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Sidney Crosby (right) passes the Stanley Cup to Trevor Daley. NBC Sports

The Pittsburgh Penguins -- after a season that included early turmoil, a coaching change and other adversities -- are the Stanley Cup champions in 2016. After a hard-fought 3-1 victory, the Penguins beat the San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Final in six games to claim the franchise's fourth title.

As time expired, the Penguins mobbed rookie goalie Matt Murray and touched off a celebration that was seven years in the making.

It was actually seven years ago to the day that the Penguins captured their first Stanley Cup. Sidney Crosby, who lifted his first Stanley Cup that night seven years ago, was back to hoist it a second time. The cast around him has changed, but several players from that 2009 team were around to celebrate.

Having missed their chance to clinch the Stanley Cup on home ice, the Penguins captain was met with a chorus of boos, but that hardly mattered. He hoisted the trophy up high and gave it a good skate before passing it off.

It's always notable to see who gets the trophy second. It's usually a player that has to wait a long time for it. That's certainly true of Trevor Daley, who not only had to wait 12 years for his first title he also was injured for the last portion of the playoffs after breaking his ankle. However, having just gotten the boot off his foot, but ankle still healing, Daley was out there in his skates and his jersey. There was another reason Crosby passed to him first, though:

After that, it was a truly touching moment as Daley passed the Cup off to Pascal Dupuis. A Cup winner with the Pens in 2009, Dupuis started the season with the team and appeared in 18 regular-season games. However, he was forced into retirement when complications from lingering blood clot issues cropped up. He's remained close with the team and has helped the coaching staff throughout the season. That was a well-earned moment.

The trophy moved through the line. Many of the players who were there in 2009 were among the next to grab it. Many first-time Cup winners got their chance as well, including Matt Murray, who starred for the Penguins and set the NHL record for wins by a rookie goalie in a single postseason. Among the other veterans who had a prolonged wait to win their first title, Phil Kessel. His teammates cheered as he put the Cup up for the first time.

Head coach Mike Sullivan, who came in and turned things around halfway through the season, had an incredibly gleeful moment with the Cup himself, dropping the intense demeanor that he wore often on the bench.

Though the Pens had to wait only seven years between titles, it feels like they've been through a lot to get there. Many postseason failures, the injuries to Sidney Crosby that cost him some prime years, the turnover in the front office and behind the bench, there was a lot of pain packed into those seasons. It was a battle to get another one.