2009 Stanley Cup Finals
| 2009 Stanley Cup Finals | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Location(s) | Pittsburgh: Mellon Arena (3, 4, 6) Detroit: Joe Louis Arena (1, 2, 5, 7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Coaches | Pittsburgh: Dan Bylsma Detroit: Mike Babcock | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Captains | Pittsburgh: Sidney Crosby Detroit: Nicklas Lidstrom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National anthems | Pittsburgh: Jeff Jimerson Detroit: Karen Newman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Referees | Paul Devorski (1, 3, 5, 7) Dennis LaRue (1, 3, 5) Bill McCreary (2, 4, 6, 7) Marc Joannette (2, 4, 6) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dates | May 30 – June 12, 2009 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| MVP | Evgeni Malkin (Penguins) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Series-winning goal | Maxime Talbot (10:07, second, G7) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hall of Famers | Red Wings: Chris Chelios (2013; did not play) Pavel Datsyuk (2024) Marian Hossa (2020) Nicklas Lidstrom (2015) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Networks | Canada: (English): CBC (French): RDS United States: (English): NBC (1–2, 5–7), Versus (3–4) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Announcers | (CBC) Jim Hughson and Craig Simpson (RDS) Pierre Houde and Benoit Brunet (NBC/Versus) Mike Emrick and Eddie Olczyk (NHL International) Dave Strader and Joe Micheletti | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 2009 Stanley Cup Finals was the championship series of the National Hockey League's (NHL) 2008–09 season, and the culmination of the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs. It was contested between the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings. It was Detroit's 24th appearance in the Finals and Pittsburgh's fourth appearance in the Finals. This was a rematch of the previous year's Stanley Cup Finals where Detroit had defeated Pittsburgh in six games. This time, the Penguins defeated the Red Wings in seven games to win their first Stanley Cup title since 1992 and their third overall. Until 2025, this was the last time that both teams made it to the Stanley Cup Finals in back to back years.
Pittsburgh's Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 playoffs, becoming the first Russian-born player to win the trophy. Until 2021, this was the last time the Finals were played entirely in the Eastern Time Zone. Since the 2013 realignment, it is impossible for both finalists to be from the Eastern Time Zone as every team that is based in that time zone is in the same conference. The lone exception to this occurred during the 2020–21 NHL season when the league temporarily realigned for one season due to the cross-border travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.