There is no better feeling than when hockey fever is finally back in the air. Penguins' fans had the longest off-season in three years. With training camp around the corner, storylines for the new season have begun to surface as teams are talking to the media and players are taking the ice. For the Penguins, however, the story is simple, "let's bring the cup back."  That seems to be the sentiment from ownership all the way down to the most casual fan. In his first media appearance since the round two loss to the Washington Capitals, captain Sidney Crosby showed there is a chip on the teams' shoulder. He told NHL.com, "You still have something to prove, whether you have won or lost." 

At the time of the Penguins' elimination from the playoffs, Crosby led the league in playoff scoring with 21 points in just 12 games. The Capitals eliminated the Penguins in six games in the second round of the 2018 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Trying to prove something is the exact mentality fans could ever want Crosby and his cohorts to have to head into an important season in their careers. Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin, and Phil Kessel are all in their primes and winning now is the top priority as, unfortunately, their time is running out. The team had a chance at a lot of rest this off-season that was much deserved after winning two straight Stanley Cups and playing 307 games since 2015. General Manager Jim Rutherford briefly told me, "We're well rested."

The Penguins' captain showing a championship mentality before training camp has even begun is a good sign of what is to come for Penguins' fans.