Report on Mario Lemieux

Stanley Cup Finals 2016

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Game 1

Penguins 3 Sharks 2

Nick Bonino scored the go-ahead goal in the waning minutes of regulation to help the Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks 3-2 in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.

It was the Penguins' start that overwhelmed the Sharks in the early going. Behind a home crowd at Consol Energy Center that was clad in yellow t-shirts and waving towels of the same colour, the speedy Penguins outshot San Jose 15-4 in the first 20 minutes and scored two goals 62 seconds apart. Bryan Rust, who scored twice in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference final, was the first to beat Sharks goaltender Martin Jones. Rust raced into the Sharks zone before finding teammate Justin Schultz trailing on the play. Schultz's shot attempt from high in the slot bounced off the left glove of San Jose defenceman Marc-Edouard Vlasic with Rust pouncing on the puck as he crashed the net.

It was the sixth goal of the playoffs for the 24-year-old rookie, who would later leave the game with an upper-body injury following a hit to the head from the Sharks forward Patrick Marleau. Fellow rookie Conor Sheary joined Rust on the scoresheet moments later after taking a pass from Crosby. Crosby raced deep into the corner for control of a free puck, then flung a hard backhand pass across the ice to Sheary, who beat Jones high into the far corner.

The Sharks, playing in their franchise's first ever Stanley Cup final, looked nervous and tentative throughout the first period. They generated next to nothing offensively, turned pucks over constantly and lost seemingly every battle and race to the puck.

A different road team emerged in the second, firing eight of the first nine shots and scoring three minutes into the period. The goal came courtesy of a Sharks power play which led all teams in the post-season entering the final. Tomas Hertl, stationed just above the goal-line to the left of Matt Murray, stepped towards the goal as he guided a shot between the pads of the Penguins goalie.

San Jose made good use of its size and skill as the Sharks continued their push before evening the score at 2-2 with less than two minutes to go in the second on the fifth of the post-season by Marleau. The former Sharks captain and San Jose's 1997 first round pick, Marleau played in 165 post-season games before reaching his first Cup final, the most of any player.

Brent Burns got the play started in the offensive zone. Eventually, after Logan Couture won a battle for the puck in the corner, Burns got it back on his tape and fired from the point. Marleau grabbed hold of the rebound, zipping it around the net with a backhand into the goal, just ahead of Murray sliding from left to right. The goal capped the Sharks comeback from a deep early hole.

Pittsburgh got back to business in the third, though, outshooting the Sharks 18-9 while generating the bulk of the opportunities. Kris Letang was the instigator of the eventual game-winner. The Penguins defensive anchor rushed the puck into the offensive zone with less than three minutes to go in regulation. After knocking the stick from Burns' hands, Letang found the puck once more in the corner and whipped a pass through the crease to Bonino. Bonino, a well-travelled centre who played for the Vancouver Canucks last season, briefly considered retreating but hung in to take the pass and beat Jones for the winner. A key late penalty kill helped the Penguins, who were scoreless on three power-play opportunities, seal the victory. "They're a great team," Sharks centre Joe Thornton said. "They're the best in the East for a reason. We've just got a play a little better next game."

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Game 2

Penguins 2 Sharks 1 OT

Conor Sheary scored in overtime as the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks 2-1 to take a 2-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final. Sheary beat Martin Jones through traffic at the 2:35 mark of overtime after the Sharks evened the score with less than five minutes to go in regulation.

Phil Kessel also scored for the Penguins, while Matt Murray stopped 21 shots in net. Jones made 28 saves for San Jose and Justin Braun had the only goal for the Sharks.

San Jose was frustrated by its slow start in Game 1 and though there were an encouraging opening few minutes in Game 2, the Sharks were again stymied by Pittsburgh's speed and pressure. "They swarm," Sharks centre Logan Couture said of Pittsburgh's defence. San Jose winger Joel Ward had the first good chance of the game less than two minutes into the opening frame, but the Sharks went cold from there. San Jose's top line of Joe Pavelski, Joe Thornton and Tomas Hertl combined for only two shots in the first period. The unit remains pointless at even strength in the series.

Much like in Game 1, Jones had to be both sharp to keep the Sharks close. Shots were 11-6 for Pittsburgh in a fast-paced first 20 minutes, but the score remained even at 0-0. That changed at the 8:20 mark of the second when Kessel scored his team-leading 10th goal of the playoffs. The play started when Sharks defenceman Roman Polak flubbed on a passing attempt in front of his own goal and teammate Brenden Dillon was unable to control it. Carl Hagelin scooped up the puck and found teammate Nick Bonino, who beat Jones before Kessel chipped the puck over the goal line.

San Jose's struggles continued. They went more than 11 minutes without a shot at one point in the second and finished the period with only five shots, rarely assembling anything dangerous in front of Murray. It took until the 4:05 mark of the third for the Sharks to tie the score. Controlling the puck behind the Penguins goal, Logan Couture found Braun at the point, his shot sailing through traffic before pinging off the post and in. San Jose kept the pressure on and nearly scored in the final minute of regulation on a redirected shot by Ward. The Sharks outshot the Penguins 9-6 in the third period, rallying from a sluggish opening two periods. But it wasn't enough as the Penguins won in Overtime.

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Game 3

Sharks 3 Penguins 2 OT

The first Stanley Cup final home game in San Jose Sharks history ended in celebration. Joonas Donskoi scored the Game 3 winner 12:18 into overtime as the Sharks topped the Pittsburgh Penguins 3-2 at SAP Center. The goal, which saw Donskoi beat Matt Murray high at a bad angle, gave the Sharks their first lead of the series and first overtime win of the playoffs.

Justin Braun and Joel Ward found the back of the net for San Jose, with Joe Thornton adding two assists. Martin Jones stopped 40 of 42 shots. Ben Lovejoy and Patric Hornqvist scored for the Penguins, while Murray made 23 saves.

San Jose was greeted by a loud and predictably enthusiastic crowd, mindful of the club's long history without an appearance in the final. Sharks players received a thunderous ovation as they skated through the massive Shark head which adorns their entrance onto the ice and were cheered passionately throughout the evening. It was the quick-starting Penguins who got on the board first, however, for the third straight game to start the series. Reacting quickly to a Sharks clearing attempt that caromed off the sideboards, Lovejoy fired a weak slapshot from the right point that appeared to hit the left shinpad of San Jose defenceman Roman Polak before beating Jones.

San Jose didn't get its first shot on goal until more than eight minutes had passed. The Sharks did, however, even the score at 1-1 just more than four minutes after Lovejoy.

Braun, who scored the game-tying goal in the final minutes of regulation in Game 2, got on the board again, his point shot sailing through a maze of traffic to beat Murray. The Penguins rookie goaltender didn't see the shot, only glancing over his left shoulder when the puck was entering the goal. Braun had only four goals in the regular season and none in the post-season prior to Game 2. He was set up on the play by Thornton, who landed his first point of the series with an assist.

The Sharks fed off the energy of the crowd and controlled play from there, though they were unable to put many shots on Murray. The Penguins blocked 12 attempts in the first frame and 38 overall, curtailing San Jose's engaged efforts. Shots, in fact, were 12-3 in favour of Pittsburgh at one point late in the period despite the Sharks push.

With control of the matchups on home-ice, San Jose managed to hold Sidney Crosby and the Penguins top line in check during the first 20 minutes. Crosby and linemates, Conor Sheary and Hornqvist, were contained by the Sharks defensive pair of Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Braun, and held without a shot in the opening period. Hornqvist had the unit's first shot of the game with six minutes left in the second. San Jose had the bulk of chances in the middle frame, including a Logan Couture shot off the post and an opportunity in tight from the top scorer among defencemen in the playoffs, Burns. Creeping deep into the Penguins zone, Burns was set up from behind the goal by Melker Karlsson, replacing injured winger Tomas Hertl on San Jose's top line.

The Crosby line broke through in the final minute of the second with Vlasic and Braun on the bench, a crushing blow to the Sharks. After a Burns passing attempt failed to make it to a teammate along the wall, the puck made its way to Lovejoy, who again fired from the point. His shot was redirected into the goal by Hornqvist, his eighth goal of the post-season and first of the series. San Jose got its best opportunity to tie the game minutes into the third when Thornton was clipped with a high-stick by Nick Bonino, who drew blood and a four-minute penalty. Murray shined though. A clear chance for Patrick Marleau was denied as was a shot from Thornton and a redirect attempt from Donskoi. It wasn't until one second remained on the man advantage that Ward's blast beat Murray. The play started when Thornton picked off a Penguins pass in the defensive zone and fed it up ice. Ward took a pass as he entered the Pittsburgh zone, wound up, and snuck it through Murray, who got a piece of the shot but not enough. The score remained even until overtime with both teams managing opportunities early and often in the extra frame, including a Thornton blast that sailed high and Bonino rebound attempt that trickled wide. The sharks won in Overtime.

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Game 4

Penguins 3 Sharks 1

Evgeni Malkin scored his first goal of the series and Matt Murray made 23 saves after a shaky Game 3 to lead the Penguins to a 3-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks to establish a 3-1 series lead.

The Sharks outshot and outblocked the Penguins in this one, but were stymied on two power plays while allowing the Penguins to convert on one out of two.

Malkin woke up after being held pointless in the first three games of the series by setting up Ian Cole's goal to open the scoring. He added one of his own on the power play to give Murray all the support needed. Eric Fehr sealed it with a late goal after San Jose made a strong push in the third. Murray was steady in net he put the Penguins one win away from skating off with their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history.

The Sharks were unable to build on their first win in the Stanley Cup Final, allowing the first goal for the fourth straight game and going more than nine minutes without a shot on goal during one stretch of the second period.

Melker Karlsson scored the lone goal for San Jose while Martin Jones made 17 saves. The story for the Penguins after their 3-2 overtime loss in Game 3 was how to get Malkin going after a slow start to the series. He was energized from the start of Game 4, helping to set up the first goal and then tapping in the second off a feed from Phil Kessel for Pittsburgh's first power-play goal of the series.

Murray wasn't tested often early and went nearly the first half of the second period without facing a single shot. When the Sharks picked up the pace, Murray stopped Patrick Marleau on a breakaway and denied a one-timer by Pavelski early in the third before allowing his first goal. Karlsson beat him on a rebound of Brenden Dillon's point shot with 11:53 to play. But Murray didn't flinch and came up big again against Pavelski to preserve the lead, keeping the NHL's leading goal scorer this post-season without a point in the Stanley Cup Final.

Fehr provided the insurance when he beat Jones on an odd-man rush with 2:02 to play.

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Game 5

Sharks 4 Penguins 2

The San Jose Sharks might have been flying home for a different reason had it not been for Martin Jones in game 5. Jones was perhaps the sole reason the Sharks head back to San Jose with a chance to even the Stanley Cup final. The 26-year-old made 44 saves in Game 5, keeping his team afloat in a 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center.

Pittsburgh outshot San Jose 46-22, but it was the Sharks that emerged behind Jones, who boasts a .933 save percentage in the final. The Sharks also got the finest effort of the Final from Logan Couture, who had three points in a first period that saw the two teams trade goals in a chaotic 20 minutes. But it was Jones, the goalie San Jose traded for and signed to be its number one last summer, who made the biggest difference.

His brilliance really kicked in after the Sharks had a 2-0 lead melt away in quick fashion. Described by Sharks coach Pete DeBoer as the key fix for Game 5, San Jose indeed scored first for the first time all series. Brent Burns and Couture both beat a shaky Matt Murray in the opening three minutes, but from there Pittsburgh took over.

Encouraged passionately by a boisterous home crowd, the Penguins cut the lead to one when Evgeni Malkin flung a shot off the skate of Sharks defenceman Justin Braun - the power-play goal being the second in as many games for Malkin. Pittsburgh tied it 22 seconds after that when Carl Hagelin deflected a Nick Bonino shot as he camped in front of Jones.

Neither Penguins shot beat Jones clean and from there the Sharks goaltender was unbeatable. San Jose surged back in front, too, on the second this series by Melker Karlsson, who snuck a shot under the left arm of Murray. It was the third goal in five shots to beat the 22-year-old rookie.

Couture, who scored the first Sharks goal on a tip in front, set up the Karlsson marker with a nifty no-look backhand feed. It was the Guelph, Ont. native's second assist of the period. He continues to lead all post-season scorers with 29 points.

Interrupted briefly by the Karlsson goal, which came with less than six minutes to go in the first, the Penguins brought the pressure again in the second, outshooting the Sharks 17-8. Sidney Crosby was stopped in front on a rebound while his set up to Conor Sheary was turned down minutes later as was Penguins winger Bryan Rust, driving hard to the front of Jones' crease. A Malkin point shot that nearly skipped through was turned aside as was Bonino, his rebound attempt kicked out by the left pad of Jones with less than five minutes to go in the second. Patric Hornqvist raced behind the Sharks defence shortly after that on a brilliant feed from Malkin, only to be stopped by Jones.

Jones was composed and seemingly cool despite the pressure that came with the night. A loss would've eliminated the Sharks and sent the Penguins to their fourth Stanley Cup. The sharks forced game 6.

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Game 6

Penguins 3 Sharks 1

A turnaround season for the Pittsburgh Penguins ended with Sidney Crosby once again holding the Stanley Cup. Crosby set up Kris Letang's go-ahead goal midway through the second period to help the Pittsburgh Penguins win their fourth Stanley Cup in franchise history by beating the San Jose Sharks 3-1 Sunday in Game 6.

Brian Dumoulin opened the scoring with a power-play goal and Patric Hornqvist added a late empty-netter for the Pens. Matt Murray made 18 saves to give the Penguins a championship exactly seven years after beating the Detroit Red Wings to win the Cup.

The game ended when Crosby cleared the puck the length of the ice with San Jose on the power play, setting off a wild celebration.

This didn't seem like it would be a season to remember back in early December when the Penguins were the near the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference and then-coach Mike Johnston was fired. But led by coach Mike Sullivan, the Penguins recovered to make the playoffs as the second-place team in the Metropolitan Division. Pittsburgh knocked off the New York Rangers in the first round, they defeated the Presidents' Trophy-winning Washington Capitals in round two and then rallied from a 3-2 series deficit to beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference final.

The Penguins were in control for almost the entire Cup final. They did not trail until Game 5 at home and responded to a strong push from San Jose in the clincher to avoid a decisive seventh game. Pittsburgh held San Jose to just one shot on goal in the first 19 minutes of the third period to preserve the one-goal lead and sealed the win with Hornqvist's empty-netter.

Logan Couture scored the lone goal for the Sharks, whose first trip to the Stanley Cup Final in their 25-year history ended two wins short of a title. Martin Jones made 24 saves and was San Jose's best player for the final series. The Penguins jumped ahead in the first period for the fifth time in six games this series after Dainius Zubrus was sent off for tripping when Crosby's line didn't allow San Jose to leave its own zone.

Dumoulin took advantage when his point shot beat Jones for a rare soft goal allowed by the San Jose netminder. Jones made up for it late in the period with one sequence that started with a save against Crosby on the rush and ended with a pad save that robbed Conor Sheary to keep it 1-0.

Chris Kunitz came up with the defensive play of the period when his speed on a backcheck helped thwart a breakaway chance for Joel Ward. The Sharks tied it early in the period when Couture beat Murray with a wrist shot that squeaked by the Pittsburgh goaltender. Pittsburgh answered 1:19 later when Crosby sent a pass from behind the net to Letang, who beat Jones with a one-timer from a sharp angle to make it 2-1. They won the game 3-1.

Pittsburgh won it all on the road just like they did in Minnesota (1991), Chicago (1992) and Detroit (2009).

Mario Lemieux pointed to general manager Jim Rutherford and a series of transactions - including the acquisition of Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs - as the reason the Penguins won it all. "It's been an incredible year," Lemieux said. "We had a rough start the first couple months of the season, then we made some changes ... It's hard to win this Cup. We're going to enjoy it for a while."

Sidney Crosby was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy for being the most valuable player in the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Mario Lemieux wins his Second Stanley Cup as an owner and will have his name on the Stanley Cup for the forth time. Twice as a player and twice as an owner.

Mario

"You just never know in the playoffs," Lemieux said. "It's just a matter of getting there and putting a good team on the ice and believing in yourself, and you need some breaks. This is a tough trophy to win, but we had a great team, and we did it."