May 22, 2008 2 min read

It’s been a long time – 16 years, to be exact – since the Pittsburgh Penguins last played for (and won), the Stanley Cup as champions of the National Hockey League. It hardly seems like that much time as flown by since a young superstar named Mario Lemieux led the team to its second consecutive championship. Now the young Penguins are back in hockey’s spotlight, squaring off against a veteran Detroit Red Wings team that has won three Stanley Cup titles since 1997, the last of them in 2002. In reaching the title game, the Penguins have won an impressive 12 of 14 playoff games, a performance that should command respect.

This year’s Penguins are loaded with young but accomplished talent, starting with 20-year-old phenom Sidney Crosby, who is team captain. Forwards Evgeni Malkin, 21, and Jordan Staal (19), and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury, 23, are top-shelf talents, and the late-season acquisition of veteran forward Marian Hossa has given the club an added dimension.

It’s hard to believe that just three seasons ago, the Penguins were the NHL’s second-worst team, which positioned them to grab “can’t miss” prospect Crosby in the annual talent draft. Fans who had suffered through many losing seasons in the post-Lemieux era are sure to welcome the turnaround.

Penguin Mania has taken hold – and with a rare opportunity to win the hockey championship at hand, everyone should relish the chance. The Penguins have a strong, young nucleus that should keep them competitive for years to come. But that’s still no guarantee of getting to the finals, as Pittsburgh fans found out many times with the excellent teams back in the Lemieux era.

Savor the current atmosphere while you can. There’s nothing like it – and it might not come around again soon.