in the neutral zone and fired a wrister into the top corner for a 2-0 lead. Jonathan Ericsson's slapper in third period helped make it interesting, but the Pens prevailed.

"There's more than one hero tonight," Talbot said. "[Fleury] played unbelievable. I was lucky enough to be in the right place in the right moment and score two goals. This is the best day of my life."

Malkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player in the postseason. He finished the playoffs with 14 goals and 36 points, becoming the first player since Penguins owner Mario Lemieux in 1992 to lead the league in scoring during the regular season and the playoffs.

DETROIT - JUNE 12: Sidney Crosby(notes) #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins and his dad Troy celebrate 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 Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

Crosby played only three shifts in the third period after returning with 10:25 remaining. Defensive center Jordan Staal played nearly 18 minutes and helped keep Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk, who were matched against Crosby, off the scoreboard.

The Penguins surrendered only two goals over the final two games and became the third team in history to win Game Seven of the finals on the road. Seventeen players, including East Amherst-raised Brooks Orpik and former Sabres captain Miroslav Satan, won the Cup for the first time.

"I can't even think straight right now," Orpik said. "It's just a surreal moment. That third period took forever to be over. It took a real team effort. I'm just happy for all the guys here."

And then there's Marian Hossa.

Hossa intensified the series when he abandoned the Penguins last summer for the Red Wings because he thought Detroit had a better chance to win it all. He earned $7.45 million this season with the Wings, but it wasn't enough to buy him a goal in the finals. He had no goals and three assists to show for the seven games.

This series had everything from big hits to great scoring opportunities to terrific goaltending. It was only fitting that it lasted seven games considering how many times momentum shifted between the two teams.

Detroit had it early before Pittsburgh stole it away. The Wings won Game Five and the Penguins answered in Game Six. At times, it changed from shift to shift, period to period.

It continued Friday night, right to the end.

"It elevates your career to a whole new level," said Bylsma, who lost Game Seven in the finals as a player with Anaheim in 2003. "It's a lot of dreaming, a lot of hard work and a lot of determination. When you lift that Cup, that trophy, Stanley Cup champion will go by your name forever."

Right next to Sidney Crosby.

bgleason@buffnews.com