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Vancouver Canucks – Vancouver Canucks Cocktail

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Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we look at the Vancouver Canucks, the Sip Advisor’s hometown and favourite squad. I’ll try my best to not show any bias!:

Establishment Story: The Canucks joined the NHL as an expansion team in 1970. Previously, minor league versions of the Canucks played in the Pacific Coast Hockey League and Western Hockey League from 1945-70. Canucks owners had bid to join the NHL for its 1967 expansion, but were denied. They also tried to have the Oakland Seals moved to Vancouver, but that was vetoed by the NHL.

Stanley Cups: The Canucks have not won the big one, despite appearing in three Stanley Cup Finals (1982 vs. New York Islanders, 1994 vs. New York Rangers and 2011 vs. Boston Bruins). In two of those championship series, they played to a seventh and deciding game, coming up short both times. Vancouver did win back-to-back President’s Trophies in 2011 and 2012, but the ultimate prize has always eluded the franchise.

Celebrity Fan: Singer Michael Bublé is a passionate supporter of the Canucks, as the Burnaby native has been for most of his life. Bublé even has an ownership stake in the Western Hockey League Vancouver Giants junior team. Bublé is such a hockey fan, part of his concert contract rider asks each promoter to include the puck of a local team in his dressing room.

Buble

Super Fan: First appearing on December 22, 2009, the infamous Green Men – wearing full-body spandex outfits – quickly became recognizable fixtures at Canucks games. Taking their seats next to the visitor’s penalty box, the Green Men (Adam ‘Force’ Forsyth and Ryan ‘Sully’ Sullivan) would mercilessly mock those sent to the sin bin with signs and other antics. The duo was inducted into ESPN’s Hall of Fans, before retiring after the 2014-15 season.

Mascot: Fin the Whale was introduced on June 4, 2001. Among the orca/killer whale’s favourite things are B.C. salmon, the book Moby Dick and the movie Free Willy… not to mention arena popcorn! His least favourite team, of course, would be the defunct Hartford Whalers. While Fin is perhaps best known for his charity appearances, he also has a habit of chomping unsuspecting fan’s heads.

Tradition: Towel Power was born during the 1982 Campbell Conference Finals. When coach Roger Nielson grew frustrated over what he viewed to be lopsided officiating, he waived a white towel attached to a raised stick as his sign of surrender. Upon the team’s return to home ice, fans began waving towels in support of the coach and team. The Canucks won three straight, advancing to their first Stanley Cup Finals.

Appearances in Media: Thanks to actress Cobie Smulders hailing from Vancouver, like her How I Met Your Mother character Robin Scherbatsky, a number of references to the Canucks occurred over the course of the sitcom’s nine seasons. These included multiple occasions where Scherbatsky is clad in a Canucks jersey, mentions players from the team and attends a Canucks-New York Rangers game.

Green Men

Events/Scandal: Following their defeats in both the 1994 and 2011 Stanley Cup Finals, Downtown Vancouver became engulfed in riots that destroyed property and caused numerous injuries. Thankfully, in both incidents, no deaths were reported. In the aftermath of the 2011 riot, 887 criminal charges were laid against 301 suspects, hopefully deterring future similar behaviour.

Rivalry: The Canucks lacked a true geographic rival until the Seattle Kraken entered the NHL in 2021. Up to that point, rivalries with fellow western Canada clubs the Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers have always existed, as well as incident- and playoff-born rivalries with teams such as the New York Rangers, Colorado Avalanche, Chicago Blackhawks and Boston Bruins.

Tragedy: The Canucks franchise has been struck with tragedy on a few occasions. One of the team’s first stars, Wayne Maki, was diagnosed with brain cancer in 1972, succumbing to the disease in 1974, aged 29. Then, in 2008, defenseman Luc Bourdon was killed in a motorcycle accident at the young age of 21. Finally, forward Rick Rypien committed suicide in the 2011 off-season, after his tenure with Vancouver, but before debuting with the Winnipeg Jets.

Player Nicknames: Canucks history is loaded with great nicknames. Among them: Russian Rocket (Pavel Bure), Steamer (Stan Smyl), Captain Kirk (Kirk McLean), Brockstar (Brock Boeser), King Richard (Richard Brodeur), and JovoCop (Ed Jovanovski). An underrated entry would be Cowan the Brabarian, given to Jeff Cowan after a bra was thrown on the ice following a goal from the enforcer.

Riot

Line: Two Canucks lines had very successful runs as a unit. First, the West Coast Express (Markus Naslund, Todd Bertuzzi and Brendan Morrison) terrorized opponents from 2002-06. The line was named after Vancouver’s commuter train line. Second, the Lotto Line (Brock Boeser, Elias Petterson and J.T. Miller) had a shorter but memorable stint together. The trio received its moniker when a Twitter user realized their numbers 6, 40 and 9, matched the local 649 lottery.

Captain: While the Canucks have had a number of memorable leaders, including Stan Smyl, Trevor Linden and Henrik Sedin, in 2008, the organization abandoned all convention, naming goalie Roberto Luongo as the team’s captain. He was the first netminder to hold such an honour since 1947-48. Luongo’s reign as team leader lasted only two seasons, before it was mutually agreed he should relinquish the role.

Enforcer: Canucks history is littered with teams that couldn’t beat opponents on the scoreboard, so they just tried to beat them up. Among the franchise’s many fighters, perhaps the most beloved was – and still is – the ‘Algonquin Assassin’ Gino Odjick. Odjick holds the team record for total penalty minutes at 2,127, over eight seasons with the club. Odjick also holds five of the top 10 slots for penalty minutes in a season.

Family Values: The Canucks have a long history of family relations within the organization. This is best highlighted with the Sedin twins, who were able to come to Vancouver together thanks to the incredible draft day dealings of GM Brian Burke. The Canucks also united the Courtnall brothers – Geoff and Russ, from nearby Vancouver Island – for 13 games in the 1994-95 season.

Gino Odjick

Returning Players: The trading of Trevor Linden during the 1998 Olympic break never seemed right for both the player and the organization. That was all remedied in 2001, when Linden was reacquired by the Canucks. Linden played out the rest of his career with the team, reaching 1,000 games played and points scored with the club it was meant to happen with.

Short Stint: A free agent in 2008, Toronto Maple Leafs icon Mats Sundin weighed contract offers from a number of teams, while also considering retirement. The Canucks two-year, $20 million offer would have made Sundin the highest paid player in the NHL. After sitting out the start of the season, Sundin finally put pen to paper with Vancouver on December 18, 2008, being paid a prorated $5 million for the season. Sundin played 49 games combined (regular season and playoffs) with the Canucks, before retiring.

Undrafted: Alex Burrows story of perseverance from undrafted to star player is inspiring. He quickly rose through the ranks of the minor leagues, joining the big league squad in January 2006 and never looked back. Originally a checker, Burrows eventually found himself on the top line, where he and the Sedins became a popular trio. Burrows was added to the Canucks Ring of Honour in 2019.

Trade: Among the best moves the Canucks have made are acquiring Roberto Luongo from the Florida Panthers and stealing Markus Naslund from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Both trades are among the most lopsided in NHL history. On the flip side, dealing a young, homegrown Cam Neely to the Boston Bruins has always been lamented by Canucks fans. While the return was decent, Neely blossomed into a superstar, plus they also gave up a first-round draft pick in the transaction.

Trevor Linden

Signing: There are more bad signings in Canucks history than good ones. Among the worst would be Mark Messier’s three-year, $18 million pact in 1997 and Loui Eriksson’s six-year, $36 million deal in 2016. Messier was a cancer in the Canucks locker room, while Eriksson vastly underperformed his contract, both drawing the ire of the fan base. Also, Roberto Luongo’s 12-year, $64 million resigning in 2009, eventually led to a three-year, $3 million cap recapture penalty, upon Luongo’s retirement.

Draft Pick: The Canucks have never selected first overall, but have done fairly well with the number two pick, using their first ever choice in 1970 on Dale Tallon and also getting Trevor Linden (1988) and the Sedin twins (1999) at second and third. Their greatest draft steal was Pavel Bure in the sixth round, 113th overall. The Nucks drafted Bure in 1989, despite confusion over his eligibility.

Holdouts: Once the team’s most popular superstar, Pavel Bure’s exit from the Canucks was ugly. Following the 1997-98 season, Bure gave new GM Brian Burke the first headache of his tenure, stating he would not play the final year of his contract. It took until January 17, 1999, for Bure (along with Bret Hedican, Brad Ference and a third-round draft pick) to be sent to the Florida Panthers in exchange for Ed Jovanovski, Dave Gagner, Mike Brown, Kevin Weekes, and a first-round draft pick.

Buyouts: The Canucks own the largest non-compliance buyout in the NHL salary cap era, used to terminate the contract of defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Ekman-Larsson had joined Vancouver via trade in 2021, lasting only two seasons before his eight-year, $66 million deal was bought out with four seasons remaining. Ekman-Larsson will be paid by the Canucks $19.33 million over eight years.

Roberto Luongo

Unique Game: The Canucks have taken part in a number of NHL international firsts. The first regular season games played outside North America saw Vancouver and the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim meet for a pair of 1997-98 season-opening contests in Tokyo, Japan. In 2017, the Canucks would play two pre-season games against the Los Angeles Kings in Shanghai and Beijing, China. These were the first NHL matches ever played in the country. Vancouver also hosted the 2014 Heritage Classic, facing the Ottawa Senators.

Goal: Two Alex Burrows goals during the 2011 run to the Stanley Cup Finals are among the greatest in team history. First the ‘Slay the Dragon’ Game 7 overtime winner versus the Chicago Blackhawks finally put the Canucks past their nemesis. Later, Burrows tally mere seconds into overtime of Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Finals versus the Boston Bruins gave Vancouver a 2-0 series lead, causing mass hysteria across the province.

Fight/Brawl: When Canucks coach John Tortorella saw the Calgary Flames starting lineup flush with goons prior to a 2014 game, he knew something was up. Kellen Lain was playing his first NHL game and a receipt was due for an injury he’d caused in an earlier minor league contest. A line brawl ensued to start the game, with Lain and others ejected from the match. At intermission, Tortorella went to the Flames dressing room, trying to confront Calgary coach Bob Hartley. This resulted in a 15-day suspension for Tortorella.

Injury: On February 11, 2000, Canucks enforcer Donald Brashear fought and defeated his Boston Bruins counterpart Marty McSorley. McSorley pursued a rematch, which Brashear turned down. Late in the contest, McSorley hit Brashear in the side of the head with his stick, knocking Brashear unconscious. Brashear suffered a seizure and concussion, while McSorley was suspended indefinitely, ending his career. McSorley was later convicted of assault with a weapon and sentenced to 18 months probation.

John Tortorella

Penalty: The Todd Bertuzzi-Steve Moore incident is one of hockey’s biggest black eyes. The Canucks were out for revenge after Moore had previously elbowed Canucks captain Markus Naslund, resulting in a concussion. In the midst of a blowout loss, Bertuzzi punched Moore in the back of the head, knocking him out. The resulting fall fractured three of Moore’s neck vertebrae. Criminal and civil action followed, along with Bertuzzi being suspended for the rest of the 2003-04 season and throughout the 2004-05 lockout.

Wildest Story: Canucks fans have long had a feeling the team is cursed, dating back to one of the team’s first official activities. To decide which of Vancouver and the Buffalo Sabres would get the first overall choice in the 1970 NHL Draft, a roulette wheel was used. NHL president Clarence Campbell declared the Canucks the winners, before it was pointed out the ball didn’t stop on number one, but 11 instead. Thus, the Sabres earned the right to select junior standout Gilbert Perreault.

Blooper: In the first round of the 2002 playoffs, the surprising Canucks were up 2-0 in their series against the Presidents’ Trophy-winning Detroit Red Wings. What happened next changed the entire course of the series, as Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom launched a shot from center ice, beating Canucks goalie Dan Cloutier. Detroit won four straight games, eliminating the Canucks, en route to another Stanley Cup.

Miscellaneous: Wayne Gretzky, the greatest player in NHL history, twice almost became a Canuck. In 1988, before he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings, the Canucks could have had ‘The Great One’ for $25 million, Kirk McLean, Greg Adams and three first-round draft picks. A decade later, Gretzky was a free agent and had committed to signing with Vancouver, until he was pressured to put pen to paper and didn’t like the pushy approach. He ended up with the New York Rangers to finish his career.

Vancouver Canucks: Vancouver Canucks Cocktail

Vancouver Canucks Cocktail

  • 1 oz Vodka
  • 0.5 oz Melon Liqueur
  • 0.5 oz Blue Curacao
  • Splash of Lemon Lime Soda

For this cocktail, you mix the Vodka, Melon Liqueur and Lemon Lime Soda, before adding a float of Blue Curacao. The Canucks are looking good this season, renewing the faith of the countless disappointed diehards of this franchise. Go Canucks Go!!!

Pittsburgh Penguins – The Pittsburgh Penguin

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Throughout the year, the Sip Advisor will alphabetically travel the National Hockey League (NHL), discovering the best and worst each team has to offer in a variety of subjects. We will also feature a drink based off the franchise. Today, we travel to the Steel City to get constructive with the Pittsburgh Penguins:

Establishment Story: The Penguins joined the NHL as it expanded from six to 12 teams in 1967. The original ownership group included some heavy hitters, including H.J. Heinz III, heir to the Heinz Company, and Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney. The name Penguins was chosen from a contest, where 700 of the 26,000 entries suggested the nickname. Previously, the Pittsburgh Pirates had played in the NHL from 1925 to 1930.

Stanley Cups: The Penguins have won five Stanley Cups, including two back-to-back sets in 1991/1992 and 2016/2017. They also brought home the league championship in 2009. Their only Stanley Cup Final loss came the year before, at the hands of the Detroit Red Wings, who they beat in the 2009 rematch. The Penguins five Stanley Cup victories ties them with the Edmonton Oilers for most among non-Original Six clubs.

Celebrity Fan: Michael Keaton, star of movies such as Batman, Beetlejuice and The Founder, resides in Pittsburgh and is an avid supporter of the city’s teams. Keaton has appeared as a presenter at some of the NHL Awards ceremonies. Another unlikely Penguins fan was Fred Rogers, aka Mr. Rogers. Rogers appeared on a 1992 Pro Set hockey card as a Celebrity Captain of the club, donning his trademark sweater and sneakers.

Mr. Rogers

Super Fan: Cy Clark, nicknamed The Hulk for his Hulk Hogan-inspired look, was an avid Penguins fan, first gaining media attention during Pittsburgh’s 2009 Stanley Cup run. In October 2011, Clark was invited to Penguins practice by coach Dan Bylsma, an honour the fan truly cherished. Sadly, Clark passed away in June 2014, following a battle with cancer. Both the Penguins organization and former Philadelphia Flyers player Scott Hartnell, who had a good-natured feud with Clark, sent condolences.

Mascot: The Penguins have had two mascots in their history. First, there was Penguin Pete, who was a real-life Humboldt penguin that was taught to skate on custom made skates. Pete only made seven appearances from February to November 1968, prior to dying. A second Penguin Pete, used in 1971-72, was nicknamed Re-Pete. In 1992, Iceburgh, a king penguin, debuted as mascot for the team, wearing jersey number 00.

Tradition: A pair of long-time Penguins employees became fixtures of Pittsburgh games for fans. First, Vince Lascheid was the Penguins organist from 1970-2003. He was inducted into the Penguins’ Hall of Fame in 2005, passing away in 2009 at the age of 85. Next, Jeff Jimerson has been the team’s national anthem singer for three decades, most notably being credited as ‘Anthem Singer’ in the movie Sudden Death.

Appearances in Media: The Penguins feature heavily in the Jean-Claude Van Damme action movie Sudden Death, as the film takes place during a fictional 1995 Stanley Cup Finals between Pittsburgh and the Chicago Blackhawks. When a group of terrorists invade a VIP suite with the U.S. Vice-President in it, Van Damme’s character has to come to the rescue, including some on-ice and around the arena fight scenes.

Sudden Death

Events/Scandals: Coming out of the 2004-05 NHL lockout, a formula had to be decided upon to see who would get to draft teenage phenom Sidney Crosby. The Penguins, who were battling financial issues and relocation rumours at the time, won the weighted lottery (dubbed the ‘Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes’) and the right to select the generational talent. Many view the event as having saved the franchise, as three Stanley Cups and a new arena have transpired during Crosby’s tenure.

Rivalry: The Penguins top rival is the Philadelphia Flyers, with their feud known as the Battle of Pennsylvania. Both teams joined the NHL as part of the ‘Next Six’ 1967 expansion and have met seven times in the playoffs. Pittsburgh has also had a long-running rivalry with the Washington Capitals, reignited by superstars Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin, who entered the league at the same time, following the 2004-05 NHL lockout.

Tragedy: After a solid rookie season with the Penguins in 1969-70, Michel Briere returned home to Quebec, where he was to marry his long-time girlfriend and mother of his son. Sadly, Briere would be involved in a single-vehicle car accident, where he was thrown from the vehicle. Briere was placed in a coma, but passed away 11 months later at the age of 21. Even worse, the ambulance carrying Briere struck and killed a cyclist who was a friend of Briere.

Player Nicknames: The Penguins two franchise players have memorable nicknames. First, Mario Lemieux was dubbed Super Mario, a play on the Nintendo video game character, as both are able to achieve unbelievable acts. Next, Sidney Crosby has been known as Sid the Kid since he was, well, a kid, but the moniker has stuck even as Crosby plays the latter stages of his career.

Crosby and Ovechkin

Line: The combo of Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr figured into two of the Penguins most dominant trios, with Kevin Stevens as the towering Sky Line and with Ron Francis as the unstoppable Great Line. Other notable units include the Century Line (Syl Apps Jr., Lowell MacDonald and Jean Pronovost), the HBK Line (Carl Hagelin, Nick Bonino and Phil Kessel) and the Option Line (John Cullen, Mark Recchi and Kevin Stevens).

Captain: It’s hard to give this category to one player, given how much Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby have each meant to the Penguins organization. Lemieux served three separate stints (1987-94, 1995-97 and 2001-06) as the team’s captain. The Lemieux era gave way to the Crosby era, as Crosby took over the captaincy in 2007, becoming the youngest captain in NHL history and, in 2009, the youngest captain to win a Stanley Cup. All five of the Penguins Stanley Cups have been won with one of these two at the helm.

Enforcer: Defenseman Paul Baxter holds the Penguins franchise record for penalty minutes in a season at 409. This mark is the runner up for the NHL single-season record. Baxter sits sixth on the team’s all-time penalty minute list, despite only playing three seasons with the club. Other notable brawlers for Pittsburgh include Georges Laraque, Eric Godard, Bob ‘Battleship’ Kelly, Dave Schultz, and Jay Caufield.

Family Values: Few know that Mario Lemieux’s brother Alain also played for the Penguins, with the two dressing for a single game together during the 1986-87 season. This would be Alain’s final NHL contest of 119 career games. Other brother combos had longer stints together in Pittsburgh, including Doug and Greg Brown in 1993-94 and twins Chris and Peter Ferraro in 1997-98.

Lemieux and Crosby

Returning Players: Mark Recchi had three stints with the Penguins. He began his NHL career with the team, drafted 67th overall in 1988. After winning the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh in 1991, Recchi was used as a trade chip to bring Rick Tocchet and Kjell Samuelsson to the Penguins. He returned in 2005, only to be traded to the Carolina Hurricanes, where he would win a second Stanley Cup. Recchi’s final Pittsburgh run, in 2007, resulted in being a waiver claim by the Atlanta Thrashers.

Short Stint: As the Penguins have perennially pursued Stanley Cups, hoping to cash in on the Sidney Crosby era, a number of top players have joined the team for playoff runs, only to leave for other clubs following post-season elimination. This includes Jarome Iginla and Patrick Marleau, who suited up for Pittsburgh for 28 and 12 games (regular season and playoffs combined), respectively.

Undrafted: Although his career ended in great controversy, Marty McSorely enjoyed quite a professional run for an undrafted player. He was signed by the Penguins in 1982, debuting for the team in the 1983-84 season. McSorely was traded to the Edmonton Oilers in September 1985, becoming the bodyguard of Wayne Gretzky for most of the next decade. During his brief time with Pittsburgh, he recorded 239 penalty minutes in only 87 games. McSorely also played 47 contests for the Penguins in 1993-94.

Trade: The best and worst transactions in Penguins history were both trade deadline day deals. The best was bringing in Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings from the Hartford Whalers in 1991, which resulted in back-to-back Stanley Cups. The worst was sending Markus Naslund to the Vancouver Canucks in 1996 for Alex Stojanov. Stojanov played a mere 45 games for Pittsburgh, while Naslund became one of the NHL’s best player for a few seasons.

Penguins Trade

Signing: Among the best signings the Penguins ever made, were for depth players who were veteran leaders, helping the team finally get over the hump and win back-to-back Stanley Cups. For the 1991 and 1992 championships, this role was played by Bryan Trottier, who came to Pittsburgh after his contract was bought out by the New York Islanders. For the Penguins 2016 and 2017 titles, Matt Cullen provided a solid two-way game, while in the twilight of his career.

Draft Pick: The Penguins have done very well with the first overall pick, selecting generational talents Mario Lemieux (1984) and Sidney Crosby (2005). Pittsburgh has also done well with the number two choice, taking Evgeni Malkin (2004) and Jordan Staal (2006). Lastly, nabbing Jaromir Jagr at fifth overall in 1990 was a huge steal, perhaps based on Jagr telling teams drafting earlier than the Penguins that he would not leave Czechia immediately to play for them.

Holdouts: Petr Nedved is the only Penguins player to stage a contract holdout, when he sat out the entire 1997-98 season and the start of the following year. The holdout was ended when Nedved was traded to the New York Rangers. The move colossally backfired for Nedved, who earned less than he would have had he accepted Pittsburgh’s original offer in 1997.

Buyouts: The Penguins have only bought out one contract in their history. That distinction belongs to defenseman Jack Johnson, who had his five-year $16.25 million deal bought out with three seasons remaining. Johnson’s contract will count against the Penguins salary cap through the 2025-26 season. The buyout may have worked in Johnson’s favour, as two years after his Penguins dismissal, he won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche.

Jaromir Jagr

Unique Game: The Penguins have participated in numerous Winter Classics (2008 vs. Buffalo Sabres, 2011 vs. Washington Capitals, 2023 vs. Boston Bruins) and Stadium Series (2014 vs. Chicago Blackhawks, 2017 and 2019 vs. Philadelphia Flyers) contests. Internationally, they opened their 2000-01 season with a pair of games against the Nashville Predators in Saitama, Japan, as well as taking part in the 2008 NHL Premiere, with two matches against the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm, Sweden.

Goal: One of the greatest feats in NHL history was Mario Lemieux scoring five goals in a game, in five different ways. On December 31, 1988, against the New Jersey Devils, he scored even-strength, power-play, short-handed, penalty shot, and empty net goals. Lemieux also recorded three assists that night, being involved in every goal of an 8-6 victory. In 2017, the achievement was voted the greatest moment in the NHL’s first 100 years.

Fight/Brawl: Things got real nasty on February 11, 2011, when the Penguins faced the New York Islanders. Their previous match saw two Islanders concussed and retribution was expected. As the game got out of hand (the final score was 9-3 for the Islanders), melees broke out everywhere, totalling 15 fighting majors and 21 game misconducts. The aftermath saw three players suspended and the Islanders fined $100,000.

Injury: On May 14, 1993, Penguins power forward Kevin Stevens went to hit New York Islanders defenseman Rich Pilon. The collision resulted in Stevens being knocked unconscious and falling face first onto the ice. Many of the bones in Stevens face were shattered and required metal plates to be reconstructed. Worst of all, the injury led Stevens to battle an addiction with prescription drugs that ended his marriage and affected the rest of his career.

Penguins Islanders Brawl

Penalty: Matt Cooke gained a reputation for delivering dangerous hits to the head of opponents during his Penguins tenure. Cooke was suspended four times for infractions, starting with a pair of two-game bans, followed by sitting out four games and 10 games plus the first round of the 2011 playoffs. His worst hit, practically ending the career of Marc Savard, wasn’t punished at all, but led to changes in NHL rules regarding blindside hits to the head.

Wildest Story: The Stanley Cup is the holy grail of hockey. After a summer of celebrating their 1991 championship victory, Penguins forward Phil Bourque noticed a rattling sound coming from within the trophy. When Bourque opened the Stanley Cup up to make repairs, he noticed others who had worked on it prior had inscribed their names inside. Bourque joined them, his message reading: “Enjoy it, Phil Bubba Bourque, ’91 Penguins.”

Blooper: As the Penguins pursued a wild card playoff spot for the 2023 post-season, they were coming up against the lowly Chicago Blackhawks with two important points in the standings up for grabs. Despite being heavy favourites, Pittsburgh lost the contest 5-2. This ended the Penguins 16-year playoff qualification streak (at the time the longest in major North American sports leagues) and opened the door for the Florida Panthers to go on their Cinderella run to the Stanley Cup Finals.

Miscellaneous: In 1993, Penguins owner Howard Baldwin invested in the HC CSKA Moscow team, hoping to gain better access to Russian players. The Russian Penguins played each of the 13 International Hockey League teams once during the 1993-94 season, only winning two games. Alumni from the club included goaltender Nikolai Khabibulin and forward Sergei Brylin. A 2019 documentary, titled Red Penguins, detailed the short history of the club.

Pittsburgh Penguins: The Pittsburgh Penguin

The Pittsburgh Penguin

  • 1.5 oz Kahlua
  • 1 oz Goldschlager
  • Splash of Cream of Coconut
  • Garnish with Coconut Shavings

The Cocktails with the Penguins blog had a number of options for me to use, but I went with this one, an adaptation of the Panda Bear drink. There’s also a Pittsburgh Penguins Martini out there, using white chocolate liqueur, Irish cream, vanilla vodka and chocolate syrup.