The Pittsburgh Penguins are bringing back some familiar faces. The team announced today that Tom Kostopoulos, recently retired from his playing career with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, has been hired as a player development coach, while Andy Chiodo has been hired as a goaltending development coach.
Kostopoulos, 39, was a full-time NHL player for many years earlier in his career, but found a home in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton over the last few seasons. He served as captain for two different stints, first in 2002-04 and then again from 2013-18. Even as his career came to a close he was an effective player, recording 19 points in 31 games for the Penguins this season. He’ll go down as one of, if not the, greatest players in club history.
Chiodo, 35, had a shorter time with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton but is a beloved character in their history. The goaltender spent most of his professional career touring the European professional leagues, but helped the Penguins to a Calder Cup appearance early on and even made eight appearances for Pittsburgh during the 2003-04 season. Both will be widely accepted into the Penguins organization as some of the most popular minor league players in franchise history. Their next test will be to help the next wave of players reach their full potential.