Ryan Wilson: Why It Is Great To Be A Penguins Fan: Part One Penguin fans are some of the luckiest fans in hockey, here is Part 1 on why that is.

That's what happens when you purposely lose games to draft Mario. On a serious note though, the Penguins have been a hallmark for a well-run NHL franchise for more years than they have not.

On the flip side, it's quite hard being a Caps fan.

Those are some crazy numbers. I like to thinkg 87/71 are better than just 1 cup though.

That's what happens when you purposely lose games to draft Mario. On a serious note though, the Penguins have been a hallmark for a well-run NHL franchise for more years than they have not.

On the flip side, it's quite hard being a Caps fan.
- Blackstrom2

They lost plenty of games in 83 due to lack of talent as well.

That's what happens when you purposely lose games to draft Mario. On a serious note though, the Penguins have been a hallmark for a well-run NHL franchise for more years than they have not.

On the flip side, it's quite hard being a Caps fan.
- Blackstrom2

Kind of like when a team purposely loses to draft Ovechkin.

Declaration of Cooke appreciation

Bartley holds these truths to be self-evident, that all hockey players are not created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights that Matt Cooke is set to destroy, that among these are getting to go into the boards freely, taking liberties with our superstars, and the pursuit of long concussion less careers.

That by forfeiting these rights, diminishing their skills to the point of ineffectiveness, That whenever any style of play becomes detrimental to the success formally of the Pittsburgh Penguins, it was the Right of Matt Cooke to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new playing field, laying massive hits that rock the mere foundation of the Consol Center and powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, the fact that Cookie has been forced to change his honorable style of play in all experience hath shewn, that the league now are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. Now we the people will be made to suffer watching our most impactful player in the history of the Penguins now hence suiting up for another franchise to take them to the land of which all NHL teams strive to reside. It is indeed a dark dark day.

12/19/13

They lost plenty of games in 83 due to lack of talent as well.
- Emperor Filonius

Didn't New Jersey call up there goalie from the minors in an effort to tank? And they were still better than us.

That's what happens when you purposely lose games to draft Mario. On a serious note though, the Penguins have been a hallmark for a well-run NHL franchise for more years than they have not.

On the flip side, it's quite hard being a Caps fan.
- Blackstrom2

In the mid 80's when Mario was drafted the rules were different, so you cannot use "purposely" as a reason, for or against drafting Lemieux

Sid should of had 2 more art Ross trophies if he didn't have those unfortunate injuries. No doubt about it that it's great to be a pens fan. Sid will get it this year

why is nisk and glass still on this team

Sid should have had 2 more art Ross trophies if he didn't have those unfortunate injuries. No doubt about it that it's great to be a pens fan. Sid will get it this year
- drummer829

Sorry, it's one of those things that grates on me. Kinda like watching Sean Avery play.

The Penguins certainly have been blessed with offensive talent. It doesn't show up in the individual awards, but those early 90s Penguin teams are right up there with the 80s Oilers.

why is nisk and glass still on this team
- nh4442

I think that Niskanen and Glass are still on the team because 1) they want too much for Niskanen and 2) there is no market for Glass.

God I hate being the grammar police, but I was listening to the radio this morning and they were going over misused words and the ever-evil "could care less" and I've been on grammar watch all day long.

Ryan Wilson: Why It Is Great To Be A Penguins Fan: Part One
Penguin fans are some of the luckiest fans in hockey, here is Part 1 on why that is.
- Ryan_Wilson

Should be a very short blog....why do you need two parts to say nothing???

Sid should of had 2 more art Ross trophies if he didn't have those unfortunate injuries. No doubt about it that it's great to be a pens fan. Sid will get it this year
- drummer829

Yeah, they need to add the Crosby Trophy to the mix. That would be the MVWP award...Most Valuable When Playing. You and your ilk are a riot. Realize this: It's tough to be the most valuable player when you don't play. Sid is injury prone. It's a fact. It's like saying the Kings would have won the Cup if McSorley didn't have an illegal stick. He did. Scoreboard.

they sure have the blueprint. be so terrible that you are as close as you can be to relocation, get "lucky" and win a draft lottery to draft the best player of his generation, and then also lucky enough to get a top 2 pick in a draft with 2 superstars. every team should replicate that model...

they sure have the blueprint. be so terrible that you are as close as you can be to relocation, get "lucky" and win a draft lottery to draft the best player of his generation, and then also lucky enough to get a top 2 pick in a draft with 2 superstars. every team should replicate that model...
- flyershockey

You should try having an owner who "bought" the team with other people's money, spent so much of hit he had to sell of the best player in the game (Jagr) for really nothing in return, then bring in another sucker with a big wallet, and burn through that money as well... ending up in bankruptcy court for a couple of years...

Good times...


1984 was tanking to get Mario... the late 90's-early 2000's was just complete cluster(frank)ery at the ownership level.

Should be a very short blog....why do you need two parts to say nothing???
- Iggysbff

Why is it so great to be an Oilers fan. Remember, I live 1 hour North of Edmonton and watch as many Oiler games as you do. So don't bullpoop me.

What a great article ,but it's like shooting fish in a barrel for a Pens fan to read. Can't wait for part two !!

That's what happens when you purposely lose games to draft Mario. On a serious note though, the Penguins have been a hallmark for a well-run NHL franchise for more years than they have not.

On the flip side, it's quite hard being a Caps fan.
- Blackstrom2

They did , but in hockey you do What you can get away with to win right ? So they did , try not to be bitter.

Time will tell how many cups Sid and Malkin win with the Pens' but I have a hard time agreeing any team (besides Detroit) is considered a properly run franchise for the past "x" amount of years.

Pens' GM traded for a bunch of guys that were supposed to make them a shoe in for the cup but ended up choking big time against Boston.

thats only one example

Detroit has been a legit contender for as long as i can remember pretty much.

Hope the Blackhawks can be there (looking close, but too soon to tell)

Time will tell how many cups Sid and Malkin win with the Pens' but I have a hard time agreeing any team (besides Detroit) is considered a properly run franchise for the past "x" amount of years.

Pens' GM traded for a bunch of guys that were supposed to make them a shoe in for the cup but ended up choking big time against Boston.

thats only one example

Detroit has been a legit contender for as long as i can remember pretty much.

Hope the Blackhawks can be there (looking close, but too soon to tell)
- BlazinMike

Not sure what makes Detroit a cut above Pittsburgh since the lockout. Both have won and lost a Cup Final and both have lost a conference finals matchup.


Both franchises do a very nice job.

Penguins Management, made a number of personnel moves that made it possible for the Penguins to slip past New Jersey and into last place in the overall standings as the season was winding down.
The most striking was trading one of the Penguins' few significant talents, defenseman Randy Carlyle, to Winnipeg for absolutely nothing -- right away, at least. Oh, the Penguins got a pretty fair return in that deal -- a first-round draft choice that became Doug Bodger, along with defenseman Moe Mantha -- but Bodger wasn't drafted until a few months after the season and Mantha was a player-to-be-named, which means he wasn't officially identified as part of the trade until the Jets' season was over.
Also, there was an instance when goalie Roberto Romano had the temerity to string together a couple of strong starts late in the season, at which point general manager Ed Johnston sent him to the Penguins' farm team in Baltimore and brought up goalie Vincent Tremblay because "we want to see what he can do." What the front office almost certainly realized was that the list of things that Tremblay could do -- or at least, that he could do well -- at that point in his career did not include stopping hockey pucks with any regularity.
Tremblay, it should be noted, didn't disappoint. He went 0-4, with a 6.00 goals-against average, in what proved to be his final four appearances in the NHL.

Penguins Management, made a number of personnel moves that made it possible for the Penguins to slip past New Jersey and into last place in the overall standings as the season was winding down.
The most striking was trading one of the Penguins' few significant talents, defenseman Randy Carlyle, to Winnipeg for absolutely nothing -- right away, at least. Oh, the Penguins got a pretty fair return in that deal -- a first-round draft choice that became Doug Bodger, along with defenseman Moe Mantha -- but Bodger wasn't drafted until a few months after the season and Mantha was a player-to-be-named, which means he wasn't officially identified as part of the trade until the Jets' season was over.
Also, there was an instance when goalie Roberto Romano had the temerity to string together a couple of strong starts late in the season, at which point general manager Ed Johnston sent him to the Penguins' farm team in Baltimore and brought up goalie Vincent Tremblay because "we want to see what he can do." What the front office almost certainly realized was that the list of things that Tremblay could do -- or at least, that he could do well -- at that point in his career did not include stopping hockey pucks with any regularity.
Tremblay, it should be noted, didn't disappoint. He went 0-4, with a 6.00 goals-against average, in what proved to be his final four appearances in the NHL.
- SGTrader

The fact is when you're tanking, you make roster moves with no regret because you know you are statistically out of it. Teams ALWAYS make roster moves to see "what other guys could do" when they are statistically out of contention or near last place. Why do you assume this is only with the penguins?

Yeah, they need to add the Crosby Trophy to the mix. That would be the MVWP award...Most Valuable When Playing. You and your ilk are a riot. Realize this: It's tough to be the most valuable player when you don't play. Sid is injury prone. It's a fact. It's like saying the Kings would have won the Cup if McSorley didn't have an illegal stick. He did. Scoreboard.
- yzermaneely

I don't think injury prone applies to players who get unfortunate injuries. I think that term is better used for guys that have bodies that keep breaking down. A concussion and broken jaw are unfortunate, but neither has been a reoccurring injury.

That's what happens when you purposely lose games to draft Mario. On a serious note though, the Penguins have been a hallmark for a well-run NHL franchise for more years than they have not.

On the flip side, it's quite hard being a Caps fan.
- Blackstrom2

says the fan of a franchise that lost alot of games to select a Russian named OV