Penguins' Greatest Games in the Last 25 Years: Installment III

For the third installment in my list of the Penguins' greatest games in the last 25 years, we stick with the playoff theme, and return to the scene of the Stanley Cup Finals, this time in 1992 against the Chicago Blackhawks.

The game that makes my list is not the cup-winning game, however. Even though that game was the Penguins NHL record-tying 11th straight playoff win and brought the franchise its first back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, the game that is on my list of those greatest in franchise history is the first game of that series.

Game #1 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Final Against the Chicago Blackhawks

As many recall, that game was won by the Penguins with just 12 seconds left when Mario Lemieux just about lifted the roof off the venerable Igloo with his game-winner. His goal gave the Penguins a 5-4 victory and culminated a comeback from being down 4-1 in the third period.

I'll get to Lemieux's goal in a minute, but one other goal in the game also is a fixed part of Penguins' lore.

Who could forget baby-faced Jaromir Jagr's tying goal? You know ... the one where he corraled the puck along the left wing boards, got around one guy along the wall, then quickly deked past a 2nd fast-approaching Blackhawks player, only to burst towards the slot, use a forehand/backhand move to get around a third Blackhawk and finally whip a backhander through a screen past a stunned Blackhawks netminder Ed Belfour.

That goal is one of the greatest in Penguins' history.

But only Lemieux could find a way to top it.

And Lemieux didn't top it for artistry. He topped it for timing and circumstance, as he almost always did for the Penguins when the stakes were at the their highest.

Once they came back just to tie the game at 4-4 after being down 3 goals, momentum was clearly on the Penguins' side. Not long after Jagr's goal, however, the Penguins were forced to kill a penalty. This was late in the 3rd period, and they did so successfully.

As he often did, Lemeiux knew that, after his team's penalty kill, the zebras might be inclined to call the next penalty on the Blackhawks. So, once the penalty was over, #66 looked to have someone spring him for a late-game scoring chance. Sure enough, he got that chance, breaking in to the Blackhawks end and drawing a penalty with about 15 seconds left.

I remember, after the game, then-Blackhawks coach Mike Keenan was fuming at the call on Lemieux. He felt Lemieux dove to get the penalty.

(By the way, I have no doubt that Lemieux, knowing he wasn't going to get the good scoring chance he wanted, looked to purposely draw the penalty. He was the best at it.)

After the penalty, the Penguins set up for the face-off. They had a set play for this draw. And it worked exactly -- and I mean EXACTLY -- the way it was drawn up. I'll never forget it.

Ron Francis lined up in the far face-off circle to the left of Belfour. His plan was to draw the puck back to Larry Murphy, who was behind him. The Blackhaws were in a traditional defensive alignment, with 3 guys along the circle, one player to the far right of the circle assigned to the Penguins' other point man, and one defenseman below the circle. To have the play work, Francis had to win the puck clean, because everything was based on timing.

The puck was dropped and, although Francis tried to win it cleanly, he didn't. Murphy already took a step forward based on the premise that #10 would draw it back to him for a quick one-timer. When Francis didn't when the draw cleanly, Murhpy hesitated a second after stepping forward.

Now, even though Francis didn't when the puck cleanly, it did trickle behind him. After a half of a second, he was able to turn around and push it to Murphy for the shot. At this point, Murphy was under pressure because the Blackhawks' centerman had pushed hard past Francis in the course of trying to battle him for the puck. Since Murphy had stepped up to the top of the circle, he had Francis and several other players just about in his face.

Meanwhile, the Penguins' other point man, had the same M.O. as Murphy. Wait for the clean face-off win, then break to the net. Like Murphy, he had to hesitate becasue the win wasn't clean. As he was hesitating however, he skated a backwards stride or two, hoping the Blackhawks player skating out to him would lose track of him.

He did.

And it was fatal.

Murphy got off his shot -- right to the net and at Belfour's right pad.

Just as planned, he promptly kicked it out right onto the waiting right-handed stick of the other point man -- Lemieux -- who had gone behind and past the Blackhawks' forward into the clear at just about the near hash.

Everyone knows what happened next.

The world stood still for a second, then Lemieux buried it upstairs past a surprised, sprawling Beflour, and Mike Lange, the Penguins' legendary TV play-by-play man, lost his mind along with Penguin fans everywhere.

Penguins, 5 - Blackhawks, 4

True to my description, here are 2 clips of the goal:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9STr-jICqQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvS0iwrJELQ

If Murphy somehow didn't get that puck to the net and Chicago was able to chip or otherwise get the puck past him, the Blackhawks would have had a virtual 2-0 going the other way to try and win it with 10 seconds left in the game.

As it was, the Penguins completed their comeback.

They didn't lose in that final, continuing the momentum they kept in game 1, and sweeping the Blackhawks.

Undoubtedly one of the greatest games in Penguins' history.