The N.H.L. season begins Wednesday night, when the Penguins will raise their fifth championship banner in Pittsburgh before they face the St. Louis Blues.
Last season the Penguins became the first team since the Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and ’98 to repeat as champions. A so-called “three-peat” would be rare: Only five times since 1927 has a team won the Stanley Cup in three or more consecutive seasons. It has happened just twice since the league expanded from six teams in 1967, with the Montreal Canadiens capturing four titles in a row from 1976 to 1979, followed by four consecutive Cups for the Islanders.