THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS won the Stanley Cup for the second-straight year thanks to a late goal by Patric Hornqvist and a controversial decision by the referees to waive off a goal by the Nashville Predators.
The two teams took a 0-0 tie late into the third period when a wide shot bounced off the back of the net and Hornqvist then banked in a shot from behind the net off the elbow of Pekka Rinne. The Penguins would later add an empty-net goal to win the game 2-0 and the series 4-2.
Here is the game-winning goal by Hornqvist:
The #StanleyCup winning goal. pic.twitter.com/nWRNfJK3Ua
— NHL (@NHL) June 12, 2017
You can see on the replay how he managed to get the puck into the net despite shooting from behind the goal line, bouncing it in off the elbow of Rinne.
The Penguins are the first team in 20 years to go back-to-back. The last team to win two straight Stanley Cups was the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and 1998.
The win was not without controversy. Early in the second period, the Predators appeared to score a goal to put them up 1-0, but the goal was waived off.
It turned out the referee was in a bad position to see the puck and blew his whistle when he lost sight of it.
You can barely hear the whistle, but it did sound just a split-second before Colton Sissons poked the puck into the net.
Sidney Crosby was named the winner of the Conn Smythe trophy as the most valuable player in the playoffs.
He then raised the Stanley Cup.
- Cork Gaines, Business Insider
Wonder would there be any convincing Roy O Donovan to come back to Cork City FC – God knows we could do with a new striker!
Himself and Maguire up front for Ireland next month.