pittsburgh penguins history
pittsburgh penguins history
The city of the Three Rivers in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is home to the great sports traditions of the Steelers, the Pirates and the Penguins. Known as ‘The Steel City,’ Pittsburgh has long been known for its blue-collar, working-class, loyal fans. Join them and the city of Pittsburgh at the Mellon Arena, as they support their team with star players like Mario “Le Magnifique” Lemieux, Mark Recchi, John LeClaire, and Zigmund Palffy with Pittsburgh Penguins tickets for the NHL’s return to the ice.
The Pittsburgh Penguins were founded when the NHL expanded in 1967. Despite the team’s handicap of being made up of mostly minor leaguers, while the original six teams had professional players, the new Pittsburgh Penguins rewarded the fans by reaching the NHL Playoffs. Throughout the 1970’s the team struggled with mediocre defense and only slightly better offense, and the 1980’s opened up even worse with the worst record in the NHL in 1983 and 1984.
The 1984 draft changed the Pittsburgh Penguins history forever with the acquisition of hockey legend Mario Lemieux, who would go on to become one of the best hockey players to ever to take to the ice. Lemieux immediately got off to a great start. His first goal came on his first shift on his first shot in his first game against the Boston Bruins. Lemieux was named the NHL's Rookie of the Year and was awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy. He is also the first and only rookie to be named the MVP of the NHL’s All-Star Game. With this development, Pittsburgh Penguins ticket holders began to flock to the arena to see their team play. Lemieux was given time to change the team for the better and, with the addition of Paul Coffey, the team made the playoffs in the 1988-89, but lost to the Philadelphia Flyers.
Pittsburgh Penguins ticket holders stayed true to their team and were rewarded in the 1990-91 season. With the addition of Jaromir Jagr, Mark Recchi, Ron Francis, and goaltender Tom Barrasso, the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Minnesota North Stars four games to two to win the Stanley Cup. The following year the Pittsburgh Penguins did it all again by sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks and the NHL awarded Lemeiux with the Art Ross Trophy.
With Mario Lemieux as owner and former Penguins center Ed Olczyk as head coach leading a solid team with Russian lead-scorer Zigmund Palffy and first overall pick Sidney Crosby, nicknamed ‘The Next One’ after Wayne Gretzky, the Pittsburgh Penguins are poised to repeat their Stanley Cup winning seasons of 1990-1991. Pittsburgh Penguin tickets are the only way to get into the Mellon Arena and catch all of the fantastic bone-breaking hockey destined to be played there! Don't miss a minute!
