image: Zuma Press

The truth is that back during the 2008-2009 season, I was really worried when they gave Michel Therrien the boot with 25 games left and put Bylsma behind the bench.  I hadn’t heard of him before and I wondered if this was the equivalent of playoff suicide but they went on to post a 18-3-4 record down the stretch and defied a lot of odds to go head-to-head with the Detroit Red Wings.

They ended up losing, of course, but I think that the loss was important.  I think that this team of young players needed to gain experience and overcome the serious disappointment that comes along with coming so close but walking away empty-handed.

I know some people still call Sidney Crosby a whiner but I don’t see a baby anymore when I look at him.  I think he’s earned his captaincy.  Yeah, he’s not perfect and still does the occasional douche move but who doesn’t, really?  Crosby is an incredible player and, more importantly, he got drafted to a seriously crappy team and helped turn things around.  He’s not like the Dany Heatley and Marian Hossas of the world who jump ship when their team is struggling and his dedication to the Penguins has earned my respect.

When you look at the fact that he and Evgeni Malkin have clearly formed an incredible alliance and definitely work well together, it’s hard to believe that, barring injury, this team won’t do well again next season.  I do think they might regret not fighting to keep Rob Scuderi but I could be wrong.

What do you think?  With Crosby, Malkin, Jordan Staal and goalie, Marc-André Fleury, I think they could easily win their division again as long as everyone stays healthy.  If they do manage to win the Cup again, they will be the first team to celebrate back-to-back wins since the Red Wings did it in 1997 and 1998.

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I wanted them to have another chance at winning the Cup but a rematch seemed so unlikely.  When it finally happened, I couldn’t believe it.  I really hoped that the Penguins wouldn’t meet the same fate as they did in 2008 and towards the end of this year’s finals, I wondered if they had it in them to stave off a team like the Detroit Red Wings.

Anyway, I could go on and on about it but this great DVD set highlights some incredible plays by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-André Fleury, Jordan Staal and, of course, the rest of the amazing team.  They really pulled together and made this happen.

I’m also really interesting in watching the interviews with the players and coaches as well as seeing the exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage.

image: Amazon

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image: Zuma Press

I know that with the slumping economy, cities like Pittsburgh have really suffered so I can’t even imagine how much the Penguins and Steelers’ victories mean to them.  Mayor Luke Ravenstahl summed it up nicely: “No words can describe the history-making comeback achieved by our team.  No one believed that this could be done, that we could win on the road and defy history, and that the League’s youngest captain could make it happen.  On Monday, let’s show the world how the ‘City of Champions’ welcomes home their Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.”

I know that hockey isn’t as popular in the U.S. as it is in Canada but, hopefully, the Penguins will get a big turnout.  I know that more than 300,000 people showed up for the Steelers so even if the Pens got a third of that, it would be amazing.

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