Historically speaking, it is nearly impossible to win the Stanley Cup without an elite No. 1 defenseman. The past 10 Stanley Cups have been handed to superstars Kris Letang, Drew Doughty, Duncan Keith, Zdeno Chara, Nicklas Lidstrom and Scott Niedermayer.
But this year, the Pittsburgh Penguins are trying to buck that trend.
With a 3-2 series lead over the Washington Capitals, the Pens are one game away from the Eastern Conference finals, despite being without Letang for the entire playoffs because of a neck injury.