Bye-bye, Mario. It's been nice to have you back where you belong.

So long, Jaromir. What uniform will you be wearing in September?

Adios, Mr. Moooooose! Hey, Johan, this summer you can finally paint that mask -- black and gold.

Yes, the pesky Penguins have put on a great show this season, especially since the owner got back into the fray. Now, though, the curtain is about to come down. It will almost surely be lowered on Tuesday night -- around 9:30 p.m. Eastern -- at the Continental Airlines Arena in Jersey.

The Pens, who advanced past the Caps and Sabres in the first two rounds of the playoffs, are clearly overmatched by the defending champion Devils, who played two near-perfect games in Pittsburgh to grab a serious 3-1 hold on their Eastern Conference final series. This series would be over if it hadn't been for a Jersey self-destruction in Game 2.

Right now, going into Game 5, the Pens are battered (with Darius Kasparaitis, Robert Lang, Jagr and Kevin Stevens among the walking wounded -- and those are just the guys we know about) and without hope. You could see the hopelessness in their eyes after their 5-0 loss in Game 3. In two games -- two home games -- the Penguins couldn't even manage one goal. They were outscored 8-0. And, if it hadn't been for Hedberg, it could have been worse -- much worse.

So, as these Penguins go quietly into that postseason good night, let's try to remember the joy Mario & Co. gave us during their surprising playoff run.

The ups. The downs. The Moose.

The overtime magic from Marty Straka and Kasparaitis.

And, of course, No. 66.

Yeah, these pesky Penguins enjoyed a great run. So raise a glass and toast them one more time. But, do it quickly. Soon, they'll be gone.

E.J. Hradek covers hockey for ESPN The Magazine. E-mail him at ej.hradek@espnmag.com.