Back to Back Champions: “Elvis Has Just Left the Building”

The whistle heard around the hockey world. A non-goal that should have have been a goal early in the second period was not the straw that broke the Nashville Predators’ back, but the beginning of the end. The Pittsburgh Penguins led by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Matt Murray captured their third title during the “Crosby Malkin Era” and fifth in franchise history this past Sunday. The path for both teams was not an easy one. The Penguins, love them or hate them, played with a largely depleted lineup, and had to go through a Nashville Team that was 9-1 on home ice coming into Sunday's game. The controversy, the awful officiating and the hostile Nashville fans made for a great feeling back in Pittsburgh with 1:35 left on the clock. Patrick Hornqvist, the former Nashville Predators, sent his former team to the golf course on the 87th day of playoff hockey. How did he do it? The only way Hornqvist would, starting in front of the net and finishing with a goal from behind the net that banked off Pekka Rennee’s back and into the net. What did you think of the service? How did you feel about the NHL playoffs as a hole? Does this make this Pittsburgh Penguins team in the same category as other great NHL dynasties? Without a shadow of doubt this team deserves to be in the Conversation that's for sure.

The Whistle that Should Not Have Been
Kevin Pollok was out of position at 18:53 of the second period when a shot from Filip Forsberg rifled a shot to the left of Matt Murray. From Pollok’s vantage point that was the end of the play and Murray had frozen the puck. While Pollok was blowing his whistle due to losing site of the puck, Colton Sissons put the clearly loose puck in the back of the net. Pollok blowing his whistle early robbed the Predators of a 1-0 lead "You can discuss that all you want. Obviously 1-0 is better than a tight game. I think it should have been a goal but at the same time you can't do anything about it," Forsberg said. This was a shot to the heart of the Predators, but did not cost them the game. For 32 seconds of the third period the Predators had a 5-3 power play when they failed to capitalize, the momentum from killing that penalty carried the Penguins to the closing minutes of the game. That is when the former Nashville Predator struck with 1:35 left in a pivotal game six of the Stanley Cup Finals.

A Trade Comes Full Circle
On July 27th, 2014, the Pittsburgh Penguins traded James Neal to the Nashville Predators for Patrick Hornqvist. With 1:35 left to play in game 6 of the Stanley Cup final, that trade came full circle and Hornqvist broke the hearts of an entire city. Scoring a goal against his former team to win the Stanley Cup made it that much more special.  "This is where I've been playing most of my games and to win it and score that goal here, it couldn't end any better for me." How did he do it you ask? The same way Hornqvist has made a name for himself since his arrival in Pittsburgh, causing havoc in front of the net, chasing down a loose puck, and banking it off the back of Pekka Rinne. With 14 seconds left to play Carl Hagelin slammed to door shut on the Predators and locked up the Penguins third Stanley cup in the Crosby, Malkin era. They also become the first team to repeat as champions since the 97’-98’ Detroit Redwings, and the first team to do so in the salary cap era.

The best and worst thing that could have happened to the NHL was this final series. On one hand Sidney Crosby, the face of the NHL wins his third ring, back to back Conn Smythe trophy and having an atmosphere like Nashville a 16 seed who no one ever saw making it this far. The Predators all but pushed the defending and now reigning Champs to the brink. Nashville’s fans were loud, the atmosphere was amazing and two good hockey teams battled tooth and nail to hoist Lord Stanley's cup. That is the good. The bad was a playoff issue and that was the officiating, which was inconsistent and at times filled with make calls and no calls for all 16 teams involved. The NHL needs to strongly look at the way their officials conduct themselves in these playoffs. The biggest point for this need to reevaluate, is what occurred at 18:53 of the second period in game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals. In the end , my title pays homage to the great announcer Mike Lange “Spit shine my shoes Sidney” and “you can tell your ma, you can tell your pa, I'm sending you back to Arkansas. The Pittsburgh Penguins are repeat champions”.

Written by:
Carlo Guadagnino

Edited by:

References
https://www.google.com/amp/amp.usatoday.com/story/102756526/
https://www.nhl.com/news/pittsburgh-penguins-nashville-predators-game-6-recap/c-289884970
http://www.espn.com/nhl/story/_/id/19610362/nashville-predators-goal-game-6-called-quick-whistle
https://www.google.com/amp/www.sbnation.com/platform/amp/nhl/2017/6/12/15780346/penguins-stanley-cup-champions-2017