Joe Starkey

This was very obviously an older team not on the rise, on the decline.

Until it wasn't.

Until it wasn't.

And here we are today getting ready for the big screen outside the arena, getting ready for home ice advantage in a playoff series.

Getting ready for everything that comes with playoff hockey.

And if I could pick one word to describe the Penguins over the last four to five years before this year kicked in, stale is the word that comes to mind.

Everything just felt old and stale.

Almost like, let's just kind of end this.

I was one of many, by the way, who argued, let's just tear it down to the studs.

Let's get a lottery pick.

And go from there.

See if Sid wants to be part of that.

And now look what we have.

We have a team where the GM has basically secured, at least given himself a chance at a good future while putting together a team that is not only playoff bound, but looks to me like it could win a round or two, could make a run here.

Kyle Dubas did it.

He walked the line that everybody said he couldn't walk between one foot in the sort of the present and past and one in the future.

That would be three feet.

That would be impossible to do.

But that's exactly what he sprouted a third foot, I guess.

One in the past, one in the present and one in the future limits.