BUFFALO — Craig Patrick, the legendary former Penguins general manager, is famously reserved.
But his former players know how he feels about them, and they’re making it very well known how they feel about him.
Patrick, 79, suffered a severe stroke in late December while getting ready for a function at his home and has been in a local Pittsburgh hospital since.
“Craig has been in acute care and recovery for the past month and is expected to return home next week to begin the therapy and rehabilitation process,” the Penguins said in a statement to The Athletic. “The entire Penguins organization, both past and present, extend their love and support to the Patrick family.”
That love has been apparent as giants in the Penguins universe have spent time with Patrick in recent days. Mario Lemieux visited Patrick recently, as did current general manager/president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas.
“I have learned that one of the great honors of working for the Penguins has been getting to be around franchise icons Eddie Johnston and Craig Patrick on a daily basis,” Dubas said. “The franchise was built off of their efforts across many decades and to have them be around the team and we build again, means such a great deal to our entire hockey operations department and our players.”
Dubas and Patrick have developed a strong relationship over the past few years. Patrick has gone out of his way to share his wisdom with Dubas, who is in his third season with the surprisingly thriving Penguins.
“Craig has been a wonderful source of wisdom and guidance for me in my time here,” Dubas said. “He’s a key participant in our scouting meetings and a great support to all of our management team. As such, supporting Craig and his whole family during this time is vitally important to the Penguins. We look forward to seeing Craig back at his usual seat in the press box very soon.”
The Penguins have long prided themselves on their family atmosphere, and Patrick, who still works for the organization as a scout, is very much part of the family.
The first person to visit Patrick in the hospital was Bryan Trottier, whom Patrick signed as a free agent with the Penguins in the summer of 1990, 10 months before the franchise won the Stanley Cup for the first time. This marked a remarkable eight-month stretch in which Patrick brought seven future Hall of Famers — Trottier, Joey Mullen, Jaromir Jagr, Larry Murphy, Ron Francis, Bob Johnson and Scotty Bowman — into the Penguins organization.
“I cherish his friendship and love our history together,” Trottier said. “His family is strong and his world is packed with friends ready to rally at a moment’s notice. He’ll never be alone in any battle.”
Patrick was the Penguins’ general manager from 1989 through 2006. The Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992 and along the way became the NHL’s glamour team of that era, largely because of the moves Patrick orchestrated.
The soft-spoken Patrick drafted some of the greatest players in NHL history, including Jagr, Marc-André Fleury, Evgeni Malkin and, in his final draft, Sidney Crosby.
Crosby, who holds Patrick in high regard, shared his thoughts with The Athletic following Thursday’s morning skate in Buffalo, where the Penguins were preparing to play the Sabres hours later.
“I have a really good relationship with him,” Crosby said. “He was so good to me when I was 18. I was so young, getting a lot of attention. And he was so patient, so understanding of what it was like. He was helpful to me in many ways.”
Patrick has been a fixture at PPG Paints Arena in recent seasons, a steady presence not only in his scouting role but also as a living legend in the hockey management world.
“It’s funny because my first year was his last year (as general manager),” Crosby said. “But I love that he’s been around the team all these later years. You can see how much pride he has in the Penguins, how much he loves being around. I love hearing him talk, hearing the old Olympic stories.”
Patrick is widely considered one of the great general managers in NHL history, but he rose to prominence long before then, namely during his stint as Herb Brooks’ assistant during the Miracle on Ice.
A recently released documentary on Netflix, “Miracle: The Boys of ’80,” has put Patrick back in the spotlight in the days leading up to the men’s hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics in Milan.
Notoriously quiet and reserved while orchestrating the mighty Penguins machine of the early ’90s, Patrick has let his guard down in recent years, both in the documentary and in conversations with his former players.
“There is an obvious connection with him on a professional level,” former Penguins defenseman Phil Bourque said. “But I’ve gotten to know him on a personal level in later years. You can put down the GM and player titles and just be hockey guys. He’s told me stories about the 1980 Olympic team, stuff like that. It’s been so nice getting to know him in that way.”
Patrick has been noticeable in his absence from the Penguins’ press box in recent weeks. His former players started hearing the news and have rallied behind their old boss.
“It’s easy to love a guy like Craig,” former Penguins forward Bob Errey said. “He has the biggest heart of any GM I ever played for.”
Patrick, like so many general managers in Penguins history, wasn’t shy about trading players whom he possessed the deepest of affection. He traded away all-time Penguins greats, including Paul Coffey, Mark Recchi and Kevin Stevens.
He never lost track of his job, which was to win as often as possible. But his human side was always there, and it’s become easier to see it as time has gone on. It’s the main reason he’s getting so much support during this recent health scare.
“Craig was the reason we won the Cups,” Stevens said. “He had to make really hard decisions and traded some really popular guys. The thing about Craig is, he’s an even better guy than he was a general manager. Just a first-class guy. We all love him and are cheering for him. Terrible news when I heard it. A real gut punch.”