On the Penguins: Team of the '80s

Mario Lemieux arrived in 1984. What? You expected more from those 10 long years? Look at it this way: This decade -- forgettable as it was -- would give birth to the glorious 1990s.

Sunday, January 17, 2010
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

It's not that everything imaginable went wrong for the Penguins during the 1980s.

They never, for example, declared bankruptcy then. And, uh ... that's about it.

Fact is, they finished at the bottom of the overall standings twice, went seven years between playoff appearances and, until Mario Lemieux arrived in 1984, frequently played before crowds that could have carpooled to the Civic Arena in a couple of vans.

Clockwise from bottom, Mario Lemieux, Mike Bullard, Dave Hannan, Troy Loney, Paul Coffey, Randy Carlyle and Rick Kehoe.

Many players passed through the organization during the 1980s, and almost all were easily forgotten. Still, that was when world-class talents such as Lemieux and Paul Coffey revived hockey interest here, and when the foundation of the Penguins' Stanley Cup-winning clubs in 1991 and 1992 was laid.

Which brings us to the selection of the Penguins' Team of the 1980s. The object is not simply to identify the 12 most talented forwards and six most skilled defensemen, but to assemble a team that follows the template of the 2009-10 Penguins:

Two lines counted on to drive the offense, a third that's good at both ends and an "energy line" that blends physicality with responsible defense. That won't always be the case, however, as evidenced by the third line below. Also, the defense pairings ideally offer a balance of offense and defense.

Players were chosen on the basis of their performance for the Penguins during the period in question and for purposes of this feature, the decades will break down this way: 1967-68 through 1969-70, 1970-71 through 1979-80, 1980-81 through 1989-90, 1990-91 through 1999-2000, and 2000-01 through Present.

Thumbnail notes

Barrasso: Won more games than friends.

Bodger: Lacked the intensity to live up to his full potential.

Brown: Thought the game more like Lemieux than any linemate Lemieux ever had.

Bullard: Exceptional talent, suspect intangibles.

Carlyle: Still the only Norris Trophy winner in franchise history.

Coffey: Hardly a classic defenseman. More like a force of nature.

Cunneyworth: Good speed and skill, willing to play tough.

Dion: When he was on, few were better.

Errey: Good skater who played bigger than he was.

Ferguson: Diversified skills allowed him to fill several roles.

Gardner: Incredibly dangerous around net and on power plays.

Hannan: Speedy and tenacious, an effective penalty-killer.

Hillier: Perfect partner for an offensive defenseman.

Johnson: Did everything well in his own zone.

Kehoe: Among most lethal goal-scorers ever to wear the sweater.

Lemieux: He did OK.

Loney: Was big, physical and could score the occasional goal.

Mantha: Solid offensive skills, but too easygoing for his own good.

Schutt: Wouldn't have made the list in any other decade.

Shedden: Thrived in two seasons on Lemieux's right side.

PDF
Roster for the team of the 1980s

For more on the Penguins, read the Pens Plus blog with Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson at www.post-gazette.com/plus. Dave Molinari can be reached at dmolinari@post-gazette.com.

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First published on January 17, 2010 at 12:00 am