Trade deadline acquisition Mark Streit brought something new to the Penguins’ group of defensemen when he joined them Thursday morning — someone born in the 1970s.
Streit, 39, will be the oldest member of the corps of defensemen when he, presumably, makes his team debut Friday night against Tampa Bay.
While Streit and his new teammates have some pop-culture gaps to bridge, the Penguins hope his age and experience will be an asset for their younger defensemen down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs.
That was a major factor in general manager Jim Rutherford’s decision to acquire Streit from Tampa Bay Wednesday, just a few hours after Streit had been dealt from Philadelphia to the Lightning.