The novice netminder went on to backstop the Penguins to their first title in seven years. After years of serving as the Penguins' franchise goalie, Fleury sat last spring after suffering a concussion and watched as rookie Matt Murray took over the crease. Marc-Andre Fleury: Even as he skated around the ice with the Stanley Cup in his hands, it was difficult not to sympathize with veteran goaltender. Add exceptional national and local television ratings, the enthusiastic celebration all around Nashville and impressive performances from the NHL's next generation of stars - including McDavid and Matthews - and the league office has got to be thrilled about how this postseason played out. Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley even crashed the party before Game 4 in Nashville to praise the NHL's postseason action, which he compared favorably to the NBA's lopsided playoff performances. The NHL: The playoffs secured a reputation for high drama among sports fans. Arizona native Matthews has emerged as an NHL star could we see a top prospect come out of Tennessee in the coming years? The NHL has an excellent opportunity to further build the game in a unique and dynamic Southern market that appears to love the game and this team. The atmosphere in and around Bridgestone Arena was electric throughout the Cup Final, and the surrounding community came together to embrace the Predators. But the Southern hospitality served up by Music City over the course of the team's exciting playoff run caught the attention of the hockey world. Nashville: The Nashville Predators ultimately fell short in their quest to capture the franchise's first championship. The argument could certainly be made that the NHL has not had an undisputed top dog of this magnitude since Gretzky and Lemieux were in their respective primes. Crosby also has a chance to capture his third Hart Trophy as league MVP later this month. But with consecutive titles and playoff MVPs during a salary-cap era that was intended to emphasize greater league parity, he is gradually inching toward the Wayne Gretzky Zone. Thanks to his previous Cup victory, two Olympic gold medals and numerous individual honors, he had already established himself as the face of the league two years ago. The past two seasons have cemented Crosby's legacy among the greatest players of all time. But a few others were ultimately hurt by what was otherwise an entertaining two months for the NHL. Plenty of winners emerged from these playoffs.
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