Pittsburgh Penguins Repeat as Stanley Cup Champions. The Pittsburgh Penguins won their fifth Stanley Cup title when they defeated the Nashville Predators 2-0 in game six of the NHL finals to take the series 4-2. They are now tied with the Edmonton Oilers as the teams with the most titles among teams that are not a part of the original six. They also became the first team to win consecutive championships in nineteen years. But how did the Penguins win this championship? How has the victory affected the city of Pittsburgh? And what are the chances of the Penguins achieving a three-peat? The Penguins had an efficient regular season, with a record of 50 wins, 21 defeats and 11 overtime defeats and garnered a total of 111 points. They were second to the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference. It did not get any easier for the team in the play-offs, but they ended with a record of 16 wins and 9 losses. They were taken to two consecutive game sevens by the Washington Capitals and the Ottawa Senators, yet with unwavering resilience they survived. Throughout the season, the Penguins were plagued with a few injuries and their best defenseman, Kris Letang missed the entire playoffs. However, their big players stood up in the play-offs and conquered everything that was thrown at them. The team captain Sidney Crosby led from the front with 27 points and was named Play-off MVP, winning the Conn Smyth trophy for the second consecutive year. He was ably supported by Eugeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and goalie Matt Murray who had 2 consecutive shutouts in the crucial games 5 and 6 of the finals. By and large, the victory by the Penguins was largely due to team cohesion, perseverance and the genius of Sidney Crosby, often regarded as the best player in the league.
2017 STANLEY CUP CHAMPS
The victory by the Penguins had a profound effect on the city of Pittsburgh. The euphoria and hysteria in the city were highlighted when 650,000 fans turned up for the team parade. This was the largest sports parade in the history of Pittsburgh! This shows the power of sports to galvanize people, and it highlights the burden to win that sports teams often carry. The “feel good� effect in Pittsburgh will probably last for the entire post-season; however, the people of Pittsburgh will expect the same level of performance from the team next season. The onus is therefore on the team to keep focused and hungry to ensure that they do not disappoint the fans. In addition to the euphoria, the back to back championships by the Penguins have resulted in heightened interest in hockey among the youth in the city. Enrolment in hockey programmes has increased and more youths are playing hockey now compared to a few years ago. The future of the Penguins hockey team is bright! The superlative performance of the Penguins over the past two years have resulted in them been regarded as one of the favorite teams to win the championship next season and complete an unprecedented three-peat. A three-peat has only been achieved once in the history of the Stanley Cup which shows how difficult it is to attain. The Penguins have some of the best players in the league in, Sidney Crosby, Eugeni Malkin, Phil Kessel and Kris Letang. If the team continue to play to their full potential, there is no reason why they cannot achieve the elusive three-peat and etch themselves in Stanley Cup history. We wait with bated breath on the 2017-2018 season!
OE Magazine