New Penguins hall of famers remain connected to Pittsburgh
The Pittsburgh Penguins’ heated rivalry with the Washington Capitals existed well before Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin burst into the NHL at the dawn of the 21st century.
In mid-April of 1991, the original chapters of this anthology were written during the Patrick Division final of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
After the Capitals won the first game of the series, the Penguins stormed back to claim the series with four consecutive wins, starting in Game 2 with a 7-6 victory in overtime thanks to a goal by rugged power forward Kevin Stevens.
The primary assist went to linemate Ron Francis.
Gaining the offensive zone on the right wing, Francis generated a two-on-one against Capitals defenseman Mike Lalor. Faking a slapper, Francis pulled his stick down then deftly slid a pass to the left circle where a streaking Stevens tapped in a forehand shot over the right legs of sprawling goaltender Mike Liut.
If you wanted to explain Ron Francis as a passer, you could do no better than showing this feed to Kevin Stevens for the winning goal of Game 2 in the 1991 Patrick Division final: pic.twitter.com/xit7fibvZj
— Seth Rorabaugh (@SethRorabaugh) October 25, 2025
“That fake slap shot that (Francis) does, about two weeks before that, he did it,” Stevens said of Francis. “I went to the net, and I thought he was going to shoot, and he passed it to me. I didn’t see it, and I didn’t know he was going to do that. Then we had that same play in overtime. We did the same exact thing, and I was ready that time.”
Exploits such as those were among the many reasons Francis and Stevens, along with former executives and coaches Scotty Bowman and Eddie Johnston, were formally inducted into the team’s relaunched hall of fame Saturday at PPG Paints Arena.
In addition to a ceremony before a contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets, the Penguins revealed a physical space inside the arena to celebrate those who have qualified for this recognition.
Behind Section 112 in the main concourse, plaques for every player, coach and executive now adorn the wall. Along with that, displays for the four most recent honorees, including gloves, jerseys and jackets, are under glass.
Additionally, a display case honoring iconic broadcaster Mike Lange — complete with his handwritten game notes and his egg timer used to remind him when to announce the score — serves as a separate area to recognize many of the team’s honored contributors off the ice.
Few had better credentials for such recognition than Francis, second in NHL history with 1,249 career assists. His passing helped the Penguins claim back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992.
“Ronnie was one of those players that disguised his passes really well, where he would either sell shot or look one way/pass another way,” former Penguins forward Phil Bourque said. “If you want to play with Ron Francis, you really need to expect the unexpected and keep your stick on the ice because you rarely had to move your stick.”
Of course, having no shortage of options to pass to was helpful as well. The Penguins boasted several players who eventually reached the 500-goal plateau over their careers, including Francis (549).
Stevens’ career wasn’t long enough to reach that plateau, but in the early 1990s, Stevens was the power forward in the NHL.
“Big Arthur,” Francis said, using the formal version of Stevens’ nickname, Artie. “Our first Cup run, that was my left winger, him on the left. … Terrific guy. Love Artie. Really excited to be going in with him.”
Bowman, 92, and Johnston, 89, are hockey lifers who have seen virtually everything one can observe in the sport, including the transformation of the Penguins from a woebegone expansion franchise to winners of multiple championships over the past 35 years.
Only the Montreal Canadiens (10) — once coached by Bowman — have more Stanley Cup titles since the Penguins joined the NHL in 1967.
“I see the five Stanley Cup (banners),” said Bowman, himself a 14-time winner of the trophy. “Somebody mentioned last night, I think it was (current president of hockey operations) Kyle Dubas, when you think about the expansion in 1967 … Pittsburgh has got five Stanley Cup (championships).”
“It’s amazing that this team has continued to go on. It’s wonderful for the city of Pittsburgh.”
The city will always mean something to the four honorees.
“I grew up in a steel town,” said Francis, a native of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. “I know Pittsburgh is no longer a steel town business-wise, but that mentality of the people, the hard work and what they appreciate was very similar to me growing up, my dad being a steelworker.
“I loved the city. I loved the people. I thought we connected well. It really had a profound impact on me and my career.”
Seth Rorabaugh is a TribLive reporter covering the Pittsburgh Penguins. A North Huntingdon native, he joined the Trib in 2019 and has covered the Penguins since 2007. He can be reached at srorabaugh@triblive.com.
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