Pittsburgh Penguins History: Revisiting the 2009 Stanley Cup Final

Let’s take a look back at the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, which saw the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Detroit Red Wings in seven games.

When the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings met in the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, it marked the first time since 1970 there was a rematch of combatants to challenge for the Stanley Cup.

The Red Wings were looking to become the first team to capture back-to-back titles in the salary cap era. Meanwhile, the Penguins were hell-bent on redemption, which made for a highly compelling series. Here are eight things you probably didn’t know about the 2009 Stanley Cup Final.

Rags to Riches

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It took Penguins coach Dan Bylsma just one year to go from an assistant coach in the AHL to head coach of a team on the cusp of claiming its third Stanley Cup title. Bylsma became the 14th rookie head coach and fourth since 1956 to win the Cup. It had also been 38 years since a rookie coach won the cup after a midseason coaching change.

Tight Time Line

Just 72 hours separated the Red Wings from their Game 5 OT victory over the Chicago Blackhawks and Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.

One of the main factors that dictated the short turnaround time was broadcasting. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) was getting set to launch Conan O’Brien as the new host of “The Tonight Show”. Fearing some late-night bleed over from games needing extra time, the NHL scheduled the series, so the seven games would be played within a 10-day window.

The shortened time frame would ensure that the series would be decided before the debut of the show and not cause any logistical challenges for either entity.

Benedict Hossa

It’s a rare occasion when a player makes back-to-back Cup appearances with a different club, but Marian Hossa did just that. When Hossa defected from the Penguins to join the Red Wings after the 2008 free agency window opened, he made sure he left town without ill feelings.

Hossa sent Sidney Crosby a detailed email to ensure there was no bad blood between the linemates. The message explained why Hossa chose the Red Wings one year deal worth $7.45 million over the Penguins offer of $35 million over 5 years. Hossa and Crosby met for dinner during the regular season to fully clear the air, although it’s unknown who footed the bill.

While Crosby may have felt a little slighted at the departure of Hossa, Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz would ensure that any post-Hossa depression that Crosby experienced was short-lived.

Malk-amania Runs Wild

In Game 2 of the series, it’s safe to say Evgeni Malkin became unhinged. In the fleeting minutes of the third period, Malkin had enough of Henrik Zetterberg being adjoined to his body and lured him into a fight.

Malkin earned the first instigating minor, fighting major and game misconduct of his postseason career. He dodged a huge bullet when the league decided to rescind the instigator penalty that carried automatic one-game suspension with it. The league felt that Malkin was not trying to send a message, but rather his emotions got the best of him

It’s was a good thing for the Penguins too, because Malkin earned three assists in Game 3 and helped Pittsburgh to avoid going down 3-0.

Plumb the Depths

During their path to Stanley Cup Final, Detroit faced injuries from some key members of their roster.  Nicklas Lidstrom (groin), Brian Rafalski (herniated disc), Kris Draper (groin), Pavel Datsyuk (foot), and Dan Cleary (groin) all experienced injuries during the playoffs.

With the gaps in the line-up, several young players had their opportunity to shine on the big stage. Darren Helm, Justin Abdelkader, Jonathan Ericsson, and Ville Leino, all had opportunities to cycle through the line-up and provided the team with enough stability to help the team come within one win of claiming their fifth championship in 12 seasons.

Hockey Tough

The path to the Stanley Cup has been paved with players that have transcended. Sergei Gonchar played the final two rounds of the playoffs with a partially torn right medial collateral ligament (MCL)

The injury occurred in Game 4 of the eastern conference semi-Finals after he sustained a knee-on-knee hit from Alex Ovechkin. Often regarded as a serious injury that can take months to heal, Gonchar only missed two games of that series and returned just in time for game 7 vs. the Capitals

Seventh Heaven

The 2009 Stanley Cup Final was not the first time Detroit coach Mike Babcock and Dan Bylsma partook in a game seven together.

Both men were part of the 2002-03 Anaheim Ducks squad that battled the New Jersey Devils in the 2003 Cup Final. Babcock served on the coaching staff and Bylsma competed as a player.

While the Devils claimed the Cup with their third, 3-0 victory of the series, Bylsma was left with a big feeling of “what if”.

Bylsma had an opportunity early in the game to put a puck past Martin Brodeur that was tipped from the point, Bylsma missed cashing in on the rebound and getting the Ducks on the board.

It is hard to determine whether that would have changed the outcome of the game,  it more than likely caused Bylsma to have a few sleepless nights.

Conn Man

With 36 points in 24 postseason games, which included a run of eight goals and 17 points over the Penguins final 11 games, Malkin was the obvious choice to earn the Conn Smythe Trophy.

His phenomenal run not only put his exceptional skills of full display, but it also put Malkin in seventh place for most points during a postseason run. Malkin became just the third European behind Nicklas Lidstrom (2002) and Henrik Zetterberg (2008) and first Russian born player in league history to earn MVP of the playoffs.