Pittsburgh Penguin Playoff Heroes: Tom Barrasso

It's argued convincingly that Stanley Cup champions are often built from the crease out. The Pittsburgh Penguins' goal crease was a revolving door for many seasons, until they obtained one Tom Barrasso from the Buffalo Sabres in 1988. Barrasso was a former Vezina trophy winner and Calder trophy winner when the Penguins traded for him. He had fallen on hard times in Buffalo, and welcomed the change of scenery.

Penguin Arrival

Barrasso had an immediate impact on the Penguins when he arrived. He played in 44 games for Pittsburgh in 1988-89, recording 18 wins and only five losses. The Penguins made the playoffs that year, dispatching the New York Rangers and falling to the Philadelphia Flyers in seven the next round. In 1989-90, he played only 24 games. Family came first for Barrasso, as his daughter fell desperately ill with cancer. He took time off from the Penguins during that season to be near his family. Thankfully, his daughter responded to treatment and Barrasso returned to the Penguins with a renewed purpose.

While the Penguins did not make the playoffs in 1989-90, Barrasso and the Penguins expected better in 1990-91. But the season would start on a sour note. Penguin captain Mario Lemieux would not suit up for Pittsburgh until January, as he recovered from back surgery and subsequent infection that threatened his fine career.

Barrasso and the Penguins fought through Lemieux's absence. When the dust of the 1990-91 regular season had settled, Pittsburgh had captured their first ever Patrick Division regular season title. The playoffs beckoned.

Dancing With The Devils

Pittsburgh started off against the New Jersey Devils. Barrasso was injured in this series, and wouldn't return til Game 3 of the Patrick Division finals. However, his backup, Frank Pietrangelo, filled in admirably, leading the Penguins past the Devils in seven games and splitting the first two games against the Washington Capitals. Barrasso returned to the Penguins' crease, and promptly eliminated the Capitals, recording 97 saves on 100 shots in the remaining three games of the series.

This propelled the Penguins from Pittsburgh into the Wales Conference Championships against the Bruins from Boston. Barrasso and the Penguins collapsed in the first two games of the series, absorbing twelve goals against. They lost Game 1 by a 6-3 score, and then battled into overtime in Game 2 before falling 6-5. The Bruins were rolling and the Penguins were reeling.

Bend But Don't Break

The series shifted to Pittsburgh, and a brand new Penguin team took to the ice. They evened the series at two games apiece behind back to back 4-1 victories. Barrasso, horribly cold in the first two games, was smoking hot in these games, and continued that trend in Games 5 and 6. Now, the Penguins' offence took over, and they outscored Boston 20-7 in the final four games of the series. The scorching offense of the Penguins rocketed the Penguins into the Stanley Cup finals for the first time. Their opponents? The Minnesota North Stars.

Shooting Stars

Barrasso had gained a reputation of being smoking hot in the 1991 playoffs, with chants of "Tommy! Tommy!" echoing through the old Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. For whatever reason, his mojo vanished in Game 1 against the North Stars, who took the game 5-4. Barrasso played spottily, allowing five goals on 29 shots, and the Penguins were unable to recover.

Rebound Games

Barrasso returned to his red hot play in Game 2, stuffing Minnesota 4-1. He made 39 saves in the game, and Lemieux sealed the game with one of the most amazing goals in NHL history. The Penguins were outshot 40-31 in the game, but Tom Barrasso, already standing tall at 6'3", stood even taller in the bright lights of the Stanley Cup Finals.

Despite losing Game 3 by a 3-1 score, Barrasso continued to play the best hockey of his career. After the Game 3 setback, he proceeded to thwart any Minnesota attempt to grab a stranglehold on the series. Although missing the last two periods of Game 5 with a slight groin pull, he returned in Game 6.

Game 6 was Barrasso's finest moment to date. He stopped all 39 North Star shots as his forwards took care of business. On that humid May night in Minnesota, Tom Barrasso and the Pittsburgh Penguins became Stanley Cup champions as they dumped the North Stars 8-0. A nightmarish couple of years for the Barrasso family had culminated in hockey's ultimate prize.

Twice as Nice

In the 1991-92 season, Pittsburgh finished third in the Patrick Division and drew the Capitals in Round One of the playoffs. After falling behind 3-1 in the series, Barrasso and the Penguins found their game and eliminated the Caps in seven games. They then faced the New York Rangers in Round Two. Despite losing Mario Lemieux and Joe Mullen to serious injuries in this series, Barrasso led the Penguins to a six game series win. After losing Game 3 in overtime, the Penguins turned up their play. That overtime loss would be the last time Barrasso would lose in the playoffs. He won the next eleven games to lead the Penguins to their second straight Stanley Cup. They swept the Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks en route to their second championship. Barrasso and the Penguins had arrived.

Forever Remembered

Tom Barrasso was a crucial part of the back to back championships. Without him, the Penguins do not win those Cups. While their bid for a three-peat fell short, no one can take away the accomplishments of Tom Barrasso. He remains a fixture in Penguins' history. He remained a Penguin until 2000, when he was traded to the Ottawa Senators. When he finally retired from the NHL as a player, he signed a one day contract so he could retire a Pittsburgh Penguin. He is forever a Pittsburgh legend.