DuPuis, Lange drop the puck on Behrend's Speaker Series
The puck was dropped on Penn State Behrend’s annual Speaker Series on Monday night as the campus hosted two of the most well-known members of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization in Pascal Dupuis and Mike Lange.
Dupuis, a left winger with over 190 goals in his 14-year career, featured for the Pittsburgh Penguins for over eight years and has two Stanley Cup wins to his name. Lange, on the other hand, has been the voice of the Penguins since 1974, and he has called all four Stanley Cup victories in Penguins’ franchise history.
“Champions! - An evening with Pascal Dupuis and Mike Lange” was the title for the duo’s presentation that was displayed in front of well over one hundred members of the local community. From 7:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., nearly every seat in McGarvey Hall was filled for the recent Stanley Cup winners’ anticipated presentation.
Dr. Ken Miller, Senior Director of Campus Planning and Student Affairs, introduced Lange to kick off the proceedings with a highlight reel of some of Lange’s most famous “Lange-isms”. Lange possesses one of hockey’s all-time most recognizable voices from the broadcast booth, and his unpredictably eccentric sayings are part of the reason he has become a fan favorite to hockey fans around the world.
“The phrases I use, I put a lot of time into making a decision to use them, so I’ll be honest they’re all my favorites. I ponder a lot before making a final decision. I added two this year which is kind of rare, you know as far as adding things, but the moment was there to do that,” Lange said.
When first stepping onto the stage, both Dupuis and Lange received roaring ovations from the members of the crowd, who nearly all donned Penguins garb. Lange was at home behind the microphone asking Dupuis the questions that led the conversation, as the Stanley Cup winners sat side by side on the stage. The two hockey figures engaged in an intimate and unique one-on-one discussion - a change of pace from the typical Speaker Series setup - that hit on topics like the Penguins’ recent success and the high and low points of Dupuis’ career. The discussion’s supplemental themes of overcoming struggles and achieving success were geared towards all audience members.
“Well, I think the biggest thing is if you have a dream that might come true, well, dreams do come true. And for this Penguin team, they struggled a little bit, got on a winning path, and found a way to win the Cup,” Lange said.
Dupuis was a member of the reigning Stanley Cup-winning Penguins team during the 2015-2016 season, but he was unfortunately unable to step on the ice and play with the team after December when he announced his retirement due to medical complications related to blood clots.
“I hate that word [retirement]. I still say I’m not retired. I’m on long term IR (Injured Reserve). It is a word that hasn’t sunk in, yet,” Dupuis said.
Dupuis detailed the bittersweet ending of winning the Stanley Cup in his last season.
“It was definitely good to leave on a high note, but I didn’t play. I don’t know, but it was good closure obviously. I had a Cup party over the summer - more of a ‘retirement’ party as you guys call it. So, goodbye to the last time I can win it as a player and be with it on the ice,” Dupuis said.
With multiple Stanley Cup victories to their names, both Dupuis and Lange noted that there was nothing like their first Cup win, respectively. The two men of hockey fame both have made their marks on Pittsburgh Penguins franchise history, and only few Penguins figures can claim that they have had a bigger impact on the franchise.
