Written by Bill Barnewell at ESPN.com
After the Penguins had finally conquered Bridgestone Arena, after the raucous Predators fans had thrown a final catfish and vacated the premises and allowed a few hundred Pittsburgh Penguins supporters to roar, after the TV cameras had turned off and the floodgates had opened to friends and family, Phil Kessel exchanged huge hugs and grateful pounds of relief with his friends. Mark Streit cradled his baby in his arms for gleeful photo opportunities with whomever passed by. Exhausted Penguins conducted versions of what was surely the same celebratory interview in a bevy of languages.
And there, in the middle of it all, was Sidney Crosby.
Even after the glamour of the initial Cup hoist was over, the Penguins captain again held the trophy up for minutes on end as he slowly sauntered around and then through a throng of teammates, coaches and onlooking media. You would forgive Crosby for feeling like it was his own, given that his Penguins became the first team to repeat as Stanley Cup champions since the 1997-1998 Detroit Red Wings, and he became the first player to lead the NHL in regular-season goals then hoist the Cup since Wayne Gretzky in 1986-1987 — Crosby’s birth year. While Crosby’s first title was a victory of revenge and redemption over those same Red Wings, and the second was a return to the summit after physical adversity, this was a triumph of sheer will. Pittsburgh survived its way to this championship.
It took a win in Game 6 to keep the Penguins from tying an NHL record for the longest postseason in league history, but in their 25th game of these playoffs, the Penguins delivered an unlikely victory. Beating the Predators in Nashville, where the home team had gone 9-1 before Sunday’s must-win Game 6? Winning a defensive struggle? It’s weird to think of a team with the silky skills of Crosby, Kessel and Evgeni Malkin gritting their way to a championship, but once the shooting luck they rode to stay alive early in this series wore off, Pittsburgh turned in what was mostly an impressive defensive display, a stretch of simply hanging on.
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