Former power forward Kevin Stevens, a new member of the Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame.
The Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame, after a dozen years of dormancy, sprang back to life Saturday with the induction of four new members.
The four newbies who joined earlier members — the earlier group headlined, of course, by Hall of Famer and all-time great Mario Lemieux — are early 1990s Stanley Cup forwards Kevin Stevens and Ron Francis, and former coaches/executives Eddie Johnston and Scotty Bowman.
Those four members of the 2025 class were honored with a pregame ceremony, including individual tribute videos, at PPG Paints Arena before the Penguins took on the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Earlier, the four toured the new Hall of Fame display with its wall of plaques and member displays at the arena, and received commemorative sports jackets. Here are some excerpts of what the had to say when they met with reporters before the ceremony.
Kevin Stevens
Stevens, 60, who works with the Penguins as a scout and is heavily involved in helping others with addiction recovery, showed off his sports coat with a special commemorative lining and sang the team’s and the city’s praises.
“When I first got the call, I really hadn’t heard of the Hall of Fame in a while. It hasn’t been around for a little bit,” said Stevens, who is enshrined in the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. “But it was great. They did a great job, with the pictures and the plaques and the coats.
“I kind of grew up here. We won some Stanley Cups. I came back, and I’ve been working here for a long time. The Penguins mean a lot to me. It’s really the only team I want to see win. It’s the only team I really care about. It’s nice that I get to work here, but I really want to see them do well. I was so lucky to be able to start here in Pittsburgh. I never knew where I was going to be or even if I was going to play. So to have the opportunity to play here in Pittsburgh was great.”
Ron Francis
Francis, 62, president of hockey operations for the Seattle Kraken, was a high-level, two-way center and one of the early Cup teams’ more cerebral players. He was part of a big trade late in 1990-91 that helped push the Penguins over the top in talent and led to two straight Cups.
“Brings back a lot of great memories being back in Pittsburgh,” Francis said.
“It was an incredible part of my career. … You couldn’t ask for a better team to come to. Great bunch of guys. Great city to play in. The fans’ support was tremendous.”
Eddie Johnston
One of the all-time great characters in hockey over the past many decades, Johnston, 89, served as both coach and general manager of the Penguins, along with various consulting roles later. He drafted Lemieux in 1984 and traded for Stevens when he was still a prospect.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s once-in-a-lifetime. Anytime you get put into a hockey Hall of Fame, you’ve got to be very thankful,” Johnston said.
“It’s electrifying.”
Scotty Bowman
Bowman, 92, was part of a powerful management group for the 1991 Cup, then took over as coach after Bob Johnson fell ill and later died. Bowman led the Penguins to their second straight Cup in 1992, giving him a record nine Cups as an NHL coach.
“Our memories were always good here,” Bowman said. “When Craig (Patrick) brought me into Pittsburgh, I was with television. I didn’t play on really getting back into hockey. It’s the best thing that ever happened to me. We had so many great players.”
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