Existence: 1967 to present Arena : Consol Energy Center Colors: Black, Gold (formerly Yellow), White Owners: Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle General Manager:  Ray Shero Coach: Dan Bylsma Minor League Affiliates: Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) Conference: Eastern Division: Atlantic Stanley Cups: 1990-91, 1991-92, 2008-09 Conference Championships: 1990-91, 1991-92, 2007-08, 2008-09 Division Championships: 1990-91, 1992-93, 1993-94, 1995-96, 1997-98, 2007-08 Retired Numbers: #21 Michael Briere, #66 Mario Lemieux, #99 Wayne Gretzky (league-wide) Hall of Fame – Players
- Andy Bathgate, RW, (1967–68, 1970–71) inducted 1978
- Leo Boivin, D, (1967–69) inducted 1986
- Paul Coffey, D, (1987–92) inducted 2004
- Ron Francis, C, (1990–98) inducted 2007
- Tim Horton, D, (1971–72) inducted 1977
- Mario Lemieux, C, (1984–97, 2000–06) inducted 1997
- Joe Mullen, RW, (1990–95, 1996–97) inducted 2000
- Larry Murphy, D, DIRECTV, (1990–95) inducted 2004
- Luc Robitaille, LW, (1995) inducted 2009
- Bryan Trottier, C, (1990–94) inducted 1997
Other
- Scotty Bowman, director of player development & head coach, (1990–93) inducted 1991
- Bob Johnson, head coach, (1990–91) inducted 1992
- Craig Patrick, GM & head coach, (1989–06) inducted 2001
- Herb Brooks, head coach, (1999–00) inducted 2006
- Media - Mike Lange, broadcaster (1974–75, 1976–present) inducted 2001 - Foster Hewitt Memorial Award
- Media - Dave Molinari, Newspaper Writer Pittsburgh Post-Gazette inducted 2009 - Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award
The Pittsburgh Penguins are always in the playoff hunt, and if you are a Pens fan, then you need to know where to get tickets. There was a time when the team was struggling, revenue was down, and you could pick up tickets pretty much anywhere. Those days are gone, though, and fans now love to follow the yellow and black. If you are going to get tickets, you will have to make use of all available channels. Not everyone will be able to get their tickets from the Penguins directly. This might not even be the best way to save cash.
A smart fan might look to the online sites. These are secondary ticket sales sites, and they provide you with a chance to buy from real people. You can sometimes get great deals online, especially if you are willing to wait until the day of a game to make the purchase. In addition, you might find success buying tickets right at the arena. It is a risky play, and some people will come up empty. Good deals can be had when the game is about to start, though, as ticket sellers will need to unload their tickets or lose the chance at any income.
Many sports fans all over the world are interested in watching the Pittsburgh Penguins play hockey, even if they aren't hockey fans themselves. Aside from being one of the top teams in the NHL, the Penguins have Sidney Crosby on their roster. Crosby, also known as "Sid the Kid", has been the face of the NHL since he entered the league and his play has proved that he deserves that honor.
The first and easiest place to look for tickets to a Penguins game is on their website. The Penguins let fans buy tickets on their site and the tickets can either be emailed or snail mailed to the buyer.You can find a quick rundown
here While the Penguins themselves don't sell tickets to away games, fans can visit a rival team's website to get tickets to an upcoming Penguin's away game.
For those who would rather do the transaction in person and not over the Internet, there are dozens of ticket agencies all over Pittsburgh that sell Penguins tickets. Both the Penguins and Penguin's season ticket holders sell large amounts of tickets to local ticket agencies at the beginning of every season. A great tip to get the cheapest tickets possible is to visit a ticket agency just a few hours before a game officially starts. They significantly lower their prices as the start of each game nears in order to avoid letting tickets go to waste.
Hockey season is here! It's time to root on our Pittsburgh Penguins as they skate towards another Stanley Cup Championship. Crosby, Malkin, and the rest of the boys are ready to give us another exciting year of Penguins hockey. What better was to ring in the hockey season than by having a Pittsburgh Penguins party at your home?
Stock the fridge with cold beer, order some pizzas and call all of the Penguins fans you know. Decorate your house with Penguins memorabilia. Get out the Penguins beer coozies. Hit the party store for Pittsburgh Penguins paper plates, plastic cups, and napkins. One everything is ready, it's finally time to take in some Penguins hockey.
Other than actually going to the game, having a Pittsburgh Penguins party at your home is the best way to take in a game. Enjoy all of the memorable moments of Penguins hockey with the company of your best hockey friends in the comfort of your own home. You can even invite fans of other teams for a little friendly trash talking! Having a Penguins party at your house is far less expensive than actually going to the game. Plan your Pittsburgh Penguins party today! Go Penguins!
Whether you are having a Penguins watching party or kicking back and viewing the game at home, the food that you eat makes the game experience. Here is a sample menu for delicious party foods.
Pierogies, the potato and cheese dough-filled crescents, are a must-have for your game day menu. Stick with the traditional filling or mix things up with meat or spinach and feta cheese stuffing. Garnish the dumplings with butter, onions or sour cream on the side.
Next, cook up kielbasa and sauerkraut for a hearty addition to the meal. Make a chipped ham hockey puck sandwich for a festive entre. Bake bread in the shape of a large circle to represent a hockey puck. Cut the bread in half horizontally, then, add ham, cheese, lettuce and tomato. Slice the puck into wedges and serve with condiments.
You can't go wrong with black and gold gobs for dessert, a twist on the traditional treat using gold instead of white icing. For beverages, stock your refrigerator with beer, pop and lemonade. Don't forget munchies for when the game gets tense. Potato chips, pretzels, peanuts and popcorn will help alleviate the stress of power plays and shootouts. Let's go Pens!
Pen's fans now have a new place to flock together to discuss team info, roster moves, schedules and much, much more! Anything can be discussed - from our frustration over the length of Sid's absence to the repetitive nature of Matt Cooke's suspensions. Speaking of Sid, why has he been out for so long? I know having been concussed is the public answer - but I feel like there is more to it. Could Lemieux be behind it? - trying to make a statement to the NHL and making Crosby the example? And what about the absence of Gino? Granted, there are times when Malkin is out that it seems Crosby plays better - but let's not forget the year we won the Cup against the mighty Red Wings, it was Malkin who led playoff scorers and won the Conn Smythe for playoff MVP. With all of the injuries the team has had to deal with over the second half of the season, how is it that Cooke was awarded an 'A' as opposed to Kris Letang? And Fluery - two weeks ago he took a shot at an open net. It never made it, but do you think he has a chance to put one in before the end of his career? There are an endless amount of topics that can be discussed, so let's get together and talk some puck! After all, in Pittsburgh, it's always a "great day for hockey."
To know Mario Lemieux is to know the Pittsburgh Penguins. For years, Lemieux impressed hockey fans as one of the sport's best players and most prolific scorers ever to grace the ice. Now, as co-owner of the Penguins, the man continues to dazzle followers with his off-ice activities.After recovering from cancer and returning to the sport he loves in the early '90s, Lemieux started the Mario Lemieux Foundation with the goal of eradicating cancer through the development of a cure. Lemieux has not betrayed his adopted hometown of Pittsburgh, donating millions to causes within the city's boundaries including a 2M gift to the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh.Lemieux has not betrayed the integrity of the Penguins or his sport, either. After a particularly brutal game against the New York Islanders in February, Lemieux questioned the type of sport hockey had become since his playing days. Clearly not positively impressed with the near record-breaking number of penalty minutes accumulated by both teams during the match, Lemieux lamented the loss of hockey in favor of vengeful fighting.As a team, the Penguins reaffirm their commitment to their community regularly by sponsoring charitable events throughout the season. Leading the NHL in penalty minutes, the Penguins, like their owner played and lives, play hockey with a passion. With the injuries suffered by key Penguins this year, Lemieux's team is simply violently passionate at times.
As another page turns on the hockey calendar, still short of the All-Star break, 2010-2011 already looks drastically different than it did just a year ago in the Atlantic Division. Though the Pens are on their always steady pace, hovering towards the top of both the Divisional and Conference standings, the landscape surrounding them has changed quickly and decisively… Now that this season's sample size is large enough to draw some conclusions what have been the biggest surprises thus far?
1. The Devils' Demise – The logic doesn't follow that an already potent team could bring in Ilya Kovalchuk, the biggest goal scoring free agent acquisition on the market, and still struggle to put the puck in the net. Then again, no one ever promised hockey would make sense. A season ago, the Devils not only won the Atlantic Division but took a 2 seed into the playoffs. Since then it's been all downhill without warning for New Jersey. At this point, the Pens are so far out in front of the Devils, unless they splurge for Center Ice on DIRECTTV Pittsburgh may be completely out of sight.
2. Philadelphia Flying – Philadelphia was a playoff team in 2009-2010, but not by a safe margin, finishing just one point ahead of the Rangers who spent the post-season on the outside looking in. They have spent a significant chunk of this season pacing the Atlantic, the primary foe for the Pens in a hotly contested divisional race.
3. Inspired Play of Sidney Crosby – Perhaps there's absolutely no reason for Sidney Crosby playing well to raise a single eyebrow, but the degree to which he is dominating up to this point is no less than remarkable. Still in contention at this point to lead the league in both goals and assists while amassing a massive total points lead, more than making up for a sluggish start to the season from partner in crime Evgeni Malkin.
A look at the
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins logo reveals what appears to be the old standby "skating penguin," sometime after cycling down from an intense steroid regimen. With such a beefed up minor league mascot, one might expect for Pittsburgh's American Hockey League affiliate to outmuscle the success of their suddenly slim NHL counterparts. As usual, however, logo based analysis proves fruitless in the realm of professional sports, as no sort of animated inspiration could possibly propel the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins to the impressive performances enjoyed by Pittsburgh crowds over the past two seasons.This isn't to say the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton club has underachieved over the past several seasons. Quite to the contrary, the "Baby Pens" (as the Wilkes-Barre Scranton squad is often referred to) qualified for
the Calder Cup playoffs for the 8
th consecutive season in 2009, an inspired run on any level of competition. Once again, however, Cup glory eluded the affiliate team, as they fell short of delivering
the Mohegan Sun Arena crowd the first league championship in their 11-year existence. In that time, WB/S has advanced to three separate Calder Cup finals series, posting a disappointing 0-3 record in the final round.Last season saw the Baby Pens, repeat their third place Eastern Division finish, though it was a small step back from the previous year. Accruing 17 less points than their 104 point 2008-2009 season, the team fell short of the 100 point plateau for the first time since 2004-2005. Still, the Baby Pens managed to qualify for a playoff spot, though any semblance of winning would come to an immediate halt at regular season's end. For the first time in their 8-year post-season career, the Baby Pens failed to advance to the second round of playoffs, swept at the hands of the Albany River Rats. Of course, success at the affiliate level can't be measured purely in terms of championships. As last year's slogan said, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton is "Where Champions are Born." As long as the Baby Pens keep churning out NHL ready contributors to the big league club's lineup, the AHL team will be a valued asset to the Penguins organization no matter their Calder Cup Record.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have been very closely tied to their home arena, dating back to their expansion season of 1967. When the franchise architects sat down to christen their incoming band of professional hockey players, they derived what proved to be an enduring team name from the very roof under which the squad would soon suit up.
Mellon Arena, recently reverting back to its original name of Pittsburgh Civic Arena, has been referred to by a more affectionate, informal moniker over the course of the past several decades. The sharply domed stadium has been known citywide as "The Igloo" since its opening in 1961, a key inspiration when Pittsburgh's beloved hockey franchise was first dubbed the "Penguins." Now, for the first time in their 40 years of NHL play, the Pens will lace up their skates and take to a new home ice with the onset of the 2010-2011 season.Not to lament the loss of Mellon Arena's familiar faades, after all, it was high time for an upgraded structure, but it may be a while before the freshly constructed
Consol Energy Center truly feels like home for longtime Pittsburgh Penguins fans. A lot of memories were shared under the old, silver roof, from the team's original glory days in the late 70's and early 80's to winning the Mario Lemieux Sweepstakes and the resulting success at the hands of the Lemieux/Jaromir Jagr line. More recently, the Igloo served as a backdrop to the franchises financial woes and near bankruptcy, before once again
Mario Lemieux swooped in to save the team, this time from the owner's box. After righting the sinking ship, the Penguins began to build the highly successful core of players who hoisted the Stanley Cup for the 3
rd time in franchise history in 2009.As Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and company look to continue their legacy in the Penguins' new state of the art area, it will be with high hopes for the future, but a solemn respect for the history housed at 66 Mario Lemieux Place.