The Penguins' most important moments of the 2010s: Nos. 5 through 1

By any measure, the 2010s were a successful decade for the Pittsburgh Penguins — maybe the most successful in franchise history. Forget the two Stanley Cup titles. Having zero bankruptcies qualifies as a triumph in the “good decade” column for this organization.

But what were the 10 most important moments of the decade? For an organization that had some ample accomplishments as well as setbacks, there are plenty of candidates for that designation.

The tabulation of this list was done through a vigorously unscientific approach of sitting on a couch in pajamas and writing ideas on a yellow legal pad.

The one criterion stressed above all is the lasting impact a moment had. So an individual victory or defeat might not carry the same weight as, let’s say, a change in general manager.

Here are moments No. 5 through 1:

5. The Winter Classic — Jan 1, 2011

This event was a double-edged sword for the Penguins.

First, it was validation for a city as a hockey market. Less than a decade prior, the idea of Pittsburgh having an NHL team, let alone serving as the stage of the league’s biggest event, carried significant doubt. The Penguins weren’t that far removed from Rico Fata-led efforts in front of a few thousand fans at the Mellon Arena.

Second, it was the start of a very murky time for the franchise, specifically its captain after he was clobbered in the head by Capitals forward David Steckel.

In the midst of what ultimately might have been his most productive season, Crosby suffered a concussion that night. A subsequent blow to the head a few nights later sidelined him for the better part of two seasons. It wasn’t until after the lockout-shortened season of 2012-13 that Crosby regained the complete range of his adroit game.

4. Phil Kessel arrives — July 1, 2015

The Penguins have had better players. And more spectacular players. Heck, Kessel wasn’t even the best player in any game he played for the Penguins.

But no one was unique like Kessel.

A strange blend of resplendent talent and imperfect idiosyncrasies, it was assumed Kessel would team with Crosby and give the Penguins’ captain a winger worthy of his unparalleled playmaking abilities. That plan fizzled after a month. Afterward, Kessel found some cohesion with Evgeni Malkin.

Ultimately, Kessel enjoyed his greatest success with Nick Bonino and Hagelin to form the HBK Line. That gave the Penguins the balance coach Mike Sullivan covets to this day.

Also, it made Phil Kessel a Stanley Cup champion. Twice, in fact.

3. Mike Sullivan is promoted — Dec. 12, 2015

The Penguins didn’t quit on Mike Johnston. They didn’t even tune him out the way they had Dan Bylsma toward the end of his tenure. But something clearly was malfunctioning under Johnston’s watch.

Out of playoff position a few weeks before the New Year, genreal manager Jim Rutherford opted to jettison Johnston and promote Sullivan from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

With a roster riddled with health woes — imagine that — Sullivan conducted something of a research and development laboratory with his lineup for weeks while Rutherford added pieces such as defenseman Trevor Daley and Hagelin. What emerged from those trials-and-errors was a squad that utilized speed like no other in the NHL.

Six months later, the Penguins were truly Sullivan’s team. And Stanley Cup champions.

2. Shero out, Rutherford in — May 16 and June 6, 2014

This is kind of cheating as it is two dates, but in reality, this three-week span was a desperately needed course correction for the franchise.

The Penguins had stalled under Ray Shero after winning the Stanley Cup in 2009. Bad contracts and underwhelming trades that inhibited the organization’s ability to draft and develop talent capable of supplementing Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and others had led to several premature postseason exits, including some that were downright humiliating.

Shero was dismissed and replaced by Rutherford, previously the Carolina Hurricanes’ general manager.

Rutherford has had some misfires, especially early on with trades for the likes of forwards David Perron and Daniel Winnik. But he can’t be accused of being anything less than aggressive in trying to turn the Penguins into Stanley Cup contenders.

The two most recent Stanley Cup banners in PPG Paints Arena are evidence of that.

1. The Penguins open new arena — Oct. 7, 2010

It has all the charm of a Home Depot. And it looks just like most of the other NHL facilities built in the late 1990s through the early 2010s. Also, there’s a statue outside with two Islanders defensemen.

But it is the reason there is still NHL hockey in Pittsburgh.

When the Penguins played their first game in PPG Paints Arena — then known as Consol Energy Center — it concluded a decade-plus of searching for a way to keep the franchise in Pittsburgh. Sure, they lost the rival Flyers, 3-2, that night in early October.

But they lost in Pittsburgh. Not Portland or Kansas City or the suburbs of Toronto.

Maybe the idea of the Penguins leaving Pittsburgh was rhetoric for the political arena. But the notion of them doing anything in a Pittsburgh-based arena never should be taken for granted.

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