NHL: Stanley Cup 2008-2009 Champions: Pittsburgh Penguins
Starring: Dan Byslma, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan StaalStudio: Warner Home Video
MPAA Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1, Dolby Digital 5.1
Running Time: 100 minutes
DVD Release: July 7th 2009
Buy DVD:
DVD Review
Say Hello to an Old Friend! For the first time in almost 20 years, the Stanley Cup returned to the Steel City. The Penguins are champions again, bringing the Cup back to Pittsburgh for the first time since 1992. The Penguins are led by Sidney Crosby, and a star-studded supporting cast including Conn Smythe winner Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury, Jordan Staal and rookie coach Dan Byslma, Now you can relive every magical step of their march to the 2009 Stanley Cup, highlighted by series wins against Philadelphia, Washington, Carolina, and the mighty Detroit Red Wings. Go inside Pittsburgh?s Stanley Cup championship with exclusive game footage featuring the sights and sounds of their memorable playoff run, and interviews with players and coaches. This is the story of the 2009 Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins.
User Reviews
PATIENCE PLEASE PENGUIN PARTISANS - Rating: 2/5
It's just like with the Steelers - ya gotta wait for the 2nd release. The first DVD is NEVER the one to buy after a sports championship season.
The first one is for the SUCKERS who want to quickly savor/revisit the season. One must realize that it takes time to put together a quality
release. It'll be out before Christmas. And it will be more than one disc. It has to be - the Pens season was so packed full of interesting stories and dramatic victories.
DVD content highlighting Lord Stanley Cup for Pens not as filling - Rating: 3/5
With so much potential to highlight the Pens Stanley Cup championship, I'm disappointed in finding the content in this DVD less than satisfying. Granted, it's the usual mix of stuff found in other championship produced DVD's. I was just hoping, as a fan, to get a little more than the standard flair, especially considering that the last time Pittsburgh won the Stanley Cup was in 1992 - maybe the whole Game 7 as a wonderful reminder, just to start?
Instead, what we get is a somewhat barebones, college produced rehash containing weak commentary and spotty highlights. From the menu page to the joke of additional footage, the half-hearted attempt at quality makes me wonder the rush job effort to put this out for a quick dollar.
Yet, as sad as it is more care wasn't taken in organizing a worthy video montage, ultimately, one has to overlook the slim content and just simply appreciate it for what was done - the Pens won it all - that alone should be a momento in itself.
The story remains untold.... - Rating: 3/5
The makings for a great documentary were made by the Penguins, so it is disappointing that the producer of this DVD failed to tell the story adequately.
There are some glaring omissions. First, the byline created by Hossa's departure/defection was barely touched. The details should have been brought forth with historic accuracy. Second, there was no sign of the huge overflowing crowds of fans that surrounded the overflow "Igloo" to watch the games on a jumbotron. Third, after the devastating loss in Game Five, there was no mention that when the next game returned to the Burgh, the crowd was shouting pregame: "Fleury!! Fleury!!!" And no effort to detail how our goalie had been (wrongly and unfairly) criticized and doubted throughout the playoffs, and how he responded in the next games. Fourth, the actual video is so brief as to lack any real context. No segment was even long enough to show the development of a play. Just a few seconds that show the final shot. Fifth, there were additional story lines for many individual players, in addition to the Big Guns, that were never touched. Finally, the "extra features", so good on many DVD's, are a real disappointment.
All that said, the DVD does carry some of the excitement of this season and play-off run. It's just too bad the producer was not from the Burgh.
Effectively Captures a Remarkable Season - Rating: 4/5
This DVD is worth the price for the seven-game series between the Penguins and Capitals alone, in which undoubtedly the world's three best players lit up the scoreboard and fought to the bitter end. But there is much more here. The Penguins stood in tenth place just weeks before the playoffs began, and stood above all other teams when the Detroit series ended. THe Penguins play up-tempo hockey, so these highlights are very exciting for any hockey fan. It is not simply a showcase of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.
In addition, the first round battle between the Penguins and rival Flyers was also a great series, albeit six games and not seven. There were comebacks, individual heroics, players fighting through injuries, and average players becoming heroes. This is akin to the New York Giants' championship over New England in the 2007 Super Bowl. If you are a sports fanatic who likes to get excited, there are plenty of moments here that will have you on the edge of your seat!
Great team - crummy DVD production - Rating: 3/5
Being a Pens fan I was looking forward to the release of the season highlight video. Although all Pens fans will enjoy watching the DVD, the production was poor. Audio mixing was downright awful. There was plenty of good local TV video available that would have made a much better presentation for the segments in the DVD. It appeared as though Warner Brothers may have wanted this to look like a DVD made with film not video tape by slowing the frame rate down. The video quality was mediocre, however. If you are looking for something you would expect from NFL films, you will be disapppointed.
Nonetheless, for Pens fans it will be enjoyable. Too bad the NHL does not have a better deal with someone other than Warner that could have done a much better job of presenting a great and memorable season.
