The Pittsburgh Penguins missed on the postseason, but a couple of former fan favorites are going home champions.

The 2022-23 season has officially come to a close and while the Pittsburgh Penguins missed out on the postseason for the first time since 2006, a couple of former fan favorites ended the year as champions.

Former Penguins Phil Kessel and Teddy Blueger hoisted the Stanley Cup despite being healthy scratched for a majority of the playoffs by the Vegas Golden Knights.

The Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers by a score of 9-3 in Game 5 clinching the franchise’s first Stanley Cup Championship.

It may be the Golden Knights first, but it’s Kessel’s third Cup as he played an integral role in the Penguins’ back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017.

Kessel laced up for all 82 games in the 2022-23 regular season scoring 36 points (14G-22A); he played four games in the postseason, all in the first round, and only picked up two assists.

Luckily for Kessel, he will get his name engraved on the Cup for the third time in his career as playing all 82 games in the regular season qualifies him for a spot.

Blueger on the other hand, might not find his name etched on to hockey’s holy grail.

Under the guidelines of the Stanley Cup, a player must play at least half of the regular season with the winning team or just one game in the Cup Final series.

Blueger was traded to the Golden Knights just prior to this past season’s trade deadline and only played 18 regular season games with Vegas; he played six postseason games but none in the Cup Final.

The odds of Blueger finding his name on the Cup aren’t 0, however, as the Golden Knights can petition to get Blueger’s name among the 52 to be engraved.

Regardless of name his name being listed, Blueger got to hoist the Cup and will get a ring in due time.

One way or another, Blueger is a Stanley Cup Champion for the first time, and Kessel for the third and possibly final time.

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