How underdog losses helped forge a champion

Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty ImagesRewind back to the year 2007 and you will see the Penguins franchise coming off its first playoff season since 2001. Led by Art Ross winner and NHL MVP Sidney Crosby, a pair of Calder Trophy finalists in Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, a franchise netminder in Marc-Andre Fleury, along with a host of others, the Penguins found themselves back in the Stanley Cup Playoffs with an even brighter future ahead of them.

That season, the Penguins posted 105 points, good for second in the then Atlantic division and just two points behind the New Jersey Devils. That point total was also tied for third in the Eastern Conference, but due to the playoff structure and…