Could the Penguins Experience a (Big) Turnaround?

A small forenote before I begin. The inspiration for this article came from fellow PPer Caleb Di’Natale, who I believe is planning to write his own article on the subject. Without trying to steal Caleb’s thunder, I thought I’d take a crack at addressing a potential Penguins turnaround from a historical perspective. Here goes:

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Having snapped a seemingly endless postseason drought that spanned six long years the previous spring, the bar was set high for the 1989-90 Penguins.

Fresh off a stunning 85-goal, 199-point season, the incomparable Mario Lemieux seemed destined to shatter Wayne Gretzky’s single-season scoring records. Paul Coffey, the Erik Karlsson of his day, had piled up an equally astounding 30 goals and 113 points from his post on the blue line. Sharpshooters Robbie Brown (49 goals) and Dan Quinn (34 goals) provided scoring depth. Future stars Mark Recchi, Kevin Stevens and John Cullen were poised to make their mark.

Thanks to a savvy trade by GM Tony Esposito, the team boasted a stud between the pipes in Tom Barrasso.

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