So, it sounds like the people of Pittsburgh are pretty excited about the Penguins having the chance to claim the Stanley Cup on home ice Thursday.
The Penguins lead the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in the series and can win their second championship in eight years with a victory in Thursday’s Game 5.
According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, this occasion has prompted Pittsburgh City Council to re-name a street -- at least for that game day -- to Matt Murray Avenue in celebration of the Penguins rookie puck stopper who has been so good in these playoffs despite a lack of experience.
From the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:
Pittsburgh City Council today passed a “Will of Council” that renames the thoroughfare for the day, when the Pittsburgh Penguins take on the San Jose Sharks in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup finals.
Councilman Corey O’Connor said he got a call around 5:30 a.m. from Star 100.7’s Bubba Show asking for council to consider honoring the Pens’ starting goalie. Their plea, he said, was backed by about 20,000 listeners.
The excitement in Pittsburgh doesn’t stop there.
Pirates dress code for one-day trip to Colorado on Thursday:
— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) June 7, 2016
JEANS OKAY
PENGUINS JERSEY
The call for Pirates to wear Pens jerseys Thursday came from Hurdle. Freese: "I asked if I could wear a Blues jersey, and I got the look."
— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) June 7, 2016
On Tuesday, Penguins head coach Mike Sullivan was confident his players could keep their emotions in check leading up to Thursday, despite having two days to wait before such a pivotal game.
“We’ve got some guys in there that have this in perspective, that have been through similar experiences in the past. I think our guys are very grounded. They understand the challenge in front of us,” Sullivan told reporters.
“We have to try to do our best to ignore some of the noise surrounding the group. I think our players are well aware of it. They’ve been through it the whole post-season.
“We know that we’re going to need our very best in order to accomplish our ultimate goal.”