What if the Penguins win the Cup?

Would it dull the shine of the Penguins first two Cup wins in the early 1990s?

We fully admit we're bandwagon jumpers. When the Penguins won the Stanley Cup for the first time back in 1991 we became fans. In all fairness, we were in sixth grade. Find us a sixth-grader that doesn't jump on every bandwagon there is. For us, the various wagons we jumped on included the Penguins, snap wrist bracelets and Air Bo Jackson's.

The point of bringing that up is the 1991 and 1992 teams are the high point for many Penguins fans in their hockey-loving lives. From the fans who've been with the team since 1967 to even the casual (I.E. bandwagon) fans, that is the top of the mountain. Even with all the bright moments like Mario Lemieux's various comebacks or winning the rights to draft Sidney Crosby, no event was more important than either of those spring nights when the team held the Cup. Through bleak times such as the constant rumors of of the team moving to Kansas City or Portland or Reykjavik or watching stars like Jaromir Jagr and Alex Kovalev leave town over a simple matter of money, you could always look at those banners hanging near the north end of Mellon Arena and feel something good.

The two Cup wins were the North Pole on the emotional maps of many Penguins fans.

Will that change if this team wins it? Will the impact of those two teams be lessened if this one matches their accomplishment?

Lots of Penguins fans weren't even alive back in 1991 or 1992. They probably feel the same way we feel about the Steelers and Pirates championships in the 1970s. We weren't born yet when those teams won their titles (we were four months old when the Steelers won their fourth Super Bowl actually) so we never really felt as strong a of a connection with them as our parents or anyone alive then did. They were just some really good teams everyone older than us talked about with pride.

Will Penguins fans in their teens feel the same disconnect with the 1990s Penguins that we feel with the Steelers or Pirates of the 1970s?

We're not suggesting by any means winning the Cup would be a bad thing for the franchise. That would be ridiculous. We're just wondering if the brighest point of light in the Penguins universe will shine a little less.

Let us know what you think. srorabaugh@post-gazette.com.

EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS

Playoff Stuff

Penguins-Red Wings

-Sidney Crosby hates snakes.

-How did Ray Shero build the Penguins?

-Ron Cook says the Cup changes everything.

-Pittsburgh and Detroit are more familiar with each other than you think.

-A look at how each member of the Penguins was brought to the team.

-Ryan Malone is from Pittsburgh.

-Interactive player guide.

-A game-by-game look at the Penguins run through the playoffs.

-The Penguins' power play is clicking.

-Cheer cards.

-The Detroit Free Press isn't found of our cheer cards.

-The Penguins are on the verge of selling out their 66th consecutive game.

-You'll be able to watch Games 1 and 2 in Mellon Arena.

-If you're a Red Wings fan in Pittsburgh, don't go to Wholey's Fish Market looking for octopus.

-The Penguins don't have any egos.

-Donnie Iris' music has never sounded so good:

-We talked to James Mirtle about the final. Check it out here.

-Johan Franzen is still unlikely to play in Game 1.

-Dan Cleary was given clearance to remove a protective chin guard.

-The Red Wings own the faceoff circle.

-Nicklas Lidstrom is trying to become the first European captain to of a Cup-winning team.

-Chris Osgood is mature.

-Unlike Skeletor, Chris Chelios isn't evil anymore.

-Like Skeletor, Chelios is not expected to play in Game 1.

-They throw octopus or something on the ice in Detroit.

-Gary Roberts and Chelios have met before in a Stanley Cup final. It happened when Dwight Eisenhower was in office. We think.

-Dallas Drake is apparently the Ray Bourque/Dave Andreychuk/Rod Brind'Amour/Teemu Selanne of this series. In other words, he's the old guy who hasn't won the Cup after 32 years in the league and the television announcers are going to run that fact down your throat.

-Former Red Wings Ted Lindsay and Doug Brown (also a former Penguin) spoke at a pep rally.

-Former Penguins coach Ed Olczyk is picking the Red Wings.

-Which was the real team of the 1990s.

-How long will the Cup final last? Vote on it here.

-Not a lot of newspapers will be covering the final.

-Tigers manager and former Pirate Jim Leyland is on the fence on who to root for.

-Not that it's any different, but here's the French version of that really cool Cup commercial the NHL has put together:

AHL

-The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are hoping playing at home will turn their series with Portland around.

Non Playoff Stuff

Penguins

-This might be the best Les Binkley story you read all day.

Atlantic Division

-The Devils re-signed defensemen Sheldon Brookbank and Mike Mottau.

-Flyers forward Simon Gagne wants the NHL to enforce hits to the head better.

-We don't have a problem with Gagne. He's one of the few players on that team we actually like to watch play, but a Flyers player complaining about hits to the head is like Brian Engblom complaining about someone's hair.

-Rangers forward and former Penguin Jaromir Jagr needs some sun.

Northeast Division

-The Sabres are putting together a DVD about the Winter Classic and are looking for fans' stories.

Southeast Division

-The Capitals signed defenseman Karl Alzner. He was their first-round pick in 2007.

Northwest Division

-Colorado promoted Tony Granato from assistant coach to head coach. He served as the team's head coach from 2002 to 2004.

-Head coach Alain Vigneault signed a one-year extension with the Canucks.

Pacific Division

-Stars co-general managers Brett Hull and Les Jackson were given contract extensions.

-The Ducks have given defenseman Scott Niedermayer and forward Teemu Selanne a deadline to figure out if they want to play or not next season.