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SPORTS Tuesday 13 June 2017
Crosby, Pens cap amazing year with 2nd straight Stanley Cup

TERESA M. WALKER
AP Sports Writer course, Sid being the
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — best player in the world
Even Sidney Crosby and again and winning the
the Pittsburgh Penguins Conn Smythe. He was
are going to be chal- our leader and picked
lenged trying to top this. up the team when we
Crosby was awarded needed it.”
his second consecutive The loss ended the up-
Conn Smythe Trophy as start Predators’ deep-
the MVP of the Stanley est playoff run in their
Cup playoffs, and goal- 19-year history and one
ie Matt Murray made that became the talk
27 saves for his second of the town — and the
straight shutout as the league — with all their
Penguins became the country stars, catfish
first team to repeat as tossing and aggressive
champion in nearly two play on the ice.
decades with a 2-0 win Having won just three
over the Nashville Pred- of 12 playoff series be-
ators in Game 6. fore this year, Nashville
That doesn’t include opened this postseason
Crosby also winning the by eliminating the top-
World Cup of Hockey seeded Chicago Black-
title before this season Pittsburgh Penguins’ Sidney Crosby (87) celebrates with the Stanley Cup after defeating the Nash- hawks in four games. In
started, along with tour- ville Predators in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final, Sunday, June 11, 2017, in Nashville, doing so, the Predators
nament MVP. Tenn. became the first eighth-
He followed that up by Associated Press seeded team to sweep
leading the NHL with 44 Sullivan said. ebrate in Pittsburgh in a The disallowed goal a first-round series since
goals, and Crosby was “He’s just such a terrific few days. will be remembered in the current playoff for-
at his best in this Cup person and has such This says a lot about this Nashville for a long time. mat was introduced
Final leading all scorers an appetite to win, and team. We’ve battled Referee Kevin Pollock in 1994. Nashville went
with seven points — one I think it’s really con- through a lot.” blew the whistle when through St. Louis and
goal and six assists, in- tagious amongst our The celebration on the he lost sight of the puck, then Anaheim to the Fi-
cluding three in a 6-0 win group.” ice last a long time. Cros- which was sitting behind nal, where only captain
in Game 5 that put the Crosby did have some by took the Cup from Murray with lots of space Mike Fisher on the roster
Penguins on the verge help. Murray is the first NHL Commissioner Gary in the crease for Sissons had ever played before.
of their latest title. goaltender in NHL his- Bettman before hand- to tap it into the net. The Penguins ruined
Crosby also became tory to win the clinching ing the trophy off to vet- “I know he lost sight, and Nashville’s star-filled
only the third man to game for the Stanley eran defenseman Ron we all make mistakes,” party on the final night
win back-to-back Conn Cup in each of his first Hainsey who passed it Rinne said. “It was tough of CMA Music Festival to
Smythe trophies. two seasons. to veteran forward Matt for sure.” set up another celebra-
All within a calendar He also set a rookie re- Cullen, who may have The Penguins capped tion of their own.
year. cord with two shutouts in played his final game at their 50th season in the “We’ve got a collection
“You have a small win- a Cup Final. the age of 40. NHL’s centennial year of guys who understand
dow to play and to have The Penguins also need- Nashville lost for just the with the third champi- what it takes to win,”
a career, and I feel for- ed the second-latest first time in regulation on onship for Crosby and a Crosby said.
tunate, but I also under- clinching goal in regula- home ice this postsea- handful of teammates Notes: Lemieux won the
stand how difficult it is, tion to finish off the Pred- son, and this one had from the 2009 title team, Conn Smythe in 1992
so you just want to try ators, who had played some hard luck. surpassing the two won and 1992, and Bernie
to make the best of it,” their way to their first Colton Sissons had a by the Penguins teams Parent was the first to
Crosby said. Stanley Cup Final after goal erased by a whistle led by current owner win the MVP trophy in
The Penguins won their being the last team into 67 seconds into the sec- Mario Lemieux in the consecutive years in
fifth title — all of them the playoffs. ond period . The Preda- 1990s. 1974 and 1975. ... Mur-
clinched on the road — Patric Hornqvist, the last tors went 0 of 4 with the And it’s the second ray is the first goalie with
to tie the Wayne Gretz- pick of the 2005 draft (by man advantage, includ- championship for Sulli- two shutouts in one Cup
ky-Mark Messier-era Ed- the Predators), scored ing 32 seconds of a 5-on- van, who has yet to lose Final since Boston’s Tim
monton Oilers for sixth the game-winner for 3 in the third. Sissons and a playoff series since tak- Thomas and Vancou-
on the all-time list and Pittsburgh with 1:35 left Filip Forsberg each hit ing over after Mike John- ver’s Roberto Luongo
the most by any non- by banking the puck off the post in the third pe- ston was fired. Sullivan is had two apiece in 2011.
Original Six franchise. Nashville goalie Pekka riod. the first American-born ... Only Dave Bolland’s
The Detroit Red Wings in Rinne’s left elbow. Carl “It’s going to sting, it’s coach to win the Cup game-winner in 2013
1997 and ‘98 were the Hagelin added an emp- going to hurt for a while,” not once, but twice. came later in regula-
last champion to de- ty-net goal. said Nashville defense- “It’s been an amazing tion to clinch a Stanley
fend their title. “There’s been a lot of man P.K. Subban, who year from the start, try- Cup. He scored at 19:01
The Penguins are the first guys telling us we can’t made the Predators a ing to repeat,” Lemieux for Chicago. ... Nashville
to do it in the salary-cap do it, and now we’re Cup contender when said. “A lot of these guys finished the series go-
era. standing here,” Horn- he was added in a stun- played injured in the ing 0 of 8 on the power
“It starts with Sid, our qvist said. ning trade nearly a year playoffs and showed play over the final two
captain,” coach Mike “We’re going to cel- ago. a lot of character. Of games.