A Past Agony May Offer a Glimmer of Hope for the Present

Let this portion of the past be prologue this postseason: the first-round series between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals in April 1996. Why would I invoke the painful memory of a six-game setback to them, now? Well for starters, just living to see a game 6 this April would be a welcomed development. But that remarkable chapter in Caps-Pens playoff lore offers some encouragement for depressed Caps' fans this morning.The 1995-96 Penguins finished the regular season with a record of 49-29-4 -- good for 102 points and the Northeast division crown. Mario Lemieux scored 69 goals that season. Jaromir Jagr added 62. They were just the second set of teammates to score 60 or more goals in a season in league history. With their 362 goals scored during the regular season, Pittsburgh was a glamor offense franchise at a time when the neutral zone trap and left wing lock were seizing and sucking the life out of the sport. The Pens entered the '96 postseason as the East'...