The Pittsburgh Penguins joined the NHL during expansion in 1967. For 57 years, fans have packed Mellon Arena and PPG Paints Arena to watch some of the all-time greats wear black and gold.
Whether it’s five-goal games, 100-point seasons, or jersey retirement ceremonies, the Penguins have employed numerous hockey legends in their half-century.
Who are the most famous ones? This list of seven is just the tip of the iceberg regarding the best ones.
7. Kris Letang (2006-Present)
© Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Initially drafted by the Penguins in the third round of the 2005 Draft, Kris Letang is one of three skaters to play over 1,000 games with the franchise.
As the highest-scoring defenseman with 742 points in 18 seasons, he is a three-time Stanley Cup champion who won the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2023 for overcoming a stroke and his father’s passing in the same season.
6. Marc-Andre Fleury (2003-2017)
Marc-Andre Fleury is the third goaltender selected first overall in NHL Draft history. He played the first 13 seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, helping the team to the Stanley Cup Final on four occasions, winning three times in 2009, 2016, and 2017.
Thanks to his longevity, Fleury rocketed up the Penguins milestone charts, playing in the most games (691), collecting the most wins (341), and compiling the most shutouts (44).
5. Ron Francis (1991-1998)
© Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1992
© Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 1992
Ron Francis was already a 101-point player with the Hartford Whalers but blossomed into one of the game’s elite playmakers during his eight seasons in Pittsburgh.
In addition to winning the Stanley Cup in 1991 and 1992, he led the NHL twice in assists, in 1995 (48) and 1996 (92), scoring a career-high 119 points in 1996.
Francis finished as the fifth-highest all-time scorer, thanks partly to a 1.15 points-per-game average with the Penguins from 1991 to 1998.
4. Jaromir Jagr (1990-2001)
© Lou Capozzola-USA TODAY Sports
Jaromir Jagr is one of the greatest players in hockey history and is still playing professionally at 52 in his native Czechia. Pittsburgh fans were privileged to watch a teenager turn into a man in the 1990s, winning two Stanley Cup rings and five scoring titles.
In 11 seasons, Jagr scored 439 goals and 640 assists for 1,079 points in 806 games, the second-best totals of any player in Pittsburgh history upon his departure in 2001.
Even though his numbers have been surpassed, Jagr recently returned to Pittsburgh for a jersey retirement ceremony in early 2024, allowing his career to come full circle. It was a long time coming, as fans have wanted to honor him for years, but the timing was never right.
3. Evgeni Malkin (2006-Present)
Evgeni Malkin may not have as much hardware in his trophy case as Jagr or the two players ahead of him on the list, but there’s no denying his impact on the Penguins over the past 18 seasons.
As he approaches 1,300 points, Malkin is on the verge of becoming only the third player in Penguins history to reach the milestone. He’s also just a handful of goals shy of 500, which keeps him in third place as the franchise’s best goal scorer.
In addition to winning the Calder, Malkin also won MVP in the regular season and Stanley Cup playoffs, making him only the third Pittsburgh skater to achieve this feat.
2. Sidney Crosby (2005-Present)
Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Sidney Crosby is the last player in Penguins history to be drafted first overall and became one of the game’s all-time greats. Whether it’s winning scoring titles, Stanley Cups, or Gold Medals, Sid the Kid is in a league of his own.
Already the second-best player to ever wear a Penguins sweater, Crosby can surpass his former boss, linemate, and roommate as the team’s all-time leading scorer if he plays a few more seasons.
Crosby’s resume will land him in the Hockey Hall of Fame, and his iconic No. 87 will hang in PPG Paints Arena. As the only player to skate in over 1,200 games with the franchise, he only has to score 98 goals, 29 assists, and 127 points to own all the team’s top milestones.
1. Mario Lemieux (1984-1997, 2000-2006)
There are no words to describe what Mario Lemieux has meant to the Penguins organization and the City of Pittsburgh.
Whether he scored highlight-reel goals, led Stanley Cup parades, prematurely retired with injuries robbing fans of his greatness, bought the team from bankruptcy, came back for a memorable run in his late 30s, or landed a new deal for PPG Paints Arena, his legacy in professional sports is unmatched.
When he retired in 1997, the Hockey Hall of Fame immediately inducted him, waving the three-year waiting period. Arguably one of the greatest players in NHL history, Lemieux was a savior on and off the ice and will always be the greatest and most famous Penguins player of all time, no matter how many points or awards anyone else wins.
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