PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – To give you an idea of what it means for one of the retired players returning as the Pens celebrate the 10th anniversary of the 2015-16 Stanley Cup win, it’s what defenseman Ben Lovejoy told Jim Colony Saturday morning on 93.7 The Fan.
“My kids know my hockey career through stories and pictures, they weren’t old enough to know what I was doing,” Lovejoy told Colony. His middle child was the only one born in Pittsburgh.
“She identifies as a Pittsburgher,” Lovejoy said on 93.7 The Fan. “We could offer her a trip anywhere-Paris, Disneyland, ‘no, I want to go to Pittsburgh’. That’s where I’m from, I’m a Pittsburgher.”
Lovejoy brought his three kids here this weekend to give them a little understanding of what happened for him with the Penguins after being acquired from Anaheim. They also follow their father’s former team.
“They watch Pittsburgh Penguins games,” Lovejoy told Jim Colony. “They are die-hard fans. They believe they are from here.”
And what he said they really want to do is meet Sidney Crosby. He worried that he will have to apologize to Sid once they get to see him.
Pittsburgh remains special for Lovejoy for what they were able to do 10 years ago. An in-season coaching change as Mike Sullivan took over and eventually they became champions.
“It took Sully a little bit, we sort of found our identity,” Lovejoy told 93.7 The Fan. “We didn’t really know what we were before that. We tried to play hard, but things never went right. Sully came in with a plan, gave us some confidence, gave us some swagger and we just starting winning games.”
“It was Sully’s confidence in us and our ability to shrug off things that would go wrong. We had some crazy team toughness. We weren’t big and physical, but we could take every other team’s best shot. It was a special time and a special group.”
Four are still playing for the Pens (Bryan Rust is still serving a suspension and ineligible to play).
Crosby set an NHL record for most seasons averaging at least a point per game, he’s on that pace again this year. Evgeni Malkin is having as good a season as he’s had in a few years. While Kris Letang went on injured reserve on Saturday, he was also playing well.
Asked if he can believe those three are still playing at a high level?
“I can,” Lovejoy said quickly. “They are freaks. When they were 22 they were different than anyone else. Now that they are almost 40, they are still different than everybody else.”
Lovejoy said he will be so sad they their careers are over, sure for that connection to the current team and franchise, but also what they mean for hockey.
Now 41, Lovejoy helps coach his daughters 10-12-year-old girls hockey team. Occasionally he said parents will see a clip online of something from his career, or more likely the epic prank by Marc-Andre Fleury when he emptied his hotel room. He said they will say, ‘holy cow, is that you?’
“I’m a fan now,” Lovejoy told Jim Colony of this year’s Pens team. “I just really want it to keep going. They look awesome. Having goaltending is pretty cool too. I think they are doing a great job.”
“They are such a fun team to watch and cheer for.”