Penguins To Play For Stanley Cup

It seemed inevitable that Pittsburgh’s young stars would one day help lead the club to the Stanley Cup final. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and the rest of the Penguins made it a reality Sunday afternoon with a decisive Game 5 win to clinch the NHL’s Eastern Conference championship.

The Killer Instinct

The boys from Pittsburgh polished off their cross-state rivals in style with a 6-0 rout of the Flyers, who saw their Game 4 glimmer of hope quickly extinguished  by a remarkable performance from the Penguins slate of young superstars in Crosby, Staal, Malone, and Malkin.

Following Game 4, in which Sidney Crosby was clearly frustrated by the likes of Mike Richards and the Flyers obvious “rough and tumble” game plan, many questioned whether the Penguins had enough killer instinct.  The Penguins were called on the carpet prior to Game five and they responded with vigor.

Remember the Oilers?

It may be too early to compare this group of young stars to the like of the Edmonton Oilers of the mid-1980’s, but the similarities are there.  In fact, according to the Globe and Mail, Wayne Gretzky needed four NHL seasons. Mario Lemieux required seven. But Sidney Crosby was swifter than both No. 99 and No. 66. The Pittsburgh Penguins’ sensational 20-year-old captain has steered his team to a Stanley Cup final in only his third season.

Is A Dynasty Possible?

Given the salary cap and the general business environment in today’s National Hockey League, it is unlikely that we will witness the type of dynasty that we saw from the Oilers, but this Pittsburgh Penguins team is looking more and more like a franchise of the future.  The Penguins seem to have risen from the brink of disaster – the franchise was in dire straits and looking to be sold, they are playing in the NHL’s oldest rink and barley being able to sell a season ticket.  Now, the youngsters are playing for the Lord Stanley’s holy grail.  If the Penguins are victorious in the next round, could their be a more fitting end to this magnificent story?