'Prove-It' Mindset Big Part Of Penguins' Success, Identity

There are a lot of things to like about the Pittsburgh Penguins this season, as the team is exceeding expectations with a diverse cast of characters.

They just completed a perfect Western road trip that saw them take four out of four games. They’re sitting pretty at second in the Metropolitan Division and are just six points behind the division-leading Carolina Hurricanes with a game in hand. And the only team with fewer regulation losses than their 14 is the Colorado Avalanche, who are indisputably the league’s best team.

While there are some long-tenured roster mainstays like Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, and Bryan Rust, the vast majority of this cast of characters is pretty new to the scene, and they’re all contributing to what has been a better-than-expected season.

And many of those players have something to prove. That mindset has been a driver for this team on both an individual and a team basis, and it has – to an extent – become part of the team’s identity.

“I think it’s important,” Kulak said. “Everyone’s been around here long enough to know that there’s so many good players out there nowadays, and everyone’s competing and working on their game to get better. And guys are always looking and ready to take your job. So, if you want to be out there and you want to be contributing and things like that, you’ve got to stay committed to it every day and just keep working on your game and getting better.

“There’s that hunger and desire throughout the locker room, and I think a lot of credit goes to the leadership group that we’ve got here.”

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The leadership group certainly sets the tone in Pittsburgh and it’s been that way for a long time. They, especially, feel the weight of three straight lost seasons and want to prove that this team is still a legitimate playoff contender.

But that “prove-it” mindset extends to the rest of the roster, as so many players are in that kind of situation individually. Guys like Justin Brazeau and Parker Wotherspoon were signed last summer with the expectation and opportunity to secure larger roles in Pittsburgh. Guys like Anthony Mantha came off of major injury last season and were looking to re-assert their importance to an NHL lineup.

Then, there are young guys like the Ben Kindels and Rutger McGroartys, who want to prove to the organization that they belong with the big club on a regular basis. Then, the Stuart Skinners and Egor Chinakhovs, whose change-of-scenery situations have afforded them a fresh opportunity to prove their value to a new team. There are also the Erik Karlssons and Rickard Rakells, who proved their worth to play in the Olympics and have continued to build on the last few seasons in Pittsburgh. Even the Malkins and Connor Dewars, who want to prove they are worth another contract with the Penguins beyond this season.

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There are so many situations like this in the Penguins’ locker room, and pretty much all of them have, indeed, proven themselves on an individual basis. And it’s a mindset that they need to continuously keep front-of-mind if they want to be able to help the team achieve collective success.

“It’s a big thing where guys are showing up not satisfied with what’s going on,” Brazeau said. “People have a lot to prove, and that doesn’t happen in a one- or two-game stretch. To prove yourself in this league, in order to be able to say that you’re a player in this league, is doing it season after season, game after game.

“So, I think for guys, it’s just showing up to the rink, wanting to keep proving people wrong and keep getting better every game.”

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Crosby said that this mindset could be a contributing factor to the team’s identity and a reason the Penguins have been able to find success this season – especially since the reward of hockey games is good for everyone collectively and on an individual basis.

“I think everyone’s obviously motivated to win, but then, individually, maybe for different reasons,” Crosby said. “That may be a part of it, that may play a part of it for certain guys. And whatever that is, it’s a team game. We all have to contribute what’s best for the team, but ultimately, that’s good for everyone individually, too, if the team wins.

“So, yeah, I think that’s probably a factor for some [guys].”

Of course, even if players have taken that mindset and applied it up to this point in the season, there is still a lot of work to do. There is a lot of season left, and the Penguins have five games remaining before the three-week hiatus for the Olympics.

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Then, the gauntlet starts. The Penguins play 17 games in the month of March, with 14 of those being against teams currently in the playoff picture. While Pittsburgh has proven they can skate with some of the league’s best teams – and, in several cases, carry play five-on-five – they will have to continue to prove for the remainder of the season that they can not only keep pace with those teams, but that they can distinguish themselves from those teams as legitimate contenders.

Every player in the room wants the same thing: to be competing for a Stanley Cup at season’s end. And that “prove-it” mindset could just help elevate them from playoff contenders to Cup contenders.

“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” head coach Dan Muse said. “For each person, every day, you’ve got to re-establish yourself, especially in this league, when games come so quick and turn so quick. As a team, it’s the same thing.

“You quickly turn the page, you’re onto the next one, and you’ve got to do it all over again. And you’ve got to prove it again.”

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