Pens celebrate New Year's Eve 1969 by beating Habs

The Penguins rang in 1970 with a bang, knocking off the Stanley Cup Champion Montreal Canadiens 4-2 at the Igloo on New Year's Eve, 1969. Led by Keith McCreary's pair of goals, the Pens won for only the second time against the Canadiens in their then short history. It was, in fact, perhaps the Penguins finest performance of the season, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Jimmy Jordan in this game recap (the article (along with a fairly grainy picture) is on the next page).

"They played together as a unit, skated their own lanes and, in general provided the style of play Coach Red Kelly had insisted they were capable of since the start of the season," Jordan wrote.

You can also see the Montreal Gazette's take on the game here, which featured a clearer picture of McCreary scoring on Rogie Vachon (scroll to the left for the article.)

Unfortunately, only 5,202 fans turned up to see the Penguins fine effort. Guess there were some good parties happening elsewhere around Pittsburgh that night.

Pens beat Barons in Sanderson's last NHL game

Derek Sanderson as a Pittsburgh Penguin in 1978.

Derek Sanderson's colourful NHL career came to an end at the Richfield Coliseum just outside Cleveland on April 9, 1978. He was wearing the uniform of the Pittsburgh Penguins, a team playing its last game of the 1977-78 campaign, a meaningless meeting in a lost season. The Pens won 3-2, but there was little to celebrate. When Sanderson had joined the team less than a month earlier, they were tied for the NHL's final playoff spot. The team faded down the stretch, however, and ended up five points short.

Sanderson scored three goals and one assist in 13 games during his time with Pittsburgh. After a solid start, by his own admission his body "broke down" on him. He even missed a team curfew one night and was held out of a game because of it. As this article about the final game in Cleveland details, Sanderson's status for the following season was up in the air, but the centreman claimed to have "very substantial offers" from five other clubs.

Derek Sanderson today.

In the end, none of them panned out and the Pens decided to part ways. After his playing days, Sanderson cleaned up his act and has spoken to thousands of school kids about his experiences and how to avoid the mistakes he made. He served as a commentator on Bruins broadcasts and has also worked as an investment professional, serving as a financial advisor for athletes.

Sanderson nets 200th goal in Pens loss

Derek Sanderson enjoyed his finest moment in a Penguins uniform during his second game with the team in Vancouver. He was granted a significant amount of ice time by coach Johnny Wilson and responded with a goal and an assist. "I had no idea I'd be playing this much," Sanderson told the Pittsburgh Press in this article. "It makes me feel welcome."

The tally was the 200th of his career. "I really wanted that goal," he wrote years later in his autobiography Crossing the Line. "I didn't want to end my career with 199. I kept the puck as a souvenir."

Unfortunately, Sanderson's spark wasn't enough to help the fading Pens lose to the Canucks 7-4 and fall further behind in the race for the NHL's final playoff spot.

Ted Lindsay rips Pens for aleged tampering

Detroit Red Wings legend "Terrible" Ted Lindsay was a tough customer on the ice during his Hall of Fame career, and he was no different while serving as the team's General Manager in the late 1970s. His temper was on full display in March 1978 when the Penguins signed Derek Sanderson, who had been playing with the Wings' Kansas City team in the Central Hockey League after the Wings had decided to give the broken down former star player a look. Without any signed contract, however, Sanderson was officially a free agent, free to sign with any team he wished.

When Sanderson's agent contacted Pens GM Baz Bastien about his client's availability, Bastien jumped at the opportunity. That did not sit well with Terrible Ted, as this article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette shows. Lindsay took his grievance to the NHL's head office, but there was no evidence of any kind of contract that could have been used as evidence to void the Penguins move.

"It was a verbal thing," admitted Lindsay.

This brief piece includes Bastien speaking in his own defense.

Sanderson dons a Penguins jersey

One of Derek Sanderson's few appearances
in a Penguins uniform.

Derek Sanderson joined the Penguins in Los Angeles on March 15, 1978 for the team's game that night against the Kings. It was the first leg of a five-game road trip that would go a long way to deciding the Pens' fate for the 77-78 campaign. They went into the game tied with the New York Rangers for the final playoff spot, with only 14 games to go.

Sanderson, no doubt grateful for another shot at the big time, nevertheless must have wondered just what kind of team he'd joined. Losers of two straight going in, the Pens showed little life and bowed to the Kings 4-2. The mood in the post-game locker room was not pretty, as noted in this game report from the Pittsburgh Press. "Just a terrible, terrible effort," observed coach Johnny Wilson. Roared centre Peter Mahovlich to his teammates: "Time is running out! Enough of this ----!" Dave Schultz attributed the team's falling fortunes to a lack of teamwork: "Everybody is trying to do his own thing and the system is breaking down completely."

For his part, Sanderson was still playing himself back into shape after a number of years of hard drinking and hard living. Check out the game report to hear Sanderson's story of what made him finally try to kick his drinking habit and get his life back on track.

Derek Sanderson, Pittsburgh Penguin: Part 1

I was surprised to learn a little while ago that Derek Sanderson at one point in his colourful career played for the Penguins. I'll be looking at his brief stop in the Steel City over the next few posts.

In a desperate attempt to push his team into a playoff spot in the waning weeks of the 1977-78 season, Penguins General Manager Baz Bastien decided to sign aging centre Derek Sanderson as a free agent. Sanderson had been on a wild ride throughout the 70s, reaching the summit of the hockey world when he hoisted the Stanley Cup as a Boston Bruin, only to end up battling the bottle and landing on skid row a few years later. His tale is chronicled nicely in his autobiography Crossing the Line.

After winning his second Cup with Boston in 1972, Sanderson became the highest paid athlete in the world by signing with the World Hockey Association's Philadelphia Blazers for a contract worth $2.65 million. He played only eight games for the Blazers before coming back to Boston and then bouncing around the NHL with stops in New York with the Rangers in 1974, and later St. Louis and Vancouver. Having hit rock bottom in his personal life by 1978, "The Turk" was attempting a comeback in the Detroit organization, playing with the Wings' Central Hockey League affiliate in Kansas City. That's when the Pens entered the picture.

"All I can tell you about Derek is that he's cleaned up his act," said Bastien.

Coach Johnny Wilson welcomed the idea of having another veteran centreman. "I need to be able to spell Peter Mahovlich. "I hate using Pete as much as I do, but when you don't have anybody else you don't have much choice."

The Red Wings weren't happy about the move, appealing to NHL President John Ziegler, who refused to interfere.

Read the full report of Sanderson's signing in this March 15, 1978 report in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

1991 Boxing Day Blowout: Pens crumple Leafs 12-1

On the day he became engaged, Mario Lemieux decided to celebrate by going on one of his finest offensive rampages ever. It was Boxing Day 1991 when the Pens welcomed the Toronto Maple Leafs to the Igloo. 

It was not a warm welcome. 

Having slipped a ring on the finger of his longtime girlfriend Nathalie Asselin earlier in the day, Lemieux slipped two goals by Toronto goalie Grant Fuhr and also tallied a whopping five assists en route to a 12-1 demolition of the shell-shocked Leafs. Overshadowed by Mario's feat were two other incredible offensive displays: Joey Mullen's four goals - his second four-goal game in a row - and a six-point night for left wing Kevin Stevens. 

"It was crazy out there," said Stevens in this game report from the Pittsburgh Press (article on previous page). "One of those nights where everything went into the net."

"It was embarrassing to say the least," commented Toronto GM Cliff Fletcher.

Oct. 19/67: Flyers 1, Pens 0

1   0

Flyers open new Spectrum arena with shutout win vs. Pens. Only 7,812 come out to see the game. Read the game report.

Oct. 18/67: Pens 3, North Stars 3

Only 3,885 show up at the Igloo to see Andy Bathgate score a hat trick to get the tie. Coach Red Sullivan: "Some of these guys feel all they got to do is throw their stick on the ice. And I'm talking about the guys who I figure should be leading the club." Read the game report.

1979 Playoffs: Ferguson wins it for the Pens in OT

The Penguins headed into the third period of the decisive third game of their 1979 Preliminary Round series against the Buffalo Sabres trailing 3-2. The hometown Sabres threw everything they had at Pens goalie Denis Herron in the third, piling up a whopping 18 shots, but couldn't get anything behind the Pittsburgh goalie. The only rubber that hit any twine during the frame was at the other end, when George Ferguson knocked in a Jacques Cossette rebound at the 4:17 mark to tie things up.

But Ferguson's heroics hardly ended there.

The puck had barely dropped on the first overtime period when Fergy corraled it near center ice. "I noticed the left side of the rink was open," he told the Pittsburgh Press in this report, "so I just took off and when I thought I could score I just let it fly."

The puck flew right into the back of the net, giving the Penguins their first playoff series win in four years and only the third in franchise history. You can view a video of Ferguson's winner here.

It should be noted that Ferguson would not have had a chance to be the hero if it weren't for the impressive display by rookie defenseman Jim Hamilton, who scored two goals. Drafted by the Pens in 1977, Hamilton would spend his career shuttling between the big club and the minors, totalling 95 NHL games and 32 points. He played in six playoff games, too, but a finer moment than this one in an NHL rink he never had.

Ferguson would play three more full seasons with the Pens, never scoring less than 21 goals, before being traded to the Minnesota North Stars early in the 1982-83 season.

1979 Playoffs: Sauve helps Sabres even things up

Denis Herron thwarts a Sabre attack as
defenseman Tom Bladon arrives to help.

After their impressive road win in Game 1 of their 1979 preliminary round series against the Buffalo Sabres, the Penguins returned to the Igloo for Game 2 in front of the largest playoff crowd in the team's history - 16,033 cheering, stomping fans. Unfortunately for them and the team, Buffalo's young goaltender Bob Sauve turned in a 30-save performance to help his team come away with a 3-1 win and even the series. Sauve rebounded from a performance in the opener that he confessed was not his best.

"I was really uptight in that first game," he told the Pittsburgh Press in this game recap. "I don't think I ever relaxed in it. Tonight I was loose all the way."

His counterpart at the other end of the rink was impressed. "He came up with some fantastic saves," said Denis Herron. "I guess you could say the first game was my hot game and this one was his. Now it's my turn again."

The series would be decided the next day, a Saturday, in an afternoon game at Buffalo's venerable  Memorial Auditorium.

1979 Playoffs: Pens take Game One from Sabres

Our look at the Penguins 1979 preliminary round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres continues...

The Penguins of the late 70s and early 80s were never very rich in talent, but they often showed an impressive amount of determination and pride that carried them to some fine moments in the franchise's early history. A good example was Game One of the 1979 Preliminary Round series against the Buffalo Sabres.

The Sabres has finished three points ahead of the Pens in the regular season, earning them home ice advantage in the series. Pittsburgh entered the always-tough "Aud" in Buffalo without key injured players Pete Mahovlich, Russ Anderson, Wayne Bianchin and Dale Tallon. The Sabres twice built one-goal leads but the resilient Pens kept battling back. Riding the hot goaltending of Denis Herron, the team erased a 2-1 third-period deficit by exploding for three goals, including the winner by ex-Sabre Gary McAdam.

The Pens ability to overcome their injuries (they also lost forward Gregg Sheppard in the second when he his face was crushed into the boards on a Gerry (King Kong) Korab check) was "the sign of a good team," said blueliner Randy Carlyle in this game report from the next day's Pittsburgh Press. "You forget the injuries and just play hockey."

The Pens would now return to the comfortable confines of the Igloo to try to end the series in a sweep...

1929: Pirates crush Leafs, 10-5

Johnny McKinnon

The stock market had just crashed, but the Pittsburgh Pirates were flying high on November 19, 1929 against the visiting Toronto Maple Leafs. Led by defenceman Johnny McKinnon's four goals, the Pirates earned their first win of the season, decimating the Leafs 10-5 and evening their record at 1-1.

The impressive display prompted writer Bert P. Taggert to proclaim in his game report in the next day's Post-Gazette that "the form displayed by (coach) Freddie Frederickson and his cohorts presages a successful campaign."

Unfortunately, Bert could not have been further from the truth. The Pirates would win only four more times that year and be moved to Philadelphia to become the Quakers once the disastrous campaign finally came to a merciful end.

Pens beat Scouts in first meeting

Before the New Jersey Devils were the Devils, they were the Colorado Rockies. And before that, they were the Kansas City Scouts. KC entered the NHL as an expansion team in 1974-75 and lasted only two years before being sold and transferred to Denver. The Rockies enjoyed a bit more longevity before moving east to become the Devils in 1982.

The Penguins first faced off against the Devils franchise when they paid a visit to the recently completed Kemper Arena on November 5, 1974 to take on the Scouts. Kansas City was fresh off its first-ever win, a 5-4 triumph on the road against their even more inept expansion cousins, the Washington Capitals. Their record heading into the game stood at 1-8-1.

As this game report explains, the hapless Scouts played a struggling Pens team tight for 55 minutes until Ron Schock scored an unassisted goal to give Pittsburgh a 4-3 lead. Rick Kehoe added an empty netter at 19:54 to seal the win against future Penguin goalie Michel Plasse and the Scouts.

Penguins first win, October 13, 1967

The Penguins notched their first-ever win in their second-ever game, October 13, 1967. Former Pittsburgh Hornet Art Stratton netted the winner in a 3-1 win against the Blues in St. Louis. Stratton gathered in a rebound off a Keith McCreary shot and flipped it over goalie Seth Martin.

Read the game report from the following day.

Pens meet Sabres in 1979 playoffs

Here's the first in a series of posts that will look at the Penguins 1979 preliminary round playoff series against the Buffalo Sabres...

The Penguins returned to the playoffs in 1979 after having been left out of the dance the previous year. At this point in the NHL's history the first round of the playoffs was a short and sweet best-of-three series. The Penguins opponent was the Buffalo Sabres, who finished three points better than Pittsburgh's 85, giving them home ice advantage.

On the eve of Game One at the venerable Buffalo Memorial Auditorium, the Beaver Valley Times offered up this article previewing the tilt, which detailed some of the Pens' injury woes. Notably, defencemen Dale Tallon and Russ Anderson were not available for the game. Starting goalie Denis Herron didn't seem worried by that: "We've played Buffalo before with injuries and it didn't seem to matter. The only thing that worries me is that this is the playoffs. That makes a big difference."

Rene Robert: One that got away

On paper, it has to rank as one of the worst trades in Penguins history: promising young centre Rene Robert sent to the Buffalo Sabres for the entertaining yet clearly-past-his-prime Eddie Shack.

The deal went down on March 4, 1972, not even a full season after Robert has been claimed by the Penguins from, ironically enough, the Sabres. Shack would end up producing a decent 25-goal showing the next season for the Pens, but that would prove to be his last hurrah in the NHL. By 1975 he was done. Robert, meanwhile, went on to become one-third of Buffalo's legendary French Connection line that helped turn the Sabres into a contender. He scored 40 goals and totalled 83 points in his first full season as a Sabre (1972-73).He would go on to score at least 20 goals in the next eight seasons, also topping the 100-point mark in 1974-75, the year the Sabres went to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Ouch.

During his short stint with the Penguins, Robert scored seven goals, one of which came in an 8-1 rout of the Los Angeles Kings at the "Big Igloo" on October 20, 1971. This Pittsburgh Press game report describes how he scored it, and also features a beautiful shot of him putting the puck past Kings keeper Denis Dejordy.

This short piece a few months later describes the trade to Buffalo. Rene Robert was truly one who got away.

Garry Swain

Garry Swain was the Penguins' Number One draft pick in the 1968 amateur Draft, but only ended up playing nine games for the team, registering one goal. It came on March 29, 1969 in Philadelphia during the second-last game of a lost season. Swain made "a fine move on (Bernie) Parent in the goalmouth," according to this Pittsburgh Press game report.

Swain went on to play three seasons with the New England Whalers of the WHA.

Pens tie high-flying Habs - February 1977

On February 16, 1977, Montreal came to town and the game was quickly shaping up to be your standard 1970s Canadiens-Penguins tilt: two quick goals by the Flying Frenchmen and an apparent blowout on the horizon. But for some strange reason, Pittsburgh decided to start playing. 

Pierre Larouche

Thirteen seconds after Pens goaltender Denis Herron let a bad one dribble by him to give Montreal their 2-0 lead, Rick Kehoe and Pierre Larouche broke in on a two-on-one. Kehoe used his teammate as a decoy and beat Ken Dryden cleanly. By the time the horn rang, the Penguins had built an improbable 3-2 lead, the last goal coming on another Larouche-Kehoe rush, with Pierre this time pulling the trigger. 

The teams traded goals in the second, giving the Penguin fans hope that the team might actually capture its first win against the Habs in their last 10 tries. Guy Lafleur, however, had other ideas. The superstar came into the Penguins zone on the right side early in the third and surprised Herron with a rocket of a shot, low on the stick side. 

There was no quit in the Penguins on this night, though, and it was only the incredible goaltending of Ken Dryden down the stretch that enabled the Canadiens to leave the Igloo with a point.

Lonsberry breaks drought, gives Pens win - 1980

The Colorado Rockies entered the Igloo on November 22, 1980 riding the best start in franchise history, sitting one game above the .500 mark - truly a lofty plateau for the perennial league doormat. They looked every bit the powerhouse in the first period, outshooting the Pens 13-4. It was Pittsburgh, however, that built a 2-0 lead by the midway point of the second.

Hardy Astrom surrendered
Ross Lonsberry's winning goal
November 22, 1980 at the Igloo.

A "familiar Penguin malady" - the inability to protect a two-goal lead, as described by game report writer Pete Wevurski in this piece the next day - then reared its ugly head. Colorado goals by Paul Gagne and Joel Quenneville tied things up before the frame was done.

The score stayed that way until Penguin left winger Ross Lonsberry scored his first goal in 12 games with less than five minutes to play. The veteran took a pass from George Ferguson from behind the net and slipped a backhand through the legs of Rockies goaltender Hardy Astrom. He then added an empty-netter with one second left for good measure. The win snapped Pittsburgh's five-game winless skid. The Rockies, meanwhile, would win only two of their next 10.

Pens clobber expansion Isles, 9-1

Apps got his first hat trick
against the Isles, not the Seals.

The Penguins were flying high against the expansion New York Islanders on December 13, 1972, skating away with a 9-1 victory at the Igloo. It was a banner night for Syl Apps, Jr., who set a team record with six points, half of those coming in the form of his first career hat trick.

Rookie goalie Denis Herron narrowly missed his second straight shutout against the Isles, giving up a goal with only four ticks left on the clock.

Read the game report from the next day's Post-Gazette.

Pens drop tight one in black and gold debut

Peter Lee shows off the Penguins new
black and gold uniforms against the St. Louis Blues. 

To align themselves with the other Pittsburgh pro sports teams sporting black and gold uniforms, the Penguins switched to the colour scheme in January, 1980. Until then, the Pens had worn various combinations of blues (navy, Columbia, powder) and white. But with the Steelers and Pirates winning championships, it made sense to mimic at least one aspect of those teams.

After some uncertainty as to when the Penguins would debut their new duds, the date was set: January 30 at home vs. St. Louis. Although at the time home teams traditionally wore white versions of their jerseys at home, an arrangement was made with the Blues so that they would wear white and the Penguins would wear the black-based version of their new uniforms.

Things didn't get off to a great start, with goalie Rob Holland letting in a pair of weak first period goals, including a 30-foot wrist shot that slipped between his legs with two seconds left. That performance earned him a seat on the bench, replaced by Greg Millen. Between the two Blues goals, Rick Kehoe had the honour of tallying the Pens' first black and gold goal at 14:50.

...and in colour.

Pittsburgh surged into the lead in the second on goals by Rod Schutt and Ron Stackhouse, but they couldn't hold it. Bernie Federko hammered the winning goal into an empty net at 5:18 of the third after a nice play by Brian Sutter to draw Millen out of position. The Pens fired a whopping 18 shots at goalie Mike Liut in the third but couldn't find the mesh.

See the full game report from the January 31, 1980 edition of the Post-Gazette.

The new colour scheme did not bring much good fortune to the Penguins early on. They would lose their first six games in them, not claiming a victory until beating Toronto 4-2 at the Igloo on February 13.

Carlyle jets off to Winnipeg

In the summer of 1978 the Penguins acquired a talented young defenseman named Randy Carlyle from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He quickly became a mainstay on the Pittsburgh blueline and developed into one of the premier defenders in the league. In 1981, he even captured the Norris Trophy, still the only Penguin to win the award. That season he tallied an incredible 83 points.

But during the Penguins dismal 1983-84 season, the captain's production slipped. By early March, he had only three goals and 23 assists in 50 games. The few fans who were turning up at the Igloo that year began to get on his case. The trade rumours that had swirled for much of the season became reality on March 5 when Carlyle was dealt to the Winnipeg Jets for a first-round pick and future considerations. Randy's largely successful six-year run in the Steel City came to an inglorious end, with the announcement of the trade at the Civic Arena prior to the Penguins game that night against Washington receiving a boisterous roar of approval. See the full report of the deal and the reaction in this March 6, 1984 report.

The move was later seen as a key plank in GM Eddie Johnston's plan to tank the season in order to finish last overall and secure the coveted number one pick in that year's draft, AKA Mario Lemieux. No mention of this possibility is included in the article.

Schultz hammers teammates in frustrated tirade

He’d only been with the team for two months, but former Stanley Cup winner Dave Schultz only needed that long to see that the Penguins were not in the same class as his former Flyers club or the other elite teams in the NHL. In an interview just after the Pens had squeaked out a tie versus rival Los Angeles at home, The Hammer let loose to Post-Gazette writer Bob Whitley in an emotional rant that called into question the heart and desire of his teammates.

“Face it, we’re a third or fourth-place team,” he said, adding later, “We have guys on this team who don’t give it everything all the time.”

Pens break out, clobber Canucks 8-3

Thanks to some scoring from the more youthful part of their lineup, the Penguins exploded in the third period and demolished the visiting Vancouver Canucks 8-3 on January 4, 1978. This game review from the next day has a great shot of the Pens’ Rick Kehoe beating Canucks D-man Larry Goodenough (who surely had one of the greatest names of the era) and goaltender Curt Ridley (who had one of the best masks.) 

Caps coach: Pens not physical

You’d think the last worry a team with Dave “The Hammer” Schultz on it would have was being tough enough, but that is exactly what troubled the Penguins as they began 1978. This article breaks down the Pens’ lack of grit, with some harsh words from Washington Capitals coach  Tommy McVie, who years later would later battle the Penguins again as coach of the New Jersey Devils.

Signs of hope for '78

As 1977 came to a close, the Penguins began to see some signs of hope flickering on the horizon. Their front-line defense corps was getting healthy, some of the younger charges who had filled in for them were improving, and the club had withstood a recent six-game stretch against some of the NHL’s top teams. This New Year’s Eve article offers a glimpse into the cautiously optimistic vibe surrounding the team as 1978 was set to dawn.

Pens drop puck on 1977-78 campaign with win over Blues

The Penguins got the 1977-78 season off to a good start by extending their NHL record opening night winning streak to seven with a 4-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues before 11,663 at the Civic Arena. 

"(Denis) Herron made some brilliant saves and I thought Ron Stackhouse was outstanding," said coach Johnny Wilson after notching his first win behind the Penguin bench. See the full game report from October 13, 1977.

Greg Malone: Doing New Brunswick proud

One bright light for the Penguins in the 1977-78 campaign was center Greg Malone, who by December had quietly established himself as one of the team’s leaders in goals, points and plus-minus. This profile piece reveals a feisty forward who didn’t mind playing it rough or toiling in relative obscurity (at least outside of his home province of New Brunswick.)

Porous Penguin D

With apologies to Jack Black, the Penguins D in 1977-78 could not exactly be described as “tenacious.” More like porous, unfortunately. And it didn’t help that their steadiest blueliners kept getting hit with injuries. This article details the carnage facing the Penguins’ defense corps.

Pronovost: “It’s all gone bad”

Rick Kehoe

After some promising signs that November’s trades were marking a turnaround in the Pens’ 1977-78 fortunes, the team’s scoring, defense and goaltending problems had all resurfaced by mid-December. “It’s all gone bad,” said captain Jean Pronovost in this article that nicely dissects the problems contributing to the Pens’ sorry plight.

“Do you have a buyer?”

Al Savill

That’s a quote from the Penguins’ principal owner, Al Savill, in December 1977. Down at least $5 million since buying the team, he and his two partners were not happy with the paltry attendance figures so far in the 1977-78 campaign and were openly admitting that if the right offer came along to buy the floundering franchise, they’d be all ears.

This analysis piece by Pens beat reporter Bob Whitley looks at just how thin the ice was beneath the Penguins feet at this point in their history. Stated Savill bluntly: “It’s no secret we need more people in the seats.”

Pens slap Caps as Baz’s moves impress

The flurry of November trades by Pens’ GM Baz Bastien looked to be paying off handsomely in early December, 1977. Heading into a game at the Capital Centre in Landover, Md, the Pens faced a team they had only beaten once in their last eight meetings. 

But new recruits Pete Mahovlich, Dave Schultz and Peter Lee, with his first NHL goal, lit the lamp for the boys in blue en route to a 4-2 win. It was left to the longest-serving Pen, Jean Pronovost, to net the game-winner in the third. Check out the game report from the next day.

Would the positive early returns keep coming?

Penguin Pete lights up the Igloo

A day after the Penguins headed home from Montreal with Pete Mahovlich and the pain of another drubbing from the Canadiens in tow, they hit the Igloo ice against the Detroit Red Wings. Mahovlich helped everyone who came out forget about the recently departed Pierre Larouche by scoring a hat trick and leading his new team to a 6-4 victory. 

This game report from December 1, 1977 gives a nice description of Pete’s first three Penguin tallies, the last of which was the game-winner. “[He] was a real inspiration,” said coach Johnny Wilson of his new star after the game.

This piece from the Pittsburgh Press looks at the potential positive impact the big centerman might have on the team. 

Larouche traded: "The more never arrived"

With their struggles continuing through the early part of the 1977-78 season, the Pens pulled off their second blockbuster trade in less than a month in an effort to shake things up and keep fans coming out to the Igloo. After acquiring tough guy Dave Schultz from Los Angeles for popular forward Syl Apps on November 1, the Penguins bookended the month by sending former 50-goal man Pierre Larouche to Montreal for Pete Mahovlich and prospect Peter Lee.

In the Post-Gazette's report, coach Johnny Wilson cited a lack of drive on Larouche's part as a motivation for the deal. "Everyone associated with Pierre expected more and the more never arrived."

The 31-year-old Mahovlich welcomed the trade after having run-ins with Canadiens head coach Scotty Bowman. "Maybe we can get something going here," he said in this article.

The trade, which went down just prior to the Penguins meeting the Canadiens in Montreal on November 29, did not bear immediate results for Pittsburgh as the Habs handed them a 9-1 loss. Both Larouche and Mahovlich played for their new teams. 

Ironically, it was Lee who ended up being the most valuable addition for the Pens long term. He went on to score 245 points in 431 games for the club. Mahovlich would don the Penguin uniform 117 times and tally 114 points.

You can't help but wonder why General Manager Baz Bastien sent Larouche to a powerhouse division rival. As this thorough analysis by Pittsburgh Press writer Dan Donovan reveals, Larouche had a clause in his contract allowing him to approve any potential trade. He apparently nixed one the year before to the lowly Cleveland Barons before readily agreeing to go to the hockey Mecca of Montreal.

Although the Penguins picked up a big name with a few Stanley Cup rings to his name, it had to come as a huge disappointment to their fans to watch a homegrown potential superstar leave town under such sordid circumstances. Whether the deal was the result of Larouche's immaturity or the Penguins' rush to find a marquee name to help fill the Igloo's empty seats -- and it was probably a mixture of both -- the bottom line was that Penguins fans saw a young talent around whom a contending team could be built leave town, just as the long grind of the 1977-78 season truly began to set in...

Dunc blows one in Vancouver

The Penguins headed west in late November 1977 to face the Vancouver Canucks, and had everything going their way - until disaster struck with eight seconds left. With the Pens ahead by one, Canucks forward Don Lever sent a hail mary shot toward the Penguins goal, which should have been an easy stop for goalkeeper Dunc Wilson. In his own words, Wilson had drifted too far out of his net and allowed the shot to go in on his short side.

Frustrated Penguins coach Johnny Wilson's view of the clunker was obscured by his players getting to their feet, ready to celebrate a win. In the dressing room afterward, he offered his best Yogi Berra-ism: "I've never seen anything like it in my life...And I didn't even see it."

The Captain looks back

The Pens captain for the 1977-78 season was Jean Pronovost, as classy a hockey player as you'd ever meet. "Prony" was the shining beacon of dignity and respect for a franchise that had, to this point in its history, mostly been lost in the dark.

In this November 23, 1977 article, the typically straight-shooting Pronovost looks back on his time in Pittsburgh. He suggests why the team had never moved up to the NHL's elite level and also names names as to who he thought was responsible for the team's lack of progress.

Ted Nolan, Pittsburgh Penguin

I was perusing some of the Penguins old media guides (all available on the Pens website, BTW) when I came across none other than current Sabres coach Ted Nolan in the 1985-86 publication. I had no idea Nolan had once skated for the Pens.

Before he went on to fame as the inspirational Buffalo bench boss during some of the team's most successful years in the late nineties, Nolan played a handful of games with Pittsburgh - 19 to be exact - totaling one goal, one assist and 34 penalty minutes.

Nolan's lone lamp-lighter came on December 2, 1985 during a Penguins 6-0 whitewashing of the Rangers in New York. This game report is unfortunately a grainy one, but does give a good description of Nolan's tally:

"Ranger defenseman James Patrick blocked Terry Ruskowski's shot, leaving a loose puck in the slot. Nolan rushed the net and pushed the puck by Scott."

This more recent piece has some nice reflections from Ted on his time in Pittsburgh.

The colorful Dunc Wilson

He may not have been the greatest goaltender in Penguins history, but he definitely had one of the best names: Dunc Wilson was one of the two main guardians of the Pittsburgh cage during the 1977-78 campaign, often starting a number of games in a row and then riding the bench for an equally long stretch while colleague Dennis Herron took the helm.

In this profile of Dunc from the November 16, 1977 Post-Gazette, we see a veteran goalie resigned to his fate as a journeyman puckstopper "in the twilight of a mediocre career." Definitely one of the most colorful characters to don a Pens uniform.

Behind the scenes at the 1984 draft

Yesterday marked the 30th anniversary of the Penguins choosing Mario Lemieux first overall in the 1984 Entry Draft. This piece from the Pittsburgh Press appearing on draft day details the Penguins' escalating contract offer to the still-unsigned Lemieux.

It was painful for Pens fans to see their new saviour
not donning the skating Penguin at the 1984 draft.
How much more humiliation could we take?!?

Even better is this lengthy look into the intrigue that surrounded Pens GM Eddie Johnston in the days leading up to the draft. The writer goes behind the scenes into the Montreal hotel rooms and onto the draft day floor at the Forum and reminds us of some of the near-trades that almost took place before and after Johnston called Mario's name (and sat there waiting in vain for a visit from the future superstar). Believe it or not, the Pens came within an extra throw-in player of acquiring future Capitals nemesis Dale Hunter.

Quiet crowd at the Igloo

A note from the report on the Cleveland game reveals the tenuous financial situation the Penguins faced at this time in their history. The Igloo attendance for the Barons contest was a paltry 7,516. That was below the season's average of 9,600, and well below the average of 12,000 required to make the operation a profitable one for the first time ever.

In a related story from the Post-Gazette's Sports Editor, the crowd that came out for the Barons game was not exactly raucous. He also paints a nice picture of bedraggled but relieved head coach Johnny Wilson after the game.

Pens bounce back against Barons

Future Pens goalie Gilles Meloche
 in action with the Cleveland Barons,
sporting one of the coolest masks
in NHL history.

Nothing like a visit from the Cleveland Barons to bring a five-game losing streak to an end. Newly acquired forward Gene Carr nets a pair in his home debut as the Penguins get back on track, beating the Barons 5-3 on November 9, 1977. Read the next day's game report.

The Barons were in their second year on the shores of Lake Erie, after moving from Oakland where they had been known as the Golden Seals (and just Seals) since entering the league in 1967. This would be their last year in the NHL before merging with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978.

Pens limp home carrying five-game losing streak

The Pens followed up their loss in Atlanta with a 4-3 defeat on Long Island the next night, burying themselves in the second by giving up three breakaway goals and falling behind 4-1. In this November 7, 1977 report of the team's frustration as they came back home, Jean Pronovost talks about how thinking too much can cost a player, and coach Johnny Wilson looks on the bright side.

Schultz hammers Wings in his Pens debut

Dave Schultz makes his Penguins debut and wastes no time living up to his nickname of "The Hammer", taking six penalties, including a fighting major in the second period. The tough tactics, however, don't change things where it matters - on the scoreboard - and the Pens go down to their third consecutive defeat of the young 1977-78 season, 3-1 to the Red Wings in Detroit.

Savill lays down the Hammer

Our look at the Pens' 1977-78 season continues...

The two early-season embarrassments the Penguins suffered at the hands of the Philadelphia Flyers (8-2 at home October 15 followed by an 11-0 lambasting five nights later at the Spectrum) did not sit well with Penguins Chairman of the Board Al Savill. One third of the team's ownership group, a frustrated Savill impulsively decided to toughen the Pens up by engineering a trade for the poster boy of '70s goon hockey, Dave "The Hammer" Schultz.

By this point, Schultz's days as the Broad Street Bullies' head haymaker were far behind him, having been dealt by the Flyers to the L.A. Kings in September 1976 before coming to Pittsburgh. The trade that brought him to the Pens saw the popular Syl Apps Jr. along with Hartland Monahan going west in exchange for Schultz, speedy forward Gene Carr and a draft pick.

Read the report of the trade that appeared in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, containing Savill's rationale for the trade.

Cherry in fine form ahead of tilt with Pens - Oct. 29/77

Don Cherry brought his Big Bad Boston Bruins to the Igloo in late October 1977 and the coach was in fine verbal form when talking to reporters before the game. Meanwhile his Pittsburgh counterpart Johnny Wilson complains about his need to "draw plays" for his offense. (Uh, isn't that what a coach is supposed to do, Johnny? Just sayin'...)

Read the latest article from the Pittsburgh Press as the in-depth season review for 1977-78 continues...

Pens welcome Terrible Ted and the Red Wings - Oct. 26/77

Former Red Wings great "Terrible" Ted Lindsay was sitting in the team's GM chair in 1977, trying to turn around a once-proud squad that had fallen on hard times. Read how he compares building a hockey team to making a cake in this gameday report prior to facing the Pens at the Igloo.

Owchar loses it on fans during loss to Wings - Oct. 26/77

Penguins D-man Dennis Owchar made no bones about it: he didn't like the fans in Pittsburgh and "hates playing here." The hard words came after Owchar was booed by the hometown fans every time he touched the puck during a 4-3 loss to Detroit. Read the report of his horrible night.

Pens best Barons in Cleveland - Oct. 23/77

Before less than 6,000 fans in Cleveland, the Penguins make it two in a row (after beating another soon-to-be-gone team, the Atlanta Flames, the night before) by taking out the Barons 3-2. (Check out the nice pic on the interior page of Dunc Wilson sporting his cool X-star mask.)

One of the Pens' most embarrassing losses ever - Oct. 20/77

October 20, 1977 - The Penguins give up a goal nine seconds in and are lambasted 21-4 in shots on goal in the first period alone on their way to perhaps the most embarrassing loss in franchise history, an 11-0 massacre against the Flyers in Philadelphia.

Herron saves the day vs. Rangers - Oct 19/77

October 19 , 1977 - Goalie Denis Herron stands on his head to help the Pens take a point out of the Big Apple. GM Baz Bastien compares putting and goaltending after the performance.

PP Problems, October 1977

Coach Johnny Wilson discusses how the Pens haven't been creative enough on the power play. See the report from the Pittsburgh Press.