The mid-1990s were a golden era in Pittsburgh Penguins hockey. Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr were in their prime, the team had earned two Stanley Cups, and the triangle Penguins jersey was shiny and new. Many players came and went during those years, but one that is often overlooked is Rusty Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald had an impressive collegiate career and, given time, his NHL career would have been just as impressive. However, a persistent knee injury and subsequent early retirement put a question mark on what his professional career could have yielded. Let’s fire up the time machine and take a look back at his short, but well-traveled career.