Not since 1997-98 has the NHL had back-to-back Stanley Cup champions. The Pittsburgh Penguins have won their fifth title in as many tries. They are quickly becoming a mainstay in the sport and it can all be traced back to when they drafted Sidney Crosby. 

Throughout the series against Nashville, Crosby has shown why he is the best player in the game today and the most vilified. I will never understand why he and P.K. Subban were both given penalties in Game 5 when clearly Crosby was the one initiating the contact to Subban’s head on the ice.

While Crosby was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy having attributed 27 points in their playoff run, the MVP to me of the Stanley Cup series goes to goaltender Matt Murray. To pitch back-to-back shutouts to close out a series is amazing. Nashville had plenty of chances and Murray stifled all of them.

I had my doubts about Pittsburgh repeating as champions, but they made a change in net during the Conference Finals and it paid off for them in the end. The Penguins got the best of Predators goalie Pekka Rinne and Nashville couldn’t rebound from it.

Congratulations to the Pittsburgh Penguins on winning the Stanley Cup. I’ve said privately that they are becoming the New England Patriots equivalent in the NHL. Is that too far-fetched?