When All We Could Hope for Was One Win

If you look back at where the Penguins were and where they are now, we have come a long way.


For so long, we dreamed of winning another Stanley Cup. Now that we have, we have almost expected the Penguins to win. When the Penguins don't win, or lose a couple of games, fans are depressed.


I find myself in the funk of thinking they stink, when they don't. Now that Pens fans new and old are seeing them winning all the time, that's what we have come to accept. When the Penguins lose a couple games, fans and myself question the team. Let's see how far we have come since 2001.


In 2000-2001 the Penguins lost in the Eastern Conference Finals. The Penguins were led by superstars like Jaromir Jagr, Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka, and Mario Lemieux, who came out of retirement that year for one last shot at the cup. Jagr was first in the league in points; Kovalev and Straka were also in the top 5 in points. The team would not see any signs of glory for another four years.


In the summer of 2001 the Penguins traded Jagr, the Penguins leading point getter, to the Washington Capitals for prospects. The Penguins would still be in good shape though, Alexei Kovalev led the team with 76 points. The Penguins won only 28 games that year and only scored 198 goals in 82 games. A far stretch from the year before, when they scored 281 goals. Mario Lemieux only played 24 games that year. Penguins also traded fan favorite Darius Kasparaitis to Colorado.


During the season in 2002-03 it didn't get much better, the Penguins finished 14th in the East and the Penguins were forced by money woes to trade Alexei Kovalev to the New York Rangers, for prospects. Mario Lemieux had a great season with 91 points in 67 games. The Penguins won 27 games.


In 2003-04 the Penguins finished 15th in the East. The Penguins only won 23 games and scored 190 goals. The problem wasn't scoring, it was keeping the puck out of their own net. The Penguins had 300 goals scored against them. Rick Kehoe resigned as the head coach in the off-season and Ed Olczyk was hired to replace him. The Penguins were led in scoring by defenseman Dick Tarnstrom. He had only 52 points, and there was really no hope on the horizon for any big name to get here.


After the 2004-05 lockout the Penguins were still being led by the general manager Craig Patrick who took the job in late 1989. Patrick led the Penguins to two Stanley Cups but hadn't done much in recent years. In the 2005 off-season the Penguins drafted Sidney Crosby and signed a few big named free agents. The Penguins signed Ziggy Palffy, Sergei Gonchar, John Leclair, and Mark Recchi. The only one that really panned out was Gonchar, who would become a huge part of the future Cup.


In 2005-06 the Penguins had rookie phenom Sidney Crosby to lead the pact. Crosby had 102 points in 81 games that season. The Penguins only won 22 games; just one more than the St. Louis Blues. The Penguins watched as their big name free agents didn't pan out very well. Palffy played only 42 games and LeClair had 51 points. Not a bad year for LeClair, but considering his salary it was a bust. Penguins fired Eddie Olczyk and hired Michele Therrien. Therrien won 14 games out of the 51 he coached.


From 2006 to 2009 the Penguins, with the help of Malkin, Fleury, and Crosby have won a total of 188 games out of the 246 that they played. From 2001 to 2004 the Penguins won only 78 games out of the 246 they played. The Penguins didn't win 1/3 of their games through that stretch.

I can see it when Penguins fans are frustrated, when they lose a couple of games. Think though where we were, compared to where we are now. Compete every night and have the belief we can win every night. Whereas 5 years ago we couldn't buy a win. Winning has doubled and we as fans have a reason to believe.