NEW YORK — They stood on their blue line together as John Brancy sang the National Anthem, a vision of the Pittsburgh Penguins past, present and future on opening night.
There were the three almost graybeards, 38-year-olds Sidney Crosby and Kris Letang, and 39-year-old Evgeni Malkin. They were starting their 20th season together, becoming the first trio of teammates in the history of North American pro sports to reach 20 seasons.
With them were 18-year-old Ben Kindel, who wasn’t yet born when Crosby, Letang and Malkin played their first game together on Oct. 18, 2006, and 19-year-old defenseman Harrison Brunicke, who was less than six months old when the trio’s historic run started.
For a team that is trying to slowly usher in a new era while keeping the old one going for as long as possible, the Penguins’ starting lineup against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday was basically a metaphor for what this season and this team is all about.
And if the Penguins can consistently play like they did in a 3-0 win, this season, this blending of eras, might yield some better-than-expected results, although it is way too soon to predict that.