Aside: 10 Greatest Games video

Let's be clear: the 10 games chosen for the DVD package, Pittsburgh Penguins Greatest Games, are NOT the best in franchise history. Perhaps they're the best of the games that were captured with presentable audio and video, but not of the whole franchise.

I got to thinking recently about what games should truly be on there if the techincal end of things was not a factor. Here are a few:

- Pens defeat Oakland in Game Four of 1970 playoff series on Michele Briere's OT goal, giving Pittsburgh its first-ever playoff series win
- George Ferguson scores series-clinching OT goal vs. Buffalo in 1979 playoffs
- Pens OT victory over Montreal in April 1993 to set new NHL record for longest winning streak
- Game 4 of 1982 preliminary round vs. Islanders in which surprising Pens force defending Stanley Cup champs to the brink of elimination
- 12-0 win vs. Washington in 1976, Pens' biggest margin of victory
- Penguins first win

Any others?

Mario's first game

I had actually never looked this article up, but finally managed to tonight: the Pittsburgh Press's report on Mario Lemieux's first-ever game, played at Boston Garden on October 11, 1984. As all Penguins fans undoubtedly know by now, #66 scored on his first shift and his first shot, a beautiful goal in which he made future Hall of Famer Ray Bourque look like a pimple-faced junior before swooping in on goalie Pete Peters, deking the 'B' right off his jersey and depositing the disc in the net. Unfortunately, the Pens ended up blowing a 3-1 lead and lost 4-3.

I like the fact that Dennis Herron, the Penguins primary goalie from the pre-Lemieux era of the 70s, was in goal for Mario's debut - sort of a passing of the Penguins torch, even though it might not have been too brightly lit at the time. (Rick Kehoe was also on the ice to help Le Magnifique celebrate his first tally.

Understatement of the night goes to the aforementioned Mr. Bourque: "I think (Lemieux) is going to be a big help to that club."

Here's The First Goal in all its glory: