Sidney Crosby wins Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoff MVP

Sidney Crosby was rewarded for his strong postseason with the Pittsburgh Penguins by winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as Stanley Cup Playoff MVP.

This is Crosby’s first Conn Smythe Trophy and his second Stanley Cup. In his first Cup run, teammate Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe.

Crosby wasn’t exactly a virtuoso scorer for the Penguins this playoffs, but he didn’t need to be.

He had 19 points in 24 games, which ranked second on the team this run behind Phil Kessel. But it was his all-around play, timely scoring and leadership that probably won over voters. Crosby scored the Game 2 overtime winner against the Tampa Bay Lightning and diagramed his team’s overtime winner in Game 2 that helped give Pittsburgh the 2-0 cushion in the Cup Final. 

He had two assists in Pittsburgh’s Game 6 Cup clinching win, including a helper on Kris Letang’s game-winning goal in the second period. 

Crosby underwent a remarkable turnaround this season to get to this point. Before the Penguins fired Mike Johnston Crosby had 19 points in his first 28 games.

After Johnston was replaced by Mike Sullivan, Crosby notched 66 points in his last 52 games and was voted a finalist for the Hart Trophy. 

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Josh Cooper is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @joshuacooper