Do you think Mellon Arena will ever see another Stanley Cup Finals Game?

Question

Since the Penguins are expected to have another arena by the 2010-2011 season, do you think Mellon Arena will ever see another Stanley Cup Finals Game? If so, then what year(s)

Answer 1

I personally think that the Pens have a GREAT Shot at the Finals again this year....They easily have the best rounded team in the East (TB is catching up =)  ) I think that they could also do better next time around simply because for players like Crosby, Malkin, Stall and Fleury it was their first Stanley Cup Finals so they were all probably nervous... Look at the Anaheim Ducks... In 03 it was their first Stanley Cup Finals for most of the players 4 years later they hoisted a cup!...When you do get to the finals though it isnt going to be a walk in the park with competition like the Ducks, Wings, Sharks....

Answer 2

I don't think it will be this year.  The only reason I say that is because of how little time they have off this summer combined with starting off their season in Europe.  I think it's going to be too much of a grind just like it was for Anaheim last year.  I don't think it has anything to do with the trade for Hossa.  I think the biggest asset we gave up in that trade was Colby Armstrong.  Christensen was only useful in the shootout.  Esposito is not only on a downhill slide, but he would never amount to anything on the Pens as a center.  I guess we'll have to see what becomes of Daultan Leveille to see how much that first round pick cost.

As far as defense goes, I can't remember the Penguins ever having a defense as deep as ours.  I don't know what games Jason is watching when he says all our defensemen are offensive minded except Whitney.  Scuderi, Eaton, Gil, and Orpik are not known for their offensive prowess at all.  Also, I think Sergei Gonchar was incredible on defense last year.

I think Mellon Arena will see the SCF in it's last year of existence.  It will be pretty cool that the last game ever played there will end with Crosby skating the cup around the ice.

Answer 3

Nope, the trade for hossa is what screwed them, they had plenty of offensive power, but they traded away their #1 prospect, and two solid goal-scorers who may be pretty good players, for a rental player, and now teir offense is still gonna be good, just not as good, ad their defensive core s a bit unstable, gill is useless, and everyone else besides whitney(maybe scuderi) is offensively minded, so they have plenty of flaws

Answer 4

Of course. Hossa's shoes will be hard to fill, along with Malone's, but if the player they lost in free agency or whatever wasn't named Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, or Staal, they were just little pieces of the puzzle. Satan will return to his former self with Sid feeding him pucks. Last year will only be used as a lesson and for more motivation. Go Pens!

Answer 5

Well you can definitely rest assured that we will see at least one other Stanley Cup Final and hopefully a Stanley Cup to boot when we leave the igloo in a few years. The reason I really believe in this is because well how can you have arguably the best two young forwards in the game (Crosby and Malkin) along with one of the NHLs most athletic goaltenders in the form of Marc-Andre Fluery and an extremely effective defensive unit and not expect to go deep in the playoffs. The hockey worlds finest analysists have been stating this for years with the kind of numbers that Crosby and Malkin put up you are going to be succesful and like I said with a nice defense corp and an awesome goalie in Marc- Andre Fluery I like the hockey experts think that this Penguins team is a looking just a little like those Oilers of the 80s and 90s!

Just comparing here dont get mad if you don't agree...

Crosby-Gretzky

Malkin-Messier

Gonchar-Coffey

Fluery-Moog or Fuhr

~~~~~~~~~DYNASTY~~~~~~~

Answer 6

well probably not considering theyre knocking it down... but i definatley think pittsburgh will... knock on wood

Answer 7

Nope - but Tampa Bay will

Answer 8

Let's hope so.

........This year, sonny. Penguins will be in the SCFs or 2009!

Don't mind me....I have no idea what I'm saying. I've been talking nonsense for the past hour. I'm drunk off of life or somethin'.....(Serious Answer: Something tells me if yes, then it'll be in 2011....)

Answer 9

It's hard to say if you where to ask me this last year(if the Penns would make it to the cup) I'd say no. They became the team they did after the trade deadline and the return of key players, let's talk in the fall.

But I'm guessing the only way they do is if parts of it are brought over to the new arena.

Answer 10

This year dude!!!

We still got Crosby, Malkin, Sykora, Staal, Gonchar, Orpik, Fluery...come on man the east didnt get that much better, maybe instead of the Pens sweeping every series they will have to play 5 games each to get to the Finals now.

To the lose of Hossa: Pens lost Armstrong....did not score unless on Sids line.  Espisito....plays center(pens already have Malkin, Crosby, Staal at center), Christensen....was only good for shootouts.  So to all those saying the Hossa deal was dumb you need to get a clue.  It was well worth the price even if they lost a 1st round draft pick this year, Pens were able to keep Dupuis from the deal.  Also, Pens D is rock solid.  Each Dman plays his role just fine.  Pens are 8 Dmen deep and talk is Sydor could be traded.

Answer 11

just guess they will have to wait until there new arena opens. because i don't think they are going to the cup this season. but  mellon arena will see a couple more playoff games for sure.

Answer 12

No for 08-09, Too hard to tell for 09-10

I know they are saying all the right things about how much last seasons lost stings and ........ but they will have a Cup loss hangover for much  of the 1st half.

Crosby is injury prone (2 foot injuries to 2 seasons) and I see Malkin taking a bit of step back too. By all accounts Malkin quit in the Finals and those questions will start surfacing in when the Pens begin to slump.

Will they make the playoffs yes, but other teams (the Habs) improved and the Pens lost a lot of pieces and didn't replace them (Satan and Fedotenko don't count)

Answer 13

nope. pens are gonna go down hill this year and detroit wont be as good.

Answer 14

No, but there have been a few protests around the area about possibly keeping the Igloo up as a spare arena for practices/local hockey events instead of tearing it down for no reason - to see the area as a parking lot would be just horrible. It was hard enough to watch Three Rivers Stadium go down, I don't want to lose the Igloo! Ugh, but I'm rambling now lol, but no, realistically there won't be any more SCFs in Mellon Arena.

But hopefully plenty in the new one. =) haha

Answer 15

I wouldn't mind if it saw another SCF :) ... But i'm just glad people got to experience it at least one last time in the arena before it gets torn down, ya know?

Answer 16

Nope!!!!!!

Tampa has the best chance in the East this year

Answer 17

I don't think there will be a Stanley Cup Finals game played there, but I do think that there will be a few ECF games played in Mellon Arena. I just think that Pittsburgh is missing some depth players that push them into the SCF.