Former Penguin coming to PNG Field Thursday night
Kasparaitis grew to love Steel City
Trending
When Darius Kasparaitis came to Pittsburgh via a trade from the New York Islanders in November 1996, he was not a beloved figure in the city.
What happened next was a team and city falling in love with Kasparaitis and his blue-collar, physical style of play, and Kasparaitis falling in love with the city and fans in return.
"Being in Pittsburgh, coming from New York, it was a totally different town, and Pittsburgh is a very beautiful, unique town," said Kasparaitis, who will be making an appearance at PNG Field for the Hartford-Curve game tonight. "When I got traded to Pittsburgh, I was shocked, because I was probably one of the most-hated players in Pittsburgh before I got traded. But being in Pittsburgh, falling in love with the city and having wonderful fans who really appreciate my style of game, I think that was the best thing about being in Pittsburgh."
Of course, protecting Pittsburgh hockey legends Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr certainly goes a long way with fans and his teammates alike. It was a place where he was unsure of being welcomed after years of terrorizing the Penguins' physically as a member of the Islanders.
"When I came to the locker room, I saw all those guys that I knew for previous years. I thought maybe there'd be tough love," Kasparaitis said. "They got me into the locker room. They made fun of me a little bit by telling me that now they have to wear shoulder pads in practice because I will probably start hitting everybody."
Kasparaitis making an immediate impact -- with a tremendous hit in a game on Brett Hull who was with St. Louis at the time -- helped him win over the home crowd and his teammates in a big way.
"Even in that first game against the St. Louis Blues, I came out and the moment they introduced my name, people went crazy. I was like, 'Wow, I guess they forgot all the nastiness I did two years before that,'" Kasparaitis said. "It made me feel welcomed. And then I scored a goal that game. I made a big hit on Brett Hull, and had a great game. People fell in love with me so easily and so fast so it made me feel like part of the team right away."
His time in Pittsburgh marked the first time he'd played with superstars which can be an intimidating situation for the wrong player.
"I was nervous, you know, because before that, I didn't play on the team with the big names," Kasparaitis said. "I came to a team with Jagr, even though he was my age, but at the same time Lemieux, Ron Francis, Tommy Barrasso, there were a lot of well-known players, and they won Cups, and they were superstars in the league."
Kasparaitis was able to earn their respect on the ice and off the ice. He also got involved in some card games that helped them welcome him with open arms.
"I think the best way to get to be part of the team was I started playing poker on the plane and other card games," Kasparaitis said. "I let them win a couple of times so they made me feel welcome right away. They took my money and they were happy that I was such a bad poker player."
Joking aside, fans who come to see Kasparaitis at PNG Field are sure to bring up the big hits and even his overtime goal against the Buffalo Sabres in the 2001 playoffs.
Fans are still able to purchase VIP Meet-and-Greet packages that will allow them to get pictures and other memorabilia signed, plus a chance for a picture with the former enforcer.
Those days are now a distant memory, though, but he's still known to get on the ice with current NHL players in the offseason. The father of six, and current Florida real estate developer, often skates with younger players from the Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks.
While his playing days are behind him, his legacy in Pittsburgh will forever remain as a tough, hard-nosed player, one who endeared himself to the city, his teammates and embodied what it meant to be a Pittsburgher.
"I wanted to relate to people in Pittsburgh, you know, hard-working town, hard-working people. That's how I played the game," he said. "I played the game with passion. I play the game hard. I actually played the game for the fans because I knew they appreciated my style of play."