Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - This Day in Penguins History, some franchise "what if's, plus talking that 2017 Stanley Cup clincher

Episode Date: May 8, 2020

Another day of the year, means another day in Penguins history! Hunter starts the show off by talking about how today 7 years ago, Kris Letang was named a Norris Trophy finalist, the only time he's ever been named one. Hunter then goes into some "franchise what if's", including that 2013-2014 series against the New York Rangers and the 2012-2013 series against the Boston Bruins. Finally, Hunter ends the show with talking about the Stanley Cup clinching game against the Predators as it was just shown in Pittsburgh the night before. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello, welcome to this Thursday evening episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm your host, Hunter Hodes. Follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes, follow the shows Twitter at L-O-U-U-U-Square. Today's episode is again brought to you by BiltBar. I keep trying more and more flavors. They're absolutely awesome. Just guys, remember, with promo code locked on, you get $10 off your first order, and your first box, actually at Billbbar.com.

So you always remember that. I hope you all were doing well this week. I'm sorry I did not get to you an episode yesterday. It's finals week. This is my favorite time of year, you know, especially when, I only have two more finals up until I'm officially a college graduate, which is pretty crazy to say that I've, you know, I've been in school almost all my life, so it's going to be really, really, really weird when I don't have to go to school again starting in the fall.

So, yeah, it's just a little, another, a little life update. I'll continue this little day in the Penguin's history thing. Yesterday, I was supposed to do an episode, like I said, I could not, but thanks to NHL pens from Penguins' Twitter. That day in Penguin's history was Chris Latang's overtime goal, Game 3 against the Capitals, 2009 Stanley Cup run. Just a massive, massive goal. I'll play that for you guys right here since it's still on my Twitter.

Oh, man, you know, a whiteout at Mellon Arena guys just never, ever, ever gets old, especially with the just, oh, man, the way that arena just jumped up for joy. And, you know, my story about back old, it's kind of a little funny. So I was about what? 11 years old at that time. Sixth grade. So this is middle school hunter. So the way I sounded like I just, you know, I sounded like a regular teenager.

My voice was way more high pitch than it is now. And I remember I was supposed to be in bed for this. This was, overtime happened, what, maybe 10 o'clock, 10.30. And I remember I was up. I couldn't sleep. So I snuck out of my room. My mom was downstairs watching with my stepdad who's a Capitals fan. So I was like, okay, let's see if I can pull this off.

So stuck into my mom's room was watching the overtime. And then when the face off was one back and the tank shot it and the puck went in, I remember hearing my mom scream a millisecond before. And then I started screaming. And then it was, she came up after. She gave me a face. And then I remember I was saying, I was like, what? I got up for a big moment.

She's like, oh, okay. So she just put me right back to bed. But still, you know, that's what you got to, even though I was 11 years old, I'm not just going to like, not watch. Like, ugh. My mom was one of those people that I since it was a school night. She was like, nope, you have to go to bed at this time. And I just, you know what? I didn't care.

So I just, I got up. I went and watched it. I was glad I did. I remember my stepdad. I remember his lines perfectly. He's like, you've got to be fucking kidding me. That's one of those lines that will just stick with me forever. And then my mom, like I said, my mom, my crazy, you know.

I do have to thank my mom for really, really just getting me into this team, even though I've kind of surpassed her into how much I follow this team. She used to be exactly how I was and then work, gotten away with stuff and a bunch of other things. But, you know, she still follows the team a bunch of. And, you know, during when we watch games together, she's absolutely a riot. And I could, like, I could probably spend a week's worth of content on this podcast, describing stuff that she does during games and says stuff. You know, for example, she's still obsessed with Paul Coffey to this day,

which is just really, really funny. She thinks the world of Paul Coffey. But maybe we'll do that another time in this off season. But, yeah, that was just the big memory I have with that goal. About the goal itself, that's Chris LaTang's second most important goal of his career. I don't really think you can argue otherwise. We all know the number one goal, you know, the Stanley Cup clincher in the 2016 game six against the Sharks. But that one, you know, just the magnitude of that game, you know, you're down 02 to the Capitals who are a juggernaut.

They are so damn good. And then you just to have that goal, you know, right before that, I think any Malkin would have had a breakaway. The puck goes right under his stick. And it's like, oh, and it was just like at the time like, oh, shit, what the hell? Like, is that really going to do in them? And then, you know, beautiful face off right back to the Leng. And, you know, fortunately gets a lucky bounce right off of, I think it was Morrison was the defenseman. and, you know, Varlamov just couldn't get it.

So, you know, that changed the series right there. The Penguins were able to win two more in a row to get to three games to two. I know they lost that game six. You know, the Penguins honestly should have won that game six. The Capitals, I thought, got lucky that they tied that game and then eventually won the game. And then we all know what happened in Game Sem when the Penguins just blew the doors off the capitals. But, yeah, you know, second most of morning goal of Crystal Tang's career. We forget just how young Krista Tang was at the time.

That was a very, very, very young Krista Tang. that was not his rookie year. I think his rookie year was 07-08. If I'm not mistaken, I think at that time, Chris Tang was only about 22 years old. So, yeah, this was when he was just coming in, you know, to the league, kind of, you know, we all know Sergey Ganshaw was the big veteran.

He was primed to take over for Ganshaw once Ganshaw left after 2009-10. And, yeah, that run just showed just how good Chris LaTang is. And boy, he's been awesome ever since. But today in Penguin's history, on this day, in 2013, Crystal Tang was actually named a Norrist finalist. And I believe that was the, yeah, that was the locked out short in the season.

He only played in 35 games, but five goals, 38 points, 35 games, was able to earn him a Norris finalist. That was the only time that he's been a finalist for the Norris trophy. He got third that year. And it's funny how he was a finalist for the Norris that year when he had 38 points and 35 games,

but he wasn't a finalist for the Norris in the 2015-16 season, which was, I think, his best season overall. 16 goals, 67 points, in 71 games. He got fourth in the Norris. I know Eric Carlson was also awesome that season, but still, you know, the fact that he wasn't able to make a Norris finalist that year, pretty weird on that front. And for a negative moment in Penguins history, today in 2013, they lost game four to the

Islander 6 to 4, which tied up the series of two games. That was the game where Mark Andre Flore basically just had a complete belt. I remember that the Penguins were just, like, they kept trading goals back and forth, and it was like two, two, one, two, two, three, four, three, the owners were able to tie it and, you know, five, four, and then the awful goal that he allowed to make it six four, like, I think on a minute left or something like that, I don't even, I still don't even know how that puck goes in. I'm not even going to want to replay it, but, yeah, I still can't believe that, um, I think it was like Casey Zizekis or something.

He was like, didn't even have an angle and the puck just goes over under Flurry Stick, not over, under Flurry Stick and somehow just goes into the net. And thankfully, that was the last game of that running. from Mark Andre Florey before Tomas Vocoon eventually came in because it was getting to be very, very bad for him. You know, I think that was the year he honestly went and saw that sports psychologist because he was just, especially after the Flyers series and then now it carried over to the next year.

He was just in a heap of trouble and just not the same goaltender. But yeah, so that concludes that. So that was a comfortable and fun little thing to do. I'm honestly going to try to keep doing this each day, especially as our famous May 10th day is coming up where the Penguins. always like to eliminate the capitals. We'll have clips of those big moments coming up. I think that'll

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All right, so we're back for this episode of Lockdown Penguins. And for this week, you know, we're going to be doing a bit different this week. So we're going to be doing some franchise what-ifs. For today's episode, we're going to keep it, you know, for recent, recently stuff. You know, I think maybe tomorrow will go out, we'll go way further back. But, you know, I wanted to do today for, you know, just like a big what if in Penguins history for like recency. And, you know, one big thing that I always think of is what if the Penguins beat the Rangers in that 2013-14 series? You know, what happens? You know, they go to the Eastern

Conference final. They play the Montreal Canadians. You still likely have Dan Biosma and Ray Schero coming back next season. Hell, the Montreal Canadiens were honestly not even that good of a team that year. The Penguins potentially go to the Stanley Cup final that year and play the Chicago Blackhawks, even if they lose, you know, like I said, I still think they're back. So, you know, I think that's a massive what if, you know, I mean, do we get the 2015-16 and 2016-17-17 Stanley Cups? Who knows? You know, I always look back at that game seven. I remember my mindset going into that game seven that day. And, you know, it was just, it was a weird vibe for me personally because, of course, you're tied 3-3.

In the back of my head, I know in the back of so many Penguins fans that I knew at the time, you know, we're like, okay, we win this game, cool, we move on, get closer to the Stanley Cup. And as someone, you know, I never root for my team to lose unless, like I'm actively tanking for like a number one pick or something like Joe Burrow in the NFL or Connor McDavid or, of course, you know, like, Cindy Rosby, the Penguins are able to do that. So, you know, I will never root for my team to lose unless we're like actually tanking for like the number one thing. So for this game, I'm like, you know what? I do want to win this game. But if we lose it, which I don't want to happen, I'm not going to be as mad as I would have been if this situation were different. And what I mean by that is, you know, they're coming off two bad playoff runs. You know, you have 2011-12.

You have the Flyers just embarrass them in six games. where Mark Andre Flores just looked like a complete buffoon. Then you have the 2012-13 run. And we're going to get to that in a minute where maybe what if the Penguins are able to beat the Bruins. And, you know, you beat the Islanders six games when Tomas Woon comes in. You win those last two games. You blitz through the Ottawa Senators in five games.

Then you go up against Boston. You get absolutely embarrassed by them. Hell, the Penguins lose their way in a way that I don't think a lot of people have very, you know, have seen this often. I just cannot speak today for whatever. And then, you know, you get the talk, oh my God, like, what's Dan Bosma going to be fired? Is Rayshiro going to be fired? Nope, right sure not only comes out and defends Dan Bosma.

I think that was the run that he gave him a contract extension after the Penguins got swept by Boston. I know, remember from, I think this was when I was starting to get on the Penguins Twitter. There were people that were not happy. You know, I was one of them. I was kind of sick and tired of Dan Bosma at this point. It had been a while since the Penguins had done anything really meaningful in the playoffs. I know they got to the Eastern Conference Final. But just to get embarrassed like that and to just lose your way, it was just, it was bad.

It was insulting. It was embarrassing. The way they just look like buffoons trying to fight the Bruins every shift it looked like. It just wasn't good. And then, you know, you beat, you have the 2013-14. You beat Columbus in six games. And, you know, that for a while there, it potentially looked like it was going to go seven games. So then, like I said, you have the Rangers.

You go up three games to one. It's all looking good. You know, you have the unfortunate situation with Marty saying, which was very, very sad. But we all know the Rangers were very, you know, they put Marty St. Louis on their backs. And, you know, I mean, if that happened on any other team, especially in mine, that would be the same thing.

You know, you do the same thing. He had that Mother's Day goal, which was, I'll just say that that's awesome. You know, the fact that he had that Mother's Day goal is just pretty, that's pretty sad. Especially in an elimination game, that's awesome. But, you know, it all just goes back and it's like, you know, if they lose, you know big changes are coming. You know Mary Olimu and Ron Berger are not going to stand for this as they blew another chance to only get to the Eastern Conference final,

potentially go all the way with Sidney Crosby. And that team was honestly a pretty, I thought that was a pretty good penguin team, especially with the way like this, the racket was opening up. You know, you had Columbus in the first round, like I said. You had the Rangers, which a team that I thought was very, very beautiful. And then in the next round, you would have had the Montreal Canadiens with Michelle Tarian. and I know Kerry Price was very, very good that season, and I know he was really good the next season in as well. This was, honestly, when Carrie Price was, I thought,

I think the best goaltender in the world. But, you know, I think the Penguins beat the Canadians in that series if they were able to beat the Rangers. So, you know, and like I said, you know, what if they do that? And then they go to the Stanley Cup final, and, you know, they play, it's not the, yeah, it's not, if I, I think I might have said the Blackhawks that year, and I know it's not the Blackhawks because that was in 2014-15. So I'm an idiot.

It would have been the Los Angeles. Kings in the Stanley Cup final that season. I cannot believe that I actually said the Blackhawks. I guess I mixed those two years up by accident. It just gets annoying when I remember the Blackhawks won three cups in five years. I just, I mixed up a couple years of my event. So yeah, it would have been a Penguins King Stanley Cup final if they would have closed out game seven against Rangers, beat the Canadians, and then like I said,

play the other kings. But, you know, it's just, it's weird to look back on now and just think, you know, what would the future look like now? 2015-16, is there a Stanley Cup for the Penguins in that year? Is there, do they go back to back? You know, is Jim Rutherford here? Probably not, you know. Do they make that trade for Phil Kessel?

Probably not, you know. Do they make that trade for Carl Hagelin, Nick Benino? Probably not. Do they get Justin Schultz? Probably not. There's a lot of moves that likely would not have been made if they win that series against the Rangers, you know, that's just a massive, what if, I think, in my opinion.

And, you know, hindsight, of course is 20, you know, looking back at it now, I'm glad they lost that 3-1 series lead to the Rangers, you know, I was able to open up the eyes of the organization. And, you know, I just, I remember after that game, you know, when the horn sounded zero, I, I turned it off the TV, I sat there for five minutes and I was just like, okay, like, we know what's coming. You know, as Rob Rossi once said on Twitter, you know, I know what's coming this summer. Well, he only got part of that right in that Jim Rutherford. I mean, Jim Rutherford and that damn Bosma and Ray Shiro were fired, but, you know, I think he hinted that it was going to be some

Cindy Crosby of getting Malkin problems, and that was never going to be the case. I think that was also the year, though, that that 2013-14 series against the Rangers, I'm trying to remember. I think that was the year where Cindy Crosby was honestly playing with a broken wrist. It was some sort of wrist injury. I know he was not 100%. You know, he just, remember when he was, like, shooting the puck, and it was just like, wow, that is not the typical Cindy Crosby shot. and I think it was actually confirmed after that season

that he was playing with the wrist injury. I'm not to double check on that, but I'm pretty 99% sure that it was. He was not healthy. And I think if I had to go back and look at the lines, I think that was, you know, Brandon Sutter was still on the team. I think Joe Vitale was still there.

Hell, Craig Adams was still on the team. I think Tanner Glass was still there. Oh, my God. There's a lot of whack bad. players that Ray Shiro signed. You know, Rob Skidari was still on the team. Oh man, that just never gets old.

It just talk about. But yeah, you know, I just, I like doing these kind of segments. You know, we're going to have another franchise, What If Tomorrow? I think another one, just a small one to wrap this up, you know, would be 2012, 13. You know, what if they beat the Bruins that year? You know, we finally get that Penguin's Black Hawk,

Stanley Cup final. That's the year that it was Penguins Black Hawk. That would have been Penguins, Blackhaws. of course it was Bruins Blackhawks and then they got the two goals in 17 seconds. But, you know, what if the Penguins go to the final of the year? Because that team was so staffed with Brendan Morrow and Jerome and Gindler coming over. And then we got the crankshaft with giving up two second round picks. You know, I think like that's one of the biggest things I regret not seeing,

or I think a lot of people do is not having a Penguins Blackhawks stand like a final to see Kane and Taves go up against Crosby and Malkin in their primes. You know, we all know what has happened with the Blackhawks recently, but still that would have been so much fun to see those two teams go at it. You know, it sucks that we probably won't have that happen because the Blackhawks are just, you know, they're not very good right now. All right. So that was a pretty fun segment, too. Like I said, we're going to go back way more in time tomorrow, maybe doing some 90s stuff, you know.

What if the Penguins don't, like, say, lose to the Islanders with David Volick. So, you know, we've talked about that, you know, many times. Or, you know, the 96 series, you know, or the 99 series with the Devils, you know, that's a big franchise. What if Yager doesn't score that time? goal or that overtime goal, you know, what happens there. So, you know, we'll touch on a bunch of those, I think, in tomorrow's episode. I do want to say, just to close this up, I did like how the Penguins closed off that 2017 Stanley Cup run last night.

They were showing on 18 T sports night, you know, I've said it on this podcast for, I always take great fun in just seeing how national fans are still butt hurt over the intent to blow thing. It's just, it really is a riot. I will say that. I honestly don't think that they will ever truly get over that. You know, just what a team that was.

You know, it was basically just a clenched butthole season for that entire playoff run, especially in the Stanley Cup final. I mean, really, I mean, I should really say that in Nashville. The Penguins blew them out in three of the games in Pittsburgh, but it really was clenched buthole, especially in Nashville when they were really, really struggling

in games three and four. And then, you know, you have the game six. You know, you have the intent to blow call that goes the Penguins way. When it really shouldn't have. That's another good franchise. What if moment? What if that goal stands for the Predators and it's won nothing? Do the Predators win that game?

Does it go back to Pittsburgh? What happens in Game 7? Who knows? But you know what? The Penguins are able to grind that out. Matt Murray was just a absolute monster in that game, especially with, I think, that Predators had, what, a five on three for a little bit?

I loved. The funniest moment in that game was when they kept passing back and forth at the point. I'm like, I'm just standing there with my, like I said, with a clenched butt cheek, I'm like, are you guys going to shoot the puck? Or are you guys just going to keep passing, you know, back each other? like it's just like a scrimmage or you know it's like it's almost like just playing like like for football on the beach or something that literally it was what it looked like and was

weird you know the but matt murray was just able to was a monster that game you know he had a couple breakaway saves um just that was matt murray at its finest you know he was just absolutely outstanding and then you know that hornquist's goal you know that honestly doesn't go in and probably about seven out of ten times maybe eight the way that he was able to just bounce off uh the glass at precisely the right angle hornquist was able to get his stick on that puck and then banking it off reneying and that just does not happen

very often like I said play that situation like eight more times that probably doesn't happen maybe even nine more times it probably does not happen but you know what it happened that time and that's all that matters and the penguins were able to win that game you know I liked that the penguins were able to

play the 2017 still like up I think next up might be 1991 but I'm not sure maybe like I said maybe they'll take my idea that me and some other people have and maybe just play some really awesome regular season games from their history, you know, some really cool comeback games, some games that, you know, sometimes lost in the sauce, as the kids like to say. I think that would be pretty interesting, but I think that does it for this episode of Lockdown Penguins. I hope you guys enjoyed listening to this one. We'll be back tomorrow with another

episode with some more franchise woodivs and some other interesting tivots as well. So I hope you all are staying safe. You know, we get further and further into May now. Hopefully this will be all over soon. Also go check out Locked-on Stewards. Stewards just got their schedule released. I'm sure Chris Carter will you all over that. And also checked out, he locked on NHL National Show. They do a really good job coming out with that each and every Monday.

So thank you guys so much for listening. Follow me on Twitter at Hunter Hodes. And the show is Twitter at L-O- underscore Penguins. And we will talk to you all soon.