RELATED SEARCHES
Sponsored Pittsburgh Penguins Results:
Pittsburgh Penguins: Pennsylvania, Hockey, NHL Team, Igloo And Logo
By:
Published: November 28, 2007
All professional sports franchises have good years and bad throughout their histories, and the Pittsburgh Penguins are no exception. The Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, national hockey league team played its first season in 1967. From then until now, they have played their home games in the same stadium: Mellon Arena, also known as the Igloo.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have their share of players in the NHL Hall of Fame, however, one player stands apart from the rest. Mario Lemieux, the team's center from 1984-97 and 2000-2006, is synonymous with Pennsylvania hockey. Lemieux is now a part owner of the NHL team, but his on-ice performance is why the Pittsburgh Penguins were one of best teams of the 1990s. Most of the Pittsburgh Penguins' troubles have been financial in nature, and it was not long ago that the team's departure from Pittsburgh appeared inevitable. More recently, however, developments in team personnel and the promise of a new stadium have hockey fans optimistic about the Pittsburgh Penguins' future.
Those who are unfamiliar with the Pittsburgh Penguins will still recognize the team's logo. "Pittsburgh Pete" has changed many times over the years, but has appeared more or less as a skating penguin with a hockey stick. More modern versions of the team's logo appear as a penguin in profile within an upside-down triangle in the team's colors: black, white, and Las Vegas gold. The Penguins have alternated between the two versions of the logo since 2002. The reason their logo is so readily identifiable has less to do with its design than it does with the on-ice performance of #66.
The previously mentioned number, of course, refers to the number on the sweater worn by Mario Lemieux. The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted "Super Mario" in 1984, and soon thereafter the NHL team would have its greatest decade. Lemieux, along with the likes of Paul Coffey, Ron Francis, and Tom Barasso, the Penguins would bring Lord Stanley's Cup to Pennsylvania in both 1991 and 1992. Lemieux would win the Conn Smythe trophy for both championship seasons, which reside on his mantle along with three Hart Trophies, three All-Star Game MVP awards, a Calder Trophy, and a Masterton Trophy.
The Pittsburgh Penguins would go to the playoffs every year of the 1990s. However, as of yet they have not added any more championships. The NHL team was sustained in the later years of the 1990s by the addition of Jaromir Jagr. The All-Star right-winger carried the weight for the team while Lemieux was plagued by a back injury and later a battle against Hodgkin's disease. Financial worries and the dilapidated state of the Igloo forced the team's management to trade Jagr and others. Indeed, their money woes led to open discussion of moving the team out of Pennsylvania.
Fortunately for Pittsburgh Penguins fans, the team and local government officials reached an agreement for a new facility on March 13, 2007. The deal also ensured that the NHL team would call Pittsburgh home for at least 30 more years. The deal came at a time when fans were reinvigorated by the Pittsburgh Penguins' on-ice performance. The Pittsburgh Penguins made the playoffs following the 2006/2007 season, just one year after finishing last in their division. Most exciting for the fans is the presence of 19-year-old phenom, Sidney Crosby, who became the youngest player ever to win a scoring title. When the new Igloo opens in a few short years, Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins may be ready to win another Stanley Cup.
Sources:
"Pittsburgh Penguins." Pittsburgh Penguins - The Official Web Site. 27 Nov. 2007. http://penguins.nhl.com/.
"Pittsburgh Penguins – 1967 to Present." Sportsecyclopedia.com. 14 Nov. 2007. 27 Nov. 2007. http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/pittsburgh/pe nguins.html.
"Pittsburgh Penguins Logos – NHL." Chris Creamer's sportslogos.net. 27 Nov. 2007. http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=24.
"Uniform History." Pittsburgh Penguins - The Official Web Site. 27 Nov. 2007. http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page& ;page=NHLPage&bcid=his_history.
Related Articles
Those who are unfamiliar with the Pittsburgh Penguins will still recognize the team's logo. "Pittsburgh Pete" has changed many times over the years, but has appeared more or less as a skating penguin with a hockey stick. More modern versions of the team's logo appear as a penguin in profile within an upside-down triangle in the team's colors: black, white, and Las Vegas gold. The Penguins have alternated between the two versions of the logo since 2002. The reason their logo is so readily identifiable has less to do with its design than it does with the on-ice performance of #66.
The previously mentioned number, of course, refers to the number on the sweater worn by Mario Lemieux. The Pittsburgh Penguins drafted "Super Mario" in 1984, and soon thereafter the NHL team would have its greatest decade. Lemieux, along with the likes of Paul Coffey, Ron Francis, and Tom Barasso, the Penguins would bring Lord Stanley's Cup to Pennsylvania in both 1991 and 1992. Lemieux would win the Conn Smythe trophy for both championship seasons, which reside on his mantle along with three Hart Trophies, three All-Star Game MVP awards, a Calder Trophy, and a Masterton Trophy.
The Pittsburgh Penguins would go to the playoffs every year of the 1990s. However, as of yet they have not added any more championships. The NHL team was sustained in the later years of the 1990s by the addition of Jaromir Jagr. The All-Star right-winger carried the weight for the team while Lemieux was plagued by a back injury and later a battle against Hodgkin's disease. Financial worries and the dilapidated state of the Igloo forced the team's management to trade Jagr and others. Indeed, their money woes led to open discussion of moving the team out of Pennsylvania.
Fortunately for Pittsburgh Penguins fans, the team and local government officials reached an agreement for a new facility on March 13, 2007. The deal also ensured that the NHL team would call Pittsburgh home for at least 30 more years. The deal came at a time when fans were reinvigorated by the Pittsburgh Penguins' on-ice performance. The Pittsburgh Penguins made the playoffs following the 2006/2007 season, just one year after finishing last in their division. Most exciting for the fans is the presence of 19-year-old phenom, Sidney Crosby, who became the youngest player ever to win a scoring title. When the new Igloo opens in a few short years, Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins may be ready to win another Stanley Cup.
Sources:
"Pittsburgh Penguins." Pittsburgh Penguins - The Official Web Site. 27 Nov. 2007. http://penguins.nhl.com/.
"Pittsburgh Penguins – 1967 to Present." Sportsecyclopedia.com. 14 Nov. 2007. 27 Nov. 2007. http://www.sportsecyclopedia.com/nhl/pittsburgh/pe nguins.html.
"Pittsburgh Penguins Logos – NHL." Chris Creamer's sportslogos.net. 27 Nov. 2007. http://www.sportslogos.net/team.php?id=24.
"Uniform History." Pittsburgh Penguins - The Official Web Site. 27 Nov. 2007. http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page& ;page=NHLPage&bcid=his_history.
