Pittsburgh Penguins: Rise And Fall Of A Franchise
I’m thinking about Simba. Yes, that Simba. Over the last few days, I’ve had Lion King on the brain. I know what you’re thinking. Why is a grown man thinking about a Disney movie and what does that have to do with hockey? I’m not crazy, I swear. I’ve been tested. But, I can’t help but recognize the parallels that exist between the Pittsburgh Penguins, Edmonton Oilers, and the Lion King. The premise behind the Lion King is the circle of life. People, animals and even sports teams have a life span. We all know success in sports doesn’t last forever. Salary caps encourage parity, spur competition and crush potential dynasties. When one franchise begins to falter another will rise in its place. I believe that’s where we are in the NHL with the Mufasa-like Pittsburgh Penguins and Simba’s Edmonton Oilers.
Apr 22, 2015; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby (87) takes the ice against the New York Rangers during the first period in game four of the first round of the 2015 Stanley Cup Playoffs at the CONSOL Energy Center. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
The early part of the century was not kind to the Penguins. The team struggled to field a competitive team and accrued a number of high draft picks. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, and Marc-Andre Fleury formed the foundation of the media appointed future dynasty of the NHL. After back-to-back Stanley Cup appearances, there was little reason to doubt their future success. This season the Penguins qualified for the playoffs for the ninth consecutive year. However, depth depleting trades made for short-term gain and questionable on-ice behavior has prevented the Penguins from making a return trip to the finals. Now staring at a 3-1 series deficit to the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh is hanging off the ledge. As the team hangs on for dear life, the ground around them is crumbling. In this case, that ground is a front office that is in flux and an impatient fan base. This offseason is shaping up to be potentially even more eventful than last year.
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On Saturday, the Edmonton Oilers won the rights to draft first in the 2015 NHL Draft, their fourth number one pick since 2010. This year’s prized prospect is being touted as a once in a generation type player, the best prospect since Sidney Crosby. Unless something unfounded occurs, the Oilers will draft Connor McDavid (and when I picture this – I see Commissioner Bettman holding McDavid in the air just like when Simba was born). With McDavid, Taylor Hall, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Nail Yakupov, the Oilers will have a similar young talented foundation to the Penguins. The Oilers will be full of talent and potential, but a team can only win as a team. Ownership and the general manager must make sure that they make the right moves for long-term success and not be willing to buy into the rent-a-player mentality.
In the movie, Simba was able to reunite the pride lands, accomplishing something his father couldn’t. The Oilers can potentially make the leap that Pittsburgh did not. But getting to the top of the mountain isn’t easy. A lot can happen in the next few years that can derail even the best of teams. But the potential for Edmonton to be something special is there. If they can learn from the Penguins mistakes, they have the potential to be a regular participant in the finals. But as in life, only time will tell.