It’s been roughly 7 hours since Cam York floated a puck from the blue line and brought the Penguins big three era to what might be its quiet end. That puck floated through the air as if it had eyes. It found its way to Silovs, kissed the post, and went into the net. The Penguins had three pucks hit iron in this game and none of them bounced back their way. For almost 80 minutes of scoreless action, the game hung in the balance. Then it didn’t.
First and foremost, Silovs was absolutely amazing in this game. Several looks should have went into the net, including one from Porter Martone moments before the game winner was scored.
It’s a shame that the final goal of this series came from the deepest part of the offensive zone because it was something that notably troubled Arty all season long. He was so acrobatic in this game, and really all around so good, that it was depressing to see him get beat in such a familiar way.
The most depressing part of this singular game was the Penguins inability to score. Credit to Dan Vladar because the Penguins pushed in overtime. They really pushed. In overtime, they enjoyed their best looks of the entire series. Despite those chances, Vladar shut the door. The Penguins were the better team last night, but that matters not whenever you cannot get one past the opposing goaltender. As mentioned above, the team hit several posts in this game but didn’t do enough in terms of generating traffic in front of Vladar and earning a greasy goal. It’s a really tough pill to swallow. The better team did not win this series in my opinion, but the better team didn’t start playing like themselves until they were down 3-0 in the series.
As you have probably seen, I have not and will not attach the game winning goal. I still vehemently hate the city of Philadelphia, its fans, and every single player who wears that disgusting jersey. I’m sure all those fake tough scumbags in that city are ready to talk shit, and they did unfortunately earn the right to do so. However, that team still hasn’t won a Stanley Cup in 50 years. They are a joke and in mere days they will likely be punished by the Carolina Hurricanes. Nothing about this series changes my view on the team in orange, they are still a long way away from being any sort of relevant. Their fans are as whiny as ever. Quite the pot calling the kettle black with those dimwits from Eastern Pennsylvania. I have never heard a fanbase complain about refs and rough stuff so much. Yet they are supposedly embracing “scumbag hockey” but don’t dare play that type of game to their precious team. What a hypocritical bunch of morons that live in that drug engulfed city.
As usual when the season closes without the Penguins winning the cup, I am drowning with sadness. However, I am usually excited for what could happen in the offseason. I love trades, I love free agent signings, and I love the draft. When a team doesn’t win it all, changes are inevitable. This year is different though. While there is plenty of time to discuss the future, the past is what everyone is thinking about. Two decades of the big three may have quietly came to a close last night. No trade will heal the sting of that outcome. No draft pick short of Gavin McKenna will inspire the amount of hope that Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang provided to the Pittsburgh faithful for the past twenty years. Every signing that is announced won’t feel right if number 71 isn’t awarded a new deal. Yet, we may be heading down that path. Maybe it’s a path that should have been taken already, and there are plenty of people who think that way. I have never thought that way though. Crosby, Malkin, and Letang created the greatest trio in North American sports history. Their combined forces helped define my, and many others, youth. They came together and brought the city of Pittsburgh three Stanley Cups. Malkin, his broken English, and fiery play always resonated with this city on such a deep level. In October of next year when the team is announced before the first game if Geno’s name isn’t bellowed from announcer, it will be one of the strangest experiences of my life. At some point it was always going to end, but it feels so odd that it may end this way. No proper thank you could be delivered to Geno because he badly wants to keep playing. His last potential game was played in the worst city in America with no “GENO GENO GENO” chants beckoning from the fans in attendance. It sucks if this is the way it ends. For Letang, unlike Malkin, his play might have ended his tenure in the big three. The Chris Bosh of the Penguins big three battled through so many career threatening injuries to help deliver glory to this city that I hope the fanbase sets aside the past two years and remembers how vital he was to this team. For so many years the two previously mentioned, and of course Crosby, donned letters proudly on their jerseys. It’s possible that only one of those letters will remain when training camp opens in September. The most frightening thing is those three share such a bond, literally playing together for more than half their lives, it’s possible that all three decide to step away. Crosby of course loves Pittsburgh and wants to play here his entire career, but will he be as pained as the fans if his two brothers are no longer lining up next to him when the team is announced in October? Hopefully for our sake, that doesn’t happen, but it is well within the realm of possibility. Dan Muse getting choked up when asked about the big three, and Sid’s quote about them being family, doesn’t lead me to believe there is much hope that all three will be skating together next season.
There will be plenty of time to find out what happens going forward with this team, but for now I do want to emphasize that I am so proud to be a Pittsburgh Penguins fan. This season was filled with amazing moments. The team brought in new and exciting players like Kindel and Chinakhov. They far exceeded expectations. Outside of a two-week stretch in April, they provided a hell of a lot of happiness this year. So maybe it was the end of an era, but at least they did so by producing some magic for the fans one last time. Even Letang got his shine with back-to-back game winners in the playoffs. Maybe it was the end of an era, but it was an era that I am damn proud to have experienced.
I will continue to blog about the playoffs going forward. Plenty of storylines to follow and we are days away from McDavid potentially ending his Oilers era in embarrassing fashion. I will also have plenty of thoughts about the Penguins upcoming offseason which obviously might include saying goodbye to at least 1/3 of the big three.
It has always been and always will be Let’s Go Pens.
Only for Pittsburgh, always with Sid.
