The Rise of the Pittsburgh Penguins 2009-2018 by Rick Buker

Author:Rick Buker
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sports Publishing
Published: 2019-01-15T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17—Wing and a Prayer

2015–16 Regular Season

It was early in the New Year, and Mike Sullivan wasn’t in a particularly hospitable mood. He’d just watched his team drop a second-straight game to the Blackhawks.

After giving a good account of themselves in the front end of the home-and-home set, the Penguins were outhustled, outworked, and outclassed by the defending Cup champs. The final score of 3–1 was deceiving—it was arguably the Pens’ worst performance to date under Sullivan.

Asked to share his thoughts with a cluster of reporters, he replied simply and crisply, “We’re moving forward.”

Indeed, the Penguins had spent little time looking in the rear-view mirror since Sully took charge. After dropping their first four games under their new coach, the Pens had gone 4–2–2 over their next eight. With three five-goal games in just over two weeks, the offense—frigid under Mike Johnston—had begun to thaw.

In particular, slumping stars Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang seemed reborn. Resembling “The Kid” of old, Sid collected six goals and a dozen points in 11 games. With 11 points over a six-game span, Letang was even hotter.

The power play sprang to life, too. Since the coaching change, the Pens had converted at an impressive 26.3 percent, including a piping hot 35.7 percent over their past nine contests.

Trevor Daley had made a huge impact. His speed and puck handling helped jump start the Pens’ flagging transition game, just as Jim Rutherford had hoped. Daley also eased the burden on Letang, while teaming with fast developing Brian Dumoulin to form a solid second defensive pair.

There was a new attitude, too. Upon taking over, Sullivan noted the Penguins’ bench was among the most quiet he’d ever seen.

“I didn’t think we had any juice,” he confided to Jason Mackey. “I thought there was a lot of deer-in-the-headlights looks … I like a bench that brings emotion because that’s an indication that they’re all in. When we have 20 players who don’t show any sort of emotion or reaction to what’s going on out there, that’s concerning for me.”

Now the bench was alive with banter.

Indeed, the Penguins had undergone a striking transformation. Taking Sullivan’s “just play” mantra to heart, they scarcely resembled the mentally fragile bunch only recently branded as “whiners” by Columbus coach John Tortorella.

Still, there was work to do. The Pens were struggling to score 5-on-5. Despite Sullivan’s aggressive approach, the forward lines still weren’t meshing. Although not for a lack of effort, Matt Cullen and Chris Kunitz had only one goal apiece under their new skipper. Top-six winger David Perron hadn’t scored since the proverbial eighth-grade picnic. Likewise, third-line center Nick Bonino had yet to light the lamp for Sullivan.

Seeking new blood, Rutherford dipped into the farm system on January 7 and summoned forwards Tom Kuhnhackl and Bryan Rust. A gritty checker who possessed blazing straight-ahead speed, Rust was pure adrenaline on ice. The son of a German hockey legend, Kuhnhackl had once scored 39 goals as a junior.

They were joined in short order by Conor Sheary, an elusive 5’8” forward with a non-stop motor, and Scott Wilson, a speedy left wing.

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