LOOK: Triple H sends Penguins custom WWE title belt as nod to HBK Line
Stanley Cup and World Heavyweight Champions
By
Chris Peters
•
1 min read
The Pittsburgh Penguins have claimed the most coveted trophy in hockey with their 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks Sunday night. While the Stanley Cup is about as good as it gets, the team is getting even more hardware.
Triple H, WWE legend and now an executive VP with the company, notified the Pens via Twitter that they have a world heavyweight title belt coming their way.
Congratulations to the #StanleyCup Champion @penguins! Can never go wrong w/ an #HBKLine! @NHL#TitleComingYourWaypic.twitter.com/iuSgxj2ixO
— Triple H (@TripleH) June 13, 2016
The belt, modeled after the one that the WWE's heavyweight champ receives, has a few custom tweaks. There are Penguins logos on the side with "2016 Stanley Cup Champions" under. So what did the Penguins do to deserve such an esteemed honor?
Well, a big part of their success was the HBK Line of Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel. The trio took Pittsburgh by storm and also drew the connection to WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels a.k.a. "The Heartbreak Kid" or HBK for short. The nickname led to a relationship with Michaels, who showed up for Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals to cheer the team on.
Triple H, of course, was Michaels' co-conspirator in Degeneration X, the stable of superstars that dominated the WWE in the late 1990s through the early 2000s. Obviously he appreciated the extra pub the HBK Line brought to his longtime pal and now retired WWE legend.
So there you have it, champions of the NHL and (in a very ring announcer-y voice) your new WORLD... HEAVVVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONS, the Pittsburgh..... PENGUINS.
