The Russian Penguins: An Oral History

The Bizarre and Unforgettable Partnership Between the Pittsburgh Penguins and CSKA Moscow

It was about the pucks and bucks, first and foremost, but lest we forget the acrobats, blood-soaked mascots and accidental on-ice sex acts. There’ll never be another partnership like the one between the Pittsburgh Penguins and CSKA Moscow, which changed Russian hockey forever.

It’s 1993, and the historic CSKA Moscow program – a.k.a. the Central Red Army Hockey Club – is nearing defeat. All of the team’s best players – Igor Larionov, Slava Fetisov, Pavel Bure, Sergei Fedorov and many others – have headed for the greener pastures of the NHL. Funding for sports clubs is no longer a priority for the Russian government, and CSKA is broke. It can’t afford uniforms or equipment, and almost no fans come to watch the team.

SERGEI BRYLIN: (Left winger, CSKA 1991-92 to ’92-93 & CSKA/Russian Penguins 1993-94) The whole country was going through a transition, from the Soviet Union to Russia. Obviously, hockey wasn’t the main priority. My first two years playing for the Red Army were pretty challenging years.

CSKA reaches out to several NHL teams looking for support. The Pittsburgh Penguins answer the call. The Penguins’ ownership group, which includes Tom Ruta, Howard Baldwin and his wife Karen Baldwin, forms Penguins Army International Limited, a joint venture between the Pens and Central Red Army. Superstar Mario Lemieux and actor Michael J. Fox are also involved as silent partners.

TOM RUTA: (Co-owner, Pittsburgh Penguins; co-owner/president, Russian Penguins) We created a company where the Pittsburgh Penguins owned 50 percent and the Russian partners owned 50 percent. That’s the structure they required at the time. You couldn’t have Americans owning 51 percent of a Russian company.

HOWARD BALDWIN: (Co-owner, Pittsburgh Penguins; co-owner/chairman/CEO, Russian Penguins) We thought we could make money because good players were coming from the Red Army team. If a Russian player was drafted, the NHL team who picked him would have to pay a pretty fat fee to his Russian team, I think it was around $250,000 for a first-rounder.

RUTA: At first, we’d give all the draft money to CSKA, until they got on their feet, and then we’d split it with them. So, in the beginning, they’d be able to rebuild their program and pay all their bills. And then eventually, we’d get a 50-percent share.

HOWARD BALDWIN: We also thought a partnership would give us an edge in knowledge on Russian players and give us a way to get sponsorships, because North American companies were looking to come over and start doing business in Russia.

RUTA: The Red Army was a great hockey program, and Howard didn’t want to see it die. And it was dying for want of a small amount of money. Read the rest of the story at The Hockey News.

Video: Sal Barry Guest Appearance on Pittsburgh Hockey Now

I was a guest on Pittsburgh Hockey Now, discussing my article for The Hockey News about the Russian Penguins. For those who don’t know, the Russian Penguins were a joint venture between Russia’s Red Army hockey club and the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins from 1993 to 1995. If that sounds like a crazy idea, well…it was. The Russian Penguins had everything from strippers to mobsters, as well as a few future NHL players, too. I also show off a few rare pieces of Penguins memorabilia. 

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Puck Junk Podcast: March 31, 2020

Neo-Retro Parkhurst Hockey Card Sets

In this episode of the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast, Sal Barry and Tim Parish discuss the latest happenings around the world of hockey, including the cancellation of the KHL  in Russia– what took them so long? — and the postponement of the NHL Entry Draft and Award Show. Then they talk about the three “Neo-Retro” Parkhurst Hockey card sets: Missing Link, Tall Boys and ’66’67 Parkies. These wonderful sets came out in the 1990s, but featured designs and players from the 1950s and 1960s.

Show Notes and Links:

Commons 4 Kids Charity (site)

1997-98 Pacific Cramer’s Choice Patrick Roy Jumbo card:

A few Sportscaster cards for your reference:

Weird looking Eddie Lack Bobblehead figure.

Eddie Lack’s retirement announcement video (Twitter)

Taco commercial starring Eddie Lack (YouTube)

Jonas Hiller’s awesome “matte black” goalie mask

Jonas Hiller wearing glasses at the 2011 NHL Fantasy Draft

Toronto Sports Card Expo (site)

1994 Parkhurst Missing Link Johnny Bower card:

1994 Parkhurst Missing Link Checklist (Trading Card DB)

1994 Parkhurst Tall Boys Jean Beliveau card

1994 Parkhurst Tall Boys Checklist (Trading Card DB)

1995 Parkhurst ’66-67 Bobby Orr card:

1995 Parkhurst ’66-67 Checklist (Trading Card DB)

Puck Junk Facebook Group (Facebook)

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG.
Podcast music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple PodcastsGoogle Play MusicSpotifyiHeartRadioStitcherPodchaserPocketCastsCastbox , Castro,
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Puck Junk Podcast: March 6, 2020

How the 1994-95 NHL Lockout Forever Changed Hockey Cards

Nothing had a bigger effect on hockey trading cards than the 1994-95 NHL Lockout. Because of the lockout, companies could make more hockey sets, hockey cards became more expensive and autographed cards became more commonplace. However, the 1994 NHL lockout was not without casualties, as some card sets — as well as other licensed NHL collectibles — were cancelled, while some contests and promotions were ruined. Sal Barry and Tim Parish take a look back at the 1994-95 lockout and how it forever affected hockey cards. They also talk about the forthcoming David Ayres rookie cards and answer more listener questions.

Show Notes and Links:
Johnny Boychuk gets hit in the face with a skate (YouTube)
Jim Little responds to being fired by Ottawa Senators (Twitter)
The “Saved By the Bell” design of 1994-95 Score boxes (Trading Card DB)
Robin Lehner shows off a bruise from stopping a shot (Twitter)

Follow Sal Barry on Twitter @PuckJunk.
Follow Tim Parish on Twitter @TheRealDFG.
Podcast music by Jim “Not the Goalie” Howard.

Subscribe to the Puck Junk Hockey Podcast on Apple PodcastsGoogle Play MusicSpotifyiHeartRadioStitcherPodchaserPocketCastsCastbox , Castro,
OvercastTuneIn and SoundCloud.

Support this podcast and buy a shirt from the Puck Junk Online Shop

Re-Imagining the 1994 NHL Entry Draft

The 1994 NHL Entry Draft took place 25 years ago. Unlike the drafts from the prior few years, it did not boast a generational talent like Eric Lindros, who headlined the 1991 Draft. Nor was it particularly deep, like the 1990 or 1993 Drafts. The 1994 Draft did have two players who scored over 1000 points — one who will be in the Hockey Hall of Fame some day — and three future Calder Trophy winners. And yet, those players weren’t even drafted in the first round!

So, let’s pretend that we could re-do the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. Who would be the new first-overall pick? 

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1994-95 Parkhurst SE Promo Card

During the 1994-95 season, Upper Deck sold a set of hockey cards called Parkhurst Special Edition — usually referred to as Parkhurst SE — in Europe. Even though the cards were printed in English, they were sold outside of North America, though many have eventually found their way back to this side of the Atlantic. Even though they were sold overseas, Parkhurst SE cards were printed in English. 

A while ago, I found this promo card for Parkhurst SE. It features Wayne Gretzky and gives more details about the set in English: 10 cards per pack, 48 packs per box, and a special collectors album to put the set in. 

But the back of the card was always a mystery to me. It is written in Swedish and Finnish, and I never knew what it said — until I got a little help from some friends on Twitter. 

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1994-95 Action Packed Badge of Honour Promo Hockey Pins

Action Packed was a trading card company that pinned its hopes on four new sets of hockey collectibles scheduled to launch during the 1994-95 season. Unfortunately for the company, none of its odd memorabilia items saw the light of day, mainly due to the 1994 NHL Lockout. One of these ill-fated Action Packed items was a set of hockey lapel pins called Badge of Honour. 

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1994-95 Upper Deck Hockey promo card

Upper Deck issued a promotional card of Wayne Gretzky to show what their upcoming 1994-95 Upper Deck Series One Hockey set would look like. The promo card is nearly identical to the card of Gretzky found in packs later that fall. However, there is one small difference that is quite obvious when you know what to look for. 

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1994-95 Upper Deck Hockey Variations

Four cards in 1994-95 Upper Deck Series One Hockey have variants. Cards of Mario Lemieux, Igor Larionov, Sergio Momesso and Mike Sillinger were produced with two different numbers on the back.

Below are pictures of each of the four cards’ fronts, plus pictures of both back variants. 

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Patrick Kane’s “First” Hockey Card

1994-95 Pinnacle #288: Sylvain Turgeon

1994-95_pinnacle_turgeonNo NHL players can boast appearing on a hockey card 12 years before their career began — except Patrick Kane. On Sylvain Turgeon’s 1994-95 Pinnacle hockey card, you see the Senators winger trying not to fall flat on his face in a game against the Sabres from the previous year. This photo actually makes for a pretty good metaphor for the Senators’ 1993-94 season, when they went 14-61-9 in 84 games.

Now, take a closer look at the wide-eyed kid in the stands.

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