Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - Locked On Penguins 4/10-Chad and Penguins beat writer Josh Yohe join the show for some 92-93 season talk

Episode Date: April 10, 2020

In this episode of Locked On Penguins, Hunter welcomes Chad (madchad412) from Penguins twitter back onto the show and Penguins beat reporter Josh Yohe makes his debut as a guest. The three talk about the 1992-1993 Penguins season in great detail with how good they were, how they still can't believe they lost to the Islanders, etc. They also have a good old fashioned Gretzky vs Lemieux talk since both were at the height of their careers during that time. That and much more is in this episode. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Hello, welcome to this episode of the Locked-on Penguins podcast. I'm your host, Hunter Hodes, follow me on Twitter. At Hunter Hodes, follow the show's Twitter at L.O. underscore Penguins. Happy good Saturday to everyone. Yay. I'm especially on this Easter weekend. I hope you all staying safe during this coronavirus. But so we're going to continue our discussion today with the 92-93 team for the Penguins as being one of the best seasons in franchise history.

I teased it yesterday that... We're going to have not one guest on for today's episode, but two. Of course, Chad 412 from Penguin's Twitter is going to be returning. But a very special guest, he has never been on this podcast before. Penguins beatwriter Josh Yoey of the Athletic joins to talk about this season. First off, Josh, how are you doing? How many times have you watched Roadhouse since the last time you tweeted about it as well? First of all, there clearly are three special guests on this show.

as I see Jameson is joining us. I'm happy to see. As for your inquiry about Roadhouse, I've probably watched it two or three times since it. If it was on yesterday, I watched like half of it. You know, even when life is good, when it's time for Roadhouse,

but life is rough for all of us, so the more Roadhouse, the better. Yeah, I've honestly probably watched The Mandalorian on Disney Plus, the last episode probably 1,500 times now, and I just, I can't get enough with it. But, uh, chat,

how, how are you doing? Uh, and how is Jameson doing as well? He's good. He wants to watch kitties right now. So he's probably going to say the word kitty a lot. Uh,

but yeah, you get a two for one special with me and him today and Josh, a loaded show. I'm sure that, uh, I'm on the lowest tier of people who are going to want to tune in. It's going to be like, Josh,

then my son, then you, then me as far as like interest goes. So I don't think there's any question about that, but that's okay. Yeah. I kid. I kid. I'm going to ask his son about what he thinks of the team after we're all done here.

But Josh, I guess I'll start with you. What's the one thing that comes to your mind when you think of that 92, 93 season for the Penguins? Well, many people will tell you it was the greatest Penguins team of all time. And it certainly was the most dominant one. I was 13 at the time. and I remember watching every one of those games. And when the playoffs started, I didn't even think it was conceivable

that anybody could beat that team, let alone the New York Islanders. So to me, it's clearly the greatest team, I think, in Pittsburgh sports history that did not win a championship. Mario was at the height of his power. That was kind of his signature moment after coming back from Hodgkin's disease that season,

the way he dominated the league. It remains kind of a mystery to me. as to why they lost and you can blame the Kevin Stevens injury and certainly Mario's back was not good in the Islander series Barrasso played poorly but my God it still shouldn't have mattered they were that good yeah just you know going up three games to one in that series and somehow blow just blowing it I just I can't fathom how I would be at the time if I were alive and at a certain age when I could watch that series because I feel like I probably would have just um I would probably just start crying for the next couple weeks but uh chat

I'll ask the same question. What comes to mind when you think of that team? I mean, that was the first year that I was like a full-time hockey fan. I was, I don't really have any like, uh, actual vivid memories of the teams prior to that.

I was a little too young. Like, I can picture it, but I can't like, I don't remember much. That was the first year that I watched that team like on a, nightly basis. And I fell in love because Mario was like a god.

Like I had a picture of this guy in my room. Yager like they were they blew me away and I like Josh it was something that like they were so good that you didn't expect that to happen it was literally the most shocking we've had a lot of shocking defeats this Pittsburgh sports fans but I agree I think that's the most shocking because I understand like I bet you hockey fans couldn't name one or two guys off that Islanders team if you asked them on a spot they were nobody's and they beat that penguin team it was devastating um and to this day I went back and watched the games, and I don't understand how they lost. Even with everything that Josh said, they were that much better. And it just goes to show you that you can never, you can never like,

Gary, count on things or guarantee things. And it's sad because I think I would have loved to have seen the Penguins go on to face the Kings and have Mario and Gradsky playing at Stanley Cup final. That would have been amazing. And it just feels like it was just never meant to be. And also, Mario would have had the chance to play his hometown Canadians in the next round.

So that would have been the ultimate for him to go to Montreal on the playoffs, then to go face off against Wayne Gretzky. It would have been great. And the only guy those Islanders had that you have heard of is Pierre Turgeon, and he got hurt and didn't play in the series. Dale Hunter cheap shot at him at the end of the series before. So, no, that was like the ultimate no-name team. Al Arbor, their great coach, was really the only name that that team had at that time.

Josh, did you talk to any of the guys on that team? Like, what do they say about that loss? Like, I mean, you can say either stuff on the record or off the record. You don't have to say names. But, like, were they, like, is that something that haunted them? Or, like, were they, were they as equally shocked they lost that series? Yeah, they were. I've talked with a lot of guys about that series.

Rick Dock had told me it still bothers him more than any hockey game he's ever played because he's, you know, never played on a team that great. And he, of course, was on the 92 team the year before. And he actually scored one of the two goals to tie it late in game seven, as a matter of fact, to send. And remember, they were down three one, like five minutes left and actually tied it. And everybody thought they were going to win overtime. Of course, they did not. And Kevin Stevens, of course, got injured in the first period of that game, Richard Pylon hit him,

excuse me, knocked him out cold before he hit the ice. And really, Stevens' career was derailed from that point on. So I think the loss is more personal for him, probably, just because of the way he had to exit that game. But he also said, you know, he's not a day goes by that he doesn't think about that game. And he actually told me the story. He was in the hospital and conscious. Is that game one time? And they actually put a radio beside his bed. And he was listening to Mike Lange's call when David Wallach scored the goal. And he just remembers how much shock he was in because nobody on that team thought they could lose. But I think maybe that was part of the problem. I have to think overconfidence

was an issue. When you win 17 straight going into the playoffs, you're the two-time defending champs. You got Mario going the way he was. I don't think they thought anybody could beat them either. And when you think that way in the NHL, you know, stuff happens. That's, we've seen it before. Yeah, I mean, they thought they were invincible,

especially after, yeah, like you said, with the 17-game winning streak, Mario, to do what he did, come back from the Hodgkins lymphoma, you know, that's, I remember that's one of the first things, you know, my mom told me about, you know, Mario, is that he came back. and not only caught Pat LaFontaine, but he breezed past him too,

like it was nothing. And he looked like he just had nothing. They just, you know, they thought they were, like I said, I thought they were invincible. And they thought,

you know, no one's going to beat us. We were the best. And I think it's kind of get lost. Just how good Rick Tocke was that season, 109 points and 80 games. I think another underrated thing was, Ron Francis just,

oh, a hundred point season for him. He was just, he was on another level. for that team too. He gets lost in the conversation when we talk about all time penguins. Like I don't think people realize how good Ron Francis was. Yeah.

No, I mean, the thing about Ron Francis is like he put up 100 points a season which is that saying something to begin with. He actually brought a defensive culture to the penguins. So while he was bringing defense and even being a shotgun guy,

he's still putting up 100 points the season. Like that, how many people could have done that in the history of the game? Not that many. Yeah, it's weird. Like nationally, like, if you talk like the national hockey, like I think they just had him on like, talk to 20 centers of all time. But like then like here in Pittsburgh,

you know, we talk about like Malcolm Crosby, Yager-Littang, you know, and everybody like, his name does not get brought up probably as much if it should. Like he was. They don't win those cups without him in the early 90s. I mean,

he made a huge difference. I mean, he was literally the guy who took every big face off who, play the other team's best center. He was always out there against Messier or whatever the number one center was. And he still put up his numbers.

Yeah. And I also think, I think people get lost in just how good Larry Murphy was that season. I know, Josh, you had in your article, or this, your Top 20 Penguins article this week, where you had Larry Murphy rank pretty high. And I think, like Ron Francis, people forget just how good he was. Yeah. Larry Murphy was awesome.

Let's put it this way. He's with the penguins for about four years. He put up a point per game almost, exactly, which for a defenseman, I realized he had great teammates. Nobody likes the plus-minus stat, and I understand that. But I like to reference it when it's something really noticeable. He played 300 games with the penguins. He was a plus 101.

That's off the parts. The penguins weren't really the most defensively responsible team. No. God know they weren't. Larry Murphy was a great hockey player. He absolutely was. The one thing I wish that we got to see on this team, especially in the playoffs, was him and Paul Coffey,

because I feel like that would be just, that honestly would probably not be fair. Well, the problem was somebody had to play defense, and if you put those two together, and they did play together a little bit in 91. But, I mean, those two were in the power, play was both of them on the power play usually with Mario and Stevens and Recky in 91. I think that's all Hall of Famers except for Stevens and he certainly was playing at a

Hall of Fame level at that point. Yeah. Let's throw a hypothetical out, right? Let's throw, let's change. We go back. We do some Marvel movie stuff. We go back in time and the penguins, they win like they're supposed to. What do you think that would have done for the Lemieux Gretsky argument if Lambeau?

you would have been able to win a third and three in a row. Do you think that that would have kind of tilted it more with more people on his corner of being better than Gretzky? It may have. The only problem would be, I'm looking at this from the standpoint of the Gretzky truthers, we'll call them. You know, Gretzky was getting a little older at that point. He was definitely a little bit past his prime.

But that said, he had a great season. Yeah, I think Mario goes toe to toe with Gretzky and the penguins beat them, it probably does make something of a difference. I don't know who would have been But I think it would have been the attention of people for sure Yeah I would have that I don't That's like the one series that I wish I think we all would have seen

Was just Mario and Wayne go at it Because I mean I had a video game Based on it they have Yeah I remember that yeah I just I'll always say I mean I'm of course I probably may sound biased So I always think we'll think Mario is the best player to ever live We just know that Wayne Gretzky is the more accomplished player

even though he was also insanely good as well. But like I said, yeah, if you're asking me to take Mario or Gretzky and the prime, I'm taking Mary. Because I think Gretzky, I remember reading a few times back, I think he said that if Mario were healthy without all this stuff, I think he said he would have shattered his records. I might be wrong potentially with that, but I do remember reading that in a bunch of places like a couple years ago.

Gretzky actually wrote an autobiography many years ago. And his first reference to Mario, he said that if Mario played with a broken team instead of a stick, he would still win the screen title. That's Gretzky's way of complimenting him, but it's also his passive-aggressive way of saying, I worked a lot harder than Mario. And I mean, he did. Mario wasn't like Sid in terms of work ethic. He wasn't. Are he smoking cigs like before games? Yeah, he didn't stop smoking until after he was diagnosed with cancer. He was down on a pack of Peters a day.

I mean, that's just like he was. But when you come from Montreal, like, I don't know if you guys have ever been to Montreal. Great city. Everybody still smokes there. It's just like the one place in the world where you still see people smoking everywhere. It's like being in Pittsburgh in 1986. Everybody smokes. But Mario was just so much more gifted than anyone else.

He didn't have to practice. He really didn't. So much more talented than anyone who ever played. Tell me one thing Gretzky could do better than him. Honestly, one thing. there's not. I could name five or six things Mario could do the Gretzky couldn't do, but just in terms of pure talent and just given what a big man Mario was,

he was six inches taller and had that big wingspan, which is so much stronger, he could just physically do things Gretzky couldn't do. You don't have to throw anybody under the bus, and you might not be able to say, but like off the record or, you know, have you ever, those guys, is that something that the players, like, talked about? Do you think that they were like,

like, where there were guys that were like, yeah, Mario, I think Mario is better than, progress here you know there's no way like those guys that's something they talked about is that something to mario like do you think deep down inside he thinks he's better than way or was better than wayne probably i you know i i've mario doesn't talk with the media much i'd be aligned to you if i said i'd like some relationship with him i don't know i've certainly never had a

conversation like that but no i've talked with teammates it's interesting i've talked with people who have played with both of them rick tocket um Kevin stevens Paul coffee those are all guys at some point point played with him or some of them played internationally with him. And it's a very awkward topic for players. You always get the feeling that nobody wants to come out and say, yeah, he was better than Gretzky because, you know, you don't want to upset the establishment. Right.

But you always get the sense that, yeah, they kind of think that he was. They were just, you know, such different personalities, too. Like, everything about Mario and Gretzky's different. Mario is so shy. Like, if you guys ask Wayne Gretzky to come on, your podcast, he probably would because he likes attention so much. He can't help himself. He loves being in a spotlight.

Mario doesn't. There's so many different angles. And what's interesting to me is their relationship. I've had so many people tell me that Mario and Gretzky are cordial with one another. But deep down, like Mario doesn't really like him that much. Gretzky probably doesn't like him very much. They're just a weird friction there. Same with Krosby and Ovechkin.

You can tell, like, nobody will come on say it, but they don't really like each other, which I kind of like actually. But, yeah, Mario and Gretzky is so different in so many different ways, but they can only historically, I think, be compared to one another. Yeah, no, I 100% agree with that. And, yeah, and like you said about Mario, yeah, he's definitely been always been very shy. I can probably, he's probably only spoke to the media, Josh, only probably on, you can probably only count it on one hand, I would say, throughout his time as a penguin owner.

Oh, yeah, the two cops he talked after those when they fired Dan Bilesmae talked. Yep. Mario and Gretzky and Bobby Orr, I'll talk to the All-Star game in L.A. a couple years ago, which was pretty cool. And that doesn't bother me, by the way. There are people in my line of work who get bent out of shit. Ooh, he won't even four. How dare him? I'm going to damn well. I'll go after them, though. I don't give a shit if he doesn't want to. Like, that's his business. And honestly, there's always been kind of what makes him cool in a way. He's got that aura of mystery about him, right?

Mystique, right? He's like, one of my favorite actors is Leonard DeCate. And, like, you don't know, like, anything about, like, his personal life, right? Like, I like that. I don't like the fact that he's like, here's my reality. Like, he has, like, a reality show of his life and show, like, you have no idea, like, what Mario does. He's Mario Loof. And, like, there's this mystique behind him.

And I, I, that, I'm attracted to that because I respect it so much, especially nowadays in our social media life for everybody. I mean, you can see the inside of people's lives and every day. And it's like, I still don't know anything about Mary Lemieux, other than he likes wine. I guess that's how I know. He likes wine for sure. He likes to play golf. I, you know, I know a lot of people who are close with him. And I, you know, I know, everybody loves him. You will not hear a bad word about him. And my dealings with him is a really nice, any guy you'd like him. No, I met him. I met him once. And, like, I was like, I was like shaking, you know, because I was, I was younger. And he's like the most, like, he's like, he was like a god to me when I was a kid. And he was just like, he just shook my hand. He shook my mom's head. And he's like the most modern. He's like the most modern. He's like, he's like the most modern. He's. He's like the most modern. He's guy ever and again just like you're like your your feelings in effection for him or go up even more because they're like that dude could literally walk around and be like I'm a god and he doesn't he's like so humble and it's it's amazing to see I wish more people were like that he's the one person

you know in my line of work I'm around a lot of famous people like I I talk with didney crosbie every day I'm around all these guys and I'm not starstruck because I'm always around celebrity he's the one person I'm still when he walks into the room like oh shit it's mariel like Yeah. He's got this royal presence about him. Like you feel like the prince just walked in or something. That's just how he is. I can see like...

Never known anyone else like that. Yeah. And I can see where Crosby gets like that kind of stuff from Mario. Because Crosby, he's like pretty reserved, I think, with his private life too, you know, not on social media. You know, maybe he has a burner account somewhere. I've always read stories about that. I think he said he had one.

But you don't really know too much about his personal life too much. I think he definitely got that a lot. lot of that for Mario. No, I do too. I think that's a great point. I mean, when Sid came here, when the parents on the draft lottery, Sid was still 17. Yeah.

He didn't get 18 until the next month. Think about that. Think about how all of us were 17. And he shows up he, I think, emulated Mario a lot. I really believe that. And that's why he's so private and probably smart.

And I can confirm he did have a burner account on Twitter. Oh, he said he caused me. He specifically told me that one day a Rob Rossi tweet pissed him off so much that he just, he just disabled it and that was it. Oh, that's lovely. That's lovely. People that listening to this are going to go and try to my God.

That is, that is just absolutely. I can't take it over that. But to get back to the team a little bit, you know, I mean, you know, you have a 20-year-old Yarmier-Yar-Yager on this team, 94 points, you know, Joe Mullen, he was getting up there and age. He was just out of... Oh, my God. He was awesome. You know, you have a young Marty Strachka getting into the league, 20 years old. I mean, he... One of my favorites. Yeah. I mean, I know he only had... He played about half the season, but, you know, Troy Loney's still there. You know, Ulf Samuelson is still in his prime, who is, you know,

I'll always, I will always say that Ulf Samuison hit on Camille was clean. And if anyone wants to get mad at me, go right ahead. But... But, yeah, you just... It's ahead of, like, this that mix of youth in like the veterans like I said with yager he's not even 21 yet and joe mullen he was awesome and marty straca of course what he did later years with his penguin tenure it was just those like especially with mowlin and schroka they were just they were just awesome i thought no they weren't you know the one problem with the 93 team i don't know how you guys feel about the quote unquote role players you know guys like max talbot or mac cook or nick benino guys like that the penguins did lose full book that's um

or to free agency, one to the Rangers. And then Craig Patrick traded Bob Erie late in the regular season for Mike Ramsey to the Buffalo Sabres. Ramsey, who played on the 1980 Olympic team, of course, Craig Patrick was a coach on that team, so they had a relationship. And he was kind of your classic stay-at-home defenseman who's not really in the league anymore. And Bob Erie was not a star, but he was a really good third-line player, a great penalty killer.

Guys like that can come in handy in the playoffs, and they lost a little bit of team speed too when he left Bob could fly. So they did lose some of those blue guys, I think. And they had so much star power, they probably figured they didn't need it, but they had younger guys in that role. Maybe some of them weren't ready.

I don't know. But still, on paper, that team was so loaded. Sean McHackern was a good player. Yeah. He could score. He could really skate. Pretty Strachau, one of my favorite penguins ever. What a good player he was, man.

He never did much when he was anywhere else, when he was with the penguins, like he was just a productive player. He could fly, he could do it all, could play any position up front too. So, I mean, the collection of talents on that team was pretty outrageous.

If there were a salary cap, that team never would have existed. I'm looking at the roster right now, and I'm like, yeah, that's, no way I would have had to lose, like, three guys. I mean, I think we've seen that in the cross. I think it's weird how history repeats itself because I think we've seen that, And then we still went after a period of him.

Welcome to his period where this guy is so much that they felt like they could get away with having shit for both and third lines. And then when it gave a place and teen shit down with the present three left in the back of the line, they had nobody else that had a supporting thing. And so you mentioned that, you know, when Rutherford came there, we started to see the last few years when they were like, okay, yeah, we don't need a vote of six to contribute. So I think that's where I'm going to say for them. And I forget a period of that time with Grazieman-Man. That's right, but, you know, the thing with the 93 Penguins,

we can talk about that all we want and that you make good points. But nobody ever talks about in that series. Mario's back just went out. Yeah. He couldn't skate. And it happened, I think, it was game one or, it was game one. He left early in the game. He got hurt.

Game one or two, I think it was game one. Yeah, it was like a Sunday afternoon game. He left in the first period. He went out. And he actually had a couple of procedures done during that series, so traction something or other. I know those story because he drove out to Peter's Childship, which is where I live before game five.

And some procedure done on his back that really well in game five, they won. And game six, it got really bad again. He came out before game seven, had it done again. It had like the reverse effect. He could barely move in game seven. So. Yeah, they'd say something like he couldn't even bend it over it.

He couldn't even bend every day's skates or even. I read that too. Yeah. Yeah, I mean. Yeah, I read that story a bunch. No, it's true. I mean, so he, if he were healthy, he was just so dominant at that time that you have to assume he would have found a way to win that game almost on his own. And you can't say that about many other players, but when you look at how level he was playing at that year, it probably would have been the case.

But, you know, he was not healthy. Stevens got hurt. Barrasso was really bad in the last couple of games in that series. He really lost his way a little bit. and crazy things happened on the island, unfortunately, for the penguins over the years. That's never been a kind building to them. They lost games four and six there. And remember the 2013 penguins had their issues in that building as well.

Like, it's just, I don't know why. Some buildings are like that, but that's definitely one. And last year's, yeah, that building, I just, I can't, I still don't understand in this day how they're still playing in that building. Thank God, Josh, that they're getting a new arena in the next couple of years, finally, I think by Belmont or something The Belmont Steaks up there or something And they finally can play in an arena

That is an actual good arena for NHL hockey There's just that that barn is just I hate it Aside from that, let me tell you, their fans are a strange bunch I'm not saying all Islanders fans But the fans in that building It was funny I was actually on the phone with a friend of mine

During that series last year And I said, you know, I've never believed in this phrase this toxic masculinity. This is all like extreme feminist bullshit. I don't believe this at all. I said, you know what? I said, after being in this building, I see what toxic masculinity is, it's Islanders fans.

It's really bizarre frat-boy atmosphere. Like, they might be worse than Flyers fans. Like, Flyers fans like are almost subhuman, but they're kind of entertaining. Like, Islanders fans are just, I don't even know what to be. They have E. from Entourage, Kevin Connolly's, like, a diehard Islanders fan. He blocks me on

touring that 2013 series. I know that talking that I got blocked on Twitter, but... The funniest memory I had from that series was when Ryan Whitney was watching with a couple of people, and then I think it was in game one when Justin Shultz tied the game. Love Ryan Whitney because he's just a hilarious person. He went berserk on the Islanders fans that were on the call,

just kept talking a bunch of garbage. I just... I love Ryan. That was just... But they really are an interesting bunch. Like I was saying, you know, Josh, when that highlight of the Volick goal of Game 7 comes on the TV when the two teams are playing, like they like to show the highlights of the old rivalry, I turn the station. I can't, I can't watch it. I think other people are like it too.

I'm sure maybe Chad is as well. I can't watch that highlight. Well, I was 13 years old in 93. And I remember that night. It was yesterday, May 14th, 1993. It was a Friday night. and I young Josh may have shed a tear that night in fact I'm not going to lie that was because that team I'm telling you the love affair that Pittsburgh had with that team is hard to explain they weren't just great it was just the personalities on that team there's like tockett and Stevens and olf and these were like the most entertaining guys who just said whatever they felt like they didn't give a shit they just in the words of Phil Bork we were. were a bunch of riverboat gamblers.

Ironically enough, like, Rick Tocket was once indicted in a federal gambling ring, and I was told by Phil Bork that he was only, like, the fourth or fifth biggest gambler on that team. Like, that's how bad it was. Like, NFL Sundays were unbelievable. Like, Tockeet one day just walked in and handed his entire paycheck to Stevens.

Like, it was getting that out of control, and Yager kept saying to everyone, like, what the fuck, Bengal, what the fuck Bengal? And, like, they tried to help him how to bet. And he would have bet his whole paycheck on games, no wonder he ended up in Vegas a few years ago look at who his role models were but they were just fun to cheer for me how could

you not like that group they just they had everything yeah Rick Tocket was just something one funny story about Rick Tocket this was I think this was before this was also before I was born my mom when she was in Pittsburgh back and this was actually like him during the season I think he had gotten to a fight

the night before and like she went into the bank and apparently he was there depositing a check and And she was like, oh my God, should I say something? And she was like, nice fight last night, man. And he was like, oh, he had like this. She said he has like this massive black eye from it. Because I think he got like the shit kicked out of him.

And he was like, he was like, oh, yeah, thanks. And he like just walked out. That's like, that's like the funnyest Rick talking moment I, that I can think of, honestly. Yeah, but those, I'm just, and I've been fortunate in my position to get to know so many guys from those early 90s teams. and like they're all so great well except for the goaltender i guess but i've never really had a conversation with tom but even the people on that team didn't really like him it's just just a weird dude i mean he was just cut from a different cloth entirely unfortunately but i you know i have had guys tell me like we wish he'd come back to one of our reunions like we wish he would you know

come back to one of our golf outings or something but maybe someday he will but but tom just has a lot of resentment toward the penguins in Pittsburgh and, you know, I don't know why. And also, maybe he was just jealous that Ken Reggett's mask was just so much better than him. To the way, I was, I'm obsessed with Ken Regget's penguin mask. It was the best. It was the best. Ken Regget owns a bar in Bridgeville.

You should go hang out. Yeah, no, I've been there. I've been there before. I've been there before, yeah. I mean, I'm serious. I would be in school and I would be, like, trying to draw his, it's, it's, Penguin mask. I was obsessed with it. The day that I'm waiting for the most for as long as I've been a Penguin fan,

for both of you guys, just to almost wrap this thing up, is the day that Yarmour Yager is finally going to have his jersey retired. Because I love the article, Josh, that Rossi actually did on the Athletic, because Phil Bork got to talk to Yager. I'd like to think that it's coming in the next couple of years because it's, I know some Penguin fans still weirdly hate Yarmu Yager. I've talked about this on my podcast. And I hate everybody.

It's stupid. It's dumb. Yeah, yeah, I know. It's completely stupid. But Josh, you got to think it's coming in the next couple years, right?

It is. The only thing is, Yager is, like, still playing for a team of Jones. I believe it's 48 now. I mean, apparently he's still pretty good, too. He's like a man child.

Hashtag Yager watch. Yeah. I mean, why not? Borky saw him play over there. He said, hey, he still looks pretty good. Like, you know, I mean, I don't think I's a freak of nature. So I suspect that we'll have to wait until he's officially done playing. But it's going to happen.

Is there still, I mean, I don't know if you can tell me this, but is there still like anonymosity between him and the team or the team versus him? Or is anything with Mario or anything like that? No, no. In fact, a couple of memories I have, the awful twillness. 2012 series between the Penguins and Flyers, which I know bothered many people. I still remember after game six of that series in Philly, I watched Mario have like a 15-minute conversation with Yager after the game, and I think they were kind of making their piece.

I had that sense. And I saw them in L.A. when they did the top 100 players in history, which Malcon, of course, infamously was not named. Mario and Yager, of course, were both there. They were very friendly with one another, had a nice chat. and Mario has made it exceedingly clear that he wants Yager's number to be retired. It will be probably not until after Yager's done playing.

So maybe he'll play for another year or two and it won't be until then, but 100%. It's absolutely going to happen. And what a great night that will be. Yeah. I think, I honestly, truly think that tears may come to his eyes when he sees the reception that he's going to get. I know he's been, I know, I think he definitely knows

that some Penguins fans resented him after what happened in 2012 and all that. And I will get arrested in Yonoggers defense that night. I will be there. I will purchase a ticket. If anyone does anything stupid, I will gladly take one for Yager's team, minus on a sign. I'm just letting everybody know right now.

I'll be happy to write the article about it. But do you guys remember, I think it was 2017, Yager's last season with Florida. That was a Sunday afternoon game, and Yago got a standing ovation. That's right. I think it was for being on the top 100 team. And he knew that was going to be his last game in Pittsburgh.

And that was quite a moment. There was not one person booed that day. Like that was clearly a crowd that was there to forgive him. You know how I feel about Madden, but I do. There's one thing that I heard him stay one time that I do agree with. I mean, that's rare. It's broken is that a lot of the people that you see on Twitter, like those aren't the same people that go to the games.

That is true. People that hate Latang. You go to a Penn's game, dude, and you see Latang jerseys everywhere. I mean, there is a difference. It's just that the Twitter, there's a, you know, everybody can see your opinion. But when you go to those games, it is different about how people feel about those playoffers. You guys don't want to hear this, maybe, but I've never heard Jack Johnson get food in that building. I mean, and I don't know there's people in that building who know he's not very good, whatever, but I've never, the fans there are different than you see on Twitter.

They do not turn on players. And, you know, Yager used to get booed there a lot, but it wasn't like everybody was booing him. You know, and as years have been by, that certainly started to change a little bit. And I hope people have to respect what he did. There would be no Pittsburgh Penguins of fully got Yarmory Yager. 1999, baby.

What he did in that series, playing on one leg, just people were handling the best team in the league. They got three more home games and all the revenue they got from that. I always remember game six, that late in that third, it looks like, oh, my God, the penguins are going to, they're going to leave. And then he ties it and then that overtime, it was, it was Straca, that pat, Shaka to him, right? I'm just, yeah. And then you knew right then it was like, oh, my God, they might actually pull this off. And then they, yeah.

No, I can't wait to see that night when Yager comes back. That'll be a special evening. Yeah, no. So you like, where did you, where, I'm forgetting your article now. Where did you have Yager on your list? I had a lot of three, yeah. Three, okay, yeah. Mine would be from you, Krosby, Yager, Malk, and would be my tough.

Yeah, me too. Yeah, I mean, some people were pissy with me that I didn't have Malkin ahead of Yager, and I get it. You can make an argument. I don't think they saw Yager play. I'm being dead serious. I agree. Listen, I'm a big Gino supporter.

Not only do I think he's one of the top 100 players ever. I think he's probably like top 25 ever. Yeah, yeah, definitely. I mean that. That's how good Yager was. It wasn't as good as Yager. Yager has more scoring titles than Krosby and Malcolm combined, right? Yager and his Pittsburgh career had a better point for game total than Krosby or Malkin at a time when it was harder to score.

And that's just shows us how spoiled we are. We have four of the probably 25 best players ever in our franchise. Like that's crazy. And three of the top 10 ever probably. So, I mean, yeah, no doubt. But, yeah, Yager, if you didn't see him play, you don't know how great he was. He was, you can make an argument between Yager and Crosby. take Crosby

but you can make you're gonna definitely yeah no absolutely yeah I just I wish I got to watch him in his prime

you know I was only a baby I was only a baby when he had his 1999 heroics yeah poor me but to end

to end this episode Josh I'm gonna ask I'm gonna ask this I'll also ask actually ask this to chat too Josh do you think we're going to see hockey this late in summer

June July or anything like that what are you thinking at this point I'll say two things about it. My instinct is a human being who doesn't know anything about what might happen is my instinct says no, probably not. However, I will tell you this, I know for a fact that Gary Bettman and every owner in the NHL, they really want to happen. Like, they really do. And they are willing to go in

as late as Labor Day for a Stanley Cup final for it to happen. So I'm not going to write it off and say it's not possible. But, you know, sitting here right now in early to mid-April, it it's hard to imagine that things are going to change so swiftly that we could be seen hockey in two months. I hope I'm wrong. But I'm kind of leaning against it at this point. But I don't think they're going to make any announcements for a while because I think they want to wait and see for a few weeks and see where this thing goes. And I think that's a smart approach. When I hear people say, we're going to be shut down for three years, you don't know that.

Unless you see what happens. And hopefully things will get back to normal. Chad, what do you think, man? As someone that goes, like, see, I saw Josh's Twitter point yesterday. It was like, you know, would you go to a Penguins game? I think it's easy to sit on a computer and click yes. Like, yeah, I'd go to a Penguins game. Like, you know, I got a son.

You know, I got a mom. Like, so if I went to a Penn's game and I got into a crowded arena with 18,000 people, for one thing, I'm definitely not bringing my son with me. So I would feel really awkward with people that would bring their kids to that. At this point, I think it's easier to say that you would want to go. We won hockey. I mean, we're talking about a team that played like 30 years ago because that's I want to watch a boarder here.

I want to talk about these things. I would have watched Joe Pachrodd. Jackdoss in a play when I want to talk to me now. Yeah. I hope there is, for me personally, especially with the potential with Jake Gensel coming back. Yeah, I think by the time this would ever get started, I think he'll be almost 100% healthy,

considering it to be almost June is, if I'm correct, June is six months. months for his surgery. Oh, and Hunter, I will say this. If there is hockey in July or August, it's a huge advantage for the penguins. I would like their chances a lot more than I would have in April because you get Gensel back, because the flyers are going to have three months removed from their hot streak, who knows what form they will be.

And the penguins have a bunch of older guys who will be rested. And the penguins also, all the penguins' best players have been hurt so much in their career, La Tang, Crosby, Malkin. They're used to missing a few months and coming right back. the action. So I would think the Penguins could benefit theoretically. If there is hockey and I hope there is, I'm not betting on it though. Jake Gensler is by watching him this season.

I was a product of Cosby and is that benefit because if anything, he probably makes a fraud. He's a star. There's no doubt. He had 20 goals in, what, 39 games before he got hurt. He was almost over a point for game player. He's absolutely unbelievable. But I do want to thank both of you guys for coming on this episode.

I really do appreciate it. especially Josh getting your insight because, you know, especially for a chat too, because you guys were both alive and teenagers during this series, you know, I wasn't even here yet. I'm the old one here.

Hunter is just a baby, clearly. I know, yeah. I'm the absolute baby, but yeah. We'll have more episodes coming next week for sure. Probably, like I said, three more. We'll probably do another best season in franchise history next week, too. I've got to figure out which other season

than I'm going to do. probably trying to bring on a couple other people. But thank you guys so much for listening. And we will talk to you all next week.