Payback was sweet for the Pittsburgh Penguins.
They watched the Detroit Red Wings celebrate winning the Stanley Cup on Pittsburgh ice in 2007, then last season rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to win the NHL championship in Detroit in a stirring Game 7.
“I am really happy we were able to get back there and finish it off right this time,” Pittsburgh’s 22-year-old captain Sidney Crosby said.
Don’t be surprised if these two powerhouses meet for the Stanley Cup again next June.
“For both teams to get there in back to back years, it’s amazing,” Crosby said. “Both teams kind of defied the odds in getting back there, but now both have to try to do it again.”
While the Washington Capitals’ Alex Ovechkin basks in the glow of consecutive league MVP awards, Crosby will try to take their personal rivalry to a new level this season with a repeat championship.
The Capitals likely pose the biggest threat in the Eastern Conference to Pittsburgh.
With a lineup that boasts Ovechkin, the NHL leader in goals for the past two seasons, fellow forwards Nicklas Backstrom and Alexander Semin, and high-scoring defenseman Mike Green, Washington is looking to make its big splash.
Ovechkin forced Crosby and the Penguins to a Game 7 in the second round, but couldn’t seal the deal.
The Boston Bruins expect to have something to say about who comes out of the East as they try to build off a season in which they surprisingly vaulted from the No. 8 playoff seed last year to No. 1 this year. They were eliminated in the second round by Carolina.
The San Jose Sharks can relate to a disappointing quick exit.
They posted the best record in the NHL before bowing out early — again. The Sharks fell in the first round to Pacific Division-rival Anaheim.
General manager Doug Wilson was angry and didn’t sit back. In a big move just before the season, the Sharks plucked disgruntled star forward Dany Heatley from Ottawa in a deal that sent forwards Jonathan Cheechoo and Milan Michalek to the Senators.
Detroit is still the team to beat out West — even if on reputation.
“We all understand how long the journey is,” Red Wings coach Mike Babcock said. “We’re fortunate that we’ve got a real good core, so we’ve still got a chance to win.”
The Phoenix Coyotes will remain in Arizona at least for one more season, but their future is unknown as the courts try to resolve who will eventually own the club. The legal wrangling has already led to the resignation of coach Wayne Gretzky, who stepped down on Thursday and was replaced by former Dallas coach Dave Tippett.
Tippett is one of seven coaches in different places since the end of last season.
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