The Penguins are Pittsburgh's second National Hockey League (NHL) franchise, the first being the Pittsburgh Pirates who were in the league five seasons (1925-26 - 1929-30), before moving to Philadelphia to became the Quakers (they only last one season before folding.
The Penguins were a part of the 1967 expansion which saw the league double from six teams to twelve. Along with Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Minneapolis-St. Paul, San Fransisco-Oakland, and St. Louis. Minneapolis-St. Paul relocated to Dallas and San Fransisco-Oakland relocated to Cleveland, who then merged with Minnesota.
Philadelphia was the first expansion team to win the Cup, winning it twice in a row in 1974-1975. Pittsburgh became the second to win a cup from this expansion class in 1990. Minneapolis-St. Paul were the third but did it as the Dallas Stars in 1999. Los Angeles finally won their first and second Cups in 2012 and 2014, while St. Louis was the last of the group still playing to win in 2019.
Today, Pittsburgh is tied with the Edmonton Oilers with the most Stanley Cups won by expansion teams with five each. Pittsburgh only lost in the final on one occasion, but the Oilers have had seven visits, losing twice.
The Penguins name was chosen from a fan contest. Of the 26 000 entries, 700 chose "Penguins." The eventual winning of the contest said the Pittsburgh Civic Arena, nicknamed "The Igloo," reminded him of penguins. I always thought that was funny because igloos are an arctic thing, while penguins are an antarctic resident.
Pittsburgh has been fortunate to have some of the greatest players in the NHL. The Penguins chose Michel Brier in 1969 and it looked like he was going to be a franchise player. He finished second in rookie scoring and second in Calder Cup voting (rookie of the year). He even lead the Penguins to a second round berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, eventually losing to St. Louis. However, a few days after the end of the playoffs, Brier was in an automobile accident in Quebec, causing traumatic brain injuries which left him in a coma.
He passed away after a year. Brier's number 21 was taken out of circulation by the team and then officially retired in 2001.
The Penguins had the number one pick in the 1984 entry draft and selected Mario Lemieux. Lemieux quickly became a premier player in the league, scoring on his first shift. On 31 December 1988, Lemieux made NHL history by becoming the first player to score a goal in all five possible situations in a game - full strength, on the power play, while short handed, on a penalty shot, and into an empty net. Lemieux also led the Penguins to their first two Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992.
The Penguins had the number one pick again in 2005 and drafted Sydney Crosby. Just like Lemieux, Crosby quickly became one of the best players in the league. He eventually led them to their next three Cups - 2009, 2016, and 2017.
Today the Penguins remain one of the premier teams in the league.
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