PITTSBURGH — The parade celebrating the Pittsburgh Penguins’ second straight Stanley Cup was still raging on that hot afternoon in mid-June when Mike Sullivan decided it was time to up the ante.

Sure, becoming the first back-to-back Cup winners in nearly two decades is historic. Still, it’s just two. Three straight? Well, that’s something else entirely. And the man whose arrival in December 2015 coincided with Pittsburgh’s ascendance back to the top of the NHL knew it.

Penguins Coach Mike Sullivan hoists the Stanley Cup as Bryan Rust watches after Pittsburgh beat Nashville in Game 6 on June 11 to win the title. Sullivan challenged his players to 'three-peat' even while they were celebrating a second straight Cup. Associated Press/Jeff Roberson

So the head coach who was able to calibrate a roster stuffed with an eclectic mix of generational offensive talent, relentless young legs and just enough tenacity figured it was time to set the bar for 2018.

“I wonder if we can repeat, if we can ‘three-peat,'” Sullivan said.

Only he wasn’t wondering. He was challenging Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Matt Murray and the rest of the core that has a chance to win three consecutive Cups for the first time in the NHL since Mike Bossy led the New York Islanders to four straight from 1980-83.

And the message rang through loud and clear. The way Sullivan’s captain figures it, facing that kind of internal pressure sure beats the opposite, even if Crosby isn’t quite ready to start thinking about what doing something his boss (Penguins owner Mario Lemieux), his idol (former Red Wings center Steve Yzerman) and the greatest player of them all (Wayne Gretzky) never did.

All three had their shots at a three-peat and came up short.

“You don’t need to spend a lot of time looking back and comparing and things like that,” Crosby said. “You can do that when you’re done playing.”

No team has even reached the Cup final three successive springs since the Islanders finished off Gretzky and the Oilers on May 16, 1983, for their fourth championship, a time when the path from burgeoning power to dynasty was far shorter.

There were only 21 teams in the league in 1983, not 31. There was no salary cap, allowing teams to stockpile all the talent they could afford. Globalization hadn’t yet reached the league. The Islanders’ last Cup team featured players from three countries. Last spring’s Penguins represented eight.

Oddsmakers have made Pittsburgh the early favorite. The Penguins insist they’re focusing on the opener Wednesday against St. Louis. Worrying about becoming a true “old school” dynasty is at the bottom of the list of their concerns.

“The historical chips will fall where they may,” defenseman Ian Cole said.

BRUINS: Former first-round pick Malcolm Subban has been placed on waivers, Coach Bruce Cassidy confirmed Monday, indicating the team will stick with Anton Khudobin as backup goalie behind Tuukka Rask.

If Subban clears waivers, he will report to AHL Providence, where he has a 2.40 goals-against average and .918 save percentage over four seasons. The 24th overall in the 2012 draft has made two starts for Boston and was pulled from both of them.

The Bruins also released former UMaine forward Teddy Purcell from his tryout agreement and assigned five players to Providence: forwards Jakob Forsbacka Karlasson, Peter Cehlarik, Danton Heinen, Jordan Szwarz and defensemen Tommy Cross and Jakub Zboril.

The Bruins still have several decisions to make ahead of Tuesday’s 3 p.m. roster deadline.

FLAMES: Jaromir Jagr will join the team Flames on a one-year deal worth $1 million in base salary and another $1 million in bonuses, according to a report by Sportsnet.

Jagr had been without a team after the Panthers declined to re-sign the 45-year-old free agent forward. He had 49 goals and 81 assists in 181 games with Panthers after arriving in a midseason trade from New Jersey in February 2015.

Calgary will be Jagr’s ninth team, including a brief stint with the Bruins in 2013. He has the third-most goals (765) and second-most points (1,914) in NHL history in a 1,711-game career.

WILD: Minnesota will start the season without veteran left wing Zach Parise, who has been slowed by a back injury.

Parise will not travel to games at Detroit on Thursday and at Carolina on Saturday. The goal is for him to practice with the team next week.

MEDIA: Former Bruins player and coach Mike Milbury will slide from the studio to the broadcast booth for NBC telecasts to start the season.

Milbury will fill in for lead analyst Ed Olczyk, who is undergoing treatment for colon cancer and hopes to return later this season. Milbury has provided commentary in the studio for NBC since 2008.

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