A Look Back

It's been about two weeks now since the end of the season. Time away from hockey has been good for me. It's given me time to focus on other things. Ok, "other things" meaning Disney. But the loss of hockey has hit me a little hard as well. I've spent the last 9 months completely enveloped in this amazing story of the Pittsburgh Penguins. And now it kinda feels like, "Okay, story's over. Go home." Now what do I do? I think it would be nice to take a look back at the Penguins' season. Although it ended in heartbreak, this really was an incredible year.

Highlights of the 2007-2008 Pittsburgh Penguins:

- Filled with such high expectations coming from their surprise performance the previous season, the Penguins came out of the gate very poorly. The first part of the season was mediocre at best.
- People immediately pointed the finger at coach Michel Therrien and calls for his firing were loud and clear.
- Mark Recchi is let go from the team.
- The ridiculous body count. The Penguins suffered so many injuries this year, losing guys like Max Talbot and Adam Hall for extended periods. Mark Eaton was lost for the season. Injuries were so bad that Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal were the only Penguins to play all 82 games.
- Gary Roberts beating the snot out of Ben Eager!
- The loss of Marc-Andre Fleury to a high-ankle sprain.
- The shocking emergence of Ty Conklin, who leads the Penguins on a huge winning streak.
- The magnificent Winter Classic between the Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres. Now that was hockey at its finest, an event you'll always remember.
- The loss of Sidney Crosby. When Crosby went down, it seemed like the Penguin's playoff hopes were dashed. That is until...
- Evgeni Malkin takes the team on his back and delivers a dominating MVP-caliber performance in Crosby's absence. Not only did the Penguins stay in the playoff race, they chased the top seed.
- The blockbuster deadline trade that brought Marian Hossa and Pascal Dupuis here in exchange for Erik Christensen, Colby Armstrong, Angelo Esposito, and a 1st round pick. Hal Gill was also added on deadline day. The Penguins made a statement that they wanted to win and want to win now!
- Crosby and Fleury return but Hossa falls to injury.
- The Penguins win their first division title in a decade. And better yet, most of their players are healthy for the playoff run.
- The Penguins just steamroll through the Eastern Conference, easily disposing of the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers, and Philadelphia Flyers. Fleury, Crosby, Malkin, and Hossa are superb!
- The Penguins fall just two wins short of the Stanley Cup against the Detroit Red Wings. The Game 5 triple OT thriller will live in Penguins lore forever.

What a season, huh? So where do we go from here? Well, Ray Shero, it's up to you to keep as much of this team together as you can. (That means keeping Marian Hossa!!!) And come October, we start this all over again. Wow, I dunno if I could take another season like this. But whether or not I can take the drama, I will be with the Penguins on every step along the way.