Twenty-one years ago, the Pittsburgh Penguins had earned two Stanley Cups, Eddie Olczyk and Jaromir Jagr were leading the Penguins’ roster, and SB Nation was still eight years away from making a debut on the Internet. The former Hartford Whalers also made their debut as the newly rebranded Carolina Hurricanes 21 years ago.
The Hurricanes lost their first game of the season on the road to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and were looking for a solid win in their first franchise home game on October 3, 1997. Unfortunately, the Penguins put a very abrupt end to that hope and with a staggering number of penalty minutes and fights to show for it.