An excellent goaltender and head coach will get you into the playoffs, however an incredible goaltender and head coach will win you a Stanley Cup. The Pittsburgh Penguins are lucky to have two nice goaltenders and a head coach who conjures up his staff each evening.
To qualify for the all-decade staff, goaltenders will need to have performed 50 video games. This excludes somebody like Thomas Greiss, who solely performed 20 video games for the Penguins. The top coach will need to have coached a minimal of 100 video games. Success previous to 2010 doesn’t issue into this staff. That stated, let’s take a look at the 2 goaltenders and the top coach who made the Penguins’ 2010s All-Decade Group.
Goaltender No. 1: Marc-Andre Fleury
A Pittsburgh legend, Marc-Andre Fleury is the primary goalie on the All-Decade Group. Redefining ‘fan favourite’, it was not unusual to see Fleury make a miraculous save and be smiling ear to ear shortly after. He cherished nothing greater than making an acrobatic save to get the group on their toes. With a save share of .909 or higher each season, he owned the online for a lot of the last decade.
Fleury led the Penguins to the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs earlier than an damage pressured him to look at from the bench. He got here the backup within the 2016-17 season, however continued to play at a excessive stage with out inflicting a distraction. Within the 2017 Playoffs, an damage allowed him to be the starter and lead the Penguins by way of the primary two rounds.
After elevating the Stanley Cup once more in 2017, Fleury waived his no-trade clause with a purpose to be drafted by the Vegas Golden Knights within the growth draft. His first sport again in Pittsburgh was an emotional evening. Followers wouldn’t cease chanting his identify which moved Fleury to tears. Pittsburgh will all the time be his house and his time as a Penguin won’t ever be forgotten.
Video games performed: 442, document: 252-137-36, objectives in opposition to common (GAA): 2.37, save share (SV%): .915, shutouts: 35
Goaltender No. 2: Matt Murray
Following in Fleury’s footsteps, Matt Murray took over because the #1 goaltender at the beginning of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With Fleury injured, the Penguins turned to the rookie goaltender who had a 15-6 document to guide the staff to a championship. His success pushed the staff to call him their beginning goaltender the next season. He backed up his success with a second consecutive Cup, together with shutouts within the remaining two video games in opposition to the Nashville Predators.
Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender Matt Murray (AP Photograph/Gene J. Puskar)
With Fleury in Vegas, Murray is now the Penguins’ No. 1 goaltender. Staying wholesome has been a problem, as he has solely began 50 common season video games as soon as in his profession. Even along with his damage historical past, Murray continues to be the franchise goalie. His success would be the key to how lengthy their Stanley Cup window stays open.
Video games performed: 209, document: 125-61-14, GAA: 2.40, SV%: .918, shutouts: 16
Head Coach: Mike Sullivan
Taking up for the fired Mike Johnston on Dec. 12, 2015, Mike Sullivan hit the bottom operating. Signed early within the offseason as the top coach for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins within the American Hockey League, his promotion was seamless. His familiarity with the younger gamers and data of the ins and outs of the group had been simply two causes the Penguins determined to advertise him. He shortly earned the eye of the locker room and located methods to inspire his gamers just like the earlier coaches couldn’t.
Pittsburgh Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Patric Hornqvist (AP Photograph/Gene J. Puskar)
Sullivan masterfully guided the Penguins to 2 Stanley Cups in his first two seasons as head coach. He’s identified to tinker along with his traces on a nightly foundation with a purpose to see what works finest. Now in his fifth season, he nonetheless has command of the locker room, incomes a contract extension earlier than the beginning of the 2019-20 season. As the one Penguins coach to win a Stanley Cup on this decade, naming him the top coach of the All-Decade Group was a no brainer and deserved.
Head Coach File: 212-119-34
All-Decade Group
Jake Guentzel- Sidney Crosby- Pascal Dupuis
Chris Kunitz- Evgeni Malkin- James Neal
Carl Hagelin- Nick Bonino- Phil Kessel
Bryan Rust- Jordan Staal- Patric Hornqvist
Brian Dumoulin- Kris Letang
Brooks Orpik- Justin Schultz
Matt Niskanen- Olli Maatta
Marc-Andre Fleury
Matt Murray
Head Coach: Mike Sullivan
