It's well known the Pittsburgh Penguins constantly battle injuries, but things have hit a new high.
PITTSBURGH - Over the years, it’s become almost laughable the amount of injuries the Pittsburgh Penguins have sustained and had to play through.
On multiple occasions during the Sidney Crosby era, the Penguins have gone full seasons without trotting out a fully healthy lineup.
And the injuries don’t just happen to the lesser known depth players; the core of Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang all have a well documented history of injuries.
Between the three of them, they have played a full 82-game season four times.
Knock on wood, but maybe the injury luck is beginning to turn around for the Penguins in 2022-23.
Not only have Crosby and Malkin not missed a game, but the team has had a fully healthy roster for six consecutive games.
It may not seem like much, but that’s the longest streak in the regular season for the Penguins since the 2000-01 season.
In over 20 years of Penguins hockey, this is the longest streak of health ever seen.
Playing six straight games with a fully healthy roster is a rare achievement for any team, but 22 years is a long time.
For some context, that was the season Mario Lemieux came out of retirement and goalie Johan Hedberg helped carry the team all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals.
Six straight games with a clean bill of health has happened one other time since then, but spanned between a pair of postseason series in 2013.
You have to put that into perspective, too; even in the postseason the Penguins have struggled to ice a fully healthy team.
The Penguins have won three Stanley Cups in that time.
It’s been a tough 20+ year stretch for the Penguins organization, but they’ve been able to play through the adversity and be successful.
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