Customer Reviews

NHL - Pittsburgh Penguins - 10 Greatest Games

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I'm a huge Pens' fan so I had to buy this DVD immediately. It's pretty good and definitely brings back many great memories. The video quality of the games is great, no glitches. The games are shown in their original broadcast which include Penguins play by play announcer Mike Lange with Paul Steigerwald adding color commentary. The four overtime playoff game against the Washington Capitals in 1996 is an ESPN telecast with Steve Levy providing play by play. The 2001 Eastern Conference Semifinal game 7 win against the Buffalo Sabres is also an ESPN telecast with Gary Thorne and Bill Clement on the call. Two of the included games are from the 2006 season which I don't agree with. Both are regular season games versus the Philadelphia Flyers and New Jersey Devils. There were so many great games during the 1980's and 1990's that the producers could have chosen instead, or at least given the fans a chance to vote on. But the biggest dissapointment is the fact that THE GREATEST Penguins game ever is not included in the DVD set. That would be game 1 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals at home against the Chicago Blackhawks. If you ever get a chance to see game highlights on ESPN Classic or the NHL Network, don't miss it. The Penguins trailed in this game 3-0 and 4-1 and for many Pens' fans a funny thing happened on the way to the refrigerator... Rick Tocchet scored to make it 4-2; Mario Lemieux made it 4-3 scoring a goal from an impossible angle behind the goal line. He banked a shot of goaltender Ed Belfour's right leg. With under 5:00 minutes remaining in regulation, Jaromir Jagr scored a goal that Lemieux called in his post-game press conference the greatest he'd ever seen. Game tied 4-4. The Pens lined up for a face off in the Chicago end with 17.2 seconds remaining. Ron Francis won the face off, Larry Murphy took the shot, the rebound came off Belfour right to Lemieux who buried it. Pens won 5-4. No Pens' fan will ever forget this game nor Mike Lange's call of the winning goal. You could say that this comeback win won the Penguins their second Stanley Cup. Chicago never recovered and went on to get swept in the series 4 games to 0. Hopefully there will be a Volume II that includes this game.

If you're a Penguins fan or a hockey fan in general, this DVD is definitely a good purchase. I give it 3 out of 5 stars because the producers should have done a better job picking what games to include. In my opinion, the two games from the 2006 season shouldn't in the list.

I was finally able to get a listing of the 10 games. They are:

1. May 25, 1991: Penguins vs. North Stars: Penguins claim their first Stanley Cup.

2. June 1, 1992: Penguins vs. Blackhawks: Penguins clinch back-to-back Cups sweeping the series in four games.

3. April 25, 1989: Penguins vs. Flyers: Mario Lemieux explodes for five goals and eight points in an epic playoff battle - Pittsburgh's first playoff berth since Lemieux's arrival.

4. Dec. 27, 2000: Penguins vs. Maple Leafs: Mario Lemieux emerges from retirement in dramatic fashion with a goal and two assists.

5. April 24, 1996: Penguins vs. Capitals: The Penguins and Capitals take four overtimes to decide Game Four of the '96 Eastern Conference quarterfinals as the Pens come out on top, 3-2.

6. April 9, 1993: Penguins vs. Rangers: Penguins set NHL record with 16th consecutive win - Lemieux erupts for five goals.

7. Oct. 24, 2006: Penguins vs. Devils: The 18-, 19- and 20-year-old trio of Jordan Staal, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin all score a goal; Malkin's being a highlight for the ages, in a 4-2 win over Martin Brodeur and the Devils.

8. May 10, 2001: Penguins vs. Sabres: Darius Kasparaitis joins the rush and scores the OT winner in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference semifinals.

9. Dec. 13, 2006: Penguins vs. Flyers: Sidney Crosby has a six-point night to take over the NHL scoring lead in only his sophomore season.

10. April 13, 1991: Penguins vs. Devils: Frank Pietrangelo makes what is simply known as `The Save' in a 4-3 win in Game Six of the Patrick Division semifinals.

As I do not know the quality of the film since I haven't seen them yet (releases in November), my rating is based off the games included. I docked the set 1 star, as I am very, very disappointed that no pre-Lemieux games were included in the fans voting.

Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Sidney Crosby are without question three of the greatest superstars of their era. Therefore it was essential that at least one or two of the Crosby games were included here, even though none of Crosby's Penguin teams have yet won a championship. What is sacrificed are some of the games that date back to before the Lemieux era began, and there were quite a few memorable ones. But in the 1970's the Penguins were overshadowed by the Steelers and the Pirates, both Pittsburgh teams that won a half-dozen World Championships between them in the 1970's. That is why it would have been nice to include at least one game that showcased the franchise's rich history that began well before Super Mario arrived on the scene in 1984. Between Lemieux and Jagr alone, they served up so many memorable moments on the ice, this despite Lemieux's career being entirely plagued with injuries and misfortune, Penguin fans look to the future with Crosby and Evgeni Malkin as the next great hockey duo to rock the 'Burgh for the next decade-plus.

I would like to say I have most of these games on DVD. I always recorded their playoff games every year. I bought the Philly playoff game where Mario scores 5g and 2a. The one I wanted the most isn't on here. It's when Mario scores in every possible way during a N.J. game. I don't understand why no history of the team as a whole like the NFL discs I have. This doesn't cover the whole history before Mario. Not a complete edition but a must if you don't have. Check out the Steelers history Dvd if your a fan of them. I own it but not a fan.

As others have mentioned, some of the game selections are rather poor. They seem to have chosen games where the Pens scored a lot of points, not necesarily games that were very intense. I also own the Edmonton Oilers 10 greatest games, and the selection of games were MUCH better - they have some from every era (Wayne, post Wayne, and recent from their last cup run). They had only 1 blowout, and that was a stanely cup winning game, so I can forgive it. Most the games were close, very exciting, and very intense.

A couple of the Pittsburgh games have been that, but mostly it seems to be a collection of high-scoring games, where Mario gets 5-8 points, and the Pens steamroll someone. That kind of thing is fine for 1 or 2 of the games, but when it seems to be half of them or more, it gets old, especially when the Pens have so many great games to choose from.

The quotation above is just one of Penguins play-by-play man Mike Lange's bizarre declarations after a Penguins goal. Also, Lange gives a brief introduction before the games. Not being a Penguin fan, I'm not going to get into nitpicking about which games should be on here. Instead, I'll just discuss what is on here.

Most of the games on here feature fine video and audio quality. Exceptions being the North Stars game (poor video and audio) and the '91 Devils game which was joined in progress in the first period due to what were called "technical issues". In regards to the North Stars game, I've seen the CBC telecast of that game which looks and sounds fine. Why not just use that one? I'm all for having a local flavor, but not at the expense of the product. That said, it's still a recommended purchase for Penguins and NHL fans.

I have really enjoyed watching the games on the set. 10 greatest games? Not really. It's a shame there aren't any games from the pre-Lemieux Pens, and I really wish Game 1 from the 1992 Stanley Cup finals was included with the Pens comeback from 0-3 and 1-4, Mario's bank shot off Belfour's leg, Jagr's fantastic goal, and Mario's game-winner with seconds left. I don't think that was even an option on the online poll to determine the games. I'd also love to see more of the Jagr-led Pens, no matter how out of favor he is now with some Pens fans. 10 games just isn't enough-the only solution is more DVDs of great Pens games!

This is a great collection of the ten best games played by the Pittsburgh Penguins. Lots of action and excitement. Excellent packaging.

These are some great hockey games. Is this set perfect? No.

People will complain about their personal favorites not making the list, but this is a nice overview of the greatest (and memorable) moments in Penguins' recent history.

I love this set and I'm glad I bought it.

great dvd, a must own for a true pens fan, learn all the history and the picture quality is amazing on my lcd tv even though its old games