Speculation: The HOLY CRAP WHAT A CRAZY SEASON appreciation station

[ncm7772]

Posted this in another thread, but think it's more appropriate here. Mods, feel free to delete if you feel it's necessary.

haven't posted much since the win, figured I have some downtime, so I'll go on a long diatribe. Kind of type out my feelings and predictions as the playoffs went on.

Pre-Playoffs
Letang being out for the season, Murray getting hurt (not announced, but we all knew the situation) vs NJ, Malkin being hurt, etc. Add in some other minor injuries, things look tougher. Also, although the Pens found a way to be the second best team in the regular season, which is awesome, they never really looked as good as they did last year. Sounds weird to a non-Pens fan, but we all discussed this here. Plus, having to face CBJ in the first round, even they got passed, I had zero faith that they'd beat the Caps. Then Murray gets hurt in warm-ups. I just didn't think they'd get passed the second round.

CBJ
I figured the Pens would advance, but was concerned about how Fleury was forced to stand on his head during this series. Was a little more confident though, seeing how good Fleury was combined with the fact that they dispatched CBJ in 5. Concerned though, about the poor starts in that series.

WAS
If you would've told me the Pens would win Games 1 and 2 in Washington, I'd have asked you which type(s) of hallucinogens you were using. Couldn't believe that. Was super excited, but knew the series was far from over. I obviously expected the worst after Crosby was concussed. Yet someone they won Game 4 and went up 3-1. Still wasn't super confident because of how good the Caps are. After Games 5 and 6, I literally had zero faith that they'd win Game 7. Shows how much I know. SO much respect for this team (especially Fleury) after this game. I knew they could win the Cup at this point.

OTT
Such a bizarre series this was, huh? Really could never get a read. Seemed like there was never a momentum carryover game-to-game. Expected the Pens to come out flat in Game 1 and they did. Game 2 was a stressor on my heart and hairline, but they found a way. Game 3, ugh. I knew it wasn't over, but I didn't like that game obviously. Had a bad feeling going into Game 6, and the nightmare came true. Pens had stomped the Sens in Game 5, only to have them claw back and force Game 7. In Game 7, I just had a weird feeling that the Pens would just find a way. And they did. My same hallucinogen analogy in regards to Kunitz scoring the GWG.

NAS
Expected this to a be a long and hard fought series, but I picked the Pens in 7. Knew they D corps was beastly, but obviously the Pens had a huge advantage up front, exacerbated by Johansen's injury. Had a blast in Pittsburgh during Game 2. Obviously thrilled to be up 2-0. But after Games 3 and 4, I honestly had a bad feeling. Thankfully, Sid turned into a man possessed the rest of the series, and the rest is history!

Man, still can't believe they're back to back Stanley Cup Champs! Never would've predicted that after the myriad of injuries they faced. Crosby, Murray, Fleury and Malkin did what stars do though, and lifted their team. Total team effort. And man, how about that bum-a** D squad? Those dudes have my full respect for what they were able to do. A bunch of 5th and 6th D-Men doing what they had to do to help their team win a Cup!

 

[EVGENIMERLIN]

I have to lump Sully coming aboard last season in with this cup run as my favorite sports fan experience ever.

I saw them play in Anaheim in December when Johnston was still a coach and it was the most boring, lifeless hockey I had ever seen. They were slow and totally mailing it in. They couldn't come back and win a game to save their life. I thought for sure it would take a massive overhaul to get them even deep into the playoffs.

Fast forward to 2 cups, tons of College free agents WANTING to be here, countless comebacks and exciting wins...it's beyond my wildest dreams. Even my girlfriend turned into a die hard over the last 3 seasons and gets defensive when people tell her the league rigged it for the Pens.

The winning attitude, the winning culture, the brotherhood in that locker room...it's been so fun to watch.

Mike Sullivan you are a GodSend

 

[pokey10]

I appreciate Chris Kunitz. I wonder if he is the one active nhl player with the most cups right now.

 

[Zero Pucks]

I appreciate that I no longer have to worry about 50 different superstitions throughout the week and can just relax with a smile on my face the rest of the summer.

 

[HuskerTornado]

Anyone know if they are going to live stream the parade somewhere? Not going to make it into town, but I'd love to watch some of it.

Parade will be carried in it's entirety on NHL Network.

Also local Pittsburgh stations' live streams
http://www.wpxi.com/live-stream
http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/video/channel/318-livestream/
http://www.wtae.com/nowcast

 

[pokey10]

Parade will be carried in it's entirety on NHL Network.

I heard that Gary Roberts will be there and he will be carrying the truck that has the cup on it. Its his pre-workout.

 

[pokey10]

Chris Kunitz

As of now, has the most cups of any active NHL'er.

 

[Voodoozz]

Better than Toews. AINEC

 

[#66]

Two good playoffs in a row. Happy hes proven to still be an effective player.

 

[ZeroPucksGiven]

I posted this on FB:

Holy hell... Back to back cups is something I'd never had predicted with this group.I started following the pens in 89 and got to witness back to back pretty early... Pretty spoiled. After last year's run I started just appreciating how fortunate it is to have 2 legit superstars on your team at the same time. Last years team was special in terms of just outplaying by a large margin, their opponents. This year with Letang gone I thought winning one round was doable, after all they had Murray. Then Murray goes down before Game 1. Then everyone else starts dropping like flies. The defense isn't anything to write home about. Every time I thought this team was tired and done for they pulled a horseshoe out of their *****. Mike Sullivan is at least the second best coach in the league. If he says the world is flat, I think I'm gonna believe him. And No matter what anyone says there's a little bit of luck whenever you win a championship and this is no different. Man what a year its been. Shout out to my girlfriend for tolerating a ton of playoff hockey over this time lol

 

[vodeni]

I appreciate that I no longer have to worry about 50 different superstitions throughout the week and can just relax with a smile on my face the rest of the summer.

same here. It was exhausting trying to track my every move, what to drink, eat, what to watch throughout the playoffs to ensure the stars are aligned.

 

[DegenX]

I am soooooooooooo appreciative of the fact that I don't have to listen to Steigy next season

 

[Big McLargehuge]

The weirdest superstition I've ever had came about in this run...I've had a drinking bird, erm...drinking since Game 1 against Columbus. I just so happened to get it at that time (blame getting Homer Simpsons' 'It's drinking the water!' line) and because we kept winning, I kept it going. The beak is turning white from the tap water

 

[CertifiedLurker]

Crosby and Malkin, not sure what needs to be said. They are who they are and we win because of who they are.

Kessel took a step back but I still expect him to be the impact player he is.

Hags, see Kessel.

Bonino, see Hags.

This is actually crazy to me, to imply like Kessel wasn't an impact player this post-season and to group him in with the likes of Bonino and Hagelin, who by all means actually did struggle, although they did manage to get it done in other ways.

Was he as good as he was last year? No, he was absolutely dominant last year. But I mean give me a break, some people act like he was barely there. His finals were disappointing but at the same time he produced about the same as he did last year in the post-season and had 2 GWG. The playoffs are 16 W's long and he was a huge part of a lot of the wins up to the finals. This fanbase is actually spoiled as hell from getting watch Malkin/Crosby/Jagr/Lemieux on a regular basis. Points are points and the facts are he still put up 23 in 25, that undoubtedly had an impact, he'll never be as consistent or impactful as Malkin/Crosby when they're on their game (which they obviously were) but at the same time, he's there to ease their burden, that's exactly what he did/does. Enjoy the Cup.

 

[Pancakes]

I will disagree. 2016 is my favorite Penguin team of all time. That was cementing a legacy and going through all the pain to come out a champion once again. 2017 was a team that just closed the door on any crazy doubters that remained. 2017 was the cherry on top, but 2016 was the ultimate win, IMO.

But there is no right or wrong here. It's awesome either way. When things slow down I have like 4-5 thread ideas. This will be one of them. Because the 91 team meant a lot to me, too. I was 5-6 years old and I'll never ever forget seeing the Stanley Cup. It's way different as an adult, but that memory is what drove me to love the game forever.

I can respect that opinion. To me, 2017 is more special. Back to backs is just insane. A second Smythe for Sid is just insane. And we did it without the mythical new coach bump. This wasn't a team that underperformed and then had a coach snap them out of it for a few months. This was a team that from start to finish was elite. We had a dominant regular season, and while our playoff run wasn't as pretty as last year it was still impressive and we showed a lot of heart.

This one is historic too. Nobody else has done back to back Cups in the Salary Cap era. It might be a long time before anyone does it again. And like you said this one erased any last doubters of this team. Maybe people just say we got hot at the right time last year. But nobody can dare say that about two Cup wins in a row. And we beat the best team in the league twice en route to these titles.

Twenty years from now we as fans and others around the league will still look back and say hey remember that time Pittsburgh won twice in a row? This type of thing just does not happen. It's exceedingly rare and special.

 

[Pancakes]

The weirdest superstition I've ever had came about in this run...I've had a drinking bird, erm...drinking since Game 1 against Columbus. I just so happened to get it at that time (blame getting Homer Simpsons' 'It's drinking the water!' line) and because we kept winning, I kept it going. The beak is turning white from the tap water

What'd you set it up to keep hitting the W key instead of the L key?

 

[cygnus47]

I am soooooooooooo appreciative of the fact that I don't have to listen to Steigy next season

I'd forgotten about that. Double win

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

The weirdest superstition I've ever had came about in this run...I've had a drinking bird, erm...drinking since Game 1 against Columbus. I just so happened to get it at that time (blame getting Homer Simpsons' 'It's drinking the water!' line) and because we kept winning, I kept it going. The beak is turning white from the tap water

I think you've got bigger problems than a weird superstition if your tap water is corroding whatever material the bird is made out of.

 

[ncm7772]

As of now, has the most cups of any active NHL'er.

So bizarre.

Better than Toews. AINEC

So true, haha.

I posted this on FB:

Holy hell... Back to back cups is something I'd never had predicted with this group.I started following the pens in 89 and got to witness back to back pretty early... Pretty spoiled. After last year's run I started just appreciating how fortunate it is to have 2 legit superstars on your team at the same time. Last years team was special in terms of just outplaying by a large margin, their opponents. This year with Letang gone I thought winning one round was doable, after all they had Murray. Then Murray goes down before Game 1. Then everyone else starts dropping like flies. The defense isn't anything to write home about. Every time I thought this team was tired and done for they pulled a horseshoe out of their *****. Mike Sullivan is at least the second best coach in the league. If he says the world is flat, I think I'm gonna believe him. And No matter what anyone says there's a little bit of luck whenever you win a championship and this is no different. Man what a year its been. Shout out to my girlfriend for tolerating a ton of playoff hockey over this time lol

For sure, we'll spoiled. Agreed with what you said at the end, feel just as thankful towards my wife!

The weirdest superstition I've ever had came about in this run...I've had a drinking bird, erm...drinking since Game 1 against Columbus. I just so happened to get it at that time (blame getting Homer Simpsons' 'It's drinking the water!' line) and because we kept winning, I kept it going. The beak is turning white from the tap water

No shame in being superstitious. Well, to an extent. My superstition levels border on mental illness. Gotta keep drinking whatever liquor or beer is working, always the same pre game rituals, funny stuff.

 

[Darth Vitale]

I appreciate Ian Cole. That guy has turned into a phenomenal defenseman over the last 2 years. He brings it every single game.

I think what differentiates this team from most is that we have guys who show up when games matter. Hornqvist, Bonino, Dumoulin, Murray, Cole, Rust...they all show up when the playoffs start. Nothing that happens is too big for them. That's a huge reason why we are sitting here now.

Seconded.

 

[Darth Vitale]

I am soooooooooooo appreciative of the fact that I don't have to listen to Steigy next season

Wait.... you mean.......................... [searches interwebs] Holy ****ing ****balls!! No more Steigy! Oh man. This year keeps getting better. I never watch the Pens' feed because of that nimrod, I always watch the alternate feed. I had no idea he got replaced / is about to be replaced. lol

Best post-Cup news ever!! Next up: someone ****-can Rob Rossi.

 

[Bart9349]

Being older than most folks at this site, I recommend enjoying the moment and embracing the moment. Moments like this in life are so few and far between.




Bob Johnston passed before the Pens got their second cup the next year.

 

[Peat]

No shame in being superstitious. Well, to an extent. My superstition levels border on mental illness. Gotta keep drinking whatever liquor or beer is working, always the same pre game rituals, funny stuff.

Sometimes it's almost a mercy when we lose a game and I can shelf a superstition.

 

[BmxHockey]

The craziest part is we managed to win a Cup without replacing a coach halfway through the season.

Next stop - winning at home!

No doubt. Coaching is key. This was a season where there were rare moments the team was firing on all 8, most of the playoffs was barely 6. Coaching was the difference maker. Adjustments were actually made. Like game 5 final.

 

[madinsomniac]

I teally enjoyed the salt we kept piling up... the more they said we couldn't the more we did... we effectively trolled all the haters in a glorious once in a lifetime way.... i mean everything from the way the game sevens ended to hornqvist effectively ending Nashville was just trollerific...