A Season to Remember!!!!

Regular season
After falling two victories shy of winning the Stanley Cup months earlier, the Penguins entered the 2008-09 season with high expectations but history against them.
Since 1967, only one team had ever won the Stanley Cup the year after losing in the Final, and that was the Wayne Gretzky-led Edmonton Oilers in 1984. And the last 11 Stanley Cup runners-up combined for only one playoff series win in the season following the trip to the Final.
Four teams failed to even make the playoffs, and after a torrid 12-4-3 start, by February it appeared the Penguins were going to make it five.
Playing long stretches without injured top defensemen Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar, coupled with the offseason losses of scorer Marian Hossa, who went to Detroit thinking it was his best chance to win a Cup, plus dressing room leaders Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts seemed to be taking its toll.
The Penguins were on a 15-20-2 slide since late November when they went to Toronto on Feb. 14, blew a two-goal lead and lost, 6-2, to the Maple Leafs. The next day, general manager Ray Shero fired coach Michel Therrien and promoted first-year AHL head coach Dan Bylsma from Wilkes-Barre as his temporary replacement.
At 27-25-5, they were in 10th place in the Eastern Conference and five points out of a playoff spot.
With just 25 games to turn it around, the team flourished under Bylsma and his less-restrictive, more offensive style. Major moves included trading Whitney to Anaheim for Chris Kunitz and acquiring 38-year-old veteran Bill Guerin to play alongside Sidney Crosby at the trade deadline. The Penguins went 18-3-4 under Bylsma to end the regular season and finished in fourth place in the Eastern Conference (45-28-9).
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
PENGUINS 4, FLYERS 2
After taking a 2-0 lead into Philadelphia, the Penguins dropped Game 3, 6-3, as the Flyers tried to battle their way back into the series. Game 4 saw an all-out barrage by the Flyers, but it also saw one of Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury's finest performances. He turned away 45 shots in a 3-1 win to send his team back to Mellon Arena leading the series, 3-1.
But it still wasn't going to be that easy for the Penguins, who were shut out with a chance to clinch at home in Game 5, 3-0.
In Game 6, back on Philadelphia ice, the Flyers came out with everything they had. They went ahead, 2-0, in the first period and made it 3-0 early in the second. Then, Flyers forward Daniel Carcillo engaged Max Talbot in a fight, and just like that, the game turned.
The Penguins scored 14 seconds later, and again less than two minutes after that. Crosby tied it before the second period was over, Gonchar scored early in the third and Crosby added an empty-netter to dispatch the Flyers on their home ice and advance to the second round.
Bylsma was officially named coach, losing the interim tag, after the series.
Eastern Conference Semifinals
PENGUINS 4, CAPITALS 3
Bring on the Sidney Crosby-Alexander Ovechkin dream matchup, and renew the old rivalry. It was everything everyone had hoped for, with Crosby and Ovechkin so strong early on that they both — both! — recorded their first playoff hat tricks in Game 2.
But the Penguins returned to Pittsburgh for Game 3 down, 2-0, after a pair of one-goal losses to open the series in Washington. Capitals rookie goalie Simeon Varlamov was doing his best to steal the show.
The Penguins took the next three games, two in overtime, as Malkin picked up his game. They lost Gonchar after a knee-on-knee hit from Ovechkin in Game 4 and won on a lucky overtime bounce in Game 5 in Washington.
With Game 6 back in Pittsburgh and another chance for the Penguins to close the series on home ice, the Capitals rallied to win yet another overtime game.
Setting up what everyone bet was going to be the toughest game yet, the Capitals crumbled in Game 7 under the pressure of Crosby and company. The captain scored twice to bring his league-leading total to 12 in a 6-2 win in which Gonchar returned to the lineup and the Penguins shut down Ovechkin and chased Varlamov from net.
Eastern Conference Final
PENGUINS 4, HURRICANES 0
Four wins from a repeat trip to the Stanley Cup Final and once more with home-ice advantage, it was Malkin's turn to shine in this series. His hat trick in Game 2 helped give the Penguins a 7-4 win and a 2-0 lead on the series. With four of the Penguins' 10 goals in the first two games of the series, Malkin jumped ahead of Crosby for the lead in NHL playoff scoring with 25 points (to Crosby's 24).
Carolina defenseman Tim Gleason said after Game 2 — which saw the Hurricanes rally to tie the score three times and still lose — that it wasn't going to be a four-game series.
He was wrong.
The Penguins outscored the Hurricanes, 10-3, in two games on their ice, with Crosby and Malkin dominating and the Penguins' defense shutting down the Carolina offense. With a 4-1 victory in Game 4, the Penguins swept the Hurricanes and advanced to the Stanley Cup Final for the second year in a row.
STANLEY CUP FINAL
PENGUINS 4, RED WINGS 3
The Penguins' quest for a third hockey championship got off to a rocky start.
Down two games to none after playing on back-to-back nights in Detroit, the Penguins returned home knowing that no team since the 1971 Montreal Canadiens had won the Stanley Cup after losing the first two games on the road.
They were up to the challenge.
By winning four of the final five games against the Red Wings, the Penguins brought the Stanley Cup home for the third time in franchise history and for the first time in 17 years.
The Penguins evened the series with a pair of wins on home ice, then found themselves trailing again after a lopsided loss in Detroit.
Goaltender Marc Andre-Fleury, yanked midway through the 5-0 drubbing in Game 5, was sensational in the final two games, consecutive 2-1 victories. The Cup clincher was back at Joe Louis Arena, where the Penguins had been stymied all series.
Max Talbot scored both goals for the Penguins in Game 7, and Fleury withstood a last-minute flurry from the Wings.
Evgeni Malkin finished with 36 points in the playoffs and earned the Conn Smythe trophy as postseason MVP.
A TIMELINE of the 2008-09 season
Aug. 14: The Penguins break ground on their new $290 million arena that will sit along Centre Avenue, featuring views of Downtown, state-of-the-art technology and possibly a nearby hotel. The arena is scheduled to open for the 2010-11 season.
Aug. 15: D Ryan Whitney, whose point total dropped from 59 in 2006-07 to 40 in 2007-08, undergoes surgery to correct a left-foot misalignment. Full recovery from the procedure, an osteotomy, is estimated at 3-5 months.
Sept. 20: D Sergei Gonchar injures his left shoulder in the Penguins' 5-4 exhibition shootout loss against Tampa Bay at Mellon Arena. The injury is diagnosed two days later as a separation and Gonchar is considered "out indefinitely" by general manager Ray Shero. Gonchar ultimately decides to undergo surgery to repair the injury and is expected to be sidelined until March.
Sept. 26: The Penguins announce they have signed RW Tyler Kennedy, 22, to a two-year contract extension. Kennedy, who had been scheduled to become a restricted free agent after the 2008-09 season, will earn base salaries of $600,000 in 2009-10 and $850,000 in 2010-11.
Oct. 4: D Rob Scuderi snaps a 120-game goal drought, including playoffs, at 3:56 of the third period to help the Penguins defeat the Senators, 4-3, in overtime at Globe Arena in the NHL Premiere in Stockholm, Sweden. RW Tyler Kennedy nets the game-winner, his second goal of the night, late in OT.
Oct. 9: The Penguins acquire C and faceoff specialist Mike Zigomanis from Phoenix for future considerations.
Oct. 11: G Marc-Andre Fleury's 47-save performance isn't enough to prevent the Penguins from losing their home opener to the New Jersey Devils, 2-1, in overtime. The Devils out-shoot the Penguins, 49-15.
Oct. 18: C Sidney Crosby scores his 100th NHL goal, earns his 200th assist and reaches the 300-point plateau in a 4-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs. C Evgeni Malkin has four assists, pushing him over the 200-point milestone. RW Bill Thomas, a Fox Chapel High School graduate, plays his first regular-season game with the Penguins at Mellon Arena.
Nov. 11: C Jordan Staal produces his second career hat trick in the final 12 minutes of regulation, including a pull-even tally at 19:37, and the Penguins beat the Red Wings in Detroit, 7-6, in overtime. Staal adds the only assist on LW Ruslan Fedotenko's game-winning goal at 3:49 of the extra session.
Nov.15: D Darryl Sydor is traded to the Dallas Stars in exchange for D Philippe Boucher. Sydor, 36, was in the final season of his contract that counted $2.5 million against the NHL salary cap. Boucher, 35, is also in the final year of his contract that costs $2.5 million against the cap.
Nov. 17: G Marc-Andre Fleury is deemed unavailable for a game against the Minnesota Wild and is listed as day-to-day due to an undisclosed injury. Fleury had been injured during a 5-2 win over Buffalo Sabres, but finished the game.
Nov. 29: C Sidney Crosby registers his second career hat trick and first at Mellon Arena to lead the Penguins to a 4-1 victory over the New Jersey Devils.
Dec. 11: RW Petr Sykora and LW Dupuis tally their first NHL hat tricks in the Penguins' 9-2 victory over the New York Islanders at Mellon Arena. Sykora had amassed a record 38 two-goal games without recording an HT.
Dec. 15: The Penguins announce that Consol Energy Inc. has won the naming rights to the state-of-the-art arena under construction along Centre Avenue. The 18,087-seat venue will be called the Consol Energy Center.
Dec. 18: C Evgeni Malkin scores his 13th and 14th goals and adds two assists, upping his NHL-best point total to 53, and the Penguins down the Atlanta Thrashers, 6-3, at Philips Arena. G Marc-Andre Fleury wins in his first appearance since Nov. 15 after missing over a month with a groin injury.
Dec. 19: C Max Talbot, 24, and the Penguins agree to terms on a two-year contract extension through the 2010-11 season. Starting next season, the Penguins will pay Talbot $1.050 million per year.
Dec. 23: D Ryan Whitney (foot) returns to the Penguins' lineup in a 2-0 loss to Tampa Bay. Whitney had yet to play this season after undergoing foot surgery.
Dec. 30: The Penguins hold a players-only meeting after a 5-2 loss to the Boston Bruins at Mellon Arena, the team's fifth loss in six home games and one that caps a 5-8-1 December.
Jan. 6: The Penguins snap a five-game losing streak with a 3-1 victory over the Atlanta Thrashers, but lose LW Ruslan Fedotenko to a broken right hand. Fedotenko leaves the game after a first-period fight with Atlanta's Colby Armstrong.
Jan. 16: G Dany Sabourin and RW Ryan Stone are traded to Edmonton for G Mathieu Garon.
Jan. 24: C Evgeni Malkin wins the NHL SuperSkills Accuracy Shooter Challenge during All-Star Game festivities in Montreal. Malkin becomes the fifth player in history to have a perfect score. He beats Ottawa's Dany Heatley, who registers the sixth perfect score, in a tie-breaker.
Feb. 14: D Sergei Gonchar makes his regular-season debut and LW Ruslan Fedotenko returns after missing 15 games with a broken hand, but the Penguins squander a 2-0 lead and lose, 6-2, at Toronto, falling to 1-7-1 in their last nine road games.
Feb. 15: General Manager Ray Shero fires head coach Michel Therrien and replaces him with AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton head coach Dan Bylsma on an interim basis. Therrien departs five games shy of surpassing Ed Johnston's franchise-best 276 consecutive games as coach with the Penguins (27-25-5, 59 points) in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, five points out of the eighth and final playoff spot, and with a record of 15-21-2 over their last 38 games.
Feb. 26: The Penguins trade D Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for LW Chris Kunitz and prospect Eric Tangradi. Kunitz, 29, arrives having scored 16 goals and recorded 19 assists to go with 55 penalty minutes in 62 games this season with the Ducks and as a member of Anaheim's 2007 Stanley Cup team. He is signed through 2011-12 at an annual cap hit of $3,725,000 — just $275,000 less than Whitney.
March 4: General Manager Ray Shero acquires RW Bill Guerin (16 goals in 61 games) from the Islanders for a conditional draft pick and picks up F Craig Adams from Chicago on waivers. The Penguins also assign RW Miroslav Satan to AHL Wilkes-Barre/Scranton after he clears waivers.
March 8: C Sidney Crosby scores the decisive goal in a 4-3 shootout win at Washington that completes a 5-0-0 road trip for the Penguins (35-26-6, 76 points). The win moves the Pens three points ahead of ninth-place Buffalo for the Eastern Conference's eighth and final playoff spot.
April 7: A 6-4 victory at Tampa Bay, the Penguins' 16th win in 23 games under interim head coach Dan Bylsma, clinches a playoff spot for the Penguins. At 43-28-9 and with 95 points, the Pens are assured of no worse than the No. 7 seed among an eight-team Eastern Conference playoff field.
April 11: C Evgeni Malkin scores his 35th goal and increases his point total to 113, a total that will stand as good enough to claim for Malkin his first NHL scoring championship, in a 3-1 win at Montreal.
April 25: The Penguins rally from a 3-0 deficit to beat the Flyers, 5-3, and win their best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarterfinal series, four games to two.
April 28: The Penguins announce they have lifted the interim tag from head coach Dan Bylsma, giving him the job on a multi-year basis. Bylsma, 38, directed the Penguins to an 18-3-4 record in the final 25 games of the regular season and a first-round win over Philadelphia in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
May 13: C Sidney Crosby's two power-play goals sparked a 6-2 domination of Washington in Game 7 at the Verizon Center. In beating the Capitals in the second round, 4-3, the Penguins improved to 4-0 all-time in road playoff Game 7s and 7-1 in postseason series against the Capitals.
May 26: The Penguins win 4-1, their 30th victory in 42 games under head coach Dan Bylsma, and complete a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final. The Penguins become the first NHL team since the 1984 Edmonton Oilers to reach the Stanley Cup Final after losing in it the previous season.
June 10: The Penguins stave off elimination with a 2-1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings at Mellon Arena, setting up the 15th Game 7 in Stanley Cup Final history.
June 12: Max Talbot scores the first two goals of Game 7 for the Penguins, before the Red Wings cut the lead to one in the third period. The Penguins then hold off a furious rally from Detroit to hoist the Cup