If These Walls Could Talk: Pittsburgh Penguins: Stories from the Pittsburgh Penguins Ice, Locker Room, and Press Box

by Phil Bourque, Josh Yohe

THE PITTSBURGH PENGUINS HAVE BECOME ONE OF THE MOST STORIED FRANCHISES IN NHL HISTORY. Winners of five Stanley Cup championships, the Penguins have hosted generations of stars from Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr to Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, all of whom have left an indelible mark on team history. Phil Bourque, who helped earn two of those Stanley Cup victories and who now serves as color commentator alongside Mike Lange for Penguins radio broadcasts, has gotten to witness more than his fair share of that history up close and personal. In If These Walls Could Pittsburgh Penguins, you’ll relive some of that history, from Bourque’s memories of training camp with Lemieux to his stories of celebrating with (and having to repair) the Cup.

Through singular anecdotes only Bourque can tell about current and past players, coaches, and opponents, this book provides fans with a one-of-a-kind, insider’s look into the Penguins’ greatest moments, disappointments, and everything in between.

Genres: Sports

256 pages, Paperback

Published October 1, 2019

Reviews

[bri 🧸 · Rating 4 out of 5]

phil bourque <3

[Amber Pucciarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must-read for Pittsburgh Hockey fans! I am too young to remember watching the Penguins in the early 90s but boy did this book open my eyes to an awesome era of hockey. As a fan of the franchise, it made me appreciate the game even more and how much the players deal with just to get to the NHL and then struggles on and off the ice. The book is written in a casual, personal tone, that makes you feel like you are at a bar having a beer with Phil and Josh. What a great tribute to the Pittsburgh Penguin Franchise!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You probably can’t call yourself a Penguins fan if you don’t like Phil Bourque. And, assuming you’re a Penguins fan and you like Bourque, you’re going to love this book.

Reading this is pretty much if you invited Bourquey over for dinner and beers and you asked him to tell you about his life. I normally really dislike swearing and dropping the f-bomb every few words, but the language is so authentically Phil that something would be missing without it.

Hats off to Josh too, since I’m sure his role was cleaning up and editing. Always have to give props to those former McKeesport Daily News people.

I’ve met Phil a handful of times at different Penguins signings and things, and the one thing that always struck me is just how generally happy and nice he is. The first signing he and Trotts had my dad come back behind the table for a photo and joked with me behind the camera. The next time I had brought a hockey card for him to sign but I brought my entire book of Penguins cards so I wouldn’t lose it. He asked “How many of mine do you have?” I had about 9 or 10. He said “give me all of them.” And he signed every card and the team photo from the 90-91 Cup on the front too. And another time he signed my purse and chatted with me for about five minutes and then asked if I wanted to take a photo. Of course I did, but didn’t want to bother him. But that’s just the kind of guy he is. After reading this book it sounds like that’s the way he lives his life all around, and I like him even more. Hopefully other people feel the same way when they finish this book.

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book honestly reads like Phil Bourque sat at a barstool and shot the shit to Siri for 3 hours, and they took the dictation to print. Typos and "Holy fuck, oh my god, that guy." phrases and all.

It was fascinating hearing Phil open up a bit emotionally about his mental state during slumps, and his anxiety flying into an airport packed with 50,000 fans crowding the halls. Really makes you feel for the guy.

Phil opens up the book by talking about how his father was physically abusive, then takes on this braggadocio attitude of how great the 90s "riverboat gambler" "alpha-male" Penguins were. It's not tongue-in-cheek, and it's fascinating how someone writes about how horrible their abusive father was doesn't connect the dots the next paragraph where he writes about how great it is to be an alpha-male.

There's no better source of truth than from the horse's mouth for a lot of this stuff, so I really appreciate this book for that, and for knowing what it is. If you ever wanted to sit down with Bourque and share a beer, this is the closest you'll probably get. Unless you hit up Bufords, across the street from PPG Arena, after a Pens game

[Dylan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essentially a Phil Bourque memoir. I start with that because I saw a Blackhawks book in this series and looked up the Penguins, thinking it was more team history and I never read the blurb.

That said, it's really interesting for a Penguins account of the 80's and early 90's cup teams. It honestly beats another history of them (of which there are many good ones to choose from). Maybe woulda been neat to get a bit more of a perspective of his time behind the booth but I understand focusing more on the playing days supplemented by other incedents and life moments.

That said, this very much feels like a "sports guy" sort of memoir. To be bluntly honest, if you're not a fan of the Penguins it's a 1, maybe 2, star book. The prose and writing is bad to uninteresting and there's really not much here for the standard sports fan you can't get better elsewhere. But I'll always support and encourage more writing on my favorite teams and city.

[Joel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is Phil Bourque’s autobiography more than it is behind-the-scenes stories from the locker room. Of course, as a key part of the Pittsburgh’s first two Cups, Bourque shares lot of insight into what happened during those magical runs. Bourque left the Pens after that second championship, so their aren’t many black-and-yellow tales beyond that point. Fans looking for stories from the Crosby era will not find them here. That said, Bourque had a great NHL career and his exploits before and after the Steel City are worth hearing.

[Elena · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kein Vergleich zum If these walls could talk zu den Chicago Blackhawks. Wirklich erstaunlich, wie oberflächlich man bleiben kann. Außerdem finde ich, dass man das hier auch gleich einfach als Phil Bourque Autobiographie marketen könnte weil es das am Ende war abgesehen von seinem „Das waren übrigens meine liebsten Teammates“ auf den letzten 10 Seiten. Außerdem der riesige Boner für Lemieux? Ich weiß ja nicht. Und repititiv wurde es auch irgendwann.

Allerdings 5 Sterne für Badger Bob Johnson. He made me cry. It‘s a great day for hockey!

[Joe Szwedko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pens Fan Must Read

As a lifelong Pens fan, attending my first game in 1972, this book was a such a great read! Reading about all the happenings of a Penguins franchise from inside the locker room, was like being there. As a lifelong Penguins fan, I could not put this book down. Cudos to Phil and everybody that assisted in the writing of this book! If you are a Pens fan, it's a must read! Thanks Phil!

[Lindsey Sparks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this for Christmas and was saving it for my trip to Pittsburgh on spring break. That trip didn't happen, and I ended up reading it while missing hockey because of COVID-19. It was nice to escape a little with this and I enjoyed the inside stories. It was sad reading about Bourque's dad though, and I definitely cried reading about Badger Bob. Hearing about Mario's pain was difficult and I had no idea Bourque almost died falling off a mountain!!!!!!!! Crazy.

[Paleoanthro · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic read for any Pittsburgh Penguin fan. Written in Bourque's own words, we are treated to inside stories and incidents from Bourque's career that provide insight into the Penguins' teams of the early 90's and their Stanley Cup winning teams. Entertaining and enlightening, any hockey fan would enjoy this book!

[Timothy P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spinning Yarns

'Ye old 29Dr pulls back the curtain a bit and lets us into the life of a Stanley Cup champion warts and all. There are moments so good in here that I almost dropped the Kindle in laughter. If you're a hockey person this is a must read.

[Dom Hung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Complete fan book, but absolutely loved it as a Penguins fan, couldn't put down...if you aren't a Penguins fan, wouldn't recommend it

[Andrew Morgan]

I liked the book and enjoyed hearing the stories of the players

[Patrick Damp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, lots of stories from the 80s-90s Penguins but overall its Bourque’s biography. Nothing wrong with that, just expected some more behind the curtain look at the Pens.

[Renee · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a huge Pens fan, I loved this book. I loved all the stories. And I learned new things about Bourquey & the team.

Fun read for Pens fans!

[Jeff Walzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Old 29er comes through again

Great look at the career and life of an undrafted player who made the most of his talent through hard work. A Penguin and a Pittsburgher for life!

[Brenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writing = 1.5/5
Stories about the '91/'92 Cup teams = 50/5
We'll even it out at a 3/5

[Gabe Lilja · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun look at the entire history of the Pittsburgh Penguins franchise, as seen by an insider.

[Sydney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining, informative book about Phil Bourque's career and the 80's-90's Penguins. Great read.

[Darla Carcia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for Pens fans, especially those who remember the early 90’s seasons. Written poorly, with many errors but still enjoyable.

[Jim Libell · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is a good look about the Penguins of the 80’s and 90’s.

[Bryan Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

If ever there was a book to read while drinking a beer, this is it. It's a memoir of Phil Bourque's hockey career which is an enjoyable experience. Some of it is a little cringe-inducing especially when he talks about his ex-wife, but mostly it seems like an honest account of his time with the Penguins. I thought it was going to be more of a general account of Penguins lore rather than Bourque's war stories, but it's still a fun read for all Pens fans.

[Shane Kaler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I miss hockey, so I did a twofer. Before reading the old two-niner’s book, I wanted to rate it better than Starkey’s, but that was when I believed they were of the same subject matter. Yes, they’re both club books, but while Starkey provides ripped-from-the-headlines styled anecdotes (albeit terribly, often referencing figures by names only familiar to those assuming the first-person in that particular blurb, and not only did he continuously ignore the era-based chronology with which he barely tried to organize his work but the “inside looks into the locker room” hardly took place behind the scenes and are largely public knowledge), Bourque actually compiles an autobiography. The contrast actually proved Starkey’s work as an enriching supplement to Bourque’s firsthand experiences. The voice of the Pens, himself, did the introduction to both, kind-of solidifying that all encompassing narrative. #readingrainbow #letsgopens #twofer #theoldtwoniner #mikelange #philborque

[Anne Leveridge · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for all penguins fans