Athletics

The Pittsburgh Penguins

The Pittsburgh Penguins is a NHL hockey team based out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The franchise for the Penguins started in 1967 during the National Hockey League expansion. The Penguins have one 5 Stanley cups so far. 

The Penguins got their name from the shape of their ice rink they played at. The rink looked somewhat like an igloo, so to fit the style they decided to name their franchise the Pittsburgh Penguins. 

The team had some success in the beginning but began to sink in talent in the 1980s. Then with the draft of Mario Lemieux, his raw talent and drive to play the game brought up the Penguins. Mario Lemieux was an astonishingly good player and was named captain of the Penguins in 1987 and again named captain when he came back in 2001. At the end of his career, Mario Lemieux had 690 goals, 1,033 assists, 3,633 shots on goal, and played in 915 games. He was also the only player in the NHL to play a season as a player/ part owner of one team.

Another important play for the Penguins was Jaromir Jágr. He and Mario were the big factors leading to 2 Stanley cup wins in 1991 and 1992. Jágr got drafted to the Penguins in 1990. Jágr was named captain of the Penguins in 1998 till 2001 when he was traded to the Washington Capitals. He retired from the NHL in 2018 at 44 years old. At the end of his career he had 766 goals, 1,155 assists, 5,637 shots on goal, and played 1,733 games. 

The next big star to come to the Penguins was Sidney Crosby. Sidney Crosby was drafted in 2005 as the first overall pick. In the 06-07 season, he led the NHL in scoring. He was named captain of the penguins in 2007 at the age of 19. This made him the youngest team captain in NHL history. So far in the season of 2020-2021, Sidney Crosby has 15 goals, 29 assists, and 116 shots on goal. Crosby was also named 1 of the players of the month for March.

Right alongside Crosby is Evgeni Malkin. Malkin was drafted in 2004 as the 2nd overall pick. Malkin led the NHL in points in the 2008-2009 season. Together Malkin and Crosby led the Penguins to back to back Stanley cup final appearances. Losing the first one and winning the second one. So far this season Malkin has 8 goals, 16 assists, and 64 shots on goal.

The Penguins won a Stanley cup in 2016, beating the San Jose Sharks in 6 games. The next year, the Penguins went back to the Stanley cup finals where they faced the Nashville Predators. The Penguins beat them in 6 games winning back-to-back Stanley cups. The last time that was done was in 1998. 

The Penguins are a phenomenal team and have always been. The Franchise has donated millions of dollars to local Pittsburgh charities and hospitals. The Penguins are on track to win many more games and hopefully a few more Stanley cup titles.

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