Most followers of NHL hockey would agree that this Pittsburgh Penguins team of the Sidney Crosby era is looking remarkably like the teams led by Mario Lemieux in the early '90s. You know those teams that smashed consecutive wins records and won back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in what appeared to be the next great NHL dynasty.

But unfortunately for the organization, everything came crashing down due to Mario's career and life threatening health issues involving his back and cancer scare, as well as other injuries to key players such as Kevin Stevens.

With this incarnation of the Penguins, the team is being built around superstar Sidney Crosby and his supporting cast of other great young players and draft picks such as 2006-2007 rookie of the year Evgeni Malkin, and second over-all 2006 Entry Draft pick Jordan Staal, who has developed into one of the top players in the league much earlier than anticipated.

Throw in a mix of veteran stars that bring a wealth of experience and toughness to the team, and you have the making of a Stanley Cup contender. And when you look at the manner in which both Ottawa and New York were dispatched by the Penguins in this year's playoffs, no one will be surprised if the Crosby version of the Penguins starts their Cup dynasty this year.

The one ingredient that is always necessary for any serious contender is good goaltending, and the Penguins have finally achieved that with the impressive play of young goalie Marc-Andre Fleury who has always shown flashes of brilliance, but lacked the required consistency of greats such as Martin Brodeur or Patrick Roy. This season, he finally appeared to grow into the type of goaltender the Pens would need to take them all the way as he won a couple of low scoring playoff matches that proved that the Penguins weren't just about offensive might. He blanked both the Sens and Rangers in posting a couple of shutouts so far in the 2008 playoffs, and it will be very interesting to see how he holds up against the offensive capabilities of Daniel Briere and the pesky Philadelphia Flyers in the Eastern Conference Finals that begin this week.

On the ice, Evgeni Malkin has proved that he is just as capable as Crosby in carrying the team when needed. During a late season stretch where Crosby was sidelined with an injured ankle, Malkin led the team in scoring on his way to finishing second over-all behind fellow Russian points leader Alexander "The Great" Ovechkin.

Jordan Staal

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