Just some quick thoughts from an ecstatic Penguins fan to wrap up our coverage of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.

• I feel like Maxime Talbot deserved the Conn Smythe trophy. He didn't have the dazzling numbers that Crosby and Malkin did in the playoffs, but game seven wasn't the only game where he came up big to win it for Pittsburgh. He's been doing that all through the playoffs. Congratulations to Evgeni Malkin, who won the Conn Smythe and will probably also win the Hart.

• Lots of parallels between this final and last year's final. The winning team celebrated on hostile ice, the final save was made in a spectacular, dramatic fashion and Marian Hossa lost both times.

• Speaking of Marian Hossa, I wonder how good he feels about taking that one-year deal with Detroit over the 5-7 year, $7-$7.5 million contract he could have gotten from Pittsburgh "so he could win a Cup."

• There was a good bit of ballyhooing this season when the Penguins canned head coach Therien and replaced him with Dan Bylsma. That is, everywhere except in Pittsburgh. Pens fans knew that was a good move from the start, and now we have the Cup to prove it.

• My skepticism when it comes to trading for Bill Guerin was unfounded. He was a major part of the Penguins success down the stretch.

• The Penguins have come a long way from having Mario Lemieux lace up the skates in a comeback to save the franchise.

• Ray Shero may be one of the best GMs in hockey. The club he inherited was absolutely horrible, by most measures one of the worst in the league. They were having to resort to ticket bargains that would put the Yankees to shame just to get attendance at an adequate level. In only three years since he took the job, the Penguins are now Stanley Cup Champions.

• Initially I thought that the Red Wings fans in attendance were a bit classless for their nonstop booing during the presentation of the Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe trophies, but a look at the marquee on NHL.com shows several Red Wings fans smiling, taking pictures and banging on the glass when Crosby hoisted the Cup. It's a shame when an entire fan base gets a bad rap because of a vocal few.

• Some notable hilarity from social networking sites:

1. Via Around The Horn on Twitter, retweeted from Rasalsul: "Marion (sic) Hossa just received a telegram from The Knights Templar. It simply says, 'You chose poorly.'"
2. My status on Facebook: "2009 Super Bowl Champions - Pittsburgh Steelers. 2009 Stanley Cup Champions - Pittsburgh Penguins. The City of Champions is reborn. Suck it, Boston." Yes, I really feel that way and no, I won't apologize for it.
   

All around, this was an absolutely thrilling ride to the Cup for the Penguins, who went from being out of it early in the season to fourth in their conference. Along the way, they beat two rivals in the Flyers and Capitals, swept the Hurricanes despite the wishes of Benedict Cowher, and hung tough with the fearsome Detroit Red Wings through seven games to eventually claim the franchise's third Stanley Cup.

I know it's a saying of the media hype machine, but after watching the Penguins play this year, I really feel like they may be the NHL's next dynasty. They have the talent and the passion, and they have a team that never surrenders.