Forgive my MIA status lately. Let me wrap up my series of posts on the Penguins' greatest games in the last 25 years, with a game that should be on anyone's list:
Penguins' 8-0 Stanley Cup clinching win in Game 6 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals Against the Minnesota North Stars.
Who can forget this game, right? A Stanley Cup clincher for the ages -- an 8-0 whitewashing of Minnesota, in their building. I vividly recall it for many reasons. Not the least of which was the "reward" my girlfriend at the time provided me in the 3rd period when I was in my glory just waiting for the clock to tick down.
So much for a Cup parade through Minneapolis.
Mario Lemieux and Tom Barrasso led the way in this game, as they did in many during that playoff run, but when you open up with a goal by Cam Neely hit-man Ulf Samuelsson and add one by defenseman Jim Paek, you know the stars are aligned for you.
The North Stars were no match for Pittsburgh in this one. They were up 3-0 after one period and 6-0 after two. It wasn't close. The Penguins recognized the moment and seized it. They would not be denied, and were a deserving Cup champion. Shutting out Minnesota was just icing on the cake.
I still have every newspaper article from that entire season. I had followed the team for 9 years up to that point, from 1982-83. It was quite gratifying to watch the Penguins win that title and bask in the glory of the championship in the weeks and months to come. And even though I didn't follow the team in the early years, I can only imagine how satisfying it was to the team after having been bankrupt in the past.
A franchise only wins its first Stanley Cup once. Undoubtedly one of the greatest games in franchise history ..
That concludes the series boys and girls. Next summer I may go after a list of Lemieux's greatest goals of all time. That compliation will undoubtedly be much harder.
Training camp starts in 3 weeks ...... not soon enough for me.
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