Pittsburgh is special. The city represents so many facets of what our team believes. We believe in hard work. We preach humility. We depend on each other. We take pride in our accomplishments. There's appreciation for those around us in the community. This community rallies and shows resiliency in the face of adversity.

I can't say enough about how many times our group responded the right way to adversity. They almost became too confident in late comebacks and their resilient nature. They made life exciting - well, for you - for me, they probably took a few years off my life. More than anything, though, they came to the rink every single day with an unwavering work ethic and an insatiable appetite to win. I've said it many times, and I'll say it again because it is the truth: The coaches respect and admire these players so much.

No one played more hockey over the past three years than this group, a lot of high-pressure playoff hockey, no less. I take comfort in knowing that even during the most challenging times, our players kept going. Those players squeezed every ounce of energy they had to keep the three-peat hope alive.

We can't make that happen now. But we can take a little extra time this offseason to think about what is next, and that's important. For some guys in the room, it is new territory. The young guys know how sweet the reward can be, but this is their first experience with the sour taste of defeat.

I hate losing. Sometimes I think that I hate losing more than I enjoy winning. So you can imagine how I have felt over the last week as I've tried to digest a different type of losing, one that leaves you with an empty feeling. We'll learn from it, certainly, but I also want our guys to remember and savor all that they've accomplished. It hurts now, but when I've had a chance to sit outside on my deck, cigar in one hand and a Guinness in the other, I'll absolutely appreciate what these players and coaches have achieved over the past few years.