The 2003-04 season didn't exactly go well for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Just 58 points through 82 games saw them with the worst record in the NHL; a team with no on-ice success facing relocation.
The 2004-05 season didn't go well for anybody, because it was completely wiped out. This resulted in a league-wide draft lottery: one that, due to the Penguins' lacklustre years beforehand, saw them with pretty good odds of getting the first overall pick.
The first overall pick. In the Sidney Crosby draft. Pretty much an instant franchise-changer.
So as we celebrate the Penguins' fourth Stanley Cup, and second of Crosby's career - and as we celebrate Crosby the person, who has done so much to share the Cup with everyone - let's look back on this day, 11 years ago, when it was all made possible.