For anyone that actually reads this, I’m going to apologize if you’re not a hockey fan, let alone a Pens fan, but this is more for my benefit to, as they say, get my mind right. The Pittsburgh Penguins will soon meet up with the New York Islanders in the first playoff match-up between these teams since 1993. The Pens team from that season was flat-out incredible…on paper. Man – the star power on that roster is staggering. Let’s look at the names:
Mario Lemieux (Hockey Jesus), Ron Francis (perhaps the most underrated centerman ever, and 4th most points ever scored), Rick Tocchet (honey badger on skates), Kevin Stevens (one of the best power forwards to play the game at the height of his career), Joey Mullen (hall of famer), Jaromir Jagr (future hall of famer), Larry Murphy (one of the most prolific scoring defensemen ever and HOF’er), Ulf Samuelsson (one of the meanest/dirtiest defensemen to ever play the game), and so on. I mean – it was an all-star team that happened to all be wearing the same professional team jersey.
This team won 56 games out of 82, and won an amazing 32 out of 41 at home. 4 players hit 100 points for the season, 5 scored 30+ goals, and the team put together an astounding 17 game winning streak – which is STILL the NHL record. They won the President’s Trophy, awarded to the team amassing the most points during the regular season. They were coming off of 2 consecutive Stanley Cup Championship seasons, and were looking to “3-peat.” They were coached by a HOF coach by the name of Scotty Bowman, who led them to the Cup the year before and currently has the most wins in NHL coaching history, along with an astounding NINE Stanley Cups. On paper, they looked unstoppable. There was a confidence – no, a cockiness, that the fans experienced, many of which were relatively newcomers to following this team that not so long ago toiled in the basement of the NHL standings. It was an amazing time, and that Stanley Cup was as good as ours.
Except nobody told the Islanders and David “Fucking” Volek.
You see, David Volek is the man whose name is etched into the brains of every Pens fan from 20 years ago as the man who ended the Penguins reign with a harmless looking slapshot coming down the right side of the ice. I’ll provide the link if I can stand to watch this again:
Ugh. Just…ugh. Why am I bringing this up and putting myself through something that happened 20 years ago? Because I’m worried that history can repeat itself. Let’s compare that 1993 roster with 2013’s roster and see how the names/players match-up.
Mario Lemieux = Sidney Crosby. Canadian phenoms with injury issues, but see the ice unlike any other. Can carry a team on their back solo, but deadly with scoring support.
Jagr = Evgeni Malkin. Enigmatic star with a funny european sounding accent. Can carry teams for a time, although perhaps best when someone else takes the spotlight. Incredible scorers in their own right, and always in the discussion for the best player in the world.
Ron Francis = Jarome Iginla. Different positions on ice, but both highly respected scorers who found themselves pieces of the puzzle after coming to this Penguins team from their own struggling franchises. By all accounts, just as amazing off the ice as on it.
Kevin Stevens = Chris Kunitz. Punishing power forwards that can dish out hits as well as light up the scoreboard. Stevens’ career fizzled out too soon due to a grisly injury, but when complemented with a star center, they can provide amazing numbers.
Ulf Samuelsson = Brooks Orpik. Although Ulf’s reputation was a bit worse, both are devastating hitters and put fear into opposing forwards. Ulf ended Boston’s Cam Neely’s career with a hit, and Orpik broke Eric Cole’s f-ing neck. Yeah… Orpik also earned infamy for his 4 crushing hits in the span of 15 seconds, which became known as “the shift” during the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. Here’s a taste of what I’m talking about:
Tom Barasso = Fleury. While Barasso was the exact opposite of Fleury in demeanor, both goalies can look flat-out unstoppable at times and can drive you nuts at others. If either is at the top of their game, the other team can forget about earning a win.
Larry Muprhy = Kris Letang. Both defensemen are prolific scorers, and probably should have won a Norris Trophy (best d-man). Both are excellent power play quarterbacks, and can start the offense from their own end due to their skating and puck handling abilities.
Joey Mullen = James Neal. Rick Tocchet = Brenden Morrow. Straka = Bennet. Errey = Sutter. I could go on and on, but this can get tedious. Simply put, the 2013 Penguins are one of the most impressive collections of talent in recent years to take the ice for one team…on paper. They put together an amazing run of wins, including winning the entire month of March – a first for any NHL team. In fact, they came within 2 wins of the record owned by…1993’s team. When star players like Crosby, Malkin, Neal, Martin, and Letang go down with injuries, the rest of the players step up seamlessly. It’s truly been incredible to watch this season, but none of that matters now. Now is the time to get your mind right. The regular season doesn’t matter. Yes, it was nice to take first in the Eastern Conference and secure home advantage for at least 3 rounds if they make it that far. Sure it was nice to watch that win streak, and it was great following the teams trade acquisitions by arguably one of the best General Managers in the league, picking up marquee names that other teams’ fans would love to have, for less than many teams would have to pay.
None of that matters. The Penguins have yet to win anything of significance. Unlike Capitals fans, I’m wise enough to know that doing well in the regular season does not ensure anything, and does not mean that your team has “arrived.” I’m looking at YOU, Ted Leonsis. Ted once bragged about his team’s success during a regular season, and gloated about how his Capitals had “arrived.” They arrived to their tee times that year, as his franchise has yet to ever win a Stanley Cup…
I’m worried. Yes, we have a great chance of winning this year, but the greater the chance, the greater the fall if my team fails. I was devastated 20 years ago when my team, my reason for loving hockey, my pride and joy – were undone by a team that nobody gave a chance to, by a player who would otherwise be mostly forgettable. The parallels are striking and I worry that our confidence (or cockiness) as a fan base can cloud our vision, and make us feel that the Stanley Cup is already ours by right. As if our team doesn’t have to sweat and bleed through 16 grueling wins to lift the Cup above their heads. I worry that the players aren’t focused enough and that they might overlook a team that, on paper, shouldn’t present a problem. From what I’ve seen, most writers and media believe this is the most lopsided match-up in the playoffs, and many are picking the Pens in 5 games which is a nice way of saying “We think it’ll probably be 4, but we aren’t brave enough to put that in print.” 6 or 7 games are the norm for predictions like this.
Maybe I’m being silly – maybe I worry too much. I wish I can just sit back and enjoy the ride but that’s not me. I live and die with every win or loss as it is, and that’s magnified during the playoffs. This year’s team is by far the most impressive roster I’ve seen in 20 years, and to me, has the most chance to win the Cup in that span. That includes 2008 and 2009, years in which the Pens made it to the Finals TWICE and won the Cup once. I’m going as far as saying I think they have a better chance, on paper, than a team that actually won the Cup does. But the 2009 team went through the wringer, and beat 4 teams to earn 16 wins and actually lifted the Cup. This team hasn’t. Yet. It’s good to remember that and to learn from history. Game on, bitches.
Hip-deep in Shallow Tenacity 