Tom Barrasso was the backbone of the Penguins’ goaltending from 1988 to 2000, playing a crucial role in the franchise’s rise to prominence. Acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres, Barrasso gave the Pens a top-flight starter and stability in net for over a decade.

The native of Boston, Massachusetts was instrumental in Pittsburgh’s back-to-back Stanley Cup championships in 1991 and ‘92. Over the course of both playoff runs, Barrasso went 28-12 with a 2.72 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and two shutouts, including a 39-save shutout in Pittsburgh’s 8-0 Stanley Cup-clinching win against Minnesota in Game 6 of the 1991 Stanley Cup Final.

One of the best big-game netminders of his era, Barrasso’s playoff win total with Pittsburgh ranked fourth in the NHL during that span, trailing only fellow Hall of Famers and Cup champs Patrick Roy, Eddie Belfour and Mike Vernon. Barrasso’s teams won at least one series in six of his eight playoff runs as the Pens’ top option. Overall, Barrasso’s teams won 12 of the 18 series when he played the majority of the minutes.

Known for his aggressive playing style, Barrasso’s 226 regular-season wins made him the winningest goaltender in franchise history at the time of his departure (now second behind Marc-Andre Fleury). Barrasso tackled more than a handful of injuries as a Penguin, but during his seven fully-healthy campaigns, he ranked among the league’s top-10 wins leaders five times, including an NHL-high 43 victories in 1992-93 – still the Penguins single-season record. At his height between 1990-91 and ’92-93, Barrasso won 95 games, third-most in the NHL despite playing significantly fewer games than most number-one goalies.

Barrasso’s excellent puck-handling skills gave the Penguins a third defenseman exiting their zone. No Pittsburgh netminder has more points than his 31. His superb stickwork didn’t just manifest itself offensively, as he was just as likely to clear pucks the length of the ice while penalty killing – sometimes more efficiently than a skater.