TAMPA, Fla. -- When Pittsburgh Penguins legend, co-owner and chairman Mario Lemieux walked into the team's locker room following the Penguins' 4-2 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals Wednesday night, he looked relieved.
Following not too far behind the former Stanley Cup winner and Hall of Famer was Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford, the architect of the team that is now two wins shy of advancing to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since Pittsburgh won it in 2009. The changes Rutherford has made to the organization during the past 11 months are a major reason why the Penguins have found their identity and are firing on all cylinders.