In 1967 the Pittsburgh Penguins began playing for the NHL as an expansion team and the second team in the area to belong to that league. They were one of the first expansion teams in the league’s mission to grow from six teams to twelve.
Since joining the NHL, the Pittsburgh Penguins have won six Division Championships, four Conference Championships, and three Stanley Cups. They have made it to the post season 17 other times as well. The team has received the President’s Trophy once and the Prince of Wales Trophy four times. The list of individual players who have won trophies and awards as members of the team is also very impressive.
The home of the Pittsburgh Penguins is the Consol Energy Center which replaced the Mellon Arena in 2010. Now known as the Civic Center, the Mellon Arena was often nicknamed the “Igloo”, giving the Penguins the idea for their name.
The Consol Energy Center has seating for 18,087 at hockey games, with 2,000 box seats and 66 suites. Inside the arena, fans in the luxury suites will have the option of reviewing any play they want to through an on demand touch screen system. Fans in the regular seats will also be able to view replays from multiple angles using their cellular phones.
Off the ice and out in the community, the Penguins are just as active, contributing to major causes and charities in order to provide a better opportunity for those less fortunate. They sponsor many scholarships to send area students to college, run several hockey based outreach programs, and donate time and money to local charities.
Rivals of the Pittsburgh Penguins include the Philadelphia Flyers and the Washington Capitals. Because both are based in the same state and sharing a fan base, the Penguins and the Flyers have been natural rivals since both teams were founded as expansions of the NHL. Meeting in the playoffs has only served to intensify the rivalry, with the most recent time being in 2009. The rivalry with the Capitals was born out of multiple meetings in the playoffs. The teams have met eight times, with the Penguins winning seven of those.
On the ice and off, the Pittsburgh Penguins are an asset to their community and the game of hockey. Contributing intrigue and intensity to the National Hockey League, the team is also active in contributing improvements and encouragement to their fans and area residents. Pennsylvania residents are both entertained and helped by the presence of the Penguins.
2009-10 Pittsburgh Penguins
Forty-three seasons of history will culminate in one final season for Season Ticket Holders in “The Igloo” aka Mellon Arena. The defending NHL Champion Penguins are looking to take the beginnings of a dynasty into the Consol Energy Center, their new home beginning in the 2010-11 season. Meanwhile, the franchise did not rest on its laurels in the offseason acquiring a number of free agents, most notably former New Jersey Devil Mike Rupp and former Dallas Star Chris Conner. In the 2009 NHL Entry Draft, the franchise had the 30th overall pick in the first round and selected Canadian Simon Despres who currently plays with the St. John Sea Dogs.
The team has already hit some milestones; Sidney Crosby hit his 400th point on October 3, 2009 and was the 5th fastest in NHL History to do so and just eight days later, Matt Cooke hit his 100th career goal. On November 30, Mike Rupp hit his first Hat Trick. Currently, the team is situated in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 35-22-2 record.
Previous Season
The Penguins are slowly and quietly developing into an incredibly cohesive team. In fact, they have signed some incredibly key players to their roster. It seems that Pittsburgh has decided that beefing up their team will pave the way to the playoffs – and they could be right. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, defenseman Ryan Whitney, and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury are definitely franchise players. To balance out their young faction, they have also taken steps to keep their veteran players like Mark Recchi, Gary Roberts and Sergei Gonchar – all adding up to a solid, balanced team on the ice. The Penguins aren’t quite Championship win level yet – but they are taking proactive steps to be one, and very soon.
Can the Pittsburgh Penguins, coming off a 3 year absence from the NHL playoffs and a disappointing 23 win season, re-ignite Penguins ticket holders with a trip to the postseason? The answer may lie in Sidney Crosby. Crosby, who's being hailed as the next NHL superstar, has risen through the ranks with superior performances at every level. He'll join Mario Lemieux and forward Mark Recchi to spearhead the Penguins attack. The 18-year old phenom has hockey fans in the steel city drooling over Pittsburgh Penguins tickets.
When the NHL decided to expand in 1967, Pittsburgh was an obvious choice for the league. Pittsburgh's last hockey team, known as the Pirates, was disbanded during the 1920's but a solid demand for ice hockey convinced the NHL to make a move. The new members of the NHL, known as the Pittsburgh Penguins, debuted in the Civic Arena, also known as "The Igloo" on October 11th, 1967, losing to the Montreal Canadiens. While not an overpowering team, the Penguins were competitive and benefited from the NHL's decision to place all six expansion teams in the new Western division. The Penguins finished their initial season at 27-34-13 and narrowly missed a playoff berth.
The Penguins broke the playoff barrier in their 3rd season, finishing the regular campaign at 26-38-12. A first round match up with the California Golden Seals went very well as the Penguins managed a 3 game sweep and advanced to the Western Finals. Losing the first pair of games to the St. Louis Blues put the Penguins in an 0-2 hole. Battling back, Pittsburgh managed to even the series, but eventually got knocked out in a six game series.
Throughout the 1970's and 1980's the Pittsburgh Penguins were an average team, making the playoffs with some regularity but never advancing to a conference final. That changed in 1991 and it changed with a bang. Heading into the 1990-91 season with a new head coach in Bob Johnson, the Penguins relied heavily on right wing Mark Recchi. Recchi, drafted by the Penguins in 1988, had a breakout year, almost doubling his previous year's production of 67 points. Midway through the season, the Penguins reloaded in a 3 player swap with the Hartford Whalers and the new additions pushed the Penguins to the franchise's first division championship with a 41-33-6 record. The Penguins advanced into the playoffs with wins over the New Jersey Devils and the Washington Capitals. A six game series over the Boston Bruins sent the Penguins to their first ever Stanley Cup Finals where they prevailed over the Minnesota North Stars. The momentum carried over to the next season, and the Penguins again brought home the Stanley
Cup with a sweep of the Chicago Blackhawks.
Having hit paydirt with the NHL Lottery and their choice of Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins tickets have hockey fans in Pennsylvania dreaming of a return to the NHL playoffs and dare we say it? The Stanley Cup. That's a lot of pressure for a rookie and the fans at the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, fondly known as "The Igloo" would do well to be patient. It's been over 10 years since the Penguins have hoisted the Stanley Cup, but things are definitely looking up and the optimism surrounding the NHL's newest wunderkind is making Pittsburgh Penguins tickets one of the hottest tickets in the NHL.
