Page 45 - Sports Energy News, Cornwall, Issue No 124

www.sportsenergynews.com Issue #124 May 2023 45

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Energy N e w s presents Sports Panel
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Stories And More About The People In Stormont, Dundas & Glengarry
At the end of this year’s NHL season, two of the biggest questions to answer are: after
their sixteen-year playoff run ended a few weeks ago, will there be big changes in the
off season for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and will the Bruin’s dominant season lead to the
Stanley Cup?
Jake Lapierre - Conditioning Coach - Despite the season-ending disappointment for Pittsburgh players and fans, the team
finished just one point out of the second wild card spot in the Eastern Conference, after going 40-31-11 this season. The season
ended Pittsburgh’s incredible streak of sixteen straight seasons of playoff hockey that featured three Stanley Cups and four
trips to the finals. Will the Penguins try to load up around the core players and take one more run next season or consider a
full rebuild?
Whatever happens next for the Penguins you can count on changes happening quickly. Fenway Sports Group (FSG), the
Penguins ownership group, have a reputation for moving fast. Additionally, whatever decisions are made, the question then
becomes whether names like Crosby, Malkin, and Letang want to be part of those changes. Let’s throw this scenario into the
mix and add a little icing on the doughnut; wouldn’t it be sweet to see Syd the Kid make a move and join his Tim Horton’s
buddy Nathan and make one heck of a Stanley Cup run in Colorado! I like the idea.
As for the Bruins, they are dialed in and having a phenomenal season. I believe they are fully committed and headed right to
the Stanley Cup. It’s gonna be interesting!

Jim Riddell - Seaway Karate Club - The Pittsburg Penguins will be one of the busiest teams in the league this summer. Team
President Brian Burke, GM Ron Hextall, and his assistant Chris Pryor were all fired shortly after the season ended and filling
these positions will be the first priority. Then the many on-ice issues will need to be addressed, - a decision will have to be
made on UFA goalie Tristian Jarry, how to find secondary scoring as well as adding a top four defenseman. Pittsburg had the
oldest and smallest team in the NHL in 22-23, so injecting some youth and size will be an objective. With a very thin prospect
pool, not many of these needs can be filled internally, so look for the Pens to be trading picks for immediate help at the entry
draft in Nashville on June 28-29, just before the free agent market opens up. Getting back into the playoffs won’t be easy with
some up-and-coming teams also pushing for one of those spots.
As for the Boston Bruins chances, - at the time of this writing, the Boston Bruins have a 3 game to 1 lead over a tough Florida
Panther team. There is still a lot of hockey to be played, and anything can happen, but the Bruins are still my choice to win
the Stanley Cup.

Peter Collins - Sports Enthusiast - The first question was put to rest quickly by Penguins ownership! Hextall and Burke didn’t
have time for their feathers to molt before they were jettisoned from the rookery. “We are grateful for their contributions
during the past two years,” said the Fenway Sports Group who are proprietors of the Penguins. Time for the Penguins to go in
another direction? Maybe because south is the direction that their season went during the second half of the year. They were
only a .500 team for the last four months of the season. That record, along with poor goaltending, put them on the outside
looking in.
By the time you read this, the Bruins will be playing the Leafs or Lightning. Or conversely, they may be the most recent
victims of the dreaded curse of the President’s Trophy. Since 1985 the President’s Trophy winner has only won 8 of 37 Stanley
Cups. The Bruins have been dominant all season, with twenty-two points more than their nearest competitor. They finished
second in goals for, and first in goals against. They dominated almost every important metric kept by the NHL. Additionally,
they were a beast at their home rink and were equally dominant on the road. But reality bites when the playoffs begin and you
face more motivated teams, and potentially hot goaltenders. The Bruins should win it all, but historically their chances are a
meager one in five! That’s parity in the NHL, and the result of a needlessly long regular season.