Anyone who followed the Pittsburgh Penguins and their back-to-back Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017 are reminiscent of the “HBK line.”
And on Thursday, the two parts were brought together.
During team training before this weekend’s NHL Global Series At the Avicii Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, assistant coach Nick Bonino and former Penguins forward Carl Hagelin – who resides near Stockholm – had the chance to reunite. Both were part of Pittsburgh’s famous HBK line during the 2016 Stanley Cup run, which included Hagelin, Bonino and Phil Kessel (the “K”).
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The trio combined for 15 goals and 46 points in 24 games during the Penguins’ 2016 playoff run.
“Bones, my old center…he looks good,” Hagelin told Pens Inside Scoop. “He did a good job. He really looks like a coach on the bench.”
Bonino, 37, played 15 seasons in the NHL and scored 159 goals and 358 points in 868 games. He spent two seasons in Pittsburgh between 2015 and 2017, winning two Cups. He also had a brief second stint with the Penguins after the 2023 trade deadline, but he only played three games due to injury.
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As a player, Bonino recorded 27 goals and 66 points in 146 regular season games with the Penguins, as well as eight goals and 25 points in 45 playoff games. He now coaches the Penguins as an assistant.
Hagelin, 37, played 12 seasons in the NHL and scored 110 goals and 296 points in 713 NHL games. He played with the Penguins from 2015 until the 2018-19 season, when he was traded to the Los Angeles Kings mid-season. Hagelin scored 27 goals and 83 points in 195 games with Pittsburgh.
The Swedish forward spent over three seasons with the Washington Capitals, where he was forced to retire early due to an eye injury during the 2021-22 season.
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