2009 Stanley Cup Finals
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The 2009 Stanley Cup Finals was the
championship series In sport, a championship is a Competition#Sports, competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match sy ...
of the
National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
's (NHL) 2008–09 season, and the culmination of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Eastern Conference champion
Pittsburgh Penguins The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have playe ...
and the Western Conference champion
Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...
. It was Detroit's 24th appearance in the Finals and Pittsburgh's fourth appearance in the Finals. This was a rematch of the previous year's
Stanley Cup Finals The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
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 Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin ( rus, Евге́ний Влади́мирович Ма́лкин, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ˈmaɫkʲɪn; born 31 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of ...
would win the
Conn Smythe Trophy The Conn Smythe Trophy (french: Trophée Conn Smythe) is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general man ...
as the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 playoffs, becoming the first Russian-born player to win the trophy. Until , this was the last time the finals were played entirely in the
Eastern Time Zone The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...
.


Road to Finals


Detroit Red Wings

Entering the 2008–09 season as the Stanley Cup Champions, the Detroit Red Wings signed head coach
Mike Babcock Mike may refer to: Animals * Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum * Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off * Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and document ...
to three-year contract extension.
Marian Hossa Marian may refer to: People * Mari people, a Finno-Ugric ethnic group in Russia * Marian (given name), a list of people with the given name * Marian (surname), a list of people so named Places *Marian, Iran (disambiguation) * Marian, Queensland ...
signed with the Red Wings after turning down a $49 million offer from the Penguins, whom he played for throughout the 2007–08 playoffs. The Red Wings also signed
Ty Conklin Ty Curtis Conklin (born March 30, 1976) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender. Throughout his National Hockey League (NHL) career, he played for the Edmonton Oilers, Columbus Blue Jackets, Buffalo Sabres, Pittsburgh Penguins, S ...
, who had played for the Penguins throughout the 2007–08 season. The Red Wings won the Central Division title with 112 points before defeating the
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
4–0,
rival A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...
4–3, and then-division rival
Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks (spelled Black Hawks until 1986, and known colloquially as the Hawks) are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago. The Blackhawks compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division i ...
4–1 to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for the sixth time in the past 14 seasons.


Pittsburgh Penguins

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. The organization fired head coach
Michel Therrien Michel Therrien (born November 4, 1963) is a Canadian professional ice hockey coach. (NHL). Therrien formerly coached the Montreal Canadiens, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers. Prior to his coaching career, Therrien played pr ...
and replaced him with
Dan Bylsma Daniel Brian Bylsma (; born September 19, 1970) is an American professional ice hockey coach and former player. He is the head coach of the Coachella Valley Firebirds of the American Hockey League (AHL). He was previously head coach of the Pitts ...
, head coach of the organization's
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
affiliate in
Wilkes-Barre Wilkes-Barre ( or ) is a city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Luzerne County. Located at the center of the Wyoming Valley in Northeastern Pennsylvania, it had a population of 44,328 in the 2020 census. It is the secon ...
. Under Bylsma, the team went 18–3–4, including 10–1–2 in March, losing one home game. Before the
trade deadline In professional sports within the United States and Canada, a trade is a sports league transaction between sports clubs involving the exchange of player rights from one team to another. Though player rights are the primary trading assets, draft p ...
, the Penguins acquired
Chris Kunitz Christopher Kunitz (born September 26, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played in the National Hockey League (NHL). He played for the Anaheim Ducks (where he won his first Stanley Cup in 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs, 20 ...
and
Bill Guerin William Robert Guerin (born November 9, 1970) is an American former professional ice hockey player and the current general manager of the Minnesota Wild. He previously was the assistant general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins and general mana ...
from the
Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California. The Ducks compete in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division, and play their home games at Honda Center. ...
and the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
respectively. 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 The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
. They beat the Flyers 4–2,
Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...
4–3, and
Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
4–0 to earn a second-straight berth in the Stanley Cup Finals.


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. 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 Bradley Stuart (born November 6, 1979) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in over 1,000 career games in the National Hockey League (NHL) with the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Calgary Flames, Los Angeles Kings, Det ...
'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 Christopher John Osgood (born November 26, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently a Detroit Red Wings studio analyst and part-time color commentator for Bally Sports Detroit. He won three Stanley Cup champio ...
mishandled a shot by
Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Vladimirovich Malkin ( rus, Евге́ний Влади́мирович Ма́лкин, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ˈmaɫkʲɪn; born 31 July 1986) is a Russian professional ice hockey centre and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of ...
, allowing
Ruslan Fedotenko Ruslan Viktorovych Fedotenko ( uk, Руслан Вікторович Федотенко; born 18 January 1979) is a Ukrainian former professional ice hockey winger. A two-time Stanley Cup champion, in his National Hockey League (NHL) career he ...
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 Brian Christopher Rafalski (born September 28, 1973) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the New Jersey Devils and Detroit Red Wings, in the SM-liiga for HPK and HIFK, in ...
'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 Ville Leino (born 6 October 1983) is a Finnish former professional ice hockey forward. He has played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers and Buffalo Sabres. Playing career Finland At age 17, Leino ...
, the puck bounced high into the air and was swatted by Detroit rookie
Justin Abdelkader Justin Abdelkader (; born February 25, 1987) is an American professional ice hockey left winger for EV Zug of the National League (NL). He was drafted 42nd overall by the Detroit Red Wings in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. He previously played for HC ...
from midair to his stick. Abdelkader then went around Pittsburgh's
Jordan Staal Jordan Staal (born September 10, 1988) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He is regarded as a premier penalty-killer, both for his strong defensive skills and ...
(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.


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 Hans Niklas Kronwall (; born 12 January 1981) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey defenceman, who currently serves as an advisor to the general manager of the Detroit Red Wings. He previously played for the Red Wings of the National Hocke ...
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 Jonathan Ericsson (born 2 March 1984) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman who is currently an unrestricted free agent. He most recently played for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL). Ericsson was drafted in th ...
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 Valtteri Filppula (born 20 March 1984) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward (ice hockey), forward for Genève-Servette HC of the National League (ice hockey), National League (NL). Filppula won the Stanley Cup with the Detroit Red Wings ...
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 Sidney Patrick Crosby (born August 7, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League (NHL). Nicknamed "Sid the Kid" and dubbed " The Next One", he was selected first o ...
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 Maxime Talbot (born February 11, 1984) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Philadelphia Flyers, Colorado Avalanche and Boston Bruins. He was drafted into ...
was called for slashing, which eventually led to a fight between Malkin and Detroit's
Henrik Zetterberg Henrik Zetterberg (; born 9 October 1980) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey forward. He played his entire National Hockey League career with the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL), for whom he would serve as captai ...
. Malkin received an instigator penalty and a misconduct penalty, but was not suspended by the league for the incident.


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 Richard Brooks Orpik (born September 26, 1980) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played for the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). A stay-at-home defenseman and locker ...
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. Pittsburgh then used a late holding call on
Daniel Cleary Daniel Michael Cleary (born December 18, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Chicago Blackhawks, Edmonton Oilers, Phoenix Coyotes and Detroit Red Wings. He currently ser ...
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 Karl Mikael Samuelsson (born 23 December 1976) is a Swedish former professional ice hockey right winger. Samuelsson began his career in Sweden, starting with small town team IFK Mariefred, followed by Södertälje SK as a junior in 1994. He wen ...
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 Sergei Viktorovich Gonchar ( rus, Серге́й Ви́кторович Гонча́р, p=sʲɪrˈɡʲej ˈvʲiktərəvʲɪdʑ ɡɐnʲˈtɕar; born 13 April 1974) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player and a former assistant coach f ...
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.


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 Darren Helm (born January 21, 1987) is a Canadian professional ice hockey player for the Colorado Avalanche of the National Hockey League (NHL). He previously played for the Detroit Red Wings. Helm is a two-time Stanley Cup champion, winning with ...
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 Robert John Scuderi (born December 30, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman, currently serving as an assistant coach for the National Hockey League's Nashville Predators. Known as a stay-at-home defenseman, he played i ...
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 Tyler Kennedy (born July 15, 1986) is a Canadian-American former professional ice hockey centre who played nine seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Pittsburgh Penguins, San Jose Sharks, New York Islanders, and New Jersey Devils. ...
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.


Game five

Detroit gained a huge boost in game five, as star two-way player
Pavel Datsyuk Pavel Valerievich Datsyuk (, ; born 20 July 1978) is a Russian former professional ice hockey player. Datsyuk was nicknamed the "Magic Man" honoring his incredible stickhandling and creativity with the puck. From 2001 to 2016, he played for the ...
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 Jiri ( ne, जिरी) is a municipality in Dolakha District in the Bagmati Province of central Nepal. At the time of the 2011 Nepal census it had a population of 13,638 people.. Jiri, which lies about 190 kilometers from Kathmandu, is the m ...
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 Mathieu Carol Garon (born January 9, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens, Pittsburgh Penguins, Columbus Blue J ...
, 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.


Game six

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 Kristopher Bruce "Kris" Draper (born May 24, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player and current director of amateur scouting for the Detroit Red Wings, the team which he played 17 seasons for during his 20-year National Hockey ...
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.


Game seven

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 Finals game seven was in against the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
, where they lost by the score of 4–0 in
Maple Leaf Gardens Maple Leaf Gardens is a historic building located at the northwest corner of Carlton Street and Church Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The building was initially constructed in 1931 as an arena to host ice hockey games, though it has sinc ...
. Entering the contest, Red Wings head coach Mike Babcock joined
Mike Keenan Michael Edward Keenan (born October 21, 1949) is a Canadian professional hockey coach who most recently coached the Kunlun Red Star of the Kontinental Hockey League. Previously, he served as head coach and/or general manager with several NHL teams ...
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 The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
in (the home team won all seven games of the series). Over the whole series, the Red Wings outscored the Penguins 17–14. 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 Kirk Frederick Maltby (born December 22, 1972) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 16 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Edmonton Oilers and Detroit Red Wings, the latter with whom he won the Stanley C ...
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 Matthew David Cooke (born September 7, 1978) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played sixteen seasons and 1046 games in the National Hockey League (NHL). Cooke won the Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the ...
, 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. 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. Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin was awarded the
Conn Smythe Trophy The Conn Smythe Trophy (french: Trophée Conn Smythe) is awarded annually to the most valuable player (MVP) of his team during the National Hockey League's (NHL) Stanley Cup playoffs. It is named after Conn Smythe, the longtime owner, general man ...
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
Montreal Canadiens The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
to win game seven of the Finals 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 The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...
defeated the
Baltimore Orioles The Baltimore Orioles are an American professional baseball team based in Baltimore. The Orioles compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East division. As one of the American L ...
4–1 at Memorial Stadium to win the
1979 World Series The 1979 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1979 season. The 76th edition of the World Series was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates (98–64) and ...
. For the Red Wings, it was the first time that they lost in the Finals since , 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 Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to TCF Center, Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Lou ...
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 at the now-demolished
Olympia Stadium Detroit Olympia, also known as Olympia Stadium, was a multi-purpose arena in Detroit. Nicknamed "The Old Red Barn", it was best known as the home of the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League (NHL) from its opening in 1927 to 1979. Histo ...
. 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.


Officials

The following officials worked the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals: (Bold-face indicates worked Game 7) *Referees:
Paul Devorski Paul Devorski (born August 18, 1958) is a retired National Hockey League referee, who wore uniform number 10 beginning in the 1994–95 NHL season. He refereed his first NHL game on October 14, 1989, and has been wearing a helmet while refereei ...
, Marc Joannette,
Dennis Larue Dennis LaRue (born July 14, 1959, in Savannah, Georgia) has been a National Hockey League referee since the 1990–91 NHL season, and has worn the uniform number 14 since the 1994–95 NHL season.http://www.nhlofficials.com/member_listing.asp?memb ...
, Bill McCreary *Linesmen: Derek Amell, Steve Miller, Jean Morin, Pierre Racicot


Television coverage

In Canada, all games of the Finals were broadcast in English on the CBC and in French on the cable network RDS. CBC had a new broadcast team calling the Finals with
Jim Hughson Jim Hughson (born October 9, 1956) is a retired Canadian sportscaster, best known for his play-by-play of the National Hockey League. He was the lead play-by-play commentator for the ''NHL on Sportsnet'' from 2014 to 2021 and ''Hockey Night in Ca ...
as play-by-play announcer, and
Craig Simpson Craig Andrew Simpson (born February 15, 1967) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey winger who played 10 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers and the Buffalo Sabres. He is currently a broadc ...
as colour commentator. In the United States, this was the first time since
1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school shootin ...
that game one of the Cup Finals aired on over-the-air television instead of on cable:
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
broadcast the first two and final three games of the series, while Versus broadcast games three and four. 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. Game seven was the last major sporting event on
analogue television Analog television is the original television technology that uses analog signals to transmit video and audio. In an analog television broadcast, the brightness, colors and sound are represented by amplitude, phase and frequency of an analog s ...
in the United States, with the
DTV transition The digital television transition, also called the digital switchover (DSO), the analogue switch/sign-off (ASO), the digital migration, or the analogue shutdown, is the process in which older analogue television broadcasting technology is conv ...
finishing less than an hour-and-a-half after the game ended and just one hour after NBC coverage ended. NBC affiliates
WDIV-TV WDIV-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Detroit, Michigan, United States, affiliated with NBC. It serves as the flagship broadcast property of the Graham Media Group subsidiary of Graham Holdings Company. WDIV-TV maintains studio faciliti ...
in Detroit and
WPXI WPXI (channel 11) is a television station in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, affiliated with NBC and owned by Cox Media Group. The station's offices and studios are located on Evergreen Road in the Summer Hill neighborhood of Pittsbur ...
in
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...
– 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 The 1973 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 1972–73 season, and the culmination of the 1973 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Chicago Black Hawks and the Montreal Canadiens, a ...
. 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 Finals.


Records

The Red Wings attempted to become the first team to successfully defend a championship since they did it in . The Red Wings were also the first defending Stanley Cup champions to reach the Finals since , when the champions
New Jersey Devils The New Jersey Devils are a professional sports, professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey. The Devils compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
lost to the
Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
. The Penguins became the first team since the
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
in 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 Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...
. 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 The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in (the
Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
in 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. The Penguins' Cup victory, coupled with that of the Steelers in
Super Bowl XLIII Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
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 The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the maj ...
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 The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on un ...
and
Lions The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphic; adult ...
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 Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
won the
1979 World Series The 1979 World Series was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 1979 season. The 76th edition of the World Series was a best-of-seven playoff played between the National League (NL) champion Pittsburgh Pirates (98–64) and ...
in between the Steelers' victories in
Super Bowl XIII Super Bowl XIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Dallas Cowboys to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion ...
in January 1979 and
Super Bowl XIV Super Bowl XIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champi ...
in January 1980). It also gives the state of
Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
three champions in the four major professional sports in a span of nine months, with the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member of the National League (NL) National League East, East division. Since 2004, the team's home sta ...
winning the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, contested since 1903 between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winner of the World ...
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 The Stanley Cup Finals in ice hockey (also known as the Stanley Cup Final among various media, french: Finale de la Coupe Stanley) is the National Hockey League's (NHL) championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, North America ...
in consecutive seasons since the
Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton. The Oilers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference. They play their home games at Rogers Place, which ...
and the
New York Islanders The New York Islanders (colloquially known as the Isles) are a professional ice hockey team based in Elmont, New York. The Islanders compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ( ...
did so in and . 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 . 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 Finals with two different teams. 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 The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia. The Flyers compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home games in Wells ...
in when they lost to the Edmonton Oilers, and was with the
New York Rangers The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
when they won the Cup in . This was the last Stanley Cup Finals played at both
Mellon Arena The Civic Arena, formerly the Civic Auditorium and later Mellon Arena, was an arena located in Downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The Civic Arena primarily served as the home to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the city's National Hockey League (NHL) ...
and
Joe Louis Arena Joe Louis Arena was an arena in Downtown Detroit. Completed in 1979 at a cost of US$57 million as a replacement for Olympia Stadium, it sat adjacent to TCF Center, Cobo Center on the bank of the Detroit River and was accessible by the Joe Lou ...
, which was closed after 2009–10 NHL season, the following season and the 2016–17 NHL season, 2016–17 season, respectively. The Penguins moved to the PPG Paints Arena, Consol Energy Center for the 2010–11 NHL season, 2010–11 season, and the Red Wings moved to Little Caesars Arena for the 2017–18 NHL season, 2017–18 season. This was also the last Stanley Cup Finals 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 The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico, Panama, Colombia, mainland Ecuador, Peru, and a small por ...
, while the Western Conference consists entirely of the NHL's teams that are based outside of it.


Team rosters


Detroit Red Wings

Roster on June 12, 2009.


Pittsburgh Penguins

Roster on June 12, 2009.


Stanley Cup engraving

The 2009 Stanley Cup was presented to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Penguins 2–1 win over the Red Wings in game seven. The following Penguins players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup 2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins 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 (ice hockey), 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 Penguins, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
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.),


References


External links


2009 Stanley Cup Finals at ESPN
{{Navboxes, list1= {{NHL {{Pittsburgh Penguins {{Detroit Red Wings {{2008-09 NHL season by team {{NHL on NBC {{NHL on Versus {{Hockey Night in Canada {{NHL on RDS 2009 Stanley Cup, 2008–09 NHL season, Stanley Cup Finals Detroit Red Wings games Pittsburgh Penguins games Stanley Cup Finals Sports competitions in Pittsburgh Sports competitions in Detroit 2009 in sports in Michigan 2009 in sports in Pennsylvania 2009 in Detroit 2000s in Pittsburgh May 2009 sports events in the United States June 2009 sports events in the United States