Raising the Cup presents: Game 6 1991 Stanley Cup Final

NHL Network is going to raise the Cup all summer long.

Every day at noon, we'll roll out another Cup clincher to stave off your hockey hunger. Watch your heroes of yesterday win it all ... again.

Fans can tune in at 12 p.m. ET every weekday for a different game -- and different champion. A complete program schedule can be found on NHLNetwork.com (U.S.).

In 1967, the NHL underwent a major expansion which saw the League grow from six to twelve, officially marking the expansion era and putting a halt to the "Original Six" era. Among the teams joining the new-look League were the Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota North Stars. Eventually, the 1991 Stanley Cup Final served as the first and only time two teams from the 1967 expansion batch played against one another for Lord Stanley's Cup.

Both the Penguins and North Stars entered the 1991 Final carrying the weight of heartache from previous years. But while that was a similarity, the kind of heartache couldn't be any more different. Excluding a two- year hiatus from playoff contention in 1987 and 1988, the North Stars contended year in, year out. After consecutive disappointing Norris semifinal outings to St. Louis and Chicago in 1989 and 1990, the North Stars learned from their experiences and persevered their way to the Final.

On the other end of the spectrum were the Penguins, who hadn't competed for silverware in six consecutive campaigns. In 1985, however, the organization's entire identity changed when Mario Lemieux was drafted. Leading up to 1991, the Penguins were slowly but surely getting closer to becoming a threat in the League, led, of course, by Lemieux. In 1991, the pieces came together and the Penguins advanced to their first ever Cup Final.

Ultimately, the Penguins edged out the North Stars in a six-game series.

The North Stars stole Game 1 from the Penguins at Mellon Arena, 5-4, putting all the pressure on the Penguins before the series shifted to Minnesota. With the Penguins leading Game 2 by a score of 2-1, magic struck. Lemieux collected a puck in his own zone and then split two defenders and a goalie before scoring one of the most famous goals in NHL history.  The Penguins went on to take Game 2 and fell in Game 3, but for the remainder of the series, the hunger and talent of a young Penguin team prevailed and in what would eventually become the series-clinching game, the Penguins routed the North Stars, 8-0, to capture their first Cup championship.

"Super Mario" went on to win the Conn Smythe Trophy for playoff MVP after compiling 16 goals, 28 assists for 44 points in just 23 games.