Down by three games in the Stanley Cup Finals to the Detroit Red Wings, the Pittsburgh Penguins know what it's like to have their backs put up against the wall — literally. They have seen the good, bad, and ugly of the NHL. With their hopes for a Stanley Cup diminishing, they can only learn from the past and build for the future.
Beginning as an expansion team in 1967, the Penguins have seen the their share of two Stanley Cup wins in the 1990-91 and 1991-92 seasons and a lot of good talent play for them. On the flip-side, they also saw the decline of their finances and them having to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 1998, dealing with rumors that the team may have to move or even fold. However, Mario Lemieux, the face of the Penguins, came to their rescue to save the team from financial ruins. After years of a deferred salary, Lemieux proposed to take his deferred salary and convert it into equity, which was agreed upon in court with him assuming control of the team in 1999.
"Since the beginning, I always loved the game. When you grow up in Montreal, one day you want to be a professional hockey player. When I was six or seven, I knew that was what I wanted," Lemieux is quoted saying. "I think we have to show some pride in the jersey that we are wearing, and can't quit."
After the 2004-05 NHL lockout, many players went to the European league and left for other teams. With Lemieux intent on rebuilding the team after the owners signed a new collective bargaining agreement, they began to rebuild under a salary cap and sign free agents Sergei Gonchar, John LeClair, Ziggy Palffy, and Jocelyn Thibault. However, it was Sidney Crosby, the Penguins' 2005 draft pick, that elevated the team to the next level.
"We feel that with Sidney we have a great opportunity over the next few years to put a great team on the ice. We're prepared to lose some money along the way. Eventually, we're going to need some help," Lemieux said. "I think the lottery changed everything for us once we got Sidney, it helped us turn this franchise around overnight."
The lottery and Crosby did indeed help save the franchise. In Crosby's first season in the NHL, he finished sixth in scoring with 102 points (39 goals, 63 assists) and in his second season, he led the NHL with 120 points (36 goals, 84 assists) and won the Art Ross Trophy, the Hart Trophy, and the Lester B. Pearson Award, paving his way to become one of the best NHL players of the game. He was also bestowed with the honor of being named captain of the Penguins and helped in rebuilding the team into a contender.
"I think to be great, you have to prove that you're the best year after year after year and show that by winning. I think that's something you have to earn. You have to prove that. I don't really think about it. I think that's something that's too far ahead for me," Crosby was quoted as saying. "I'm not trying to be the next Wayne Gretzky or Mario Lemieux, I am putting pressure on myself to do my best and perform to my potential ... that's all I can do."
Also, the fight to keep the team in Pittsburgh was successful; in 2007, the team signed a lease agreement to stay in Pittsburgh for the next 30 years and began to plan for a new arena, which was approved this past May. The new arena will cost about $290 million and is expected to open for the 2010 season.
"It's up to the community now to decide if they want to keep this team," Mario Lemieux said.
With the Penguins in the Stanley Cup playoffs, it looks good.
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