Pittsburgh Penguins

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Pittsburgh Penguins are an ice hockey team in the National Hockey League (NHL). They began in 1967, and have won the Stanley Cup championship twice, in 1991 and 1992.

The Penguins had many poor seasons in their first 20 years. They had a good team in the mid-1970's, with players such as Peter Mahovlich, Pierre Larouche, and Jean Pronovost. They missed the semi-finals in 1975 because they lost four games to three to the New York Islanders after being ahead three games to none.

Mario Lemieux helped turn the Penguins into a strong team. He won the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion six times, in 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1996, and 1997; the Hart Trophy as most valuable player in 1988, 1993, and 1996; the Conn Smythe Trophy as MVP in the playoffs in 1991 and 1992; and the goal scoring title in 1988, 1989, and 1996. Lemieux did all this despite having many injuries.

After their two Stanley Cups (which included a record-tying 11 wins in a row in the playoffs in 1992), the Penguins set the NHL record for most wins in a row, with 17 in 1992-93. They won the President's Trophy that year as the top team in the regular season.

Jaromir Jagr was also a big star on the Penguins. He won the Art Ross Trophy five times, in 1995, 1998, 1999, 2000, and 2001; and the Hart Trophy in 1999. Tom Barasso, Paul Coffey, Ron Francis, and Kevin Stevens have also been strong players over the years.

The Penguins almost moved to Portland, Oregon in the late 1990's, but Lemieux (along with some investors) bought the team. Lemieux then came back to play in late 2000 (he had retired in 1997), and continued until 2006.

In 2006, the Penguins are near the bottom of the league; however, they have one of the best young players in Sidney Crosby. Crosby was 6th in NHL scoring in his rookie (first) season in 2005-06, at the age of 18.