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Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Penguins president Jeff Barrett is responsible for the
team’s bottom line.
From that perspective, the
club’s second season was a
huge success.
The Penguins sold out every game for the second half of
the season, finished third in
total attendance, first in percentage of tickets sold and
first in playoff attendance.
More than 450,000 watched
hockey games at the First
Union Arena this season.
From an emotional standpoint, Barrett endured a season with more highs and lows
than a volatile week on the
New York Stock Exchange.
For the first half of the season, the Penguins were in the
black, so to speak.
Barrett was able to lure a
portion of Pittsburgh Penguins training camp to the
arena. From there, he saw
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton race to
the Mid-Atlantic Division lead
before the much-heralded arrival of the American Hockey
League All-Star Classic.
But before the all-star festivities began in earnest, Barrett received word that team
captain John Slaney, a close
friend, had been traded to
Philadelphia.
“Those were incredible
highs and lows,” Barrett said.
“John was our captain and he
was such a great player. He
took it like a pro. We asked
him to wear the Wilkes-Barre
jersey (in the all-star skills
competition) and he did. That
was very special to not just
me, but his teammates who
were here.”
Barrett then watched the
Penguins slip into the red.
With goaltender Rich Parent
called up to Pittsburgh, the
team fell to third place and
was in danger of missing the
playoffs altogether.
The team’s late-season resurgence, which culminated
with a trip to the Calder Cup
finals, came as a surprise to
the team president.
“We never expected this
run,” Barrett said. “We had
that tough time in February
when Pittsburgh had Richie
up and a few other guys up.
For (coach Glenn Patrick) to
get his guys back on, it’s a
dream season.”
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