Tag Archives: Stanley Cup

Will the Pittsburgh Penguins say “hello” to Stanley again this Year?

Yes, they did win the cup last year.  But can they repeat those stellar playoff wins?  Putting up a total of 241 goals during the regular season, they had a great start.  Also when new coach Mike Sullivan over Christmas break stepped in, he had a large, positive, impact on the team.  His prior experience coaching Pittsburgh’s minor league team, the Wilkes-Barre Penguins, gave him the knowledge needed to bring up young players without taking too much money out of their salary cap.  Also the Penguins captain Sidney Crosby started to contribute after Christmas break, racking up an explosive 85 points on the season.


Personally, in my opinion, I believe that the Burgh can do it again this year.  With the new phenom Conor Sheary, winning star of the week, scoring 6 goals and 9 points in the past seven days, it is very much in their realm.  Furthermore, being in the top three of the metropolitan division for most of the season, it looks like we should make the playoffs with ease. Also, Sidney Crosby is having yet another great year, leading the NHL in goals right now with a very solid and consistent 28.  Plus, in a recent stadium series game against the Flyers, the Penguins had a demanding 4-2 win giving them nice confidence boost to play well in the last leg of the season.  The penguins as whole have only three losses at home this season right now, being a threat to the whole national hockey league.  As you can see, the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise have shown many promising results that could lead to yet another Stanley Cup win this year.

~Mark

Someone Needs to Hoist The Cup!

The Stanley Cup was the creation of Sir Frederick Arthur Stanley, lord of Preston. Who was Governor General of Canada in 1888. He was a big fan of hockey and he wanted to give out a trophy to the winner of the amateur hockey league. The trophy, which started out as a punch bowl, has now become one of the biggest icons in pro sports today. What is unique about the Stanley cup is that every player on the winning team gets to take the cup home to celebrate with. Stories about where it has been over the years are quite interesting to read.  Since the NHL teams have been awarded the Stanley cup since 1926 it has always been assumed that the NHL owns the cup.  What most people don’t know is that it is actually controlled by trustees and not owned by the NHL. The trustees can decide to give the cup to another league if the NHL season is cancelled.

As I mentioned in my last blog its very possible that the NHL will not have a season this year and there will be no NHL team to award the cup to.  I think they should give out the Stanley Cup to another hockey league.  It would be cool to see a different league like Canadian Hockey League (CHL) or Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) get the cup instead of just putting it on a shelf for a year. Lord Stanley enjoyed watching hockey and he would want “The Cup” to be presented each year to a deserving hockey team who share his passion for the sport and are not busy arguing over money. It would be good message to the NHL, seeing the plaque for 2013 with players names from a different league, inscribed on it. That message would be that the best “players” are the ones who “play.”

~Will DePalma

There is no “I” In Team!

 

The Boston Bruins. Not the most talented team in the NHL. But they do work as a team.  The Bruins win their games by passing the puck and setting one another up to score goals. If you ask me that is pretty good teamwork. Teamwork is exactly how they won the Stanley Cup last season. But last season is in the past. Can they win the Cup again by using the same work ethic?  Or, do they need someone to rise above the rest and carry the team on his shoulders in order for the Bruins to win the Cup again this year? In my opinion they can use the same method as they did last year. I mean you do not have to change the way you play if you just won The Cup playing that way.

The Bruins do have players that can step up and carry the team. But sometimes when one person does that they start to hog the puck. They do not pass or set other players up to score anymore. They just try to do everything on their own. The other players start to slack off a little. Plus it is not right not to be a team player. Take the Capitals for example, they have the best player in the NHL but they don’t always succeed because  one player is the one that does everything. Plus when was the last time the Capitals won a Stanley Cup when they did not work as a team? Never. When was the last time the Bruins won the Stanley Cup when they worked as a team. Just last season.

~Steven Friedler