Sidney Crosby doesn’t think the Pittsburgh Penguins have some sort of mystical edge over the Washington Capitals. That all those series and
all those years and all that dominance won’t mean a thing when the two longtime
rivals meet in the playoffs for the 11th time starting Thursday night in the
Eastern Conference semifinals.
Of course
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Eras change. Stars change. Coaches change. Styles change (well, sort of). The result when the Penguins are on one bench and the Capitals are on the other and
a spot in the next round in the pursuit of a Stanley Cup is on the line does
not. The Penguins have won nine of the 10 previous meetings.
.tpClipInfo > * { display: none !important; }.tpPlayer { display: none !important; }.tpReleaseList > * { display: none !important; }.tpReleaseModel > * { display: none !important; }.tpNavigation > * { display: none !important; }.tpSearch > * { display: none !important; }.tpCategoryModel > * { display: none !important; }.tpHeader > * { display: none !important; }.tpCategoryList > * { display: none !important; }Epic collapses. Unlikely comebacks. Wild finishes. Emotional scar tissue from losses that come from being the hockey equivalent of Sisyphus. Hall of Famers
(and future Hall of Famers) all over the place — particularly if you wear black
and gold.
Crosby, Alex Ovechkin and company have a lot to live up to. But before we throw ourselves into the physical and psychological maw for two weeks, let’s
press our finger on the bruises – or relive the joy
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—
THE YEAR: 1991
THE ROUND: Patrick Division Finals
THE RESULT: Penguins in 5.
THE DEFINING MOMENT: The Capitals scored three times in the first 10:26 of the third period of Game 2 in Pittsburgh to take the lead. Randy Gilhen – he of
the three career playoff goals – jumped onto the ice during a delayed Washington
penalty and emerged from a sea of bodies to tie it with less than 5 minutes left
in regulation. Kevin Stevens won it with a wrist shot off a pretty setup by Ron
Francis 8:10 into overtime to even the series. The Capitals scored three goals
total the rest of the way as the Penguins advanced to the conference finals for
the first time in franchise history.
GUT PUNCH LEVEL: 2. The massively talented Penguins had seven Hall of Famers on the roster (eight if you include the ageless and sure-to-be inducted Jaromir
Jagr) and won their first Cup two rounds later.
—
THE YEAR: 1992
THE ROUND: Patrick Division Semifinals
THE SERIES: Penguins in 7.
THE DEFINING MOMENT: The Capitals sprinted to a 3-1 series lead. After getting drilled at home in Game 5, Washington led 4-2 4 minutes into the second
period of Game 6. And then Mario Lemieux happened . Super Mario scored or
assisted on three power-play goals over the final 30 minutes as the Penguins
tied the series, then shut the Caps down in Game 7, a 3-1 win on the road to
propel them to a second straight Cup.
GUT PUNCH LEVEL: 8. Pittsburgh had a bit of a Cup hangover after winning it all in ’91 and appeared on the verge of collapse after the Capitals crushed them
7-2 in Game 4. And then … well
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—
THE YEAR: 1994
THE ROUND: Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
THE SERIES: Capitals in 6.
THE DEFINING MOMENT: Washington again jumped out to a 3-1 series lead only to lose Game 5. Back home for Game 6, the Capitals went up 3-0 only to have the
Penguins cut it to 3-2 after the first period. Momentum teetering, Washington
defenseman Calle Johansson beat Tom Barrasso 1:25 into the second to restore the
Caps’ two-goal lead and Washington closed out Pittsburgh for the first – and
only – time.
GUT PUNCH LEVEL: 6. Pittsburgh viewed 1994 as a redemption tour after its bid for a three-peat was derailed by the Islanders in the 1993 playoffs. The
Penguins won the Northeast Division and had the third-best record in the league
only to lose to a Capitals team that started the season 0-6 and fired coach
Terry Murray at midseason and replaced him with Jim Schoenfeld.
—
THE YEAR: 1995
THE ROUND: Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
THE SERIES: Penguins in 7.
THE DEFINING MOMENT: Lemieux sat out the lockout shortened 1994-95 season due to fatigue and the Capitals took advantage in the playoffs. Washington – stop us
if you’ve heard this before – headed to Pittsburgh with a 3-1 lead and jumped
ahead four separate times in front of a stunned crowd at the Igloo. Kevin
Stevens, however
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winner 4:30 into the first extra period to give the Penguins a 6-5 victory.
Pittsburgh went on to win Games 6 and 7 by a combined 10-1.
GUT PUNCH LEVEL: 9. For a franchise that didn’t exactly have a reputation for answering when pushed, Washington’s remarkable play in Game 5 went against the
grain and they didn’t have to worry about Lemieux. And yet …
—
THE YEAR: 1996
THE ROUND: Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
THE SERIES: Penguins in 6.
THE DEFINING MOMENT: Make it defining moments. All of them seeming to come in an epic Game 4 . The Capitals led 2-1 and didn’t have to contend with Lemieux
after he was ejected late in the second period for fighting Washington’s Pat
Peake. Regulation ended tied at 2. So did the first overtime. And the second
(after Washington’s Joe Juneau couldn’t convert the first overtime penalty shot
in NHL history ). And the third. With 45 seconds left in the fourth extra
period, Petr Nedved threw a shot in from outside the left circle that slipped by
Olaf Kolzig and into the net to tie the series. Pittsburgh captured the next two
to advance to the conference finals.
GUT PUNCH LEVEL: They might not have invented the number yet to rate the emotional toll of this one. Say R.
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