[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 12]
[Senate]
[Pages 15688-15689]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




CONGRATULATING THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS ON WINNING THE 2009 STANLEY CUP 
                              CHAMPIONSHIP

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate 
proceed to the immediate consideration of S. Res. 194, submitted 
earlier today.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
  The legislative clerk read as follows:

       A resolution (S. Res. 194) congratulating the Pittsburgh 
     Penguins on winning the 2009 Stanley Cup Championship.

  There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the 
resolution.
  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the resolution 
be agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be 
laid upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and any 
statements related to the resolution be printed in the Record.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
  The resolution (S. Res. 194) was agreed to.
  The preamble was agreed to.
  The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:

                              S. Res. 194

       Whereas, on June 12, 2009, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated 
     the Detroit Red Wings 2-to-1 in Game 7 of the National Hockey 
     League Stanley Cup Finals;
       Whereas the victory marks the Penguins' third Stanley Cup 
     Championship in franchise history and capped off a historic 
     playoff series;
       Whereas the Penguins are just the second team in league 
     history to win the seventh game of a Stanley Cup Championship 
     series on the road after the home team won the first 6 games 
     of the series;
       Whereas the Penguins beat the Washington Capitals in the 
     Eastern Conference Semifinals and the Detroit Red Wings in 
     the Stanley Cup Championship after losing the first 2 games 
     in both series, making the Penguins the only team in league 
     history to rally from 2-to-0 series deficits twice in the 
     same year;
       Whereas Mario Lemieux is to be honored for his commitment 
     to keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh and passing along his 
     legacy to a new generation of players and fans;
       Whereas, in February 2009, the Penguins hired Head Coach 
     Dan Bylsma from the Penguins' minor league franchise in 
     Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, making Bylsma the first coach in 
     the history of the National Hockey League to begin a season 
     coaching in the American Hockey League and finish a Stanley 
     Cup champion;
       Whereas Sidney Crosby, the youngest team captain to ever 
     win the Stanley Cup, was third in scoring during the regular 
     season, had a league-leading 15 playoff goals, and 
     demonstrated leadership by taking the Penguins to the Stanley 
     Cup Finals in 2 consecutive seasons;
       Whereas, over the course of the playoffs, Evgeni Malkin led 
     all players in scoring with 36 points, including 14 goals and 
     22 assists, and won the Conn Smythe trophy for most valuable 
     player in the playoffs;

[[Page 15689]]

       Whereas Max Talbot is to be commended for scoring the only 
     2 Penguins goals in the Game 7 victory over the Detroit Red 
     Wings;
       Whereas thousands of Penguins fans supported the team 
     throughout the postseason, donning white t-shirts to create a 
     ``whiteout'' effect at home games or gathering to watch the 
     game on a big screen television outside Mellon Arena;
       Whereas the Red Wings are to be commended for a terrific 
     season, committment to sportsmanship, and excellence on and 
     off the ice; and
       Whereas nearly 400,000 fans packed the streets of 
     Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 15, 2009, to honor the 
     Penguins in a parade along Grant Street and the Boulevard of 
     the Allies: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates--
       (A) the Pittsburgh Penguins for winning the 2009 Stanley 
     Cup Championship;
       (B) Mario Lemieux and the coaching staff of the Penguins 
     and support staff and recognizes their commitment to keeping 
     the team in Pittsburgh;
       (C) all Penguins fans who supported the team throughout the 
     season; and
       (D) the Detroit Red Wings on an outstanding season; and
       (2) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit an 
     enrolled copy of this resolution to--
       (A) co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle;
       (B) vice president and general manager Ray Shero; and
       (C) head coach Dan Bylsma.

  Mr. CASEY. Mr. President, I wish to say, first, how much I appreciate 
the action on that resolution. I could spend a lot of time talking 
about our Penguins; we are so grateful they were successful in a very 
hard-fought series against the Detroit Red Wings, who have a strong 
organization and were difficult to defeat.
  As a Pennsylvanian, I was especially proud that it now marks three 
champions in the last year: the Philadelphia Phillies in baseball, the 
Pittsburgh Steelers in football, and now the Pittsburgh Penguins in 
hockey.
  We are very fortunate in our State to have three champions this year. 
We let the Lakers have basketball for this year. We will try to get 
that next year.

                          ____________________