While the NHL is on hold because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Tribune-Review will offer the Double Team project, an examination of the five best players who have contributed substantially to the Penguins and another franchise. For consideration, a player must have played at least the equivalent of a full season for each franchise. (Sorry, Jarome Iginla fans.)

Today, a look at the St. Louis Blues. As part of the NHL’s 1967 expansion class, the Blues, named after the W.C. Handy song, “Saint Louis Blues,” were the first true rivals of the Penguins, routinely engaging in fight-filled contests during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

In 149 all-time games against the Blues, the Penguins have a 56-69-24 record.

1. Greg Millen, goaltender

Were it not for a summer vacation, the fortunes of Millen and the Penguins could have been very different.

After Millen and the Penguins nearly upset the Blues in a preliminary round series during the 1981 playoffs, Millen was a restricted free agent during the ensuing offseason. He and his agent, Pat Caputo, were up front about trying to get the best possible deal for the young goaltender and openly courted offers from other teams.

While restricted free agents occasionally get offers from other teams today, it was virtually unheard of in this era.

Millen agreed to a lucrative offer from the Hartford Whalers in June but wanted to give the Penguins an opportunity to match, and a copy of the contract he agreed to was sent to the Penguins’ offices for general manager Aldedge “Baz” Bastien to review. The only problem was Bastien was on vacation and — at an time before cellular phones or other forms of immediate communication — could not be reached.

After receiving no response from the Penguins, Millen formally signed with the Whalers, who, per the rules of the day, had to compensate the Penguins by sending forwards Pat Boutette and Kevin McClelland to Pittsburgh.

Three years later, the Penguins were the worst team in the NHL and were in position to draft franchise icon Mario Lemieux. Had Millen remained with the team, Lemieux could have worn a different sweater during his career.

The Penguins selected Millen in the sixth round of 1977 draft, and he made his debut in 1978-79 at the age of 21, appearing in 28 games and going 14-11-1 as Denis Herron’s backup.

By 1979-80, the Penguins were so confident in Millen that they traded Herron to the Montreal Canadiens and handed the starting role to Millen. He rewarded that faith by going 18-18-7 in 44 games with two shutouts and led them to a near-upset of the favorited Boston Bruins in the qualifying round.

Millen regressed a bit in 1980-81, appearing in 63 games and going 25-27-10 but set a still-standing franchise record for goaltenders of 26 consecutive games played. After his strong playoff effort, the Penguins thought they had a franchise goaltender for the first time in the club’s history but ultimately lost him to Hartford.

Unable to lift the fortunes of the woebegone Whalers, Millen was traded to the Blues by February of 1985 and was initially part of a platoon with Rick Wamsley.

Millen took over as starter by 1987-88, playing in 48 games with a 21-19-7 record. His strongest season was 1988-89 when he appeared in 52 games and posted 22-20-7 record with six shutouts and even finished in fifth place in voting for the Vezina Trophy, which recognizes the NHL’s top goaltender.

Traded to the Quebec Nordiques midway through the 1989-90 season, Millen remains the Blues’ franchise leader in postseason wins with 17.

2. Joe Mullen, right winger

Undrafted out of Boston College, Mullen famously turned down an opportunity to play for the United States National Team that eventually won the gold medal during the “Miracle on Ice” in the 1980 Olympics. His reasons were simple as he was given a lucrative contract offer from the Blues.

Debuting in 1981-82, Mullen spent parts of five seasons in St. Louis. As a rookie, he put up 25 goals and 59 points in only 45 games. Had he played more, he might have finished higher than 11th in voting for the Calder Memorial Trophy, which recognizes the league’s top rookie.

After battling through injuries in 1982-83, Mullen broke out in 1983-84 by scoring a team-leading 41 goals — the first of his seven seasons with 40 or more goals — as well as 85 points in 80 games. He followed that up in 1983-84 by once again leading the team with 40 goals as well as 92 points in 79 games for the Norris Division champions.

Midway through the 1985-86 season, Mullen was traded to the Calgary Flames and won the Stanley Cup in Alberta in 1989.

Wanting to add veteran experience to a mostly younger roster, the Penguins acquired Mullen via trade in the 1990 offseason. Injuries limited Mullen to 47 games and 36 points in 1990-91, but by the postseason, he contributed eight goals and 17 points in 22 games as the Penguins claimed their first Stanley Cup championship.

Mullen reached the 42-goal mark in 77 games during the 1991-92 campaign, but a knee injury sidelined him for most of the postseason. Regardless, he got his name on the Stanley Cup for the third time.

After reaching the 30-goal mark twice in the next three seasons, Mullen joined the Boston Bruins as a free agent in the 1995 offseason before returning to Pittsburgh as a free agent less than a year later.

By the time he retired in 1997, the future Hockey Hall of Famer was the NHL’s career leader among American players in goals (502) and points (1,063).

3. Ab McDonald, left winger

Pittsburgh Penguins Forward Ab McDonald served as the Penguins’ first captain during their inagural season of 1967-68.  

A Stanley Cup champion in the late 1950s with the Montreal Canadiens and the early 1960s with the Chicago Black Hawks, McDonald extended his career into the 1970s with expansion teams.

Claimed by the Penguins in the 1967 expansion draft, McDonald spent one season in Pittsburgh, but it was a notable campaign as he served as the franchise’s first captain and led the team with 22 goals in 73 games.

Despite that success, he was traded to the St. Louis Blues in the 1968 offseason. During the 1968-69 season, he was selected for the All-Star Game, scoring 21 goals and 42 points in 68 games, then helped the Blues reach the Stanley Cup Final, losing to the powerful Canadiens.

He followed that up with another All-Star Game nod in 1969-70 as he scored a career-best 25 goals as well as 55 points in 64 games. In the playoffs, McDonald paced the Blues with 15 points games before losing once again in the Stanley Cup Final, this time to the Boston Bruins.

(Note: In the first three seasons following the 1967 expansion, teams were divided into two divisions split between the “original six” and expansion teams. By design, an “original six” team would meet an expansion team in the Stanley Cup Final until the NHL did away with the format prior to the 1970-71 format.)

Limited to 20 games in 1970-71, McDonald was traded to the Detroit Red Wings in May of 1971.

4. Gordie Roberts, defenseman

Roberts only played two seasons with the Penguins, but each of them ended with him holding the Stanley Cup above his head.

The Penguins acquired Roberts from the Blues early in the 1990-91 season. A physical and reliable defensive player, Roberts was one of the steadiest presences on a blue line that underwent major changes throughout the campaign. Appearing in 61 games during the regular season, he posted 15 points while primarily teamed with defenseman Larry Murphy. He then played in all 24 postseason games and added three points, helping the Penguins claim the 1991 Stanley Cup title.

Roberts followed that up in 1991-92 by playing in 73 games and recording 24 points. Then in the postseason, Roberts dressed for 19 games, racked up two assists and claimed his second Stanley Cup ring. During the ensuing offseason, he joined the Bruins as a free agent.

Before joining the Penguins, Roberts spent parts of four solid but hardly spectacular seasons with the Blues after being acquired at 1988 trade deadline from the Philadelphia Flyers.

His high-water mark in St. Louis was the 1988-89 campaign when he played 77 games and recorded 26 points. During the 1989-90 season, he appeared in 75 games, posting 17 points.

A native of Detroit, Roberts, who was a prolific scorer with the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association during the 1970s, was the first United States-born player to reach the 1,000-games mark and was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 1999.

5. Ian Cole, defenseman

Like Roberts, Cole was a Michigan native who was plucked out of St. Louis and helped the Penguins win two Stanley Cups.

Unlike Roberts, Cole was probably something of a disappointment in St. Louis. A first-round pick in 2007, Cole mostly struggled to find his game with that organization, bouncing between the NHL roster and the Peoria Rivermen of the American Hockey League. Cole regularly showed glimpses of his abilities in St. Louis but never seemed to gain the full trust of coaches, whether it was Davis Payne or Ken Hitchcock.

His best season in St. Louis might have been his last. After playing in 54 games and recording nine points, he was traded to the Penguins at the 2014 trade deadline.

In Pittsburgh, under the guidance of assistant coaches Sergei Gonchar and Jacques Martin, Cole developed his game and became a steady, defensive presence. In 2015-16, he became one of the team’s top penalty killers and led the squad with 122 blocked shots despite playing only 70 games.

During that postseason, he formed a steady third pairing with Justin Schultz and helped the franchise claim its third Stanley Cup title. During a 3-1 road win against the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Final, Cole scored the contest’s opening goal.

In 2016-17, while many of the team’s other defensemen missed time with significant injuries, Cole was in the lineup for 81 of 82 games in the regular season despite his style of play which once again allowed him to lead the team in blocked shots (194). He also established career highs of five goals and 26 points.

That postseason, he played in all 25 games for a fatigued team that won the Stanley Cup once again more through will than ability.

At the 2017-18 trade deadline, the Penguins dealt Cole to the Ottawa Senators in a three-way trade involving the Vegas Golden Knights.

Honorable mention: Marc Bergevin, defenseman; Robert Bortuzzo, defenseman; Ron Flockhart, center; David Perron, left winger; Ron Schock, center.

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