NASHVILLE, Tenn. — For all of their enviable talent, all of their professional accomplishments, all of their international hockey cachet, the 2017 Pittsburgh Penguins spent all of last winter and most of the spring with a sharp stone in their skates.
Best described, the stone was the metaphorical irritant for the frequent recurrence of a foreboding, seemingly definitive two-word phrase: No way.
No way would a team without nonpareil defenseman Kris Letang win a second consecutive Stanley Cup.
No way would a team missing seven injured starters as late as March win a second consecutive Stanley Cup.