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.

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

Greg Enright

Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 268
Bibliographic Info: 40 photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2020
pISBN: 978-1-4766-8173-3
eISBN: 978-1-4766-4001-3
Imprint: McFarland

Acknowledgments vi
Foreword by Jean Pronovost 1
Preface 3

Part One—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 Two—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 Three—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 Four—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 Five—Bottoming Out (1982–83 Through 1983–84)
18. Paying the Piper: 1982–83 140
19. The Mario Miracle: 1983–84 148

Part Six—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 Seven—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