1997-98 Pittsburgh Penguins - After Mario. Your recollections from that season...

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 10:24 pm

Not a lot of was expected of the 1998 Penguins. Craig Patrick took over for Eddie Johnston behind the bench late in 1997 and the Pens were eliminated early. Mario had retired and prospects were dim - though two rookies made the lineup, Robert Dome and Aleksey Morozov...the Pens were under the strict disciplinarian Kevin Constantine, a cocky firebrand, militant dictator, who had GM-Committee's worth of coaches at his disposal...and who talks to you with the "delayed blink" style which I find to be infuriating...

Our goals against average went way down. Barrasso was healthy and was a workhorse. 63 GP, 2.07 GAA, .922 save pct. 7 SO...the Barnes-Francis-Jagr line carried us...Jiri Slegr-Kevin Hatcher carried the bulk of the load on a back line that included minor league stand-out Brad Werenka...

I've found this little video narrated by our favorite play-by-play man about the season that may help jog some memories...I have vague memories of the season, but as a younger, out-of-market fan, most of my knowledge of the Penguins came from watching them on Fox when they were on national TV...share your thoughts and memories on the season after Mario...

Postby **FreeCandy44** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 10:42 pm

Ugh...I remember Dome. Bad juju....but I was a fan of Kevin's one winning season.

Postby **Rylan** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 10:44 pm

My first ever hockey game was this season. Penguins vs the Blackhawks in March. Ended in a 2-2 tie.

Postby **columbia** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 10:46 pm

I have no recollection of that season, as I was finishing graduate school and preparing to leave Pittsburgh. I don't mind having dead zones in following sports and I'm sure it will happen again. Life interrupts n'at. It's healthy and helps one to better appreciate it when you have time to pay attention.

Postby **Solidsnake** » Tue Apr 28, 2015 11:06 pm

Dome was one hell of a disappointment

Postby **Gaucho** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 9:01 am

Straka returned, so that was nice.

Postby **Dickie Dunn** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 9:34 am

40 point season for Robbie Brown. I'd credit the hair plugs.

Postby **DigitalGypsy66** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 10:02 am

I believe I saw them in Greensboro that season - PNC Arena (or whatever it was called back then) wasn't finished, so the Horrorcanes played there for that season. Stu Grimson was on the Canes roster, as was Sami Kapanen.

Tuomas Gronman was always a player that I boosted his stats in NHL98 to make an allstar.

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 10:59 am

Re: Gronman. Any recollection of the youth coming into and/or out of that season? Young Dome made the team right off the hop...Morozov had entered the scene and scored on his first shot...Gronman, who was still rookie eligible despite playing for Chicago the year before, was an Olympian for the Finns that year...big, young Butenschon, a homegrown talent from the 1994 draft, played some time as a rookie...undrafted free agent Peter Skudra's pillows put up a 1.83 GAA and .924 save pct....

Postby **nocera** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:45 am

Was this the "Get fired up for the new ice age!" year?

If so, that's literally all that I remember from it. I have very fond memories of the 98-99 season, though.

*Edit*

Yes, it was...

Postby **sil** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:48 am

The second game I ever went to was that season. I was 15. My dad and I had seats about 10 rows up from the corner on the away-twice end of the igloo. Barrasso stopped like 50+ shots in a pens 5-2 win over Yzerman's wings. It was an awesome game.

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 11:54 am

1/31/98 sil: http://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscor ... 10PIT.html

Postby **Rylan** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 1:42 pm

http://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscor ... 50PIT.html

This was my first ever game. I never did understand why Barrasso was pulled. Even though it was like a half ice shot he allowed in. I also remember the goal Wregget allowed too.

Postby **Gaucho** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 8:39 pm

The Ferraros Twins. Kaspar. Tyler Wright. Martin Sonnenberg. Steady Freddy. Robert Lang's odyssey.

Postby **Solidsnake** » Wed Apr 29, 2015 9:12 pm

Bryan Smolinski was my favorite player at the time, hated to see him traded.

Postby **Craig** » Thu Apr 30, 2015 11:37 am

My first ever hockey game was this season. Penguins vs the Blackhawks in March. Ended in a 2-2 tie.

I forgot about ties.

Postby **robbiestoupe** » Fri May 01, 2015 10:25 am

40 point season for Robbie Brown. I'd credit the hair plugs.

As you may tell from my name, I loved me some downtown Rob Brown.

My memories from the mid to late 90s all mesh into one really. Probably my most fond memories from this season were watching games in my dorm's common room and yelling at Kevin Hatcher. He's one of my least favorite Penguins of all time.

Postby **dodint** » Fri May 01, 2015 10:44 pm

tifosi saw Tyler Wright score a hat trick on New Years once.

Postby **Pavel Bure** » Sat May 02, 2015 9:10 pm

Was this glowing pick era? I only got to watch hockey at my dads during this point

YouTube · Postby **mikey** » Sun May 03, 2015 12:43 am

Yes it was.

Postby **bhflyhigh** » Sun May 03, 2015 3:59 pm

Wow, this brings back memories. I was so upset that Lemieux called it quits. I was close to tears for the jersey retirement ceremony.
I liked Morozov a lot back then. If he had a little more toughness he would have been a great NHL'er. Jagr was the man. Can't believe he's still playing. All those other guys are long gone. The next year, I think, is when I went to my first playoff game against the Devils.

Postby **tifosi77** » Tue May 05, 2015 4:40 pm

Saw my first game in Los Angeles as a transplant, after moving here in October 1997. 2-1 win @ LAK.

Dome was one hell of a disappointment

I remember thinking he was going to be a monster.

Yeah, no.

tifosi saw Tyler Wright score a hat trick on New Years once.

That was NYE 1999.

Or was it?????

Postby **dodint** » Tue May 05, 2015 5:01 pm

heh. I've been waiting all week for you to find that.

Postby **NailedPenguin** » Sun May 10, 2015 2:58 pm

Was that the season we (barf) lost to the Maple Leafs in the playoffs? I was at Game 6 and Kovy had scored on of my favorite goals ever. Circled around the zone and held the puck in by an inch, put one effortless deke on a guy at the top of the circle and put an even more effortless snap shot right above the goalies shoulder. There was enough space between the cross bar and his shoulder pads to fit a puck and nothing else. Kovalev found it. Pens then gave up 3 straight goals but Jagr tied it in the 2nd. I remember looking over and a guy in my section Hulk Hogan'd his tshirt off and started beating his chest after that goal. Pens lost in OT after a scramble in front of Barasso almost right off the opening faceoff where Jiri Slegr decided falling on his ass was the best course of action to take instead of defending. I remember during the handshake thinking it was very real chance that was the last time I'd ever see the Penguins play in Pittsburgh.

Update: After further review and all of that typing....that was in '99.

Postby **Pitts** » Mon May 11, 2015 11:41 pm

I wanted a Robert Dome jersey. Until about midway through the season!