If I gave the Edmonton Oilers five stars (https://www.yelp.com/biz/edmonton-oilers-edmonton?hrid=VFKRuylOzzWIrPhf_7E1dA), then I also have to give the Pittsburgh Penguins five stars. The Penguins and Oilers are tied in the number of Stanley Cup victories with five championships each. Only five NHL franchises can boast more Stanley Cup victories than the Penguins and Oilers. However, as I wrote in my review for the Oilers, those five franchises are part of the league's Original Six teams. It wasn't until the 1967 NHL expansion that the Penguins joined the league.
The Penguins, all time, are top 10 in the NHL in playoff win percentage. Of the team's six Stanley Cup Finals appearances, they've won five including two back-to-back titles: 1991 and 1992, 2009, and 2016 and 2017. That's an impressive 5-1 record (.833) in the Finals.
I was first exposed to the Penguins, and hockey in general, through stars like the Pens' Mario Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky. In the case of Lemieux, I distinctly remember his 1991 video game for the Sega Genesis, Mario Lemieux Hockey: https://youtu.be/lvbjzlYp7Y0. About a decade later, Lemieux would be the cover star of EA Sports' NHL 2002: https://youtu.be/JVZ1cqCbz3Y. Gretzky is known as "The Great One." Lemieux is known as "The Magnificent One."
Lemieux was the star of the Penguins' first two championship teams in 1991 and 1992. He was drafted by Pittsburgh with the 1st overall pick in the 1984 draft and played his entire NHL career with the Penguins. He retired in 2006. Over that time, Lemieux and Gretzky would set all the top 10 NHL records in single-season points and assists. As a player, Lemieux is as decorated as they get: a 12-time All-Star, two-time Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP (Conn Smythe Trophy), three-time regular season MVP (Hart Memorial Trophy), and rookie of the year (Calder Memorial Trophy).
"Super Mario" is currently the Penguins' principal team owner and chairman. Under his ownership, Pittsburgh won the 2009, 2016, and 2017 Stanley Cups. The star of the Pens during that successful stretch: "The Next One" Sidney Crosby. Like Lemieux, Crosby was drafted by Pittsburgh with the 1st overall pick in the draft (2005). Unlike Lemieux, Crosby has yet to be featured on the cover of an EA Sports NHL game (he probably could be if he wanted to).
Similar to his predecessor, Crosby is highly-decorated as well. He's an eight-time All-Star, two-time Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP, and two-time regular season MVP. He finished runner-up to the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin for rookie of the year in 2006. Crosby became the team captain starting with the 2007-08 season and in just two years, he became the youngest captain to win the Stanley Cup (2009). It's only a matter of time before he's inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame.
In 2012, Crosby signed a 12-year contract extension with the Penguins worth $104.4 million. The contract will see him through the 2024-25 season. Through the 2021-22 season, Crosby has played all 17 seasons of his NHL career for Pittsburgh. read more