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Welcome to The Real DFG's Pittsburgh Penguin Autograph Project. My goal is to eventually try and get at least one autograph of every player to lace up the skates in an NHL game for the Pittsburgh Penguins. It could have been for one game or 700 games, I will add them. Occasionally I may post cards of former players in their new team uniforms. While the goal is to get autos in Pens uni's, it isn't always possible. Since the team has been in existence since 1967, the list is pretty large. Last I checked, it was somewhere in the range of 624 different players. Currently, I sit at about 100 autographs (with some duplication). Enjoy the posts.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Al McDonough

The was one of my first "old-timey" autographs for a Penguin player.  This comes from the ITG 1972 The Year In Hockey set.  I love the picture of the old Civic Arena in the background there.

Al was a solid player coming up through the minors and caught the attention of the LA Kings, who drafted him with the 24th overall pick in 1970.  Halfway through 1971-72 he was traded to the Pens for Bob Woytowich.  McDonough didn't play for the Pens very long but when he did, he put on a show.

His second year with the team saw him score 35 goals playing on the line with Syl Apps and Lowell MacDonald.  In 1973-74, he averaged about a point per game and was picked for his first All-Star game.  After that, he was done in Pittsburgh, as the young team struggled to find a comfortable balance of talent and team management (the later causing the most difficulty). He retired in 1978 after playing in the WHA, CHL, and a brief stint with the Red Wings.

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