Penguins hit all the right notes with back-to-back Stanley Cups

There's probably a country song out there that best sums up the way it ended for the upstart Nashville Predators in their bid to shock the hockey world with a Stanley Cup championship.

The Pittsburgh Penguins found a way to score late in Game 6 to clinch their second straight Stanley Cup with a 2-0 win and spoil what could have been a wild street party in Music City.

Hip Check: Pittsburgh Penguins claim back-to-back Cups

7 years ago

Duration 0:37

Hornqvist's late goal clinches championship repeat.

For the crestfallen Predators, there was the disallowed goal early in the second period, when referee Kevin Pollock lost sight of the puck and blew his whistle before Nashville's Colton Sissons swept in a loose puck for a goal.

For the dispirited Predators, there was the fluky game winner from Penguins forward Patric Hornqvist, a shot from behind the goal line that bounced off the back of Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne and into the net with 95 seconds remaining in the third period.

Game Wrap: Penguins are Stanley Cup champs again

7 years ago

Duration 2:38

Patric Hornqvist scored with 1:35 left in regulation as the Penguins defeated the Nashville Predators 2-0 in Game 6 on Sunday night.

For the disappointed Predators, it was their inability to beat Penguins goalie Matt Murray in the final two games. Murray made his hometown of Thunder Bay, Ont., proud by stopping the last 64 shots he faced in the series. He became the first starting goalie to win two NHL championships before losing his rookie status and the first since Detroit's Terry Sawchuk in 1952 to close out a final with back-to-back shutouts.

• Penguins repeat as Stanley Cup champs
• Predators' magical run falls short

But Murray was only part of the Penguins' story in their march to become the first club to repeat as champs since the 1996-97 and 1997-98 Red Wings.

Stand by your coach

It starts at the top for the Penguins, with general manager Jim Rutherford, head coach Mike Sullivan and captain Sidney Crosby.

The local Pittsburgh press attempted to run Rutherford out of town after a first-round playoff exit in his first season with the Penguins. But he stuck to his convictions.

The first trade he made in Pittsburgh — Hornqvist from the Predators for James Neal — paid dividends on Sunday evening.

It's neat how storylines play out. At the 2005 NHL draft, as the league tried to repair itself after commissioner Gary Bettman's lockout-cancelled season, the Penguins chose Crosby with the first overall selection and the Predators snatched Hornqvist with the 230th and final pick.

That's part of the reason Hornqvist was in tears on the Penguins' bench as the final seconds ticked down on Sunday. Nashville gave him an opportunity. Music City was his home for six years and his first child was born there.

Sullivan's home, on the other hand, seemed to be as John Tortorella's sidekick. The two friends were in peril after their gig with the 2013-14 Vancouver Canucks turned into a mess.

But when Rutherford needed somebody to coach the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he took a chance on Sullivan. When Rutherford felt he needed to make a change behind the Pittsburgh bench, he replaced Mike Johnston with Sullivan, who hadn't held a head coaching position in the NHL since he missed the playoffs with the 2005-06 Boston Bruins.

Sullivan was a perfect fit with the Penguins and all of a sudden, the best player in the world was the best player in the world again.

Friends in high places

But even before Sullivan arrived, Crosby got started on quite a championship roll in the last 39 months. The Cole Harbour, N.S., kid has won Olympic gold, a world championship, a World Cup of Hockey, a World Cup of Hockey MVP, two Stanley Cups and two Conn Smythe trophies in the past 1,205 days.

• Crosby wins second straight Conn Smythe

"I'm really happy to be a part of this group," the awe-shucks star said about his third Stanley Cup victory.

"We set out to try to go back to back. We knew it was going to be difficult, but I think that's probably where the most joy comes out of, just knowing how difficult it is now to go back-to-back and knowing that we overcame all those things. It's a pretty special group."

A special group that overcame a season-ending neck injury to its best defenceman, Kris Letang. A special group that pulled together for veterans Chris Kunitz, Matt Cullen, Ron Hainsey and Trevor Daley.

After 907 regular-season games with the Canadiens, Columbus Blue Jackets, Atlanta Thrashers, Winnipeg Jets, Carolina Hurricanes and the Penguins, the 36-year-old Hainsey finally made it to the Stanley Cup playoffs this spring. His perseverance was admired by his new teammates in Pittsburgh, and that's why Crosby handed the Cup to him first.

Cullen, 40, was the oldest player on the ice in the final and he likely has played his last game. He wanted a third ring so each of his three boys will have a keepsake for the rest of their lives.

Kunitz, the undrafted 37-year-old left wing from Regina, celebrated a remarkable fourth championship — three with Pittsburgh and one with the 2006-07 Anaheim Ducks.

Always on his mind

Daley also was emotional with his Stanley Cup celebration. Last year, he wanted to win for his mother, Trudy. She was battling cancer and the end was near. Daley played his heart out but was injured in the East final and didn't get to play in the championship series against the San Jose Sharks.

Still, Trudy watched as her son joined his teammates on the ice when the Penguins clinched the Cup. She passed away a week later.

This time, Trevor played a key role in the Penguins' title drive, and he said after Sunday's win that his mom was looking down from heaven with an approving smile.

Now that has the makings of a country song, too.