In 1987, Rick Tocchet made it all the way to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. His team came up short against the Edmonton Oilers. When he was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins in February of 1992, he would bring a valuable combination of experience and hunger to a Penguins team that needed his unique brand of toughness and skill. In this edition of A Great Day for Hockey Talk, Tocchet reflects on that magical run to a second consecutive Stanley Cup Finals with his new team.

Bonino! Bonino! Bonino!

When Nick Bonino scored the game winning goal in overtime to clinch the second round series against the Washington Capitals on the way to the 2016 Stanley Cup Championship, not one, but two Penguins cult figures were born.­ From a studio in Canada, the voice of Hockey Night in Canada in Punjabi, Harnarayan Singh, called the goal in his native language in such colorful fashion, that replays of the call went viral on social media. Radio and tv stations in Pittsburgh played it over and over again while the Penguins completed their run for the Cup.­ In this edition of A Great Day For Hockey Talk, Paul Steigerwald visits with Singh from his home in Calgary, to relive his memories of that magical phenomenon.­ Make sure follow Harnarayan on Twitter @IceSinghHNIC, Instagram @icesinghhnic, and Facebook @IceSingh

Do you believe in miracles?

February 22nd, 2020 marks the 40th anniversary of the “Miracle On Ice”, when the US Olympic Hockey Team delivered what Sports Illustrated declared the “Greatest Moment of the 20th Century” by upsetting the heavily favored Soviets with a  thrilling 4-3 victory on the way to a gold medal.

The Penguins have good reason to celebrate this anniversary with pride, having a deeper and longer connection to the Miracle On Ice team than any other NHL Franchise. In this edition of GDFHT, Paul Steigerwald sits down with three men who played significant roles on the team, Craig Patrick, Mike Eruzione, and Mark Johnson. He also talks with the man who provided color analysis on the ABC telecast throughout the teams incredible run, Ken Dryden.

In the latest edition of GDFHT Paul Steigerwald presents a narrative account of how the Penguins have forged an identity of resilience dating all the way back to the early nineties. He reached out to players past and present and sought the perspective of a veteran hockey journalist to tell the story.

Bob Berry was Mario Lemieux‘s very first coach in the National Hockey League. He was hired on June 4, 1984, just five days before Mario was drafted first overall in Montreal. He made his mark as a player in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings as a two-time All-Star in the early '70s. He coached the Kings for three years before being hired to coach the team he grew up following, the Montréal Canadiens, in 1981. After a 3- year stint with the Canadiens, Berry was hired to coach the Penguins by GM Eddie Johnston. In this episode of GDFHT, he talks about his time behind the Penguins bench from 1984 to 1987.

On this episode of A Great Day for Hockey talk Paul Steigerwald is joined by John Buccigross, the voice of college hockey on ESPN. He is funny, passionate,  knowledgeable, opinionated , an excellent writer and an engaging public speaker. John grew up following the Penguins, listening to games and watching the local sports teams and sportscasters. At a young age, “Bucci “ told his friends he would someday be on ESPN , and he made it. John Buccigross is one of the finest hockey play by play announcers in the world and hoping to call many NHL games in the years to come. In the meantime, he will continue to excel as the voice of college hockey on ESPN.

We figured Darius Kasparaitis would be an entertaining guest but little did we know! The funny and engaging former Penguins defenseman practically reached folk hero status during his six seasons in the black and gold uniform.

What makes a Hall Of Fame Broadcaster? First and foremost, passion. Years of dedication and excellence. And a special voice quality that separates him from all the rest. In this episode of A Great Day for Hockey Talk, Paul Steigerwald sits down with Mike “Doc” Emrick, the voice of hockey in America.

Sergei Gonchar, the soft spoken Penguins assistant coach continues to make a significant impact on the organization. His professional relationship and friendship with fellow countryman Evgeni Malkin is still going strong. In this podcast, the former defenseman talks about the days when Geno lived in Gonchar’s home.

Bob Errey, Phil Bourque, and Troy Loney are legendary Penguins role players. They are Penguins through and through. They embody the entire history of the Penguins, having played in some of the darkest eras, and emerging as key contributors to the brightest moments in franchise history.

Listen to this organic conversation between the three of them and get a glimpse of what they experienced on the way to the top of the mountain in 1991. They were indispensable pieces in a championship puzzle.