Tom Barrasso

Lore & Background

On November 12, 1988, the month before he was fired as general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Tony Esposito traded for Barrasso (alongside a third-round draft pick), with the Sabres receiving Doug Bodger and Darrin Shannon. Barrasso played in 44 games of the latter end of the season and went 18–15–7 as the Penguins made the Stanley Cup playoffs. He was the primary starter for the playoff run, going 7–4 as the Penguins lost in the Division Finals.

Barrasso was the starter for the season until he had injuries that saw him miss all of November and later February and most of March 1990. He appeared in 24 total games, going 7–12–3 as the Penguins missed the playoffs. Barrasso had his first shutout as a Penguin on December 28, 1990 against the Detroit Red Wings, recording 27 saves. He appeared in 20 of the 24 playoff games that year, going 12–7 while recording a shutout in the pivotal Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.

Minnesota North Stars that saw him record a shutout of 39 saves at Pittsburgh won their first ever Stanley Cup. He went 25–22–9 in the season with a 3.53 GAA and a shutout. He started in all 21 playoff games, going 16–5 with a shutout that saw him set a league record with eleven straight playoff wins. In the Stanley Cup Final against the Chicago Blackhawks, he faced Ed Belfour, who had won eleven straight games to set a new record before the Penguins swept the Blackhawks that saw Barrasso share the record with Belfour.

In Game 1, Barrasso was tagged for three goals in the first period and were leading 4–1 midway through the second period before a litany of Penguin goals, including one with 13 seconds remaining, led to Pittsburgh pulling away with a 5–4 victory. In Game 2, Barrasso had 18 saves on 19 shots in a 3–1 victory while Game 3 saw Barrasso stop all 27 shots in a 1–0 victory for Pittsburgh. In Game 4, he had 24 saves on 29 shots in Game 4 as the Penguins prevailed 6–5 to complete the sweep and win the Cup.

It was his play in these Cup runs that established him as a 'money goalie'. The season saw him lead the league in wins, doing so with 43–14–5 record in 63 games played with a 3.01 GAA and four shutouts. He was the runner-up to the Vezina that year as he tied Tiny Thompson's NHL record with fourteen straight wins, doing so from March 9, 1993, to April 9, 1993.

Reader's Guide

Barrasso was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins on November 12, 1988, along with a third-round draft pick, for Doug Bodger and Darrin Shannon. He won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1991 and 1992. He was charged with making terrorist threats against a man that had gotten injured in an altercation with Penguin defenseman Peter Taglianetti and strength coach John Welday at a party in the aftermath of the 1994 playoff elimination.

Did You Know?

• Barrasso won the Calder Memorial Trophy and Vezina Trophy in his rookie season with the Buffalo Sabres.
• He set a league record with eleven straight playoff wins during the 1992 Stanley Cup run.
• Barrasso became the first American goaltender to record 300 NHL wins in 1997.