Pennsylvania sports fans have a lot to be proud of because some of the best sporting teams across all four major professional sports leagues including the NBA, NFL, MLB, and NHL are located in their great state. One exceptional team is the Pittsburgh Penguins who play professional ice hockey in the National Hockey League. The Penguins play in the Eastern Conference and are part of the Atlantic Division. The franchise has been around since 1967 and were part of the NHL expansion when the league increased their member teams from six to 12. The Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has always been the Penguins’ home, but as of the 2010-11 hockey season, the Consol Energy Center will be their new arena. Working from the ground up, the Pittsburgh Penguins have come from a low ranked hockey program to earning three Stanley Cup Championships including and most recently the 2008-2009 Stanley Cup Championship.

While the Pittsburgh Penguins struggled in their first few years, 1970 marked the first year they would earn a playoff spot, an impressive feat for a new program. They would make the playoffs just two more times in the 70s, proving not to be as strong of a team as they had hoped. The early 80s were good to the team as they went to the playoffs three years in a row with players like Paul Gardner, Mike Bullard, and Randy Carlyle leading the team, but the momentum they had was lost and the usual woes would visit the Pittsburgh Penguins once again for the rest of the decade. That is until Mario Lemieux was signed to the team during the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. His talent and attack on the ice gave the franchise and fans something to be excited for. With the acquisition of several top hockey players and smart trades made by Penguins franchise leaders, Pittsburgh would soon be crowned the champions.

The 1990-91 season was destined to be a memorable one for the team as they had the best roster and the best potential to reach the finals. That achievement came to fruition as the Penguins defeated the Minnesota North Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals in six games led by head coach Bob Johnson who would sadly die just one year later to cancer. Following the great Johnson was Scotty Bowman who handled the pressure of head coach impressively and led his new team back to the Stanley Cup title game where they swept the Chicago Blackhawks to take the title for the second year in a row. Unfortunately history did not repeat itself until the 2008-2009 season. Although it would take them nearly two decades to earn that trophy back, several honors were bestowed upon them including the franchise’s only Presidents’ Trophy, awarded to the team with the most regular season points. Also, Lemieux was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame within his first year of retiring. Jaromir Jagr won four consecutive Art Ross Trophies as well.

In the past few years, the Pittsburgh Penguins have been a top team in the NHL with the help of player Evgeni Malkin. They earned a Stanley Cup finals spot in 2007-2008 but lost only to return the next year and defeat the Detroit Red Wings to earn their third Stanley Cup Championship. As long as the Penguins can stay financially sound, continue to acquire great players, and continue to compete at the elite level, the Pittsburgh Penguins will be a force to be reckoned with.