1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins season explained

League:	NHL
Season:	1990–91
Year:	1990
Team:	Pittsburgh Penguins
Conferencerank:	3rd
Divisionrank:	1st
Record:	41–33–6
Homerecord:	25–12–3
Roadrecord:	16–21–3
Goalsfor:	342 (2nd)
Goalsagainst:	305 (18th)
Attendance:	15,927
Goalsleader:	Mark Recchi and Kevin Stevens (40)
Assistsleader:	Mark Recchi (73)
Pointsleader:	Mark Recchi (113)
Pimleader:	Kevin Stevens (133)
Winsleader:	Tom Barrasso (27)
Gaaleader:	Tom Barrasso (3.59)
Divisionwin:	Yes
Conferencewin:	Yes
Stanleycup:	yes

The 1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the Penguins 24th season in the NHL, and they were coming off of a disappointing 1989–90 season, having finished one point behind the New York Islanders for the final playoff spot in the Patrick Division, failing to qualify for post-season play for the seventh time in eight seasons. The Penguins placed first in their division, third-overall in the Wales Conference, on the way to the first-ever Stanley Cup championship for the team. Eight players and three off-ice staff members from the 1990-91 team have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame. This was the first of eleven consecutive playoff appearances for the Penguins.

As of 2024, the only remaining active member of the 1990–91 Pittsburgh Penguins is Jaromír Jágr. He is a member of Rytíři Kladno of the Czech Extraliga.

Off-season

In the off-season, general manager Craig Patrick, who finished the previous season coaching the club, would name Bob Johnson as the new head coach of the Penguins. Patrick also named Scotty Bowman as his director of player development and recruitment. Johnson had previously been the head coach of the Calgary Flames from 1982 to 1987. The team also acquired veteran Bryan Trottier, who helped lead the New York Islanders to four-straight Stanley Cups from 1980 to 1983, to help out with his leadership abilities.

Pre-season

|- style="background:#fcf;"| || September 24 ||Los Angeles||4–1 || Pittsburgh || ||Young ||10,413|| |||- style="background:#cfc;"| || September 28 || Pittsburgh ||3–1||Minnesota|| ||Barrasso ||9,497|| |||- style="background:#cfc;"| || September 30 || Pittsburgh ||7–0||NY Islanders|| ||Pietrangelo ||9,873|| |||-|-| Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie

Regular season

The Penguins would begin the season without Mario Lemieux, as he would miss the first half of the season recovering from a back injury that he suffered in a game against the New York Rangers on February 14, 1990, which caused him to miss the remainder of the 1989–90 season.

Pittsburgh would begin the season slow, and in their opening 31 games, the team had a 12–16–3 record, good for 27 points, and nine points out of a playoff spot. As the season progressed, the team began playing better, had Lemieux return to the lineup, and Patrick would make some trades, acquiring defenseman Larry Murphy from the Minnesota North Stars and Scott Young from the Hartford Whalers. The Penguins eventually came into playoff contention, and on March 4, when the team had a 32–30–4 record, sitting in third place in the Division, the club pulled off a blockbuster deal with the Whalers, trading John Cullen, Zarley Zalapski, and Jeff Parker to Hartford for Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson, and Grant Jennings. The deal helped the Penguins finish the season off 9–3–2, and win their first ever Division championship, finishing three points ahead of the second place New York Rangers.

With Lemieux missing the majority of the season due to his back injury, Mark Recchi stepped up and had a breakout season, scoring a team-high 40 goals and 73 assists for 113 points. Kevin Stevens would tie Recchi for the team lead in goals with 40, and add 46 assists for 86 points. Rookie Jaromir Jagr had a solid season, scoring 27 goals and earning 57 points, while Lemieux recorded 19 goals and 45 points in only 26 games. Paul Coffey led the defense with 93 points in 76 games. The 342 goals the Penguins scored was the second-highest tally in the NHL, only two goals fewer than the Calgary Flames.

In goal, Tom Barrasso had the majority of playing time, winning a team high 27 games and posting a 3.59 goals against average (GAA), along with one shutout. Frank Pietrangelo appeared in 25 games, finishing with a 10–11–1 record and a 3.94 GAA.

Season standings

Schedule and results

|- style="background:#cfc;"| 1 || 5 || 8:05 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 7–4 || Washington Capitals || Capital Centre || 1–0–0 || 2|- style="background:#cfc;"| 2 || 7 || 7:35 pm || New Jersey Devils || 4–7 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 2–0–0 || 4|- style="background:#fcf;"| 3 || 9 || 8:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–4 || St. Louis Blues || St. Louis Arena || 2–1–0 || 4|- style="background:#fcf;"| 4 || 11 || 8:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–4 || Chicago Blackhawks || Chicago Stadium || 2–2–0 || 4|- style="background:#cfc;"| 5 || 13 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–4 || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 3–2–0 || 6|- style="background:#fcf;"| 6 || 16 || 7:35 pm || Philadelphia Flyers || 5–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 3–3–0 || 6|- style="background:#ffc;"| 7 || 19 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–4 OT || Buffalo Sabres || Buffalo Memorial Auditorium || 3–3–1 || 7|- style="background:#fcf;"| 8 || 20 || 7:35 pm || New York Rangers || 4–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 3–4–1 || 7|- style="background:#fcf;"| 9 || 23 || 7:35 pm || Montreal Canadiens || 5–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 3–5–1 || 7|- style="background:#cfc;"| 10 || 25 || 7:35 pm || Quebec Nordiques || 3–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 4–5–1 || 9|- style="background:#fcf;"| 11 || 27 || 7:45 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–7 || New Jersey Devils || Brendan Byrne Arena || 4–6–1 || 9|- style="background:#cfc;"| 12 || 28 || 7:35 pm || New York Islanders || 3–8 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 5–6–1 || 11|- style="background:#cfc;"| 13 || 30 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–2 || Philadelphia Flyers || The Spectrum || 6–6–1 || 13|-|- style="background:#cfc;"| 14 || 3 || 7:35 pm || New York Rangers || 1–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 7–6–1 || 15|- style="background:#cfc;"| 15 || 6 || 7:35 pm || Calgary Flames || 5–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 8–6–1 || 17|- style="background:#fcf;"| 16 || 8 || 7:35 pm || St. Louis Blues || 3–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 8–7–1 || 17|- style="background:#ffc;"| 17 || 10 || 7:05 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–3 OT|| Boston Bruins || Boston Garden || 8–7–2 || 18|- style="background:#cfc;"| 18 || 13 || 8:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–1 || Minnesota North Stars || Met Center || 9–7–2 || 20|- style="background:#cfc;"| 19 || 14 || 8:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–4 || Winnipeg Jets || Winnipeg Arena || 10–7–2 || 22|- style="background:#fcf;"| 20 || 17 || 10:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–2 OT|| Los Angeles Kings || Great Western Forum || 10–8–2 || 22|- style="background:#fcf;"| 21 || 21 || 7:35 pm || Philadelphia Flyers || 5–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 10–9–2 || 22|- style="background:#fcf;"| 22 || 23 || 8:05 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–7 || Washington Capitals || Capital Centre || 10–10–2 || 22|- style="background:#cfc;"| 23 || 24 || 7:35 pm || Washington Capitals || 2–3 OT|| Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 11–10–2 || 24|- style="background:#fcf;"| 24 || 27 || 7:35 pm || Edmonton Oilers || 7–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 11–11–2 || 24|- style="background:#fcf;"| 25 || 29 || 7:35 pm || Hartford Whalers || 6–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 11–12–2 || 24|-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 26 || 1 || 8:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || Minnesota North Stars || Met Center || 11–13–2 || 24|- style="background:#cfc;"| 27 || 3 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 9–4 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) || 12–13–2 || 26|- style="background:#fcf;"| 28 || 5 || 7:35 pm || Washington Capitals || 3–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 12–14–2 || 26|- style="background:#ffc;"| 29 || 7 || 7:35 pm || Vancouver Canucks || 2–2 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 12–14–3 || 27|- style="background:#fcf;"| 30 || 8 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–3 || Hartford Whalers || Hartford Civic Center || 12–15–3 || 27|- style="background:#fcf;"| 31 || 11 || 7:35 pm || Chicago Blackhawks || 4–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 12–16–3 || 27|- style="background:#cfc;"| 32 || 13 || 7:35 pm || New Jersey Devils || 5–9 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 13–16–3 || 29|- style="background:#cfc;"| 33 || 14 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 || Buffalo Sabres || Buffalo Memorial Auditorium || 14–16–3 || 31|- style="background:#cfc;"| 34 || 16 || 7:35 pm || Detroit Red Wings || 1–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 15–16–3 || 33|- style="background:#cfc;"| 35 || 18 || 7:35 pm || Winnipeg Jets || 2–9 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 16–16–3 || 35|- style="background:#cfc;"| 36 || 20 || 7:35 pm || Minnesota North Stars || 3–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 17–16–3 || 37|- style="background:#cfc;"| 37 || 22 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 18–16–3 || 39|- style="background:#fcf;"| 38 || 23 || 7:35 pm || New York Islanders || 4–3 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 18–17–3 || 39|- style="background:#cfc;"| 39 || 26 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 7–3 || Washington Capitals || Capital Centre || 19–17–3 || 41|- style="background:#cfc;"| 40 || 28 || 7:35 pm || Detroit Red Wings || 0–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 20–17–3 || 43|- style="background:#fcf;"| 41 || 29 || 8:05 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || Toronto Maple Leafs || Maple Leaf Gardens || 20–18–3 || 43|- style="background:#cfc;"| 42 || 31 || 6:05 pm || St. Louis Blues || 3–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 21–18–3 || 45|-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 43 || 3 || 7:35 pm || New York Rangers || 7–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 21–19–3 || 45|- style="background:#cfc;"| 44 || 5 || 1:35 pm || New Jersey Devils || 2–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 22–19–3 || 47|- style="background:#fcf;"| 45 || 6 || 7:05 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || Montreal Canadiens || Montreal Forum || 22–20–3 || 47|- style="background:#cfc;"| 46 || 8 || 7:35 pm || Edmonton Oilers || 1–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 23–20–3 || 49|- style="background:#cfc;"| 47 || 10 || 7:35 pm || Calgary Flames || 1–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 24–20–3 || 51|- style="background:#fcf;"| 48 || 15 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–5 || Philadelphia Flyers || The Spectrum || 24–21–3 || 51|- style="background:#cfc;"| 49 || 17 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–5 OT || Toronto Maple Leafs || Maple Leaf Gardens || 25–21–3 || 53|- style="background:#cfc;"| 50 || 22 || 7:35 pm || New Jersey Devils || 3–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 26–21–3 || 55|- style="background:#cfc;"| 51 || 26 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–5 || Quebec Nordiques || Colisée de Québec || 27–21–3 || 57|- style="background:#cfc;"| 52 || 29 || 7:35 pm || Washington Capitals || 2–3 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 28–21–3 || 59|- style="background:#fcf;"| 53 || 31 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–4 || Philadelphia Flyers || The Spectrum || 28–22–3 || 59|-|- style="background:#cfc;"| 54 || 2 || 1:35 pm || Boston Bruins || 2–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 29–22–3 || 61|- style="background:#fcf;"| 55 || 3 || 7:05 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || Boston Bruins || Boston Garden || 29–23–3 || 61|- style="background:#fcf;"| 56 || 8 || 8:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–6 || Winnipeg Jets || Winnipeg Arena || 29–24–3 || 61|- style="background:#fcf;"| 57 || 11 || 9:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–7 || Edmonton Oilers || Northlands Coliseum || 29–25–3 || 61|- style="background:#cfc;"| 58 || 14 || 7:35 pm || New York Islanders || 2–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 30–25–3 || 63|- style="background:#fcf;"| 59 || 16 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–4 || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 30–26–3 || 63|- style="background:#cfc;"| 60 || 19 || 7:35 pm || Buffalo Sabres || 3–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 31–26–3 || 65|- style="background:#cfc;"| 61 || 21 || 7:35 pm || Toronto Maple Leafs || 4–11 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 32–26–3 || 67|- style="background:#fcf;"| 62 || 22 || 7:45 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || New Jersey Devils || Brendan Byrne Arena || 32–27–3 || 67|- style="background:#ffc;"| 63 || 24 || 1:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–5 OT || Washington Capitals || Capital Centre || 32–27–4 || 68|- style="background:#fcf;"| 64 || 26 || 10:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–8 || Los Angeles Kings || Great Western Forum || 32–28–4 || 68|- style="background:#fcf;"| 65 || 27 || 10:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–4 || Vancouver Canucks || Pacific Coliseum || 32–29–4 || 68|-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 66 || 1 || 9:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–6 || Calgary Flames || Olympic Saddledome || 32–30–4 || 68|- style="background:#cfc;"| 67 || 5 || 7:35 pm || Vancouver Canucks || 1–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 33–30–4 || 70|- style="background:#cfc;"| 68 || 7 || 7:35 pm || Los Angeles Kings || 2–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 34–30–4 || 72|- style="background:#cfc;"| 69 || 9 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–2 || Hartford Whalers || Hartford Civic Center || 35–30–4 || 74|- style="background:#cfc;"| 70 || 10 || 5:05 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum || 36–30–4 || 76|- style="background:#ffc;"| 71 || 12 || 7:35 pm || Montreal Canadiens || 4–4 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 36–30–5 || 77|- style="background:#cfc;"| 72 || 16 || 1:35 pm || Quebec Nordiques || 3–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 37–30–5 || 79|- style="background:#cfc;"| 73 || 17 || 1:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–2 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) || 38–30–5 || 81|- style="background:#fcf;"| 74 || 19 || 7:45 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–5 || New Jersey Devils || Brendan Byrne Arena || 38–31–5 || 81|- style="background:#cfc;"| 75 || 21 || 7:35 pm || New York Rangers || 4–5 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 39–31–5 || 83|- style="background:#fcf;"| 76 || 23 || 1:35 pm || Chicago Blackhawks || 7–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 39–32–5 || 83|- style="background:#cfc;"| 77 || 26 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–1 || Philadelphia Flyers || The Spectrum || 40–32–5 || 85|- style="background:#cfc;"| 78 || 27 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 7–4 || Detroit Red Wings || Joe Louis Arena || 41–32–5 || 87|- style="background:#ffc;"| 79 || 30 || 1:35 pm || Philadelphia Flyers || 4–4 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena || 41–32–6 || 88|- style="background:#fcf;"| 80 || 31 || 7:35 pm || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) || 41–33–6 || 88|-|- style="text-align:center;"| Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie

Playoffs

See main article: 1991 Stanley Cup playoffs.

Division Semi-finals

In the playoffs, the Penguins would open up against the New Jersey Devils, who finished the year in fourth place in the Division, nine points behind Pittsburgh. The teams split the opening two games in Pittsburgh, and then split the two games in New Jersey, before the Devils won Game 5 at Civic Arena to take a 3–2 series lead back home. The Penguins responded with a hard-fought 4–3 victory in Game 6 to bring it back home for Game 7, where Pittsburgh completed the comeback with a 4–0 shutout to win the series.

Division Finals

Up next was the Washington Capitals, and Washington would surprise the Penguins with a 4–2 victory in the opening game, though Pittsburgh tied the series in Game 2 with a 7–6 overtime victory. The Pens would go into Washington for Games 3 and 4, and post back-to-back 3–1 wins to go up 3–1 in the series, and finish off Washington in the fifth game to clinch the series and advance to the Conference Finals for the first time in team history.

Conference Finals

The Penguins next opponent was the Boston Bruins, the defending Wales Conference champions, and the Bruins, who finished with 100 points, had home ice for the series. Boston would take control of the series early by winning the opening two games in Boston, however, the Penguins responded by winning the next two in Pittsburgh to even up the series. Pittsburgh would return to Boston for the fifth game, and surprise the Bruins with a 7–2 victory, going up 3–2 in the series and returning home for the sixth game. The Penguins finished off Boston 5–3 in the sixth game, winning the Prince of Wales Trophy and going to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time in team history.

Stanley Cup Finals

See main article: 1991 Stanley Cup Finals. Pittsburgh faced the surprising Minnesota North Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals. While the North Stars had a 27–39–14 record during the regular season, they had been red hot in the playoffs, defeating the Presidents' Trophy winners Chicago Blackhawks, the St. Louis Blues and the defending Stanley Cup champion Edmonton Oilers to reach the Finals. Minnesota would continue their hot streak with a 5–4 victory in Game 1, but the Penguins tied the series in Game 2 as the series shifted from Pittsburgh to Minnesota. The North Stars won Game 3 with solid goaltending, but the Penguins rebounded in Game 4 to tie the series as it returned to Pittsburgh. Game 5 was a close, hard-fought game, with the Penguins winning 6–4 to take a 3–2 series lead, and in Game 6, Pittsburgh would defeat the North Stars 8–0 to win the series, and the first-ever Stanley Cup in club history. Mario Lemieux, recording 44 points in 23 games, won the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoff MVP.

Playoff log

|- style="background:#fcf;"| 1 || April 3||New Jersey||3–1||Pittsburgh|| ||Lemieux|| Šťastný (2),
Boschman||Barrasso (0–1)||16,164||0–1|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 2 || April 5||New Jersey||4–5||Pittsburgh||8:52||Stevens, Coffey, Bourque, Loney,
Jagr||MacLean (2), Shanahan, Kasatonov||Barrasso (1–1)||16,164||1–1|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 3 || April 7||Pittsburgh||4–3||New Jersey|| ||Recchi, Errey, Mullen,
Recchi||Shanahan (2), Brown||Barrasso (2–1)||16,899||2–1|||- style="background:#fcf;"| 4 || April 9||Pittsburgh||1–4||New Jersey|| ||Lemieux||Lemieux, Šťastný,
MacLean, Lemieux||Barrasso (2–2)||16,552||2–2|||- style="background:#fcf;"| 5 || April 11||New Jersey||4–2||Pittsburgh|| ||Francis, Murphy||MacLean, Driver,
Lemieux, Brown (en)||Barrasso (2–3)||16,164||2–3|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 6 || April 13||Pittsburgh||4–3||New Jersey|| ||Stevens (2), Jagr,
Francis||MacLean, Weinrich, Lemieux||Pietrangelo (1–0)||19,040||3–3|||- style="background:#cff;"| 7 || April 15||New Jersey||0–4||Pittsburgh|| ||Hrdina, Lemieux, Hrdina, Coffey|| ||Pietrangelo (2-0)||16,164||4–3|||-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 1 || April 17||Washington||4–2||Pittsburgh|| ||Murphy, Lemieux||Johansson, Hatcher,
Iafrate, Miller (en)||Pietrangelo (1–2)||16,164||0–1|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 2 || April 19||Washington||6–7||Pittsburgh||9:10||Bourque, Mullen, Recchi (2), Stevens, Gilhen,
Stevens||Hunter, Druce, Ridley, Ciccarelli (2), Johansson||Pietrangelo (2–2)||16,164||1–1|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 3 || April 21||Pittsburgh||3–1||Washington|| ||Lemieux,
Stevens, Trottier||Ciccarelli||Barrasso (3–3)||18,130||2–1|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 4 || April 23||Pittsburgh||3–1||Washington|| ||Recchi,
Stevens, Bourque||Bergland||Barrasso (4–3)||17,867||3–1|||- style="background:#cff;"| 5 || April 25||Washington||1–4||Pittsburgh|| ||Mullen,
Francis, Jagr, Recchi (en)||Tippett||Barrasso (5–3)||16,164||4–1|||-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 1 || May 1||Pittsburgh||3–6||Boston|| ||Mullen, Stevens, Errey||Janney, Neely, Sweeney,
Neely, Christian, Bourque||Barrasso (5–4)||14,448||0–1|||- style="background:#fcf;"| 2 || May 3||Pittsburgh||4–5||Boston||8:14||Stevens, Lemieux, Recchi, Lemieux||Neely, Wesley, Bourque, Janney,
Ruzicka||Barrasso (5–5)||14,448||0–2|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 3 || May 5||Boston||1–4||Pittsburgh|| ||Stevens,
Francis, Jennings, Lemieux||Bourque||Barrasso (6–5)||16,164||1–2|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 4 || May 7||Boston||1–4||Pittsburgh|| ||Errey,
Mullen, Lemieux, Stevens||Christian||Barrasso (7–5)||16,164||2–2|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 5 || May 9||Pittsburgh||7–2||Boston|| ||Stevens, Lemieux,
Trottier, Stevens, Stanton, Murphy, Samuelsson||Sweeney, Janney||Barrasso (8–5)||14,448||3–2|||- style="background:#cff;"| 6 || May 11||Boston||3–5||Pittsburgh|| ||Murphy, Bourque, Roberts,
Recchi, Lemieux (en)||Neely, Hodge, Jr., Sweeney||Barrasso (9–5)||16,164||4–2|||-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 1 || May 15||Minnesota||5–4||Pittsburgh|| ||Samuelsson, Lemieux, Young, Mullen||Broten, Dahlen, Bureau, Broten,
Smith||Barrasso (9–6)||16,164||0–1|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 2 || May 17||Minnesota||1–4||Pittsburgh|| ||Errey,
Stevens, Lemieux, Stevens||Modano||Barrasso (10–6)||16,164||1–1|||- style="background:#fcf;"| 3 || May 19||Pittsburgh||1–3||Minnesota|| ||Bourque||Gagner,
Smith, Duchesne||Barrasso (10–7)||15,378||1–2|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 4 || May 21||Pittsburgh||5–3||Minnesota|| ||Stevens, Francis, Lemieux,
Trottier, Bourque (en)||Gagner, Propp, Modano||Barrasso (11–7)||15,378||2–2|||- style="background:#cfc;"| 5 || May 23||Minnesota||4–6||Pittsburgh|| ||Lemieux, Stevens, Recchi (2),
Francis, Loney||Broten, Gagner, Dahlen, Gagner||Pietrangelo (3–2)||16,164||3–2|||- style="background:#cff;"| 6 || May 25||Pittsburgh||8–0||Minnesota|| ||Samuelsson, Lemieux, Mullen, Errey, Francis, Mullen, Paek, Murphy|| ||Barrasso (11–7)||15,378||4–2|||-|-| Legend: = Win = Loss = Playoff series win

Scorer of game-winning goal in italics

Player statistics

Skaters

Regular Season^[1]
Player
	78	40	73	113	0	48
^‡	65	31	63	94	0	83
	76	24	69	93		128
	80	40	46	86		133
	80	27	30	57		42
^‡	66	12	36	48	15	59
	26	19	26	45	8	30
	79	20	22	42	11	115
	47	17	22	39	9	6
	78	20	14	34	7	106
	52	9	19	28	5	24
^†	44	5	23	28	2	30
^†	43	11	16	27	3	33
	72	15	10	25	3	51
	75	5	18	23	11	40
^†	37	6	14	20		13
^‡	46	6	12	18	1	44
^‡	25	6	10	16	0	31
	44	7	9	16	10	85
^†	61	3	12	15	18	70
	46	6	8	14	2	21
^†	39	3	8	11	16	93
^†	14	2	9	11	0	21
^‡	24	0	5	5		23
^†	14	1	4	5	4	37
^†	13	1	3	4	2	26
	31	2	2	4		32
^‡	22	1	2	3	0	30
	23	1	1	2		71
	7	2	0	2		0
	11	0	2	2	0	2
^‡	6	0	1	1		25
	2	0	1	1	0	0
	3	0	0	0	2	9
	9	0	0	0		6
^‡	1	0	0	0	0	2
Total		342	590	932	–	1,569

Playoffs^[2]
Player
	23	16	28	44	14	16
	24	10	24	34	6	33
	24	17	16	33	14	53
	23	5	18	23	17	44
	24	7	10	17	13	24
	22	8	9	17	17	4
	24	3	10	13	2	6
	24	6	7	13	6	16
	12	2	9	11		6
	17	1	6	7	1	2
	23	3	4	7		49
	24	5	2	7	5	29
	20	3	2	5	7	34
	24	2	2	4		41
	14	2	2	4	1	6
	24	1	2	3	13	63
	22	1	2	3	6	24
	19	0	3	3	7	49
	13	1	1	2	3	16
	16	1	0	1		14
	8	1	0	1	2	2
	8	0	0	0	1	24
Total		95	157	252	–	555

Goaltenders

Regular Season^[3]
Player
	48	2753:51	27	16	3	165	3.59	1579	0.896	1	5	40
	25	1310:35	10	11	1	86	3.94	714	0.880	0	1	24
	18	772:57	4	6	2	52	4.04	428	0.879	0	1	0
Total		4837:23	41	33	6	303	3.76	2721	0.889	1	7	64

Playoffs^[4]
Player
	20	1175:23	12	7	51	2.82	629	0.919	1	1	2
	5	287:42	4	1	15	2.80	148	0.899	1	1	2
Total		1463:05	16	8	66	2.71	777	0.915	2	2	4

^†Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
^‡Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

Awards and records

Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 500 assists for the Penguins. He did so in a 5–7 loss to Edmonton on February 11.
Paul Coffey established a franchise record for assists (278) and points (376) by a defenseman. He broke the previous records of 277 assists and 343 points, both held by Ron Stackhouse.

Awards

Player	Award
	Baz Bastien Memorial "Good Guy" Award
	Unsung Hero Award
	Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Award NHL All-Rookie team
	Donadeo Sullivan Pittsburgh Penguins Masterton Nominee Conn Smythe Trophy
	Bowser Pontiac Leading Point Scorer Award Murray Hill Jewelers Player's Player Award Booster Club Award Foodland Most Valuable Player Award
	NHL second All-Star team

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1990–91 season:^[5]

Trades

June 16, 1990	To Calgary Flames:----1990 second round pick (#26–Nicolas Perreault)	To Pittsburgh Penguins:----Joe Mullen
October 27, 1990	To St. Louis Blues:----Future considerations (1992 eleventh round pick (#259–Wade Salzman))	To Pittsburgh Penguins:----Gordie Roberts
December 11, 1990	To Minnesota North Stars:----Jim Johnson Chris Dahlquist	To Pittsburgh Penguins:----Larry Murphy Peter Taglianetti
December 13, 1990	To Calgary Flames:----Jim Kyte	To Pittsburgh Penguins:----Jiri Hrdina
December 21, 1990	To Hartford Whalers:----Rob Brown	To Pittsburgh Penguins:----Scott Young
March 4, 1991	To Hartford Whalers:----John Cullen Zarley Zalapski Jeff Parker	To Pittsburgh Penguins:----Ron Francis Ulf Samuelsson Grant Jennings
March 5, 1991	To Edmonton Oilers:----Brad Aitken	To Pittsburgh Penguins:----Kim Issel
March 5, 1991	To Buffalo Sabres:----Tony Tanti	To Pittsburgh Penguins:----Rights to Ken Priestlay

Free agents

Player	Acquired from	Lost to	Date
			July 5, 1990
			July 20, 1990
			November 9, 1990
			February 5, 1991

Other

Name	Date	Details
	October 1, 1990	Lost to Los Angeles Kings in waiver draft
	May 30, 1991	Lost in expansion draft (Minnesota North Stars)
	June 21, 1991	Acquired in supplemental draft

Draft picks

See also: List of Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks. Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1990 NHL Entry Draft.^[6]

Round		Player	Pos	College/Junior/Club team (League)
1	5		Right Wing	HC Kladno (Czechoslovakia)
3	61		Left Wing	Edison High School (USHS–MN)
4	68		Defense	University of Michigan (CCHA)
5	89		Left Wing	Avon Old Farms (USHS–CT)
6	107		Defense	Belmont Hill School (USHS–MA)
6	110	Denis Casey	Goaltender	Colorado College (WCHA)
7	130		Center	Tappara (Finland)
7	131	Ken Plaquin	Defense	Michigan Tech (WCHA)
7	145		Defense	University of Michigan (CCHA)
8	152	Petteri Koskimaki	Center	Boston University (Hockey East)
9	173		Left Wing	Slovan Bratislava (Czechoslovakia)
10	194	Timothy Fingerhut	Left Wing	Canterbury High School (USHS–CT)
11	215	Michael Thompson	Right Wing	Michigan State University (CCHA)
12	236	Brian Bruininks	Defense	Colorado College (WCHA)
S	5	Joe Dragon	Center	Cornell University (ECAC)
S	10		Center	University of New Hampshire (Hockey East)

Draft notes^[7]

The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick went to the Calgary Flames as the result of a June 16, 1990, trade that sent Joe Mullen to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
The Pittsburgh Penguins' third-round pick went to the Philadelphia Flyers as the result of a September 1, 1989, trade that sent Wendell Young and a seventh-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
The Buffalo Sabres' third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a November 12, 1988, trade that sent Doug Bodger and Darrin Shannon to the Sabres in exchange for Tom Barrasso and this pick.
The Vancouver Canucks' sixth-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of an October 24, 1989, trade that sent Rod Buskas to the Canucks in exchange for this pick.
The Philadelphia Flyers' seventh-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a September 1, 1989, trade that sent a third-round pick to the Flyers in exchange for Wendell Young and this pick.
The Buffalo Sabres' seventh-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of an October 3, 1988, trade that sent Wayne Van Dorp to the Sabres in exchange for this pick.

Farm teams

The IHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks finished in fourth place in the East Division with a record of 38-40-5. They lost to the Kalamazoo Wings in the first round of the playoffs 4-1.

The East Coast Hockey League's Knoxville Cherokees won the Henry Brabham Cup as the team with the league's most outstanding record (46-13-5). They were swept in the first round of the playoffs by the Louisville Icehawks. Don Jackson was named coach of the year, Stan Drulia was named league MVP and was leading scorer, and Dan Gauthier was the league rookie of the year.

Media affiliates

Radio

Some of the games broadcast on WDVE because of KDKA-AM's broadcast conflict with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Television

References

National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007

External links

Notes and References

Web site: 1990–1991 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats. NHL. 2016-04-20. 2016-05-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20160531234517/http://ice.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=skatersummary&season=19901991&gameType=2&sort=points&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=S. live.
Web site: 1990–1991 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats. NHL. 2016-04-20. 2016-05-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20160531231336/http://ice.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=skatersummary&season=19901991&gameType=3&sort=points&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=S. live.
Web site: 1990–1991 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats. NHL. 2016-04-20. 2016-06-01. https://web.archive.org/web/20160601000420/http://www.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=goaliesummary&season=19901991&gameType=2&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=G. live.
Web site: 1990–1991 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats. NHL. 2016-04-20. 2016-05-31. https://web.archive.org/web/20160531225917/http://ice.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=goaliesummary&season=19901991&gameType=3&sort=wins&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=G. live.
Web site: Hockey Transactions Search Results. ProSportsTransactions. 2014-05-10. 2015-04-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402120525/http://www.prosportstransactions.com/hockey/Search/SearchResults.php?Player=&Team=penguins&BeginDate=1990-06-16&EndDate=1991-06-21&PlayerMovementChkBx=yes&submit=Search&start=0. live.
Web site: NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results. NHL.com. July 15, 2012. March 4, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304123041/http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftsearch.htm?year=1990&team=PIT&position=&round=. live.
Web site: 1990 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions. Pro Sports Transactions. July 15, 2012. July 23, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120723023049/http://www.prosportstransactions.com/hockey/DraftTrades/Years/1990.htm. live.