For the last 11 seasons, the Pittsburgh Penguins have made the playoffs. In that span they have won three Stanley Cups. Our fans have always stood by the team and have recorded a 568-game sellout streak. By any standard, the franchise must be ranked among the successful in professional sports.

Yet in Pittsburgh, a season is a failure if the Pens do not bring home Lord Stanley. We have become spoiled.

Evidence is readily found in the comment section of the Penguins Instagram page. Fans bash a player for a minor mistake that tends to happen rather often in the sport of hockey. When the Pens had played only four games this season and chalked two wins and two losses, a fan commented, “BOUTTA GO 41-41 WITH A WIN EVERY OTHER GAME.” The comment received 26 likes.

Another commenter wrote this: “Wooooooow .500 so good.”  This one received 30 likes– the top comment.

.500 after four games this season — truly tragic.

This is not the first season that this widespread negativity has taken root. Many fans grumbled about not winning a third straight cup and wanted to see head coach Mike Sullivan fired after last year’s performance. When Daniel Sprong was traded to the Anaheim Ducks and scored twice in his first game, Pens fans called for GM Jim Rutherford to be fired.  (Ironically, Sprong was was sent down to the minors shortly thereafter and hasn’t seen professional ice since.)  When defenseman Kris Letang, a five-time NHL All-Star, makes a bad pass, Pittsburghers demand his removal.

Penguins fans tend to call the foul before the play even starts. They’re trapped in the short-term and easily forget all of the losses we had in previous seasons that led to the league title. No hockey team has ever gone 82-0, but fans around here seem to expect the Pens to do so.

It hardly seems unrelated that Pens fans tend to be quiet when the team takes the ice. After the announcer proclaims, “Get on your feet and please welcome home your Pittsburgh Penguins,” fans are seen sitting down, often to the surprise of other team’s fans. In fact, Pittsburgh hockey fans are often branded “fair weather” types.  The upper bowl of PPG Paints Arena is not the problem here — after all, that’s where the cheaper seats are found, and that’s likely where the truer fans choose to sit.  Down in the lower bowl, it’s a different story.  The more expensive seats seem to attract more spectators than fans, and the results are predictable.

Sure, last year was disappointing, but such seasons can have hidden benefits. Our 4-0 loss in the first round of the 2018-19 playoffs was a wake up call for the players and staff as a whole. Many moves were made in the offseason, and more are yet to come. Fans must look at the additions and see the young talent that is found in forwards Galchenyuk, McCann, and Guentzel.  This team is poised to contend for years ahead.

Additionally, a recent move that sent Erik Gudbranson to the Anaheim Ducks is not only beneficial to our young talented defensemen, Dan Marino and Juuso Riikola, but it frees up $4 million in cap space. These youngsters now have room for more ice time and development. Yet, it seems our fans are blind to these important developments and quick to criticize.

It’s long overdue that we have some faith in this consistently good Pittsburgh team that has put three Stanley Cups on the table in the past ten seasons.  Considering the Steelers and the Pirates records over the same span of year, it’s hard to find any justification whatsoever for trashing the Pens.

Instead, when the Penguins do struggle on occasion, it should mean that we just have to cheer louder.