Top 5 Players of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals

Originally published on Jan. 26, 2020

By Zane Miller

On Friday, June 12th, 2009, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit to win the 95th Stanley Cup Finals four games to three. It was the third Stanley Cup championship for the Penguins franchise, and the 13th that was won in Michigan. These are the top five players that I felt most stood out during the series.

5. #8 Justin Abdelkader (Red Wings)- F

Abdelkader earned partial player of the game in games one and two, getting one goal in game one as the Red Wings won it 3-1, while in game two he added another goal as the Red Wings won 3-1 again.

4. #40 Henrik Zetterberg (Red Wings)- F

Zetterberg took player of the game in game five, as he got one goal and one assist in the Red Wings’ 5-0 victory to take the lead in the series.

3. #71 Evgeni Malkin (Penguins)- F

Malkin claimed player of the game honors in game four, scoring one goal and one assist as the Penguins won it 4-2.

2. #25 Max Talbot (Penguins)- F

Talbot grabbed player of the game honors in game three, as he scored a pair of goals in the Penguins’ 4-2 victory.

1. #29 Marc-Andre Fleury (Penguins)- G

Fleury took player of the game in games six and seven, making 25 saves on 26 shots in the Penguins’ 2-1 win in game six. In game seven, he claimed 23 saves on 24 chances as the Penguins took it 2-1 again to win the series championship.

Players of the Game Breakdown:

Link to stats database: https://www.hockey-reference.com/playoffs/2009-detroit-red-wings-vs-pittsburgh-penguins-stanley-cup-final.html