New Guard: Young Stars Lead Pittsburgh to Exciting NHL Title

You may not have heard of Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. You might soon.

Crosby, 21, and Malkin, 22, have become two of the most popular young faces in the National Hockey League (NHL). And in June they led their Pittsburgh Penguins to an NHL title.

The Penguins won the Stanley Cup – given to the league champion – by beating the Detroit Red Wings four games to three.

The series went to an exciting Game 7 in Detroit. The Penguins won, 2-1.

Crosby, who is from Canada, is the youngest team captain ever of an NHL champion. However, he missed much of Game 7 after getting hurt early in the contest.

“It is a dream come true,” he said. “It is everything you imagined and more.”
Malkin, who is from Russia, was named the Finals most valuable player.

Malkin believed in the team’s success
“He told us before the playoffs started that he was going to lead us to the Stanley Cup,” teammate Bill Guerin said. “That kid is an amazing competitor and amazing player. He has a lot of character and a lot of heart.”

The two young stars shone this season. Both scored more than 100 points (goals plus assists) in the regular season and more than 30 points in the playoffs.

Some feel young stars like Crosby and Malkin will make the NHL more popular.

Ratings from the Stanley Cup finals showed that is happening.

More than 8 million viewers watched Game 7 on NBC-TV. That makes it the most-watched NHL game on television in 36 years.

Still, the NHL has a long way to go to match the other major sports – the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball.

Crosby and Malkin should help close that gap.

“I feel I have a certain responsibility,” Crosby told the New York Times this season. “Like every professional athlete, I have always felt like I have had a responsibility to represent my family and my team, and to be a good role model.”

Hockey in Wisconsin
There is no NHL team in Wisconsin. There are several minor league teams in the state.

Milwaukee is home to the Admirals. They play in the American Hockey League. That is the official minor league of the NHL.

The team is popular locally. The Admirals drew an average of 5,873 fans at the Bradley Center, a 6.5% increase from the previous season.

The team lost in the Western Finals of the AHL playoffs. The Admirals have made their league playoffs every year since 2001-02 and won the AHL title in 2004.

“I think we have done a really good job of giving people a lot for their money,” team owner Harris Turer said earlier this season. “We are proud of the fact that our staff has worked exceptionally hard so that when people leave an Admirals game, they can say, ‘That was a great experience.’”

Other minor league hockey teams include the Green Bay Gamblers, members of the United States Hockey League.

Sources: NHL.com, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, MilwaukeeAdmirals.com