Puck Daddy's Summer Series: The Pittsburgh Penguins from A to Z

August 23, 2015 at 12:29 p.m.

(Ed. Note: August is known to be a very quiet month in the hockey world. As we wait for September to arrive and training camps to begin, let’s learn a little history about all 30 teams. Behold, our summer A-Z series, in which we ask fans of all 30 teams to drop some knowledge on us! Add your own choices in the comments!)

By: Ashley Chase, sports broadcaster

A. Affiliates

Thought I’d start by introducing the Pens affiliates. The Wilkes Barre-Scranton Penguins are the AHL affiliate. The Penguins purchased the Cornwall Aces AHL franchise from the Colorado Avalanche in 1996, leaving the then-dormant team inactive until 1999, which was the “Baby Pens” inaugural season. WBS won a regular season title in 2010-11. The West Virginia-based Wheeling Nailers became the Pens ECHL affiliate in 2000.

B. "Badger" Bob Johnson

“It’s a great day for hockey.”

His catchphrase is written on the wall of the Penguins locker room and is written in the hearts of Pens fans everywhere.

Bob Johnson became the “Badger” while coaching the University of Wisconsin to three NCAA championships. Johnson chased a Stanley Cup as coach of the Calgary Flames but it wasn’t until taking the reins of the Penguins in 1990 that Badger’s dream came true, coaching Pittsburgh to their first Stanley Cup win in 1991. Johnson was the first American-born coach to win the Stanley Cup.

"Winning the Cup was the one unfinished thing in Bob's life," said Johnson’s wife Martha, in this NY Times Obituary.

In August of 1991, a brain aneurysm hospitalized Johnson and he was diagnosed with brain cancer. He turned his coaching duties over to Scotty Bowman so he could begin treatment immediately, but Johnson stayed involved from his hospital room, watching video and communicating using a fax machine because a stroke left him unable to speak.

In an interview for the Blackhawks, Bowman said:

dir="ltr">“We were all hoping he would recover and return. He watched the games from the hospital, and we tried to keep him in the loop, calling him all the time to listen to what he had to say. Obviously, our minds weren’t completely on hockey, and we struggled for a couple months.”

Bob Johnson would not return to the Penguins, passing away on November 26, 1991.

Following his death, a banner saying; "It's a great day for hockey" was hung from the rafters at Wisconsin and painted on the blue lines at the Civic Arena. Penguins' players wore the word "BADGER" on the sleeve of their jerseys. Much of that can be seen here:

Johnson's name was engraved on the Stanley Cup for a second time. Mario Lemieux dedicated the 1991-92 season and Stanley Cup win to Badger Bob.

At the team's 1992 victory celebration at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Bowman's first remark was "the coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins will always be – Bob Johnson.”

C. Century Line

Lowell MacDonald, Syl Apps and Jean Pronovost. This trio was a force in the 1970’s, earning their nickname by combining for 107 goals in the 1973-74 season. Pronovost was the first member of the Pittsburgh Penguins to score 100 points in a season and 50 goals in a season.

Here’s a feature from PensTV narrated by Bob Grove:

D. Dan Bylsma and the revolving door of coaches

The Pens coaches have historically been a short-termed bunch.

Until Dan Bylsma, who took over for Michael Therrien in the 2008-09 season, no one lasted more than three years as Penguins Head Coach.

Bylsma, like any coach, had his faults, but helped bring Pittsburgh its’ third Stanley Cup and was the longest-tenured coach in team history. He was replaced by Mike Johnston in 2014.

E. “Elvis has just left the building” - Mike Lange

Penguins radio announcer Mike Lange has been the voice of Pittsburgh hockey both on radio and television for the last 40 years. Lange was awarded the Foster Hewitt award by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001 for his outstanding work as an NHL broadcaster.

The voice is unmistakable and the calls are a signature unique to the Penguins culture. Game broadcasts begin with “It’s a hockey night in Pittsburgh” and if you’re lucky enough to hear “Elvis has just left the building," you’ll know the Pens have won.

Iconic moments, like Mario Lemieux’s comeback in December 2000, will leave you smiling like a butcher’s dog.

And sometimes, Lange tells your grandma what to do.

Sidney Crosby of course has his own call:

And if you’re in the mood for some fun… you can scratch your back with a hack saw and play around with the Mike Lange Soundboard.

(On a personal note, Lange is one of the main reasons I fell in love with hockey and broadcasting, and why my entire career is a pursuit of full-time hockey broadcasting work. I own one autographed puck and it’s signed by Mike Lange.)

F. Fleury, Marc-Andre

The Flower, none other than Marc-Andre Fleury, clad with a fleur-de-lis on every mask, is the franchise’s most successful goaltender, putting his name atop several columns in the history books with plenty of hockey yet to be played.

(This mask displays not only the fleur-de-lis, but also the initials E.F.G.T. for Fleury’s grandparents who he honors on every mask. Also the name of his daughter Estelle. Baby number two, a girl named Scarlett, just arrived in August 2015.)

The French-Canadian netminder was drafted by the Pens in 2003 and was stellar in his NHL debut. Midway through the season, the decision was made to send Fleury back to juniors (QMJHL) with the claim that the team could not afford to pay him a $3 million dollar bonus he would be eligible for by playing in 25 games. (There was another reason for the Pens to send Fleury down; see 'T' for Tanking.)

With the lockout in 2004-05, Fleury played the season in Wilkes Barre-Scranton. He came to Pittsburgh later in the 2005-06 season but the Pens finished dead last in the Eastern Conference. Fleury became the starting goaltender moving forward in 2006-07, leading the Pens back to the playoffs along with the young Crosby and Malkin.

The 2007-08 season saw Fleury deal with an ankle injury. Upon his return, the Pens won the Atlantic Division and eventually, a Stanley Cup Finals appearance vs. Detroit. One of the best performances of Fleury’s career was Game 5 at Detroit, a 55-save triple-overtime win, saving the Pens from elimination.

But what goes up must come down. In game 6, an own goal that Fleury sat on was credited to Henrik Zetterberg and the Red Wings won the Cup on the ice in Pittsburgh. (DON’T LOOK. IT BURNS.)

Fleury recovered with a phenomenal run through the playoffs in the 2008-09 season. The final seconds of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in Detroit create the lasting image of Fleury.

Fleury hoisted the Cup once in his career but has had mixed success and failure in the playoffs ever since, becoming a polarizing player that the fan base tends to give either all of the credit or all of the blame.

Fleury is quite the character off the ice, the gullible victim of many pranks, including the rookie season exchange with his veteran roomie Marc Bergevin. From Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

dir="ltr">When Pittsburgh was looking for a veteran to bunk with rookie goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, coaches picked [Marc Bergevin]. The first question Bergevin asked last summer's No. 1 pick: When were you born? dir="ltr">An experience colored by Bergevin. One day, Fleury left a book out in the hotel room. It had a risque title, and when Bergevin opened it, the prank book gave him an electric shock. Handing the book to Fleury, Bergevin told him it wouldn't shock him if he opened it with his toes. Fleury tried. dir="ltr">Of course, he was shocked. So, Bergevin said, yeah, but if you dip your fingers in water and open it, the book won't shock you. Fleury tried it. "I got him twice on his prank," Bergevin said. "I love the game. Mentally it's been a tough (season), but I love being around the young guys."

Now a veteran himself, Fleury likes to play pranks. Like this one on ROOT Sports’ Dan Potash, and had a hand in this one on rookie Scott Wilson.

Sidney Crosby has some thoughts on Fleury’s Halloween costumes:

dir="ltr">“For some reason, he is always wearing tights with his costumes. I don’t know why that is. He was Catwoman before and now he was a frog with leggings, so maybe it just means he likes to wear tights. I don’t know.”

G. Geno Geno. They call him MVP.

Evgeni Malkin. Drafted by the Penguins second overall behind his Russian teammate Alexander Ovechkin in 2004, Malkin’s first game for the Penguins was delayed by a transfer issue with his former team and (lockout aside) he did not play with Pittsburgh until 2006. More on the firestorm surrounding Malkin’s journey to the NHL in an interview done by TSN’s Darren Dreger.

When Malkin did finally take the ice, he scored a goal in each of his first six NHL games, something no one in NHL history had ever done. His first goal was against Martin Brodeur. Malkin finished his rookie season with 33 goals and 85 points, winning the Calder Trophy as the league's top rookie.

Malkin finished second in Hart Trophy voting to Ovechkin in 2008, but captured the Art Ross trophy in 2009 and was awarded the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP as the Pens won their third Stanley Cup. Malkin was the first Russian-born player to win the Conn Smythe and the second Penguin to win both the Art Ross & Conn Smythe in the same season, the other being Mario Lemieux.

Malkin dominated the 2011-12 season, winning the Art Ross, Hart, and Ted Lindsey trophies. The league MVP was the only player to score more than 100 points that season (109).

I don’t remember the full scope of the Malkin’s Diary spoof done by Pittsburgh radio station WDVE, but they did a song parody “That is my name” and it makes me laugh every time. There have been a few versions made, here's one of them:

Malkin’s parents Vladamir and Natalia have become fan favorites. Here’s a 2009 writeup on “The Geno’s” by Rob Rossi in the Tribune-Review.

Geno’s instagram brings the world so much joy. I’ll provide a few examples but you should just follow.

Exhibit A: Sharing the Pens’ Halloween costumes.

Exhibit B: Congratulating Sergei Gonchar while riding a tiger.

Basically, Geno instagram = GOAT.

H. Hated-rivals

The Capitals and Penguins have had their heated moments over the years, but there’s a special kind of hate that exists between the Penguins and the Flyers.

Since both teams joined the NHL as part of the “Next Six” in 1967, the Keystone State rivals have brutalized each other. The teams have only met six times in the playoffs, with the Flyers holding a 4-2 series advantage. The Flyers dominated the Pens in the 1970’s and 80’s. Pittsburgh would be lucky to walk out of the Spectrum in one piece.

It’s too bad Rob Brown was traded to Hartford and didn’t have a chance to win a Cup with Pittsburgh along Mario’s wing. Mostly because of moments like these with Ron Hextall.

The tide shifted in favor of the Pens in the early 90’s. In the 1989 division finals, Philadelphia won in seven, but this was a significant change in era for both teams. The Flyers missed the playoffs for the next five years while the Pens won two Stanley Cups. The arrival of Eric Lindros made the series more evenly matched as the 90’s continued.

One of the more memorable games in the history of the two teams came in 2000. Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinals was a 1-1 game headed for overtime. Five overtime periods, to be exact. Keith Primeau finally scored at the 92:01 mark of overtime to give the Flyers a 2–1 win, tying the series at 2-2. Philadelphia won the next two to take the series.

For the Pens to make it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008 and eventually win in 2009, they had to beat the Flyers. Those are the only two postseason series the Pens have won against Philly. In 2012, the rivalry spiced up again and is burned into my memory with the image of Pens Assistant Tony Granato and Flyers Head Coach Peter Laviolette climbing the benches, screaming at each other.

The teams would later meet in the 2012 Eastern Conference quarterfinals and the Flyers won that series (See X for more on this series).

I. Igloo, The (and the Consol Energy Center)

The Penguins live in The Igloo. *Mike Tomlin voice* Obviously.

The Civic Arena (later named Mellon Arena beginning in 1999), was the Penguins home from 1967-2010.

A new arena was the centerpiece of keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh. Reaching a deal for the Consol Energy Center essentially saved the team once again. Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby officially christened the new ice on July 27, 2010 and the first regular seasons game was played on October 7, 2010 against the Flyers. Lemieux’s ownership and keeping the team in Pittsburgh are directly linked to the new arena. (See O for Ownership.)

J. Jaromir Jagr

The Man, The Myth, The Mullet. Jaromir Jagr’s arrival in the NHL came as the Iron Curtain was falling, allowing him to become the first Czech player to be drafted in the NHL without having to defect, taken 5th overall in 1990. Jagr joined a team always racked with superstars but quickly carved out his own place in Penguins history. Jagr scored a goal in the Stanley Cup Finals at age 20, part of the back-to-back Cup winnings teams.

After the Penguins first Cup win in 1991, Jagr told Mike Lange he’d give Lange’s famed closing line on-air, and did so on KDKA-TV.

During the span of his 10-plus years with Pittsburgh, Jagr was a five-time Art Ross Trophy winner and won that Hart as the League MVP in 1999. I’m just going to let you read his NHL records for yourself, because there are far too many to mention. He is truly one of the game’s greats.

Still an NHLer at age 43, Jagr is the leading point scorer among active NHL players and is the most productive European player to ever played in the NHL. Some Pens fans have had hard feelings for Jagr because of the way he moved on from Pittsburgh, but I think that’s been addressed, in this piece by Shelley Anderson of the Post-Gazette.

dir="ltr">“If I wouldn't have been drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins and see Mario play, who knows where I would be right now? Maybe I would be in Europe. Maybe I wouldn't play hockey at all. All the things I learned were from him. Not many young guys that come into the league are so lucky like I was."

Plus, if he hadn’t been traded from Pittsburgh, the world would never know the Traveling Jagrs who can be found here on Twitter.

This is a man who has embraced his big personality (and big hair) for a long time.

Did you own a jar of Jaromir Jagr Peanut Butter?

When Jagr was with the Flyers, someone brought him a jar of that peanut butter in the locker room. Claude Giroux attempted to chirp Jagr about this and was served accordingly.

Jagr is one of the big factors in why I became a Pens fan. You can see how much he loves the game in the way he trains, plays, lives and smiles. I personally can’t wait to see what he does with the young crop of Panthers this season.

K. KEVIN!

Kevin(s) Constantine and Stevens both had their own impact on the Pens.

Kevin Stevens signed with the Penguins in the late 80’s and played on Mario Lemieux’s left wing as part of the Stanley Cup Champion teams in 1991 & 1992, before being traded in 1995. He had four-straight seasons of at least 40 goals and 80 points from 1990-94 and scored 50 goals and 100 points in back to back seasons from 1991-93.

Kevin Constantine coached the Penguins for two full seasons (1997-98, 1998-99) and was fired 25 games into the 1999-2000 season. During his first year as head coach, the Pens won their division and during the second, they finished third, but upset the top seed New Jersey Devils in the first round of the playoffs.

Constantine was 86-64-35-4 in the regular season but 8-11 in the playoffs. Constantine was known for making the Pens into a more“defense-first” team in an era where they had been “all offense-all the time”, especially with Jagr, with whom he butted heads.

(Honorable mention: Darius Kasparaitis. Played for the Pens from 1996-2002. Every 90’s child Pens fan came down with a case of Kasparaitis and had to miss school from time to time. It happens.)

Kasparaitis also endorsed pickles…”Kasparaitis Krunchers”, which you can find on this TribLive blog post of Pittsburgh athlete-endorsed foods.

L. Lemieux, Mario

No words I pen could do justice to the career, life and legacy of Le Magnifique, Mario Lemieux.

On June 9, 1984, Mario Lemieux or “Super Mario” was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins as the top pick in the NHL Draft. Lemieux – which means “the best” in French – later snapped Wayne Gretzky’s seven-year hold on the scoring title and eight-year grip on the Hart Trophy. A six-time NHL scoring leader, three-time MVP, Rookie of the Year and two-time Conn Smythe Trophy winner, number 66 made miraculous comebacks from Hodgkin’s disease and multiple back injuries and, as an encore, bought the team and saved it from bankruptcy in 1999.

Lemieux scored a goal on the first shot of his first shift in the NHL.

In the 1988–89 season, Lemieux led the league with 85 goals and 114 assists for 199 points, tying Gretzky for points and finishing second in Hart Trophy voting. This season included the “5 goals 5 ways” game against New Jersey, a game he finished tallying 8 points.

This goal against the North Stars in the 1991 Stanley Cup Final is typically remembered as the greatest goal Lemieux ever scored.

Super Mario led the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cup victories, forever engraving his name in hockey history. But the man meant so much more (See M for Mario’s Cancer & Comeback). Lemieux kept his phenomenal career going past back injuries and cancer, continuing to dominate the league, closing his career (for the first time) by winning his sixth Art Ross Trophy. He was the NHL MVP three times in his career.

Lemieux shocked the hockey community once again, announcing his retirement would be at the end of the 1996-97 season, at just 31 years old. To that point, Mario had scored 1494 points in 745 games. The Hockey Hall of Fame abandoned their three-year waiting period and inducted Lemieux into the hall in the fall of 1997.

I’ll never forget getting a laugh out of “Bye, Bye, French Canadian Guy” from WDVE:

But in December 2000, Lemieux did the unimaginable, returning to the ice as a player, becoming the first modern day player/owner in the NHL. Lemieux would return to play on December 27, 2000 against the Maple Leafs, scoring a goal and two assists.

Pittsburgh’s next great generational talent had arrived in 2005, bringing “Lemieux to Crosby” to the masses.

Mario’s return from retirement didn’t produce the same team success as his earlier years. But during the comeback, Lemieux had the highest points-per-game average among all NHL players until his final retirement in January 2006, due in large part tohealth issues, this time in the form of an irregular heartbeat.

Here's the final goal Super Mario would score in the NHL:

dir="ltr">“Every time a player was introduced, I’d elbow Paul and say, ‘What a player he is. Unbelievable.’ Then the next player, he’d elbow me and say, 'How about him? Unbelievable.’ Then they introduced Mario Lemieux, and we said, 'Do you think he’d give us his autograph?’ dir="ltr">-- Teemu Selanne, recalling friend and teammate Paul Kariya’s first All-Star game, which they both played in.

The statue titled “Le Magnifique” was unveiled outside the Consol Energy Center in 2012, depicting Lemieux in the December 20, 1988 game against the New York Islanders at the Civic Arena, when Lemieux broke through defensemen Rich Pilon and Jeff Norton en route to scoring at 14:09 of the third period. The Penguins chose that image because it was a metaphor for everything Lemieux accomplished in his career and his life – breaking through defenders, overcoming obstacles, turning back challenges.

M. Mario's Cancer and Comeback

The Pens were coming off back-to-back Stanley Cup winning seasons and playing well again behind Super Mario in ’92-93. A stunning announcement on January 12, 1993 left Lemieux’s career and survival in doubt. Mario announced that he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma and would undergo aggressive radiation treatments.

For this topic, I went to writer Angie Carducci who was interning at KDKA during this portion of Lemieux’s career.

dir="ltr">I recall the heavy feeling that hung in the air with the uncertainty of how the Hodgkin’s diagnosis and treatment would, most importantly, affect Mario’s life, or whether he’d be able to play hockey again. He was in the prime of a legendary career and the idea of it coming to an end so soon was very sad.

On the day of his last radiation treatment, Lemieux flew to Philadelphia and played against the Flyers that night, receiving a rare standing ovation from the fans in Philadelphia, before scoring a goal and an assist in a 5-4 loss.

Lemieux blew by Pat LaFontaine to win the league scoring title despite missing two months of the season. The Penguins won 17 straight games to finish in first place overall with a franchise record 119 points. Lemieux was awarded the Masterson Trophy at season’s end.

Lemieux’s battle with cancer leaves a legacy of survival and he continues to do impressive work for the cancer community today with the Mario Lemieux Foundation. If you haven’t taken the time to see what the Foundation does, please do.

N. Nineties...

The 1990’s were an eventful era for the Penguins.

Lord Stanley arrived in Pittsburgh:

TWICE.

(This one with bonus “Arnold Slick from Turtle Creek” and Ronnie Francis beating Dominic Hasek “like a rented mule.”)

1995 brought SUDDEN DEATH. (Maybe next #NHLmovienight?)

The Pens owner at the time, Howard Baldwin, was the producer of this movie and his wife Karen Elise Baldwin was a writer. The whole movie was based around a Pens-Blackhawks game, set in Civic Arena, and featuring many prominent Pens franchise faces.

Including this one.

But don’t listen to me, let Mr. Van Damme and company do the talking.

As you heard in the trailer, this song will always be associated with the Pens for me, growing up as a fan in this glorious decade.

Also in the 90's, "Beware of the Penguins." These Bud Ice commercials spawned many a Pens related headline over the years.

Eventually, a penguin steals the Stanley Cup.

This actually had nothing to do with the Pittsburgh Penguins, but plenty of Pittsburgh fans adopted “Beware of the Penguins.”

Perhaps, 'beware Petr Nedved' would have been more appropriate. Only a Penguin for two seasons, Nedved wore the “beware” tag for GM’s when it came to salary talks. But he did score this whopper against the Caps in the final seconds of 4OT in the 1996 playoffs.

Martin Straka was one of my favorite 90’s Penguins. Jagr and Straka taking this turnover to score and beat the heavily-favored Devils in Game 7 in the 1999 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals produces a fabulous celebration:

The line of Robert Lang-Alexei Kovalev-Martin Straka and the likes of Aleksey (Alexei) Morozov carried the Pens into the 2000’s as one of the NHL’s most productive lines, but they’d leave Pittsburgh without a Cup. And thus the Dark Ages began.

O. Ownership, bankruptcy, the road ahead

Buckle up, baby.

You may need an actual seat belt to hold on during the wild ride the Pens ownership troubles have taken fans through.

There have been 10 ownership groups for the Penguins since their inception in 1967. In 1975, Penguins owners Peter Block etc. were $6.5-million in debt. The Penguins’ doors were padlocked and the NHL took ownerships as it appeared the team would have to fold or relocate. A group headed by Albert Savill purchased the team for $3.8 million-and they were able to keep the Pens in Pittsburgh.

The second bankruptcy was under Howard Baldwin and co., who purchased the team after Pittsburgh’s first Stanley Cup win in ’91. The group was unable to fund the franchise in addition to paying private investors for the extravagant spending that was done to bring the Cup-winning stars to Pittsburgh.

Instead of selling and relocating, Lemieux took the amount he was owed (in the realm of $30-million in deferred salary) and converted the Pens’ debt to equity, becoming part-owner. Partnering with Ron Burkle, Lemieux saved the team and kept them in Pittsburgh. Not only that, Lemieux saw to it that every debt owed was paid in full by 2005. Having made that happen, Lemieux looked at options to sell the team, with the caveat the new owner would keep the team in Pittsburgh.

In October of 2006, Jim Balsillie agreed to buy the Penguins, but withdrew that offer in December of 2006. There was much speculation that the Pens would be headed to Kansas City or Ontario. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman was emphatic that an arena deal would have to be in place for the team to stay in Pittsburgh. After the agreement with Balsillie fell through, Lemieux’s group decided not to sell. Later, Lemieux announced an arena deal, keeping the team in Pittsburgh.

Now a stable organization with a longterm home, the Penguins ownership is on the table once again, as Lemieux and Burkle have hired Morgan Stanley to explore options for sale of the team.

P. Penguins

Duh. But how did the Penguins name become the moniker for Pittsburgh’s hockey team?

According to longtime Pens radio host Bob Grove’s book, Pittsburgh Penguins: The Official History of the First 30 Years:

dir="ltr">“A newspaper contest was launched in the Post-Gazette, but (part-owner Jack) McGregor's wife, the former Carol Dangerfield of Edgewood, had already found one she liked.

"When Jack got the franchise, he was so thrilled," she remembered. "Then he said, 'Oh my gosh, we've got to name it.' I said, 'I love to think of things like that.' I was thinking of something with a P. And I said to Jack, 'What do they call the Civic Arena?' And he said, 'The Big Igloo.' So I thought, ice. . . Pittsburgh. . . Penguins.”

There were other hockey franchise names in Pittsburgh long before the Penguins arrived in 1967, including the Yellow Jackets, Pirates (yes, Pirates) and the Hornets. One of the youth hockey programs in Pittsburgh now uses the Hornets name.

(Looking forward to reading P is for PHIL in the Summer of 2016 A-Z entry about Phil Kessel’s debut season with the Penguins.)

Q. Quebec

Okay, I’ll admit Q was a bit of a challenge. Lemieux was from Quebec but so are many others. There were two things I found that I thought were interesting notes involving the Pens and Nordiques.

1) Lemieux scored this absolutely bonkers goal as one of the Nords practically holds on for dear life. One of his more underrated goals.

2) Defenseman Paul Coffey made his Pittsburgh debut against Quebec following the blockbuster trade sending him from Wayne Gretzky’s Oilers to Mario Lemieux’s Penguins. The Pens were down 4-0 and came back to win 6-4 with Coffey recording 4 assists.

R. Retired

There are only two numbers retired by the Pens: Mario Lemieux’s No. 66 and Michel Briere’s No. 21.

The Pens selected Michel Briere 26th overall in the 1969 draft and he soon drew comparisons to some of the league’s top young players. He was second in rookie scoring behind Bobby Clarke and third overall on the Penguins team. Briere helped lead Pittsburgh to its first NHL playoff berth since the 1928 Pirates, and led the team in playoff scoring.

Days after the Penguins first playoff run came to a close, Briere returned home to Quebec, planning to get married to his expectant fiancé. On May 15, 1970, Briere was in a car crash in Quebec, suffering brain trauma and going into a coma from which he would never recover. Briere passed away on April 13, 1971. His No. 21 jersey was never reissued and was officially retired on January 5, 2001.

S. Steve Downie ... just kidding, Sidney Crosby (DUH)

Sidney Crosby was drafted in 2005 after the season-long NHL lockout. Fans were introduced to Crosby and Ovechkin in that same season and their careers have been compared ever since. Crosby became the youngest player in NHL history to reach 100 points during his rookie season, but he finished second to Ovechkin in the Calder race.

There is one big way Crosby has won the comparison --> 2009 Stanley Cup Celebration:

Crosby is the second youngest player (Wayne Gretzky) to win the Hart Trophy and was the youngest league scoring champion in North American professional sports history, winning the Art Ross Trophy at 19 years old in 2007. Crosby also won both the MVP and Art Ross in 2014.

The 2008-09 season was remarkable for Pittsburgh. While Malkin and in the end, Fleury, get a lot of the praise for the Stanley Cup win, Crosby was tremendous throughout that entire season as well, finishing third in the league in scoring. En route to Pittsburgh’s third Stanley Cup, Crosby scored 15 goals and 16 assists, his all-time high in the playoffs.

Many moments in Sid’s career have left everyone speechless, but this one sticks out for Pittsburgh fans Crosby mirrors Lemieux's goal vs. '91 North Stars:

Crosby has dealt with injuries and concussions over the years, but finally went the full 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons without injury. In doing so, Crosby posted the highest points per game average in the league in 2014-15 and reached the 300 career goal mark. Much of the criticism of Crosby comes in relation to postseason production, with just 3 goals in the last two postseasons.

The Crosby-Malkin era to me, seems like it may largely be defined by what’s left of it, rather than what has already transpired. But that’s unknowable. I can’t help but think one of the best players in the world has a few more chapters to write in Pittsburgh. At 28-years-old, Crosby’s accomplishments go on and on and I personally believe his best years lie ahead.

Crosby laughing is one of my favorite things. He is often portrayed as vanilla, but certainly has his moments. I try to erase “mumps face” from my memory, and Crosby having a laugh after Dan Potash fell down during an interview this season, is a great way to do it:

Crosby is also known to have a…large rear end.

Hockey butt is a thing, a natural (wonderful) thing. But Crosby’s caboose became the subject of a Steve Dangle Leafs Fan Reaction video after a game in which Sid scored his 800th career point against Toronto in 2015. I love this video for multiple reasons. 1) Dangle imitates Crosby’s behind (used in this instance to buck Dion Phaneuf). 2) I used Dangle’s Leafs nicknames in the game highlights I did that night on TV in Western Pennsylvania. And then he put them in the video.

T. Tanking

Nothing encapsulates what the Penguins did in 1983-84 better than the “Playing to Lose” TSN documentary. They had a winning goaltender in Roberto Romano and sent him to the minors.

They had 48 different players throughout the season, fielding what looked like an AHL team for much of the year. The Pens won just 3 of their last 21 games, clinching the first overall draft pick, for Mario Lemieux. Eddie Johnston will not admit the Penguins tanked. Head Coach Lou Agnotti says a conscious decision was made to finish the season as the team with the worst record.

For the analytics crowd, an interesting look at the tanking trends of not only the ‘83-84 Pens but, those of the Pens 2003-04 season when they were aiming for Alexander Ovechkin, but ended up with Malkin.

The early 2000’s tank that yielded Malkin, Crosby, et al. was more extended, landing multiple stars that produced another Stanley Cup. As Melissa Geschwind says, the Pens were “the modern-day Oilers, except competent.”

U. Uniforms

The Penguins uniforms have changed colors over the years, from navy and columbia blue, to black & yellow (aka ‘Pittsburgh Gold’), to black and vegas gold. Navy and columbia blue have been used in the Winter Classic jerseys, as has the circular logo. In January 1980, the Penguins wore black and gold for the first time.

According to the Penguins website, when the Steelers won the Super Bowl in the same season the Pirates captured the World Series title, the struggling Pens hoped to gain fan support by aligning their colors with the other teams in the “City of Champions.”

Boston protested the color change to the NHL, arguing that black and gold had always been exclusively associated with the Bruins. However, the Penguins prevailed by virtue of a precedent set by the Pittsburgh Pirates hockey club of the late 1920’s, which sported the colors.

If only someone would protest Vegas gold…

BECAUSE THE CURRENT THIRD JERSEYS ARE GLORIOUS.

Do this next time @penguins pic.twitter.com/8LbKNCxGy4
— future land owner (@MouseRat_Fan) August 13, 2015

V. Vegas Gold

In case 'U' didn’t cover it, Vegas Gold is the worst. It’s Dad-khaki.

W. Winter Classic

The Pens faced the Buffalo Sabres in the first Winter Classic on New Years’ Day 2008. Snow was flying throughout the game at Ralph Wilson Stadium, creating a picturesque scene and incredible atmosphere.

Pittsburgh wore the powder blue jersey with the circle logo, most similar to the sweater they wore from 1968-1972.

In a 1-1 game heading to overtime, the teams forced a shootout. Sidney Crosby hopped the boards and ended the game with this shootout goal.

I mean, The Kid.

Pittsburgh has since hosted a Winter Classic at Heinz Field, falling 3-1 to the Capitals. The Penguins wore loosely based on the inaugural 1967–68 season but with a crest of their original skating penguin logo.

That game was originally supposed to be a 1pm start but was pushed back to 8pm due to rain and warm weather concerns. It was a clusterslush.

Oh, and Eric Fehr who scored the final 2 goals of the game for the Caps signed with Pittsburgh this summer.

The 2011 Winter Classic will unfortunately be remembered as the start of concussion issues for Crosby, after a blindside hit by the Caps David Steckel.

X. MaXime Talbot, Shhhh, and local TV commercials

Maxime Talbot is far from a lifelong Penguin, journeying to the Flyers and Avalanche after his Steel City days, but he will be remembered fondly by Pens fans for a few things.

“SHHHH”

In 2009, the Pens were in Philadelphia holding a 3-2 series lead in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. The Flyers took a 3-0 lead over Pittsburgh in a deafeningly loud Wachovia Center, less than five minutes into the second period. 15 seconds later, Talbot and Dan Carcillo dropped the gloves. Talbot took his lumps, but as former Penguins player and head coach Eddie “Edzo” Olczyk notes during his commentary for NBC in the video, it’s a fight that purely served to benefit the Pens’ momentum and not Philadelphia’s.

If it were possible for Flyers’ fans to be louder than they were after the third goal, they reached that decibel after the fight. Until the “shhhh.” Talbot’s pursed-lip hushing motion served as the symbol for the fight that launched the Penguins’ rally. 14 seconds later, Ruslan Fedotenko shoved home a puck that started a streak of five unanswered goals, as the Pens clinched the quarterfinal series win. This was the first postseason series win for Dan Bylsma, and a step towards eventually winning the cup in 2009.

Local TV commercials seem to be where the Penguins potential acting careers go to die. Max Talbot is no exception. These need no explanation.

Here’s a series of commercials for a car dealership. Evgeni Malkin, Sergei Gonchar & Colby Armstrong join Talbot in Part I.

PART II

PART III

Epic conclusion: PART IV

Finally, “Don’t forget your rubber ducky” – Talbot becomes a pool boy.

Honorable mention: X is also for Xavier LaFlamme (NSFW) aka Kris Letang. Don’t say you watched Goon and didn’t think this:

Y. Youth Hockey Boom

According to a June 2013 article on USAHockeyMagazine.com:

dir="ltr">Local administrators credit a number of factors, from the success of the Penguins, the “Crosby effect,” his Little Penguins program and the advent of the American Development Model, which has been embraced by local hockey leaders since its inception.

“We’ve been fortunate over the last 20 years. We went through the Mario Lemieux era, which really helped kick hockey into gear here in western Pennsylvania,” says Paul Day, the Mid-American Hockey Association president who has been involved with local hockey for 25 years.

“Then, fortunately, seven years ago the little ping pong balls at the NHL draft fell in our favor and Sidney Crosby arrived in Pittsburgh. We’re probably looking at having increased our numbers over the last five to six years probably 50 percent again.

My piece on Pens 2014 draft pick Sam Lafferty (Hollidaysburg, Pa.) shows the extended impact of the “Crosby effect” throughout Western Pennsylvania:

Z. Zarley Zalapski, part of ‘The Trade’ (the non-Gretzky related one)

On March 4, 1991, Penguins General Manager Craig Patrick made a blockbuster trade with the Hartford Whalers, acquiring defensemen Grant Jennings, Ulf Samuelsson and center Ron Francis in exchange for centers John Cullen, Jeff Parker and defenseman Zarley Zalapski.

Zalapski certainly wasn’t the centerpiece of this deal, but was on the NHL’s All-Rookie Team in 1989. The Pens were hesitant to part ways with Cullen due to his leadership, but were looking for a second-line center and toughness on defense.

The Penguins went 6-0-1 in the first seven games after the trade, closing the regular season with their first Patrick Division title. In the final 14 games of the regular season, Pittsburgh went 9-3-2. Francis had 2 goals and 9 assists during that stretch, while Samuelsson posted five points and 37 penalty minutes.

Meet the author: Ashley Chase is a free agent sports broadcaster that’s worked the in television and radio for the last 8 years. She’s covered everything from the USHL to college hockey and from the women’s world championships to the NHL – Ashley is currently looking for work in hockey, so if you have an opportunity – let her know! On Twitter @AshleyChaseTV or on her website AshleyChaseTV.com