The Best of Pensburgh from the 2017-2018 Penguins Season

The 2017-2018 Penguins season certainly had its ups and downs but the one constant was our commitment to top notch content here at Pensburgh. From our daily features like Pens Points and recaps, to our special pieces on system breakdowns and fancy stats, we made it our mission to provide quality content to all of our readers.

While it would be impossible to list every great story we produced this season, our team here at the site submitted some of their best work to be highlighted as this season’s best.

We hope you enjoy.

Hooks Orpik, Managing Editor

A complete record of all the Pittsburgh Penguins names on the Stanley Cup

Hooks says: “Always fun to look back at the history and lore of the Cup and see the Pens imprints on history. This is one article I’ll never tire of writing and hopefully will get to update again one day.”

Indeed we hope to add to this list next season.

Sidney Crosby loves scoring highlight reel goals on March 21st

I was at this game and seeing it in real time you almost could not tell what happened. The puck went towards the net where Crosby was and the next thing you knew, it was in the net behind Price. It wasn’t until they showed the replay that you saw exactly what he did pulled off.

Ryan Reaves rocks reddit request; reveals raucous, radiant responses

Hooks says: “Whether you like Reaves as a player or not, it’s always wonderful to see a hockey player display personality and get real with answers. I remember writing this on a Friday night, not even really thinking I was going to cover it right away until I saw Reaves’ answers, most of which were legitimately funny and I knew I had to write it up before starting my Friday night. Reaves would be traded a week after this was posted.”

This certainly went better than the time the Penguins had James Neal answer fan questions.

Enjoying the good old days of the Pittsburgh Penguins

Hooks says: “Since then we’ve enjoyed stability, 3 championships, 12 straight playoff berths and the future still looks promising with Crosby and Malkin still firing on all cylinders. They may have lost recently, but every word still rings true that it’s important to enjoy this stretch of awesome play. We’ve seen teams like the Rangers and Red Wings fall off cliffs lately - once the Pens playoff foes and now both staring at long rebuilds. We’ve seen Chicago go out with a whimper as of late, a shell of their former championship teams. But the Pens keep clicking along, the best and most consistent and winning-est playoff team of the salary cap era. It’s something to enjoy for sure.

Mike Darnay, Deputy Managing Editor

Dear Ian Cole: thank you for your service as a Pittsburgh Penguin

Mike says: “Bidding farewell to Ian Cole was a mixed bag of emotions. He was a great soldier for the Penguins with a big personality in the locker room. He came in during the spring of 2015 and did everything asked of him and more en route to being a big part of back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.”

This may have been the craziest day of the entire season. From new breaking about the trade, to the trade being on hold, then finally getting confirmation that the trade was completed it was just a total whirlwind of a day.

Thank you for the memories that will last a lifetime, Penguins

Mike says: “Thanking the Penguins for the memories made during their 2-year run as back-to-back Champions followed by their eventual faltering in the 2nd round just recently felt like a proper appreciation to give them. So much of what we do is dictated by how the team does and what the team does — in this case, they provided the groundwork and foundation for a lot of amazing memories and relationships.”

Two Stanley Cup championships but thousands of countless memories that we will hold on to for a lifetime.

Kaitlyn Dividock, Social Media Manager/Editor

Penguins-Capitals preview: breaking down previous matchups, strategy, fancy stats

Penguins-Flyers strategy: breaking down previous matchups, systems, and fancy stats

Kait says: “Narrowing down all the posts I wrote to pick a favorite was admittedly difficult, but ultimately, the choice became very clear. I like to be proud of the content I produce, and after gaining the experience I did from the start of the season to the final buzzer in the second round of the playoffs, I noticed how much stronger my voice and skill level had become.

I know it kind of sounds like a humble brag, but never in a million years did I think I could write a super in-depth piece about systems, player matchups, and video breakdowns, while also successfully combing through advanced stats to bring my readers something they could walk away feeling more informed about, but I did. That’s an awesome feeling. So I picked my two recent playoff previews and will use them as my personal bar for next season. I only plan to get better. Until then, catch me on SB Nation NHL writing stories on the remaining playoff teams.

I can’t wait for October.”

Neither can we, Kait. Neither can we.

Robbie Naugle, Staff Writer

16 Wins

Robbie says: “I wrote a version of this same article before the 2017 postseason and we all remember how that turned out. While we did not achieve the desired result this season I still love this article and plan to do it again next season. To me, it really encapsulates what the NHL playoffs are all about and what a grind they can be to reach the mountaintop. It’s a two month gauntlet, but if you manage to come out on top, you are rewarded with the greatest trophy in all of sports.”

Four Pens’ Prospects to Feature in NCAA Tournament

Robbie Says: “This piece was just a ton of fun to write because I love college hockey and it provided insight into potential future Penguins. As an added bonus, Kaspar Björkqvist scored two goals in the tournament for Providence and the Penguins signed Anthony Angello to an entry level deal shortly following the tournament.”

Meet Kelly, the Penguins Fan Searching for a Kidney Donor

Robbie says: “When thinking of article to submit for this piece, this one immediately popped into my head. It is perhaps the best writing I ever put together for any outlet. I was immensely proud of it when I first wrote it, and remain proud even now. Kelly and her sign popped up on my radar the day after the game she attended and I reached out to her right away. I interviewed her for over an hour on the phone and stayed up to the wee hours of the morning to get it completed and ready to publish. It was incredibly important to me that I told Kelly’s story and spread the word about her fight for a kidney. I could not have been more happy with how it turned out.”

Garrett Behanna, Staff Writer

My Five Most Memorable Moments of 2017

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Garrett says: “Most of my work this season centered around either our Pens Points posts or game recaps. This was one of the few chances I took to express myself in a different fashion. This piece was a super fun one to write. Being able to reflect on what the Pens accomplished in 2017, and now, with the team done until October, it made me realize that the run the team went on from December 2015 to now was simply legendary. These moments are just some of the few that will stick with me for as long as I live.”

And what a year it was.

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As you can tell from above, this was quite a season for us here at Pensburgh. We are incredibly proud of everything we’ve built here and look forward to continue creating great content for our readers going forward.

Offseason news can slow to a crawl at times, but we have been making plans to keep the content train rolling all summer long. We are really excited about what we have in store for all of you so keep your eyes peeled for the latest from everyone here at Pensburgh. Hopefully next season we won’t be making this post until late June.

Thank you, and Let’s Go Pens.