| Pittsburgh Sports Report November 2009 |
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| Up Close with the Pittsburgh Sports Report PSR: Do you think Penguins fans understand how lucky they've been over the years to be able to watch guys like Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin play? And that's just the top of the list. Lange: Right. There was also Paul Coffey, Ronnie Francis, and the list goes on and on. You can go through the whole list of people that have played here that have been a huge part of the success. It's overwhelming really to be so fortunate to have so many great many players come through this city. I really think people will realize it more maybe in another 10 years or so. That's when they'll discover just how special all these players we had really were. There are a lot of cities that haven't experienced anything at all in regards to NHL hockey and winning championships - or they've gone 20, 30, 40 years without winning a championship. So we are very blessed not only with what the Penguins have given the city, but the Steelers - and the Pirates will be back too. I guarantee you they'll be back. The cycle will come back, it will be in their favor and we'll see a winning team from the Pirates again, and the city will go crazy for them as they have for the other two teams. PSR: After the Penguins got beat up pretty good by the Red Wings in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals, did you think they had it in them to bounce back and win the series? ML: Some people lose perspective that one game does not make a series. In a seven-game series, there's usually a game that goes one way or the other-for or against you-that's kind of lopsided. But, to me, it was a one-game situation. The Pens had been a team in the first three series prior to that that gained momentum as the series went along. So it wasn't a surprise to me that they were stronger as the series went along in the Stanley Cup Finals. I think we caught Detroit by surprise with how much desire and how much fortitude and what the Pens still had in the tank. So it (Game 5) did not deter me in any way from thinking they could still win the Stanley Cup. They beat that Detroit team four out of five times (after falling behind two games to none.) Most people never would have expected that, but this team had the right character and right chemistry to do that. PSR: You've now been a part of three Stanley Cup winning clubs with the Penguins. Obviously those are high points. But what would be the low point that you've witnessed over the years? Hockey in general and the Penguins in particular weren't always this popular here in Pittsburgh. ML: Amen. I think the people genuinely forget the Penguins were the ugly ducklings back in 1979 when the Steelers were winning their third or fourth Super Bowl and the Pirates were winning the World Series. In 1980, the Penguins changed their colors to black and gold because they were trying to create an image of success like the Pirates and the Steelers had. I don't know if I'd say that was the low point-trying to compete with those guys-but that did seem to create a new aura and the Penguins got better from that point on. Perhaps really the only thing I could think of as a low point was when there was talk of the Pens leaving town, but I never really believed for a moment that they were going to leave. The fans here are too strong despite the fact that they weren't filling the building for awhile. You see it day-in and day-out with the fans. I mean they're remarkable. When you talk about all the success the Steelers and the Penguins have had, well, the fans are a big part of us being successful. When the Pens won the Cup, and I'll just say this to everybody, I just hope you held your hands above your head because you helped win that Cup too. It means so much to those teams what the people bring to the arena on any game night. You see it. You hear it. It's an event every single day. And that's where-and you've been other places and so have I-you can give lip service to it, but there's no place like Pittsburgh. The fans are a big part of the success the teams have here. I'm even talking about the Pirates. You still have a 20,000 or 22,000 a day over there at PNC Park. You know what I'm saying? They're still going to the games. That's strong for a city, isn't it? The fans are a big reason I think we've been successful here. PSR: Is there a way to adequately describe what Mario Lemieux has meant to his sport, the Penguins' franchise and the city of Pittsburgh? ML: There isn't any question that Mario's very dynamic and he's had everything to do with the fortunes of the franchise - first as a player, and now with everything else that he's done. He has the ability to be very successful at anything that he tries, and I almost think that was God-given as much as the talent that he had on the ice. That's the only way that I can describe it, is that he seems to have the uncanny ability to be successful at anything that he wants to pursue and put the time and effort into. That shows on a daily basis. It really does.
o It's a... HOCKEY NIGHT in Pittsburgh! And, most recently… Lord Stanley, scratch their names on your fabled cup! The Pittsburgh Penguins are Stanley Cup Champions, 2009! |
Mike
Lange has been the voice of the Penguins hockey since 1974, when
the Sacramento-native joined the team's radio broadcasts. In the
three-plus decades since, Lange has become as much as fabric of
the team-and the city of Pittsburgh-as Mario Lemieux himself.
Known for his colorful and descriptive (if often cryptic) expressions,
Lange has taken his place in Pittsburgh broadcasting lore along
with such greats as Bob Prince and Myron Cope. In 2001, he received
the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his outstanding work as an
NHL broadcaster. Lange sat down with PSR's Jim Lachimia last month.
From
the mouth of Mike…| Copyright © 1997-2009 Pittsburgh Sports Report [PSR] |