The Pittsburgh Penguins: The First 25 Years

by Greg Enright

Overview

The Pittsburgh Penguins have captured the Stanley Cup five times since 1991—more than any NHL team during the same period. Joining the NHL in 1967 as an expansion team, they waddled their way through years of heavy losses both on and off the ice—bad trades, horrible draft picks, a revolving door of owners, general managers and coaches, and even a bankruptcy. Somehow, they hung on long enough to draft superstar Mario Lemieux in 1984 and eventually claim their first championship, attracting a large fanbase along the way.

Packed with colorful recollections from former players, reporters and team officials, this book tells the complete story of the Penguins' first 25 years, chronicling their often hilarious, sometimes tragic transformation from bumbling upstarts to one of hockey's most accomplished franchises.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476681733
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	04/10/2020
Pages:	268
Sales rank:	608,819
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Greg Enright is a veteran writer, editor and journalist. Based in Scarborough, he is an avid hockey writer and historian and is a member of the Society for International Hockey Research.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vi

Foreword Jean Pronovost 1

Preface 3

Part 1 Waddling Out of the Gate (1966-67 Through 1968-69)

1 The Penguins Are Hatched: 1966-67 8

2 Dropping the Puck: 1967-68 15

3 Flightless: 1968-69 23

Part 2 Kelly's Men (1969-70 Through 1972-73)

4 Breakthrough: 1969-70 30

5 On Thin Ice, Again: 1970-71 40

6 Picking Up the Pieces: 1971-72 45

7 So Long, Red: 1972-73 52

Part 3 A Matter of Survival (1973-74 Through 1978-79)

8 Punchless Penguins: 1973-74 58

9 Finally, a Winner: 1974-75 63

10 The Great Penguin Crash of '75: Summer 1975 74

11 Penguin Power: 1975-76 77

12 Country Club: 1976-77 84

13 Trader Al: 1977-78 93

14 Trader Baz: 1978-79 99

Part 4 The Pesky Pens (1979-80 Through 1981-82)

15 A Step Back: 1979-80 108

16 The Rick and Randy Show: 1980-81 117

17 One Bounce Short: 1981-82 126

Part 5 Bottoming Out (1982-83 Through 1983-84)

18 Paying the Piper: 1982-83 140

19 The Mario Miracle: 1983-84 148

Part 6 Mario (1984-85 Through 1987-88)

20 Getting on Route 66:1984-85 160

21 March Sadness: 1985-86 166

22 Fast Start, Hard Crash: 1986-87 173

23 Sour Cream: 1987-88 179

Part 7 Building a Champion (1988-89 Through 1991-92)

24 Enter Espo: 1988-89 188

25 Backaches and Heartaches: 1989-90 198

26 Top of the Mountain: 1990-91 205

27 Repeat Performance: 1991-92 224

Epilogue 240

Chapter Notes 245

Bibliography 253

Index 255