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1
Mario Lemieux
Center
1984-1997,2000-2006
6'4"/230 lbs
Draft: 1st Round (1), PIT, 1984
HOF: 1997
Few players have embodied one franchise the way Lemieux has represented the Penguins over the past 32 years, going from can’t-miss prospect to superstar to owner. When he was chosen with the first pick in 1984, the Penguins were in disarray, averaging fewer than 7,000 fans a game. Lemieux didn’t take much time adjusting to the pro game, scoring 100 points and winning the Calder Trophy his rookie year. In 1988, he won the first of six Art Ross Trophies and the first of three Hart Trophies. Lemieux eventually led the Penguins to hockey’s ultimate prize, with back-to-back Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. Despite dealing with back problems that would dog him his whole career, Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy both years. Health issues cropped up again, this time much more serious, as Lemieux was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in January 1993. Despite missing two months of the season to undergo radiation treatment, Lemieux came back in March and captured the NHL’s scoring title. Lemieux retired following the 1997 season and was immediately inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. He continued to have an impact on the Penguins, though, saving the team from bankruptcy in 1999 by becoming majority owner. Lemieux returned to the ice for a second stint from 2000-06 and scored 91 points in 2003 at the age of 37. In 2006, Lemieux retired for good as the Penguins’ all-time leader in games player, goals and assists.
GP
G
A
P
+/-
915
690
1,033
1,723
115
Did you know?
5
Lemieux remains the only NHL player to score five goals five different ways — even-strength, power play, short-handed, empty net and penalty shot. He did it on Dec. 31, 1988, in an 8-6 victory against the Devils.
Way above average
6
Seasons in which Lemieux averaged two or more points per game, the pinnacle being 2.67 in 1992-93. His goals-per-game average of .754 is second to only Mike Bossy (.762) throughout NHL history.
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2
Sidney Crosby
Center
2005-present
5'11"/200 lbs
Draft: 1st Round (1), PIT, 2005
Aside from the four times they’ve lifted the Stanley Cup, July 22, 2005, might go down as one of the most important dates in Penguins history. That was the day their ping-pong ball came out first in the NHL’s draft lottery, giving them the rights to take Crosby with the No. 1 pick in that year’s draft. Crosby joined forces with Evgeni Malkin (No. 2 overall in 2004) and goalie Marc-Andre Fleury (No. 1 overall in 2003) to form the nucleus of the Penguins for the next decade. Crosby scored 102 points as a rookie, breaking Lemieux’s franchise record. He won the Hart and Art Ross trophies in just his second season and also led the Penguins to the playoffs for the first time in five seasons. He was named the team captain the following offseason and led the Penguins to the Stanley Cup final in 2008, where they lost to the Red Wings. They flipped the result the next year, winning the franchise’s third Stanley Cup. Crosby’s career took a turn two years later, though, when he sustained the first of several head injuries in the 2011 Winter Classic against the Capitals. He played only 63 games over two seasons, and his long-term future seemed up in the air. Crosby finally returned in 2013, and — after three years of early playoff exits — led the Penguins back to the Stanley Cup final this June, where they beat the Sharks and Crosby won his first Conn Smythe Trophy. He enters the 2016-17 season as third on the team’s all-time list in goals and assists, and fifth in games played.
GP
G
A
P
+/-
707
338
600
938
148
Grand achievement
62
Points Crosby needs to reach 1,000 for his career, a number that, at last year's pace, he should reach around mid-to-late February 2017.
Did you know?
Crosby is a member of hockey's Triple Gold Club, winning the Stanley Cup, an Olympic gold medal and gold at the World Championships. He's the only player to have captained all three teams.
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3
Jaromir Jagr
Right Wing
1990-2001
6'3"/230 lbs
Draft: 1st Round (5), PIT, 1990
For someone so noted for his follicular greatness, Jaromir Jagr was much much more than a mullet on skates. While he spent the second half of his career as a man seemingly without a home, the first half was as a face, albeit a secondary one, of a contending franchise, the Robin to Mario Lemieux’s Batman. But before Jagr was skating alongside Super Mario, he was blazing paths for others in Eastern Europe. In 1990, he became the first Czech player to enter the NHL without having to defect to the West, as the Penguins selected the 18-year-old dynamo fifth overall in the draft. All he did after that was play 11 seasons in Pittsburgh, total more 1,000 points, lead the NHL in points five times, assists three times, win a Hart Trophy and help bring home two Stanley Cups. Jagr also never missed the playoffs during his time in the Steel City. That was mostly thanks to the chemistry between Jagr and Lemieux, always in contention for appearances on lists of the greatest duos in NHL history until Lemieux’s retirement in 1997. Jagr was able to take up the star’s mantle more than adequately, though, leading the NHL in scoring in each of those four seasons from 1997-2000 and earning the title of captain in 1998. Despite the scoring titles and the two Stanley Cups, Jagr’s career in Pittsburgh didn’t end on the best of terms, demanding a trade and eventually being dealt to the Capitals in 2001. Jagr remains second all-time in every offensive category in the franchise history, trailing only Lemieux.
GP
G
A
P
+/-
806
439
640
1,079
207
Second to one
19
Points Jagr needs to tie Mark Messier (1,887) for second in NHL history. He's still 52 goals away from tying Gordie Howe (801) for second place, something Jagr can shoot for in 2017-18, when he'll turn 46 in mid-February.
Did you know?
Jagr has won the Art Ross Trophy five times, including four years in a row from 1997-2001. That's the most for any non-Candadian player. Between 1980 and 2001, only Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux and Jagr won the Art Ross.
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4
Evgeni Malkin
Center
2006-present
6'3"/195 lbs
Draft: 1st Round (2), PIT, 2004
The Penguins had to wait an extra year for their prized, hulking Russian to take the ice in Pittsburgh, but the wait for the second pick in the 2004 NHL Draft was worth it. A native of Magnitogorsk, Russia, Malkin struggled to get out of his contract with his local team Metallurg, delaying his arrival in the Steel City, debuting two years after he was drafted due to the negotiations and the 2004-2005 lockout. But once he did, he impacted the franchise immediately, becoming Sidney Crosby’s second in command, the star center’s superstar sidekick. Malkin took some of the pressure off Crosby, able to take over games on his own volition. He became the first player since 1917-1918 to score a goal in his first six career games, and the points kept coming after. He earned two Art Ross Trophies as the NHL’s leading scorer in 2008-2009 and 2011-2012 and won the Hart Trophy in that 2010-2011 season. Malkin has also proven to be crucial on the biggest stages, becoming the first Russian to ever earn the Conn Smythe Trophy during the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup run, totaling 14 goals and 22 assists, and finishing third on the 2016 championship team with 18 playoff points. With the only kryptonite to Malkin’s success being an assortment of injuries, “Geno” looks poised to continue his stellar Penguins career into the foreseeable future, as the 30-year old has a chance to keep pace with Crosby and even match Jagr’s career Penguins’ numbers if he remains in Pittsburgh.
GP
G
A
P
+/-
644
295
465
760
57
Did you know?
With 40 more points, Malkin will reach 800 for his career. Only eight Russian-born players have done it, the only other active one being Washington's Alex Ovechkin.
On the mark
16.7
Malkin's shooting percentage in 2015-16. It's the second-highest mark of his career and his best since he shot 17.3 percent in 2007-08, which resulted in 47 goals.
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5
Ron Francis
Center
1991-98
6'3"/200 lbs
Draft: 1st Round (4), HAR, 1981
One of the strongest two-way players in Penguins’ history, Ron Francis centered a formidable line that, at one point, included Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr. A two-time Stanley Cup winner, Francis ranks third on the Penguins all-time in assists and fourth in points. Francis spent his first 10 years in the league playing for the Hartford Whalers, where he set nearly every offensive record for the franchise, before the Penguins traded for him. He arrived in Pittsburgh just three months before the team won its first Stanley Cup. Though Francis’ role in the back-to-back championships is notable, it was his 1995-96 campaign that featured some of the gaudiest stats of his career. That year, Francis tallied 92 assists and 119 points and won the Selke Trophy for the NHL’s best defensive forward in 1995. His four seasons with at least 90 points would have been more notable had they not overlapped with Lemieux and his achievements. Though he might be overshadowed by his flashier teammates, Francis’ impact on the Penguins was significant: fellow Top 10 member Jaromir Jagr has often talked about Francis’ influence on his development. After his stint with the Penguins, Francis returned to the Hartford Whalers organization (though the team had moved south and become the Carolina Hurricanes in 1997). Francis retired six years later and was a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee.
GP
G
A
P
+/-
533
164
449
613
70
Did you know?
The Penguins have long dominated the Art Ross conversation, but they've only won the Selke Trophy just once, when Francis did it in 1994-95. It somehow was the only Selke of Francis' career as a standout, two-way center.
Passing fancy
92
Francis' high-water mark for assists in a single-season was 92 in 1995-96, when he and Mario Lemieux tied for the NHL lead. Since then, only Joe Thornton has had more, with 96 for Boston and San Jose in 2005-06.
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6
Rick Kehoe
Right Wing
1974-85
5'11"/180 lbs
Draft: 2nd Round (22), TOR, 1971
Though he played one position for the Penguins on the ice, Rick Kehoe did almost as much for the team outside the rink than he did inside. Kehoe was drafted in the second round of the 1971 NHL Entry Draft by the Toronto Maple Leafs, who traded him to the Penguins three years later. He was a consistent 30-goal threat in his 11 seasons in Pittsburgh, thanks in part to his ability to fire shots that resembled laser beams. He finished his career ranking first in Penguins franchise career records for points (636) and second in goals (312), trailing only Jean Pronovost in the latter category. Currently, he ranks fifth in points and fourth in goals. Kehoe was also known as a clean player, spending only 120 minutes in the penalty box in his 14 total seasons. Also notable for his sportsmanship, Kehoe received the NHL’s Lady Byng Trophy for “gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability” in 1981, a season in which he scored 55 goals — then a team record — and spent just six minutes in the box. Kehoe’s career was cut short by a neck injury that left his right arm numb. He retired in 1985 at the age of 33, having played just six games and scoring two points in the 1984-85 season. When Kehoe stepped off the ice, he moved into the Penguins’ front office, where he served as a scout, assistant coach and head coach. His name is on the Stanley Cup twice — with the 1991 and 1992 teams — having served as an assistant coach those seasons.
GP
G
A
P
+/-
722
312
324
636
-86
Sportsmanship first
120
Penalty minutes for Kehoe in 906 NHL games. The 1980-81 Lady Byng Memorial Trophy winner had just 20 PIMs between 1978-82 while averaging 36 goals per season.
Did you know?
Kehoe's final stint as a head coach in the Penguins organization actually came from their American Hockey League affilate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, in 2005, after Michel Therrien was promoted to the NHL club. Kehoe went 201 in three games.
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7
Jean Pronovost
Right Wing
1968-78
6'0"/185 lbs
Draft: Not drafted
1967-68 season. The Canadian right winger, who was part of a talented hockey family (brothers Marcel, Claude and Andre also played in the NHL) spent 10 of his 14 NHL seasons with the Penguins, starting in 1968. The Boston Bruins sent Pronovost and defenseman John Arbour to Pittsburgh for cash and the Penguins’ first-round pick in the 1969 NHL Draft. Pronovost emerged as a prolific scorer. He was the first player in Penguin history to score 100 points in a season and 50 goals in a season when he scored 104 points and netted 52 goals in the 1975-76 campaign. That same year, he was a runner-up for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, which is presented annually to the “player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability.” Pronovost finished four of his 10 seasons in Pittsburgh by scoring at least 40 goals and played on five Penguin playoff teams, tallying 18 points in 29 games. The closest the Penguins got to the Stanley Cup during Pronovost’s career was 1969-70, when they advanced to the playoff semifinals before losing to the St. Louis Blues in six games. The Penguins traded Pronovost to Atlanta in 1978 after the winger had tallied 316 goals and 603 points for the Penguins — both franchise records at the time. After two years in Atlanta, he finished his career by playing two years for the Washington Capitals.
GP
G
A
P
+/-
753
316
287
603
32
Goal oriented
42
Number of goals Pronovost averaged from 1973-78. Production was never the issue. Pronovost simple never found success with the Penguins in the playoffs; they won just seven of 15 postseason games during that five year stretch.
Did you know?
The Penguins acquired Pronovost from the Boston Bruins in 1968 for a first-round pick and cash. That draft choice, Frank Spring, wound up scoring just 14 goals in 55 NHL games. He played just one game for Boston.
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8
Tom Barrasso
Goalie
1988-2000
6'3"/215 lbs
Draft: 1st Round (5), BUF, 1983
Barrasso didn’t start his career in Pittsburgh, and he didn’t finish it in Pittsburgh, either. But the 12 seasons he spent here were among the most meaningful in franchise history. Barrasso was the Penguins’ netminder for the franchise’s first two Stanley Cups in 1991 and 1992. He recorded a shutout in Game 6 of the 1991 Stanley Cup final, helping the Penguins clinch their first title — though with Mario Lemieux and company scoring eight goals against the Minnesota North Stars, Barrasso’s effort often is overlooked. His career was dotted by a variety of injuries, and he missed most of the 1994-95 and 1996-97 seasons. But he still managed to play in 777 career games and became the first American goalie to win 300 NHL games. Barrasso holds the NHL record for most points by a goalie (48) and most consecutive NHL playoff wins (14). Barrasso was a three-time runner-up for the Vezina Trophy — awarded annually to the NHL’s top goalie — though only one of those seasons came with the Penguins. He finished his Penguins career with a 226-153 record, a .896 save percentage, a 3.27 goals-against average and 22 shutouts. Barrasso won a silver medal for Team USA at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, and he was inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009. He retired in 2003 at age 37.
GP
W-L-TO
SA
SV
SV%
460
226-153-53
13,485
12,076
89.6
Save America
369
Wins for Barrasso, second-most in NHL history for an American-born goaltender (Barrasso is a Boston native). John Vanbiesbrouck is first with 374.
Did you know?
Barrasso made his NHL debut in a 5-3 victory against the Hartford Whalers on Oct 5. 1983, less than six months after his high school graduation. He's one of four players to win the Vezina and Calder trophies in the same season.
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9
Kevin Stevens
Left Wing
1987-95, 2000-02
6'3"/230 lbs
Draft: 6th Round (108), LA, 1983
At his peak, few Penguins have been as productive as Kevin Stevens, affectionately known as “Artie.” Back-to-back 50-goal, 100-point seasons in 1991-92 and 1992-93. A total of 190 goals scored from 1990-94. A physical presence unlike any scorer throughout Penguins history. His productivity and his style made him an important contributor on the Penguins’ 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup-winning teams. But Stevens wasn’t without his off-ice issues, including May 2016 federal drug charges of conspiracy and possession with intent to deliver oxycodone. This follows an incident in January 2000 when Stevens was charged with soliciting prostitution and possession of drug paraphernalia. After rising to prominence with the Penguins in the early 1990s, Stevens’ career started a different trajectory when he hit New York Islanders defenseman Rich Pilon so hard in Game 7 of the 1993 Patrick Division final that he knocked himself unconscious, the worst coming when Stevens’ face slammed into the ice. He scored 41 goals in 1993-94, then never more than 23 in a single season until he retired, as a Penguin, in 2002. After his first stint with the Penguins, Stevens spent time with the Boston Bruins, Los Angeles Kings, New York Rangers and Philadelphia Flyers before returning to Pittsburgh. Stevens was a scout for the Penguins from 2005-11. He was seen around Consol Energy Center as recently as this past season before running into more legal trouble.
GP
G
A
P
+/-
522
260
295
555
-40
Did you know?
Stevens was traded by the Boston Bruins to the Los Angeles Kings on Jan. 5, 1996 for current Penguins assistant coach Rick Tocchet, a player whose style Stevens certainly shared.
In good company
4
Stevens is one of only four NHL players to score 50 or more goals and accumulate 200-plus penalty minutes in the same season. He had 54 and 254 in 1991-92. The others: Keith Tkachuk (1996-97, Coyotes), Brendan Shanahan (1993-94, Blues) and Gary Roberts (1991-92, Flames).
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10
Marc-Andre Fleury
Goalie
2003-present
6'2"/180 lbs
Draft: 1st Round (1), PIT, 2003
Since Brooks Orpik left via free agency following the 2013-14 season, Fleury — the first overall pick in the 2003 NHL Draft — has become the Penguins’ longest-tenured player. During the most recent Stanley Cup run, Fleury became their most polarizing, too. It’s tough to deny, however, that Fleury has carved out his own spot in franchise history. He owns nearly every meaningful franchise goaltending record and, a couple months ago, tied Penguins legend Tom Barrasso with his second Stanley Cup. The smile never ceases, the jokes never stop, and Fleury’s rarely overly serious; he’s as good-natured as pro athletes come. As likable as Fleury can be, though, his career here isn’t without its blemishes. Who could forget his playoff struggles from 2011-13, 11 games where Fleury posted 4.63 and 3.52 goals-against averages, respectively? After Fleury lost his starting job to Tomas Vokoun during the 2013 postseason, goaltender coach Mike Bales helped revitalize Fleury’s career. Fleury recorded a career-high 10 shutouts in 2014-15 and made his second consecutive All-Star Game. Two concussions and the emergence of Matt Murray rendered Fleury a spectator for most of the 2016 Stanley Cup playoffs. He made just one start in the Penguins’ playoff run: an overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Eastern Conference final.
GP
W-L-TO
SA
SV
SV%
653
357-206-61
18,306
16,700
91.2
Did you know?
This past season, Matt Murray became just the second homegrown goaltender to play in a game for the Penguins since Fleury was drafted. The other? Alexander Pechurski in 2009-10.
Milestones ahead
12
Wins for Fleury (357) to tie Tom Barrasso's (369) career total. Fleury's win total is the third-most among active goaltenders behind Roberto Luongo (436) and Henrik Lundqvist (374).
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Web Design Zack Tanner
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