32 NHL Cities in 32 Days: Pittsburgh Penguins

Alexis Bazydola
May 23, 2020
7 min read

The Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Currently, the Pittsburgh Penguins reside in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and call PPG Paints Arena home. Opened in 2010, this arena can seat over 18,000 fans for a home hockey game. This arena was the replacement for the Penguins’ original home at the Civic Arena. PPG Paints Arena has hosted various entertainers over the years including the inaugural concert by Paul McCartney, and others like Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, Reba McIntire and so many more.

Originally, the Penguins played at the Civic Arena. Opening in 1961, the arena hosted various events over the years besides just Penguins games: President Dwight Eisenhower attended a Republican Rally in 1962, boxers like Muhammad Ali and Sonny Liston participated in boxing matches, Mary Lou Retton performed in 1990, and entertainers like Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, and the Bee Gees performed. After the Penguins moved out of the Civic Arena, it was demolished in 2011.

Team History

With the campaign to bring an NHL franchise back to Pittsburgh began in 1965 (after the Pirates were formerly in Pittsburgh between 1925-30), the NHL awarded the franchise in 1966 for play to begin in 1967. Jack Riley was named the first general manager. The other expansion teams were strapped for talent as rules kept much of the veterans with the “Original Six” teams. Thus, the team struggled their first season and ended with the third worst record, missing the playoffs.

In 1970, the Penguins achieved their first playoff spot and swept the Oakland Seals in the first round. They were then eliminated by the St. Louis Blues in the second round in six games. Tragedy struck after this season when young star Michel Briere was involved in a car crash causing brain damage and putting him in a coma. He died a year later. The rest of the 70s proved to still be a struggle for the Penguins as they tried to make traction in the playoffs.

1975 saw the Penguins file for bankruptcy. With rumors starting that the team would be relocated or fold, an intervention group stepped in and the team was bought by Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr. The 1980s saw the change of the team colors from blue and white to black and gold. Although they began the decade with the likes of Randy Carlyle, Paul Gardner, and Mike Bullard, the team still struggled to make any competitive traction.

The Penguins held the worst record in the NHL in 1983 and 1984 and struggled financially, so rumors again began to swirl over whether the team would be relocated or not. The team secured the right to draft Mario Lemieux in 1984. Although Lemieux’s arrival was just what the Penguins expected, the team did not make the playoffs for the next four years. At the end of the 80s, the team traded for Paul Coffey and Tom Barrasso; and called up Kevin Stevens, Rob Brown and John Cullen from the minors. The Penguins still could not find their way to the playoffs until 1989. They swept the New York Rangers in the first round but were eliminated by the rival Philadelphia Flyers in the second.

Lemieux was out with injury to his neck in the 1989-90 season and the Penguins failed to make the playoffs again. During the offseason, the Penguins added Bryan Trottier, Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy, Ron Francis, and Ulf Samuelsson to their roster. They also drafted Jaromir Jagr in the 1990 Draft. With all of this talent, the Penguins would go on to win their first Stanley Cup title as a franchise after defeating the Minnesota North Stars in six games. They were the first NHL team ever to visit the White House after their victory in 1991.

Although they would lose head coach Bob Johnson to cancer in 1992, Scotty Bowman stepped up and the team repeated as Stanley Cup Champions again when they swept the Chicago Blackhawks. In 1993, Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. He would still win his second Art Ross trophy that year after scoring 160 points only two months after his diagnosis. The team would also win the Presidents’ Trophy that year with a record of 56-21-7. They were eliminated in the second round of the playoffs by the New York Islanders.

While the team still remained competitive throughout the 90s, their roster began to shift and playoff success did not come as easy. Lemieux announced he would retire at the end of the 1997 season. After this, the team again faced competitive and financial struggles. They were forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy again in 1998. Lemieux stepped in and suggested that since the team still owed him $32.5 million in deferred salary, he would take over controlling interest of the club. In 1999, he assumed controlling interest of the Penguins and vowed to keep the team in Pittsburgh.

In December 2000, Lemieux once again shocked fans when he announced he planned to return to the NHL. When he took the ice, he became the first player-owner in NHL history. The team still needed to shed salary weight and traded Jarmoir Jagr to the Washington Capitals in 2001. For the first time in 12 years, the Penguins would miss the playoffs in 2002. The team began to struggle to keep talent on their roster but began to rebuild through draft picks. In 2003, the team drafted goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

The Penguins continued to decline as both on the ice and in their attendance numbers. Lemieux was out with an injury and new head coach Eddie Olczyk opted to bench Fleury for most of the season. The Penguins selected Evgeni Malkin in the 2004 NHL Draft. The city refused to finance a new hockey arena for the team and Lemieux began looking to move the team to Kansas City, Missouri. In 2005, the team was awarded another first overall pick and selected Sidney Crosby.

With fans supporting young Crosby attendance began to increase, but the team still could not keep talent on the roster. Malkin had a dispute with the Russian Superleague barring him from reporting to Pittsburgh immediately, Michel Therrien took over as the new head coach, Zigmund Palffy announced his retirement midseason due to a lingering shoulder injury and Lemieux announced his retirement in January 2006. Despite all of this, Crosby amassed 102 points in his rookie season. With another abysmal record, they were awarded the second overall draft pick and selected Jordan Staal. Ray Shero was announced as the new general manager as well.

Malkin made his NHL debut in October 2006. For the first time in 11 seasons, the Penguins recorded a 100-point season. Although they were eliminated in the first round by the Ottawa Senators, both Staal and Malkin were finalists for the Calder Memorial trophy with it being awarded to Malkin. In 2007, a new arena was announced after a long-time battle with the city. This also came with the announcement that the Lemieux ownership group no longer looked to relocate the team.

Although both Fleury and Crosby were out with injuries during the 2007-08 season, the team flourished and captured their first division title in 10 years. The team returned to the Stanley Cup Finals yet again after besting the Ottawa Senators, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers. They were eliminated in the finals in six games, however, by the Detroit Red Wings. With the return of Crosby and Fleury the next season, the team also returned to the Stanley Cup Finals behind wins against the Philadelphia Flyers, Washington Capitals and Carolina Hurricanes. They faced the Detroit Red Wings again in the finals and pushed the series to seven games. Unlike the previous season, Pittsburgh prevailed and won their third Stanley Cup title.

The next few seasons would be fraught with early playoff eliminations after injuries to many of their top players. During the summer of 2015, the team was bolstered by the additions of Phil Kessel, Nick Bonino and Matt Cullen. The beginning of the 2015-16 season started off rough for the team and brought in Mike Sullivan as the new head coach to rejuvenate the players. After more trades and call-ups were made, the Penguins clinched a playoff spot for the tenth consecutive season. They would then defeat the New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, and the Tampa Bay Lightning on their way back to another Stanley Cup Finals appearance. This time they would face the San Jose Sharks. They defeated the Sharks in six games to win their fourth Cup.

The next season sent the Penguins back to the playoffs for the 11th consecutive season, the longest active streak in the NHL. They defeated the Columbus Blue Jackets in five games, the Washington Capitals in seven games, and the Ottawa Senators in seven games. They returned to the Stanley Cup Finals and faced the Nashville Predators. They sent the series to six games and won their fifth and second-consecutive Stanley Cup. They became the first team in the salary cap era to defend their title.

With the Vegas Golden Knights entering the NHL in the 2017-18 season, the Penguins lost Fleury to the Expansion draft during the offseason. While they were able to continue their playoff contention for the next two seasons, they made early exits in the second and first rounds, respectfully. At the 2019-20 season’s pause, the Penguins sit at 7th in the league with 89 points.

Fanbase & Traditions

The Penguins have two major rivalries within the NHL with the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals. The Philadelphia vs. Pittsburgh rivalry began in 1967 when both teams entered the league. This rivalry stems from the close proximity to each other within the same state. The Penguins vs. Capitals rivalry stems from the long tradition of these two teams meeting in the playoffs. They have faced off against each other 11 times with the Penguins winning nine of those matchups.

The official mascot of the penguins is Iceburgh who resembles a King Penguin. He debuted in 1992. Originally the Penguins had Penguin Pete as their mascot who was on loan from the Pittsburgh Zoo. His first appearance was in February 1968, but he died of pneumonia in November 1968. It is believed his death was from his nesting being kept too warm by the ice crew at the arena.