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In its 104-year historical past, the National Hockey League has seen some phenomenal gamers, and followers have been blessed sufficient to see these gamers be part of forces as linemates. Some of those traces have been branded with titles to make them much more memorable. Famous ones embrace the Buffalo Sabres “French Connection” of Gilbert Perreault, Rick Martin, and Rene Robert, or the Philadelphia Flyers’ “Legion of Doom” consisting of John LeClair, Eric Lindros, and Mikael Renberg.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have had the identical luxurious since they joined the league in 1967. We’ll run down a number of the most notable Pens traces to take the ice.
An honorable point out ought to first be given to “The Firing Line.” Evgeni Malkin, Chris Kunitz, and James Neal joined forces within the 2011-12 season and have been the three high purpose scorers for the Penguins. They produced 40% of the workforce’s targets that season.
The HBK Line
Who might neglect the heroics of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino, and Phil Kessel throughout the 2016 Stanley Cup run? All three have been new additions to the workforce and mixed for 20 targets and 56 factors within the postseason. The identify is made up of the primary preliminary of every participant’s final identify, which matched that of WWE famous person Shawn Michaels’ nickname, the Heartbreak Kid.
The line gained a lot of its fame throughout the Eastern Conference Semifinals towards the Washington Capitals. Hagelin, Kessel, and Bonino have been one, two, and three in workforce scoring, respectively. Bonino additionally scored one of the vital memorable targets in current Penguins historical past, with the extra time winner within the deciding sport of that sequence. In the identical sport, Hagelin scored, whereas Kessel had a pair of targets.
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The line grew to become so iconic that the Penguins invited the Heartbreak Kid himself to a sport, and, for a restricted time, Pittsburgh’s Primanti Brothers created a sandwich with the identical identify, made with ham, bacon, and kielbasa.
The line could have pale after the 2016 postseason, and all three gamers departed from Pittsburgh earlier than the flip of the last decade, however the recollections that they created will reside on in Penguins’ lore.
The Century Line
The trio of Syl Apps Jr., Lowell MacDonald, and Jean Pronovost was given the moniker after they mixed for over 100 targets and 200 factors in 4 straight seasons. From 1972-73 to 1975-76, their scoring prowess helped the Penguins obtain a document above .500 for the primary and second time in franchise historical past. They have been a spark for an growth workforce that was struggling to seek out success and recognition, not simply within the NHL, however in its personal metropolis.
Also known as the “Bicentennial Line,” due to these 200-point seasons, it was the primary time the league started to take discover of the Penguins. Along with Apps, MacDonald, and Pronovost have been different excellent gamers like Ron Stackhouse, Dave Burrows, Rick Kehoe, and Pierre Larouche who had 111 factors within the 1975-76 season.
Related: Oldest Players with 100-Point Seasons
After the primary season of their iconic run in 1972-73, MacDonald was awarded the Bill Masterton Trophy for his distinctive perseverance and sportsmanship. That season, he returned from a knee damage that compelled him to overlook many of the 1970-71 season and the entire 1971-72 season. He put up 34 targets and 75 factors in 78 video games.
The line could not have seen success within the type of a championship or scoring title, nevertheless it was necessary for the Penguins to realize momentum and recognition; the Century Line did simply that.
The Skyline
Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr on a line collectively is unhealthy sufficient for opposing groups, then add Kevin Stevens and it’s a recipe for catastrophe. Their joint forces result in the perfect season the Penguins had ever seen; a workforce that many gamers would say was the perfect they performed for.
The identify “Skyline” referred to the towering top of the three skaters. The common top of an NHL participant right this moment is 6-foot-1, Lemieux stood at 6-foot-4 whereas Stevens and Jagr have been each 6-foot-3.
Add every participant’s talent to the combo and the Skyline produced a mixed 365 factors within the 1992-93 season. Lemieux missed 24 video games that season and nonetheless led the league in factors with 160. Stevens additionally missed 12 video games and was in a position to document 111 factors. Jagr posted a then-career-high 94 factors.
Related: Jaromir Jagr – A Retrospective in Quotations
The Penguins, with the assistance of the Skyline, received the franchise’s solely Presidents’ Trophy, ending the season with a 56-21-7 document and 119 factors. The three mixed for twenty-four game-winning targets.
Ron Francis, Lemieux, Jagr
Swap out Stevens with Ron Francis and you’ve got three of the top-10 level scorers in NHL historical past on the identical line. No different workforce can say they’ve executed that. This line didn’t have an official title however was generally known as “The Great Line” and it’s arguably the best line in workforce (or league) historical past.
At the beginning of the 1995-96 season, Lemieux was coming back from again surgical procedure that had stored him out for properly over a season. While Jagr was coming off of an Art Ross season, he instructed that Lemieux transfer to the wing and let Francis step in at heart. It labored tremendously for the three as they every put up over 110 factors that season to guide the league; Lemieux led the league with 161 factors, Jagr was second with 149 factors, and Francis had a career-high 119 factors, mixed for a complete of 429 factors between the three of them.
Lemieux’s season ended with the Art Ross Trophy, Lester B. Pearson Award, and a Hart Trophy. He additionally reached the 50-goals-in-50-games mark for the third time in his profession. His 69 targets and 92 assists have been additionally tops within the league.
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That season, the Penguins additionally featured Petr Nedved, who put up 99 factors. The workforce made it to the Eastern Conference Final, dropping to the “Rat Trick” Florida Panthers in seven video games.
The league is totally different from the times of “The Production Line” from Detroit, or the “Punch Line” in Montreal, however having a trio of forwards who’re in a position to construct chemistry and turn into a pressure is a should on each workforce.
Related: Bobby Orr’s Landmark Seasons
The Penguins, through the years, have made a reputation for themselves for their spectacular combinations, and that hasn’t stopped with “Sid and his Kids,” a line with Sidney Crosby, Jake Guentzel, and one other younger ahead. In the previous, the younger ahead was Conor Sheary or Bryan Rust. The mixture normally turns into a right away fan favourite within the metropolis.
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