2009 Stanley Cup Finals

The 2009 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2008–09 season, and the culmination of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings. It was Detroit's 24th appearance in the Final and Pittsburgh's fourth appearance in the Final. This was a rematch of the previous year's Stanley Cup Final where Detroit had defeated Pittsburgh in six games. This time, Pittsburgh defeated Detroit in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin would win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 playoffs, becoming the first Russian-born player to win the trophy.

2009 Stanley Cup Finals
1234567 Total
Pittsburgh Penguins 1144022 4
Detroit Red Wings 3322511 3
Location(s)Pittsburgh: Mellon Arena (3, 4, 6)
Detroit: Joe Louis Arena (1, 2, 5, 7)
CoachesPittsburgh: Dan Bylsma
Detroit: Mike Babcock
CaptainsPittsburgh: Sidney Crosby
Detroit: Nicklas Lidstrom
National anthemsPittsburgh: Jeff Jimerson
Detroit: Karen Newman
RefereesPaul Devorski (1, 3, 5, 7)
Dennis LaRue (1, 3, 5)
Bill McCreary (2, 4, 6, 7)
Marc Joannette (2, 4, 6)
DatesMay 30 – June 12
MVPEvgeni Malkin (Penguins)
Series-winning goalMaxime Talbot (10:07, second, G7)
NetworksNBC, Versus, CBC, RDS
Announcers(NBC/Versus) Mike Emrick, Eddie Olczyk
(CBC) Jim Hughson, Craig Simpson
(RDS) Pierre Houde, Benoit Brunet
(NHL International) Dave Strader, Joe Micheletti
A graph comparing the teams' points throughout the regular season.

Road to Final

Pittsburgh Penguins
Main article: 2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The Pittsburgh Penguins were the reigning Eastern Conference Champions. After playing 57 games of the 2008–09 season, the Pittsburgh Penguins had a record of 27–25–5 and were five points out of playoff position.[1] The organization fired head coach Michel Therrien and replaced him with Dan Bylsma, head coach of the organization's American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre.[2] Under Bylsma, the team went 18–3–4, including 10–1–2 in March, losing one home game.[3] Before the trade deadline, the Penguins acquired Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin from the Anaheim Ducks and the New York Islanders respectively.[4][5]

The Penguins qualified for the playoffs for their third consecutive season. They did not repeat as champions of the Atlantic Division, but earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 99 points. They began the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 15 against their cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers. They beat the Flyers 4–2, Washington Capitals 4–3, and Carolina Hurricanes 4–0 to earn a second-straight berth in the Stanley Cup Final.

Detroit Red Wings
Main article: 2008–09 Detroit Red Wings season

Entering the 2008–09 season as the Stanley Cup Champions, the Detroit Red Wings signed head coach Mike Babcock to three-year contract extension.[6] Marian Hossa signed with the Red Wings after turning down a $49 million offer from the Penguins, whom he played for throughout the 2007–08 playoffs.[7] The Red Wings also signed Ty Conklin, who had played for the Penguins throughout the 2007–08 season.[8]

The Red Wings won the Central Division title with 112 points before defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets 4–0, rival Anaheim Ducks 4–3, and then-division rival Chicago Blackhawks 4–1 to advance to the Stanley Cup Final for the sixth time in the past 14 seasons.

Game summaries
Number in parenthesis represents the player's total in goals or assists to that point of the entire four rounds of the playoffs

Game one

The Red Wings took game one, 3–1, as three different Detroit players scored goals off of unusual bounces.[9] The first period featured back and forth action, with each team having a variety of chances. Detroit scored the first goal of the game at 13:38 into the first period when Brad Stuart's shot missed wide left, bounced off the end boards, and then deflected off the back of Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury's leg into the net. The Penguins tied the game at 18:37 when Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood mishandled a shot by Evgeni Malkin, allowing Ruslan Fedotenko to score. Malkin gained the initial opportunity after forcing defenceman Stuart into a turnover. The Penguins dominated the early portion of the second period, but Osgood kept the game even, including when he bailed his team out by stopping Malkin on a breakaway. The Red Wings bounced back and went ahead at 19:02 of the period after Brian Rafalski's shot rebounded off the end boards to Johan Franzen, who banked a shot off Fleury and into the net. Detroit's third goal of the game came at 2:46 of the third period when, after a save by Fleury on Ville Leino, the puck bounced high into the air and was swatted by Detroit rookie Justin Abdelkader from midair to his stick. Abdelkader then went around Pittsburgh's Jordan Staal (who had lost sight of the puck) and shot it above Fleury. Only three total penalties were called in the game, two on Detroit and one on Pittsburgh, but neither team could take advantage on their respective power plays as Osgood stopped 31 out of 32 shots while Fleury stopped 27 out of 30.[10][11]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DET Brad Stuart (2) None 13:38 1–0 DET
PIT Ruslan Fedotenko (7) Evgeni Malkin (17) 18:37 1–1
2nd DET Johan Franzen (11) Brian Rafalski (7) and Henrik Zetterberg (10) 19:02 2–1 DET
3rd DET Justin Abdelkader (1) Ville Leino (1) 2:46 3–1 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st None
2nd DET Brett Lebda Slashing 4:38 2:00
DET Mikael Samuelsson Holding 7:05 2:00
PIT Craig Adams Hooking 13:44 2:00
3rd None
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 T
Pittsburgh7131232
Detroit1111830

Game two

Game two was another 3–1 victory for Detroit. Pittsburgh started out the game strong, setting up numerous chances from behind the net that were stopped by Chris Osgood. The Penguins then struck first at 16:50 of the opening period. After the Red Wings' Niklas Kronwall was sent to the penalty box for cross checking, Evgeni Malkin fired from the slot, and a scramble in front of the net ensued after Osgood gave up a rebound. The puck eventually came to Malkin for a second crack, and the shot was inadvertently deflected by Brad Stuart into his own net. Detroit took over in the second period, dominating in shots and benefiting from some luck, such as when Bill Guerin's wrist shot hit the inside of the post but stayed out of the net. Jonathan Ericsson tied the game at 4:21 of the second period, moments after the Penguins were forced to ice the puck after a long shift. Pittsburgh promptly lost the ensuing faceoff in their zone, allowing Ericsson to score from the point. Then at 10:29, the Red Wings went ahead after Valtteri Filppula was able to backhand a shot from a difficult angle into the net. Filppula scored after Fleury had stopped both Tomas Holmstrom and Marian Hossa, but could not hold the rebounds.

At 1:39 of the third period, Sidney Crosby peeled out of the corner and fired a shot that bounced off the post and rolled along the Detroit goal line. The play was reviewed by video replay, but the ruling on the ice was upheld as a no goal. Then at 2:47, Justin Abdelkader gave the Red Wings their third goal of the game, as he moved in slowly against the Pittsburgh defence and blasted a shot that caught Marc-Andre Fleury off guard as it landed in the net. Tensions flared up near the end of the game at 19:41 of the third period. Maxime Talbot was called for slashing, which eventually led to a fight between Malkin and Detroit's Henrik Zetterberg. Malkin received an instigator penalty and a misconduct penalty, but was not suspended by the league for the incident.[12]

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st PIT Evgeni Malkin (13) – pp Kris Letang (7) and Bill Guerin (8) 16:50 1–0 PIT
2nd DET Jonathan Ericsson (3) Jiri Hudler (6) and Darren Helm (1) 4:21 1–1
DET Valtteri Filppula (2) Tomas Holmstrom (4) and Marian Hossa (7) 10:29 2–1 DET
3rd DET Justin Abdelkader (2) Tomas Holmstrom (5) and Marian Hossa (8) 2:47 3–1 DET
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DET Niklas Kronwall Cross Checking 16:08 2:00
2nd PIT Evgeni Malkin Interference 8:15 2:00
3rd PIT Maxime Talbot Slashing 19:41 2:00
PIT Evgeni Malkin Fighting 19:41 5:00
DET Henrik Zetterberg Fighting 19:41 5:00
PIT Evgeni Malkin Instigator 19:41 2:00
PIT Evgeni Malkin Misconduct 19:41 10:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 T
Pittsburgh1291233
Detroit716326

Game three


The Penguins won game three, 4–2, cutting their deficit in the series in half. Pittsburgh got off to a strong offensive start and scored first at 4:48 of the opening period when Evgeni Malkin set up Maxime Talbot, who fired a one-timed snapshot. Detroit answered less than two minutes later with a Henrik Zetterberg goal at 6:19 in the period. Zetterberg scored on a rebound after Ville Leino's wrap-around attempt was stopped by Marc-Andre Fleury. After Pittsburgh's Brooks Orpik was called for interference, Johan Franzen responding by scoring a goal at 11:33 with under ten seconds left in the penalty. Franzen's score was a one-timer that resulted after Zetterberg fed him a pass around the goal crease. While Detroit dominated the middle of the first period, at one point firing nine straight shots, the Penguins caught a break when the officials missed a penalty for too many men when Pittsburgh had inadvertently created their own powerplay, and played with six men for nearly 30 seconds.[13] Pittsburgh then used a late holding call on Daniel Cleary to set up a game-tying power play goal. Defenceman Kris Letang fanned on a one-time attempt as he took a pass from Malkin, but regained control of the puck and fired a wrist shot into the net.

The score remained unchanged through the second period, although Detroit had numerous scoring chances. The Penguins' Fleury stopped 16 Detroit shots in the frame, and caught a break as Mikael Samuelsson hit the post on a breakaway. The Penguins came out with strong defence in the third period, and the Detroit offence sputtered, at one point going over ten minutes without a shot. Midway through the third period, the Penguins earned a power play opportunity after Jonathan Ericsson was called for interference. At 10:29, Sergei Gonchar drilled a slapshot from near the blue line, which sailed through traffic and beat a screened Chris Osgood to give the Penguins the lead. Detroit could not mount a late surge with the extra attacker on the ice, and Talbot added an empty net goal at 19:03 for his second of the game to seal the victory.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st PIT Maxime Talbot (5) Evgeni Malkin (18) and Kris Letang (8) 4:48 1–0 PIT
DET Henrik Zetterberg (10) Ville Leino (2) and Johan Franzen (10) 6:19 1–1
DET Johan Franzen (12) – pp Henrik Zetterberg (11) and Niklas Kronwall (7) 11:33 2–1 DET
PIT Kris Letang (4) – pp Evgeni Malkin (19) and Sergei Gonchar (11) 15:57 2–2
2nd None
3rd PIT Sergei Gonchar (3) – pp Evgeni Malkin (20) and Sidney Crosby (15) 10:29 3–2 PIT
PIT Maxime Talbot (6) – en Ruslan Fedotenko (6) 19:03 4–2 PIT
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st PIT Brooks Orpik Interference 9:42 2:00
DET Daniel Cleary Holding 14:46 2:00
DET Johan Franzen Tripping 18:02 2:00
2nd PIT Miroslav Satan Holding 15:35 2:00
3rd DET Jonathan Ericsson Interference 9:46 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 T
Detroit1214329
Pittsburgh741021

Game four

The Penguins picked up a 4–2 win in game four, equalling their performance from the previous meeting. Detroit found themselves at an early disadvantage, as a tripping call on Niklas Kronwall gave Pittsburgh a power play just over a minute into the game. Evgeni Malkin scored with the man advantage at 2:39 to give the Penguins an early lead. The goal occurred after Chris Osgood stopped a Jordan Staal shot, then Kris Letang fired a rebound wide that was picked up by Malkin and deposited behind the outstretched goaltender. Detroit ended the first period on a relentless assault, but Marc-Andre Fleury held the fort in goal for Pittsburgh, including a sequence in which he stopped four Detroit shots seconds apart. On that shift, Fleury cancelled a Darren Helm wrap around attempt, stood up to stop Mikael Samuelsson's rebound one-timer, then stopped Daniel Cleary on two more rebound tries. With 19 shots in the period, Detroit would eventually score at 18:19, after Helm forced Rob Scuderi into a turnover on a clearing attempt, then fired a wrist shot into the goal.

Detroit took the lead early in the second period, after Henrik Zetterberg passed from behind the net to Brad Stuart at the point. Stuart's slap shot at 0:46 beat a screened Fleury, but provided one of the few sparks for Detroit in a nightmarish period. After Brooks Orpik was called for tripping, it was the Penguins who picked up great scoring opportunities during the Detroit power play. First, Osgood stopped Malkin on a breakaway. However, he was not able to keep Staal from scoring shorthanded. At 8:35, Staal lit the lamp after dragging the puck around Brian Rafalski by using his long reach. Just under two minutes later, Sidney Crosby finally scored his first goal of the series. Malkin stripped Brad Stuart, who had just mishandled a pass, and started a two-on-one with Crosby, who took the pass at 10:34 and shoved it into the net. At 14:12 in the period, Tyler Kennedy scored to extend the Pittsburgh lead. The play began when Kennedy beat Henrik Zetterberg to the puck on the forecheck. Chris Kunitz then took the puck and fed a pass to Crosby, who one-touched it to Kennedy for the goal, as Osgood was caught moving side-to-side. The third period featured several good chances by each team, but neither team was able to score and the game ended with a tied series.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st PIT Evgeni Malkin (14) – pp Kris Letang (9) and Jordan Staal (5) 2:39 1–0 PIT
DET Darren Helm (4) None 18:19 1–1
2nd DET Brad Stuart (3) Henrik Zetterberg (12) and Brian Rafalski (8) 0:46 2–1 DET
PIT Jordan Staal (3) – sh Maxime Talbot (4) and Mark Eaton (3) 8:35 2–2
PIT Sidney Crosby (15) Evgeni Malkin (21) 10:34 3–2 PIT
PIT Tyler Kennedy (4) Sidney Crosby (16) and Chris Kunitz (12) 14:12 4–2 PIT
3rd None
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DET Niklas Kronwall Tripping 1:12 2:00
PIT Mark Eaton Cross Checking 11:09 2:00
DET Jonathan Ericsson High-Sticking 16:27 2:00
PIT Bill Guerin High-Sticking 16:37 2:00
2nd PIT Evgeni Malkin Hooking 5:44 2:00
PIT Brooks Orpik Tripping 7:43 2:00
3rd DET Niklas Kronwall Hooking 8:27 2:00
DET Daniel Cleary Roughing 20:00 2:00
PIT Brooks Orpik Roughing 20:00 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 T
Detroit1991139
Pittsburgh1111931

Game five
Fleury is screened by Franzen during Game 5

Detroit gained a huge boost in game five, as star two-way player Pavel Datsyuk played for the first time in the series after returning from a foot injury. The Penguins were the team that began the match with energy, dominating the first five minutes, and producing a variety of chances from the Evgeni Malkin–Ruslan Fedotenko–Maxime Talbot line. However, the Red Wings rallied around a rejuvenated Datsyuk to take over the game midway through the period. Datsuyk's skating allowed Detroit to score at 13:32 of the period, as he fed a pass to Daniel Cleary during a three-on-three transition play. Cleary used Penguins' defenceman Brooks Orpik as a screen as he shot the puck past goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury. The Penguins began to unravel in the second period, committing five minor penalties in the frame. This undisciplined hockey allowed Detroit to score three power play goals and one marker that occurred seconds after a penalty had expired.

At 1:44 of the second, the Red Wings scored their second goal. On the final seconds of a power play, Fleury made a sprawling save on Datsuyk, the puck was cleared, and the penalty expired. However, as the Penguins attempted to make a line change, goaltender Chris Osgood fed a long pass for Detroit to Marian Hossa, who slipped a pass into the slot, enabling a streaking Valtteri Filppula to score on the backhand. Three straight penalty calls on Pittsburgh would then lead to Red Wing scores. A slashing minor on Sergei Gonchar eventually allowed a high wrist shot by Niklas Kronwall at 8:35 to find the back of the net. Kronwall scored after pinching into the corner and playing in a forward position. He then took a pass from Johan Franzen and patiently waited for Fleury to go down before lifting the puck. An elbowing penalty on Evgeni Malkin led to a Brian Rafalski goal at 11:34, which saw the defenceman take a pass from Datsyuk and score on a wrist shot from the right circle. A Chris Kunitz roughing penalty set up Henrik Zetterberg. At 15:40, Zetterberg took a shot-pass from Jiri Hudler and peeled to the front of the net to deposit the puck over Fleury's glove. After giving up the fifth goal, Fleury was replaced by Mathieu Garon, and the Penguins committed two more penalties in the second to give Detroit a two-man advantage on which they did not convert. The third period was mostly uneventful and the score remained 5–0 until the end of the game.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st DET Daniel Cleary (9) Pavel Datsyuk (7) and Brian Rafalski (9) 13:32 1–0 DET
2nd DET Valtteri Filppula (3) Marian Hossa (9) and Chris Osgood (1) 1:44 2–0 DET
DET Niklas Kronwall (2) – pp Johan Franzen (11) and Henrik Zetterberg (13) 8:35 3–0 DET
DET Brian Rafalski (3) – pp Pavel Datsyuk (8) and Nicklas Lidstrom (10) 11:34 4–0 DET
DET Henrik Zetterberg (11) – pp Jiri Hudler (7) and Mikael Samuelsson (5) 15:40 5–0 DET
3rd None
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DET Niklas Kronwall Tripping 7:16 2:00
PIT Chris Kunitz Goaltender Interference 19:39 2:00
2nd PIT Sergei Gonchar Slashing 5:53 2:00
PIT Evgeni Malkin Elbowing 6:48 2:00
PIT Chris Kunitz Roughing 13:50 2:00
PIT Sidney Crosby Slashing 17:37 2:00
PIT Maxime Talbot Slashing 17:57 2:00
3rd DET Marian Hossa Roughing 1:53 2:00
PIT Evgeni Malkin Hooking 7:14 2:00
PIT Pascal Dupuis High-sticking 15:50 2:00
PIT Craig Adams Misconduct 15:50 10:00
PIT Evgeni Malkin Cross Checking 18:08 2:00
PIT Matt Cooke Misconduct 18:08 10:00
DET Brett Lebda Misconduct 18:08 10:00
PIT Maxime Talbot Misconduct 18:08 10:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 T
Pittsburgh106622
Detroit815629

Game six
Osgood makes a save in Game 6

The Penguins defeated the Red Wings in game six, 2–1, to force a seventh and deciding game of the finals. The first period featured strong defensive play by both teams. Pittsburgh goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made a big early save as he stopped a one-timer by Henrik Zetterberg, who had just received a pass from Pavel Datsyuk on a two-on-one rush. Detroit's Chris Osgood equalled Fleury's early brilliance, as he stopped Sidney Crosby on two separate power plays, first by stuffing his attempt to jam home a puck in the crease, then by denying him on a rush through the slot in transition. After a scoreless first period, Jordan Staal scored Pittsburgh's first goal at 0:51 in the second. Tyler Kennedy chipped a puck away from Valtteri Filppula in the Detroit zone, then passed the puck to Staal to start a two-on-one break. Osgood stopped Staal's first shot by tipping it with his glove, before the rebound was deposited into the net.

Pittsburgh dominated the second period, but did not score again in the frame. They also caught a break as Zetterberg's forehand shot from the slot hit the post and was then held by Fleury as it ricochet off his back. Kennedy gave the Penguins their second goal at 5:35 of the third after gaining the puck by cycling behind Detroit's net with Maxime Talbot. Two Red Wing defenders went to Talbot, which gave Kennedy a clear lane to walk in front of the net and lift a shot high over Osgood. Kris Draper cut the Pittsburgh lead at 8:01, beating Marc-Andre Fleury on a wrist shot. The goal came after Jonathan Ericsson's slapshot was kicked aside and Draper was able to take the rebound and glide into scoring position. The Red Wings found their stride late in the game, but were thwarted on two late scoring chances. With 1:42 remaining, Daniel Cleary raced into the Penguins zone on a breakaway, but his shot was turned aside by Fleury. In the final thirty seconds, an unlikely hero stepped up for the Penguins. After Fleury stopped Datsyuk's shot, the puck came to the goal mouth, where Johan Franzen was ready to pounce. However, with Fleury out of position, Pittsburgh defenceman Rob Scuderi stepped in front of the loose puck and blocked three Franzen shots with his skates to preserve a win.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st None
2nd PIT Jordan Staal (4) Tyler Kennedy (4) and Rob Scuderi (3) 0:51 1–0 PIT
3rd PIT Tyler Kennedy (5) Maxime Talbot (5) and Ruslan Fedotenko (7) 5:35 2–0 PIT
DET Kris Draper (1) Jonathan Ericsson (4) and Nicklas Lidstrom (11) 8:01 2–1 PIT
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DET Henrik Zetterberg Goaltender Interference 3:35 2:00
DET Valtteri Filppula Tripping 13:29 2:00
2nd None
3rd PIT Evgeni Malkin Cross Checking 9:18 2:00
PIT Bill Guerin High-sticking 12:40 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 T
Detroit391426
Pittsburgh1212731

Game seven
External video
Game 7 Full replay (NHL International's feed) on the NHL's official YouTube channel

For the first time, the Pittsburgh Penguins played a seventh game in the Stanley Cup Finals, while the Red Wings made their seventh appearance in the deciding game. Detroit had previously gone 3–3 in game sevens. Their last Stanley Cup Final game seven was in 1964 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, where they lost by the score of 4–0 in Maple Leaf Gardens.[14] Entering the contest, Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock joined Mike Keenan as the only men to coach Game 7's of the Stanley Cup Finals with two different teams, having been with the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim when they lost to the New Jersey Devils in 2003 (the home team won all seven games of the series).[15]

The opening half of the first period featured tentative play by both teams but with Pittsburgh outperforming Detroit offensively in the frame. However, the Red Wings got the best scoring chance, as Kirk Maltby gained possession of a bouncing puck after a faceoff in the Penguins' zone. Maltby's shot was then stopped by the glove of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury from point blank range. At 1:13 in the second period, Pittsburgh struck first, as Maxime Talbot scored following a turnover. The goal resulted after Brad Stuart attempted to clear the zone following a dump-in by Brooks Orpik into Detroit territory. Evgeni Malkin used his skates to block Stuart's pass, and the puck found its way to Talbot, who patiently waited to find a shooting lane behind goaltender Chris Osgood. Both teams gained chances through the middle of the period, with each goalie coming up strong. On one sequence, Brian Rafalski made a quick pass to Darren Helm in the left circle, where he was stopped by Fleury. As Rafalski set up for a rebound shot, he lost the puck to Pittsburgh's Matt Cooke, who was then stuffed on a breakaway attempt. Soon afterward, Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was crunched into the boards by Johan Franzen and sustained a knee injury. He would be healthy enough to play only one shift for the remainder of the game.

Malkin, during the Penguins' victory parade, became the first Russian player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy.

Talbot struck again at 10:07 in the period, as he curled the puck to fake a pass during a two-on-one break, then lifted it over Osgood's shoulder. The play began with Chris Kunitz splitting the Detroit defence with a pass in his own zone, allowing Talbot and Tyler Kennedy to move in on an odd man rush. The Penguins attempted to play conservatively in the third period and registered only one shot in the frame. At the same time, Detroit was able to sustain pressure on several occasions during the period. At 13:53, the Red Wings got on the board, as Jonathan Ericsson drilled a one-timed slapshot behind Fleury from near the blue line, after receiving a pass from Niklas Lidstrom. Then, at 17:45, Detroit came within inches of pulling into a tie. However, Niklas Kronwall's wristshot from the right circle ricocheted off of Jordan Staal, hit the crossbar, then bounced away from any Red Wing skaters. Detroit gained one last chance on the final shift of the game. After stopping an initial Henrik Zetterberg shot from the right faceoff circle, the rebound came loose to Nicklas Lidstrom at the left faceoff circle, forcing Fleury to make a diving stop with two seconds remaining to preserve the win and the championship.[16][17] Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy after the game as the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 playoffs, becoming the first Russian-born player to win the trophy.

The Penguins became the first team since the 1971 Montreal Canadiens to win game seven of the Final on the road. They were also the first road team to win game seven of a championship round, in any major league sport, since the Pittsburgh Pirates defeated the Baltimore Orioles 4–1 at Memorial Stadium to win the 1979 World Series.[18][19] For the Red Wings, it was the first time that they lost in the Finals since 1995, when they were swept by the Devils. It was also the first time that the visiting team has won the Cup at Joe Louis Arena in the venue's 30-year history, and the Penguins became the first visiting team to win the Cup in Detroit since the Montreal Canadiens did so in 1966 at the now-demolished Olympia Stadium. They were also the first team to win the Stanley Cup without finishing first in a division during the regular season since the Devils in 2000. This was the last ever Stanley Cup Finals game played at Joe Louis Arena.

Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st None
2nd PIT Maxime Talbot (7) Evgeni Malkin (20) 01:13 1–0 PIT
PIT Maxime Talbot (8) Chris Kunitz (13) and Rob Scuderi (4) 10:07 2–0 PIT
3rd DET Jonathan Ericsson (4) Nicklas Lidstrom (12) and Jiri Hudler (8) 13:53 2–1 PIT
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st DET Brad Stuart Slashing 11:24 2:00
2nd PIT Jordan Staal Hooking 01:59 2:00
DET Tomas Holmstrom Holding 01:59 2:00
PIT Hal Gill Holding 06:16 2:00
3rd PIT Mark Eaton Tripping 02:36 2:00
Shots by period
Team 1 2 3 T
Pittsburgh107118
Detroit611825

Officials

The following officials worked the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals:[20] (Bold-face indicates worked Game 7)

Television coverage

In Canada, all games of the Final were broadcast in English on the CBC and in French on the cable network RDS. CBC had a new broadcast team calling the Final with Jim Hughson as play-by-play announcer, and Craig Simpson as colour commentator.

In the United States, this was the first time since 1999 that game one of the Cup Finals aired on over-the-air television instead of on cable: NBC broadcast the first two and final three games of the series, while Versus broadcast games three and four.[21] The first two games of the series were played on consecutive nights due to NBC's scheduling, but was done to help promote the game and keep the hockey viewership growing.[22]

Game seven was the final major sporting event on analogue television in the United States, with the DTV transition finishing less than an hour-and-a-half after the game ended and just one hour after NBC coverage ended. NBC affiliates WDIV-TV in Detroit and WPXI in Pittsburgh – who months before the Stanley Cup playoffs began electing to keep their own respective analogue signals on until June 12, well past the original February 17 deadline – both remained on the air for game seven before cutting their analogue signals at 11:59 EDT.

Ratings

In the United States, with an average of eight million viewers, game seven was the most-watched NHL game in the United States since game six of the 1973 Stanley Cup Finals.[23]

In Canada, game seven drew an average of 3.529 million viewers to the CBC. However, it averaged 2.154 million viewers for the seven-game rematch, down 7% from the 2008 final.[23]

Records

The Red Wings attempted to become the first team to successfully defend a championship since they did it in 1998. The Red Wings were also the first defending Stanley Cup champions to reach the Finals since 2001, when the 2000 champions New Jersey Devils lost to the Colorado Avalanche.

The Penguins became the first team since the Edmonton Oilers in 1984 to win the Stanley Cup after having lost in the Finals the year before; it was also the first instance of a Stanley Cup Finals rematch since then. They were the first team in major professional sports to win a game seven of the championship round on the road since the 1979 Pittsburgh Pirates of Major League Baseball. They also became the third team to win a game seven in the Stanley Cup Finals as the visitor, the first since the Montreal Canadiens in 1971 (the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1945 being the other).

Seeded fourth in the Eastern Conference, the Penguins became the lowest-seeded team to win the Cup since the fourth-seeded New Jersey Devils in 2000, and tied for eighth overall in the NHL, they became (along with the 1991 Penguins and 1995 Devils), the only teams in the post-1967 expansion era to finish outside the top six overall and win the Cup. The last team to win a Stanley Cup with fewer than 100 points in the season was the 1997 Detroit Red Wings, with 94.

Crosby (right) and Fleury (left) with the Stanley Cup during the Penguins' victory parade. Pittsburgh became the first city to win a Super Bowl and Stanley Cup in the same year.

The Penguins' Cup victory, coupled with that of the Steelers in Super Bowl XLIII four months earlier, gave the city of Pittsburgh the distinction of being the only city to win a Super Bowl and the Stanley Cup in the same year. However, Detroit holds the distinction of being the first city to have NFL champions and NHL champions in the same city in the same year, 1952. Detroit sports fans also previously experienced a similar event in 1935 when the Tigers and Lions both won championships, and the Red Wings won the Stanley Cup in the 1935-36 season, a span of only 6 months and 4 days. The "City of Champions" gained multiple titles in the same year for the second time and first time in 30 years (the Pirates won the 1979 World Series in between the Steelers' victories in Super Bowl XIII in January 1979 and Super Bowl XIV in January 1980). It also gives the state of Pennsylvania three champions in the four major professional sports in a span of nine months, with the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series the previous October.

This was the second consecutive year that two American-based NHL teams competed for the championship, and the first time that two teams met in the Stanley Cup Finals in consecutive seasons since the Edmonton Oilers and the New York Islanders did so in 1983 and 1984.

The first two games were played at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit on consecutive weekend nights—May 30 and 31—the first time that Finals games have been played on consecutive days since 1955.[24]

Detroit's loss gave Mike Babcock the unfortunate distinction of being the first coach in NHL history to lose game seven of a Stanley Cup Final with two different teams.[15] Mike Keenan, the other to coach in two Finals game sevens with two different teams, had avoided the distinction by winning the second Finals game seven he coached. He was with the Philadelphia Flyers in 1987 when they lost to the Edmonton Oilers, and was with the New York Rangers when they won the Cup in 1994.

This was the last Stanley Cup Final played at both Mellon Arena and Joe Louis Arena, which was closed after the following season and the 2016–17 season, respectively. The Penguins moved to the Consol Energy Center for the 2010–11 season, and the Red Wings moved to Little Caesars Arena for the 2017–18 season. This was also the last Stanley Cup Final that was ever played entirely in one time zone, as the Eastern Conference now consists of all of the league's teams that are based in the Eastern Time Zone, while the Western Conference consists entirely of the NHL's teams that are based outside of it.

Team rosters

Pittsburgh Penguins

Roster on June 12, 2009.

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
27 Craig Adams RW R 32 2009 Seria, Brunei
43 Philippe Boucher D R 36 2008 Saint-Apollinaire, Quebec
24 Matt Cooke LW L 30 2008 Belleville, Ontario
87 Sidney Crosby (C) C L 21 2005 Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia
9 Pascal Dupuis LW L 30 2008 Laval, Quebec
7 Mark Eaton D L 32 2006 Wilmington, Delaware
26 Ruslan Fedotenko LW L 30 2008 Kiev, Soviet Union
29 Marc-Andre Fleury G L 24 2003 Sorel, Quebec
32 Mathieu Garon G R 31 2009 Chandler, Quebec
2 Hal Gill D L 34 2008 Concord, Massachusetts
28 Eric Godard RW R 29 2008 Vernon, British Columbia
3 Alex Goligoski D L 23 2004 Grand Rapids, Minnesota
55 Sergei Gonchar (A) D L 35 2005 Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union
13 Bill Guerin RW R 38 2009 Worcester, Massachusetts
48 Tyler Kennedy C R 22 2004 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
14 Chris Kunitz LW L 29 2009 Regina, Saskatchewan
58 Kris Letang D R 22 2005 Montreal, Quebec
71 Evgeni Malkin (A) C L 22 2004 Magnitogorsk, Soviet Union
18 Chris Minard C L 27 2007 Owen Sound, Ontario
44 Brooks Orpik D L 28 2001 San Francisco, California
81 Miroslav Satan RW L 34 2008 Topoľčany, Czechoslovakia
4 Rob Scuderi D L 30 1998 Syosset, New York
11 Jordan Staal C L 20 2006 Thunder Bay, Ontario
17 Petr Sykora RW L 32 2007 Plzeň, Czechoslovakia
25 Maxime Talbot C L 25 2002 LeMoyne, Quebec
15 Michael Zigomanis C R 28 2008 Toronto, Ontario

Detroit Red Wings

Roster on June 12, 2009.

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace
8 Justin Abdelkader C L 22 2005 Muskegon, Michigan
24 Chris Chelios D R 47 1999 Chicago, Illinois
11 Daniel Cleary RW L 30 2005 Carbonear, Newfoundland and Labrador
29 Ty Conklin G L 33 2008 Phoenix, Arizona
13 Pavel Datsyuk (A) C L 30 1998 Sverdlovsk, Soviet Union
44 Aaron Downey RW R 34 2007 Honeywood, Ontario
33 Kris Draper (A) C L 38 1993 Toronto, Ontario
52 Jonathan Ericsson D L 25 2002 Karlskrona, Sweden
51 Valtteri Filppula C L 25 2002 Vantaa, Finland
93 Johan Franzen LW L 29 2004 Vetlanda, Sweden
43 Darren Helm C L 22 2005 St. Andrews, Manitoba
96 Tomas Holmstrom RW L 36 1994 Piteå, Sweden
81 Marian Hossa RW L 30 2008 Stará Ľubovňa, Czechoslovakia
35 Jimmy Howard G L 25 2003 Ogdensburg, New York
26 Jiri Hudler LW L 25 2002 Olomouc, Czechoslovakia
46 Jakub Kindl D L 22 2005 Sumperk, Czechoslovakia
82 Tomas Kopecky LW L 27 2000 Ilava, Czechoslovakia
55 Niklas Kronwall D L 28 2000 Stockholm, Sweden
22 Brett Lebda D L 27 2004 Buffalo Grove, Illinois
21 Ville Leino LW L 25 2008 Savonlinna, Finland
5 Nicklas Lidstrom (C) D L 39 1989 Krylbo, Sweden
3 Andreas Lilja D L 33 2005 Helsingborg, Sweden
18 Kirk Maltby RW R 36 1996 Guelph, Ontario
14 Derek Meech D L 25 2002 Winnipeg, Manitoba
30 Chris Osgood G L 36 2005 Peace River, Alberta
28 Brian Rafalski D R 35 2007 Dearborn, Michigan
37 Mikael Samuelsson RW R 32 2005 Mariefred, Sweden
23 Brad Stuart D L 29 2008 Rocky Mountain House, Alberta
40 Henrik Zetterberg (A) C L 28 1999 Njurunda, Sweden

Pittsburgh Penguins – 2009 Stanley Cup champions

Players

  Centres

1-played both wing & centre.

Coaching and administrative staff

  • Mario Lemieux (Chairman/Owner/Alternate Governor)#, Ron Burkle (Owner/Alt. Governor), Bill Kassling (Director)
  • Tony Liberati (Director/Alt. Governor), Tom Grealish (Director), Ken Sawyer (Chief Executive Officer/Governor)
  • David Morehouse (President/Alt. Governor), Ray Shero (Vice-President/General Manager/Alt. Governor), Chuck Fletcher (Assistant General Manager), Eddie Johnston[b] (Sr. Advisor-Hockey Operations)
  • Jason Botterill (Director of Hockey Administration), Dan Bylsma (Head Coach), Mike Yeo (Assistant Coach), Tom Fitzgerald (Assistant Coach),
  • Gilles Meloche[c] (Goaltending Coach), Mike Kadar (Strength-Conditioning Coach), Travis Ramsay (Video Coach), Chris Stewart (Athletic Therapist)
  • Scott Adams (Assistant Athletic Therapist), Mark Mortland (Physical Therapist), Dana Heinze (Equipment Manager)
  • Paul DeFazio (Assistant Equipment Manager), Danny Kroll (Assistant Equipment Manager), Frank Buonomo (Sr. Director of Team Operations & Communications)
  • Tom McMillian (Vice-President-Communications), Jay Heinbuck (Director of Amateur Scouting), Dan MacKinnon (Director of Pro Scouting)

Stanley Cup engraving
  • a Mike Zigomanis played in only 22 games due to injuries, and missed the whole playoffs. Pittsburgh included his name on the Stanley Cup by petitioning for league approval.
  • *b Despite having served with the organization in various positions for a total of 25 years, this was Johnston's first Stanley Cup with the Penguins. (Also his first in management, and his first since winning as a player with the Boston Bruins in 1970, and 1972.)
  • c Gilles Meloche and Mario Lemieux are the only ones to have their names engraved on the Cup in the three Penguins championships of 1991, 1992, and 2009. (Kevin Stevens won as a player in '91 and '92, but was not engraved as a professional scout for the team in 2009.) However, Meloche is the only one to hold the same position for all three wins. Dr. Charles Burke was the only other member of the Penguins to win 3 Stanley Cup rings. However, his name is not on the Stanley Cup.

Dan Bylsma was the 13th rookie coach to win the Stanley Cup and the first since 1986. Bylsma only coached 25 regular season games, before leading Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup Finals. He is the second mid-season replacement rookie coach to win the Stanley Cup (See 1971 Stanley Cup Finals for the other coach, Al MacNeil). Bylsma was also a player under Mike Babcock on the 2002-03 and 2003-04 roster of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim.

Included on the team picture, but left off the Stanley Cup.

  • No. 14 Chris Minard (LW – 20 games for Pittsburgh, 56 games in the minors, 12 playoff games in the minors),
  • No. 42 Dustin Jeffrey (C – 14 games for Pittsburgh, 63 Regular season, 12 playoff games in the minors),
  • No. 22 Jeff Taffe (LW – 8 games for Pittsburgh, 74 regular season, and 12 playoff games in the minors ),
  • No. 1 John Curry (G – 3 games played for Pittsburgh, 50 games in the minors, 7 playoff games in the minors)
  • No. 65 Ben Lovejoy (D – 2 games for Pittsburgh, 76 regular season, and 12 playoff games in the minors),
  • No. 30 Brad Thiessen (G – signed by the organization out of Northeastern University in April, served as practice goaltender in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League before being called up to Pittsburgh in May to fulfill the same role. He was included in the team celebrations and official picture with the Cup, despite the fact that at the time, he still had yet to play in his first professional game of hockey and spent the whole season playing college hockey.),
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References
  1. Rossi, Rob (March 13, 2009). "Penguins rally for point in loss". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on March 15, 2009. Retrieved March 13, 2009.
  2. Molinari, Dave (February 15, 2009). "Therrien fired, Bylsma in as Penguins' interim head coach". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on February 17, 2009. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  3. "2008–2009 Playoff Schedule/Results". PittsburghPenguins.com. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  4. LeBrun, Pierre (February 26, 2009). "Sources: Penguins trade Whitney". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved February 26, 2009.
  5. Rossi, Rob (March 4, 2009). "Pens' get winger Bill Guerin in trade with Islanders". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on March 8, 2009. Retrieved March 4, 2009.
  6. "Babcock cashes in, gets new deal for 3 years". Detroit Free Press. June 11, 2008. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved June 20, 2008.
  7. Keating, Steve; Mehaffey, John (May 29, 2009). "Hossa still waiting to see if move to Wings was right". Reuters. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  8. Burnside, Scott (July 1, 2008). "Cup champs bring in Conklin as backup for Osgood". ESPN. Retrieved July 2, 2008.
  9. Passan, Jeff (May 31, 2009). "Pens, Fleury get some bad bounces". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  10. Lage, Larry (May 30, 2009). "Red Wings beat Penguins 3–1 in Game 1 of finals". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on June 14, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  11. Bailey, David (May 31, 2009). Ransom, Ian (ed.). "Osgood stars in Red Wings victory". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 1, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  12. "NHL.com – Recap: Penguins @ Red Wings – May 31, 2009". Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved June 1, 2009.
  13. Robinson, Alan (June 3, 2009). "It's a series: Penguins beat Wings 4–2 in Game 3". Yahoo! News. Associated Press. Retrieved January 15, 2010.
  14. "Game 7!". MSNBC. Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved June 14, 2009.
  15. Podell, Ira (June 13, 2009). "Penguin power: Pittsburgh motors away from Detroit with the silver Cup". Salt Lake Deseret News. Associated Press. p. D1. The Penguins...beat the defending champion Detroit Red Wings 2–1...in Game 7 and win the Stanley Cup for the third time...In 2003...the last series in which the home team won all seven games...the Mighty Ducks team that lost then was coached by current Red Wings bench boss Mike Babcock.
  16. "Penguins clip Red Wings to win Stanley Cup". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. June 12, 2009. Archived from the original on June 16, 2009. Retrieved June 13, 2009.
  17. "Fleury's save erased doubts about big-game ability". The Sports Network. September 16, 2009. Retrieved September 16, 2009.
  18. Kovacevic, Dejan (June 14, 2009). "Pirates Notebook: 1979 players applaud Penguins". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  19. "Fleury robs Wings in final seconds to secure Stanley Cup for underdog Penguins". ESPN. Associated Press. June 12, 2009. Retrieved June 22, 2010.
  20. "National Hockey League Officials Association: Finals Officials". NHLOfficials.com. May 28, 2009. Archived from the original on June 6, 2009. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  21. "NBC to air Stanley Cup finals games". New York City: ESPN. Associated Press. March 7, 2009. Archived from the original on March 11, 2009. Retrieved March 7, 2009.
  22. Puko, Tim (May 30, 2009). "Hockey schedule a bow to NBC". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on May 31, 2009. Retrieved May 30, 2009.
  23. "Deciding Game of Stanley Cup Draws More than 3.5 Million Viewers to CBC". National Hockey League. The Canadian Press. June 15, 2009. Retrieved June 16, 2009.
  24. Hradek, E.J. (May 25, 2009). "NHL may bump up Cup finals start date". ESPN the Magazine. Archived from the original on May 27, 2009. Retrieved May 26, 2009.
Preceded by
Detroit Red Wings
2008		 Pittsburgh Penguins
Stanley Cup Champions
2009		 Succeeded by
Chicago Blackhawks
2010
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