50 Fun Facts About Pittsburgh Penguins

In which expansion year did the Penguins join the NHL?

They were one of six teams that doubled the league from the Original Six.

The winning 'Penguins' entry in the naming contest was inspired by what?

Only 700 of 26,000 entries chose the name; Mark Peters had the winning entry.

Which Steelers owner helped lobby the Norris brothers for votes to bring the NHL to Pittsburgh?

State senator Jack McGregor's group also included H.J. Heinz III and Richard Mellon Scaife.

The three-sided shape behind the penguin in the original logo symbolised what?

The first-season penguin also wore a scarf, dropped in the redesign a year later.

Which rookie led the Penguins to their first playoffs in 1970, then died after a car crash?

His No. 21 was never reissued and was formally retired in 2001.

Which shopping-mall magnate bought the Penguins after their 1975 bankruptcy?

The team's office doors had been padlocked by creditors that year.

Which team protested when the Penguins switched to black and gold in 1980?

Pittsburgh cited the 1920s NHL Pirates and the city flag; the NHL sided with the Penguins.

Which trio formed the Penguins' 'Century Line' of the mid-1970s?

Their 1975 run ended when the Islanders rallied from 3-0 down in the series.

Which coach later admitted the Penguins consciously finished last in 1983-84 to secure the first pick?

Devils management protested; the club posted three six-game winless streaks in its last 21 games.

What did Lemieux do on his very first NHL shift in October 1984?

It came against Boston in October 1984; the Penguins still missed the playoffs four more years.

Lemieux's junior record of 282 points in 1983-84 came with which QMJHL club?

He finished junior with 562 points in just 200 games.

On Dec. 31, 1988, Lemieux became the only player to score in how many game situations in one game?

Even strength, shorthanded, penalty shot, power play and empty net.

Which superstar defenseman did Pittsburgh acquire from Edmonton after the Oilers' 1987 Cup?

Tom Barrasso arrived from Buffalo to finally give Lemieux a top goalie.

Jaromir Jagr, drafted fifth in 1990, was the first player from which country drafted without defecting?

His No. 68 was retired in 2024, only the third number so honoured by the club.

Whom did the Penguins beat for their first Stanley Cup in 1991, closing with an 8-0 win?

The margin was the largest in a Cup-deciding game in more than 80 years.

After the 1991 Cup the Penguins became the first NHL team to do what?

President George H. W. Bush received them.

Who took over as coach for the 1992 repeat after Bob Johnson died of cancer?

Pittsburgh swept Chicago in that year's Final.

Lemieux was diagnosed with which illness in January 1993, yet still won the scoring title?

He flew straight from his last radiation treatment to play in Philadelphia and got a standing ovation.

How many consecutive games did the 1992-93 Penguins win, an NHL record at the time?

They also won the Presidents' Trophy with a franchise-best 56-21-7 record.

Which team eliminated the record-setting Penguins in seven games in the 1993 playoffs?

David Volek's overtime goal in Game 7 ended the run at a third straight Cup.

How was Lemieux able to enter the Hall of Fame in 1997, immediately after his first retirement?

He cited health and his disapproval of how the game was officiated.

Lemieux bought the bankrupt Penguins in 1999 by converting what into equity?

The club owed him $32.5 million, making him its largest individual creditor.

Which supermarket tycoon helped Lemieux take control of the team in 1999?

Lemieux assumed control on September 3, 1999, saving the franchise for the second time.

When Lemieux returned to the ice in December 2000, he became the NHL's first what?

He had been away 44 months and still carried the club to the 2001 conference finals.

Which team acquired Jaromir Jagr from Pittsburgh in the summer of 2001?

It was the biggest of the salary-shedding moves after attendance dwindled.

Whom did the Penguins select first overall in the 2003 draft?

A year later they took Evgeni Malkin second behind Alexander Ovechkin.

Where was Lemieux exploring a possible relocation before the 2007 arena deal?

He later said moving was never a real possibility, just a negotiating tactic.

The closed-door 2005 draft lottery that gave Pittsburgh the first pick was nicknamed what?

It was held behind closed doors in a 'secure location' after the cancelled season.

Evgeni Malkin set a modern NHL record in October 2006 by scoring in each of his first how many games?

His debut had been delayed by a rights dispute with the Russian Superleague; he won the Calder that season.

Which team beat the Penguins in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final before losing the 2009 rematch?

Crosby tied Conn Smythe winner Henrik Zetterberg for the 2008 playoff scoring lead.

Who scored both Pittsburgh goals in the 2-1 Game 7 win that clinched the 2009 Stanley Cup?

Malkin took the Conn Smythe that spring after winning the Art Ross.

Which coach replaced Michel Therrien midway through 2008-09 and won the Cup months later?

Jim Rutherford fired him in 2014 after a 3-1 series collapse against the Rangers.

Which award did Crosby win in 2009-10 with 51 goals?

It was the club's last season at Mellon Arena.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review dubbed the 2011 Winter Classic alternates the 'Blue Jerseys of' what?

Crosby was concussed and later broke his jaw while wearing them, and Malkin was concussed too.

Which star winger did Jim Rutherford acquire in the summer of 2015?

Mike Sullivan replaced Mike Johnston that December and the club won two straight Cups.

Whom did the Penguins beat in the 2016 Stanley Cup Final?

Crosby won the Conn Smythe; a year later Pittsburgh beat Nashville to repeat.

With their 2017 title, the Penguins became the first repeat champions since which team?

They were also the first back-to-back winners of the salary-cap era.

Which franchise took the Penguins' longtime goaltender in the 2017 expansion draft?

Fleury promptly backstopped Vegas to the Stanley Cup Final in its first season.

Which owner of the Red Sox and Liverpool FC took majority control of the Penguins in 2021?

The Hoffman family later bought the club, taking full control in June 2026.

Which Norris Trophy defenseman did Kyle Dubas acquire in a 2023 three-team deal?

Montreal was the third team in the transaction.

In 2025 Crosby, Malkin and Letang became the first trio in major North American sport to do what?

Crosby passed Lemieux as franchise points leader that December.

Crosby became the franchise's all-time points leader in December 2025 with how many points?

He passed Lemieux and later moved by Steve Yzerman into seventh on the all-time list.

PPG Paints Arena opened in 2010 under what original name?

It was the first LEED gold-certified arena in the NHL.

Which casino company offered to fund a $290 million Pittsburgh arena for a slots licence?

The eventual 2007 deal instead involved a $325 million bond and a 30-year lease.

Where was the 2011 Winter Classic, featuring the Penguins, played?

Crosby was concussed in that game.

Which two Cup-winning coaches are among the Penguins' Hall of Fame builders?

Herb Brooks, who coached the Penguins briefly, is also listed as a builder.

Lemieux set a Canada Cup record in 1987 with how many goals in nine games?

His last one, set up by Gretzky, clinched the tournament for Canada.

Which two nicknames is Lemieux best known by?

He is the only man whose name is on the Cup as both a player and an owner.

Which Pennsylvania state senator led the 1965 campaign to bring an NHL franchise to Pittsburgh?

McGregor's group pitched the NHL as an urban-renewal tool and he became the club's first president.

Longtime Penguins radio voice Mike Lange was honoured by the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001 with which prize?

Lange joined the radio team in 1974-75 and became lead play-by-play man in 1979-80.