As the close of any sport’s season approaches the talk shifts from what’s currently happening to the sport/league/team history.  People like to compare present and past.  One of the most generalized, but important, titles any particular team can receive is that of a dynasty.  While to officially be a dynastic team you must dominate your league for many seasons, talk often begins after just one great season.  The NHL might be one of the most stingy leagues for donning the title of a “benchmark team,” as they call it, acknowledging only eight teams, five organizations, from 1947-1990 and none since.  Perhaps with a more modified criterion there would have been someone since, but even still there’s always talk about who will be the next dynasty.

With the Stanley Cup Finals just around the corner, at least one team headed to the finals could perhaps become the next NHL Dynasty, the Pittsburgh Penguins.  The Penguins won back to back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992, made it to the finals in 2008, but didn’t win again until the 2008-09 season.  This current 2012-13 season is the furthest they’ve come since, advancing themselves to the Conference Finals just this past week.

Aside from the Chicago Blackhawks, the Penguins were arguably the best team in the league this year.  They came out hot and other than a small downward slump played solid all season.  They even went on this season’s longest win streak at 15 games, coming just two games shy of the NHL’s record, also held by the Penguins from 1992-93.  There are a lot of reasons behind the dynasty talk for this team.  Aside from their winning record, taking first in conference, and a divisional title, many other things have gone well for the Penguins this season. 

Although he was in and out this season with injury, Sidney Crosby still came in the top five in the league for total points, scored 15 goals, had 41 assists, and won 55% of his faceoffs.  Crosby is a big name in the sport and this season was no different.  Fellow veteran, Evgeni Malkin, also had another great season.  Other superstar Penguins, Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis, greatly attributed to the team’s success this season as well both scoring over 20 goals in the regular season alone.  The defense and goaltenders are just as crucial to the team as the scorers and again this season has been no different.  Even after taking a lot of heat for consistency, or lack thereof, Pittsburgh’s goaltenders often carried the team.  Marc-Andre Fleury played most of the regular season and started out the postseason as well.  A crucial milestone for goalies in the NHL is to accomplish 50 career wins and right now Fleury is just five wins away.  Even though he hasn’t reached the milestone yet, he’s still in second place for most wins.  Having taken over in the postseason, when Fleury faltered, Tomas Vokoun has been playing a solid game and is behind keeping the Penguins moving through the playoffs.

For a team with so much star power on the offense and a sturdy backbone with their defense and netminder, it’s not hard to see why the Penguins were a favorite to win the cup before the playoffs even started.  I’m not sure if their recent success is dynasty worthy just yet, but they’re at least headed down the right yellow brick road.