{"id":6834,"date":"2016-06-08T01:09:11","date_gmt":"2016-06-08T05:09:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/?p=6834"},"modified":"2016-06-08T01:24:19","modified_gmt":"2016-06-08T05:24:19","slug":"how-did-the-penguins-get-their-name","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2016\/06\/08\/how-did-the-penguins-get-their-name\/","title":{"rendered":"How did the Penguins get their name?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Pittsburgh <\/a>
Pittsburgh Hornets score in a game against the Quebec Aces at the Civic Arena in 1967. (The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"The <\/a>
The 1966-67 Pittsburgh Hornets. (James Klingensmith\/Post-Gazette) <\/div> <\/div>
\"Face <\/a>
Face off in a Pittsburgh Hornets game against the Quebec Aces at the Civic Arena in 1967. (The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>
\"Pittsburgh <\/a>
Pittsburgh Hornets on the offense during a game against the Quebec Aces at the Civic Arena in 1967. (The Pittsburgh Press) <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n

We salute the designer of the Pittsburgh Penguins logo for accomplishing the seemingly impossible: Transforming a flightless, waddling bird into an aggressive, determined and intimidating beast with a hockey stick.<\/p>\n

Hmmmm. We wonder what that designer could do with an aardvark. Or a cricket. <\/p>\n

The question crossed our minds earlier this week when we came across a 1967 Post-Gazette article about the naming of our favorite National Hockey League team. Early that year, Pittsburghers had suggested a total of 356 monikers for what was the city\u2019s newest entry into professional sports. Unthreatening animals were a theme, of sorts. One name put forward: the Pussycats. Mice shuddered.<\/p>\n

A favorite suggestion was the Hornets, already name of the city\u2019s longtime American Hockey League team. But that name was unavailable — it belonged to the AFL franchise that was moving out to make way for the as-yet-unnamed National Hockey League expansion team.<\/p>\n

Naming of the team was a public affair. Three organizations — the Post-Gazette, the Hockey Club of Pittsburgh and Mellon National Bank — conducted a contest in which Pittsburghers were asked to send in suggestions. <\/p>\n

Hockey fans dropped names into boxes at the Civic Arena and Mellon Bank. Others were sent to the PG. In all, contest organizers were flooded with 26,400 entries. <\/p>\n

Some of the suggestions were predictable. Among them the Pipers, the Pioneers and the Golden Triangles. Others, like the Zeniths and the Queens, caused a bit of head scratching.<\/p>\n

Entries were sent to a selection committee that eventually chose a name submitted by 716 different people.<\/p>\n

The winner, of course: The Penguins.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt seemed natural,\u201d committee member Pete Block told the PG. \u201cThe penguin lives on ice; hockey players make their living on ice. And then there is the nickname of \u2018Big Igloo\u2019 which has become a part of the Civic Arena.\u201d<\/p>\n

Not everyone was happy with the choice. In fact, an anti-penguin faction complained the name didn\u2019t fit the sport. Penguins can\u2019t fly, they argued. Heck, penguins don\u2019t even have wings. They have flippers. And they may be cute, but they certainly don\u2019t inspire fear.<\/p>\n

In the years since, Pittsburgh and its hockey team have redefined what it means to be a penguin — at least here in Western Pennsylvania. If you don\u2019t believe us, believe the internet. We typed \u201cpenguin\u201d in the Google search bar here at the PG. The first entry? \u201cPittsburgh Penguins.\u201d <\/p>\n

\n

We scanned the pictures that accompany this post from a selection of negatives stored in an envelope labeled \u201cHockey 1967.\u201d They capture play during a Pittsburgh Hornets game against the Quebec Aces at the Civic Arena, and they\u2019re unusual in that newspaper\u2019s rarely shot color film of sports action.<\/p>\n

The 1966-67 season was the end of the line for the Hornets. The team was leaving town to make way for the Penguins. Still, the Wasps, as headline writers liked to call them, finished with a fantastic flourish, winning the American Hockey League\u2019s Calder Cup in a four-game sweep of defending champion Rochester.<\/p>\n

The Hornets won the final game 4-3 in overtime. Champagne flowed in the locker room but it wasn\u2019t big news in Pittsburgh. In fact, the Pittsburgh Press gave the Hornets story second billing to a Pirate victory over St. Louis. And attendance? Well, slightly over 5,000 fans attended the final game at the Civic Arena. Half the seats were empty.<\/p>\n

Those who did show up were a devoted lot. Upon leaving the arena, one young fan gave a thought to the future. \u201cWho needs the Penguins?,\u201d he shouted. <\/p>\n

Today, we believe we could give him an answer.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pittsburgh’s NHL team could have been the Aardvarks, or worse.<\/p>\n

Look at the picturesHow did the Penguins get their name?<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":6837,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true},"categories":[946,944],"tags":[962,971,981,1356,1355,1182],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Web.Digs66_67Hockey009a.jpg?fit=2000%2C1307&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":2505,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2012\/09\/19\/badger-bob-the-penguins-coach\/","url_meta":{"origin":6834,"position":0},"title":"\u201cBadger\u201d Bob, the Penguins coach","date":"September 19, 2012","format":"gallery","excerpt":"We smile when remembering Badger Bob\u2019s slogan: \u201cIt\u2019s a great day for hockey.\u201d","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/09\/tumblr_mak6rdRqCO1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C808&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":183,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/10\/08\/tom-barrasso-a-legendary-goaltender\/","url_meta":{"origin":6834,"position":1},"title":"Tom Barrasso, a legendary goaltender","date":"October 8, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"In our archive, folders with Barrasso\u2019s images do not bleed black and gold, they are mostly black and white.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/tumblr_nd3jlnQzlR1rr5swxo4_1280.jpg?fit=901%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":7736,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2017\/06\/02\/penguins-hoping-their-own-history-repeats-itself\/","url_meta":{"origin":6834,"position":2},"title":"Penguins hoping their own history repeats itself","date":"June 2, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The Penguins\u2019 quest for their fifth Stanley Cup has one thing on its side that the Nashville Predators could not replicate even if they wanted to: historical symmetry. If the Penguins win this year, it will not only be the 25th anniversary of the team\u2019s 1991-92 Cup victory, but also\u2026","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/MarioCup.jpg?fit=1200%2C922&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":1737,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2013\/05\/31\/jaromir-jagr-arrives-in-pittsburgh\/","url_meta":{"origin":6834,"position":3},"title":"Jaromir Jagr arrives in Pittsburgh","date":"May 31, 2013","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Booing him is now a cottage industry here.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/tumblr_mnmtzeA5Tj1rr5swxo3_1280.jpg?fit=794%2C1200&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":137,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/10\/24\/the-civic-arenas-milestone-guests\/","url_meta":{"origin":6834,"position":4},"title":"The Civic Arena\u2019s milestone guests","date":"October 24, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Besides thoroughly mediocre Penguins hockey, the 1970s Civic Arena featured no fewer than a half-dozen celebrations for fans who stumbled into a big, round number.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/tumblr_ndwshjRyo01rr5swxo4_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C982&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":567,"url":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/2014\/06\/11\/1967-first-penguins-arrive-in-pittsburgh\/","url_meta":{"origin":6834,"position":5},"title":"1967: First penguins arrive in Pittsburgh","date":"June 11, 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Their new home was not Civic Arena, and in fact, they were not even hockey players.","rel":"","context":"","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/tumblr_n70addJ9uu1rr5swxo1_1280.jpg?fit=1200%2C804&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6834"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6834"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6834\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6847,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6834\/revisions\/6847"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsinteractive.post-gazette.com\/thedigs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}