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Pittsburgh Penguins: Best Years Could Still Be Ahead

By Matthew Rodrigopulle

Mar 8, 2017; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 8, 2017; Winnipeg, Manitoba, CAN; Pittsburgh Penguins center Evgeni Malkin (71) celebrates his goal with teammates during the second period against the Winnipeg Jets at MTS Centre. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Fedyck-USA TODAY Sports /
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Hey there!

My name is Matthew Rodrigopulle and I am the new site expert for Pen’s Labyrinth, the Pittsburgh Penguins site here on the FanSided network. You may or may not have heard of my previous work at Editor in Leaf. Over there I shared my thoughts and analysis on the Toronto Maple Leafs.

That opportunity brought me to my next step here, as a blogger and editor. I am excited to be covering the Pittsburgh Penguins and being able to share my opinions with you all. I am a huge hockey fan and share the same love for the game and the Penguins as many of you do.

So this is my introductory post, and I wanted to use it to really reflect on the kind of team we have here in Pittsburgh. A team that we’ve had for a number of years now.

Good Times for the Pittsburgh Penguins

We’re the current Stanley Cup champions. We have two Cups in six years and we’ve shown no signs of slowing down. There’s been bumpy roads along the way but we’ve recovered. Fans around the league know we’re one of the most dominant, if not the most dominant team in the league.

We have the talent. Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Marc-Andre Fleury, Matt Murray, and of course the legendary Sidney Crosby leading the way. We’re a force to always be reckoned with and there’s no doubt about it.

We’re a great team this season too. Many have the Penguins pegged as a finals-worthy team once again. With a current record of 43-16-8, it’s pretty much a no-brainer. So we know what we have going on here, but I wanna look a bit into the future with the Penguins.

Success comes at a price. That price is of course prospects. We’re a contending team, not a rebuilding team. We don’t have to worry about having a prospect pool like that of the Winnipeg Jets or the Toronto Maple Leafs for example. We’ve done that already.

More to Come

Our success has been unheard of for a while in this league. Other than the Chicago Blackhawks dominance from 2010, the Penguins are the next greatest team. Even this is debatable however, as the Penguins have been dominant since 2008, are only one Cup behind Chicago since then, and it looks like we might even scoop another one up soon to match them.

I’d say this dominance might even be greater than the dominance shown by Mario Lemieux’s Penguins back in the early 90s. Mario Lemieux is a legend, and I am not discrediting his teams, but in this day and age, the team of stars that the Penguins have put together is something spectacular.

Yes indeed, I’m telling you that we are in the golden years of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, so you better enjoy it. We’ve got so many amazing players on our roster that it’s unbelievable. I mean–we’ve got two players just a couple points out of the scoring lead for the whole league in Crosby and Malkin, and Kessel isn’t far behind either.

Every great team only lasts for so long before they have to rebuild all over again. But what if I tell you the best is still to come? These upcoming years will probably be the greatest for this team and we should all embrace it. The Penguins style of play might even be changing the style of the game right now.

So here’s to my eagerness to write many new articles sharing my many, many thoughts about the Pittsburgh Penguins and the NHL in general–and here’s to the best years of Penguins hockey.

And remember, we’re always looking for new writers. Please, fill out the application below if you’re interested!

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