[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 7]
[Senate]
[Page 9380]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




   SENATE RESOLUTION 499--CONGRATULATING THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS FOR 
            WINNING THE 2016 STANLEY CUP HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP

  Mr. TOOMEY (for himself and Mr. Casey) submitted the following 
resolution; which was considered and agreed to:

                              S. Res. 499

       Whereas on June 12, 2016, the Pittsburgh Penguins won the 
     2016 Stanley Cup hockey championship;
       Whereas the Penguins, in their 49th year playing in the 
     National Hockey League (NHL), won their fourth Stanley Cup;
       Whereas the Penguins defeated the Western Conference 
     Champion San Jose Sharks in the Stanley Cup Finals, clinching 
     the series with 4 wins and 2 losses;
       Whereas the Penguins endured 3 tough opponents en route to 
     the championship, defeating the New York Rangers, the 
     Washington Capitals, and the Tampa Bay Lightning to clinch 
     the Eastern Conference title and win their fifth Prince of 
     Wales Trophy;
       Whereas the city of Pittsburgh is fittingly nicknamed ``The 
     City of Champions'', highlighting the success of Pittsburgh 
     professional sports teams, which have tallied 15 
     championships;
       Whereas the Penguins have an active sellout streak of 431 
     games, illustrating the love of the fans for the Penguins 
     team and players;
       Whereas Mike Sullivan took over as Penguins head coach on 
     December 12, 2015, turning around the Penguins season and 
     leading the team to a second-place finish in the Metropolitan 
     Division and a spot in the playoffs;
       Whereas NHL Hall of Famer Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle have 
     jointly owned the team for 17 years, saving the Penguins from 
     relocation and maintaining the team for the city of 
     Pittsburgh;
       Whereas Penguins General Manager Jim Rutherford made 
     several critical trades to acquire talented players that fit 
     perfectly into the Penguins upbeat style of play, including 
     forwards Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin, and Nick Bonino, who form 
     the trio affectionately known as the ``HBK'' line;
       Whereas longtime Penguins radio announcer Mike Lange is 
     beloved by loyal fans of the team for such expressions as 
     ``Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, get me the brandy'';
       Whereas Penguins Captain Sidney Crosby, who has shown 
     immense leadership, commitment to the team, and unparalleled 
     skill throughout his outstanding career, was awarded the Conn 
     Smythe Trophy as the 2016 NHL Playoffs Most Valuable Player;
       Whereas goaltender Matt Murray dazzled throughout the 
     playoffs, maintaining his unbelievably cool composure as a 
     rookie on the biggest stage of hockey while compiling a 15-6 
     record, a 2.08 goals-against average, and a 0.923 save 
     percentage; and
       Whereas the entire Penguins roster contributed to the 
     Stanley Cup victory, including Matt Cullen, Pascal Dupuis, 
     Eric Fehr, Patric Hornqvist, Tom Kuhnhackl, Chris Kunitz, 
     Evgeni Malkin, Bryan Rust, Conor Sheary, Oskar Sundqvist, Ian 
     Cole, Trevor Daley, Brian Dumoulin, Justin Schultz, Kris 
     Letang, Ben Lovejoy, Olli Maatta, Derrick Pouliot, Marc-Andre 
     Fleury, and Jeff Zatkoff: Now, therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) congratulates the Pittsburgh Penguins and the loyal 
     fans of the Penguins for becoming the 2016 NHL Stanley Cup 
     champions; and
       (2) respectfully directs the Secretary of the Senate to 
     transmit an enrolled copy of this resolution to--
       (A) the co-owners of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux 
     and Ron Burkle;
       (B) the President of the Pittsburgh Penguins, David 
     Morehouse; and
       (C) the Head Coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mike 
     Sullivan.

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