One factor reveals the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby have a high chance to win the Stanley Cup
Today's NHL seems to be about how young a team is, but that factor does not always equal a successful Stanley Cup winning team.
The players we watch make some miraculous moves on the ice, the way the score and pass seem almost impossible. These players are coveted on the teams that draft them, and some of their salaries prove that.
But youth is not everything. If you take a look at the Edmonton Oilers after drafting Ryan Nugent-Hopkins for example, they were still a very young team. Jack Michaels, the play-by-play announcer for the Oilers recently commented on Spittin' Chiclets something that makes a lot of sense.
It is true that the Oilers had to develop into the Stanley Cup caliber team they are today. What seems to be missing was a key ingredient, age and experience.
The basis for a young hockey player would be anyone 24-years-old and younger. Over 25 and you have years of experience under your belt and should be at your prime conditioning.
Below is a list of the age range for the last 10 Stanley Cup champions.
The average age is 28.5 years old for the teams, and the difference between youngest team to oldest team is just 2.9 years. So, maybe it is obvious that a team needs to be mature and aged to win a Cup. But, as we have seen with the Penguins, a team may also be too old.
The Penguins were the oldest team in the league last year. We will not know how much that has changed, or if it did, until October 8th when the opening day rosters are finalized. They have worked to add some youth into their team, especially letting players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton get the chance to play towards the end of the season.
The New Jersey Devils for some, were picked to go deep into the playoffs, but were too young. They have added an older player, 34-year-old goaltender Jakob Markstrom, into the mix, so will that experience help the overall locker room.
Have the Penguins done enough this off-season to balance out their team? Will players like Rutger McGroarty be able to make the cut out of training camp? The Penguins are making some slight moves to try to add youth into the mix with what we know is some of the best experience in the game with Crosby and the core.
Time will tell where the Penguins fit in age wise once the season begins. Will it be enough to make a final run with Crosby, Malkin and Letang?
As Read On: The Hockey Writers -
Forget the Youth, Older NHL Teams Win Stanley Cups
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 5 | 99 ANSWERS One factor reveals the Pittsburgh Penguins and Sidney Crosby have a high chance to win the Stanley Cup Do you think the Penguins have done enough this off-season to balance out their overall team age for the 2024-25 campaign? | ||
| Yes | 19 | 19.2 % |
| No | 80 | 80.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
