Pittsburgh Penguins capture the Stanley Cup

By @MichaelCaples –

With a 3-1 win Sunday evening, the Pittsburgh Penguins – and seven players with Michigan ties – are Stanley Cup champions.

The Penguins secured the fourth Stanley Cup championship in Game 6 of their series with the San Jose Sharks – with two Michigan natives and two Michigan college hockey alums helping lead the way.

Pontiac native Bryan Rust and Ann Arbor native Ian Cole were both on the Game 6 roster, as were Ferris State alum Chris Kunitz and University of Michigan alum Carl Hagelin.

Three other Michigan natives were on the Penguins’ roster for the postseason – Northville native Kevin Porter (Michigan) and Chesterfield natives Jeff Zatkoff (Miami) and Steven Oleksy (Lake Superior State).

Rust’s play in the 2016 playoffs was one of the top storylines during the Penguins’ run to the Cup; the USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program and Notre Dame alum recorded six postseason goals, and they all seemed to be at crucial times for his team. Rust had only played in 41 games with the Penguins during the regular season, but played in all but one of the games in the playoffs – earning notable minutes primarily as a linemate of Kunitz and superstar Evgeni Malkin. A third-round pick of the Penguins in 2010, Rust is in only his second professional season.

Cole, also a NTDP and Notre Dame alum, was a stabilizing presence for the Penguins on the blue line, playing in every single contest and logging plenty of minutes on the penalty kill. In his second season with Pittsburgh after originally being drafted by 18th overall by St. Louis in 2007, Cole recorded three points in the postseason run to the championship.

Kunitz, an assistant captain in the midst of his eighth season with Pittsburgh, captured his second Stanley Cup with Penguins in the victory – he was a member of the 2009 title team after being acquired via trade from the Anaheim Ducks. During the 2016 postseason, Kunitz recorded four goals and seven assists as a member of the Penguins’ top power-play unit.

Hagelin was acquired by the Penguins in a trade with the Ducks on Jan. 16; the Wolverines’ alum racked up five goals and 10 assists in his first postseason with his new team. With Phil Kessel and Nick Bonino, Hagelin was a member of the ‘HBK Line’ after WWE star Shawn “The Heartbreak Kid” Michaels. The wrestling star even made appearances at games due to the popularity of the line named in his honor.

Zatkoff played in two postseason games for the Penguins before Matt Murray staked his claim between the pipes. The Miami alum posted a 1-1 record and a .908 save percentage in two playoff games against the New York Rangers early in the postseason.

Porter had appeared in 41 regular-season games with the Penguins before being sidelined by an ankle injury in March. The former Hobey Baker winner was in the midst of his first season with Pittsburgh after spending the previous season with the Red Wings and Grand Rapids Griffins.

Oleksy spent the season with the Penguins’ AHL affiliate – the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins – and was called up to the NHL squad for the postseason.