Pittsburgh Penguins Kevin Stevens
It is a who’s who of not just Pittsburgh Penguins hockey, but the hockey world in general. Tuesday, the team announced the first class in its restarted Hall of Fame, and it’s a heavyweight class.
The Penguins will enshrine Scotty Bowman, Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens, and Eddie Johnston on Saturday, Oct. 25, when the Penguins host the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Tickets can be purchased here.
The class is as interesting as it is varied. From Bowman, the greatest coach in NHL history, to Francis known as “Ronnie Franchise,” whose acquisition at the 1991 trade deadline transformed the Penguins from good to great, to Stevens who was a premier power forward until a terrible injury in the 1993 playoffs altered his career, and Johnston, who was a franchise stalwart serving a variety of roles as needed, including coach and GM.
Johnston, 89, engineered one of the greatest tanks in professional sports when he dismantled the Penguins in order to select Mario Lemieux first overall in the 1984 draft. Johnston flatly declined extraordinary trade offers to select the player who would not only save the Penguins on the ice but off the ice, as well.
The venerable Johnston has spent nearly 50 years with the organization. He was the GM from 1980 through 1988 and the coach from 1993 through 1997. Johnston remains the second-longest tenured coach in franchise history (516 games) behind only Mike Sullivan.
Bowman, 92, spent three seasons with the Penguins, starting as director of player personnel in 1990-91 and taking over the coaching duties for two seasons following the untimely death of coach “Badger” Bob Johnson. Bowman guided the Penguins to the 1992 Stanley Cup Championship. He is the winningest coach in NHL history with 1244 wins.
Stevens, 60, played for the Penguins from 1987-95 and returned for the final two years of his career from 2000-02. He was a central figure in the Penguins’ 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup championships. He scored 260 goals with 295 assists and 555 points in 522 regular-season games. He also netted 46 goals with 60 assists and 106 points in 103 playoff games. His goal, assist, and point totals in the regular season and playoffs are all the most in franchise history among left wingers.
Stevens was also enshrined in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame. He hit the 40-goal mark in four consecutive seasons between 1990-94, including two 50-goal seasons in 1991-92 and 1992-93. Stevens is a three-time NHL All-Star with Pittsburgh tallied a career-high 123 points in 1991-92, which still stands as the second-highest single-season point total by a left wing in NHL history. Stevens holds NHL single-season playoff records by a left wing in goals (17) and points (33), both recorded in 1991, while his 17 goals are a Penguins record for a single playoff year.
Francis, 62, would have been a first-line center and All-Star on almost every other team in the league. With Lemieux, he formed the best 1-2 center combination in the NHL and led the league in assists (92) in 1995-96. During his eight-season career with the Penguins, he was the team captain in 1994-95 and 1997-98. Twenty years after his retirement, he still sits fifth in NHL history with 1,798 points and second with 1,249 assists.
Tags: Eddie Johnston kevin stevens Penguins Hall of Fame Pittsburgh Penguins ron francis scotty bowman
Categorized: Pittsburgh Penguins