Have you experienced the thrilling aura of a meritorious game night? If yes, then you would’ve indeed fallen in love with the master-booster energy ride of yinzers when NHL seasons are on. What else can be this exciting than embracing a culture that admires sports days so much! Moreover, when Pittsburgh Penguins make everlasting victories, you can’t miss out if you’re a Pens fan.
Yinzer spirits don’t just limit to the majestic PPG Paints Arena. We have celebrated every win of our home team with zeal and vigor. Taking a trip down the spectacular history of the Hockey Leagues of America, our Pens have bagged the Stanley Cup for 5 times. The years 1991, 1992, 2009, and the latest consecutive duo of 2016 & 2017, all marked the win of our cheerful home team from Pittsburgh. These stellar achievements had been worthwhile every effort and whoa, made to the golden chapters of our glorious past, too!
Photo by Lynda Sanchez on Unsplash
While the mesmerizing sportscaster Mike Lange rooted for Pens with his ultra-energy, the game nights were memorable with the performances of the admirable team players. Along with the honor of the Stanley Cup, hockey nights also award Conn Smythe Trophy to the most valued player (MVP) of the winning team. So, here’s a little tribute to our Penguins, commemorating their wins over the Stanley Cup in the history of the NHL. Let’s reminisce those moments with a dash of nostalgia and a pint of pride!
1. Champions in 1991
A much-awaited historical moment for this American city! After a long while since 1983, the Penguins were the American franchise that bagged the Stanley Cup in 1991. The win was indeed a sweet memory for yinzers for it was the first time Pittsburgh hosted an NHL championship. The then open Civic Arena was submerged with an overwhelming crowd for Game 1.
Unfortunately, the playoffs didn’t start on an interesting note for the Pens. Until Game 3, Minnesota North Stars had made their mark towards the Stanley Cup. But, fiery motivation pumped up our Pens’ players. Especially, as Mike Lange would remark, “Numero Soixante-Six” powered up the night for Game 3. Yes, #66 Mario Lemieux was back with a bang! And finally, after many tough & good saves, the Pens won their first-ever Stanley Cup in Game 6. They made an 8-0 win over North Stars with Lemieux being the top player of the series. He was rightfully awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy. A much-sought advent in history as the promise of Penguins to their home city of Pittsburgh was being fulfilled from then on!
Photo from Triblive
2. Champions of 1992
Civic Arena was once again filled abuzz with spectators and Pittsburgh made history in double measure. In 1992, the Penguins won the Stanley Cup for the 2nd time in a row. And, this time the victory was for a 6-5 score over the Chicago Blackhawks. The kickstart marked a usual tough point for Penguins as the Blackhawks triumphed in Games 1 & 2.
But, soon enough, the skilled players like Lemieux, Tocchet, and Stevens leveled it up for the Pens. The victory was too quick with the winning goal of Ron Francis in the third period of the playoff. He could have certainly been tagged a crucial MVP of the playoffs too. Yet being the captain, Lemieux’s role was admired and once again, he was crowned the Conn Smythe Trophy 1992. The game was more uptight this time, where both teams flexed back-and-forth with goal streaks.
Photo from Pittsburgh Hockey
3. Champions of 2009
An often-forgotten narrative of Pittsburgh, 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs was a coming back of Penguins, strong and steady. Even without their excellent captain Sidney Crosby, the Pens made their way towards their third Stanley Cup this time. The winning goal in Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings charged up the Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, even blasting into an emotional moment for the injured Crosby.
The 2-1 game result had marked the end that year with Max Talbot’s clinching performance. However, owing to the entire series, the Conn Smythe Award was entitled to the first-ever Russian-born player, Evgeni Malkin. With a previous loss of Pens to Red Wings in the 2008 playoffs, this victory was definitely a cherished rematch for Pittsburgh and Penguins!
4. Champions of 2016
The Penguins swooped towards the winning goals in 2016 for the fourth time in the Stanley Cup playoffs. The series also featured a lot of changes in the league schedules for the first time in the NHL seasons. The victorious glow of Pens was lit up with the magical performance of the team captain Sidney Crosby. As righteous as he deserved, Crosby won his first-ever Conn Smythe Award that year.
But, the tie-breaker goal in Game 6 for 3-1 against San Jose Sharks was scored by Kris Letang. The momentum that Pens gained was attributed to the young and diligent lineup of stable players and their strong defense arcade with swift transitioning throughout the game!
Photo from nhl.com
5. Champions of 2017
Marking almost the last Stanley Cup so far, the 2017 playoffs had a controversial engagement to it. The win was proclaimed with the advancing goal from Patric Hornqvist at 2-0. Penguins had succeeded over Nashville Predators in Game 6 with the thrilling touch of their scoring leader Evgeni Malkin.
While Matt Murray held a significant role in pushing up the Pens forward, Sidney Crosby once again made an influential impact on the game course, winning for himself another Conn Smythe Award in 2017. The season did unleash a series of misread referee signals including an early whistle by the referee that was deemed to be an opening score by Predators; but, all such confusions were resolved later on.
Photo from Business Insider
Pittsburgh Penguins and their dashing spirits have always made yinzers scream in awe. With great players and captains from different times, the pens have managed to bring home the Stanley Cup in every NHL season. We, as viewers, have adored the game nights in Pittsburgh and the proud memories that were carried along. So, if you’ve been really wanting to sense such crazy energy, why wait? Better, get your hockey night sorted amid the mighty sports culture of Pittsburgh!
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