Events in Sport
Sports History
1969-03-02 Boston center Phil Esposito becomes first player in NHL history to record 100 points in a season when he scores 2 3rd-period goals in the Bruins' 4-0 win over the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins
Sports History
1969-11-02 41-year old Detroit right wing Gordie Howe picks up his 19th and final NHL hat trick as the Red Wings beat Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3; Howe is the oldest player to score an NHL hat-trick
Sawchuk's Final Victory
1970-02-01 Rangers' goalie Terry Sawchuk records his 447th (and final) victory, and 103rd career shutout when New York beats the Pittsburgh Penguins, 6-0; both are NHL records at the time
- 1972-11-22 In Pittsburgh, Penguins set NHL record for scoring fastest 5 goals (2:07) in 10-4 win over St. Louis Blues
- 1973-01-30 26th NHL All-Star Game, Madison Square Garden, NYC: Eastern Division beats Western Division, 5-4; MVP: Greg Polis, Pittsburgh Penguins, LW
- 1973-02-20 10th time Islanders shut-out-4-0 vs Penguins
- 1978-12-05 Islanders took 28 shots in 1 period vs Penguins, Penguins' Ross Lonsberry failed on 7th penalty shot against Islanders
- 1979-03-31 Montreal Canadiens beat visiting Pittsburgh Penguins, 5-3 to become just the 2nd team in NHL history to win 50 (or more) games for 4 straight years
- 1979-12-20 Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Behn Wilson scores with 4:08 remaining in regulation to earn a 1-1 tie with the Pittsburgh Penguins and equal NHL record for longest undefeated streak of 28 games; go on to break record and extend to 35 games
- 1980-03-12 NY Islanders 3rd scoreless tie, vs Pittsburgh Penguin
- 1982-01-21 NY Islanders begin then NHL record 15 game winning streak with a 6-1 win over Pittsburgh Penguins at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
- 1982-01-26 In a 9-2 NHL win over Pittsburgh Penguins, the NY Islanders score 4 goals within 1:38, 5 within 2:37 in a 6 goal 1st period
- 1982-10-05 First regular season NHL game is played in New Jersey (Newark; NJ Devils play a 3-3 tie against Pittsburgh Penguins at Brendan Byrne Arena; Don Lever scores first Devils' goal
- 1982-10-14 Islanders assessed 108 penalty minutes, Penguins 125 (233 total)
- 1982-10-14 NY Islanders greatest shutout margin (9-0) vs Pittsburgh Penguins
Sports History
1983-04-02 New York Islanders right wing Mike Bossy scores in a 6-3 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins to become the first player in NHL history to score 60 goals in 3 consecutive seasons
- 1983-12-20 NY Islanders score their most goals (11) vs Pitts Penguins
- 1984-02-29 Swedish center Patrik Sundström scores a goal and adds 6 assists as Vancouver Canucks beat the Penguins 9-5 in Pittsburgh; just the 3rd player in NHL history to record 6 assists in a road game
NHL All-Star Game
1985-02-12 37th NHL All-Star Game, Olympic Saddledome, Calgary: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 6-4; MVP: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, C
- 1986-01-09 NY Islanders repeat their greatest shutout margin (9-0) vs Pittsburgh Penguins
- 1988-02-09 39th NHL All-Star Game, St. Louis Arena: Wales Conference beats Campbell Conference, 6-5 (OT); MVP: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, C
- 1988-12-31 Pittsburgh NHL center Mario Lemieux accounts for all his team's goals in Penguins 8-6 win over the NJ Devils; famously scores 5 goals, each in a different way: even strength, power play, shorthanded, penalty shot and empty net; also 3 assists
- 1989-01-20 Pittsburgh center Mario Lemieux becomes just the 2nd player in NHL history to score 50 goals in less than 50 games; #50 in 44th game as the Penguins lose 7-3 to the Jets in Winnipeg
- 1989-01-25 Mario Lemieux scores a goal and 3 assists in Penguins' 5-4 win over Winnipeg in Pittsburgh; sets NHL record by picking up a point in 14 consecutive games; record stands for 10 years
- 1990-01-21 41st NHL All-Star Game, Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA: Wales beats Campbell, 12-7; MVP: Mario Lemieux, Pittsburgh Penguins, C
- 1990-10-05 Pittsburgh Penguins left wing Kevin Stevens has 2 goals & 4 assists in 7-4 opening-night win against the Washington Capitals at Capital Centre to set NHL record for most points in a season opener (6)
- 1991-05-11 NHL Prince of Wales Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Boston Bruins, 4 games to 2
- 1991-05-25 Stanley Cup Final, Metropolitan Sports Center, Bloomington, MN: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Minnesota North Stars, 8-0 for a 4-2 series win; Penguins' first Final series appearance
- 1991-12-17 Pittsburgh Penguins score team record 8 goals in one period in 2nd session of 10-2 win over NHL expansion San Jose Sharks
- 1991-12-26 Future Hockey Hall of Fame right wing Joe Mullen scores 4 goals for the second straight NHL game as the Pittsburgh Penguins rout Toronto, 12-1; Mario Lemieux adds 2 goals & 5 assists and Kevin Stevens has 2 goals & 4 assists
- 1992-02-19 In a blockbuster NHL trade, Pittsburgh Penguins send Mark Recchi, Brian Benning & LA's 1st round 1992 pick (Jason Bowen) to the Philadelphia Flyers for Kjell Samuelsson, Rick Tocchet & Ken Wregget
- 1992-05-23 NHL Prince of Wales Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Boston Bruins, 4 games to 0
- 1992-06-01 Stanley Cup Final, Chicago Stadium, Chicago, IL: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Chicago Blackhawks, 6-5 for a 3-1 series win; 2nd consecutive title for Penguins
- 1993-03-02 Mario Lemieux undergoes his 22nd and final radiation treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma, then joins the Pittsburgh Penguins in Philadelphia and has a goal and assist in a 5-4 loss to the Flyers
- 1993-03-09 Pittsburgh Penguins begin NHL record 17 game winning streak
- 1993-04-10 Pittsburgh Penguins win their NHL record 17 game winning streak
- 1993-09-18 LA Mighty Ducks play their 1st NHL pre-season game against Penguins
- 1993-12-01 St Louis Blues' Bob Berry coaches his 800th career NHL game, a 4-2 loss to the Maple Leafs in Toronto; also coached LA Kings, Montreal Canadiens & Pittsburgh Penguins
- 1994-02-15 Tom Barrasso becomes winningest US born goalie in NHL history, as the Pittsburgh Penguins win, 5-3 over visiting Winnipeg; passes record of 252 career wins set by Frank Brimsek
- 1995-03-02 Joe Mullen becomes 2nd NHL player to appear in 300 NHL games with 3 different teams when he plays for the Penguins in a 6-3 loss in Buffalo; Pittsburgh 379, St. Louis 301, Calgary 345
- 1997-03-15 Pitts Penguins' Joe Mullen, is 1st American to score 500 NHL goals
- 1997-10-03 NHL Carolina Hurricanes lose in their 1st home game, 4-3 vs Pittsburgh Penguins at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina
- 1997-12-01 In their 81st season, Montreal Canadiens become first team in history to play 5,000 NHL games; host the Penguins but lose, 1-0; franchise record 2,625-1,603-772 with .620 winning percentage
Sports History
1999-04-18 Wayne Gretzky plays his last game in the NHL, as his New York Rangers lose 2-1 to the Pittsburgh Penguins
- 1999-09-01 Ex-Pittsburgh Penguins star Mario Lemieux is approved as new owner of the struggling franchise; Penguins become first club in pro sports history to be owned by a former member of the team
- 1999-09-03 Mario Lemieux's ownership group officially takes over the NHL Pittsburgh Penguins; Lemieux is first player in the modern era of sports to buy the team he once played for
- 2000-12-27 Pittsburgh Penguins center and part-owner Mario Lemieux scores a goal and 2 assists in his return to the NHL after more than 3 years out with injury problems and lingering cancer issues; Penguins beat Toronto Maple Leafs, 5-0
- 2001-01-21 Pittsburgh Penguins beat Chicago Blackhawks, 4-0 in first-ever NHL game featuring 2 European trained coaches; Czech Ivan Hlinka behind the bench for Pittsburgh, and Fin Alpo Suhonen, Chicago
- 2001-05-22 NHL Eastern Conference Final: New Jersey Devils beat Pittsburgh Penguins, 4 games to 1
- 2004-02-16 The Pittsburgh Penguins lose their 12th consecutive home game, a NHL record
- 2004-03-02 Pittsburgh Penguins end their NHL record 14-game home losing streak when they tie the visiting New York Islanders, 3-3
- 2006-11-01 Pittsburgh Penguins rookie Evgeni Malkin (20) scores to become the first NHL player since 1917 with goals in his first 6 games (joining Joe Malone, Newsy Lalonde and Cy Denneny) in 4-3 win over the Kings in Los Angeles
- 2008-05-18 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Philadelphia Flyers, 4 games to 1
- 2008-06-04 Stanley Cup Final, Civic Center, Pittsburgh, PA: Detroit Red Wings defeat Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-2 for a 4-2 series win; Red Wings' 11th Championship
- 2009-05-26 NHL Eastern Conference Final: Pittsburgh Penguins beat Carolina Hurricanes, 4 games to 0
- 2009-06-12 Stanley Cup Final, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, MI: Pittsburgh Penguins edge Detroit Red Wings, 2-1 for a 4-3 series win; Penguins 3rd Championship
- 2013-06-07 NHL Eastern Conference Finals: Boston Bruins beat Pittsburgh Penguins, 4 games to 0
- 2016-06-12 Stanley Cup Final, SAP Center, San Jose, CA: Pittsburgh Penguins defeat San Jose Sharks, 3-1 for a 4-2 series victory; Penguins 4th title
- 2017-06-11 Stanley Cup Final, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, TN: Pittsburgh Penguins defeat Nashville Predators, 2-0 for 4-2 series win; Penguins back-to-back champions
- 2019-01-26 64th NHL All Star Games, SAP Centre, San Jose, CA: Metropolitan All Stars win four-team, 3-on-3 tournament; MVP: Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins, C
Birthdays in Sport
- 1931-03-04 Bob Johnson, American collegiate and NHL ice hockey coach (University of Wisconsin Badgers, 1966-82; US Olympic team, 1976; Calgary Flames, 1982-87; Pittsburgh Penguins, 1990-91), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota (d. 1991)
- 1932-11-27 Ken Schinkel, Canadian ice hockey right wing (NY Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins 636 NHL games) and coach (Pittsburgh Penguins 1972-77), born in Jansen, Saskatchewan (d. 2020)
- 1934-07-23 Cleve Duncan, American rocker (The Penguins - "Earth Angel"), born in Los Angeles, California (d. 2012)
- 1938-01-16 Lou Angotti, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Chicago Black Hawks) and coach (St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins), born in Toronto, Canada (d. 2021)
- 1940-10-04 Vic Hadfield, Canadian ice hockey left wing (1,004 NHL games; NY Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins), born in Oakville, Ontario
- 1946-05-20 Craig Patrick, American NHL center and executive (USA Olympic gold 1980; GM Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup 1991-92, 2009), born in Detroit, Michigan
- 1957-02-26 Joe Mullen, American Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (Stanley Cup 1989, Calgary Flames; Pittsburgh Penguins 1991, 92; NHL All Star 1988, 89), born in New York City
- 1957-10-02 Gordie Roberts, American ice hockey defenceman (Stanley Cup 1991-92, Pittsburgh Penguins; first American to 1,000 NHL games), born in Detroit, Michigan
- 1961-05-10 Randy Cunneyworth, Canadian ice hockey left wing (Pittsburgh Penguins, Hartford Whalers) and coach (Atlanta Thrashers, Montreal Canadiens), born in Etobicoke, Ontario
Paul Coffey (62 years old)
1961-06-01 Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame defenceman (Norris Trophy 1984–85, 1985–86, 1994–95; 14 x NHL All Star; Stanley Cup 1984, 85, 87-Edmonton, 1991-Pittsburgh), born in Weston, Ontario
- 1963-03-01 Ron Francis, Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center (Stanley Cup 1991, 92; Pittsburgh Penguins; NHL All-Star 1983, 85, 90, 96) and executive (Carolina Hurricanes; Seattle 2021), born in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario
- 1963-06-13 Randy Gilhen, Canadian-German ice hockey forward (Stanley Cup 1991, Pittsburgh Penguins; first German-born player to win SC), born in Zweibrücken, West Germany
Ron Hextall (59 years old)
1964-05-03 Canadian NHL goalie, 1986-99, Vezina & Conn Smyth winner, scored 2 goals (Philadelphia Flyers and 2 other teams), and executive, 1999-2023 (Philadelphia, Los Angeles Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins), born in Brandon, Manitoba
- 1965-03-31 Tom Barrasso, American NHL goaltender (Calder Memorial Trophy, Vezina Trophy 1984), born in Boston, Massachusetts
- 1965-04-15 Kevin Stevens, American NHL left wing (Pittsburgh Penguins, Stanley Cup 1991, 92), born in Brockton, Massachusetts
Mario Lemieux (58 years old)
1965-10-05 Canadian Hockey Hall of Fame center, team owner (3-time NHL MVP, Pittsburgh Penguins owner), born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1965-10-12 J. J. Daigneault, Canadian NHL defenseman (Pitts Penguins), born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1965-12-25 Dmitri Mironov, Russian ice hockey defenseman (Olympic gold 1992; NHL All Star 1997-98; Stanley Cup 1998 Detroit RWs, Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins), born in Moscow, Russia
- 1966-02-17 Luc Robitaille, NHL left wing (NY Rangers, Pitts Penguins), born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1966-10-27 Brad Lauer, Canadian NHL right wing (Pitts Penguins), born in Humboldt, Canada
- 1967-01-09 Dave Mcllwain, Canadian NHL center (Pitts Penguins), born in Seaforth, Canada
- 1967-08-15 Neil Wilkinson, Canadian NHL defenseman (Pitts Penguins), born in Selkirk, Manitoba
- 1967-10-01 Scott Young, US Hockey Hall of Fame right wing (1,181 NHL games; Pittsburgh Penguins, Colorado Avalanche), born in Clinton, Massachusetts
- 1968-04-22 Zarley Zalapski, Canadian NHL defenseman, 1987-2000 (Pittsburgh Penguins; Calgary Flames, and 3 other teams), born in Edmonton, Alberta (d. 2017)
- 1969-10-27 Corey Foster, NHL defenseman (Pitts Penguins), born in Ottawa, Ontario
- 1970-04-18 François Leroux, Canadian NHL defenseman (Pitts Penguins), born in Sainte-Adèle, Québec, Canada
- 1970-11-17 Chris Tamer, Dearborn, NHL defenseman (Pitts Penguins)
- 1970-12-19 Robert Lang, Czech ice hockey center (Olympic gold 1998; World C'ship gold 1996; NHL All-Star 2004; LA Kings, Pittsburgh Penguins, Detroit RWs), born in Teplice, Czech Republic
- 1971-12-09 Petr Nedved, Czech NHL center (Team Czech, Pitts Penguins), born in Liberec, Czechia
- 1971-12-18 Joe Dziedzic, NHL left wing (Pitts Penguins), born in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- 1971-12-27 Bryan Smolinski, NHL forward (Team USA, Pitts Penguins), born in Toledo, Ohio
Jaromír Jágr (52 years old)
1972-02-15 Czech NHL, CZE. CLE right wing, 1990-present, 2X Stanley Cup, 5X NHL Scoring Champion, 13X All-Star (Pittsburgh Penguins, and 8 other teams; Czech Olympic gold, 1998), and team owner (HC Kladno of the Czech Extraliga (ELH), born in Kladno, Czech Republic
- 1972-09-03 Martin Straka, Czech ice hockey forward (Olympic gold 1998; World C'ship gold 2005; HC Škoda Plzeň, Pittsburgh Penguins, NY Rangers), born in Plzeň, Czech Republic
- 1972-10-16 Darius Kasparaitis, Lithuanian ice hockey defenseman (Olympic gold Unified Team 1992; silver 1998, bronze 2002 Russia; NY Islanders, Pittsburgh Penguins, NY Rangers), born in Elektrėnai, Lithuania
- 1972-11-01 Glen Murray, Canadian ice hockey right wing (1,009 NHL games; All Star 2003-04; Boston Bruins), born in Halifax, Nova Scotia
- 1972-11-14 Ed Patterson, Delta, NHL right wing (Pitts Penguins)
- 1973-04-25 Alek Stojanov, Canadian NHL right wing (Pitts Penguins), born in Windsor, Ontario, Canada
- 1974-07-07 Patrick Lalime, Canadian NHL goalie (Pitts Penguins), born in Saint-Bonaventure, California
- 1974-08-07 Philippe De Rouville, Canadian NHL goalie (Pitts Penguins), born in Victoriaville, Quebec, Canada
- 1974-10-12 Miroslav Šatan, Slovak ice hockey forward (World C'ship gold 2002 captain; Stanley Cup 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins; NHL All Star 2000, 03), born in Jacovce, Slovakia
- 1975-03-10 Stefan Bergkvist, Leksand Swe, NHL defenseman (Pitts Penguins)
- 1975-06-13 Dave Roche, Lindsay, NHL left wing (Pitts Penguins)
- 1976-05-27 Richard Park, Seoul Kor, NHL center (Pitts Penguins)
- 1976-11-19 Petr Sýkora, Czech ice hockey forward (Stanley Cup 2000 NJ Devils, 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins; World C'ship gold 1999, 2005), born in Pizen, Czech Republic
- 1977-07-19 Jean-Sébastien Aubin, Canadian NHL hockey goaltender, 1997-2015 (Pittsburgh Penguins, Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings), born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1979-12-17 Matt Murley, American NHL ice hockey player (Pittsburgh Penguins, Phoenix Coyotes), born in Troy, New York
- 1980-01-13 Michael Rupp, American ice hockey center (Stanley Cup 2003 New Jersey Devils; Pittsburgh Penguins, NY Rangers) and broadcaster (NHL Network, SportsNet Pittsburgh), born in Cleveland, Ohio
- 1984-11-28 Marc-Andre Fleury, Canadian NHL ice hockey goaltender, 3X Stanley Cup, 5X All-Star (Pittsburgh Penguins, and 2 other teams), born in Sorel-Tracy, Quebec
- 1986-07-31 Evgeni Malkin, Russian NHL center (World C'ship gold 2012, 14; Pittsburg Penguins), born in Magnitogorsk, Chelyabinsk Oblast
- 1987-04-24 Kristopher Letang, Canadian hockey player (Pittsburgh Penguins), born in Montreal, Quebec
- 1987-10-02 Phil Kessel, American NHL right wing, 2007-23 (Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins and 3 other teams; Stanley Cup 2016, 2017, 2023), born in Madison, Wisconsin
- 1988-09-10 Jordan Staal, Canadian ice hockey center (World C'ship gold 2007; Stanley Cup 2009 Pittsburgh Penguins; Carolina Hurricanes captain), born in Thunder Bay, Ontario
- 1992-05-11 Bryan Rust, American NHL ice hockey right winger (Pittsburgh Penguins, since 2014), born in Pontiac, Michigan
Deaths in Sport
- 1991-11-26 Bob Johnson, collegiate and NHL ice hockey coach (University of Wisconsin Badgers, 1966-82; US Olympic team, 1976; Calgary Flames, 1982-87; Pittsburgh Penguins, 1990-91), dies of brain cancer at 60
- 2017-12-10 Zarley Zalapski, Canadian NHL defenseman, 1987-2000 (Pittsburgh Penguins; Calgary Flames, and 3 other teams), dies of a viral infection at 49
- 2020-11-20 Ken Schinkel, Canadian ice hockey right wing (NY Rangers, Pittsburgh Penguins 636 NHL games) and coach (Pittsburgh Penguins 1972-77), dies at 87
- 2021-09-15 Lou Angotti, Canadian ice hockey right wing (Chicago Black Hawks) and coach (St. Louis Blues, Pittsburgh Penguins), dies at 83
Bob Cleary
Darryl Sittler
Guy Lafleur
Martin Brodeur
Paul Coffey
Peter Šťastný