Stanley Cup Final Rematch

A Great Day For Hockey The Pittsburgh Penguins are back in the Stanley Cup Final.

So are the Detroit Red Wings.

Even before the season started most people predicted that the Red Wings would become the first repeat champions since 1998.

People didn’t have the same positive feeling about the Pittsburgh Penguins. They had lost Malone and Roberts. They had lost Laraque and Ruutu. Conklin and Hossa had jumped over to the Red Wings for better opportunities.

Ignoring public opinion, the Pittsburgh Penguins got off to one of the best starts in franchise history. Two months into the season they were 14-6-3. It looked like all of the doubters were wrong.

And then the wheels fell off. The Pittsburgh Penguins stumbled. And they stumbled hard. It could have been fatigue. It could have been injuries. It could have been coaching. Regardless of the reason, the Pittsburgh Penguins went into a tail spin.

By the middle of February the Pens were 10th in the Eastern Conference, five points out of the playoffs and their coach had been fired.

It didn’t look very good.

Many Pens fans were looking towards the upcoming draft rather than anticipating another playoff run.

But things turned around and they turned around quickly. New coach Dan Bylsma instituted a more aggressive system. Ryan Whitney was traded for Chris Kunitz. Bill Guerin and Craig Adams were picked up at the deadline. Suddenly the Pittsburgh Penguins looked a bit like the team that came within two wins of the Stanley Cup last season.

They went 15-2-3 in their last 20 games and ended up finishing fourth in the Eastern Conference. However, it was in the playoffs that they truly started to shine.

They battled a tough Philadelphia squad in round one. They outscored and outlasted a dynamic Washington Capitals team in round two. And, in the Eastern Conference Final, they made a red hot goaltender look average and swept the Carolina Hurricanes.

They took a different path to get there, but the Pittsburgh Penguins are in the Stanley Cup Final once again. The “runner up curse” has been broken. The media will spin many stories during this final. They will talk about Marian Hossa signing with Detroit for a better chance at the Cup. They will file stories on Dan Bylsma’s coaching style. They will report on how Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin changed the dynamic of the Penguins.

But, ultimately, the real story here is not about any one player or coach.

This is about a team.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were counted out by midseason. Now they stand at the cusp of achieving the ultimate prize.