1992 Penguins/Capitals

[c9777666]

I found this clip of that interesting series on YouTube (Man, whatever happened to Classic Series?):



I know Pittsburgh and Washington had met in the 1991 playoffs, but to me this series was what set the tone for PIT/WSH and what we've come to know- Blown leads on one side, WSH not protecting home-ice, PIT finding ways when it mattered, etc.

1991 was one of the few times where many felt WAS the inferior team in that series.

1992 was a different story.


Washington had an unexpectedly high-scoring offense (330 goals) when you look at their roster (Dmitri Khristich of all people scored 36 goals), scoring enough goals for Don Beaupre to win plenty of high-scoring games- he won 29 times in 1991-92 and was a Wales Conference All-Star goalie.

They had the 2nd best record in the league (Detroit also had 98 points, but Washington had more wins), the last time to date the team that had the 2nd best record in the league did not have 100 points as a team.


Pittsburgh dealt with adversity that season- none more than the tragic death of Badger Bob Johnson who had guided them to their first ever Cup in 1991.

Scotty Bowman took over as the interim coach (Not a lot of people remember he was in the Penguins front office for the 1990-91 Cup).


Lemieux missed some games, but still won the Art Ross with 131 points. Interestingly, his 44 goals were the 2nd fewest of his 100-point seasons behind the 43 he had as a rookie in 1984-85

Kevin Stevens had that famous 50+ goal 200+ penalty minute season, Jagr scored 30 goals for the first of 15 straight seasons, Joe Mullen bounced back from a subpar 1991 to score 42 goals (including 2 consecutive 4-goal games), Larry Murphy had 77 points- more than enough firepower even with Lemieux's 18 games missed, Tom Barrasso not having a super season (29-22-2), and a surprisingly subpar season from Ron Francis (21-33-54 in 70 games).


There was also the Recchi/Coffey trades that essentially landed them Wregget/Tocchet/Kjell Samuellson.

And there was a surprisingly subpar 39-32-9 regular season record. They actually had the same number of points as (87) as 4th place New Jersey, but won 1 more game for the tiebreaker.


Lemieux missed game 1 and WAS won a surprisingly low-scoring 3-1 game.

He came back in game 2, but WAS won again 6-2.


Mario then exploded for a 3-goal 3-assist night in a must-win 6-4 game 3 win.

Dino Ciccarelli would return the favor with 4 goals in a surprising 7-2 game 4 blowout.

Considering Washington had gotten past the first round the previous 2 years (and 6 of the previous 9 years), you'd think they were in good shape (the 2nd round had been their bigger bugaboo in that era).

But they had famously blown a 3-1 series lead in the '87 playoffs (Easter Epic) and with the Capitals, at times it seemed not so much that they had a series lead, but how they could find another way to lose it.


Sure enough...........

Game 5. Bob Errey of all people scored twice as did Bryan Trottier in a 5-2 game 5 win.

Game 6- Washington jumped out early as they had in game 4 (4-2 lead midway through the 2nd period) but Lemieux came up big again- 2 goals, 3 assists, 5 points.

Game 7- If anyone knows the history of Washington Capitals home game 7's (They have had only 4 road game 7s compared to nearly a dozen at home), it was not one of confidence. Sure enough, Pittsburgh came up big. Lemieux/Jagr/Mullen tallied in a 3-1 win.


This if anything was the start of the Pittsburgh hex over Washington IMO despite this not being their first playoff rodeo. Save for a 5-game series in 2000, their series history of Washington looking good at times early, falling behind, and finding a way to not win in big spots really began here. In fact, that 2000 series is the only time Pittsburgh has ever gone up 3-0 on the Caps.

Besides Lemieux's absurd greatness (17 points in 6 games!) and Washington again finding a way to not find a way, one thing about this series that is famous was Scotty Bowman changed from a 2-1-2 forecheck to a 1-4 defense. Save for the 4-2 start in game 6, Washington- with an aforementioned #2 scoring offense- scored only 3 times in their last 2 home games.


What are your recollections of this series?

How surprised were you by the way the series ebbed and flowed? Did Pittsburgh seem to be hitting a wall before the comeback? What was the big key/turning point for their comeback?

And who wins the 1992 Cup if Pittsburgh doesn't comeback and we get Washington/NY Rangers/Boston vs. Chicago in the Cup Final?

Click to read more...

 

[The Panther]

Yeah, those Classic Series shows are great! Love 'em.

In spring 1991, I wasn't paying too much attention to the Pens/Caps' series because I was focused on the Edmonton-Calgary first-round bloodbath, and I was mowing my vice-Principal's lawn for $20 a pop. But I do remember the Caps going up 3-1 and thinking, "The Pens' choke again!". And then I remember Pittsburgh coming back to win it in game 7.

That has to be one of the biggest series in Pens' franchise history. I mean, that is the one that galvanized the team towards its first Cup. Can you imagine if they'd lost that one -- as they nearly did? That would have been 5 of 6 seasons missing playoffs (with Mario), and then a sub-par 1990-91 season followed by a first-round loss to Washington... with Bowman at the helm. I mean, big firings and trades probably would have occurred.

 

[Iapyi]

I just remember M Lemiuex really stepping up his game. It seemed like a lot of those playoff series between the east coast teams always being unpredictable.

 

[Kyle McMahon]

Yeah, those Classic Series shows are great! Love 'em.

In spring 1991, I wasn't paying too much attention to the Pens/Caps' series because I was focused on the Edmonton-Calgary first-round bloodbath, and I was mowing my vice-Principal's lawn for $20 a pop. But I do remember the Caps going up 3-1 and thinking, "The Pens' choke again!". And then I remember Pittsburgh coming back to win it in game 7.

That has to be one of the biggest series in Pens' franchise history. I mean, that is the one that galvanized the team towards its first Cup. Can you imagine if they'd lost that one -- as they nearly did? That would have been 5 of 6 seasons missing playoffs (with Mario), and then a sub-par 1990-91 season followed by a first-round loss to Washington... with Bowman at the helm. I mean, big firings and trades probably would have occurred.

I think you've got some seasons mixed up here. Pittsburgh defeated Washington in 5 games in 1991, going on the win the Cup. 1992 is the year in question. Had the Penguins lost this series it hardly would have been a choke, seeing as Washington finished 11 points ahead of them.

It is interesting to wonder how things shake out if Pittsburgh doesn't come back though, it has quite the possible butterfly effect.

Do the Rangers end up winning the Cup in 92? If they do, you'd have to think they maybe don't make all those subsequent trades that won the Cup in 1994 but cost them Weight and Amonte among others.

Maybe Chicago wins it, ending their long drought. The legacy of Jeremy Roenick certainly changes. Maybe Belfour never eventually ends up in Dallas.

If the Capitals go on to win, the whole chokers stigma that has dogged the franchise for 30 years probably never manifests. Maybe they win a Cup in recent years if that psychological cloud isn't hanging over their heads.

If Boston wins that Cup, Bourque almost certainly ends his career in Boston. Who knows if Colorado still wins down the road without him.

And if Lemieux retires with only one Cup in this alternate reality, what does it do to his legacy? Does it damage it enough that he is no longer a consensus top 4 player of all time?

 

[McGarnagle]

A lot of times when people make these threads about a cup winner escaping a close 7 game series earlier in the playoffs, it's pretty easy to reconstruct the rest of the playoffs and say that if X lost, then Y would win easily. But if the Pens lost to the Caps here, it's anybody's game. The Rangers, Capitals, Bruins, and Hawks all could've won that Cup if the Pens go out.

 

[Sticks and Pucks]

I think that would have been the Rangers' year. President's Trophy winner, Messier was the league MVP, Leetch won the Norris. The Rangers, with a proven winner as the captain, were ready to win that year.

 

[The Panther]

I think you've got some seasons mixed up here. Pittsburgh defeated Washington in 5 games in 1991, going on the win the Cup. 1992 is the year in question. Had the Penguins lost this series it hardly would have been a choke, seeing as Washington finished 11 points ahead of them.

You're right, I got the seasons mixed up.

However, it was actually 1992 I was talking about. I remember them going down 3-1 and thinking, "Wow, they're gonna go down early, despite winning the Cup last year" (it was them already being Cup champs that I forgot!). The thing is, they it wasn't even a close series when they were down 3-1. After four games, Washington was outscoring Pittsburgh 20-11.

So, yeah, Washington had a good team and it wouldn't have been a choke, as such, if the Pens had lost, but I think it would have been seen as a big disappointment. Washington may have had a 98-point season, but they were not really a dynamic line-up and I think Pittsburgh needed to beat them (as they did).

 

[blood gin]

Pittsburgh always seems to find a way against Washington except for 1994. Not sure exactly what was different in 1994.

But other than that one series it seems like every Penguins/Capitals series follows the same sort of pattern. And it's not ALWAYS 3-1 blown series leads though it's happened too often for Washington. But big Penguins OT wins. Washington coming within an eyelash of landing the knockout and letting Pitt off the hook. Washington having unusually bad luck in terms of posts and near misses. I wonder how much of this is just in the Capitals heads by now

in that 1992 series the Caps went up 2-0 in the series and had a lead in game 3 (2-1 after 1) lost it. Had a lead midway through game 5 (2-1 in the 2nd, lost it) had a lead in game 6 (4-2 midway in the 2nd, lost it). Any one of those games knocks Pittsburgh out but it just never happened.

 

[Rick Kehoe]

I think you've got some seasons mixed up here. Pittsburgh defeated Washington in 5 games in 1991, going on the win the Cup. 1992 is the year in question. Had the Penguins lost this series it hardly would have been a choke, seeing as Washington finished 11 points ahead of them.


And if Lemieux retires with only one Cup in this alternate reality, what does it do to his legacy? Does it damage it enough that he is no longer a consensus top 4 player of all time?

Don't know if it would have any real impact on his all-time great standing. Other legendary superstars, like Jim Brown in the NFL, and Willie Mays/Hank Aaron of MLB, each won a single league championship, and their legacy is intact.