KINGSTON ON – NHL centreman Mike Zigomanis and winger Matt Cooke have been teammates before while wearing familiar black and gold colours. Cooke joined star-rookie forward Zigomanis and the rest of the Kingston Frontenacs in a trade from the Windsor Spitfires during the 1997-98 season to help the highly offensive squad make a run for the Ontario Hockey League Championship.

Fast forward 11 seasons and the two would once again come together, this time in the National Hockey League with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Teamwork is a common theme when talking about the 2009 edition of the NHL club and despite long-tem injuries, a mid-season slump and coaching change, Zigomanis, Cooke and the Penguins rallied back from the brink of elimination to defy all odds and capture NHL’s ultimate prize, the Stanley Cup, in epic fashion.

Mike Zigomanis was a fan favourite with the Kingston Frontenacs during his junior career from 1997 to 2001. During those four seasons, the North York native scored 132 goals, 198 assists and 330 points in 240 games and sits third in franchise point scoring. Since then, he has played in seven NHL seasons with the Carolina Hurricanes, St. Louis Blues and Phoenix Coyotes before joining the Penguins at the start of the 2008-09 season.

Zigomanis played 22 games for the Penguins during the regular season, scoring two goals and adding four assists for six points. The Penguins would lose their best faceoff man and penalty killer in early December after Zigomanis suffered a right rotator cuff injury and, ultimately, would miss the remainder of the regular season and playoffs. The early prognosis was that he would need a recovery period of six months before even considering a return to the ice after completing successful surgery in early January. At that time, it appeared bleak, however, Zigomanis proved early forecasts wrong and accelerated his recovery time to just four months. He was given approval to return to game action just as the Penguins began their Championship series against the defending champion Detroit Red Wings.

Although Zigomanis never suited up for the Penguins during the Stanley Cup Finals, he was an integral part of the team during the entire season and championship run, offering leadership and support to his fellow mates and providing insurance to the coaching staff in the faceoff and specialty team roles with his hard work on and off the ice.

Matt Cooke, a Belleville native best known as a checking winger and aggravator, brought both that and an offensive spark during his stint with the Frontenacs in the 1997-98 season. In just 25 regular season games with the black and gold, Cooke accumulated 21 goals and 49 penalty minutes. His presence was best noticed during the playoffs that season when he scored eight goals and 16 points in 12 games played.

Cooke joined the Vancouver Canucks the very next season and, after splitting time between the Canucks and their AHL affiliate during the early stages of his professional career, has played full-time in the National Hockey League ever since. Cooke spent nine of his ten years in the NHL with the Canucks. He was traded late in the 2007-08 season to the Washington Capitals before signing with the Penguins as an unrestricted free agent during the off-season.

In 76 regular season games with the Penguins during the 2008-09 season, Cooke was a physical presence on the ice and also chipped in on the scoresheet with 13 goals and 31 points. He, along with his linemates and OHL alumni Jordan Staal (Peterborough Petes) and Tyler Kennedy (Sault Ste. Marie), peppered the opposition during the Penguins championship run with their strong forecheck, fast speed and consistent high level of play. Arguably, his best game came during the third game of the Stanley Cup Finals when his aggressive play helped set up a Penguins power play opportunity, ultimately leading to the game winning goal and the start of the improbable comeback.

Unmistakably, it was the character and team first attitude that helped the Penguins defeat the defending champions. Zigomanis and Cooke were an important piece of that puzzle and their actions off and on the ice helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win their third Stanley Cup in franchise history and first since 1992. In total, 15 CHL grads, including seven from the Ontario Hockey League will have their name engraved in the Stanley Cup with the 2009 Penguins.

The players, management and coaching staff from the Kingston Frontenacs Hockey Club extend their congratulations to Mike Zigomanis, Matt Cooke and the entire Pittsburgh Penguins organization for capturing the 2009 Stanley Cup Championship.