[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 102 (Thursday, June 15, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E833]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                PITTSBURGH PENGUINS STANLEY CUP VICTORY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL F. DOYLE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 15, 2017

  Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I'm very excited 
to say congratulations, once again, to the Pittsburgh Penguins on 
winning the 2017 Stanley Cup.
  For those of you who don't know, the Penguins also won the Stanley 
Cup last year--making them back-to-back champions. That hasn't been 
done since the late 1990s and since the salary cap was put in place. It 
was truly a historic achievement, and the City of Pittsburgh could not 
be more excited. This is the 5th Stanley Cup for the Penguins 
franchise.
  Over the course of the season--and particularly the playoffs--the 
Penguins showed the grit, resiliency, and determination that is 
emblematic of the City of Pittsburgh. They battled through injury after 
injury, tough games, hostile arenas, changing rosters--you name it, 
they faced it. And yet they came out on top every time.
  Throughout the course of the playoffs, they bested the Columbus Blue 
Jackets in the first round, winning handily in a 4-1 series. Next, they 
came here to D.C. and faced the No. 1-seed Washington Capitals. Well, 
for the ninth time in 10 playoff matchups, the Pens defeated the 
Capitals in a brutal 7-game series that also (temporarily) knocked out 
our Captain, Sidney Crosby. But the thing about Pittsburgh--and the 
Pens--is that a knock-out punch just won't keep us down for long. They 
moved right along and trucked through the Ottawa Senators 4-2 to make 
it back to the Stanley Cup Finals for the second year in a row.
  Now, I would like to congratulate the Nashville Predators on a 
magical run through the playoffs and a hard-fought final series. But 
ultimately, it wasn't enough to overcome the Penguins' skill, 
experience, hustle, and determination.
  In a riveting Game 6, neither team had scored a goal and the end of 
regulation was quickly approaching. With only 95 seconds left on the 
clock, Patric Hornqvist managed to use the Predator's goalie himself to 
get the puck in the net. Left with few options, the Preds had to pull 
their goalie which allowed the Penguins to get an empty-net goal with 
seconds remaining. It was the perfect end to a historic season.
  I would particularly like to congratulate Sidney Crosby on winning 
his second back-to-back Conn Smythe Trophy, one of only three players 
ever to do so. The last player to win back-to-back? The Pens very own 
Mario Lemieux.
  The City of Pittsburgh is welcoming home another championship trophy, 
and for that I would like to once again thank and congratulate the 2017 
Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins. Welcome back to Pittsburgh, 
Lord Stanley.

                          ____________________