BORROWING THE CUP

A blockbuster trade for star defenseman Paul Coffey has playoff hopes abrewing in long-deprived Pittsburgh

Not content to be Wayne Gretzky's teammate, swift-skating Oiler defenseman Paul Coffey suddenly is getting himself compared to Bobby Orr—and not unfavorably, either

Mario Lemieux & Co. are letting their coach twist slowly in the wind

Galloping goons and gratuitous gore marred the dramatic opening round of the NHL playoffs

The Penguins and the North Stars meet in a most unlikely Stanley Cup final

The champion Pittsburgh Penguins are pulling for stricken coach Bob Johnson

When Badger Bob Johnson died on Nov. 26, U.S. hockey lost its biggest and best booster

Pittsburgh's Mario Lemieux returned in fine fashion from an 11-month layoff, only to be reinjured

The Stanley Cup had eluded the Pittsburgh Penguins for 23 years and Mario Lemieux for seven. Now both are champions

Thanks to Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh moved to the next level of the NHL playoffs

The Penguins staked a claim to greatness by winning their second straight Stanley Cup, 4–0 over the Blackhawks

When he arrived in the NHL, straight out of Junior A at age 18,Ron Francis was barely old enough to shave, a fact that somehowescaped the notice of his new teammates. Shortly after Francisjoined the Hartford Whalers in November 1981, a group ofveterans tied him to a trainer's table, blindfolded him andintroduced him to the joys of the full-body shave. While itsurely would have helped if the guys had used shaving cream orat least a little warm water, Francis still looks back fondly onhis painful initiation into the NHL. "That's how long I've beenaround," says Francis, smiling. "Back then, rookies got shaved.That doesn't happen much anymore."

Goalie Tom Barrasso overcame a family crisis to lead Pittsburgh to the Stanley Cup finals again

A one-week demotion left All-Star Buffalo goalie Tom Barrasso steaming