1991 Patrick Final, Game 1: Caps 4, Pens 2

Mario Lemieux and Ulf Samuelsson return to the lineup but it isn’t enough to stop the hard-working Capitals from grabbing a 1-0 series lead and home ice advantage.

“I thought momentum from [the Game 7 win over New Jersey] would carry over,” said a disappointed coach Bob Johnson, “but they’re a well-rested team and they won a lot of loose pucks.”

The Capitals had knocked off the New York Rangers in six games to reach the Patrick Division Final, overcoming a 2-1 deficit.

The Pens led 2-1 heading into the third but allowed Kevin Hatcher to tie it 1:37 and another defenseman, Al Iafrate, to pot the winner at 15:31. An empty-netter sealed it.

“They outworked us. They wanted it more than us,” said winger Bob Errey.

(Interesting piece of Pens trivia: the official scorer for the game was Bernie Boileau, brother of former Penguins coach Marc Boileau. He was part of the Montreal off-ice officiating crew that was working the game.)

18 years ago, Penguins win 1st Stanley Cup

Hard to believe, but anyone born on the day the Penguins won their first Cup would today be turning 18 and is now officially an adult! If that's making anyone out there feel old, well, just click on this link and browse the article it leads to and the rest of the pieces in this package from the May 27, 1991 Post-Gazette, celebrating the Penguins first Stanley Cup two nights earlier. They'll make you feel better. What a time...and hopefully we'll all have the same vibes again in a couple of weeks.

(You have to love that Penguins logo at the top of these pages with the skating penguin finally hoisting the Cup!)

Readers are welcome to write in their memories of that amazing day on a warm Saturday night in May...