Why the Pittsburgh Penguins Have Been One of the Most Dominant Teams in the last decade

The Pittsburgh Penguins have been one of the hottest teams in the NHL over the last decade and counting. They are led by many stars such as Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang. Including this year the Penguins have made the playoffs for fourteen consecutive seasons. That is the longest active streak in the NHL and second-longest streak in North American sports behind the San Antonio Spurs. The Penguins still would have made the playoffs even without this format. The only differences are the Penguins seed and opponent.

Even though 2009 was not in the last decade, I had to mention that the Penguins won the Stanley Cup that year as it was the last year of the 2000’s. In 2015 the Penguins decided to go all in and acquire sniper Phil Kessel from the Toronto Maple Leafs to try and win the Stanley Cup once again. Kessel helped the Penguins win the Stanley Cup in 2016 against the San Jose Sharks and 2017 against the Nashville Predators. Two Stanley Cup wins and making the playoffs for 14 straight seasons is a successful and dominant decade.

However, the Penguins only trail the Chicago Blackhawks with most Stanley cups in the decade. The Blackhawks won in 2010, 2013, and 2015. Even though, the Blackhawks won more Stanley cup than the Penguins, the Blackhawks did not make the playoffs every year in that decade like the Penguins have.

The Penguins also have had an amazing roster. Coached by Mike Sullivan, he has been able to make Pittsburgh successful bringing in two Stanley Cups and continuing to be dominant even today. Some notable players are Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Matt Murray, Tristan Jarry, Patric Hornqvist, Jason Zucker, Patrick Marleau, Justin Schultz, and John Marino. The Penguins have been known for having great depth on all lines and goaltenders as well as a lethal scoring punch on the first two lines.

In 2016 some notable players the Penguins had were Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino, Chris Kunitz, Marc-Andre Fleury, Matt Cullen, Ian Cole, and Trevor Daley that are no longer on the team. The Penguins have always had Crosby, Malkin, and Letang through their three recent Cup wins.

In 2017 some notable players the Penguins had were Ryan Reaves, Riley Sheahan, Ron Hainsey, Carl Hagelin, and Jamie Oleksiak. These players helped contribute to the Penguins Stanley Cup win in 2017. Not only have the Penguins had one of the most dominant records and accolades, but one of the most dominant rosters.