An appreciation of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang | Penguins Perspectives
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - When it comes to the Pittsburgh Penguins' first two weeks of the 2024-25 season, there are some positives, some negatives, some hope, and some despair.
Of course, chief among the despair is the plight of goaltender Tristan Jarry.
That said, it's been talked to death at this point - he lost his net, he has a below-average save percentage, and seemingly hasn't recovered from his meltdown against the New York Islanders in 2022.
So, let's put that to the side and talk about the positive. The big positives. The milestones.
Wednesday night at PPG Paints Arena was just about everything you could ask for from the fifth game of the season with next to nothing on the line.
Several lead changes, goalies pulled, overtime, physicality, and 11 total goals scored.
It also treated us to Sidney Crosby's 1,600th career point and Evgeni Malkin's 500th goal.
That got me thinking.
I began writing this column two seasons ago and my debut post was asking Penguins fans to have perspective. For nearly two decades the Pittsburgh Penguins, on the strength of Crosby, Malkin, and Kris Letang, have been the class of the National Hockey League.
Each season from about 2007 until very recently, when the season began you knew plenty of pundits and analysts had the Penguins in the conversation as Stanley Cup contenders.
Nearly 20 years of being among the best in the league will understandably raise expectations to the point of always demanding your favorite team be there.
That said, I remember around this time two years ago, with both Kris Letang and Evgeni Malkin getting very close to free agency led to a lot of takes and statements that the Penguins should begin a rebuild. Let those two walk, find a trading partner for Sidney Crosby (as if that would be a challenge), and admit that this extremely successful era of Penguins hockey has come to its end.
Maybe that would've been the right decision and the Penguins were about to begin a new era with young talent on the rise. Maybe they would be stuck in neutral like so many other rebuilding teams in the NHL such as Buffalo, Detroit, Ottawa, and a couple of others. Who really knows, that's what makes sports hypotheticals so fun.
Let me take you through a scenario, though. Let's say that did happen. The Penguins let Malkin and Letang walk and shipped Crosby off to Colorado.
That was two years ago.
Would those three have retired by now? Highly, highly doubtful.
Now, imagine you saw Evgeni Malkin score his 500th goal on Florida's third line. Or Sidney Crosby scoring his 1,600th point with Nathan MacKinnon.
Sure, we'd all be happy and recognize what a great accomplishment it was. We'd trade stories of our favorite memories of those players and our time spent with them.
That would hurt, though, wouldn't it? Seeing the players who helped bring this franchise back from the ashes continue to cement their place in hockey history elsewhere would certainly not feel good.
All of this to say - if these three franchise cornerstones want to finish their careers playing together in Pittsburgh? So be it.
Now, this isn't to say you shouldn't critique them, analyze their flaws, or acknowledge failures because professional sports are a business of winning, not a business of nostalgia.
Especially considering the line from the players, coaches, and management is to get back to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, it's totally fair to hold them to said standard.
So, when you find yourself frustrated, angry, whatever other emotion you may feel during the highs and lows of an NHL season, remember what these three have done for the Pittsburgh Penguins since 2005.
