Sports

Pens alumni in stands Saturday to cheer on current franchise

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be playing in front of alumni from the 1990s Stanley Cup teams Saturday night – a fact that wasn’t lost on team captain Sidney Crosby during the morning skate.

“It's always great to know as much as you can about the team you're playing for. Fortunately I've been here for a long time and also have gotten to know a lot of the guys who played for the team,” Crosby said. “For the new guys, I think it's nice to see guys who have worn this jersey, represented this city and won here. It's nice to have them here.”

Bob Johnson, the Penguins’ first Stanley Cup coach, died after leading the franchise to its first title in his only season behind the bench. But his former players made a point to seek out his wife Martha, who will represent her husband at the game.

“It’s very inspiring,” she said. “I’m glad to bring my whole family back and see what we were able to do while we were here, only that it was too short.

Martha Johnson said she’s thrilled the Penguins have made her husband’s oft-repeated quote a big part of the franchise. For her, any chance to bring her grandchildren to Pittsburgh and watch Crosby play in person is a great day for hockey. She said her husband would have loved coaching Crosby, who was just 3 years old when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991.

Crosby said he’s heard enough about “The Badger” to suspect he would have clicked with the coach.

“His passion, the excitement he brought to the rink … that enthusiasm. I think that’s contagious with any team at any level. So from everything I’ve heard and read, those are the things he liked to bring to the rink,” Crosby said. “I think it’s fun to come to the rink when you have an atmosphere like that.”

The morning didn’t lack atmosphere by any stretch. Former general manager Craig Patrick chatted with Shawn McEachern, who jumped from college to the defending champs in 1992. The coach who presided over that defense, Scotty Bowman, was sought out by current Penguins bench boss Mike Sullivan.

As for the Penguins, if they need any help on the back end, Kris Letang had a huge compliment for former defenseman Paul Coffey.

“I think you can still look at him as one of the best skaters in the league at today’s date,” Letang said

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