100 Things Penguins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die

by Rick Buker

With traditions, records, and Penguins lore, this lively, detailed book explores the personalities, events, and facts every Pittsburgh fan should know. It contains crucial information such as important dates, player nicknames, memorable moments, and outstanding achievements by singular players. This guide to all things Penguins covers which player is considered the "original Penguin," the team's first player to score 50 goals in a season, and the Schenley Park Casino.

Genres: Sports, Hockey, Nonfiction

296 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2011

Reviews

[Alec Finch]

Dad lent me this book. Sad to say it only gets 2.5 stars from me.

I learned a bit and I liked all the stories about hockey being big in Pittsburgh throughout history. But, they started to feel pretty repetitive (player name, how pens acquired him, stats, fun facts). I saw he wrote a second book and maybe I’d like that more since it will include more players I know.

[Claire]

I really enjoyed this book. The only thing stopping me from giving it the one extra star was the fact that the "things the pens fans should do before they die" almost seemed a bit silly. Visiting the site of old arenas and such. I loved reading the stories about things that happened at games I attended, such as the goalie fights and scoring accomplishments. Definitely a treat for any Penguins fan!

[James Howald]

My wife got me this as something to read while I was watching Penguins hockey while recovering from my chemo treatments. Back then I would spend afternoon wearing a mask sitting at the local bakery/coffee shop eating tarts and tres leches in attempts to meet the 4K calories per day the doctors wanted me eating. In game days I would watch the Penguins, in between this book was perfect. Short section perfect for consuming even when I was the most tired. Great memories of Penguins Hockey from my lifetime including stories I was not aware of. Smiles as I read portions of Pittsburgh past that made some of my visits to Schenley or the Point a little more meaningful. And, of course, smiles as I considered visiting bars, rinks, or other Penguins fans at PPG as the world opens back up and I can travel again. Obviously this book is not for everyone. But for those with a desire for an easy read and memories of Pittsburgh, Hockey, or the Penguins it’s a great choice.

[Dom Hung]

A great fun read for any Penguins fan, and lots of tidbits and treats I wasn’t aware of...plus a couple of “well that needs an edit such as Mario’s famous 1987 Canada cup winner in waning minutes of 3rd period but practically overtime by that point

Nitpicking aside, definitely encourage for any penguins fan...only 4* as it’s mostly applicable for pens fans...non penguins fans likely will not enjoy it as much as I did

[Evan Hastings]

page 33 I really like this book and its a good read .

[Danielle]

4.5 stars
Fun and interesting read, even though it is only current to 2011ish.

[Scott Holstad]

This is an excellent book for any Penguins fans to have and read, or even just hockey and sports fans. It's a great resource. The author did some diligent work in gathering his information together here and it shows. Not only is there great info on today's stars like Sidney Crosby and yesterday's stars like Mario Lemieux, but also on the original players and coaches and Pittsburgh's first "enforcers" like Bob "Battleship" Kelly, imported to fight the Blues and Flyers. I thought I knew a lot about the Penguins, but this book takes us back to Pittsburgh's first ice hockey rink in 1895 and proceeds onwards to the formation of the Penguins in 1967 and on to today. It helped me relive some of the wonderful moments of our three Stanley Cups and helped me remember some of the great players not named Crosby or Lemieux, like Coffey, Murphy, Stevens, Barrasso, Trottier, Tocchet and many, many others. Whether you're a die hard fan or just a casual viewer of a few games, you're sure to read some things that will catch your eye and make you appreciate this team ... all the more. Definitely recommended.

[Joe Szwedko]

True Penguin Fans' Must Read

As a lifetime Pens fan and having been there since the early 70's, it was a very enjoyable read! It brought back memories, reminded me of those forgotten and introduced me to those juicy tidbits that I was unaware of in Pittsburgh Penguin folklore. Absolutely enjoyed this book!

[Cris]

The information in the book was interesting...to a point. It’s just not what I was expecting when I decided to read it.