Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins: History, Stats and Everything You Need to Know

The Pittsburgh Penguins have produced some of the greatest players in hockey history, from Mario Lemieux to Sidney Crosby, and along the way have captured five Stanley Cups. In 2016 and 2017, they even became the first team to win back-to-back titles in the NHL's salary cap era.

Quick Facts: Pittsburgh Penguins

Pittsburgh Penguins History

The NHL awarded Pittsburgh an expansion franchise in 1966, and the team took its name from the igloo-like shape of its original home, the Civic Arena — fittingly nicknamed "The Igloo." The connection made sense: after all, penguins live on the ice too.

For more than a decade, though, the franchise struggled badly, and after finishing with the league's worst record in both 1982-83 and 1983-84, many expected the Penguins to fold or relocate entirely. Everything changed in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, when the team selected Mario Lemieux first overall. Pittsburgh then added star defenseman Paul Coffey, and by 1989 the Penguins reached the playoffs, with Lemieux leading the league in goals, assists and points along the way.

Two Dynasties, One Franchise

The Penguins drafted Jaromir Jagr in 1990, and in his very first season, the team won its first-ever Stanley Cup. Pittsburgh repeated as champions the following year, cementing Lemieux and Jagr as one of hockey's most feared duos.

• A second golden era: Years later, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin spent their entire careers together in Pittsburgh, leading the franchise to three more Stanley Cups — in 2009, 2016 and 2017.
• Cap-era history: The 2016 and 2017 titles made the Penguins the first team to win back-to-back championships since the NHL introduced its salary cap in 2005-06.

Ownership: From Lemieux to Fenway to Hoffmann

Mario Lemieux didn't just star for the Penguins — he also saved them. In 1999, he led an ownership group that bought the bankrupt franchise and pulled it back from the brink of relocation. That group later sold its controlling stake to Fenway Sports Group in 2021, and, most recently, Fenway agreed to sell the team to the Hoffmann Family of Companies in a deal the NHL approved in June 2026.

A name born from an arena: Few NHL teams owe their identity to a building quite like the Penguins do — the franchise's very name traces back to the igloo-shaped arena it once called home, a fitting nod to a bird that thrives on ice.

Pittsburgh Penguins' Retired Numbers

The Penguins have retired three numbers, honoring three franchise legends:

• 21 – Michel Brière
• 66 – Mario Lemieux
• 68 – Jaromir Jagr

2025-26 Season and What's Next

Pittsburgh finished the 2025-26 season 41-25-16 and returned to the playoffs for the first time since 2022, though the team fell in the first round to the Philadelphia Flyers. Even so, the front office made clear it isn't rebuilding: Evgeni Malkin re-signed for a 20th season with the club, while new head coach Dan Muse enters his second year behind the bench under the franchise's new ownership group.