2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins season
Encyclopedia
The 2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the 42nd season of Pittsburgh Penguins
in the National Hockey League
(NHL). The regular season began with two games against the Ottawa Senators
in Stockholm
, Sweden
on October 4 and October 5, 2008.
On February 15, the team had a record of 27–25–5 and was five points out of playoff position. The organization fired head coach Michel Therrien
and replaced him with Dan Bylsma
, head coach of the organization's American Hockey League
affiliate in Wilkes-Barre
. On February 26, the team traded defenseman Ryan Whitney
to the Anaheim Ducks
in return for Chris Kunitz
. Before the trade deadline
on March 4, they acquired Bill Guerin
from the New York Islanders
. Under Bylsma, the team went 18–3–4, including 10–1–2 in March, and lost only one home game.
The Penguins qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. They did not repeat as champions of the Atlantic Division
, but earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 99 points. They began the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
on April 15 against the Philadelphia Flyers
. They beat the Flyers, Washington Capitals, and Carolina Hurricanes to earn a second-straight berth in the Stanley Cup Final. In the Finals, the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings
in seven games in a rematch of the previous season's Stanley Cup Final to win the franchise's third league title.
, the Penguins had less than three weeks before free agency began to settle numerous contract decisions. The Penguins added nine free agents and lost ten to other teams. Head coach Michel Therrien
also signed a new three-year contract that replaced the last year of his existing contract, with an increase in salary. The new contract was projected to keep him with the Penguins through the 2010–11 season.
The Penguins renewed 99% of their season ticket sales from the 2007–08 season
; having sold out 67 consecutive games at Mellon Arena dating back to the 2006–07 season
. In July, ESPN
named Pittsburgh the top team in the Eastern Conference
, and Sporting News predicted the team would finish in the league's fifth overall position.
The team commenced training camp on September 16, 2008 in Pittsburgh. They played five pre-season games in preparation for the season, finishing with a 4–0–1 record. The team concluded its preparation for the season with practices in Stockholm
. Defensemen Sergei Gonchar
was injured in the pre-season opener and originally anticipated to miss "four to six months". He appeared for the first time on February 14, 2009. With Gonchar out of the lineup and previous season's two other alternate captains Ryan Malone
and Gary Roberts departed, the Penguins began the season with no returning alternate captains in the lineup. Therrien selected two alternate captains each month; Evgeni Malkin
and Brooks Orpik
served the role throughout the opening month.
, at the Stockholm Globe Arena. The Penguins were one of four teams to participate in NHL Premiere which began the season with games in Prague
, Czech Republic
and Stockholm
, Sweden
. Pittsburgh won the opening game of the season in overtime, getting two goals from Tyler Kennedy
, including the game-winner. The game was broadcast on Mellon Arena
's JumboTron
where 2,300 spectators watched the game. The team returned to Pittsburgh after ten days in Europe and a 1–1–0 record. The Penguins hosted the Trib Total Media Faceoff Festival 2008 prior to their first four home games, allowing fans to watch the games on 9-by-12 foot LED
screen outside of Mellon Arena. On October 18, Sidney Crosby
scored one goal in addition to three assists to surpass benchmarks of 100 goals, 200 assists, and 300 total points for his career. In the same game Evgeni Malkin
assisted on four goals giving him 200 total career points.
The Penguins received continued fan support from their previous season. In addition to extending a home sellout streak to 72 games on October 23, the Penguins ranked 113% above the national average for male television viewers aged 18 to 34. The franchise ranked as the 18th most valuable in the league at US$195 million, marking a 26% increase from the past season. According to Forbes
, the franchise's revenue would likely put the Penguins into the top ten after their new arena, Consol Energy Center, opened in 2010. The Penguins finished October with a 3–1–1 record in Pittsburgh and concluded the month with three consecutive road losses.
The Penguins won their first six games in November before losing in a shootout on November 18. Rob Scuderi
and Hal Gill
were selected by Therrien to be November's alternate captains, taking over for Brooks Orpik
and Malkin who served in October. On November 11, the Penguins returned to Detroit for the first time since the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals
. The third goal of Jordan Staal
's second career hat-trick
came with 22.8 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime where the Penguins achieved a 7–6 victory. Malkin's 13-game point streak ended on November 18, during the streak he scored 27 points. Through November 19, the Penguins led the league in overtime games with nine of 18 games taking extra time to decide. Through the first 20 games of the season Mike Zigomanis
led the league in faceoff percentage and Alex Goligoski
led rookie defensemen in points. After an injury to Marc-Andre Fleury
, Dany Sabourin
and rookie John Curry
split goaltending duties in his multi-game absence in which the team was 5–6–2. On November 26, Malkin scored three goals for his third career hat trick, three days later Sidney Crosby also achieved a hat trick—the second of his career. After the teams' final game of the month Malkin and Crosby ranked first and second in league scoring with 39 and 34 points respectively. Malkin also ranked first in the league with 29 assists, and was named the NHL's second Star of the Month.
Therrien named Jordan Staal
and Matt Cooke
December's alternate captains. "I think it's important for our young group to try to extend the leadership group," the coach said of the decision. A survey by Turnkey Sports & Entertainment released on December 2 that surveyed fans of all 122 NFL
, NBA
, NHL
and MLB
teams ranked the Penguins eighth. The survey consisted of 21 categories such as entertainment value, commitment to winning, ticket value, and likeability of the players and owners. Ranked 20th in the same poll in 2007, the Penguins were the second-ranked NHL team, behind the Detroit Red Wings
. The Penguins began the month with seven games in eleven days in which they were 2–4–1. As of December 10, Crosby and Malkin continued to lead the league in points as well as leading voting for the all-star game in Montreal
. On December 11, after losing three consecutive games, Petr Sýkora
and Pascal Dupuis
each scored their first career hat tricks in a 9–2 victory over the Islanders in Pittsburgh. It was the seventh time in Penguins's history that two players scored a hat trick in the same game—the first since 1993.
On December 21, Sidney Crosby surpassed the record for most All-Star Game votes at 1,020,736, set by Jaromir Jagr
, then with the Penguins, in 2000. Crosby broke the record with 13 days remaining in voting. Defenceman Ryan Whitney
made his first appearance of the season on December 23, after missing 33 games with a foot injury. On December 26, Marc-Andre Fleury made 37 saves in Pittsburgh's first shutout of the season, defeating the New Jersey Devils
, 1–0. After concluding the month with a 5–8–1 record, the team held a players-only meeting on December 30. "The attitude is a little off right now," said Brooks Orpik, "It's easy to be a good team when you're winning games. When you're going through rough batches like this, it's what tests guys' character."
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin led all players in voting for the 2009 All-Star Game
. However, Crosby did not play due to a knee injury. The top vote-getter for the second year in a row, Crosby also missed the 2008 All-Star Game. On January 8 the team announced that they had agreed to a four-year contract extension with Jordan Staal
worth $16 million. Staal's rookie contract was set to expire at the end of the season. He was the Penguins first round pick, second overall in 2006
.
The team suffered from injuries, culminating in January where at one point they had eight starters injured. Mike Zigomanis had been inactive since December 3 and Ruslan Fedotenko
was ruled out for four to six weeks after breaking his hand on January 6. Sergei Gonchar
practiced with the team for the first time on January 16 after suffering a separated shoulder
during the pre-season. By that time, the Penguins had lost 173 man-games due to injury, after losing 239 in the entire 2007–08 season
. With a 3–0 victory over the New York Rangers
on January 18, the Penguins won a second consecutive game for the first time since November 15. However, the team was unable to capitalize and lost their last game before the All-Star break to the Carolina Hurricanes
. The Penguins entered the break with a 23–21–4 record. The team's 50 points put them in tenth place in the Eastern Conference
, two spots out of the playoffs
.
On February 14, Sergei Gonchar made his season debut and Ruslan Fedotenko returned to the line-up after missing over a month due to a hand injury. On February 15—with the Penguins five points out of the playoffs—Therrien was replaced by Dan Bylsma
, the coach of the Penguins' AHL
affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
, on an interim basis. Tom Fitzgerald was promoted from Director of Player Development to assistant coach for forwards, while Mike Yeo
, already with the team, became assistant for the defenceman. Assistant Andre Savard
was reassigned within the organization.
On February 21, Crosby recored his 250th career assist in a 2 goal, 2 assist victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. On February 25, Fleury recorded his third shutout of the season, as the Penguins defeated the Islanders 1–0; the team remained two points out of the playoffs after the win. The day after the shutout, Ryan Whitney
was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Chris Kunitz
and signing rights to prospect Eric Tangradi
. In his first game after being traded to Pittsburgh, Kunitz recorded a goal and an assist as the Penguins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks
in overtime.
was on March 4. On March 3, the Penguins placed Miroslav Satan
on waivers to clear roster space for a trade. Before the deadline, the Penguins acquired New York Islanders
' captain Bill Guerin
in exchange for a conditional draft pick in the 2009 draft
. The Penguins also exchanged minor league defencemen, sending Danny Richmond
to the St. Louis Blues organization for Andy Wozniewski
. They also claimed winger Craig Adams off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks
. Dan Blysma surpassed Herb Brooks
' record for the best record in his first ten games as a Penguins' coach. The team went a franchise-first 5–0–0 on a road trip at the beginning of March.
On March 15, the Penguins soldout their 100th consecutive game at the Mellon Arena. Evgeni Malkin recorded his 100th point of the season while tying a career-high five point game against the Atlanta Thrashers
on March 17. On March 20, Vince Lascheid
, Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates
organist of 33 years, died. Vice president of communications Tom McMillan said, "[Lascheid] probably is the only organist in the history of professional sports to be inducted into a team Hall of Fame." The Penguins concluded March with eight consecutive games at the Mellon Arena—their longest homestand of the season.
. Tickets for Pittsburgh's first two opening round playoff games sold out within a few hours of going on sale. The team collected over $100,000 for the families of three Pittsburgh Police
officers who were killed days before the game
. The Penguins finished their regular season on April 12 with a win over the Montreal Canadiens. Through his first 25 games as Penguins' coach, Dan Blysma's 18–3–4 record amounted to 40 points—the second most of any coach in NHL history through their first 25 games. The Penguins finished with a 45–28–9 record, for 99 points; fourth place in the Eastern Conference and second place in the Atlantic Division.
Evgeni Malkin won the Art Ross Trophy
as the league's leading scorer with 113 points. Malkin followed Mario Lemieux
, Jaromir Jagr
, and Crosby to become the fourth different Penguin to win the award. The award was the thirteenth overall for the Penguins since 1988.
, following a loss by the Flyers on the last day of the regular season. For the second consecutive season, the Penguins erected a 12 by 16 foot LED screen on the lawn directly outside Mellon Arena, allowing fans to watch all playoff games, free of charge. After defeating Philadelphia, the Penguins beat the Washington Capitals
and the Carolina Hurricanes
to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins faced the Detroit Red Wings, defeating them in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. The final game of the season drew a 42.2 television rating in Pittsbugh—the highest local rating in any city since the NHL began to track the figure.
10,000 and forward Daniel Carcillo
was suspended by the NHL for the second game of the series for a hit to Max Talbot's
head immediately following a faceoff with seven seconds left in the game; Carcillo was not penalized at the time of the hit. In game two, Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 38 saves. Bill Guerin scored two goals, including the game winner in overtime, and the Penguins won 3–2. With the Penguins up two games to zero, the series moved to Philadelphia for game three. After falling behind 2–0, goals from Malkin and Rob Scuderi
tied the game. Malkin added his second goal of the game in the final period; however, Philadelphia won the game 6–3. In game four, Fleury stopped 45 shots, giving up one goal as the Penguins won 3–1. Crosby scored his second goal of the playoffs and Tyler Kennedy added the game winner. The Penguins were unable to clinch the series in game five at Mellon Arena. A goal by Malkin was taken away after it was determined that he had kicked the puck into the net; Martin Biron
stopped 28 shots for the shutout. Pittsburgh viewers were unable to see approximately 30 minutes of the second period after a lightning strike at a FSN Pittsburgh
network facility in Atlanta caused the station to temporarily black out.
In game six, the Flyers lead 3–0 four minutes into the second period. Max Talbot fought Daniel Carcillo after the Flyers tallied their third goal and the Penguins, re-energized by Talbot's display, scored three goals in what remained of the second period to tie the game 3–3. Sergei Gonchar
scored his first goal of the series, his first in 23 playoff games dating back to game two of the Penguins' first-round series against Ottawa in 2008
, to break the tie at 2:19 of the third period. Crosby added an empty-net goal and the Penguins eliminated the Flyers and advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Three days after the Penguins series-clinching victory of the Flyers, the Penguins announced that coach Dan Bylsma had signed a multi-year contract with the team.
The Penguins drew a matchup with the Washington Capitals
in the second round semi-finals. The anticipation for the series was high considering the rivalry between the teams and star players, most notably Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin
and Alexander Semin
of the Capitals. The first three games in the series were scheduled for national television in the United States, with game one on NBC
and games two and three on Versus
.
Game one was held in Washington, where Capitals owner Ted Leonsis
took steps to prevent Penguins' fans from purchasing tickets, such as not selling tickets to customers whose 724 or 412 area code indicated they were from Western Pennsylvania
. Crosby scored to give the Penguins a first period lead, but Washington scored two goals before the conclusion of the period. Mark Eaton tied the game in the second period, but Washington's Semyon Varlamov held the Penguins scoreless for the remainder of the game as the Capitals took a 1–0 lead in the series. The game had 40% more viewers than playoff games the previous season. In game two, Ovechkin and Crosby scored three goals each; Dave Steckel
's second period goal was the difference as Washington won 4–3.
The series moved to Pittsburgh for game three with the Penguins down 2-0. Goals from Ruslan Fedotenko, Nicklas Backstrom
, Ovechkin, and Malkin left the game tied after regulation. Kris Letang scored a powerplay goal eleven minutes into overtime, winning the game for the Penguins. Pittsburgh tied the series at two games apeice after a 5–3 game four victory at Mellon Arena. After a Washington goal scored less than a minute into regulation the Penguins responded with three goals in the first period. The Penguins' five goals came from five different players. During the first period Sergei Gonchar was forced to leave the game after a knee-on-knee hit from Ovechkin; Gonchar returned to the Penguins' line-up for game seven. Game five took place in Washington, D.C. the next day, due to the scheduling of a Yanni
concert in Pittsburgh. After a scoreless first period, Washington took a 2–1 lead in the second. Fedotenko tied the game less than a minute into the third period, but a goal by Matt Cooke was matched by Ovechkin and the game went into overtime. With one second remaining in their second powerplay of the game, Malkin scored to give the Penguins their third consecutive victory. Game six was the third overtime game of the series. Washington forced a seventh game with a 5–4 victory. Nine different players scored goals in the game.
In the final game of the series Pittsburgh scored two goals within eight seconds of one another to take a 2–0 lead after Fleury stopped Ovechkin on a breakaway. Pittsburgh scored three more goals in the second period, extending their lead to 5–0, before Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the series. Each team added a goal in the final period to end the game with a 6–2 final score. Ovechkin scored eight goals and added six assists in the series, while Crosby tallied eight goals and five assists. Crosby's thirteen-point tally in the series totalled one less than Ovechkin's fourteen points, which was the highest single-series point total since the 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs
. While shaking hands following the final game, Crosby told Ovechkin he had played a "great series", to which Ovechkin responded, "win the Stanley Cup."
in the Eastern Conference Final, after Carolina defeated the Boston Bruins
and New Jersey Devils
. The series opened in Pittsburgh, where Miroslav Satan
and Philippe Boucher
scored their first goals of the playoffs. Marc-Andre Fleury was named the game's third star after making 23 saves and helping the Penguins to a 3–2 victory. In game two, Malkin scored a hat trick and Chris Kunitz
scored his first goal of the playoffs as the Penguins won 7–4, taking a two games to none series lead. In game three, Malkin scored two goals and Crosby scored one as the Penguins took a 3–1 lead into the first intermission. After a scoreless second period, the Hurricanes came within a goal after Sergei Samsonov
scored less than two minutes into the final period, but goals by Fedotenko, Craig Adams, and Guerin gave the Penguins a 6–2 victory. The series concluded with the Penguins sweeping, four games to none. In the series' fourth game, Pittsburgh gave up the initial goal less than two minutes into the opening period, but goals from Fedotenko and Talbot gave them the lead after the first period. A second period goal from Guerin and an empty netter from Adams sealed the Penguins victory in the game and the series.
in the Stanley Cup Finals
, marking the first time in 25 years that two teams played each other in consecutive Finals. Tickets for games three and four, which were hosted at Mellon Arena, sold out in 10 minutes. In the first game of the series, the Red Wings scored the first goal when a puck shot by Brad Stuart
ricocheted off the boards behind the goal, then bounced off Marc-Andre Fleury and into the net. Ruslan Fedotenko, with an assist from Evgeni Malkin, tied the game before the conclusion of the first period. Detroit went on to score a goal in each of the final two periods to win game one, 3–1. Evgeni Malkin scored a powerplay goal in the first period of game two, but the Penguins were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest; falling 3–1 for a second consecutive game.
With the Penguins down two games to none, the series shifted to Pittsburgh for game three. After a 2–2 first period and a scoreless second period, Sergei Gonchar and Max Talbot each scored a goal in the third period to give the Penguins a 4–2 victory. In game four, the Penguins tied the Red Wings at two games apiece with three unanswered goals in the second period, including a shorthanded goal by Jordan Staal. With the series returning to Detroit, the Red Wings took a three games to two lead in the series with a 5–0 win. Staal and Tyler Kennedy scored as the Penguins tied the series at three games apiece in a 2–1 game six victory. In the seventh, and final, game of the series Max Talbot scored two goals and Fleury made 23 saves as the Penguins won their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy
as the MVP of the playoffs. Fans celebrated in the streets of Pittsburgh after the game, with the Stanley Cup victory coming four months after the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XLIII
. Two days after the victory, 375,000 people attended a parade of the Cup through downtown Pittsburgh.
Prior to the team's final home game on April 9 against the New York Islanders
, the team announced its annual award winners. Awards were given by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Penguins Booster Club, as well as voted amongst the team.
. Approximately a dozen players, including Marian Hossa
, Jarkko Ruutu
, Ryan Malone
, and Brooks Orpik
, had fulfilled the final year on their contracts. On June 28, the Penguins traded the contract negotiation rights to Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone
to the Tampa Bay Lightning
for a conditional draft pick; it became a 3rd round pick when both Malone and Roberts signed with the Lightning on June 30. Evgeni Malkin
was offered a contract from a Russian team in the newly-formed Kontinental Hockey League
worth approximately $12.5 million, tax exempt, per year, which would make him the highest-paid hockey player in the world. However, Malkin turned down the offer to remain with the Penguins, and the IIHF
released a statement saying that it would not honor the offer, as Malkin was already under an existing contract with the Penguins at the time. Malkin agreed to a five year contract extension worth $8.7 million per year—the same value as Sidney Crosby's contract—with the Penguins on July 2. On July 3, the Penguins agreed to a seven year deal with restricted free agent goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury
in addition to one-year contracts with free agents Miroslav Satan
and Ruslan Fedotenko
. On October 8 the Penguins made several roster adjustments, placing Kris Beech
, who was already in Europe looking for a new team, on unconditional waivers and sending Janne Pesonen
, John Curry
, and Jeff Taffe
, who first had to clear waivers, to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The next day, on October 9, the Penguins acquired Mike Zigomanis from Phoenix
for future considerations. On December 19, the team extended their agreement with Max Talbot for an additional two seasons.
Trades
† Initially fifth-round pick, fourth-round pick if Penguins make playoffs, third-round pick if Penguins win a playoff round and Guerin plays in 50% of the games.
Free agents signed by Pittsburgh
Signed with new team
Claimed from waivers
was held on June 20–21, 2008, in Ottawa, Ontario
. The Penguins did not make their first selection until the fourth round, at 120th overall. Their first-round selection was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers
on February 26, 2008. Pittsburgh's second-round selection was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs
, also on February 26. The third-round pick went to the Phoenix Coyotes
with Daniel Carcillo
, for Georges Laraque
on February 27, 2007.
affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
, finished the 2008–09 season
third in the East Division.
Chris Minard
, the AHL's leading goal scorer at time of announcement, was selected as a starter for Team Canada in the 2009 All Star Classic. Jeff Taffe
and Ben Lovejoy
were selected as reserves for the PlanetUSA team. All three players were under two-way NHL contracts and played games with Pittsburgh during the season. In the game, Taffe scored three goals and recorded two assists.
Janne Pesonen
, who signed a contract with the Penguins in July 2008, finished the 2008–09 season
as the AHL's fourth-leading scorer, set a new record for points in a single season for the team, passing up Toby Peterson's 67-point season of 2000–01
, and his 82 points were the most ever by a Finn in AHL history.
The ECHL
affiliate Wheeling Nailers
finished the season
fourth in the Northern Division, and were eliminated in the first round of the 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs
.
The Nailers had three players selected for the 2009 ECHL All-Star Game
, all reserve forwards. Nick Johnson, the only Penguins prospect, was drafted by the team 67th overall in 2004
and signed an entry-level contract with the organization in March 2008. Johnson did not play in the All-Star Game because he finished the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
of Pittsburgh was the radio flagship station
for the Penguins for the third season. In April, the team and the station agreed to a six-year contract extension. Mike Lange
and former Penguin Phil Bourque
were the station's broadcasters.
FSN Pittsburgh
was the primary television network. Paul Steigerwald
, Dan Potash
, and former Penguins Bob Errey
and Jay Caufield
were the station's broadcast team. During the semi-final playoff round against the Washington Capitals, game five set a record as the highest watched game on any FSN regional network in history. It was then surpassed by games six and seven; the final game of the series drew a 24.97 average rating—twice the viewers than the second most watched show of the evening.
Pittsburgh Penguins
The Pittsburgh Penguins are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the first expansion teams during the league's original...
in the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL). The regular season began with two games against the Ottawa Senators
Ottawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
on October 4 and October 5, 2008.
On February 15, the team had a record of 27–25–5 and was five points out of playoff position. The organization fired head coach Michel Therrien
Michel Therrien
Michel Therrien is a hockey scout for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. Prior to that he was a player and head coach for the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Therrien coached the Canadiens for three seasons, taking them to the Eastern Conference semi-finals in the...
and replaced him with Dan Bylsma
Dan Bylsma
Dan Bylsma is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League as of February 15, 2009, replacing Michel Therrien. Prior to coaching the Penguins, he played as a forward in the NHL and coached in the American Hockey League . He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1989...
, head coach of the organization's American Hockey League
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
affiliate in Wilkes-Barre
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza...
. On February 26, the team traded defenseman Ryan Whitney
Ryan Whitney
Ryan Whitney is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League ....
to the Anaheim Ducks
Anaheim Ducks
The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
in return for Chris Kunitz
Chris Kunitz
Christopher Kunitz is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers and Anaheim Ducks, the latter with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2007...
. Before the trade deadline
NHL trade deadline
The National Hockey League's trade deadline is a date set by the NHL league office after which no trades are allowed for the remainder of the season. The deadline for the 2011–12 NHL season is set for February 27, 2012 at 3 pm EST. Prior to the current CBA, the trade deadline date had been in...
on March 4, they acquired Bill Guerin
Bill Guerin
William Robert Guerin is an American former professional ice hockey player and current player development coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Guerin played eighteen seasons in the National Hockey League winning two Stanley Cup championships with the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins teams...
from the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. Under Bylsma, the team went 18–3–4, including 10–1–2 in March, and lost only one home game.
The Penguins qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. They did not repeat as champions of the Atlantic Division
Atlantic Division (NHL)
The NHL's Atlantic Division was formed in 1993 as part of the Eastern Conference in a league realignment, the predecessor of which was the Patrick Division. It is the only division in the NHL where all of its current members have won the Stanley Cup at least twice, though only three teams have won...
, but earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 99 points. They began the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 15, 2009, after the 2008–09 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference , play a best-of-seven series for the conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and...
on April 15 against the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. They beat the Flyers, Washington Capitals, and Carolina Hurricanes to earn a second-straight berth in the Stanley Cup Final. In the Finals, the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
in seven games in a rematch of the previous season's Stanley Cup Final to win the franchise's third league title.
Pre-season
Due to their appearance in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals2008 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2008 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the National Hockey League champion for the 2007–08 season. As a culmination of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings defeated the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh...
, the Penguins had less than three weeks before free agency began to settle numerous contract decisions. The Penguins added nine free agents and lost ten to other teams. Head coach Michel Therrien
Michel Therrien
Michel Therrien is a hockey scout for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. Prior to that he was a player and head coach for the Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Therrien coached the Canadiens for three seasons, taking them to the Eastern Conference semi-finals in the...
also signed a new three-year contract that replaced the last year of his existing contract, with an increase in salary. The new contract was projected to keep him with the Penguins through the 2010–11 season.
The Penguins renewed 99% of their season ticket sales from the 2007–08 season
2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Hockey League . Their regular season began on October 5, 2007, against the Carolina Hurricanes and concluded on April 6, 2008, against the rival Philadelphia Flyers...
; having sold out 67 consecutive games at Mellon Arena dating back to the 2006–07 season
2006–07 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The Pittsburgh Penguins 2006–07 Season was ripe with potential, as the team featured one of the largest groups of young stars in the National Hockey League. Evgeni Malkin, the second overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, defected from Russia prior to the season and joined the team. He...
. In July, ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
named Pittsburgh the top team in the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NHL)
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Western Conference....
, and Sporting News predicted the team would finish in the league's fifth overall position.
The team commenced training camp on September 16, 2008 in Pittsburgh. They played five pre-season games in preparation for the season, finishing with a 4–0–1 record. The team concluded its preparation for the season with practices in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
. Defensemen Sergei Gonchar
Sergei Gonchar
Sergei Viktorovich Gonchar is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League...
was injured in the pre-season opener and originally anticipated to miss "four to six months". He appeared for the first time on February 14, 2009. With Gonchar out of the lineup and previous season's two other alternate captains Ryan Malone
Ryan Malone
Ryan Malone is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
and Gary Roberts departed, the Penguins began the season with no returning alternate captains in the lineup. Therrien selected two alternate captains each month; Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League ....
and Brooks Orpik
Brooks Orpik
Brooks Orpik is an American professional ice hockey defenseman, an alternate captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . His brother, Andrew, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres organization and is also currently in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization...
served the role throughout the opening month.
| 2008–09 Preseason Game Log: 4–0–1 (Home: 1–0–1; Road: 3–0–0) | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Date | Visitor | Score | Home | OT | Decision | Attendance | Record | Recap | |
| 1 | September 20 | Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the... |
5–4 | Pittsburgh | SO | Fleury Marc-Andre Fleury Marc-André Fleury is a French Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League... |
16,287 | 0–0–1 | http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20082009/GS010002.HTM | |
| 2 | September 22 | Pittsburgh | 3–2 | Tampa Bay | Curry John Curry (ice hockey) John Curry is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing with the Hamburg Freezers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga... |
14,707 | 1–0–1 | http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20082009/GS010009.HTM | ||
| 3 | September 24 | Toronto Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
2–3 | Pittsburgh | Sabourin Dany Sabourin Daniel Sabourin is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently under contract for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League... |
15,731 | 2–0–1 | http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20082009/GS010025.HTM | ||
| 4 | September 26 | Pittsburgh | 5–4 | Toronto | Fleury | 18,884 | 3–0–1 | http://www.nhl.com/nhl/app?service=page&page=Recap&gameNumber=43&season=20082009&gameType=1 | ||
| 5 | October 2 | Pittsburgh | 4–1 | Jokerit Jokerit Jokerit is an ice-hockey team from Helsinki, Finland, playing in the Finnish Elite League, SM-liiga. The team has won 6 league championships... (SML SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... ) |
Fleury | 13,464 | 4–0–1 | http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008011004 | ||
October
On September 27, the Penguins embarked on a trip for Sweden where they opened the season against the Ottawa SenatorsOttawa Senators
The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, at the Stockholm Globe Arena. The Penguins were one of four teams to participate in NHL Premiere which began the season with games in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
and Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. Pittsburgh won the opening game of the season in overtime, getting two goals from Tyler Kennedy
Tyler Kennedy
Tyler Kennedy is a Canadian professional ice hockey player, currently with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
, including the game-winner. The game was broadcast on Mellon Arena
Mellon Arena
Civic Arena is an indoor arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that is currently undergoing demolition. It was the first retractable roof major sports venue in the world, covering 170,000 sq. feet and constructed with just shy of 3,000 tons of Pittsburgh steel...
's JumboTron
Jumbotron
A JumboTron is a large-screen television using technology developed by Sony, typically used in sports stadiums and concert venues to show close-up shots of the event. Although JumboTron is a registered trademark owned by the Sony Corporation, the word jumbotron is often used by the public as a...
where 2,300 spectators watched the game. The team returned to Pittsburgh after ten days in Europe and a 1–1–0 record. The Penguins hosted the Trib Total Media Faceoff Festival 2008 prior to their first four home games, allowing fans to watch the games on 9-by-12 foot LED
Light-emitting diode
A light-emitting diode is a semiconductor light source. LEDs are used as indicator lamps in many devices and are increasingly used for other lighting...
screen outside of Mellon Arena. On October 18, Sidney Crosby
Sidney Crosby
Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League...
scored one goal in addition to three assists to surpass benchmarks of 100 goals, 200 assists, and 300 total points for his career. In the same game Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League ....
assisted on four goals giving him 200 total career points.
The Penguins received continued fan support from their previous season. In addition to extending a home sellout streak to 72 games on October 23, the Penguins ranked 113% above the national average for male television viewers aged 18 to 34. The franchise ranked as the 18th most valuable in the league at US$195 million, marking a 26% increase from the past season. According to Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, the franchise's revenue would likely put the Penguins into the top ten after their new arena, Consol Energy Center, opened in 2010. The Penguins finished October with a 3–1–1 record in Pittsburgh and concluded the month with three consecutive road losses.
November
Rob Scuderi
Robert John Scuderi is an American professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.-Amateur:...
and Hal Gill
Hal Gill
Harold Priestley "Hal" Gill III is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and an alternate captain of the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
were selected by Therrien to be November's alternate captains, taking over for Brooks Orpik
Brooks Orpik
Brooks Orpik is an American professional ice hockey defenseman, an alternate captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . His brother, Andrew, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres organization and is also currently in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization...
and Malkin who served in October. On November 11, the Penguins returned to Detroit for the first time since the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals
2008 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2008 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the National Hockey League champion for the 2007–08 season. As a culmination of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings defeated the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh...
. The third goal of Jordan Staal
Jordan Staal
Jordan Lee Staal is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League...
's second career hat-trick
Hat-trick
A hat-trick or hat trick in sport is the achievement of a positive feat three times during a game, or other achievements based on threes. The term was first used in 1858 in cricket to describe HH Stephenson's feat of taking three wickets in three balls. A collection was held for Stephenson, and he...
came with 22.8 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime where the Penguins achieved a 7–6 victory. Malkin's 13-game point streak ended on November 18, during the streak he scored 27 points. Through November 19, the Penguins led the league in overtime games with nine of 18 games taking extra time to decide. Through the first 20 games of the season Mike Zigomanis
Michael Zigomanis
Michael "Mike" Zigomanis is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He is currently with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization of the National Hockey League.-Early life:...
led the league in faceoff percentage and Alex Goligoski
Alex Goligoski
Alexander Marcus Flint Goligoski is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
led rookie defensemen in points. After an injury to Marc-Andre Fleury
Marc-Andre Fleury
Marc-André Fleury is a French Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League...
, Dany Sabourin
Dany Sabourin
Daniel Sabourin is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently under contract for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League...
and rookie John Curry
John Curry (ice hockey)
John Curry is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing with the Hamburg Freezers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga...
split goaltending duties in his multi-game absence in which the team was 5–6–2. On November 26, Malkin scored three goals for his third career hat trick, three days later Sidney Crosby also achieved a hat trick—the second of his career. After the teams' final game of the month Malkin and Crosby ranked first and second in league scoring with 39 and 34 points respectively. Malkin also ranked first in the league with 29 assists, and was named the NHL's second Star of the Month.
December
Jordan Staal
Jordan Lee Staal is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League...
and Matt Cooke
Matt Cooke
Matthew David Cooke is a professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. His playing style has earned him a reputation of being a "pest" and he is known for his ability to aggravate opponents...
December's alternate captains. "I think it's important for our young group to try to extend the leadership group," the coach said of the decision. A survey by Turnkey Sports & Entertainment released on December 2 that surveyed fans of all 122 NFL
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
, NBA
National Basketball Association
The National Basketball Association is the pre-eminent men's professional basketball league in North America. It consists of thirty franchised member clubs, of which twenty-nine are located in the United States and one in Canada...
, NHL
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
and MLB
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
teams ranked the Penguins eighth. The survey consisted of 21 categories such as entertainment value, commitment to winning, ticket value, and likeability of the players and owners. Ranked 20th in the same poll in 2007, the Penguins were the second-ranked NHL team, behind the Detroit Red Wings
Detroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
. The Penguins began the month with seven games in eleven days in which they were 2–4–1. As of December 10, Crosby and Malkin continued to lead the league in points as well as leading voting for the all-star game in Montreal
57th National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, home of the Montreal Canadiens, in conjunction with the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. The game was held between two teams, each representing a conference of the National Hockey League...
. On December 11, after losing three consecutive games, Petr Sýkora
Petr Sýkora
Petr Sýkora is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League . Sýkora has previously played in the NHL for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild. He is a two-time Stanley Cup...
and Pascal Dupuis
Pascal Dupuis
Pascal Dupuis is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger who currently plays for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
each scored their first career hat tricks in a 9–2 victory over the Islanders in Pittsburgh. It was the seventh time in Penguins's history that two players scored a hat trick in the same game—the first since 1993.
On December 21, Sidney Crosby surpassed the record for most All-Star Game votes at 1,020,736, set by Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
, then with the Penguins, in 2000. Crosby broke the record with 13 days remaining in voting. Defenceman Ryan Whitney
Ryan Whitney
Ryan Whitney is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League ....
made his first appearance of the season on December 23, after missing 33 games with a foot injury. On December 26, Marc-Andre Fleury made 37 saves in Pittsburgh's first shutout of the season, defeating the New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, 1–0. After concluding the month with a 5–8–1 record, the team held a players-only meeting on December 30. "The attitude is a little off right now," said Brooks Orpik, "It's easy to be a good team when you're winning games. When you're going through rough batches like this, it's what tests guys' character."
January
The Penguins began 2009 with three consecutive losses, extending their losing streak to five games—the most consecutive since 2006. During the streak the Penguins fell from second to ninth place in the Eastern Conference and failed to score on 32 consecutive power plays.Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin led all players in voting for the 2009 All-Star Game
57th National Hockey League All-Star Game
The 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, home of the Montreal Canadiens, in conjunction with the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. The game was held between two teams, each representing a conference of the National Hockey League...
. However, Crosby did not play due to a knee injury. The top vote-getter for the second year in a row, Crosby also missed the 2008 All-Star Game. On January 8 the team announced that they had agreed to a four-year contract extension with Jordan Staal
Jordan Staal
Jordan Lee Staal is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League...
worth $16 million. Staal's rookie contract was set to expire at the end of the season. He was the Penguins first round pick, second overall in 2006
2006 NHL Entry Draft
The 2006 NHL Entry Draft was the 44th NHL Entry Draft. It was held at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, on June 24, 2006.The draft order for the first 14 picks was decided during a lottery held on April 20, 2006....
.
The team suffered from injuries, culminating in January where at one point they had eight starters injured. Mike Zigomanis had been inactive since December 3 and Ruslan Fedotenko
Ruslan Fedotenko
Ruslan Viktorovych Fedotenko is a Ukrainian American professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . A two-time Stanley Cup champion, in his NHL career he has played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York...
was ruled out for four to six weeks after breaking his hand on January 6. Sergei Gonchar
Sergei Gonchar
Sergei Viktorovich Gonchar is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League...
practiced with the team for the first time on January 16 after suffering a separated shoulder
Separated shoulder
A separated shoulder , is a common injury to the acromioclavicular joint. This is not the same as a shoulder dislocation as that involves a dislocation of the glenohumeral joint...
during the pre-season. By that time, the Penguins had lost 173 man-games due to injury, after losing 239 in the entire 2007–08 season
2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 2007–08 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the franchise's 41st season in the National Hockey League . Their regular season began on October 5, 2007, against the Carolina Hurricanes and concluded on April 6, 2008, against the rival Philadelphia Flyers...
. With a 3–0 victory over the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
on January 18, the Penguins won a second consecutive game for the first time since November 15. However, the team was unable to capitalize and lost their last game before the All-Star break to the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
. The Penguins entered the break with a 23–21–4 record. The team's 50 points put them in tenth place in the Eastern Conference
Eastern Conference (NHL)
The Eastern Conference is one of two conferences in the National Hockey League used to divide teams. Its counterpart is the Western Conference....
, two spots out of the playoffs
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs
The 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 15, 2009, after the 2008–09 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference , play a best-of-seven series for the conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and...
.
February
Dan Bylsma
Dan Bylsma is the head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League as of February 15, 2009, replacing Michel Therrien. Prior to coaching the Penguins, he played as a forward in the NHL and coached in the American Hockey League . He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1989...
, the coach of the Penguins' AHL
American Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza...
, on an interim basis. Tom Fitzgerald was promoted from Director of Player Development to assistant coach for forwards, while Mike Yeo
Mike Yeo
Michael Yeo is the current head coach of the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League. He was formerly an assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins and head coach of the Houston Aeros.-Career:...
, already with the team, became assistant for the defenceman. Assistant Andre Savard
Andre Savard
André Savard is a retired former professional ice hockey center. He and his wife, Marie-France, have two sons, Patrick and Dany.-Playing career:...
was reassigned within the organization.
On February 21, Crosby recored his 250th career assist in a 2 goal, 2 assist victory over the Philadelphia Flyers. On February 25, Fleury recorded his third shutout of the season, as the Penguins defeated the Islanders 1–0; the team remained two points out of the playoffs after the win. The day after the shutout, Ryan Whitney
Ryan Whitney
Ryan Whitney is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League ....
was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Chris Kunitz
Chris Kunitz
Christopher Kunitz is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers and Anaheim Ducks, the latter with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2007...
and signing rights to prospect Eric Tangradi
Eric Tangradi
Eric Tangradi is an American professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He was selected 42nd overall in the 2nd round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft...
. In his first game after being traded to Pittsburgh, Kunitz recorded a goal and an assist as the Penguins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
in overtime.
March
The Penguins began March with five of six games on the road, before a homestand of eight consecutive games. Upon the Penguins' win on March 1, the team moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 70 points. The NHL trade deadlineNHL trade deadline
The National Hockey League's trade deadline is a date set by the NHL league office after which no trades are allowed for the remainder of the season. The deadline for the 2011–12 NHL season is set for February 27, 2012 at 3 pm EST. Prior to the current CBA, the trade deadline date had been in...
was on March 4. On March 3, the Penguins placed Miroslav Satan
Miroslav Satan
Miroslav Šatan is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger for HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga.-Pre-NHL:In 1991–92, he played for the local HC Topolcany and did remarkably well, as he scored 30 goals and had 22 assists in just 31 games. He then graduated to the senior division...
on waivers to clear roster space for a trade. Before the deadline, the Penguins acquired New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
' captain Bill Guerin
Bill Guerin
William Robert Guerin is an American former professional ice hockey player and current player development coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Guerin played eighteen seasons in the National Hockey League winning two Stanley Cup championships with the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins teams...
in exchange for a conditional draft pick in the 2009 draft
2009 NHL Entry Draft
The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns selecting amateur ice hockey players from junior, collegiate, or...
. The Penguins also exchanged minor league defencemen, sending Danny Richmond
Danny Richmond
Danny Richmond is a professional ice hockey defenseman for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. He is the son of retired NHL defenseman, Steve Richmond.-Amateur career:...
to the St. Louis Blues organization for Andy Wozniewski
Andy Wozniewski
Andrew Pera Wozniewski is a professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for EV Zug in the Swiss National League A.-Playing career:...
. They also claimed winger Craig Adams off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks
Chicago Blackhawks
The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10...
. Dan Blysma surpassed Herb Brooks
Herb Brooks
Herbert Paul Brooks, Jr. was an American ice hockey player and coach. He notably coached the United States' men's hockey team to a 4-3 upset of the heavily favored Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York on February 22, 1980...
' record for the best record in his first ten games as a Penguins' coach. The team went a franchise-first 5–0–0 on a road trip at the beginning of March.
On March 15, the Penguins soldout their 100th consecutive game at the Mellon Arena. Evgeni Malkin recorded his 100th point of the season while tying a career-high five point game against the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
on March 17. On March 20, Vince Lascheid
Vince Lascheid
Vince Lascheid was a prominent Pittsburgh organist, best known as the organist for the Pittsburgh Pirates from the 1960s to 2009 and from 1970-2003 the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was inducted into the Penguins' Hall of Fame....
, Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates
Pittsburgh Pirates
The Pittsburgh Pirates are a Major League Baseball club based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They play in the Central Division of the National League, and are five-time World Series Champions...
organist of 33 years, died. Vice president of communications Tom McMillan said, "[Lascheid] probably is the only organist in the history of professional sports to be inducted into a team Hall of Fame." The Penguins concluded March with eight consecutive games at the Mellon Arena—their longest homestand of the season.
April and season results
Pittsburgh finished their homestand with a 6–1–1 record, moving into fourth place in the Eastern Conference. The final game of the homestand was the most watched game of the season on FSN Pittsburgh, the Penguins regional television network. FSN Pittsburgh was the most-watched regional Fox network in the NHL for the second consecutive season. On April 7, Sidney Crosby scored his 100th point of the season, Evgeni Malkin acquired his 300th career point, and Petr Sykora scored his 300th career goal, while the Penguins qualified for the postseason for the third consecutive season with a 6–4 win over the Tampa Bay LightningTampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
. Tickets for Pittsburgh's first two opening round playoff games sold out within a few hours of going on sale. The team collected over $100,000 for the families of three Pittsburgh Police
Pittsburgh Police
The Pittsburgh Police, or officially the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, is the largest law enforcement agency in Western Pennsylvania and the third largest in Pennsylvania...
officers who were killed days before the game
2009 Pittsburgh police shootings
The 2009 Pittsburgh police shootings was a shootout that took place on Saturday, April 4, 2009, at 1016 Fairfield Street in the Stanton Heights neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, stemming from an argument over a dog urinating in the house between a mother and her 22-year-old...
. The Penguins finished their regular season on April 12 with a win over the Montreal Canadiens. Through his first 25 games as Penguins' coach, Dan Blysma's 18–3–4 record amounted to 40 points—the second most of any coach in NHL history through their first 25 games. The Penguins finished with a 45–28–9 record, for 99 points; fourth place in the Eastern Conference and second place in the Atlantic Division.
Evgeni Malkin won the Art Ross Trophy
Art Ross Trophy
The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception...
as the league's leading scorer with 113 points. Malkin followed Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux
Mario Lemieux, OC, CQ is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player. He is acknowledged to be one of the best players of all time. He played 17 seasons as a forward for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League between 1984 and 2006...
, Jaromir Jagr
Jaromir Jagr
Jaromír Jágr is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Jágr formerly played with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Washington Capitals, and New York Rangers, serving as captain of the Penguins and the Rangers...
, and Crosby to become the fourth different Penguin to win the award. The award was the thirteenth overall for the Penguins since 1988.
Game log
- Green background indicates win. (2 points)
- Red indicates loss. (0 points)
- White background indicates overtime/shootout loss. (1 point)
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Stanley Cup playoffs
The Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season. They earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and home-ice advantage in the opening round match-up against the Philadelphia FlyersPhiladelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, following a loss by the Flyers on the last day of the regular season. For the second consecutive season, the Penguins erected a 12 by 16 foot LED screen on the lawn directly outside Mellon Arena, allowing fans to watch all playoff games, free of charge. After defeating Philadelphia, the Penguins beat the Washington Capitals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
and the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins faced the Detroit Red Wings, defeating them in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. The final game of the season drew a 42.2 television rating in Pittsbugh—the highest local rating in any city since the NHL began to track the figure.
Eastern Conference quarterfinals
The Penguins won game one of the series 4–1, with goals from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy, and defenseman Mark Eaton. "It was a good [night] for me," said Malkin, "it was a good [night] for everybody." Flyers coach John Stevens was fined $United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
10,000 and forward Daniel Carcillo
Daniel Carcillo
Daniel Carcillo is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
was suspended by the NHL for the second game of the series for a hit to Max Talbot's
Maxime Talbot
Maxime Talbot is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Philadelphia Flyers of the National Hockey League . Drafted out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League , Talbot led the Hull/Gatineau Olympiques to back-to-back President's Cups while earning the Guy Lafleur...
head immediately following a faceoff with seven seconds left in the game; Carcillo was not penalized at the time of the hit. In game two, Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 38 saves. Bill Guerin scored two goals, including the game winner in overtime, and the Penguins won 3–2. With the Penguins up two games to zero, the series moved to Philadelphia for game three. After falling behind 2–0, goals from Malkin and Rob Scuderi
Rob Scuderi
Robert John Scuderi is an American professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League.-Amateur:...
tied the game. Malkin added his second goal of the game in the final period; however, Philadelphia won the game 6–3. In game four, Fleury stopped 45 shots, giving up one goal as the Penguins won 3–1. Crosby scored his second goal of the playoffs and Tyler Kennedy added the game winner. The Penguins were unable to clinch the series in game five at Mellon Arena. A goal by Malkin was taken away after it was determined that he had kicked the puck into the net; Martin Biron
Martin Biron
Martin Gaston Biron is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . He has also played professionally for the Buffalo Sabres, Philadelphia Flyers, and New York Islanders...
stopped 28 shots for the shutout. Pittsburgh viewers were unable to see approximately 30 minutes of the second period after a lightning strike at a FSN Pittsburgh
FSN Pittsburgh
Root Sports Pittsburgh is a regional sports network owned and operated by DirecTV Sports Networks. The channel first aired in the Pittsburgh metro area on April 24, 1986 as KBL with the season opener of the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Mets from Three Rivers Stadium and expanded close to its modern day...
network facility in Atlanta caused the station to temporarily black out.
In game six, the Flyers lead 3–0 four minutes into the second period. Max Talbot fought Daniel Carcillo after the Flyers tallied their third goal and the Penguins, re-energized by Talbot's display, scored three goals in what remained of the second period to tie the game 3–3. Sergei Gonchar
Sergei Gonchar
Sergei Viktorovich Gonchar is a Russian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League...
scored his first goal of the series, his first in 23 playoff games dating back to game two of the Penguins' first-round series against Ottawa in 2008
2008 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs of the National Hockey League began on April 9, 2008, after the 2007–08 regular season. The sixteen teams that qualified, eight from each conference, played best-of-7 series for conference quarterfinals, semifinals and championships, and then the conference champions...
, to break the tie at 2:19 of the third period. Crosby added an empty-net goal and the Penguins eliminated the Flyers and advance to the Eastern Conference semi-finals. Three days after the Penguins series-clinching victory of the Flyers, the Penguins announced that coach Dan Bylsma had signed a multi-year contract with the team.
Eastern Conference semi-finals
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup...
in the second round semi-finals. The anticipation for the series was high considering the rivalry between the teams and star players, most notably Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Ovechkin
Alexander Mikhaylovich Ovechkin is a Russian professional ice hockey left winger and captain of the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League...
and Alexander Semin
Alexander Semin
Alexander Valerievich Semin , also known by fans as The Great 28, The Other Alex, or most commonly known as Sasha, is a Russian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Washington Capitals in the National Hockey League ....
of the Capitals. The first three games in the series were scheduled for national television in the United States, with game one on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
and games two and three on Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
.
Game one was held in Washington, where Capitals owner Ted Leonsis
Ted Leonsis
Theodore John Leonsis is an Internet pioneer, sports team owner, venture capital investor, filmmaker, author and philanthropist. His early new media company, Redgate Communications was acquired by America Online in 1994, and Leonsis became a senior AOL executive for the next 13 years...
took steps to prevent Penguins' fans from purchasing tickets, such as not selling tickets to customers whose 724 or 412 area code indicated they were from Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania
Western Pennsylvania consists of the western third of the state of Pennsylvania in the United States. Pittsburgh is the largest city in the region, with a metropolitan area population of about 2.4 million people, and serves as its economic and cultural center. Erie, Altoona, and Johnstown are its...
. Crosby scored to give the Penguins a first period lead, but Washington scored two goals before the conclusion of the period. Mark Eaton tied the game in the second period, but Washington's Semyon Varlamov held the Penguins scoreless for the remainder of the game as the Capitals took a 1–0 lead in the series. The game had 40% more viewers than playoff games the previous season. In game two, Ovechkin and Crosby scored three goals each; Dave Steckel
Dave Steckel
David Steckel is an American professional ice hockey center currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs in the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
's second period goal was the difference as Washington won 4–3.
The series moved to Pittsburgh for game three with the Penguins down 2-0. Goals from Ruslan Fedotenko, Nicklas Backstrom
Nicklas Bäckström
Lars Nicklas Bäckström is a Swedish professional ice hockey centre and an alternate captain for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League .-Early life:...
, Ovechkin, and Malkin left the game tied after regulation. Kris Letang scored a powerplay goal eleven minutes into overtime, winning the game for the Penguins. Pittsburgh tied the series at two games apeice after a 5–3 game four victory at Mellon Arena. After a Washington goal scored less than a minute into regulation the Penguins responded with three goals in the first period. The Penguins' five goals came from five different players. During the first period Sergei Gonchar was forced to leave the game after a knee-on-knee hit from Ovechkin; Gonchar returned to the Penguins' line-up for game seven. Game five took place in Washington, D.C. the next day, due to the scheduling of a Yanni
Yanni
Yanni , born Yiannis Hrysomallis is a Greek self-taught pianist, keyboardist, and composer who has spent most of his life in the United States.He earned Grammy nominations for his 1992 album, Dare to Dream, and the 1993 follow-up, In My Time...
concert in Pittsburgh. After a scoreless first period, Washington took a 2–1 lead in the second. Fedotenko tied the game less than a minute into the third period, but a goal by Matt Cooke was matched by Ovechkin and the game went into overtime. With one second remaining in their second powerplay of the game, Malkin scored to give the Penguins their third consecutive victory. Game six was the third overtime game of the series. Washington forced a seventh game with a 5–4 victory. Nine different players scored goals in the game.
In the final game of the series Pittsburgh scored two goals within eight seconds of one another to take a 2–0 lead after Fleury stopped Ovechkin on a breakaway. Pittsburgh scored three more goals in the second period, extending their lead to 5–0, before Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the series. Each team added a goal in the final period to end the game with a 6–2 final score. Ovechkin scored eight goals and added six assists in the series, while Crosby tallied eight goals and five assists. Crosby's thirteen-point tally in the series totalled one less than Ovechkin's fourteen points, which was the highest single-series point total since the 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs
1995 Stanley Cup Playoffs
The 1995 Stanley Cup playoffs, the championship of the National Hockey League was played between May 6 and June 24, 1995. In the Final, the New Jersey Devils swept the favored Detroit Red Wings in four games to win their first championship. The Quebec Nordiques played their last ever playoff series...
. While shaking hands following the final game, Crosby told Ovechkin he had played a "great series", to which Ovechkin responded, "win the Stanley Cup."
Eastern Conference Final
Pittsburgh faced the Carolina HurricanesCarolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
in the Eastern Conference Final, after Carolina defeated the Boston Bruins
Boston Bruins
The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The team has been in existence since 1924, and is the league's third-oldest team and its oldest in the...
and New Jersey Devils
New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils are a professional ice hockey team based in Newark, New Jersey, United States. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
. The series opened in Pittsburgh, where Miroslav Satan
Miroslav Satan
Miroslav Šatan is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger for HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga.-Pre-NHL:In 1991–92, he played for the local HC Topolcany and did remarkably well, as he scored 30 goals and had 22 assists in just 31 games. He then graduated to the senior division...
and Philippe Boucher
Philippe Boucher
Philippe Boucher is a retired French Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League. He is currently the General Manager of the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL.-Amateur:...
scored their first goals of the playoffs. Marc-Andre Fleury was named the game's third star after making 23 saves and helping the Penguins to a 3–2 victory. In game two, Malkin scored a hat trick and Chris Kunitz
Chris Kunitz
Christopher Kunitz is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers and Anaheim Ducks, the latter with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2007...
scored his first goal of the playoffs as the Penguins won 7–4, taking a two games to none series lead. In game three, Malkin scored two goals and Crosby scored one as the Penguins took a 3–1 lead into the first intermission. After a scoreless second period, the Hurricanes came within a goal after Sergei Samsonov
Sergei Samsonov
Sergei Viktorovich Samsonov is a Russian professional ice hockey forward who is currently an unrestricted free agent.- Playing career :Samsonov was drafted by the Boston Bruins eighth overall in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft. Boston drafted Joe Thornton first overall in the same draft...
scored less than two minutes into the final period, but goals by Fedotenko, Craig Adams, and Guerin gave the Penguins a 6–2 victory. The series concluded with the Penguins sweeping, four games to none. In the series' fourth game, Pittsburgh gave up the initial goal less than two minutes into the opening period, but goals from Fedotenko and Talbot gave them the lead after the first period. A second period goal from Guerin and an empty netter from Adams sealed the Penguins victory in the game and the series.
Stanley Cup Final
For the second consecutive season the Penguins played the Detroit Red WingsDetroit Red Wings
The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York...
in the Stanley Cup Finals
Stanley Cup Finals
The Stanley Cup Finals is the championship series to determine the winner of the Stanley Cup, emblematic of the professional club championship of ice hockey. Although the Cup itself has existed since 1893, an annual championship series between professional teams was not established until 1913...
, marking the first time in 25 years that two teams played each other in consecutive Finals. Tickets for games three and four, which were hosted at Mellon Arena, sold out in 10 minutes. In the first game of the series, the Red Wings scored the first goal when a puck shot by Brad Stuart
Brad Stuart
Bradley Stuart is a Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League .- Playing career :...
ricocheted off the boards behind the goal, then bounced off Marc-Andre Fleury and into the net. Ruslan Fedotenko, with an assist from Evgeni Malkin, tied the game before the conclusion of the first period. Detroit went on to score a goal in each of the final two periods to win game one, 3–1. Evgeni Malkin scored a powerplay goal in the first period of game two, but the Penguins were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest; falling 3–1 for a second consecutive game.
With the Penguins down two games to none, the series shifted to Pittsburgh for game three. After a 2–2 first period and a scoreless second period, Sergei Gonchar and Max Talbot each scored a goal in the third period to give the Penguins a 4–2 victory. In game four, the Penguins tied the Red Wings at two games apiece with three unanswered goals in the second period, including a shorthanded goal by Jordan Staal. With the series returning to Detroit, the Red Wings took a three games to two lead in the series with a 5–0 win. Staal and Tyler Kennedy scored as the Penguins tied the series at three games apiece in a 2–1 game six victory. In the seventh, and final, game of the series Max Talbot scored two goals and Fleury made 23 saves as the Penguins won their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.
Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy
Conn Smythe Trophy
The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 46 times to 40 players since the 1964–65 NHL season...
as the MVP of the playoffs. Fans celebrated in the streets of Pittsburgh after the game, with the Stanley Cup victory coming four months after the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League champion for the 2008 season. The game was played on February 1, 2009,...
. Two days after the victory, 375,000 people attended a parade of the Cup through downtown Pittsburgh.
Playoff log
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- Scorer of game winning goal in italics
Player stats
The following statistics were compiled from the Penguins' official website and the Internet Hockey Database.Skaters
| Regular season | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ss="wikitable sortable" width="100%"> | ||||||
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| 00 | 00 | 000 | ||||
| 0 | ||||||
| 82 | 35 | 78 | 113 | +17 | 80 | |
| 77 | 33 | 70 | 103 | +3 | 76 | |
| 82 | 22 | 27 | 49 | +5 | 37 | |
| 76 | 25 | 21 | 46 | +3 | 36 | |
| 65 | 16 | 23 | 39 | +18 | 44 | |
| 65 | 17 | 19 | 36 | +3 | 36 | |
| 67 | 15 | 20 | 35 | +15 | 30 | |
| 74 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 24 | ||
| 76 | 13 | 18 | 31 | 0 | 101 | |
| 71 | 12 | 16 | 28 | +1 | 30 | |
| 75 | 12 | 10 | 22 | 63 | ||
| 45 | 6 | 14 | 20 | +5 | 16 | |
| 25 | 6 | 13 | 19 | +6 | 26 | |
| 79 | 2 | 17 | 19 | +10 | 73 | |
| ** | 20 | 7 | 11 | 18 | +3 | 16 |
| 81 | 1 | 15 | 16 | +23 | 18 | |
| * | 28 | 2 | 11 | 13 | 16 | |
| ** | 17 | 5 | 7 | 12 | +3 | 18 |
| 62 | 2 | 8 | 10 | +11 | 53 | |
| 68 | 4 | 5 | 9 | +3 | 36 | |
| ** | 25 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 24 |
| 22 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 27 | ||
| 71 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 171 | ||
| |
16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 | |
| 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | +4 | 0 | |
| 20 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 4 | |
| * | 8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | +1 | 2 |
| 8 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 16 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +2 | 7 | |
| 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | ||
| ** |
9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 | ||
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| ** | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | +1 | 0 |
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| Goalies | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 10 |
- * denotes players traded away during the season, ** denotes players acquired during the season.
| Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ss="wikitable sortable" width="100%"> | |||||||||||||
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM | |||||||
| -9 | |||||||||||||
| 0 | |||||||||||||
| 24 | 14 | 22 | 36 | +3 | 51 | ||||||||
| 24 | 15 | 16 | 31 | +9 | 14 | ||||||||
| 24 | 7 | 8 | 15 | +8 | 15 | ||||||||
| 24 | 7 | 7 | 14 | +9 | 4 | ||||||||
| 22 | 3 | 11 | 14 | +3 | 12 | ||||||||
| 24 | 1 | 13 | 14 | +3 | 19 | ||||||||
| 24 | 8 | 5 | 13 | +8 | 19 | ||||||||
| 23 | 4 | 9 | 13 | +1 | 26 | ||||||||
| 24 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 4 | |||||||||
| 24 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 8 | |||||||||
| 24 | 4 | 3 | 7 | +4 | 10 | ||||||||
| 24 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 22 | |||||||||
| 17 | 1 | 5 | 6 | +1 | 11 | ||||||||
| 24 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 16 | |||||||||
| 24 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | >-align=right | 9 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 24 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 22 | |||||||||
| 20 | 0 | 2 | 2 | +3 | 4 | ||||||||
| 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||||||||
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | >-align=right | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | ||||
| (G) | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 2 |
Goaltenders
| Regular season | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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|
| Playoffs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Records
| Regular Season | ||
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Jordan Staal Jordan Staal Jordan Lee Staal is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League... |
Youngest player to play 200 games in NHL history | December 30, 2008 |
Milestones
| Regular Season | ||
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Alex Goligoski Alex Goligoski Alexander Marcus Flint Goligoski is an American professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for the Dallas Stars of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:... |
1st career goal | October 5, 2008 |
| Sidney Crosby Sidney Crosby Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League... |
100th career goal 200th career assist 300th career point |
October 18, 2008 |
| Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Malkin Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .... |
100th career goal | October 18, 2008 |
| Dustin Jeffrey Dustin Jeffrey Dustin Jeffrey is a professional ice hockey player in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Jeffrey was drafted as the 171st overall selection in the 6th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.... |
1st career goal | January 1, 2009 |
| Evgeni Malkin | 200th career point | January 30, 2009 |
| Luca Caputi Luca Caputi Gianluca Caputi is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League . Luca grew up in Maple, Ontario, a suburban community northor the same team for four seasons, even after the Mississauga IceDogs moved and became the Niagara... |
1st career goal | February 3, 2009 |
| Miroslav Satan Miroslav Satan Miroslav Šatan is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger for HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga.-Pre-NHL:In 1991–92, he played for the local HC Topolcany and did remarkably well, as he scored 30 goals and had 22 assists in just 31 games. He then graduated to the senior division... |
1000th career game | February 4, 2009 |
| Marc-Andre Fleury Marc-Andre Fleury Marc-André Fleury is a French Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League... |
100th career win | March 1, 2009 (Dallas Stars Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The... ) |
| Bill Guerin Bill Guerin William Robert Guerin is an American former professional ice hockey player and current player development coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Guerin played eighteen seasons in the National Hockey League winning two Stanley Cup championships with the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins teams... |
800th career point | March 5, 2009 |
| Petr Sykora Petr Sýkora Petr Sýkora is a Czech professional ice hockey right winger for the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League . Sýkora has previously played in the NHL for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, New York Rangers, Edmonton Oilers, Pittsburgh Penguins and Minnesota Wild. He is a two-time Stanley Cup... |
300th career goal | April 7, 2009 |
| Players who made their NHL debut | |
| Player | Notes |
| Paul Bissonnette Paul Bissonnette Paul Albert "BizNasty" Bissonnette is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently with the Phoenix Coyotes organization.-Playing career:... |
2003 fourth round pick 2003 NHL Entry Draft The 2003 NHL Entry Draft was held at the Gaylord Entertainment Center in Nashville, Tennessee on June 21, 2003.Marc-Andre Fleury was selected first overall by the Pittsburgh Penguins, only the third goalie in NHL history selected as the first overall draft choice... |
| John Curry John Curry (ice hockey) John Curry is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing with the Hamburg Freezers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga... |
2007 undrafted free agent |
| Dustin Jeffrey Dustin Jeffrey Dustin Jeffrey is a professional ice hockey player in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization. Jeffrey was drafted as the 171st overall selection in the 6th round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft.... |
2007 sixth round pick 2007 NHL Entry Draft The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus, Ohio, United States on June 22, 2007. The draft consisted of seven rounds with rounds two through seven taking place on June 23, 2007... |
| Ben Lovejoy Ben Lovejoy Benjamin N. Lovejoy is a professional ice hockey defenseman currently with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.-Playing career:... |
2008 free agent |
| Janne Pesonen Janne Pesonen Janne Pesonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger currently an unrestricted free agent .- Career :... |
2008 free agent |
| Luca Caputi Luca Caputi Gianluca Caputi is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League . Luca grew up in Maple, Ontario, a suburban community northor the same team for four seasons, even after the Mississauga IceDogs moved and became the Niagara... |
2007 fourth round pick 2007 NHL Entry Draft The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus, Ohio, United States on June 22, 2007. The draft consisted of seven rounds with rounds two through seven taking place on June 23, 2007... |
| Tim Wallace Tim Wallace Timothy T. Wallace , is a professional American ice hockey centre with the New York Islanders organization. Before starting his professional career, Wallace played four seasons with the University of Notre Dame of the CCHA. A product of the U.S... |
2006 undrafted free agent |
Awards
| Player | Award |
|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby Sidney Crosby Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League... Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Malkin Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .... |
All-Star 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game The 57th National Hockey League All-Star Game was held at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, home of the Montreal Canadiens, in conjunction with the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. The game was held between two teams, each representing a conference of the National Hockey League... starting forwards |
| Kris Letang | YoungStars NHL YoungStars Game The NHL YoungStars Game started in 2002, to replace the Heroes of Hockey Old-Timers game during the All-Star Weekend activities. The first four games were played as separate games to the actual All-Star Game, but starting in 2008, it was changed to become part of the NHL Super Skills Competition,... sophomore defenceman |
| Mark Eaton | Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association after each team nominates one... finalist |
| Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Malkin Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .... |
Art Ross Trophy Art Ross Trophy The Art Ross Trophy is awarded to the National Hockey League player who leads the league in scoring points at the end of the regular season. It was presented to the NHL by former player, general manager, and head coach Art Ross. The trophy has been awarded 61 times to 25 players since its inception... (113 points) Hart Memorial Trophy Hart Memorial Trophy The Hart Memorial Trophy, originally known as the Hart Trophy, the "oldest and most prestigious individual award in hockey", is awarded annually to the "player adjudged most valuable to his team" in the National Hockey League . The Hart Memorial Trophy has been awarded 86 times to 53 different... finalist Lester B. Pearson Award Lester B. Pearson Award The Ted Lindsay Award, formerly known as the Lester B. Pearson Award, is awarded annually to the National Hockey League's most outstanding player in the regular season as judged by the members of the NHL Players Association. It has been awarded 40 times to 23 different players since its beginnings... finalist Conn Smythe Trophy Conn Smythe Trophy The Conn Smythe Trophy is awarded annually to the player judged most valuable to his team during the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup playoffs. The Conn Smythe Trophy has been awarded 46 times to 40 players since the 1964–65 NHL season... |
| Sidney Crosby Sidney Crosby Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League... |
Mark Messier Leadership Award Mark Messier Leadership Award The Mark Messier Leadership Award is a National Hockey League award that recognizes an individual as a superior leader within their sport, and as a contributing member of society... finalist |
Prior to the team's final home game on April 9 against the New York Islanders
New York Islanders
The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, the team announced its annual award winners. Awards were given by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Penguins Booster Club, as well as voted amongst the team.
| Player | Award | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sidney Crosby Sidney Crosby Sidney Patrick Crosby ONS is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . Crosby was drafted first overall by the Penguins out of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League... Brooks Orpik Brooks Orpik Brooks Orpik is an American professional ice hockey defenseman, an alternate captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . His brother, Andrew, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres organization and is also currently in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization... |
Baz Bastien Memorial Award | Awarded by the Writers Association for cooperation throughout the season. Sponsor: UPMC University of Pittsburgh Medical Center The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is an $9 billion integrated global nonprofit health enterprise that has 54,000 employees, 20 hospitals, 4,200 licensed beds, 400 outpatient sites and doctors’ offices, a 1.5 million-member health insurance division, as well as commercial and... Sports Medicine Sports medicine Sports medicine is a branch of medicine that deals with physical fitness, treatment and prevention of injuries related to sports and exercise... |
| Mark Eaton | Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy The Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy is awarded annually to the National Hockey League player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. The winner is selected by a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association after each team nominates one... nominee |
Nominated by the Writers Association for league-wide recognition. Sponsor: Trib Total Media Pittsburgh Tribune-Review The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, also known as "the Trib," is the second largest daily newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the United States... |
| Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Malkin Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .... |
A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Cup | Awarded to the player with the most "three stars Three stars (ice hockey) In ice hockey, the three stars of a match are the three best players as chosen by a third party, with the first star considered the best of the three players, akin to the man of the match in other sports. Usually, the top point scorers or outstanding goaltenders are designated the three stars, but... " recognitions. |
| Eric Godard Eric Godard Eric Godard is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Texas Stars.-Playing career:Godard played junior hockey with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League... |
Edward J. DeBartolo Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. Edward John DeBartolo, Sr. was an American businessman who is widely regarded as the father of the American shopping mall... Award |
Awarded for time and effort towards community and charity projects. Sponsor: Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America.... |
| Jordan Staal Jordan Staal Jordan Lee Staal is a Canadian professional ice hockey player and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League... |
Defensive Player of the Year | Sponsor: CONSOL Energy Consol Energy Consol Energy is an energy company headquartered in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, suburb of Cecil Township, in the Southpointe complex. It is one of the US's largest coal mining companies, along with Peabody Energy and Arch Coal... |
| Eric Godard Eric Godard Eric Godard is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Texas Stars.-Playing career:Godard played junior hockey with the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the Western Hockey League... |
Player's Player Award | Voted by the team for leadership and teamwork. Sponsor: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield Highmark Highmark is a not-for-profit health insurance company based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. It is the largest health insurer in Pennsylvania, and through a purchase in 1996, the largest health insurer in West Virginia. As Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield, it primarily serves the 29... |
| Evgeni Malkin Evgeni Malkin Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League .... |
Most Valuable Player Most Valuable Player In sports, a Most Valuable Player award is an honor typically bestowed upon the best performing player or players on a specific team, in an entire league, or for a particular contest or series of contests... |
Sponsor:BNY Mellon |
Transactions
Concerns over future player contracts were raised just days after the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals2008 Stanley Cup Finals
The 2008 Stanley Cup Final was a best-of-seven playoff series that determined the National Hockey League champion for the 2007–08 season. As a culmination of the 2008 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Western Conference champion Detroit Red Wings defeated the Eastern Conference champion Pittsburgh...
. Approximately a dozen players, including Marian Hossa
Marian Hossa
Marián Hossa is a Slovak professional ice hockey player who currently plays for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League . Hossa was drafted by the Ottawa Senators in the 1997 NHL Entry Draft; after playing for the Senators, he played for the Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh Penguins, and...
, Jarkko Ruutu
Jarkko Ruutu
Jarkko Ruutu ; born August 23, 1975) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player. Ruutu is currently playing for SM-Liiga team Jokerit. He is the brother of Tuomo Ruutu, currently playing in the NHL on the Carolina Hurricanes, and retired player Mikko Ruutu....
, Ryan Malone
Ryan Malone
Ryan Malone is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, and Brooks Orpik
Brooks Orpik
Brooks Orpik is an American professional ice hockey defenseman, an alternate captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . His brother, Andrew, was drafted by the Buffalo Sabres organization and is also currently in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization...
, had fulfilled the final year on their contracts. On June 28, the Penguins traded the contract negotiation rights to Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone
Ryan Malone
Ryan Malone is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
to the Tampa Bay Lightning
Tampa Bay Lightning
The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the...
for a conditional draft pick; it became a 3rd round pick when both Malone and Roberts signed with the Lightning on June 30. Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni Malkin
Evgeni "Geno" Vladimirovich Malkin is a Russian professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League ....
was offered a contract from a Russian team in the newly-formed Kontinental Hockey League
Kontinental Hockey League
The Kontinental Hockey League is an international professional ice hockey league in Eurasia founded in 2008. As of 2009, it is ranked as the strongest hockey league in Europe....
worth approximately $12.5 million, tax exempt, per year, which would make him the highest-paid hockey player in the world. However, Malkin turned down the offer to remain with the Penguins, and the IIHF
International Ice Hockey Federation
The International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members...
released a statement saying that it would not honor the offer, as Malkin was already under an existing contract with the Penguins at the time. Malkin agreed to a five year contract extension worth $8.7 million per year—the same value as Sidney Crosby's contract—with the Penguins on July 2. On July 3, the Penguins agreed to a seven year deal with restricted free agent goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury
Marc-Andre Fleury
Marc-André Fleury is a French Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League...
in addition to one-year contracts with free agents Miroslav Satan
Miroslav Satan
Miroslav Šatan is a Slovak professional ice hockey right winger for HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga.-Pre-NHL:In 1991–92, he played for the local HC Topolcany and did remarkably well, as he scored 30 goals and had 22 assists in just 31 games. He then graduated to the senior division...
and Ruslan Fedotenko
Ruslan Fedotenko
Ruslan Viktorovych Fedotenko is a Ukrainian American professional ice hockey winger who is currently playing for the New York Rangers of the National Hockey League . A two-time Stanley Cup champion, in his NHL career he has played for the Philadelphia Flyers, Tampa Bay Lightning, New York...
. On October 8 the Penguins made several roster adjustments, placing Kris Beech
Kris Beech
Kristopher Beech is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre, currently playing for Rauman Lukko in the Finnish elite league SM-Liiga.-Playing career:...
, who was already in Europe looking for a new team, on unconditional waivers and sending Janne Pesonen
Janne Pesonen
Janne Pesonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger currently an unrestricted free agent .- Career :...
, John Curry
John Curry (ice hockey)
John Curry is an American professional ice hockey goaltender currently playing with the Hamburg Freezers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga...
, and Jeff Taffe
Jeff Taffe
Jeffrey Charles Taffe is a center for the Minnesota Wild organization. He was acquired by Chicago on July 22, 2010 in exchange for center Marty Reasoner. Taffe was drafted in the first round, 30th overall, by the St...
, who first had to clear waivers, to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The next day, on October 9, the Penguins acquired Mike Zigomanis from Phoenix
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....
for future considerations. On December 19, the team extended their agreement with Max Talbot for an additional two seasons.
Trades
| June 28, 2008 |
To Tampa Bay Lightning Tampa Bay Lightning The Tampa Bay Lightning are a professional ice hockey team based in Tampa, Florida. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2003–04. They are often referred to as the... Rights to negotiate with Gary Roberts, Ryan Malone Ryan Malone Ryan Malone is an American professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Tampa Bay Lightning in the National Hockey League .-Playing career:... |
To Pittsburgh Penguins 2009 2009 NHL Entry Draft The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns selecting amateur ice hockey players from junior, collegiate, or... fourth round draft pick (from Dallas Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The... ), or third round draft pick (if signed) |
| July 17, 2008 | To Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10... Tim Brent Tim Brent Tim Brent is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:... |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Danny Richmond Danny Richmond Danny Richmond is a professional ice hockey defenseman for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. He is the son of retired NHL defenseman, Steve Richmond.-Amateur career:... |
| October 1, 2008 | To Tampa Bay Lightning Rights to Michal Sersen Michal Sersen Michel Sersen is a Slovak professional ice hockey defenceman who currently plays HC Slovan Bratislava of the Slovak Extraliga. Sersen was drafted by the Pittsburgh Penguins 130 overall in the 5th round of the 2004 NHL Entry Draft.Sersen began his professional career with Bratislava at age 17 in 2002... |
To Pittsburgh Penguins 2009 fifth round pick |
| October 9, 2008 | To Phoenix Coyotes Phoenix Coyotes The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena.... Future considerations |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Michael Zigomanis Michael Zigomanis Michael "Mike" Zigomanis is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre. He is currently with the Toronto Maple Leafs organization of the National Hockey League.-Early life:... |
| November 16, 2008 | To Dallas Stars Dallas Stars The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The... Darryl Sydor Darryl Sydor Darryl Marion Sydor is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman. He has won two Stanley Cups during his career; with the Dallas Stars in 1999 and with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004... |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Philippe Boucher Philippe Boucher Philippe Boucher is a retired French Canadian professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League. He is currently the General Manager of the Rimouski Oceanic of the QMJHL.-Amateur:... |
| December 19, 2008 | To St. Louis Blues Jonathan Filewich Jonathan Filewich Jonathan Filewich is a Canadian professional ice hockey player of Croatian ancestry who is currently a member KHL Medveščak Zagreb of the EBEL.- Playing career :... |
To Pittsburgh Penguins 2010 2010 NHL Entry Draft The 2010 NHL Entry Draft was the 48th NHL Entry Draft, held on June 25–26, 2010 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, home arena of the Los Angeles Kings. This was the first time Los Angeles hosted the NHL Entry Draft. An unofficial record of 11 American-trained players were selected in... sixth round pick |
| January 5, 2009 | To Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... T. J. Kemp T. J. Kemp T.J. Kemp is a professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-Playing career:... |
To Pittsburgh Penguins 2010 conditional seventh round pick |
| January 17, 2009 | To Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League .... Dany Sabourin Dany Sabourin Daniel Sabourin is a Canadian professional ice hockey goaltender currently under contract for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League... Ryan Stone Ryan Stone Ryan Adam Stone is a Canadian professional ice hockey centre currently under contract with the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:... 2011 2011 NHL Entry Draft The 2011 NHL Entry Draft was the 49th NHL Entry Draft. It was held on June 24–25, 2011, at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. It was the first time the Draft was held in the state of Minnesota since the Minnesota North Stars hosted the 1989 NHL Entry Draft.The top three picks consisted... 4th round pick |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Mathieu Garon Mathieu Garon Mathieu Garon is a Canadian professional ice hockey player. Garon is a goaltender for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League . Garon has also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers, Montreal Canadiens and the Pittsburgh Penguins. Garon was a member... |
| February 26, 2009 | To Anaheim Ducks Anaheim Ducks The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League... Ryan Whitney Ryan Whitney Ryan Whitney is an American professional ice hockey defenseman and alternate captain currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League .... |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Chris Kunitz Chris Kunitz Christopher Kunitz is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger with the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League . He has previously played for the Atlanta Thrashers and Anaheim Ducks, the latter with whom he won a Stanley Cup in 2007... Signing rights to Eric Tangradi Eric Tangradi Eric Tangradi is an American professional ice hockey left winger currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League. He was selected 42nd overall in the 2nd round of the 2007 NHL Entry Draft... |
| March 4, 2009 | To St. Louis Blues Danny Richmond Danny Richmond Danny Richmond is a professional ice hockey defenseman for the Hershey Bears of the American Hockey League. He is the son of retired NHL defenseman, Steve Richmond.-Amateur career:... |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Andy Wozniewski Andy Wozniewski Andrew Pera Wozniewski is a professional ice hockey defenseman currently playing for EV Zug in the Swiss National League A.-Playing career:... |
| March 4, 2009 | To New York Islanders New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... 2009 2009 NHL Entry Draft The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns selecting amateur ice hockey players from junior, collegiate, or... conditional draft pick† |
To Pittsburgh Penguins Bill Guerin Bill Guerin William Robert Guerin is an American former professional ice hockey player and current player development coach for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Guerin played eighteen seasons in the National Hockey League winning two Stanley Cup championships with the New Jersey Devils and Pittsburgh Penguins teams... |
† Initially fifth-round pick, fourth-round pick if Penguins make playoffs, third-round pick if Penguins win a playoff round and Guerin plays in 50% of the games.
Free agents signed by Pittsburgh
| Player | Former team | Contract Terms |
| Calgary Flames Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the... |
3 years | |
| New York Islanders New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
1 year/$3.5 million | |
| New York Islanders New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
1 year/$2.5 million | |
| Washington Capitals Washington Capitals The Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Since their founding in 1974, "The Caps" have won one conference championship to reach the 1998 Stanley Cup... |
2 years/$2.4 million | |
| Kärpät Kärpät Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:... (SM-liiga SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... ) |
1 year | |
| Norfolk Admirals Norfolk Admirals The Norfolk Admirals are a minor professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League, and are affiliated with the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Admirals play in Norfolk, Virginia, at the Norfolk Scope.-History:... (AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... ) |
1 year | |
| Springfield Falcons Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons are an ice hockey team in the American Hockey League . They play in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center and are the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. The Falcons' two main rivals are the Connecticut Whale and the... (AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... ) |
1 year | |
| Carolina Hurricanes Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center... |
1 year | |
| Phoenix Coyotes Phoenix Coyotes The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena.... |
1 year | |
| Undrafted free agent | 3 years |
Signed with new team
| Player | New team | Contract Terms |
| Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York... |
1 year/$750,000 | |
| Detroit Red Wings Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit, Michigan. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League , and are one of the Original Six teams of the NHL, along with the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, New York... |
1 year/$7.45 million | |
| Ottawa Senators Ottawa Senators The Ottawa Senators are a professional ice hockey team based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
3 years/$3.9 million | |
| Montreal Canadiens Montreal Canadiens The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ... |
3 years/$4.5 million | |
| New York Islanders New York Islanders The New York Islanders are a professional ice hockey team based in Uniondale, New York. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
1 year | |
| Colorado Avalanche Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver, Colorado, United States. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The Avalanche have won the Stanley Cup twice, in 1995–96 and 2000–01. The franchise... |
Terms unknown | |
| Sinupret Ice Tigers Sinupret Ice Tigers The Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers Nürnberg are a professional ice hockey club located in Nuremberg, Germany. They play in the country's premier league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga.-History:... (DEL) |
2 years | |
| Phoenix Coyotes Phoenix Coyotes The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena.... |
1 year |
Claimed from waivers
| Date | Player | Previous team |
| March 4, 2009 | Craig Adams | Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Blackhawks The Chicago Blackhawks are a professional ice hockey team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the Central Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They have won four Stanley Cup championships since their founding in 1926, most recently coming in 2009-10... |
Draft picks
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft2008 NHL Entry Draft
The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was the 46th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted by the Ottawa Senators at Scotiabank Place in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, on June 20–21, 2008...
was held on June 20–21, 2008, in Ottawa, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
. The Penguins did not make their first selection until the fourth round, at 120th overall. Their first-round selection was traded to the Atlanta Thrashers
Atlanta Thrashers
The Atlanta Thrashers were a professional ice hockey team based in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Atlanta was granted a franchise in the National Hockey League on June 25, 1997, and became the league's 28th franchise when it began play in the 1999–2000 NHL season...
on February 26, 2008. Pittsburgh's second-round selection was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, also on February 26. The third-round pick went to the Phoenix Coyotes
Phoenix Coyotes
The Phoenix Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in Glendale, Arizona. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their home games at Jobing.com Arena....
with Daniel Carcillo
Daniel Carcillo
Daniel Carcillo is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Chicago Blackhawks of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, for Georges Laraque
Georges Laraque
Georges Laraque is a retired Canadian professional ice hockey forward, who last played with the Montreal Canadiens before his contract was bought out in 2010. He is also a host for CFRN and deputy leader of the Green Party of Canada. During his NHL career he played for the Edmonton Oilers,...
on February 27, 2007.
| Round | # | Player | Position | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 120 | Nathan Moon | Center | Kingston Frontenacs Kingston Frontenacs The Kingston Frontenacs are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League, based in Kingston, Ontario, Canada. The team is coached by Todd Gill and Doug Gilmour is the General Manager. The Frontenacs play home games at the K-Rock Centre, which opened in 2008.Team history predates the OHA,... (OHL Ontario Hockey League The Ontario Hockey League is one of the three Major Junior ice hockey leagues which constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The league is for players aged 15-20.The OHL also operates under the Ontario Hockey Federation of Hockey Canada.... ) |
|
| 5 | 150 | Alexander Pechurski Alexander Pechurski Alexander Alekseevich Pechursky is a Russian professional ice hockey goaltender. He is currently playing for Metallurg Magnitogorsk of the Kontinental Hockey League... |
Goaltender | Magnitogorsk 2 Metallurg Magnitogorsk Metallurg Magnitogorsk is a professional ice hockey team based in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia. They are members of the Kharlamov Division of the Kontinental Hockey League... (RUS-3) |
|
| 6 | 180 | Patrick Killeen Patrick Killeen Patrickhew Killeen is a Canadian ice hockey goaltender. He was selected by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 6th round of the 2008 NHL Entry Draft... |
Goaltender | Brampton Battalion Brampton Battalion The Brampton Battalion are a junior ice hockey team in the Ontario Hockey League. The team is based in Brampton, Ontario and started playing in 1998.-History:The Brampton Battalion were granted an expansion franchise on December 3, 1996... (OHL) |
|
| 7 | 210 | Nicholas D'Agostino | Defence | St. Michael's Buzzers St. Michael's Buzzers The St. Michael's Buzzers are a Junior "A" ice hockey team from Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are a part of Central Canadian Hockey League.-History:... (OPJHL) |
Farm teams
Pittsburgh's American Hockey LeagueAmerican Hockey League
The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League...
affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the American Hockey League affiliate of the NHL's Pittsburgh Penguins. They play in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania at the Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza...
, finished the 2008–09 season
2008–09 AHL season
The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:...
third in the East Division.
Chris Minard
Chris Minard
Christopher Minard is a Canadian ice hockey player for the Detroit Red Wings in the National Hockey League . Minard began his professional career in 2002 with the Pensacola Ice Pilots of the ECHL.-Playing career:...
, the AHL's leading goal scorer at time of announcement, was selected as a starter for Team Canada in the 2009 All Star Classic. Jeff Taffe
Jeff Taffe
Jeffrey Charles Taffe is a center for the Minnesota Wild organization. He was acquired by Chicago on July 22, 2010 in exchange for center Marty Reasoner. Taffe was drafted in the first round, 30th overall, by the St...
and Ben Lovejoy
Ben Lovejoy
Benjamin N. Lovejoy is a professional ice hockey defenseman currently with the Pittsburgh Penguins organization.-Playing career:...
were selected as reserves for the PlanetUSA team. All three players were under two-way NHL contracts and played games with Pittsburgh during the season. In the game, Taffe scored three goals and recorded two assists.
Janne Pesonen
Janne Pesonen
Janne Pesonen is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger currently an unrestricted free agent .- Career :...
, who signed a contract with the Penguins in July 2008, finished the 2008–09 season
2008–09 AHL season
The 2008–09 AHL season is the 73rd season of the American Hockey League. 29 teams each played 80 games in the regular season, which ran from October 8 until April 12.-Team and NHL affiliation changes:...
as the AHL's fourth-leading scorer, set a new record for points in a single season for the team, passing up Toby Peterson's 67-point season of 2000–01
2000–01 AHL season
The 2000–01 AHL season was the 65th season of the American Hockey League. The league realigns its divisions again. The Atlantic division is renamed the Canadian division. The Empire State division is replaced by the South division, with many teams shifting from the Mid-Atlantic division.Twenty...
, and his 82 points were the most ever by a Finn in AHL history.
The ECHL
ECHL
The ECHL is a mid-level professional ice hockey league based in Princeton, New Jersey with teams scattered across the United States...
affiliate Wheeling Nailers
Wheeling Nailers
The Wheeling Nailers are an ECHL ice hockey team based in Wheeling, West Virginia. They are the ECHL affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens of the NHL and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Hamilton Bulldogs of the AHL....
finished the season
2008–09 ECHL season
The 2008-09 ECHL season was the 21st of the ECHL. The league welcomed one new franchise, the Ontario Reign, which will relocate from Beaumont, Texas and will play at the Citizens Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA. Two teams, the Columbia Inferno and the Myrtle Beach Thunderboltz, will voluntary...
fourth in the Northern Division, and were eliminated in the first round of the 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs
2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs
The 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs of the ECHL began on April 9, 2009. The 16 teams that qualified, eight from each conference, will play a best-of-7 series for division semifinals, finals and conference finals. The conference champions will play a best-of-7 series for the Kelly Cup.Three league records...
.
The Nailers had three players selected for the 2009 ECHL All-Star Game
ECHL All-Star Game
The ECHL All-Star Game is an exhibition ice hockey game that traditionally marks the midway point of the ECHL's regular season, with many of the league's star players playing against each other. The starting lineup for the two teams, including the starting goaltender, is voted on by the coaches,...
, all reserve forwards. Nick Johnson, the only Penguins prospect, was drafted by the team 67th overall in 2004
2004 NHL Entry Draft
The 2004 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 26 at the RBC Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. It is especially notable because it was the last NHL event to take place before the beginning of the lockout which canceled all the games scheduled for the 2004–05 NHL season.- Selections by round :Listed...
and signed an entry-level contract with the organization in March 2008. Johnson did not play in the All-Star Game because he finished the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Media affiliates
WXDX-FMWXDX-FM
WXDX-FM — branded 105.9 The X — is a modern rock radio station based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Owned by Clear Channel Communications, the station broadcasts at 105.9 MHz with an effective radiated power of 15.5 kw.-History:...
of Pittsburgh was the radio flagship station
Flagship station
In broadcasting, a flagship is the broadcast which originates a television network, or a particular radio show or TV show, primarily in the United States and Canada. This includes both direct network feeds and broadcast syndication, but generally not backhauls...
for the Penguins for the third season. In April, the team and the station agreed to a six-year contract extension. Mike Lange
Mike Lange
Mike Lange is the radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2001, he received the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award for his outstanding work as an NHL broadcaster....
and former Penguin Phil Bourque
Phil Bourque
Phillipe Richard Bourque is a former American professional ice hockey player. He was never selected in the NHL Entry Draft; instead, he was signed as a free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 4, 1982.-Playing career:...
were the station's broadcasters.
FSN Pittsburgh
FSN Pittsburgh
Root Sports Pittsburgh is a regional sports network owned and operated by DirecTV Sports Networks. The channel first aired in the Pittsburgh metro area on April 24, 1986 as KBL with the season opener of the Pittsburgh Pirates vs. Mets from Three Rivers Stadium and expanded close to its modern day...
was the primary television network. Paul Steigerwald
Paul Steigerwald
Paul Steigerwald is an American sports announcer.-Minor leagues:Steigerwald became a hockey fan growing up in Pittsburgh's South Hills. One of his neighbors was Pittsburgh Penguins general manager Jack Riley, who would provide tickets for the poorly-attended games...
, Dan Potash
Dan Potash
Dan Potash is a TV reporter for Root Sports Pittsburgh . He covers both the Pittsburgh Penguins of the NHL and the Pittsburgh Pirates of the MLB. He joined the Roots Sports Pittsburgh team in 2000. Prior to joining Root Sports Pittsburgh, he worked for three years as weekend sports reporter for...
, and former Penguins Bob Errey
Bob Errey
Robert Errey is a retired former professional ice hockey left wing who was drafted 15th overall in the 1983 NHL Entry Draft and played 895 NHL games over the course of his career...
and Jay Caufield
Jay Caufield
John Jay Caufield is a former NHL right winger. Jay was raised in the Towamencin Township, Pennsylvania, area about a mile outside of Lansdale borough. He graduated from North Penn High School.-Playing career:...
were the station's broadcast team. During the semi-final playoff round against the Washington Capitals, game five set a record as the highest watched game on any FSN regional network in history. It was then surpassed by games six and seven; the final game of the series drew a 24.97 average rating—twice the viewers than the second most watched show of the evening.