Twenty years is a long time ago. I had just finished my first year as a history teacher and was prepping to get married that September. Nobody had heard of the MCU yet, and nobody could fathom that Star Wars would make bad films. Daniel Powter's "Bad Day" was topping the charts, thanks to American Idol, while Shakira was telling us about her truthful hips. For the Flyers faithful, the team returned after a year without hockey only to fall flat against the Buffalo Sabres in six games in 2006.
That next hockey season would bring on the worst in Flyers' history. The team finished dead last in the NHL, going 22-48-12, and saw the firing of coach Ken Hitchcock and the resignation of GM Bobby Clarke. While that was bad, it was a blip on the radar for Philly fans. What was coming was worse.
A little over 300 miles away, things would change for Pittsburgh, a team that was struggling to stay relevant. Remember, they came close to moving to both Kansas City and Hamilton, Ont. However, 2006-07 would be the first time that Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin would suit up and hit the ice for the first time together. One year later, defenseman Kris Letang would turn that dynamic duo into a trio.
Since that time, they have won three Stanley Cups and have gone to another. They have bested the Flyers in three of the four postseason series in that time frame. They have entered a golden age while the Flyers, and their fans, got to watch. Meanwhile, Pens fans have become insufferable.
The Flyers can end their historic run
Ever since the Penguins last won the Cup in 2017, Pittsburgh has tried, vainly, to get back to glory. They've gone through multiple major lineup changes (Phil Kessel, Erik Karlsson) as well as gone through a bevy of head coaches and general managers. Everything they have done has been done in the hopes of getting their big three one last title run.
Crosby, Malkin, and Letang are no longer kids. They are old veterans. Malkin isn't even signed to a contract with Pittsburgh beyond this season. This is most likely their last run together.
And who better to do it than the Flyers? What better way to put an exclamation point on the Flyers-Pens rivalry than to smash Pittsburgh's last chance at a run with their beloved trio? How much better would it be to see this celebrated group of players falter against their biggest rivals? Perhaps Malkin would decide to leave Pittsburgh and join Philly to become a mentor to Matvei Michov. That in itself would be the icing on the cake.
But let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. Let's take care of business, one game, one period, one play at a time. Let's end this historic run of Pittsburgh and use this as the launching pad. Sorry, Penguins fans, your time is over. Time to move over and let the Philadelphia young guns take over and start their own dynasty.
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