Steve Reich, agent for Mario Lemieux, dies at age 64

Before he was a dominant All-Star power forward who helped usher in the Pittsburgh Penguins’ first great championship era during the early 1990s, Kevin Stevens was a newcomer from Boston trying to get used to his new surroundings.

Steve Reich helped Stevens on that front.

“He was a true-and-true Pittsburgh guy,” Stevens said. “If I needed baseball tickets, if I needed football tickets, I called Steve. He was the guy that I went through. He knew everything in Pittsburgh, knew everybody in Pittsburgh. He’d come up with the best seats. He knew everything about everybody there in (Pittsburgh).”

Reich, a longtime agent in the NHL, died Sunday at the age of 64. According to an obituary posted on Everloved.com, Reich suffered a heart attack while golfing at South Hills Country Club.

Reich’s employer, 02K Sports Management, announced his death Monday.

Born in Washington, D.C., Reich grew up in the Birdland neighborhood of Scott Township and was a 1976 Chartiers Valley graduate. He went to college at Bucknell and law school at Pitt.

He began working as a sports agent in 1987 and was president of RBRT Sports Group from 1993-2000, representing hockey figures such as Mario Lemieux, Ron Francis, Tom Barrasso, Scotty Bowman and Stevens.

Along with his uncle Tom Reich, Steve Reich worked with many members of the Penguins who led the franchise to back-to-back Stanley Cup titles in 1991 and 1992.

“There was togetherness,” Stevens said by phone Monday. “It was all of us going out together. There was a togetherness. It was a family-type of thing. They were always around. It wasn’t like we saw them once a month. They set up dinners after games. They had everything set up for us. We’d just go eat, and they’d take care of things. We’d go on and play the next game. He was a really comforting guy. You could talk to him about anything. He was more of a friend than a ‘work guy’ for me.”

That sentiment was especially true for Lemieux, who keeps a limited circle of friends and associates.

Reich earned Lemieux’s trust and maintained a personal and professional relationship with him for decades.

“Mario has a tight group of friends, a tight group of people that he lets in,” Stevens said. “And Stevie was definitely one of them, I can tell you that much. He was Mario’s right-hand man for a long time. Anything that Mario did, Stevie seemed to be right there. When you have Mario’s trust, having a guy like that on your side, you’ve got to be a pretty good guy. Stevie, he was a friend more than a ‘work guy’ for all of us.”

At the time of his death, Reich was on the board of directors of the Mario Lemieux Foundation, which raises funds for cancer research.

“Steve was a longtime member of the Lemieux Foundation Board, and we are all grateful for his wise advice and counsel,” Nancy Angus, president of the foundation, wrote via email. “Steve had a knack for giving us great common-sense input while always keeping the Foundation’s long-term goals in mind. He will be remembered for his keen sense of humor, kindness and invaluable impact on the Foundation.”

Reich founded Reich Publishing & Marketing in 2001 and later worked with 02K Sports Management. His primary client in recent years was New York Rangers forward Vince Trocheck, a native of Upper St. Clair.

“He’s a Pittsburgh guy,” Stevens said of Reich. “He was always around us. He was literally a phone call away. (Agent) Pat Brisson was working with him and Tom and (agent) Dee Rizzo was there. There was a group of them that kind of worked together. It was more personable. It wasn’t like once a month we saw them. We saw them after every game. Had dinner with them after every game.

“He was born and raised (in Pittsburgh). He loved the Penguins. In the early 1990s, he was a huge part of our team.”

Reich is survived by his wife Tanya; children Arlene, Jack and Estelle; son-in-law Daniel, granddaughter Sophia; father Sam; stepmother Estelle; sister Hillary and brother Joe.

A memorial is scheduled at Rodef Shalom in Shadyside on Wednesday, with visitation beginning at 2 p.m.