Pittsburgh Penguins to play 4 games on ABC in 2025-26 NHL season

First of all, congratulations. Uh, tell me about the phone call you got to learn that you were inducted to the Penguins Hall of Fame. Oh, I got from, uh, the GM called Dubas, and, uh, it shocked me *** little bit because I. You know, we haven’t, hasn’t been brought up for such *** long time. And when he, he called me and told me when I was inducted to the Hall of Fame, I just, I thanked him. It was terrific because anytime you get inducted to Hall of Fame, you know, it’s, it’s quite an honor. Does it surprise you because it’s been so long since you’ve been involved with the Pen organization on *** regular basis to suddenly get this phone call? Yeah, I did. You’re right. I was *** surprise. You know, I didn’t uh It didn’t, never dawned on me that, you know, this was gonna happen right, you know, happen like that. How it happened was kind of funny. So, this is, this is your 5th Hall of Fame, is that right? What the Hall of Fame are you in? I’m in, uh, well, Pennsylvania. I’m, I’m in 3 now. I’m in the Penguins now. I, I’m in the Pittsburgh Hall of Fame and I’m in Johnstown, uh, Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. And then I’m in the Boston Hall of Fame and then I’m in the Canada Hall of Fame because when we beat the Russians, uh, they inducted all the players that were on that team into the Hall of Fame, so makes me 5 now. But is this one special or is it different? Oh no, it’s special, you know, because I, I think special for me because I think with the situation with Mario drafting him. Because if I would have traded him, I think hockey would have been out of here in ***, in *** month. You know, *** player like him comes around once in *** lifetime, and he only lived 15 minutes from me in Montreal, so I knew all about him. I watched him play junior and he was *** special player, you know, and I had some terrific offers from. I had the 3 sassy brothers plus *** first rounder. I had Kendrick Chuck Lansbury and the defenseman from Philly, and that Lou Nanny offered me all his picks, and Montreal told me whatever uh Quebec offers you, uh, will, uh, will go much better, much better. So I, I just told Mr. Navarlo I’m not trading him. I said, you, you player like this comes around once in *** lifetime. You know, And it was, uh, it was an easy move for me not to do it. God was there pressure though, because if this doesn’t work, as you said, the franchise might be out of here. Yeah, you gotta be out of here. There’s no question, but I, when I, when, when he was available and we were able to get him, you know, like first this very first game. He was only 17 seconds on the ice in, in, in Boston. And, uh, I, I, I remember because I played 12 years in Boston and Harry Sinden was the GM at the time, and he came up and said to me, why didn’t you. Trade him. And I, I, and then he told me this kid might be the best player in the game. 17 seconds into his career, he scores *** goal in Boston. You know, so that, that everybody got *** little notice like out now. But it was special. Well, also you’re being inducted because it wasn’t just Mario. You actually built the team that wanted to win the Penguins’ first cup. Can you tell me about that, that, that road of getting those players so that they got to that point where they finally won the Stanley Cup? Well, I, I, I traded, uh, Paul Coffey for Simpson, you know, I need, I, I needed *** guy that reminded me of or, you know, Coffey was pretty good like, and I, I traded, uh, I got Kevin Stevens. Uh, and, and the guy I traded him for, he played 2929 games in the league. Kevin Stevens played 15 years. And in his first couple of years, he scored 50 goals. So you know, I, I, I had Mario Coff and then, uh, Coff and then Kevin Stevens, then then then then Mark Recky came and Kimmel and you know that was uh, they were the 4 guys that just put us on our way once, once we, we had those guys and once they got, you know, established *** little bit and you know getting coffee here was, was very important too. Because you know he was like our power play and all that stuff, you know, so it was, uh, it was *** good move. What it means to to see them raise the Stanley Cup players, it was unreal, you know, uh Cuff was used to because he was in Edmonton, you know, with, with Gretzkel guys, but, uh, to, to raise the cup here and it was not only just great for the city and the players and all that, but for hockey and to have *** player like Mario, you know, be part of that, it was great. You know, despite, you know, you built the team, of course, as *** GM, but how much fun was it to coach the team because actually after GM you coached the team for *** while. Yeah, I, I, well, I coached him first and then, and then I went as *** GM and then I went, and then I came back as *** coach after I was in GM over in Hartford, and then I came back here when Craig Patrick brought me back here the head coach again. So it worked out very well and I enjoyed it. I was, you know, I just terrific. To get that kind of an opportunity again and, uh, you know, to coach guys like that are, it’s, it’s quite *** it’s quite an honor. When you look at the team today or look at the, the, the Penguin franchise and what’s become, uh, do you take *** lot of pride in the fact that you played *** role in getting this franchise to where it is stable, successful, and where it is today? Oh, I feel very proud, you know, I feel honored and and have the opportunity, you know, not too many people in hockey get that opportunity. So getting that opportunity was just terrific, you know, and, uh, and, and still I’d be back here now and see, you know, guys like when Crosby, you know, and then they wanted it when they wanted that. So it’s, uh. It’s, it’s, it’s, it’s special any time you know you, you played the game and you’re, you’re able to raise that cup *** couple of times, it’s pretty good.