PITTSBURGH — There has been plenty of consternation about the Penguins’ rotten state. No postseason series wins in five years. No playoffs at all this season for the first time in 17 years. Not much hope for the long-term future because the team is aging and loaded with crippling contracts. No general manager yet. No Mario Lemieux involvement with the franchise.
The angst is real and appropriate.
But things could be worse.
If this spring’s Stanley Cup playoffs have taught us anything, it’s that things always could be worse.
We could be living in Canada, following its NHL teams. No Canadian team has won the Cup since Montreal did in 1993. In the 30 years since then, only six Canadian teams have reached the final. And hockey is supposed to be their sport?
We could be in Toronto, following the Maple Leafs. They beat Tampa Bay in the first round this season — their first playoff win in 19 years — before losing to Florida in five games in the second round. Almost unbelievably, they haven’t won the Cup since 1967. Would someone please tell me why Kyle Dubas is such a hot commodity as a general manager?
We could be in Edmonton, following the Oilers. They have the best player in the world in Connor McDavid and a top-10 player in Leon Draisaitl, but they can’t win in the postseason. They went to the Western Conference final last season before being swept by Colorado but took a step back this year, losing to Vegas in six games in the second round. McDavid and Draisaitl aren’t getting any younger. The four Cups the Oilers won during the Wayne Gretzky era seem like a lifetime ago.
We could be in Montreal, following the Canadiens. They have missed the playoffs in four of the past six seasons. Their Cup win in 1993 is the most recent of their 23 championships.
We could be in Boston, following the Bruins. They set the NHL record with 135 points this season but were beaten by Florida in the first round in seven games despite leading, 3-1, in the series. They have won one Cup since 1971.
We could be in Philadelphia — heaven help us — following the Flyers. They missed the playoffs the past three seasons and have just one series win since 2012. You might have heard they haven’t won the Cup since 1975. Is that delightful or what?
We could be in Detroit, following the Red Wings. They won four Cups between 1997-2008 — they defeated the Penguins in the 2008 final — but have missed the playoffs the past seven seasons.
We could be in Chicago, following the Blackhawks. They missed the playoffs in five of the past six seasons. They also lost in the first round three times since they won their third Cup in six years in 2015.
We could be in New York, following the Rangers. They were the apparent winners at the trade deadline, acquiring Patrick Kane and Vladimir Tarasenko. But they lost to New Jersey in seven games in the first round despite winning the first two games in New Jersey. Gerard Gallant was fired as coach when the season ended. The Rangers have won one Cup — Mark Messier’s team in 1994 — since 1940.
We could be in New Jersey, following the Devils. They beat the Rangers before losing to Carolina in five games in the second round. They missed the playoffs in nine of the past 11 years.
I’ll say it again:
It always could be worse.
That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.