WE DID IT! PENGUINS WIN THE CUP!

I can write this now without fear of jinxing our guys. Throughout the Stanley Cup playoffs and, especially, during the Finals, I’ve felt an odd sense of calm. As if our Penguins were somehow predestined or preordained to win the Cup.

A notion reinforced yesterday morning at church. Following the service, I stopped to greet associate pastor and fellow avid Pens fan, Ron Cepek.

“Seven years ago today,” Ron stated in his typically ebullient way, referring to our Cup triumph in ’09. “We win it tonight!”

I only hoped God had given my preacher friend the inside scoop.

Still, I must confess. When San Jose sniper Logan Couture beat Pens goalie Matt Murray through the five-hole at 6:27 of the second period in last night’s Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals to knot the score at 1-all and cap a furious offensive push by the Sharks, I began to doubt.

Like a boxer wilting under pressure from a relentless opponent, I sensed our Penguins fading. Along with our chances for a Cup.

Thank the Lord for Conn Smythe Trophy winner Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang. The dynamic duo teamed up in dramatic fashion 79 seconds later to quell my anxieties and regain the lead for the black and gold. The same goes for Murray, the 22-year-old rookie who rose to the occasion like a mighty oak to smother 18 of 19 shots by the Sharks.

Not that there weren’t some tense moments. More than any other game, this one kept me riveted to the edge of my seat. Maybe it was the bevy of Grade-A scoring chances we couldn’t seem to finish. Capped by Chris Kunitz’ inexplicable decision to spurn a mouthwatering shot at a wide-open net in favor of a low-percentage pass to Evgeni Malkin.

Perhaps the only person more stunned than I to see the puck coming “Geno’s” way was No. 71 himself.

Fortunately, our boys persevered. Just as they’d done all season long. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention “Kuny’s” spectacular defensive play, when the peppery winger dove headlong to the ice to foil a first-period breakaway by Joel Ward.

Confession number two. Until our remarkable resurgence in March, I never thought the Pens would capture another Cup. At least not with this core. I truly believed the window had closed back on May 13, 2014, when the Rangers beat us 2-1 in Game 7 of the Metro Division Finals at Consol Energy Center to culminate an embarrassing collapse by the locals.

Talk about a team in turmoil. Dan Byslma and Ray Shero, good hockey men both…fired. Tapped as replacements…a ready-for-the-rocking-chair GM with a tarnished reputation (Jim Rutherford) and a first-time NHL head coach (Mike Johnston). Followed by the fiasco of 2014-15, when the Pens unraveled down the homestretch like a poorly knit sweater and barely made the playoffs.

The mass exodus of free agents that followed. The awful start to the season.

An implosion of nuclear proportions seemed imminent. Which I noted on several occasions.

So glad I was wrong.

I couldn’t be happier for everyone associated with the organization. From owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle to the training staff and locker-room attendants. They’ve taken so much heat over the past six seasons from an ultra-passionate, but frustrated, fan base for the team’s failure to repeat as Cup champions. Now they can rest easy.

The cool of the evening.

The victory must be especially sweet for Crosby, Malkin and Letang, who’ve endured the brunt of our criticism. They must feel like a one-ton weight’s been airlifted from their shoulders.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel badly for Marc-Andre Fleury, who no doubt longed to play a bigger role in the triumph. If not for “Flower’s” brilliance—particularly through the troubled early part of the season—we might not have made the playoffs. Or enjoyed the same matchups.

Everything has a trickle-down effect.

Speaking of trickle down, how about Rutherford? Virtually every move he made over the past 15 months—including last season’s much-maligned deadline deals—reaped dividends. Where would we be without Nick Bonino, Ian Cole, Matt Cullen, Trevor Daley, Eric Fehr, Carl Hagelin, Phil Kessel, Ben Lovejoy and Justin Schultz?

Ditto his first big acquisition, Patric Hornqvist, the wrecking-ball winger with the silk-purse hands who wired the puck into an empty San Jose net last night with a minute to play to secure a 3-1 victory…and the Cup.

To say nothing of JR’s inspired mid-season hire of Mike Sullivan. “Sully’s” passionate, straightforward approach and “Just Play” mantra galvanized a team desperately seeking an identity and gave it a reason to believe.

What a job he did.

Can’t forget the kids. Tom Kuhnhackl, Bryan Rust, and Conor Sheary brought so much to the table. Speed, grit, and enthusiasm, not to mention a remarkable maturity for ones so young. What more can you say about Murray? Fifteen wins to tie the rookie playoff record. Not to mention the undying respect of his teammates.

Guess I’ll end this loose-leaf ramble with a quote from the past. During the Pens’ first-ever Cup celebration back in ’91, then-forward and current radio color man Phil Bourque hoisted the Cup and bellowed, “What do you say we take this to the river and party all summer!”

Amen, Bourquie. Amen.