OT: Reflections of a longtime Penguins fan...

[HOF Coach]

When I was a freshman at PITT back in 1972, the Penguins were starting only their 5th year of existence.

Growing up in a small, steelmaking town, I thought that it was the coolest thing to be able to walk down the steps from The Towers and hopping onto a bus for a quarter on Fifth Ave. that would take me within a couple of city blocks of the Civic Arena.

Back then, the Pens struggled to draw crowds and the tickets were dirt cheap. Once inside, you could pretty much sit wherever you wanted to. The thrill of seeing NHL hockey live and in person far outweighed the fact that the Pens weren't ever going to win a Stanley Cup in an era where Guy Lafleur's Montreal Canadiens and Bobby Orr's Boston Bruins dominated the league. Nor was it even conceivable that winning a Cup in Pittsburgh was ever going to be possible at all.

Even so, one of the Pens' first rivals in that expansion era was the St. Louis Blues, led by the 3 Plager brothers (Bob, Bill & Barclay). In 2009, HOF Hockey Writer, Dave Molinari, wrote a column in the PPG to recognize the Pens' "Dirty Dozen Villians" who opposed them at the soon to be vacated, Mellon (Civic) Arena. Dave's choice for #1?
"1. Barclay Plager. St. Louis was the Penguins' first bitter rival and Plager, a rugged defenseman, quickly became the lightning rod for the Civic Arena crowd, probably because he usually was at the center of the bench-clearing brawls that were a regular feature of Penguins-Blues games. They'll have to tear down the building to get rid of the lingering echoes of the derisive, sing-song "Bar-KLEE" chants that rained down every time he stepped onto the ice here."

Oh how we gave it to Barclay, each and every shift! That experience seduced me to become a diehard Pens' fan for life (and eventually a Season Ticket Holder).

Flash forward to today...

If someone would have told me as I was booing Barclay Plager in 1972 that the Pens would win not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE Stanley Cups in my lifetime, I would have called the authorities and had him committed to Western Psych on the spot!

So, while many may be very disappointed that the Pens were eliminated by the Capitals, I'll take a moment to reflect and appreciate that what I thought was impossible in 1972, has indeed occurred 5 times...and counting..."the Pittsburgh Penguins are the Stanley Cup Champions!"

 

[PhPanther2]

Still the champs for at least another month

 

[JD1976]

When I was a freshman at PITT back in 1972, the Penguins were starting only their 5th year of existence.

Growing up in a small, steelmaking town, I thought that it was the coolest thing to be able to walk down the steps from The Towers and hopping onto a bus for a quarter on Fifth Ave. that would take me within a couple of city blocks of the Civic Arena.

Back then, the Pens struggled to draw crowds and the tickets were dirt cheap. Once inside, you could pretty much sit wherever you wanted to. The thrill of seeing NHL hockey live and in person far outweighed the fact that the Pens weren't ever going to win a Stanley Cup in an era where Guy Lafleur's Montreal Canadiens and Bobby Orr's Boston Bruins dominated the league. Nor was it even conceivable that winning a Cup in Pittsburgh was possible at all.

Even so, one of the Pens' first rivals in that expansion era was the St. Louis Blues, led by the 3 Plager brothers (Bob, Bill & Barclay). In 2009, HOF Hockey Writer, Dave Molinari, wrote a column in the PPG to recognize the Pens' "Dirty Dozen Villians" who opposed them at the soon to be vacated, Mellon (Civic) Arena. Dave's choice for #1?
"1. Barclay Plager. St. Louis was the Penguins' first bitter rival and Plager, a rugged defenseman, quickly became the lightning rod for the Civic Arena crowd, probably because he usually was at the center of the bench-clearing brawls that were a regular feature of Penguins-Blues games. They'll have to tear down the building to get rid of the lingering echoes of the derisive, sing-song "Bar-KLEE" chants that rained down every time he stepped onto the ice here."

Oh how we gave it to Barclay, each and every shift! That experience seduced me to become a die hard Pens' fan for life (and eventually a Season Ticket Holder).

Flash forward to today...

If someone would have told me as I was booing Barclay Plager in 1972 that the Pens would win not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE Stanley Cups in my lifetime, I would have called the authorities and had him committed to Western Psych on the spot!

So, while many may be very disappointed that the Pens were eliminated by the Capitals, I'll take a moment to reflect and appreciate that what I thought was impossible in 1972, has indeed occurred 5 times...and counting..."the Pittsburgh Penguins are the Stanley Cup Champions!"

Fun post. And well said. I don’t go as far back but certainly remember the 1983 Pens and how bad that team was and how poor the fan support was. Hoping the team stayed in Pittsburgh was the only thing on most fans minds back then.

 

[recruitsreadtheseboards]

I am just tired. I am not disappointed. In some ways I am relieved this is over. I am in Chicago this week, and for the 3rd year in a row, I am not sure I could survive another 2 month run of trying to determine what hotel gets the NBCSN, arranging travel and meetings so I can see the games and the games itself. I feel almost as drained as I am sure the players do.

It has been a magical run. It is not over. But I feel a sense of relief.

 

[Saboteur]

The Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy to win in all of professional sports.
Frankly, after two years of playing extra games against the highest level of competition, the Pens were tired. Physically and mentally.
Rest and come back stronger next season.

 

[pbrad]

We went to the games for free in the mid 70's and sat anywhere we wanted. The Pens had some good players, but the GM would make terrible trades, especially around playoff time, that kept the team down for years. Good memories, but Mario changed all that and as they say the rest is history.

 

[DC_Area_Panther]

Neither particularly a Pens fan, or for that matter, a Hockey fan. I watched maybe a period or two of the NHL playoffs on TV this year and the last time I went to a game was a Caps game several years ago with a group from my office (only a few blocks from the Verizon Center) in DC.

I never imagined the Pens would become such a power house when I went to a Pens - NY Rangers game as a Pitt student in the late 60's or early 70's. And yes, cheap tickets and unfull arena. The game I saw was against a Rangers team featuring the "GAG" (i.e., goal a game) line (Jean Ratelle, Rod Gilbert, Vic Hadfield). That I don't even remember who won or the score says something about my peripheral and casual interest in hockey.

Nevertheless, in retrospect, it seems remarkable how strong the Pens have become. Pens fans should be happy that for them it has recently been "the good old days" even if they didn't win it all this season. Very likely the Pens will win another Stanley cup sometime in the not too distant future. Their fans should stay optimistic.

 

[happjack]

The Stanley Cup is the most difficult trophy to win in all of professional sports.
Frankly, after two years of playing extra games against the highest level of competition, the Pens were tired. Physically and mentally.
Rest and come back stronger next season.

No team has won more than two in a row since they made the first round best 4 out of 7. When Montreal won four in a row in the 70's only 12 teams made the playoffs and the Habs got a first round bye all four years, so they only had to win 12 games to win the Cup. The NHL was a mess when the Islanders won their four Cups, but the first round was best 3 out of 5 and the NHL was still seeding teams 1 to 16 and re-seeding after each round.

 

[Las Panteras]

I am not sure I could survive another 2 month run of trying to determine what hotel gets the NBCSN, arranging travel and meetings so I can see the games and the games itself. I feel almost as drained as I am sure the players do.

Uh....yea....ok....

 

[pittdan77]

It's not like this group won't get a few more chances. Still a lot of good hockey left in a team that finally gets to rest. Disappointing but the Caps were better this year.

 

[rmf05]

I am very disappointed with the season. I thought this roster was loaded for a historic run to number 3. I still think it was. Yet, in retrospect, the roster has some weaknesses and this is the second year in a row where we are trending south. The worst part is that this team was never among the top 4-5 in the league at any point. There are a few more teams on the horizon poised to knock us a few more spots back into the pack. Its unbelievable that we've had Crosby, Malkin, Jagr and Lemiex over this recent stretch. Its been amazing watching the cup runs. Yet, I just can't shake the thought that with those four guys, 5 Cups is very disappointing.

This is still a good team. Yet, if we are to be a competitor next season, we need some seriously difficult issues fixed. It could be a painful off-season.

We need 2 top-pairing defensemen and there is nothing in the system. We also have an entire core of stars that is just too fragile.

 

[maxwell#1]

There is a very fine line between going home and advancing, puck go in instead of hitting the post we go to a game 7. The previous 2 years those were going our way, it takes a lot of everything including a bit of luck to win back to back cups. The Caps were the better team and if not for a meltdown in game one could have won it in 5. Pens have some work to do team just did not seem to mesh like past 2, like when they got Jerome and flamed out. Still a good year, regroup, refresh and get ready for next year.

 

[Saboteur]

I am very disappointed with the season. I thought this roster was loaded for a historic run to number 3. I still think it was. Yet, in retrospect, the roster has some weaknesses and this is the second year in a row where we are trending south. The worst part is that this team was never among the top 4-5 in the league at any point. There are a few more teams on the horizon poised to knock us a few more spots back into the pack. Its unbelievable that we've had Crosby, Malkin, Jagr and Lemiex over this recent stretch. Its been amazing watching the cup runs. Yet, I just can't shake the thought that with those four guys, 5 Cups is very disappointing.

This is still a good team. Yet, if we are to be a competitor next season, we need some seriously difficult issues fixed. It could be a painful off-season.

We need 2 top-pairing defensemen and there is nothing in the system. We also have an entire core of stars that is just too fragile.

With two Cups in 3 years I have a hard time calling any of our stars "fragile'. Let's just say they are human. I don't see any Big Ben types on our roster. Now that dude is fragile.

 

[rmf05]

I was thinking along the lines that we have been in the top spot or in the top 3 in man-games missed every year for nearly a decade. I don't think that its toughness as much as our style of play lends itself to being countered by physical play in return and our guys aren't big enough to stand up to it for very long. We need some tough-skilled help for our stars.