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Penguins PA announcer Barbero dies at 65

PITTSBURGH, July 27 (UPI) -- Former longtime Pittsburgh Penguins public address announcer John Barbero has died of a brain tumor, his son said Tuesday.

Brady Barbero told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his father, age 65, died Monday night.

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He said John Barbero's job with the Penguins "meant the world to him. He loved the Penguins. There wasn't an away game he didn't watch, either."

The announcer's death came just as the team was about to move into its brand new arena, the Consol Energy Center, after many years at the Mellon (formerly the Civic) Arena, where several generations of hockey fans associated Barbero with their favorite team's biggest moments.

"He wanted to do them as long as he could," Brady Barbero told the newspaper. "He really wanted to be able to announce in that new arena."

"On behalf of the entire Penguins organization, I want to express our deepest sympathy to John's family," team co-owner Mario Lemieux said in a statement.

One of Barbero's trademarks during Lemieux's stellar career was to stretch out the Hall of Fame center's last name after he scored a goal.

His first season at the mic was 1972-73; his last game was Game 6 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.

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