Former Penguins goalie Frank Pietrangelo joins my program at 3:30 p.m. to talk about “The Save,” his incredible stop on New Jersey’s Peter Stastny in Game 6 of the first round of the 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs.
“The Save” speaks for itself. Thirty years later, watching on video, it’s still hard to fathom.
But remember, too:
*Stastny is in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He had 450 career goals in 977 games. Pietrangelo didn’t rob some bum.
*Stastny was Phil Bourque’s man. The "Old 29er" has often said that Pietrangelo bailed him out.
*The Penguins were down three games to two. They won, 4-3. Pietrangelo made 27 saves in Game 7, pitching a 4-0 shutout as the Penguins advanced. Those two games were the only times the Pens faced elimination that postseason.
*Pietrangelo may have been the Penguins’ No. 2 goaltender behind Tom Barrasso, but had a great playoff. He was pressed into service five times, posting a 4-1 record. He won Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final, beating Minnesota 6-4 to give the Penguins a series lead of three games to two. Pietrangelo won that Cup as much as anybody.
“The Save” will forever be part of Penguins folklore. As Bryan Trottier said, “Without that save, we’re dead.”