Sixteen years ago, they were champions. Nine years ago, they were nearly dissolved in bankruptcy court. And as recently as two years ago, they were dead last in their division.

The Penguins' road back to the top of the hockey world was improbably difficult, while their dismantling of opponents in the playoffs was improbably easy -- at least until the end.

Take a look back at the Post-Gazette's coverage of the Penguins playoff run.

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GAME 1: Penguins 4, Senators 0 -- Noted Senators antagonist Scary Gary Roberts fires the opening salvos of the series, scoring two goals and leading the Penguins to a 4-0 win and a fast start in the playoffs.

• Ron Cook: Roberts tortures Senators

• Gene Collier: Senators pay price

• Empty Netters: Payback

• PG video: Penguins postgame

• PG video: The fans view -- inside and out.

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GAME 2: Penguins 5, Senators 3 -- The Penguins blow a 3-0 lead but hang on as Ryan Malone scores the game winner with 1:02 remaining in the third period.

• Ron Cook: Malkin's star burns bright.

• Gene Collier: Taking their best shot

• PG video: Postgame report

• Empty Netters: Staying the Course

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GAME 3: Penguins 4, Senators 1 -- What a difference a year makes. After being flattened by the Senators in the opening round of the 2007 playoffs, the Penguins continue their mastery of the Senators with a 4-1 victory and are on the verge of sweeping Ottawa. Team captain Sidney Crosby scored the eventual game-winner just 12 seconds into the third period.

• Ron Cook: Matured Fleury is the key

• PG video: Postgame report

• Empty Netters: Almost there ...

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GAME 4: Penguins 3, Senators 1 -- Break out the brooms! The Penguins defeat Ottawa 3-1 and complete a series sweep and advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time in seven years.

• Ron Cook: A lot to like in Senators annihilation

• PG video: Postgame report

• PG video: Fans rock outside Arena

• Empty Netters: Sweeping Success

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GAME 1: Penguins 5, Rangers 4 -- A rude welcome greets the Rangers -- and ex-Pen great Jaromir Jagr -- as the Penguins erase a 3-0 deficit and win 5-4 on Sidney Crosby's game-winner with 1:41 left in the third period.

• Ron Cook: Tough guys worth weight

• Gene Collier: Whiteout almost a wipeout

• PG video: Postgame report

• PG video: Fans have love/hate with Jagr

• Empty Netters: Heartstopper

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GAME 2: Penguins 2, Rangers 0 -- Jordan Staal emerges as a Ranger-killer, scoring both goals that gave the Penguins a 2-0 win -- and a 2-0 lead in the series.

• Ron Cook: Defense backs Fleury

• Gene Collier: Rangers not great

• Empty Netters: Doubling Up

• PG video: Postgame report

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GAME 3: Penguins 5, Rangers 3 --

Evgeni Malkin, whose lackluster 2007 playoff performance is but a memory, continues to be a dominant force in 2008 as he lights up the Rangers for two goals and an assist as the Penguins down the Rangers 5-3 and stand on the verge of their second consecutive series sweep in the 2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

• Gene Collier: Malkin's Garden party

• Empty Netters: Block Party

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GAME 4: Rangers 3, Penguins 0 -- For the first time in these playoffs, the Penguins play flat -- and lose -- 3-0 to New York. Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist denies Evgeni Malkin on a penalty shot attempt, a moment typical of the Penguins' inability to convert chances in this game.

• Gene Collier: Jagr keeps Rangers alive

• Empty Netters: Failing to close

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GAME 5: Penguins 3, Rangers 2 -- Marian Hossa -- whose trading deadline acquisition was met with heavy skepticism by many -- scores the series clinching goal in a 3-2 Penguins win in overtime.

• Gene Collier: Hossa deal pays dividends

• Ron Cook: Hard work in Penguins' stars

• Empty Netters: Clutch

• PG video: Postgame report

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GAME 1: Penguins 4, Flyers 2 --

The Turnpike Tilt begins and the Pittsburgh platoon is led by Evgeni Malkin's two electric goals -- including a shorthanded slapshot for the ages -- en route to a 4-2 win in the opening game of the series.

• Ron Cook: Flyers easy prey?

• Bob Smizik: Malkin, Crosby too tough

• PG video: Postgame report

• PG video: No love lost between Penguins, Flyers fans

• Empty Netters: Start it up

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GAME 2: Penguins 4, Flyers 2 -- If a team is to advance deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs, they need to have the occasional unlikely hero, and that's just what the Penguins got in game two courtesy of Max Talbot's game-winner in the third period. The Penguins went on to win a second consecutive game by the score of 4-2 and take a 2-0 series lead over Philadelphia.

• Bob Smizik: Fleury flowers at right time

• Ron Cook: Talbot hero for a night

• PG video: Postgame report

• PG video: Hearty fans watch game in rain

• Empty Netters: Big Returns

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GAME 3: Penguins 4, Flyers 1 -- The Flyers' slogan in these playoffs has been "Why Not Us?" --hardly something that inspires greatness -- and the answer was painfully obvious when Marian Hossa's two goals led the way for a 4-1 Penguins victory that put the team within a victory of advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals.

• Gene Collier: Pens are for real

• Empty Netters: Vengeance Never

• PG video: Postgame report

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GAME 4: Flyers 4, Penguins 2 -- For only the second time in the playoffs, the Penguins lay an egg and lose, 4-2 after spotting Philadelphia a 3-0 lead. The Penguins made a spirited comeback in the third period, scoring two goals, but it was too little, too late.

• Gene Collier: Sloppy first period a killer

• PG video: Postgame report

• Empty Netters: Flatlined

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GAME 5: Penguins 6, Flyers 0 -- The Battle for Pennsylvania -- and a spot in the Stanley Cup Finals -- ends in a Philadelphia bloodbath. The Penguins advanced to play for hockey's Holy Grail for the third time in team history, courtesy of a 6-0 shellacking of their arch-rivals, the Flyers.

• Gene Collier: Home Malone

• Ron Cook: Can't touch the Kid

• Empty Netters: Getting Back

• PG video: Postgame report

• PG video: Fans go wild over win

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The final obstacle in the Penguins quest to claim the trophy chalice of Frederick Stanley, 16th Earl of Derby and Lord Stanley of Victoria, is none other than the most storied American hockey franchise, from the place dubbed "Hockeytown." The Detroit Red Wings are winners of 10 Stanley Cup Championships and this season's recipient of the President's Trophy, which is awarded to the league's top regular season team. No test could be fitting -- or more fierce -- for this group of young Penguin phenoms.

THE HYPE:

• Post-Gazette Stanley Cup Finals Special Section

• Crosby checks ego at door

• Interactive players guide

• Time is now for Penguins

• An unfamiliar foe

• Steelers and Pirates back Penguins in big way

• PG Video: Penguins rally Downtown

• PG Video: The Octopus ritual

• PG video: The keeper of the Cup

• PG video: Pens merchandise is red hot

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GAME 1: Red Wings 4, Penguins 0 --The Red Wings were one of the few teams the Penguins hadn't faced during the regular season, so it took until Game One of the Stanley Cup Finals for them to find out first-hand just how good Detroit is. The answer? Really good, as the Red Wings methodically shut down the Penguins firepower in the opening game.

• Gene Collier: This is Hockeytown?

• Empty Netters: Rock City

• PG video: Postgame report

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GAME 2: Red Wings 2, Penguins 0 --Detroit continues its defensive domination of Pittsburgh, shutting them out again, 2-0, in Game 2 and putting the young Penguins against the ropes -- fitting for a team that plays in Joe Louis Arena.

• PG Video: Postgame report

• Ron Cook: Pens are Dazed & Confused

• Gene Collier: Reputations falling fast

• Empty Netters: Pens not Osgood as Wings

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GAME 3: Penguins 3, Red Wings 2 --The Penguins finally get a goal -- and a win -- in the Stanley Cup Finals, and not a moment too soon. Sidney Crosby had a pair of goals but things got dicey late as the Penguins held on to win 3-2.

• Ron Cook: Crosby rises to occassion

• PG Video: Postgame report

• Empty Netters: Fighting Back

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GAME 4: Red Wings 2, Penguins 1 --The Penguins blow a golden opportunity -- an extended 5-on-3 power play late in the game -- and possibly any chance at claiming Lord Stanley's cup, losing 2-1 to Detroit. It is the first home loss in the postseason for the Penguins, who were unable to sustain the momentumn of a Game 3 win or an early Marian Hossa goal, and find themselves facing elimination.

• Gene Collier: Odds catch up to Penguins

• Ron Cook: What power play?

• Empty Netters: Falling into a trap

• PG Video: Postgame report

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GAME 5: Penguins 4, Red Wings 3 --109 minutes, 57 seconds. That was the official time of Game Six though metaphorically, it spanned several lifetimes: the Penguins were given new life not once -- when extra-attacker Max Talbot scored with 34.3 seconds remaining to send it to OT -- but twice after Petr Sykora scored the game-winner in the third overtime, to give the Penguins a 4-3 victory and send the series back to Pittsburgh. For fans who bore witness, it was a once-in-a-lifetime game that would easily make a short list of best Finals games ever.

• Ron Cook: Penguins get late last laugh

• Gene Coliier: Penguins keep dream alive

• Empty Netters: Staying Alive

• PG Video: Postgame report

• PG Video: Pens fans Don't Stop Believin'

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GAME 6: Red Wings 3, Penguins 2 --In the end, it simply wasn't to be.

Despite a furious comeback attempt that lasted until literally the last second of the game, the polish and experience of the Detroit Red Wings ultimately trumped the youthful firepower of the Penguins as Detroit claimed its 11th Stanley Cup with a 3-2 win in Game 6.

• Bob Smizik: Game 5 magic not enough

• Empty Netters: They went down swingin'

• PG Video: Magical season ends

• PG Video: Pens fans disappointed but proud