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2017 Stanley Cup Final
2017 ice hockey championship series From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2017 Stanley Cup Final was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2016–17 season, and the culmination of the 2017 Stanley Cup playoffs. The Eastern Conference champion and defending Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Western Conference champion Nashville Predators, four games to two to repeat as Stanley Cup champions. Penguins captain Sidney Crosby was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the playoffs for the second consecutive year. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup in their opponent's rink for the fifth time.
During the regular season, the Penguins finished second in the league with 111 points, which gave them home ice advantage in the series. The series began on May 29 and concluded on June 11.[1] The Penguins made their second consecutive Finals appearance, marking the third time in their history they had done this, following their appearances in 1991–1992 and 2008–2009. This was the first time since 2009, a rematch between the Penguins and Detroit Red Wings, that any team appeared in consecutive Finals. The Penguins also became the first team since the Red Wings (in 1997 and 1998) to win the Stanley Cup in consecutive years and the first to do so since the introduction of the salary cap. They also became the fifth franchise to accomplish this feat more than once.
This marked the second consecutive season in which a Western Conference team made their first appearance in the Finals; the San Jose Sharks made their Finals debut the year prior. This was the first time in NHL history that two United States–born head coaches faced off against each other in the Stanley Cup Final.[2]
The Penguins won the first two games of the series despite being massively outshot by the Predators in both games. Nashville tied the series at two with a pair of convincing wins at home. However, Penguins goaltender Matt Murray shut out the Predators for the remainder of the series. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan became the third coach in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup in his first two seasons as a coach with his team, joining Pete Green of the original Ottawa Senators (in 1920 and 1921) and Toe Blake of the Montreal Canadiens (in 1956 and 1957). This was the first Finals since 1983 in which no game was decided by one goal, and the second Finals in three years to have none of its games reach overtime.
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Paths to the Finals
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Pittsburgh Penguins
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This was Pittsburgh's second consecutive Finals appearance, and sixth overall. The Penguins did not make any major transactions during the offseason, instead of signing head coach Mike Sullivan to a three-year extension. At the deadline, Pittsburgh acquired defensemen Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit via trade, which proved helpful for depth when star Kris Letang suffered a season-ending injury just weeks before the playoffs started.
Pittsburgh finished with 111 points (50–21–11) during the regular season to finish second in the Metropolitan Division and second overall among playoff teams. Center and team captain Sidney Crosby led the Penguins with 89 points, which ranked second in the league, and won the Rocket Richard Trophy with 44 goals. Phil Kessel led the team in assists with 47.
In the playoffs, the Penguins defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games, eliminated the back-to-back Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals for a second consecutive year, this time in seven games, and edged the Ottawa Senators in seven games in the Eastern NHL Conference Finals after Chris Kunitz scored in double overtime of game seven.[3]
Nashville Predators
This was Nashville's first Stanley Cup Final appearance in its 19-year history. They were also the first major professional sports team from Tennessee to play for a championship since the also Nashville-based Tennessee Titans made Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000.
During the offseason, Nashville traded defenceman and long-time team captain Shea Weber to Montreal for defenceman P. K. Subban, and during the regular season, traded for forwards Cody McLeod and Vernon Fiddler. The Predators also re-signed forward Filip Forsberg during the offseason.
Nashville finished with 94 points (41–29–12) during the regular season, finishing as the eighth seed and second wild card team in the Western Conference, and the 16th overall. Forsberg and Viktor Arvidsson tied for the team lead in regular-season goal-scoring with 31 each. Ryan Johansen led the team in assists with 47. Arvidsson and Johansen tied for the team lead in points with 61.
The Predators started the playoffs by upsetting the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in a sweep, becoming the second team in NHL history to be the lowest seed in their conference to sweep the top seeded team in the opening round (1993 St. Louis Blues).[4] They followed that up by eliminating the St. Louis Blues and Anaheim Ducks, both in six games. Kevin Fiala and Johansen sustained serious leg injuries in the second and third rounds respectively, and both missed the remainder of the playoffs. The Predators became the third team to be the lowest seed in their conference in NHL history to reach the Stanley Cup Final, joining the 2006 Edmonton Oilers and the 2012 Los Angeles Kings. The Predators were also the third different franchise that head coach Peter Laviolette led to the Stanley Cup Final. He won the Cup with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2006, and also took the Philadelphia Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.[5]
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Game summaries
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Game one
| May 29 | Nashville Predators | 3–5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | PPG Paints Arena | Recap |
Late in the first period, penalties from Nashville forwards Calle Jarnkrok and James Neal gave Pittsburgh a full two-minute 5-on-3 power play, and Evgeni Malkin scored to make it 1–0. Just 1:15 later, Conor Sheary scored into an open net after a cross-ice pass from Chris Kunitz caught Nashville's defence off guard. In the final seconds of the period, a centring pass from Nick Bonino deflected off Mattias Ekholm and into the net to give Pittsburgh a 3–0 lead. Following Bonino's goal, the Penguins went 37 consecutive minutes without a shot on goal, including the entire second period. The Predators used power-play goals from Ryan Ellis and Colton Sissons to make it 3–2, and Frederick Gaudreau scored immediately following a Penguins power play to tie the game midway through the third. Soon afterwards, Pittsburgh's first shot since the first period resulted in a Jake Guentzel goal to give Pittsburgh the lead again. Bonino scored again into an empty net to clinch the victory for Pittsburgh.[6]
Game two
| May 31 | Nashville Predators | 1–4 | Pittsburgh Penguins | PPG Paints Arena | Recap |
Midway through the first, the Predators took their first-ever lead in a Stanley Cup Final game when Pontus Aberg scored around Olli Maatta. The Penguins tied it late in the period when a Guentzel tip sneaked past Pekka Rinne. After a scoreless second period in which the Predators took twice as many shots as the Penguins, Pittsburgh came out firing in the third, scoring three goals in 3:18. The first was Guentzel's twelfth of the playoffs, making him the first rookie since Dino Ciccarelli to score twelve times in a single postseason. The next two goals came 15 seconds apart and prompted Predators head coach Peter Laviolette to replace Rinne with backup Juuse Saros. Nashville never cut into the deficit as Pittsburgh won the game by 4–1.[7]
Game three
| June 3 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1–5 | Nashville Predators | Bridgestone Arena | Recap |
Jake Guentzel came within one goal of Dino Ciccarelli's rookie playoff record when a shot 2:46 into the game got past Pekka Rinne. In the second period, Roman Josi and Frederick Gaudreau scored only 42 seconds apart to quickly give Nashville the lead. Neal scored with 23 seconds left in the second to give the Predators a two-goal lead. In the third period, a breakaway by Craig Smith and a goal by Ekholm provided insurance in a 5–1 victory for Nashville. Near the end of the game, several misconducts were assessed after a cross checking by Phil Kessel drew a crowd and fights broke out.[8]
Game four
| June 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 1–4 | Nashville Predators | Bridgestone Arena | Recap |
Calle Jarnkrok gave Nashville an early lead, but a breakaway goal by Sidney Crosby tied the score at one. In the second period, after a Penguins breakaway was stopped by Rinne, Gaudreau's wrap-around shot appeared to be stopped by Matt Murray, but video review showed the puck sneak under Murray's paddle and across the goal line before Murray sent it back out. A breakaway goal by Viktor Arvidsson gave the Predators their third goal of the game. Rinne would stop all nine shots faced in the third period and an empty-net goal by Filip Forsberg gave Nashville a 4–1 win and tied the series 2–2.[9]
Game five
| June 8 | Nashville Predators | 0–6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | PPG Paints Arena | Recap |
Justin Schultz scored for Pittsburgh early in the first period on the power play. Two more goals from the Penguins caused Nashville to again replace Rinne with Saros in net to start the second period. Pittsburgh scored three more times in the second, the first from Conor Sheary. Guentzel assisted on Sheary's goal, tying the rookie record for points in a single postseason (21). Kessel and Ron Hainsey scored the last of Pittsburgh's six goals; Kessel and Crosby both ended the game with three points. Neither team scored in the third period, making Matt Murray the first rookie since Cam Ward in 2006 to record a shutout in the Stanley Cup Final. During the third period, 20 penalties were assessed, the most in one period since the third game of the 2011 Stanley Cup Final.[10]
Game six
| June 11 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 2–0 | Nashville Predators | Bridgestone Arena | Recap |
Although game six remained scoreless through two periods, a quick whistle prevented a Predators' scoring chance that almost certainly would have resulted in a goal. Referee Kevin Pollock thought Matt Murray had covered a Filip Forsberg shot, but the puck was, in fact, loose in the goal crease, when Colton Sissons tapped it in.[11] The game remained scoreless until the final two minutes of the third period when former Predator Patric Hornqvist scored with 1:35 left in the game. Nashville challenged for goaltender interference, but the on-ice ruling was upheld. Carl Hagelin added an empty net goal with 15 seconds remaining whilst the Penguins would win their second consecutive Stanley Cup becoming the first since the Red Wings did it against the Flyers and the Capitals in 1997 and 1998 respectively. Sidney Crosby was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP of the playoffs for the second consecutive season.[12][13]
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Team rosters
Nashville Predators
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Pittsburgh Penguins
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Stanley Cup engraving
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The 2017 Stanley Cup was presented to Penguins captain Sidney Crosby by NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman following the Penguins 2–0 win over the Predators in game six
The following Penguins players and staff had their names engraved on the Stanley Cup
2016–17 Pittsburgh Penguins
Players
- 7 Matt Cullen
- 13 Nick Bonino
- 59 Jake Guentzel*
- 71 Evgeni Malkin (A)
- 87 Sidney Crosby (Captain)
- 14 Chris Kunitz (A)
- 17 Bryan Rust
- 23 Scott Wilson
- 34 Tom Kuhnhackl
- 37 Carter Rowney*
- 43 Conor Sheary
- 45 Josh Archibald
- 62 Carl Hagelin
- 72 Patric Hornqvist
- 81 Phil Kessel
- 3 Olli Maatta
- 4 Justin Schultz
- 6 Trevor Daley
- 8 Brian Dumoulin
- 28 Ian Cole
- 32 Mark Streit ‡
- 58 Kris Letang †
- 65 Ron Hainsey
* Played both centre and wing.
† Did not play or dress in the Final.
‡ Did not automatically qualify,[a] but an exemption was granted to engrave the player's name.
Coaching and administrative staff
- Mario Lemieux (Chairman/Co-Owner/Alt. Governor), Ronald Burkle (Co-Owner/Alt. Governor), William Kassling (Co-Owner/Alt. Governor)
- David Morehouse (President/Governor), Travis Williams (Chief Operating Officer/Alt. Governor), Jim Rutherford (Exe. Vice President/General Manager)
- Jason Botterill (Asst. General Manager), Bill Guerin (Asst. General Manager), Jason Karmanos (Vice President of Hockey Operations)
- Mark Recchi (Player Development Coach), Mike Sullivan (Head Coach), Rick Tocchet (Asst. Coach)
- Jacques Martin (Asst. Coach), Mike Bales (Goaltending Coach), Andy Saucier (Video Coach),
- Sergei Gonchar (Defense Coach), Dr. Dharmesh Vyas (Head Team Physician), Chris Stewart (Athletic Trainer)
- Curtis Bell (Asst. Athletic Trainer), Patrick Steidle (Asst. Athletic Trainer), Andy O'Brien (Director of Sport Science & Performance)
- Dana Heinze (Equipment Manager), J.C. Ihrig (Asst. Equipment Manager), Jon Taglianetti (Asst. Equipment Manager)
- Jim Britt (Director of Team Operations), Randy Sexton (Director of Amateur Scouting), Derek Clancey (Director of Pro Scouting)
Engraving notes
- #58 Kris Letang (D) – played in 41 regular season games, but none in the playoffs due to a herniated disk in his neck that required surgery.[14][15] As he played in half of the regular season games with Pittsburgh, he automatically qualified to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup.[a]
- #32 Mark Streit (D) – played in 19 regular season games and 3 playoff games (all in the Eastern Conference Finals) for Pittsburgh, previously 49 regular season games for Philadelphia. As he did not automatically qualify,[a] Pittsburgh successfully requested an exemption to engrave his name. Streit became the third Swiss player (and first non-goaltender Swiss player) to win the Stanley Cup.[16][17]
- Mario Lemieux is the only one to have his name engraved on the Stanley Cup for their titles in 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, and 2017.
- Sergei Gonchar (Defense Coach) was left off the Stanley Cup engraving of the 2016 title, but included on the 2017 title engraving.
- The Penguins fill the last spot on the bottom ring of the Stanley Cup. The top ring, featuring winners from 1954 to 1965, was removed after the Capitals were added in 2018.
- Matt Murray became the first goalie to win the Stanley Cup-clinching game as a Rookie 2 years in a row. In 2016 Murray only played 13 regular season games but started all 6 games of the Finals for Pittsburgh. So 2017 he was still a rookie (having not played 25 regular season games in a season) when he started all 6 games of the Finals for Pittsburgh.
- Alex Trinca (Strength & Conditioning Coach) (on Cup in 2016) and Danny Kroll (Assistant Equipment Manager) (on Cup in 2009) were left off the 2017 Stanley Cup engraving, but included in the team picture.
Player notes
Fourteen players were on the roster during the playoffs, but left off the Stanley Cup engraving due to not qualifying.[a][18]
- #2 Chad Ruhwedel (D) – played 34 regular-season games and 11 playoff games. (plus 27 games in the minors). Missed last 2 games of Conference and all 6 games of the finals due to a concussion.
- #25 Tom Sestito (LW) – 13 regular season games and none in the playoffs
- #24 Cameron Gaunce (D) – played 12 regular season games and none in the playoffs
- #35 Tristan Jarry (G) – dressed for 11 playoff games while Matt Murray was injured (Jarry received his second Stanley Cup ring, despite only playing one NHL game) – name not engraved on Cup
- #51 Derrick Pouliot (D) – played 11 regular season games and none in the playoffs
- #40 Oskar Sundqvist (C) – played 10 regular season games and none in the playoffs
- #5 David Warsofsky (D) – played 7 regular season games and none in the playoffs
- #11 Kevin Porter (C) – played 7 regular season games and none in the playoffs
- #20 Frank Corrado (D) – played 2 regular season games and none in the playoffs
- #49 Dominik Simon (C) – played 2 regular season games and none in the playoffs
- #39 Jean-Sébastien Dea (C) – played 1 regular season game and none in the playoffs
- #19 Garrett Wilson (LW) – did not play in the regular season or playoffs
- #31 Sean Maguire (G) – did not play in the regular season or playoffs
- #41 Daniel Sprong (RW) – did not play in the regular season or playoffs
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Television and radio
In Canada, the series was broadcast by Sportsnet and simulcast by CBC Television in English,[19] and TVA Sports in French. In the U.S., NBC broadcast most of the games; games two and three were aired by NBCSN.[20] In the U.S., the games were seen by an average of 4.762 million viewers, an increase of 19% over the 2016 finals, and the highest-rated finals without an Original Six team. Despite competition from the 2017 Tony Awards broadcast and the return of ABC's Sunday-night game show block, game six achieved a total viewership of 7.086 million.[21]
The NHL on Westwood One/NBC Sports Radio carried the games throughout the United States on radio and through online streaming,[22] while the home calls of Nashville (WPRT-FM/Predators Radio Network) and Pittsburgh (WXDX-FM/Penguins Radio Network) was available both over the air in their home markets and through online streaming.
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Notes
References
External links
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