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.

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 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.)

Pens-Seals, 1976

Playing NHL 10 recently, I realized that one of the uniforms you can choose if playing the Dallas Stars is the California Golden Seals. It got me thinking of that old team, so I looked up some reports of their games against the Pens. The Seals did not last too long, coming in with the Penguins in 1967 and suffering through nine mostly dreadful seasons. The franchise was moved to Cleveland in 1976, lasting there only two seasons as the Barons before merging with the struggling Minnesota North Stars.

Here's a report on the Penguins' final visit to Oakland, which involved some last-minute heroics from Pens captain Ron Schock. The Penguins would win the final battle back in Pittsburgh the following month, to end with a 27-16-16 all-time record.