Lets Remember Some Guys

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

MAF's first career win at home vs Detroit, Rico Fata scored 2 goals...he actually cashed in on one of his 4 nightly breakaways. Still have the ticket. He was like Michael Grabner with half the talent.

Probably over 10% of his total season output in one night.

I bet he scored one with the only other move he knew aside from "put myself offsides by several obvious feet constantly" which was the ol inside/outside deke... which almost always got stripped and went the other way.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

Rico Fata was as fast as the wind with hands of stone. Quite the dichotomy.

 

[SomeDude]

Joel Kwiatkowski played one game for the Penguins. I remember seeing him play for Florida earlier that year and commenting to my buddy how terrible he looked and then we picked him up at the deadline. Some lucky fan got his jersey at the last game of the year for "Shirts off our backs"

I'd like to think that is the centerpiece to his mancave to this date. Imagine your new yinzer friend giving you a tour of his basement..."There's my Jagr peanut butter, Fleury Flakes, the complete set of 1970's Steelers IC Light cans, my Kwiatkowski jersey....never been warshed..."

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Shit man I STILL can't pronounce that guy's name.

 

[Al Smith]

Rico Fata was as fast as the wind with hands of stone. Quite the dichotomy.

A rich man’s Konstantin Koltsov

and let’s not forget Krzysztof Oliwa, who got his nickname, the Polish Hammer, from Ivan Putsky’s signature move.

 

[Merc29]

Ramzi Abid, I remember going to a game when he played for Phoenix and he scored on the Pens. I remember thinking I wish he was on the Pens because he looked good (I was young and foolish). the next year he was and I was so excited. then he played something like 15-20 games total in the next 2 seasons and was extremely disappointed.

 

[ColePens]

Boy what a time to remember some fan favs

Joe Vitale
Simon Despres
Jim Paek
Rico Fata


f***ING ZIGGY PALFY

 

[SomeDude]

Matt Bradley went on to have one of the most successful careers out of the regular players from the 03/04 Pens roster. Dark times, indeed.

 

[SomeDude]

Ramzi Abid, I remember going to a game when he played for Phoenix and he scored on the Pens. I remember thinking I wish he was on the Pens because he looked good (I was young and foolish). the next year he was and I was so excited. then he played something like 15-20 games total in the next 2 seasons and was extremely disappointed.

Ramzi Abid scoring 2 goals against the Penguins and then being acquired by the team months later is a nice micro chasm of the end of Craig Patrick's career. "Meh, he scored against us...get him"

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Man I was so incredibly stoked for Palffy's Penguins career to kick off. And he absolutely had some highlights (he and rookie Sid combined for some really nice plays)... before taking an injury, saying "f*** this noise" and retiring to Europe.

Honestly as much as I loved Hossa and Iggy who would come later... Palffy was my favorite "explosive player with a super short career in Pittsburgh." At least in my lifetime. He was just so dangerous all over the offensive zone... always had a chance of breaking the game wide open.

 

[ColePens]

Guys like Rico Fata and Koltsov are the definition of why speed isn't everything. I think those were some of the fastest players but their minds/hands couldn't match their speed. That is what separates good and great. McDavid is the god version of this. He is so fast AND his mind/hands match his speed.

Sid is an underrated player because I think his brain/hands are even faster than his skating and he's a damn good skater. Bonino is an example of a guy not as fast but could play the game at a faster pace because of his hands/mind.

 

[ColePens]

Man I was so incredibly stoked for Palffy's Penguins career to kick off. And he absolutely had some highlights (he and rookie Sid combined for some really nice plays)... before taking an injury, saying "f*** this noise" and retiring to Europe.

Honestly as much as I loved Hossa and Iggy who would come later... Palffy was my favorite "explosive player with a super short career in Pittsburgh." At least in my lifetime.

His white skates... Kovy like!

 

[SomeDude]

Let us not forget that the Penguins revived the career of Alex "nobody remembers #2" Daigle.

Seeing Stephane Richer in a Pens jersey was also pretty surreal.

 

[ColePens]

I used to go to Neville Island gym to train in high school when the Pens practiced there. I watched Palffy so many times and he looked like the best player on the ice. He was so good. I was so bummed it ended up being some weird scenario.

Maybe because he was playing against old farts at the time.

 

[SomeDude]

Coming out of the lockout, the lead up to the 05-06 season was so surreal.

The last time they played, they had iced one of the worst rosters in NHL history and seemed destined for relocation. Then we get Sid. Then Gonchar. Then Palffy, Leclair, Ruutu, etc. Just to have them turn out to be another terrible roster.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

His white skates... Kovy like!

I think Jagr was his hero coming up IIRC. Makes sense considering his OG jersey number was 68 and that righteous mullet in his early years.

Let us not forget that the Penguins revived the career of Alex "nobody remembers #2" Daigle.

Seeing Stephane Richer in a Pens jersey was also pretty surreal.

It really speaks volumes that Daigle was one of their better complimentary players in his time here.

And Richer... jesus... that clapper was still outrageous even as a greybeard.

 

[Tom Hanks]

Boy what a time to remember some fan favs

Joe Vitale
Simon Despres
Jim Paek
Rico Fata


f***ING ZIGGY PALFY

No one should have to remember Joey V. He should be the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning.

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

Coming out of the lockout, the lead up to the 05-06 season was so surreal.

The last time they played, they had iced one of the worst rosters in NHL history. Then we get Sid. Then Gonchar. Then Palffy, Leclair, Ruutu, etc. Just to have them turn out to be another terrible roster.

That team was such smoke and mirrors. It seemed super exciting and possibly even downright completive at first blush... like you said they brought in a lot of on-paper talent.

But then you start looking closer and realize that Lasse Pirjeta was their day 1 second line center and Steve Poapst their top shutdown guy on D and it made more sense than they imploded.

 

[Ryder71]

Gary Rissling, only a face a mother could love.

 

[SomeDude]

That team was such smoke and mirrors. It seemed super exciting and possibly even downright completive at first blush... like you said they brought in a lot of on-paper talent.

But then you start looking closer and realize that Lasse Pirjeta was their day 1 second line center and Steve Poapst their top shutdown guy on D and it made more sense than they imploded.

I cannot sit here idly by and allow you to sully the good name of the Poapstman.

Remember the yearly tradition of signing Marc Bergevin and trading him at the deadline?

 

[BlindWillyMcHurt]

I cannot sit here idly by and allow you to sully the good name of the Poapstman.

Remember the yearly tradition of signing Marc Bergevin and trading him at the deadline?

Hahahaha... yeah. Mario favors.

Perhaps it left some scars that explain his GM tenure thus far?

 

[SomeDude]

37 year old Kelly Buchberger was the worst hockey player that I have ever seen play in the NHL. Looking back on it now, I can't help but have respect for him, though. The guy was getting his face wrecked nightly by Brashear, Domi, etc to make sure no harm fell upon Drake Berehowsky and Matt Hussey.

 

[Mario_is_BACK!!]

f***ING ZIGGY PALFY

"This team sucks. My shoulder kinda hurts. I'm gonna go get married and never come back."

 

[Le Magnifique 66]

Francois Leroux

 

[Ryder71]

Dangerous Dan Frawley, I believe he once scored a goal with his face.

Ron Stackhouse, pretty good player actually, but much maligned for not using his size.