Pregame Awesomeness: What a Tribute

I thoroughly enjoyed watching the classy pregame ceremony the Pens put on before Thursday’s Mellon Arena regular-season finale. Over 50 former players, coaches and general managers were on hand for the spectacle, and there were some good (and a couple bad) moments. Here’s my take.

• Having Mike Lange and Paul Steigerwald call/host the event was perfect. Everyone loves Lange and it seems a lot of people love to hate Steigy, but both guys have been the voice of the team for my generation.
• Though I never saw them play, it was cool to see original Pens Andy Bathgate and Les Binkley.
• I thought the three most touching introductions were for Craig Patrick (the architect of the 90s Cup teams), Eddie Johnston (the man who drafted Mario) and Mark Johnson (Olympic hero and son of Badger Bob).
• Again, I never saw them play, but to have all three members of the Century Line on hand was a nice touch. Syl Apps, Jean Pronovost and Lowell MacDonald formed quite the trio for the Pens in the mid-70s.
• I enjoyed the “Goaltenders Union” bit with Frank Pietrangelo, Ken Wregget, Wendell Young and Gilles Meloche. One question, though. Where was Roberto Romano?
• Other good stuff: former 50 goal scorers Mike Bullard and Pierre Larouche; the Rob Brown windmill; Troy Loney and Randy Hillier getting some love; and, of course, the conclusion for the living legend himself.
• Gary Rissling racked up 1,008 penalty minutes in 221 career NHL games. In 1978-79, he had 464 PMs in 78 games between the Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals. Don’t know about you, but I’m as amazed by those number as I am Mario’s point totals.  Rissling, by the way, now looks like an eighth-grade math teacher. 
• Paul Coffey/Larry Murphy was awesome – two Hall of Fame defensemen walk out together. Coffey is still one of my all-time faves and was the first jersey I ever owned. It’s still hanging in my closet, as a matter of fact.
• I hate to be negative, but I had an issue with the “Three of the Toughest Guys to Ever Pull on the Penguins Uniform” sham. Jay Caufield, Mark Kachowski and Francois Leroux? Was this really necessary? I guess the ceremony wouldn’t have been complete without a “Lerooo” chant. Hey, at least the Pens didn’t bring back Richard Zemlak and Steve McKenna.
• I must admit I was a little surprised when Gary Roberts appeared. The man made quite an impression on the fans in his brief stint in Pittsburgh. WWGRD? Drink wine with Mario in the owner’s box.
• I wish more love had been shown for the Cup teams of the early 90s. Paul Stanton, where are you?!?
• In a perfect world, Jaromir Jagr would have been there and received a thunderous ovation.

There were a LOT of players that I would have loved to see last night, but I realize the Pens could only bring so many back due to time constraints. There were also a staggering number of past greats that couldn’t make it due to commitments with their current employers (Joe Mullen and Ron Francis to name a few). Overall, it was an outstanding tribute to the history of this great franchise. Another job well done by the Penguins organization.