Kristen J Shilton

USATODAY

For the first time since 2009, the Pittsburgh Penguins are Stanley Cup champions.

The Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday to clinch the fourth title in franchise history.

Defensemen Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang and forward Patric Hornqvist had the goals for Pittsburgh, while netminder Matt Murray made 18 saves in the Cup-winning effort.

Forward Logan Couture had the lone goal for San Jose, while goaltender Martin Jones was sensational again, making 24 stops.

San Jose had plenty of chances against Murray, who played a strong game after struggling in Game 5 early on. The Sharks were also without Marc-Edouard Vlasic, their top defenseman, for an extended period in the second frame, when he didn’t record a shift for more than nine minutes. He was back on the bench to start the third but his return wasn't enough to even the score for the Sharks.

Pittsburgh's captain Sidney Crosby was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy as the Stanley Cup playoffs' Most Valuable Player.

Penguins overcome early-season turmoil to hoist Stanley Cup

Crosby also had the honor of taking the first spin of the ice with the Cup. He handed it to injured defenseman Trevor Daley, who broke his ankle earlier in the playoffs. Daley then passed hockey's Holy Grail to Pascal Dupuis, who retired early in the season after appearing in 18 games due to health concerns. Both Daley and Dupuis were fully dressed in uniform on the ice with their teammates.

"It's the best feeling ever," Penguins forward Phil Kessel said of winning his first career Stanley Cup. "I'm so proud of all these guys. We had four good lines, we rolled them over, everyone got along great. We fight for each other.

"It was a slow start, but it picked up at the end. We got together as a team and came together."

The early goings of the season weren't easy for Pittsburgh. There was the coaching change - from Mike Johnston to Mike Sullivan - and Crosby under the microscope as he adapted his game to go from struggling to soaring.

"This team had a big core group who wanted to win," said Penguins center Matt Cullen. "We cared. We cared a lot."

Sidney Crosby named NHL playoffs' MVP

"What we liked about (general manager) Jim Rutherford is that he said 'rebuilding'," said Penguins president David Morehouse. "He just went out and reloaded."

Penguins owner - and former player - Mario Lemieux was excited to bring the Cup back to Pittsburgh.

"This means a lot to the city and the franchise," said Lemieux. "We are going to have a little party tonight."

Contributing: Kevin Allen