This presumably increases the chance he stays in Dallas, right? Or does this force Dallas to shed salary elsewhere throughout their roster? I wonder what Dubas thinks of this move.
Am I the only one who thought this woman couldn't say no to this proposal because of the implication?
Stuart Skinner signed with Winnipeg. I will always appreciate the work he did for the short time he was here and for helping the Penguins get rid of Jarry. Best wishes to him!
On July 1, 2015, Phil Kessel was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Kessel, who needed to get away from the toxicity of the Toronto market became arguably the best acquisition GM Jim Rutherford made during his tenure in Pittsburgh. He's still a beloved figure in Penguins lore.
The immediate impact was enormous for the Penguins. He was productive. He was incredibly clutch. He was part of the HBK line that eviscerated the Capitals and Lightning especially. Kessel aguably could have won the Conn Smythe Trophy in the 2016 playoffs.
Praise be!
As if we needed another reason to be excited about what Dubas and Company did do far.
Who else is checking constantly to see what the Penguins are going to do?
As if we didn't need another reason to always love Phil Kessel! This is an amazing story.
Ten years ago today, the Penguins took a commanding 2-0 series lead in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final. This OT win showed the brilliance of Sidney Crosby! It was another example of Crosby impacting a game in ways that don't always show up on the scoresheet.
After controlling much of Game 1, Pittsburgh found itself locked in a tense, low-scoring battle with the Sharks. Both goaltenders were outstanding. Matt Murray continued to look unfazed by the biggest stage imaginable, while Martin Jones repeatedly denied quality Pittsburgh chances to keep San Jose alive.
The game remained scoreless until midway through the second period when Phil Kessel gently tipped in a shot from Bonino that was already headed into the net. (Carl Hagelin's stick lift was practically poetry in motion and a textbook example of how to forecheck an opponent into oblivion.)
The Sharks finally broke through in the third period when Justin Braun tied the game at 1-1, silencing Consol Energy Center and forcing overtime.
Despite Pittsburgh carrying the play for long stretches, the game suddenly felt like it could swing either way. San Jose had weathered the storm and was one shot away from stealing home-ice advantage.
Then came one of the most memorable moments of Conor Sheary's rookie season. Just 2:35 into overtime, Sidney Crosby won an offensive-zone faceoff and the plan he put together followed script.
The puck found its way to Sheary, who snapped a perfectly placed wrist shot past Jones to send the building into chaos. Patric Hörnqvist delivered another incredible goalie screen on the goal.His faceoff win and quick thinking helped create the opening that ended the game.
One of the lasting storylines from this game is how effectively Pittsburgh smothered San Jose. The Penguins outshot the Sharks 30-22 and once again dictated the pace with their speed and relentless forecheck. Through two games, San Jose had struggled to generate sustained offense, while Pittsburgh's depth, structure, and transition game continued to overwhelm them.
Looking back ten years later, Game 2 feels like one of the defining moments of the series. The Sharks desperately needed a split before heading back to California, but the Penguins refused to give them one. You can see the determination and competitiveness on Sid's face in the one GIF.
Crosby supplied the setup, and Sheary supplied the finish.
Two games down. Two wins. Two victories away from bringing the Stanley Cup back to Pittsburgh for the first time since 2009.
Ten years ago today, the Penguins kicked off the 2016 Stanley Cup Final, and Nick Bonino (and his last name) earned a permanent place in Pittsburgh sports history.
The Penguins were back in the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 2009. Pittsburgh came out flying, controlling play from the opening puck drop and jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first period thanks to goals from Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary.
Sheary's goal was a perfect example of what made that team special. Sidney Crosby's relentless skating and puck pursuit created the opening, and the rookie buried his chance to give the Penguins a two-goal cushion. (I still marvel at the ice shavings Crosby created right before his pass to Sheary.) Also, the screen by Patric Hörnqvist on that goal was a thing of beauty. Jones had no shot at seeing the puck!
The Sharks managed only four shots in the opening period and looked overwhelmed by Pittsburgh's speed. But as they would throughout that playoff run, the Sharks pushed back. Tomas Hertl scored on the power play early in the second period before Patrick Marleau tied the game late in the frame.
Suddenly, what had looked like a dominant Penguins performance was deadlocked at 2-2 heading into the third.
Then came one of the most memorable goals of the entire Cup run. With 2:33 remaining, a seemingly insignificant detail changed everything.
Brent Burns lost his stick below the goal line. Kris Letang immediately recognized the opportunity and held onto the puck just a fraction longer. Instead of forcing a play, Letang patiently waited and threaded an absolutely perfect pass through the chaos.
The puck slipped past both Burns and former Penguin Paul Martin, who was caught puck-watching for just a split second, and landed right on the tape of Nick Bonino in the slot. Bonino quickly snapped it over Martin Jones' blocker to give Pittsburgh a 3-2 lead.
Ten years later, I still find myself amazed by Letang's pass as much as Bonino's finish.
That goal perfectly captures what made those back-to-back championship teams so dangerous. Everyone remembers the stars, but championships are often decided by the smallest details. A lost stick. A missed assignment. A fortunate bounce. A split-second decision.
Think about Crosby's overtime winner in Game 2 against Tampa Bay in the Eastern Conference Final. Think about Fleury's unbelievable save on Alex Ovechkin in the final seconds of Game 7 against Washington in 2017. Think about Zach Werenski taking a puck to the face in Game 3 against Columbus, allowing Pittsburgh to maintain possession and eventually score the tying goal.
Over and over again, the margins were razor thin, and the Penguins consistently found ways to capitalize when those moments appeared.
This series was also peak Kris Letang. For all the criticism he has received throughout his career, Letang was an absolute force during the 2016 run.
Little known fact: Letang finished the Final with a point on all four Pittsburgh game-winning goals and was driving play every single night. The pass on Bonino's winner wasn't just a great assist; it was a superstar defenseman recognizing an opportunity before anyone else on the ice and executing it perfectly.
As for Bonino, he was exactly the type of player championship teams need. He centered the HBK Line, played in every situation, blocked shots, won key faceoffs, and always seemed to score when the moment demanded it. Pittsburgh never truly replaced him after he left. The search for a third-line center eventually led to the Derick Brassard trade, which never came close to delivering what Bonino provided. Bonino wasn't flashy, but he fit the identity of those teams perfectly and was one of the most important players of the back-to-back era.
Ten years later, the goal still brings a smile to my face.
Ten years ago today, the Penguins came all the way back from a 3-2 series deficit against the defending Eastern Conference Champion Tampa Bay Lightning and delivered one of the most complete Game 7 wins of the Crosby era.
Just like reversing the 8-straight overtime losses earlier in the spring, the Penguins had to slay another enormous dragon to complete the comeback to go to the Stanley Cup Final. Pittsburgh had dropped five straight Game 7s at home, including a 1-0 loss to Tampa Bay in 2011, a series where both Crosby and Malkin missed due to injury.
The energy at PPG Paints Arena was tight, to say the least. Vasilevskiy, a revelation while filling in for the injured Vezina Trophy finalist Ben Bishop, spent most of the series stopping barrage after barrage of chances and shots as Pittsburgh controlled the puck and the pace of play for long stretches.
A scoreless opening period made things feel even tighter as the game entered the second period tied 0-0. Just under two minutes into the second period, Bryan Rust scored one of the prettiest goals imaginable, picking the corner of the net to beat Andrei Vasilevskiy and giving Pittsburgh a 1-0 lead.
Drouin's fourth goal of the series tied it at 9:36 of the second period; it was a wicked wrist shot from the circle that zipped past Murray and seemed to blunt Pittsburgh's momentum.
All of 30 seconds later, the Penguins were back in front. Ben Lovejoy's slap shot from the point caromed off the end boards to the right of the net. Rust jabbed at it, squeezing it between Vasilevskiy's left arm and his body. Bryan Rust also earned the moniker of Mr. Game 7 that night!
A lot of people forget Matt Murray was benched earlier in the series before Game 5. Marc-Andre Fleury, who hadn't played in 50 days, lost the net before Game 6, allowing Murray the chance to come back. Murray showed the mettle and moxie of a 10-year veteran once he came back! With their season on the brink, Murray didn't waver. His teammates in front of him kept Tampa Bay from getting in his way, and when the final horn blared, Pittsburgh's comeback and metamorphosis was complete.
That game was one of the defining moments of the 2016 Cup run because it showed exactly what that team was about. Speed. Structure. Relentless pressure. Star power mixed with young players completely embracing the moment. Two rookies played starring roles to secure the thrilling victory.
Bryan Rust scoring twice in Game 7 against Tampa Bay still feels like one of the coolest “arrival moments” any Penguins player has ever had.
Sidney Crosby touched the Prince of Wales Trophy. The Penguins are 5-0 in the Stanley Cup when their captain touches the Prince of Wales Trophy and 0-1 when he doesn't.
35 years ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins won their first Stanley Cup. By the time the 3rd period started, the rest of the game was a formality. It's still incredibly odd knowing you just have to watch the clock tick down to see your team win the Championship.
This championship resonated on so many levels. The first reason is because the impossible became possible!
The 80s were brutal to the City as a whole! On the sports side, it was the City's first championship since 1979.
The team that was known for blowing a 3-0 series lead to the Islanders finally reached the mountaintop by manhandling their opponent in the clinching game by a score of 8-0.
The team that once went bankrupt and who was criticized for wasting the potential of an all-time great in Mario Lemieux, invested in other players to put around him so he could lead his team to the Promised Land. Remember, Lemieux wasn't certain to ever play again during the previous off-season.
Between the payroll and the brilliance of Craig Patrick, the Penguins took flight before our eyes. They became a model franchise in the blink of an eye it seemed!
A coach with almost unbelievably overwhelming positivity proved that caring about players is far more motivational than anything else. Badger Bob changed this franchise and City in one season!
The City of Pittsburgh fell in love with this team and this team embraced every bit of affection the fans gave them. 40,000 people going to the airport to greet the team couldn't happen today. But, I will never forget the City losing its collective mind being so happy.
A few things to note on the media:
Ulf Samuelsson scoring the Cup-winning goal wasn't on anyone's bingo card.
The pass from Larry Murphy to Mario Lemieux for the 2nd goal of the game, which was shorthanded, is still the most insane angle of a pass to spring him for a breakaway I can remember. (I met Larry Murphy in person and asked him about this. He laughed and said Mario and Coffey used to do crazier things in practice.)
The sheer joy on Mario's face is moving. This was a man who had his career threatened in the off-season because of a herniated disk and an infection from surgery. He was always compared to Gretzky and was disrespected by the Toronto media far too often! (The 1989 Hart Memorial Trophy being the most blatant example.) Watching him have this moment was so cool! He will always be a Pittsburgh icon for many reasons and the Cups are a big reason why. Hearing Mike Lange talk about Mario having his moment in the broadcast really hit home.
9 years ago today, Chris Kunitz scored the most important goal of his career when he potted the winner in double overtime in Game 7 of the 2017 Eastern Conference Final.
A fluttering, end-over-end puck touching the back of the net put the crowd into an absolute frenzy! The fans seemed to stand up and cheer milliseconds after the puck went in.
I recently watched extended highlights of the game and remembered some things I forgot.
First, Patric Hörnqvist missed the game. I totally forgot he missed that game.
Second, Viktor Stålberg could have easily taken the pass from Sheary the other way for a breakaway a few seconds before Kunitz scored. He must have been absolutely gassed. Sometimes, championships come down to the most minute details.
The call from Doc Emrick still gives me chills!
"Fresh from the bench, it’s Crosby! Crosby on Kunitz...a shot, HE SCORES!"
“Penguins win it! And they go to the Final!”
Ed Olczyk said it best about the mood after the goal: "And a bunch of happy humans here in Pittsburgh!"
“Another shitpost from that school goes to this Sub, in the fucking oven you're gonna go, head first!”
17 years ago today, Evgeni Malkin absolutely humiliated the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 2 of the 2009 Eastern Conference Final and delivered one of the filthiest goals of the Crosby-Malkin era.
The Penguins were already rolling in that series, but this was the moment where Geno turned the entire game into his personal highlight reel.
Pittsburgh had blown a 3-2 lead before clawing back ahead 5-4 early in the third period. Carolina still had life. Then Malkin ended the drama in spectacular fashion.
After taking the puck through the neutral zone with speed, Malkin completely undressed future Penguin Matt Cullen one-on-one before pulling off an absurd spinning backhand finish to complete the hat trick. Cullen, who would later become an incredibly important veteran piece on the Penguins’ back-to-back Stanley Cup teams in 2016 and 2017, got taken to school on this play.
The goal immediately became one of the defining highlights of Geno’s career. Mike Lange’s “and Cam Ward just lost his liquor license!” call perfectly captured how ridiculous the entire sequence was.
Malkin finished the series with six goals in four games as the Penguins swept Carolina and punched their ticket back to the Stanley Cup Final one year after losing to Detroit. A few weeks later, Geno capped off the run by winning the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP during Pittsburgh’s 2009 Stanley Cup championship run.
Just an all-time “Geno being Geno” moment. Pure chaos, power, skill, and swagger.
✅ Multiple-point playoff game
✅ Penguins getting the win in a must-win game to reclaim home-ice advantage
✅ The funniest interview ever in Penguins history!
✅ Loving every moment of the Phil Kessel Experience!
10 years ago today, Phil Kessel gave Pierre McGuire the most confused look in human history after Game 3 of the 2016 Eastern Conference Final and then the most "Phil" answer ever.
This moment was the Quintessential Phil Kessel Experience: a huge playoff performance, 2 points in a pivotal Penguins win over Tampa Bay, and complete unintentional comedy all somehow happening at the exact same time.
There’s a reason his teammates and Penguins fans absolutely loved him in Pittsburgh.
The Penguins had just beaten the Lightning 4-2 to take control of the series and Phil was one of the best players on the ice, so NBC sent Pierre down for the postgame interview.
Everything was normal until Pierre asked:
“How’s your breath?”
And Phil immediately looked at him and was lost for words.
“It’s not good, eh?”
Pierre was trying to ask about his conditioning and breathing after a hard playoff game. Phil thought Pierre was asking if his breath smelled bad on national television.
The absolute confusion on his face is what makes the clip legendary. You can literally see him trying to process why this man is suddenly concerned about his dental hygiene after an Eastern Conference Final game.
No polished answers. Just a future 3-Time Stanley Cup Champion trying to survive a bizarre Pierre McGuire interview question.
Phil laughing hysterically once he realized what Pierre meant somehow made the whole thing even better.
"Oh, my heavens!" legendary broadcaster Bob Cole said on CBC. "What a goal! What a move! Lemieux! Oh, baby!"
In the second period of Game 2 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final, with the Penguins leading the Minnesota North Stars 2-1 at Civic Arena in Pittsburgh, Phil Bourque came back in the defensive zone and grabbed a rebound at the right hash marks. He pulled up and spun 180 degrees to avoid an opponent and got the puck to Mario Lemieux who was calling for the pass.
"I was making my way to the bench, and I witnessed maybe one of the greatest goals in NHL history."
After corralling the pass from Bourque, Lemieux sped up ice. When he reached the Minnesota blue line, it was 1-on-2. It didn't matter.
Jon Casey, the goalie for the Northstars, tried a poke check. It didn't work. He then lunged to his left, Lemieux's right. Lemieux went the other way and stickhandled around Casey's right pad -- forehand, backhand -- sliding the puck across the goal line as he slid into Casey and the left post.
The Civic Arena just witnessed the greatest player ever make arguably the greatest play of his career and it happened in the blink of an eye!
Ten years ago today, Sidney Crosby scored one of the defining goals of the Penguins’ 2016 Stanley Cup run and his career. Some fans who were there in person swear the puck took a bend that defies the laws of physics to go into the net.
Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning was an absolute must-win for Pittsburgh. Tampa Bay was the defending Eastern Conference champion, they had already taken Game 1 at Consol Energy Center, and the Penguins simply could not afford to head to Tampa down 0-2 after losing both games at home.
The pressure around the game was enormous, and Crosby was carrying plenty of it personally.
Despite otherwise playing outstanding hockey throughout the postseason, Crosby entered Game 2 riding an eight-game goal drought, tied for the longest playoff goal drought of his career at the time. Even more surprising, he had never scored a playoff overtime goal in his career.
The game exploded immediately.
Matt Cullen opened the scoring for Pittsburgh, and Phil Kessel followed with a power play goal to give the Penguins a 2-0 lead less than ten minutes into the game. But Tampa Bay answered before the end of the opening period behind goals from Anton Stralman and Jonathan Drouin, tying the game 2-2 heading into intermission.
And then…nothing.
No goals in the second period. No goals in the third. Just rising tension with every passing shift.
The Penguins were throwing everything they had at Andrei Vasilevskiy, who had been forced into the starting role after Ben Bishop was injured in Game 1. Pittsburgh badly needed somebody to break through, and honestly, it felt fitting that the moment eventually belonged to Crosby.
40 seconds into OT, Rust took a pass and carried the puck into the Tampa Bay zone and dropped the puck perfectly to Crosby flying down the left side. Crosby snapped a shot high over Vasilevskiy’s blocker, immediately threw both arms into the air, and sent Consol Energy Center into complete chaos.
It was Crosby’s first career playoff overtime goal.
But it also felt bigger than that.
The Penguins had not returned to the Eastern Conference Final since the disaster against Boston in 2013, when they were swept and scored just two goals in four games. Entering that overtime, Pittsburgh had lost five straight Eastern Conference Final games dating back to that series.
That goal ended the streak. It tied the series. And it was another dragon from their previous playoff failures that was cast into the abyss.
Ten years later, Crosby’s OT winner still stands as one of the signature moments of the 2016 Cup run!
Nine years ago today, Phil Kessel had one of the most unintentionally hilarious and legendary bench moments in Penguins history during Game 2 against Ottawa.
The game was a complete grind. Ottawa was trapping everything up, the Penguins couldn’t break through, and you could see Phil absolutely boiling over on the bench. He was screaming for the puck, barking across the bench, slamming things around, and looking completely fed up that the Penguins weren’t attacking faster.
Whether it was the fact they lost Game 1 in OT, or it was just Phil being Phil, something memorable was taking place.
Meanwhile, Chris Kunitz was sitting right next to him trying not to lose it laughing while Phil was going nuclear beside him. This is absolutely one of my favorite visuals in franchise history!
Honestly, it wound up being the perfect snapshot of those back-to-back Cup teams. The Penguins didn’t try to tone Phil down or make him something he wasn’t. They embraced him because they knew the emotion came from a good place. His teammates also knew Phil delivered greatness when it mattered most!
Then, right on cue, with the game still scoreless late in the third, Phil Kessel finally got his chance and buried the game-winning goal to even the series.
The whole thing was peak “Phil being Phil.” Emotional, hilarious, insanely competitive, and absolutely clutch when it mattered most!
There's a reason Phil Kessel is a 3-time Stanley Cup champion and a beloved figure in franchise history.
Seventeen years ago today, the Penguins walked into Washington for a winner-take-all Game 7 and completely annihilated the Capitals on their home ice.
Little known fact: the Crosby-Era Penguins have more Game 7 wins in Washington than Washington does in total during this timeframe.
The first six games had been absolute chaos. Crosby vs. Ovechkin had turned into must-watch hockey every single night, with overtime games, wild momentum swings, and both teams throwing punches offensively. By the time Game 7 arrived, the pressure around that series felt enormous.
Washington came out flying early, and Alex Ovechkin nearly blew the roof off the building with an early breakaway chance. Marc-Andre Fleury slammed the door shut, and honestly, that felt like the moment the entire game shifted. Pittsburgh settled in immediately after that save and never really looked back.
The Penguins absolutely buried the Capitals with wave after wave of pressure. Crosby and Craig Adams scored eight seconds apart in the first period, and suddenly the building went dead quiet. From there, it turned into a full-on avalanche. Bill Guerin, Kris Letang, and Jordan Staal piled on as Pittsburgh ripped control away from Washington and cruised into the Eastern Conference Final.
What made that series so memorable was how evenly matched it felt for six games, only for Pittsburgh to completely overpower the Caps when everything was on the line. The Penguins just looked deeper, faster, and more composed once the pressure peaked. Even after all the dramatics earlier in the series, Game 7 ended up being one of the most lopsided and satisfying playoff wins of that entire Cup run.
The Penguins pulled off the rare feat of coming back from down 0-2 twice to win the Stanley Cup.