For the Pittsburgh Penguins, the summer of 1991 was the best of times and the worst of times. In May, the team celebrated its’ first-ever Stanley Cup. Weeks later they visited the White House. However, the festive mood was shattered in late August with the announcement that the team’s beloved coach, Bob Johnson, had two brain tumors.
Doctors performed emergency surgery to remove one of the tumors, but the second was deemed inoperable. Although the prognosis was grim, “Badger Bob” fought his illness with the heart of a lion. Still passionate about the Penguins and the game he loved, he vowed to return to Pittsburgh for the raising of the championship banner in October.
“The fire of coaching still burns inside me—I will be back,” he said in a statement released through his son-in-law, Tim McConnell. “When I return, it will be my greatest day in coaching.”
Johnson attended an exhibition game in Denver to watch the Pens take on his former team, the Calgary Flames. However, his condition worsened dramatically through the opening weeks of the season. Following a courageous three-month battle Johnson tragically passed away on November 26, 1991. Pens general manager Craig Patrick broke the news to the team after a practice session.
“The way Craig explained it to the players, Bob fought a real tough battle,” interim coach Scotty Bowman said. “The last couple of weeks were real difficult, but he just wouldn’t give in until now. We just have to stick together and help each other out. A big part of us is gone now.”
The Penguins had precious little time to cope. The following evening they were slated to play the New Jersey Devils at the Civic Arena.
To honor their fallen coach, the team held a candlelight vigil prior to the game. With the lights dimmed low, the Penguins stood with heads bowed at center ice while the Karla Bonoff song, “Goodbye My Friend,” poured out over the Arena. The players struggled to choke back their emotions.
“It was really tough,” Ron Francis said. “To see everybody in the stands with the [candle] lights up, knowing the kind of person Bob was … it was very emotional for all us.”
Then, abruptly, the overhead lights came on. Officials gathered the teams at center ice for the opening face-off. Somehow, the Penguins had to find it in themselves to play a game.
“It was an amazing situation,” Kevin Stevens said, “because everyone’s sitting there with tears in their eyes and all of a sudden the lights come on and we’ve got to drop the puck and play hockey. It just didn’t feel right to go out and try and play a hockey game after that.”
Remarkably, the Penguins regained their focus and came out smoking. At 9:56 of the opening period, Francis whirled around Alexei Kasatonov and beat goalie Chris Terreri. Less than two minutes later Jamie Leach rifled a shot past Terreri from the right hash mark. Phil Bourque, one of Johnson’s favorite players, capped off an extraordinary period with a booming 35-foot slap shot to stake the Pens to a 3-0 lead.
In the second period, however, the intense emotions of the evening took a toll. Understandably drained, the Penguins watched as the Devils struck for three-straight goals to even the score.
Determined to win the game for “Badger Bob,” the team regrouped for a final charge. Mark Recchi scored late in the second period to restore the Pens’ lead. Early in the third period, defenseman Grant Jennings ventured deep into the New Jersey zone to convert a pass from Mario Lemieux. After the Devils closed the gap to one, Paul Coffey beat Terreri at 10:44 with a laser from the left circle. Lemieux and Francis put the finishing touches on a resounding 8-4 win.
As the Penguins gathered to celebrate their victory one couldn’t help but notice that Johnson’s favorite saying, “It’s a Great Day for Hockey,” was emblazoned on the ice.
“That would have been him, saying it’s a great day for hockey, saying we have to move on,” Francis said.
