2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins
The Penguins are slowly and quietly developing into an incredibly cohesive team. In fact, they have signed some incredibly key players to their roster. It seems that Pittsburgh has decided that beefing up their team will pave the way to the playoffs – and they could be right. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, defenseman Ryan Whitney, and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury are definitely franchise players. To balance out their young faction, they have also taken steps to keep their veteran players like Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts and Sergei Gonchar – all adding up to a solid, balanced team on the ice. The Penguins aren’t quite Championship win level yet – but they are taking proactive steps to be one, and very soon.
Previous Seasons
Can the Pittsburgh Penguins, coming off a 3 year absence from the NHL playoffs and a disappointing 23 win season, re-ignite Penguins ticket holders with a trip to the postseason? The answer may lie in Sidney Crosby. Crosby, who's being hailed as the next NHL superstar, has risen through the ranks with superior performances at every level. He'll join Mario Lemieux and forward Mark Recchi to spearhead the Penguins attack. The 18-year old phenom has hockey fans in the steel city drooling over Pittsburgh Penguins tickets.
When the NHL decided to expand in 1967, Pittsburgh was an obvious choice for the league. Pittsburgh's last hockey team, known as the Pirates, was disbanded during the 1920's but a solid demand for ice hockey convinced the NHL to make a move. The new members of the NHL, known as the Pittsburgh Penguins, debuted in the Civic Arena, also known as "The Igloo" on October 11th, 1967, losing to the Montreal Canadiens. While not an overpowering team, the Penguins were competitive and benefited from the NHL's decision to place all six expansion teams in the new Western division. The Penguins finished their initial season at 27-34-13 and narrowly missed a playoff berth.
The Penguins broke the playoff barrier in their 3rd season, finishing the regular campaign at 26-38-12. A first round match up with the California Golden Seals went very well as the Penguins managed a 3 game sweep and advanced to the Western Finals. Losing the first pair of games to the St. Louis Blues put the Penguins in an 0-2 hole. Battling back, Pittsburgh managed to even the series, but eventually got knocked out in a six game series.
Throughout the 1970's and 1980's the Pittsburgh Penguins were an average team, making the playoffs with some regularity but never advancing to a conference final. That changed in 1991 and it changed with a bang. Heading into the 1990-91 season with a new head coach in Bob Johnson, the Penguins relied heavily on right wing Mark Recchi. Recchi, drafted by the Penguins in 1988, had a breakout year, almost doubling his previous year's production of 67 points. Midway through the season, the Penguins reloaded in a 3 player swap with the Hartford Whalers and the new additions pushed the Penguins to the franchise's first division championship with a 41-33-6 record. The Penguins advanced into the playoffs with wins over the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals. A six game series over the Boston Bruins sent the Penguins to their first ever Stanley Cup Finals where they prevailed over the Minnesota North Stars. The momentum carried over to the next season, and the Penguins again brought home the Stanley Cup with a sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Having hit paydirt with the NHL Lottery and their choice of Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins tickets have hockey fans in Pennsylvania dreaming of a return to the NHL playoffs and dare we say it? The Stanley Cup. That's a lot of pressure for a rookie and the fans at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, fondly known as "The Igloo" would do well to be patient. It's been over 10 years since the Penguins have hoisted the Stanley Cup, but things are definitely looking up and the optimism surrounding the NHL's newest wunderkind is making Pittsburgh Penguins tickets one of the hottest tickets in the NHL.
