Penguins' Malkin takes home Conn Smythe

By Rob Rossi, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Saturday, June 13, 2009

Evgeni Malkin has the MVP that matters most.

For leading the playoffs in points — and the Penguins to the Stanley Cup with a 2-1 win on Friday at Detroit — Malkin earned the Conn Smythe Trophy as the postseason Most Valuable Player.

DETROIT - JUNE 12: Evgeni Malkin(notes) #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins hold up the Conn Smythe MVP Trophy after a 2-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings during Game Seven of the 2009 NHL Stanley Cup Finals at Joe Louis Arena on June 12, 2009 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Jim McIsaac/Getty Images)

His 36 points were the most since 1993, and only former center and Hall-of-Famer Mario Lemieux has recorded more in one playoff season for the Penguins.

"You don't like to make that comparison, but you watch 'Geno' play and it reminds you a lot of Mario," Penguins defenseman Philippe Boucher said. "They both are so big, so skilled, so strong on the puck, and they can win games by themselves."

Malkin, a two-time finalist for the Hart Trophy as regular-season MVP at only 22, has won a lot of games by himself for the Penguins since his debut in 2006.

He won his first Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion this season, and is the first player since Lemieux in 1992 to lead the NHL in regular-season and postseason points.

Malkin also is only the second Penguins player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Lemieux won it in 1991 and 1992.

"Not a bad way to respond for 'Geno,' huh?" Penguins center Max Talbot said of Malkin, who also scored 14 goals in the playoffs.

Though he recorded 22 points in the 2008 playoffs, Malkin finished with only five in his final 10 games and just three in a six-game Final loss to the Red Wings.

He was a force of consistency in his third postseason. Malkin recorded nine points in each of the four rounds of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded to "the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs" by the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Malkin is the first Russian-born player to claim the honor.