Dear Flower,
I guess I should start this by saying thank you, thank you for everything you've done for Pittsburgh and the Penguins organization. I might've only been five years old when we drafted you into the organization but you are the reason that I know have a lifetime love of hockey.
October 10th 2003, was the first time you set foot into NHL ice, even though you didn't win the game you began to win the hearts of Penguins fans all across not only Pittsburgh but the world. The next game you finally got your first win in the NHL.
In early January during the trading period rumors started circulating that you were going to get traded, and I spent the whole time searching your name on Google every few hours seeing if you were still a Penguin or which organization was lucky enough to have gotten you. You survived the trade deadline but we all knew your time was running short.
Fast forward to the playoffs, Matt Murray got injured and we all knew what that meant. It was your time to shine on the ice once again. You were the starting goalie until Matt came back and you got us so far but we knew that wasn't going to be enough. You won your third Stanley Cup, and you you became back to back Stanley Cup Champion.
When the expansion draft was approaching I knew your fate was coming. I began counting down your last final days as a Pittsburgh Penguin. I knew you were going to become a Vegas Golden Knight. All day on June 21st I was awaiting what I knew was to come. Then I got the Twitter notification from the Penguins and saw "Vegas you got a good one" I was scared to click the rest of the tweet because I knew it was you. I finally opened it and I saw it was you and I immediately started crying in the middle of Sheetz. It felt like a piece of my heart was taken away from me.
I'm beyond happy that you'll be back doing what you love and playing hockey and never having to wait and see if you or Matt would be starting that night, because it'll always be you.
Thank you for the best 691 games anyone could have ever gave me. Thank you for the 375 wins. You'll always have a special place in Pittsburgh and I can't wait to see you again in February.
Love,
A Pittsburgh Hockey Fan
