It's Not How You Start, It's How You Finish

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Penguins' streak is when it happened.  With 18 games left in the season, the Penguins rattled off 17 straight wins to set the record and capture the President's Trophy.  Before the streak started, Pittsburgh was four points behind Montreal for the top spot in the NHL.

The Tie

The Penguins actually had a chance to extend their streak to 18 games with a win against the Devils in the last game of the season.  Unfortunately there were still ties back then, and the game ended in a 6-6 tie.  Mario Lemieux did all he could, though, with a team-high three points.

Super Mario

1993 was a tough year for Mario Lemieux.  On January 12th, he announced to the world that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's Disease.  Lemieux missed 24 games to undergo treatment, but he would return, and at the start of the 17-game winning streak, he was 12 points behind Pat LaFontaine in the scoring race.

Pat's lead wouldn't last long, though, as Lemieux racked up 51 points over the course of those 17 straight wins.  Lemieux finished the season with 160 points in just 60 games and won the scoring race.

O-H-I-O

During the streak, the Penguins actually faced the Oilers at Richfield Coliseum in Ohio.  As you could imagine, a lot more Penguins fans showed up to the game than Oilers fans, and Pittsburgh won 6-4.

Richfield Coliseum was the home of the NHL's Cleveland Barons who played there for two seasons.

Hello Ottawa

During the Penguins' streak, another record was tied, but it was by one of their opponents.  The 1992-93 season was the inaugural season for the Ottawa Senators, and it wasn't a good one.

It hit its lowest point on March 30th against the Penguins as they lost 6-4.  It was Ottawa's 37th consecutive road loss of the season, which tied the NHL record, and they would reach 38 road losses in a row shortly after against Hartford.