The Best New Rock Group in Years: Chickenfoot

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Pittsburgh Penguins Win Third Stanley CuP

Friday night 12 June 2009 saw the Pittsburgh Penguins outlast the defending champion Detroit Red Wings, 2-1, to capture the 2009 National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoffs Finals and take possession of the historic Stanley Cup trophy for the third time in franchise history. Pittsburgh previously won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992. This year's final matchup was a repeat of the one last spring in 2008 won by Detroit in six games, but it was clear both teams had undergone changes. The Penguins's championship cam after rallying from a deficit of two games to none, the first time that has happened since the Montreal Canadiens overcame the Chicago Blackhawks in the '71 Stanley Cup Finals; and only the fourth time in NHL Stanley Cup Finals history.

While Detroit may have taken a tiny step backwards due to aging and fatigue, the Penguins were a much improved club, particularly after a lackluster first half of the season where they were in the bottom third of the Eastern Conference Standings at times. The club made a coaching change, acquired a few key additions such as Bill Guerin, and then took off without stopping to capture the Cup. They had a small struggle with Philadelphia in the opening round of the playoffs, took seven to outlast a valiant Washington Capitals team in the semifinals, swept Carolina in the Eastern Conference Finals, and took the full duration literally to survive Detroit. The Red Wings were only denied tying the game in the final second by a spectacular save by goalie Mark-Andre Fleury, who of all the Pittsburgh players showed the biggest improvement from last year's Cup Finals series.

Pittsburgh becomes the latest city to win two titles in different sports in a season, joining their brethren Steelers who won their sixth Super Bowl in January. Boston last pulled off this double win feat in '07-'08 as the Red Sox and Celtics won titles.

Many observers feel this Pittsburgh club has the right mix of young players and talent to win at least a couple more Stanley Cups in the coming years, perhaps challenging Edmonton in dominance as the Oilers won five Cups in seven years from 1984 - 1990.

For the Red Wings, this finals loss denied them a fifth Cup in 12 seasons, excluding the cancelled season of '04-'05. The Red Wings were last a Stanley Cup runnerup in 1994-95, losing to the New Jersey Devils in a four game sweep. The Wings' Cup wins in recent years came in '97, '98, '02, and last season in '08.

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09164/977260-61.stm

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_629404.html

http://www.freep.com/article/20090612/COL01/90612091

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/richard_deitsch/06/12/red.wings.michigan/index.html

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_12585239

http://msn.foxsports.com/nhl/story/9664058/Penguins-win-first-Cup-since-1992

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?columnist=burnside_scott&id=4255637

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