Can the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2012?
It certainly seems as if they can, considering their fantastic play this season, even without the likes of Sidney Crosby playing in a full season. Heading into the final week of the season, the Pittsburgh Penguins have a record of 48-24, with a point total of 102. This is only five points behind the New York Rangers for the top position in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins have already clinched their spot in this year’s playoffs, led by an extremely talented group of players.
Among those great players are Evgeni Malkin, James Neal, and Marc-Andre Fleury. Malkin currently leads the team in goals, points, and assists, and has played an integral role on the Penguins for some time now. He was the deciding factor in Pittsburgh’s Stanley Cup win in 2009 over the Detroit Red Wings. In the 2009 playoffs Malkin was named the most valuable player, being the first ever Russian-born player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy. Along with that, Malkin is the second fastest Russian player to reach 500 points in his career, only trailing Alexander Ovechkin for the honor. At only 25 years of age, Evgeni will continue to be a leader for the Pittsburgh Penguins for many years to come.
One of the great surprises of this year has been the play of Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury continues to dominate as a goalie for the Penguins, with over 40 wins on the season already. His goals against average of 2.32 is on pace to tie his best season since joining the Penguins all the way back in the 2005-06 season. Along with winning the Stanley Cup in 2009 alongside Malkin, Fleury was the team MVP in 2011 and made his first All-Star game in the same year as well.
Get your 2012 Pittsburgh Penguins playoff tickets now while there is still time!
Now is the best time to get Pittsburgh Penguins tickets. They are, as of January 24th, 2012, ranked 3rd in the Atlantic Division and 6th in the Eastern conference. Coach Dan Bylsma is excited about pushing his top notch team into hopefully winning a Stanley Cup this year. They have some of the best players in the NHL and the Penguins are surely a force to be reckoned with. Captain Sydney Crosby is the team leader and has been pivotal in beating other rival teams like Ovechkin and the Capitals. Hopefully, the Penguins can have a strong finish to their season since they are already 27-17-4 for the year. Only time will tell. Fans should get Pittsburgh Penguins tickets so that they can see this great team play live. Of course, there are other strong players like Evgeni Malkin and Brooks Orpik that are just as exciting to watch.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were first founded as an expansion team for the NFL on February 6, 1966. The city had originally been home to two previous hockey franchises dating back to the early 1920s, but a state senator named Jack McGregor wanted to bring a professional NHL team to the city. He was able to do so largely based on the support he received from local sports owners such as Art Rooney and H.J. Heinz Company. As far as how the team’s name came into existence, the arena that they were to play at was known as “The Igloo,” and thus they conceived of the penguins a fitting moniker.
Unfortunately the first few years of the franchise did not go off so well; a lot of it was due in part to the insufficient talent level of the players that was brought in. However, the Pittsburgh Penguins were able to make the most with what they had and in only four years after being founded the team made the playoffs (1970), led by players such as Les Binkley and Keith McCreary. A lot of the team’s success can also be found in their great draft picks before the 1970 season began, such as Michel Briere, who was one of the top scorers in the NFL in his rookie season.
During the 1970 playoffs the Pittsburgh Penguins had a great run, defeating the Oakland Seals but eventually losing to the St. Louis Blues, due in large part to Michel Briere’s amazing goal scoring ability. Shockingly however, after the playoffs were over for the team Briere got involved in a devastating car crash and eventually died from his injuries a little over a year later. His number 21 has never been worn by a Pittsburgh player since. From then until the mid 1970s the franchise nearly averted disaster in the form of bankruptcy, but was able to rebound and make it to the second round of the playoffs in 1979.
After the team’s recent playoff experience in 1979 the franchise decided to switch it up a bit by changing their jerseys from blue and white to black and gold, a style that is still worn by the team to this day. A lot of it had to do with aligning the team with the other great sports teams in the city, the Pirates and Steelers, who also used those same colors. There was some argument coming from another team (Boston Bruins) because it was similar to their setup, but the NHL eventually allowed the Penguins to keep the jersey colors black and gold.
The beginning of the 1980s was marked by difficult times for the team; they just simply could not find a way to make it very deep in the playoffs. Whether it was 1980 against the Bruins, ‘81 against the Blues, or ‘82 against the Islanders, the Pittsburgh Penguins could not find a way to break through. After the 1982 season the franchise encountered financial difficulties once again, and it looked as though the team would finally be dismembered. However, the Penguins made a bold (and perhaps illegal depending on the point of view) move to try to get Mario Lemieux for the 1984 NHL draft. It was bold in that the team supposedly tried to intentionally lose game to get to last place so they could get the first pick in the draft. Regardless of outcries by other teams such as the New Jersey Devils the franchise was able to save itself by finishing last and drafting Lemieux.
The Pittsburgh Penguins would rebuild their franchise around Lemieux in the following years, and by 1988 the team was able to make it back to the playoffs once again. In the 1990 draft the Penguins selected a player by the name of Jaromir Jagr, and that was when the team really started to take off, finally breaking through to win a Stanley Cup in 1990 and again in 1991. The team would continue to have success throughout the 1990s, although they couldn’t win another Stanley Cup.
In the early 2000s the franchise was marked by further financial difficulties, resulting in the trading of great talent in Jaromir Jagr and Alexei Kovalev. However, even though the team did not perform very well during the beginning of the decade it allowed the team to rebuild in the form of high draft picks. They used the picks to their advantage in the 2004 and 2005 drafts by selecting Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. This move seemed very reminiscent of the moves the team made in the early 1980s when the franchise was able to get Jaromir Jagr and Mario Lemieux.
The year 2006 marked an important year for the franchise, as one of its most important figures in Mario Lemieux finally retired from the sport. He was one of the greatest NHL players during his time, with a points per game average bettered only by the legendary Wayne Gretzky. Due to issues in his native country of Russia, Evgeni Malkin was not able to fully play in the NHL until the 2006 season as well, and this marked a turning point in the franchise, along with plans for a new stadium.
In 2007 the Pittsburgh Penguins came into an agreement with the city of Pittsburgh to build a new arena, known as Consol Energy Center. This was also the season when the Penguins came extremely close to winning their third Stanley Cup, barely losing to the Detroit Wings. In the 2008 season however the Penguins would get their revenge against the Wings by defeating them in 7 games to win the Cup. In the next season the team had another great season and looked for another repeat as Stanley Cup champions, only to lose to the Canadiens in the second round of the playoffs. Since that time the team has moved into its new arena and looks to continue their winning ways.
Consol Energy Center is the official new home of the Pittsburgh Penguins, as well as the Pittsburgh Power of the Arena Football League. The venue replaced the Pittsburgh Civic Arena (or ‘The Igloo’), which was one of the oldest arenas in the national hockey league.
As far as the planning and construction of the arena went, there were certainly some important dilemmas that came up from time to time. For instance, when it came to the funding of the stadium it was generally agreed upon for local taxpayers to contribute as little as possible towards the construction of the Consol Energy Center. In order to do this the Penguins set up agreements with major casinos that would help finance the construction along with a casino nearby. However, the casino industry was hit hard by the economy and the casinos that had made the agreements almost went into bankruptcy were it not for the quick actions of the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board. Also, during the negotiations with state lawmakers the ownership of the team supposedly devised moving to another location such as Las Vegas if a deal could not come through, but it was finally approved with additional funding from both the city and state.
When it comes to features for the arena, there were many technological innovations included in the construction. For instance, one has the capability of watching replays on a touch screen in a luxury suite. Other features in the stadium include a kid’s zone, wall of champions, and numerous concessions and restaurants to choose from. Another little known fact about Consol Energy Center is that it is LEED Gold Certified, which means the arena has been designed and operated in a way that benefits the environment as much as possible; it is still the only arena to receive this honor to this point. Whether you are a Pittsburgh Penguins fan or even a hockey fan in general, Consol Energy Center is a fantastic arena to visit and watch games in.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had many successful teams throughout its 40-plus year history, with three Stanley Cups as well. There were many great players during the franchise’s history, but three players stand out more than any others.
Mario Lemieux
By far the greatest player to have ever played for the Pittsburgh Penguins thus far is Mario Lemieux. As the franchise was inching closer and closer to extinction in the early 1980s the team was able to select Lemieux as the first overall pick, thus turning the franchise around for good. At six feet four inches tall Lemieux was one of the more intimidating scorers for defenders to try and stop in the league. Lemieux went on to play 17 seasons for the franchise, while plagued with many different injuries as well as Hodgkin’s disease. In less than 1,000 career games Mario was able to score nearly 700 goals, more than 1,000 assists, as well as 1,723 points. He is also widely known by followers of the franchise for saving it yet again by becoming an owner of the team. Overall, Lemieux was one of the greatest players in NHL history and will always be remembered dearly by Penguins fans.
Jaromir Jagr
One of Lemieux’s teammates during his years in Pittsburgh was Jaromir Jagr, who was selected by the team in the 1990 NHL Draft. Jagr would go on to play over 800 games for Pittsburgh, helping the team win both the 1990 and 1991 Stanley Cups. Jagr is second to Lemieux in practically every team category except points per game, where Crosby has a slight edge over him.
Sidney Crosby
Lastly, the modern icon for the Penguins is Sidney Crosby, who helped the team win the Stanley Cup in 2008-09 season. He was selected by the team in the 2005 NFL Draft and has been fantastic for the team ever since. He has currently played in 412 games, with 215 goals, 357 assists, and 572 points.
The Pittsburgh Penguins are the same as all other professional teams in that most of their bench comes from farm teams. The stars may be recruited straight out of college, but for most players it takes years of hard work, dedication, and due paying to get into the top echelon of professional sports. The Penguins have two farm teams, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Wheeling Nailers.
The original farm team for the Penguins was Cleveland Lumberjacks, an irony consider the Cleveland Browns—Pittsburgh Steelers NFL rivalry. In the mid 1990’s the IHL, the Lumberjack’s league, began moving its focus away from development and toward being an independent minor league in its own right. The Penguins let their affiliation with the Lumberjacks go and bought the Cornwall Aces franchise, an American Hockey League charter, from the Colorado Avalanche. The Aces was a dormant team at the time and remained so until the 1999-2000 season when it was moved to Wilkes-Barre. They are affectionately referred to as “the Baby Penguins” and are a dominant team in the East Division and Eastern Conference. Tux the penguin is their mascot, he wears #99 in honor of their inaugural year.
The Wheeling Nailers are also affiliates of the Penguins, as well as the Montreal Canadiens in the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL. The Nailers are one of the oldest minor league hockey teams. They were started in 1981 as the Carolina Thunderbirds in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. They were originally members of the Atlantic Coast Hockey League which was disbanded in 1987. They then joined the All-American Hockey League which lasted only one season. The Thunderbird, the Virginia Lancers, and the Johnstown Chiefs then formed the core of the East Coast Hockey League. They became the Winston-Salem Thunderbirds in 1990, moved to Wheeling in 1992, and, after a trademark dispute with the Seattle Thunderbirds, finally became the Nailers in 1996, named for the city’s history of nail production.
As with any athletic team with any kind of history and following, the Penguins have rivalries. Hockey fans are exceptionally aggressive about their loyalties and hatreds and that’s even more true in a city like Pittsburgh. The Penguins have long been at odds with two different teams, the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals.
The Penguins—Flyers rivalry goes all the way back to 1967 when both teams were brought into the NHL in the “Next Six” expansion wave. The conflict primarily arose out of the teams being so close to each other geographically, but other reasons grew over time. The Flyers beat the Penguins 1-0 in their first meeting and continued to dominate Pittsburgh’s team until Mario Lemieux joined the Penguins in 1984, shortly after the two teams were returned to the same division after a short time apart from 1974 to 1981. In the 1988-1989 season the Flyers met Lemieux and the Penguins for the first time in years in the Division Finals. The Flyers managed an upset to win over seven games despite the Penguins having a 3-2 lead, but this game marked the last time the Flyers would defeat the Penguins until 1997. In recent years the rivalry has cooled and the Penguins have asserted distinct dominance over the Flyers.
The other standing rivalry is a matter of playoff contestation. The Penguins and Capitals have met eight times in the playoffs. The Penguins only lost one of those contests, in 1994, and three of the championships went to the seventh game, 1992, 1995, and 2009. In all three of the Penguin’s Stanley Cup wins, they have beaten the Capitals on the playoff road. The rivalry extends to the farm teams as well. The Penguins’ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Capitals’ Hershey Bears are huge in-state rivals in the AHL.
The long recognized and long used theme of the skating penguin has been the trademark of the Penguins since they were chartered in 1967. The penguin is of obvious significance and the yellow triangle in the background refers to the Golden Triangle in Pittsburgh.
The original team colors were powder blue, navy blue, and white. The first logo featuring these colors and the skating penguin over the yellow triangle inside the circular “Pittsburgh Penguins” was used only for the first year. Though in 2011 this very first logo became an active, alternate jersey. In 1968 the penguin lost its scarf, became burlier, and the surrounding circle of text became white on blue instead of blue on white. In the middle of the 1971-1972 season the circle was removed, leaving only the penguin and triangle. The powder blue in the team colors was briefly changed to royal blue in 1973, but was changed back in 1977 when the uniform coloration was made primarily navy.
In January of 1980, during halftime of the Superbowl, the team announced that it and the other Pittsburgh teams were unifying their color schemes. The Penguins then adopted their current black and gold color scheme. In 1992 the logo was further streamlined to a sleek, stylized “flying penguin” on the customary yellow triangle. This logo lasted until 2001 but was never well received by fans. KDKA anchor Bill Burns even called it “a pigeon”. When Mario Lemieux purchased the team to save it from bankruptcy in 1999, he announced that he’d be restoring the skating penguin logo. This was done in the 2000-2001 season, the only change from the long standing logo was that the yellow became Vegas gold. The flying penguin logo remained in use on the shoulder of the uniforms until 2007 when it was retired with few tears.
