Faceoff Factor

Coffey To Be Enshrined in Penguin's Hall Of Fame

Contributing Writers | Pittsburgh Penguins

Nov 2, 09:09 AM | Hype this story!

_The following has been written by Brian Metzer, a friend of Faceoff Factor’s, who writes for HockeyBuzz.com

The Pittsburgh Penguins have quickly become one of the classiest organizations in the National Hockey League and they have done something else to prove it. They have chosen to enshrine one of the best Penguins of all time in the team’s Hall of Fame.

Paul Coffey, who played 331 game for the Flightless Bird, was the first player to arrive in Pittsburgh who made the team seem legitimate after too many losing seasons, aside from Mario Lemieux that is. Coffey had won 3 Stanley Cup Championships with the Edmonton Oilers and helped bring that winning attitude to a ragtag group of youngsters who were primed for greatness.

Though he was only here for five years, he holds a very special place in Pittsburgh Penguins history. Coffey was a vital piece of the team that won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and was traded to the Los Angeles Kings as part of a three way deal that brought Rick Tocchet, Kjell Samuelsson and Ken Wregget to Pittsburgh for a second Cup run in 1992.

The fast skating defenseman, who wore skates two sizes too small, still holds numerous defensive scoring records in Pittsburgh. He is the only defenseman who ranks in the club’s all time top ten scorers in both assists and goals and holds team single-season records for defensemen in goals (30), assists (83), points (113), shots (342), power play assists (53) and power play points (64).

The native of Westin, Ontario is also the only defenseman in Penguins history to score more than 100 points in a season doing it twice. He had 30 goals and 113 points in 1988-89 and 29 goals and 103 points in 1989-90. He followed up with 24 goals and 93 points in 1990-91.

I can still remember hearing Mike Lange make the call on a nightly basis – Coffey to Lemieux, Lemieux to Coffey, Coffey to Lemieux…One timer…He shoots and scooooores! A Penguins power play goal! Those two were lethal together and it is nice to see a member of the old Double Trouble* crew being honored.

The Penguins will honor Paul Coffey along with Long-time locker room assistant Frank Sciulli during a pre game ceremony on November 15th prior to facing off against the New York Islanders.

• - Double Trouble – 33 Zarley Zalapski, 44 Rob Brown, 66 Mario Lemieux, 77 Paul Coffey – Also had 22 Paul Stanton and 55 Larry Murphy a little later