Penguins Announce All-Time Team…

While we were touring the CONSOL Energy Center yesterday afternoon we got a chance to take a look at the All-Time Team/Interactive area of the building located just inside the Trib Total Media Gate. We were asked to keep thoughts and opinions on the area under wraps until today, as the team was officially announcing all the details this morning.

Unfortunately I was unable to head down to attend the unveiling this morning due to some other professional commitments, but let me be the first to tell you that the area is amazing. There are stations for all members of the all-time team that feature video highlights, bios and stats.

However one of the best features of the area are the interactive Stanley Cups. There are virtual Stanley Cups that you can turn, zoom in on and “interact” with. The virtual replicas are exact copies of the real Stanley Cup and feature every engraving, mistake, ding and blemish. It was tough to keep that from you all yesterday, but we must do what we must do…

The Penguins All-Time team was selected by the fans and a panel of media and team officials. Active players were not eligible to be selected.

Mario Lemieux is just one of five NHL Hall of Famers who made the cut. He is joined by Paul Coffey, Larry Murphy, Ron Francis and Joe Mullen.

The other members of the team were Syl Apps, Tom Barrasso, Les Binkley, Dave Burrows, Jaromir Jagr, Rick Kehoe, Pierre Larouche, Jean Provonost, Kevin Stevens and Ulf Samuelsson.

“It’s really an impressive group, and it certainly reminds us of the tremendous individual talent and great team moments that have defined Penguins history,” team president David Morehouse said. “And we can’t wait until our fans get a chance to experience the interactive Trib Total Media Penguins All-Time Team Zone. It is amazing.”

There is also an area for other notable Penguins who received tons of love from the panel, but didn’t make the final 15 who were selected — Randy Carlyle, Lowell MacDonald, Ron Stackhouse, Martin Straka, and Rick Tocchet.

The display also contains a “Builders” category that honors notable general managers, coaches, owners and notable supporting players who made significant contributions over the years. That group shakes out as such:

Owners: Edward J. Debartolo Sr.

General Managers: Jack Riley, Craig Patrick, and Eddie Johnston (also a coach)

Head Coaches: Bob Johnson, Scotty Bowman, and Herb Brooks

Support Staff: broadcaster Mike Lange, organist Vince Lascheid, public address announcer John Barbero, executive assistant Elaine Heufelder and long-time locker room attendants A.T. Caggiano and Frank Sciulli.

In addition, there is a segment of the All-Time Team display honoring the “Fans” – because, as Morehouse said, “Without the support of our fans, we have no franchise. The Fans are part of our All-Time Team, and it’s great to be able to salute them in this way.”

This interactive area is located to the left of the official team store PensGear and will be accessible on weekdays to the general public. Get down there to see it now!