Ahead of the 2016 Championship Reunion on Jan. 31, we are taking a look back at each playoff round with a player who had a big impact on the series. Today, Kris Letang talks the Stanley Cup Final against San Jose. To join us for the reunion, click here.
2016 Championship Reunion: Cup Final Lookback
By
Michelle Crechiolo
Penguins Team Reporter
After winning the Stanley Cup in 2009, the Penguins fell short of their expectations for the next few years.
It affected the team's leadership group so much psychologically that when Mike Sullivan took over as head coach, his top priority was to block out all of the noise. “Just play,” he told the group, a phrase that was later inscribed on their championship rings.
When Kris Letang lifted that trophy for the second time in his career a few months later, the feeling was like none other.
“We were searching for it since ’09, and to get it done... the feeling, it was so weird. It’s like, my whole body finally, like, unplugged. It was the weirdest moment of my life, actually,” Letang said. “Everything was so tense, it was such a release.”
Letang was a beast for the Penguins in that series against San Jose. He had been logging monster minutes the entire postseason, averaging 28:53 a night. Skating has always been the strength of his game, and it became part of the entire group’s identity.
“That year, our game changed so much, and I thought we were such a fast team with a ton of pace,” he said. “It was like, always pursuing the puck. It was not so much about always being pretty. It was the fact that we had so many guys that could skate, and our pace of game was so high that for teams, it was tough to handle it, I would say.”
That was on display in the first period of Game 1. The Penguins completely dominated, tilting the ice heavily in their favor, playing in sixth gear while the Sharks were stuck in neutral. Pittsburgh outshot San Jose, 15-4, and got a 2-0 lead.
While the Sharks responded in the second period and tied the score, the Penguins got back to their game in the third. And Letang set up Nick Bonino for the game-winner with just 2:33 to play.
In Game 2, Pittsburgh’s speed again stood out, but Sharks goalie Martin Jones played terrific, keeping them to just one goal. San Jose then tied the game late, forcing overtime. The Penguins had an offensive-zone faceoff, with Sidney Crosby drawing up a play. He won it back to Letang, who found then-rookie Conor Sheary. He beat Jones short-side to give Pittsburgh a 2-0 series lead.
“Obviously, you start the Stanley Cup Final at home, you have the fans on your side. The momentum is so important,” Letang said. “You're so deep in the season, you’re grinding mentally, you're beat up physically, also. So, to get those games right away, get the momentum on our side, was big. Always, to chip in with an assist, a goal, whatever – big play. It's always important. Everybody's important at this point of the year. It was cool to do so at home.”
The Penguins traveled to the West Coast and split those two games in San Jose to return home with a 3-1 series lead.
Ask people in the organization who were there for Game 5 about what made that night unforgettable, and they’ll talk about the scene they saw driving up to the rink a couple of hours before puck drop. Over 20,000 people gathered outside of PPG Paints Arena, hoping to celebrate the Penguins winning on home ice. Blocked roadways, traffic jams and the mass of bodies caused players and coaches to arrive late to the arena. But not Letang. While putting together an MVP-caliber performance, he was dealing with an issue behind the scenes.
“That year, I had to spend time at the hospital before games because I had a foot infection,” he said. “Nobody knew. I was not going home for pregame. I would stay at the Marriott across the street, so I had the crowd right down there. It was pretty surreal. It’s just like, when people talk about Pittsburgh, the first thing that comes to mind is the fans, the community, the people from here.”
Crosby has said it was hard to keep their emotions in check that night because they wanted so badly to win for the city. It showed early on. But as Letang said, they asserted themselves in the final 40 minutes, and nearly battled back.
“It was sad, but we were not defeated,” Letang said. “We still handed it to them. We just had to do the same thing in Game 6.”
His defense partner Brian Dumoulin got Pittsburgh on the board first with a power-play goal, his second of the playoffs after not scoring during 79 regular-season games.
“In those types of games, it’s always the unsung heroes,” Letang said with a laugh. “For a guy who doesn’t score that many goals, for some reason, it always happens like that. It was fun to see. He was such a big piece of our team, and to get rewarded offensively was cool to see.”
And in the second period, Letang got rewarded as well. He displayed some excellent poise on the blue line to hold onto the puck and work it to the net. Crosby regained possession, and from behind the net, he found his longtime teammate with a pass near the bottom of the circle. Letang’s goal gave Pittsburgh a 2-1 lead, and stood as the game-winner.
“We have so many goals together throughout our careers, but that one was special,” Letang said. “You had a sense... they had just scored, and we just ended up scoring that one. Like, you knew that one was going to be big. It was good.”
Celebrating with his teammates is something Letang will always remember. He’s thought about what made that group so special in the years since, especially lately. And what comes to mind is, “yes, we had Sid and Geno, obviously. But everybody had a specific role, and they embraced it,” Letang said.
“I’m talking about Ben Lovejoy, I’m talking about Eric Fehr, Ian Cole... all those guys had roles that aren’t really typically seen by everybody. But everybody actually embraced it, and those guys wanted to go over the board to make that difference. It was special.”
