2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins season explained

League:NHL
Season:2008–09
Year:2008
Team:Pittsburgh Penguins
Conferencerank:4th
Divisionrank:2nd
Record:45–28–9
Homerecord:25–13–3
Roadrecord:20–15–6
Goalsfor:264
Goalsagainst:239
Coach:Michel Therrien (Oct.–Feb.)
Dan Bylsma (Feb.–Jun.)
Altcaptain:Evgeni Malkin (Oct., Feb.–Jun.)
Brooks Orpik (Oct., Feb.)
Hal Gill (Nov.)
Rob Scuderi (Nov.)
Matt Cooke (Dec.)
Jordan Staal (Dec.)
Petr Sykora (Jan.)
Ryan Whitney (Jan.)
Sergei Gonchar (Feb.–Jun.)
Attendance:16,975
102.6% capacity
Total: 695,997[1]
Goalsleader:Evgeni Malkin (35)
Assistsleader:Evgeni Malkin (78)
Pointsleader:Evgeni Malkin (113)
Plusminusleader:Rob Scuderi (+23)
Pimleader:Eric Godard (171)
Winsleader:Marc-Andre Fleury (35)
Gaaleader:John Curry (2.40)
Conferencewin:Yes
Stanleycup:Yes

The 2008–09 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the 42nd season of Pittsburgh Penguins in the National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season began with two games against the Ottawa Senators in Stockholm, Sweden on October 4 and October 5, 2008.

On February 15, the team had a record of 27–25–5 and was five points out of playoff position. The organization fired head coach Michel Therrien and replaced him with Dan Bylsma, head coach of the organization's American Hockey League affiliate in Wilkes-Barre.[2] On February 26, the team traded defenseman Ryan Whitney to the Anaheim Ducks in return for Chris Kunitz. Before the trade deadline on March 4, they acquired Bill Guerin from the New York Islanders.[3] Under Bylsma, the team went 18–3–4, including 10–1–2 in March, and lost only one home game.

The Penguins qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. They did not repeat as champions of the Atlantic Division, but earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 99 points. They began the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 15 against the Philadelphia Flyers. They beat the Flyers, Washington Capitals, and Carolina Hurricanes to earn a second-straight berth in the Stanley Cup Finals. In the Finals, the Penguins defeated the Detroit Red Wings in seven games in a rematch of the previous season's Stanley Cup Finals to win the franchise's third league title. To date, this is the only Stanley Cup the Penguins have won without having home-ice advantage. They became the first team since the 1983-84 Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup after losing it the previous year.

Pre-season

Due to their appearance in the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals, the Penguins had less than three weeks before free agency began to settle numerous contract decisions. The Penguins added nine free agents and lost ten to other teams. Head Coach Michel Therrien also signed a new three-year contract that replaced the last year of his existing contract, with an increase in salary. The new contract was projected to keep him with the Penguins through the 2010–11 season.[4]

The Penguins renewed 99% of their season ticket sales from the 2007–08 season; having sold out 67 consecutive games at Mellon Arena dating back to the 2006–07 season.[5] In July, ESPN named Pittsburgh the top team in the Eastern Conference,[6] and Sporting News predicted the team would finish in the league's fifth overall position.[7]

The team commenced training camp on September 16, 2008, in Pittsburgh.[8] [9] They played five pre-season games in preparation for the season, finishing with a 4–0–1 record.[10] The team concluded its preparation for the season with practices in Stockholm.[11] Defensemen Sergei Gonchar was injured in the pre-season opener and originally anticipated to miss "four to six months." He appeared for the first time on February 14, 2009.[12] [13] With Gonchar out of the lineup and previous season's two other alternate captains Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts departed, the Penguins began the season with no returning alternate captains in the lineup. Therrien selected two alternate captains each month; Evgeni Malkin and Brooks Orpik served the role throughout the opening month.[14]

|- style="background:#ffc;"| 1 || September 20 || Tampa Bay ||5–4||Pittsburgh||SO||Fleury||16,287||0–0–1||http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20082009/GS010002.HTM|- style="background:#cfc;"| 2 || September 22 || Pittsburgh ||3–2||Tampa Bay||||Curry||14,707||1–0–1||http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20082009/GS010009.HTM|- style="background:#cfc;"| 3 || September 24 || Toronto||2–3||Pittsburgh||||Sabourin||15,731||2–0–1||http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/20082009/GS010025.HTM|- style="background:#cfc;"| 4 || September 26 || Pittsburgh ||5–4||Toronto||||Fleury||18,884||3–0–1||https://archive.today/20210819072347/https://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/crosby-back-with-a-bang-as-pens-outgun-leafs-1.740652|- style="background:#cfc;"| 5 || October 2 || Pittsburgh ||4–1||Jokerit (SML)||||Fleury||13,464||4–0–1||https://web.archive.org/web/20110521152605/http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008011004|-|-| Legend:      = Win      = Loss      = OT/SO Loss

Regular season

October

On September 27, the Penguins embarked on a trip for Sweden where they opened the season against the Ottawa Senators, at the Stockholm Globe Arena.[15] The Penguins were one of four teams to participate in NHL Premiere which began the season with games in Prague, Czech Republic and Stockholm, Sweden.[16] Pittsburgh won the opening game of the season in overtime, getting two goals from Tyler Kennedy, including the game-winner. The game was broadcast on Mellon Arena's JumboTron where 2,300 spectators watched the game.[17] The team returned to Pittsburgh after ten days in Europe and a 1–1–0 record. The Penguins hosted the Trib Total Media Faceoff Festival 2008 prior to their first four home games, allowing fans to watch the games on 9-by-12 foot LED screen outside of Mellon Arena.[18] On October 18, Sidney Crosby scored one goal in addition to three assists to surpass benchmarks of 100 goals, 200 assists, and 300 total points for his career.[19] In the same game, Evgeni Malkin assisted on four goals, giving him 200 total career points.[20] [21]

The Penguins received continued fan support from their previous season. In addition to extending a home sellout streak to 72 games on October 23, the Penguins ranked 113% above the national average for male television viewers aged 18 to 34.[22] The franchise ranked as the 18th most valuable in the league at US$195 million, marking a 26% increase from the past season. According to Forbes, the franchise's revenue would likely put the Penguins into the top ten after their new arena, Consol Energy Center, opened in 2010.[23] The Penguins finished October with a 3–1–1 record in Pittsburgh and concluded the month with three consecutive road losses.

November

The Penguins won their first six games in November before losing in a shootout on November 18.[24] Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill were selected by Therrien to be November's alternate captains, taking over for Brooks Orpik and Malkin who served in October.[25] On November 11, the Penguins returned to Detroit for the first time since the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals.[26] The third goal of Jordan Staal's second career hat-trick came with 22.8 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime where the Penguins achieved a 7–6 victory.[27] Malkin's 13-game point streak ended on November 18, during the streak he scored 27 points.[28] Through November 19, the Penguins led the league in overtime games with nine of 18 games taking extra time to decide.[29] Through the first 20 games of the season, Mike Zigomanis led the league in faceoff percentage and Alex Goligoski led rookie defensemen in points.[30] After an injury to Marc-Andre Fleury, Dany Sabourin and rookie John Curry split goaltending duties in his multi-game absence in which the team was 5–6–2.[31] [32] On November 26, Malkin scored three goals for his third career hat-trick,[33] three days later Sidney Crosby also achieved a hat trick—the second of his career.[34] After the team's final game of the month, Malkin and Crosby ranked first and second in league scoring with 39 and 34 points respectively.[35] Malkin also ranked first in the league with 29 assists,[35] and was named the NHL's second Star of the Month.[36]

December

Therrien named Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke December's alternate captains. "I think it's important for our young group to try to extend the leadership group," the coach said of the decision.[37] A survey by Turnkey Sports & Entertainment released on December 2 that surveyed fans of all 122 NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB teams ranked the Penguins eighth. The survey consisted of 21 categories such as entertainment value, commitment to winning, ticket value and likeability of the players and owners. Ranked 20th in the same poll in 2007, the Penguins were the second-ranked NHL team, behind the Detroit Red Wings.[38] The Penguins began the month with seven games in eleven days in which they were 2–4–1.[39] As of December 10, Crosby and Malkin continued to lead the league in points as well as leading voting for the All-Star Game in Montreal.[40] On December 11, after losing three consecutive games, Petr Sykora and Pascal Dupuis each scored their first career hat-tricks in a 9–2 victory over the New York Islanders in Pittsburgh. It was the seventh time in the Penguins' history that two players scored a hat-trick in the same game, the first since 1993.[41]

On December 21, Sidney Crosby surpassed the record for most All-Star Game votes at 1,020,736, set by Jaromir Jagr, then with the Penguins, in 2000. Crosby broke the record with 13 days remaining in voting.[42] Defenceman Ryan Whitney made his first appearance of the season on December 23, after missing 33 games with a foot injury.[43] On December 26, Marc-Andre Fleury made 37 saves in Pittsburgh's first shutout of the season, defeating the New Jersey Devils, 1–0.[44] After concluding the month with a 5–8–1 record, the team held a players-only meeting on December 30. "The attitude is a little off right now," said Brooks Orpik, "It's easy to be a good team when you're winning games. When you're going through rough batches like this, it's what tests guys' character."[45]

January

The Penguins began 2009 with three consecutive losses, extending their losing streak to five games—the most consecutive since 2006.[46] During the streak, the Penguins fell from second to ninth place in the Eastern Conference and failed to score on 32 consecutive power plays.[46] [47]

Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin led all players in voting for the 2009 All-Star Game.[48] However, Crosby did not play due to a knee injury. The top vote-getter for the second year in a row, Crosby also missed the 2008 All-Star Game.[49] On January 8, the team announced that they had agreed to a four-year contract extension with Jordan Staal worth $16 million. Staal's rookie contract was set to expire at the end of the season. He was the Penguins first round pick, second overall in 2006.[50]

The team suffered from injuries, culminating in January where at one point they had eight starters injured. Mike Zigomanis had been inactive since December 3 and Ruslan Fedotenko was ruled out for four to six weeks after breaking his hand on January 6. Sergei Gonchar practiced with the team for the first time on January 16 after suffering a separated shoulder during the pre-season. By that time, the Penguins had lost 173 man-games due to injury, after losing 239 in the entire 2007–08 season.[51] With a 3–0 victory over the New York Rangers on January 18, the Penguins won a second consecutive game for the first time since November 15. However, the team was unable to capitalize and lost their last game before the All-Star break to the Carolina Hurricanes. The Penguins entered the break with a 23–21–4 record. The team's 50 points put them in tenth place in the Eastern Conference, two spots out of the playoffs.[52]

February

On February 14, Sergei Gonchar made his season debut and Ruslan Fedotenko returned to the line-up after missing over a month due to a hand injury.[53] On February 15—with the Penguins five points out of the playoffs[54] —Therrien was replaced by Dan Bylsma, the coach of the Penguins' AHL affiliate Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, on an interim basis.[55] Tom Fitzgerald was promoted from Director of Player Development to assistant coach for forwards, while Mike Yeo, already with the team, became assistant for the defensemen. Assistant Andre Savard was reassigned within the organization.[56]

On February 21, Crosby recorded his 250th career assist in a 2-goal, 2-assist victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.[57] On February 25, Fleury recorded his third shutout of the season, as the Penguins defeated the Islanders 1–0; the team remained two points out of the playoffs after the win.[58] The day after the shutout, Ryan Whitney was traded to the Anaheim Ducks for Chris Kunitz and signing rights to prospect Eric Tangradi.[59] In his first game after being traded to Pittsburgh, Kunitz recorded a goal and an assist as the Penguins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks in overtime.[60]

March

The Penguins began March with five of six games on the road, before a homestand of eight consecutive games. Upon the Penguins' win on March 1, the team moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 70 points.[61] The NHL trade deadline was on March 4. On March 3, the Penguins placed Miroslav Satan on waivers to clear roster space for a trade. Before the deadline, the Penguins acquired New York Islanders' captain Bill Guerin in exchange for a conditional draft pick in the 2009 draft.[3] The Penguins also exchanged minor league defensemen, sending Danny Richmond to the St. Louis Blues organization for Andy Wozniewski. They also claimed winger Craig Adams off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks. Dan Bylsma surpassed Herb Brooks' record for the best record in his first ten games as a Penguins' coach.[62] The team went a franchise-first 5–0–0 on a road trip at the beginning of March.[63]

On March 15, the Penguins soldout their 100th consecutive game at the Mellon Arena.[64] Evgeni Malkin recorded his 100th point of the season while tying a career-high five point game against the Atlanta Thrashers on March 17.[65] On March 20, Vince Lascheid, Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates organist of 33 years, died. Vice President of Communications Tom McMillan said, "[Lascheid] probably is the only organist in the history of professional sports to be inducted into a team Hall of Fame."[66] The Penguins concluded March with eight consecutive games at the Mellon Arena—their longest homestand of the season.[67]

April and season results

Pittsburgh finished their homestand with a 6–1–1 record, moving into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.[68] The final game of the homestand was the most watched game of the season on FSN Pittsburgh, the Penguins regional television network. FSN Pittsburgh was the most-watched regional Fox network in the NHL for the second consecutive season.[69] On April 7, Sidney Crosby scored his 100th point of the season, Evgeni Malkin acquired his 300th career point and Petr Sykora scored his 300th career goal, while the Penguins qualified for the post-season for the third consecutive season with a 6–4 win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.[70] Tickets for Pittsburgh's first two opening round playoff games sold out within a few hours of going on sale.[71] The team collected over $100,000 for the families of three Pittsburgh Police officers who were killed days before the game.[72] The Penguins finished their regular season on April 12 with a win over the Montreal Canadiens.[73] Through his first 25 games as Penguins' coach, Dan Blysma's 18–3–4 record amounted to 40 points—the second-most of any coach in NHL history through their first 25 games.[74] The Penguins finished with a 45–28–9 record, for 99 points; fourth place in the Eastern Conference and second place in the Atlantic Division.[75]

Evgeni Malkin won the Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer with 113 points. Malkin followed Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Crosby to become the fourth different Penguin to win the award. The award was the 13th overall for the Penguins since 1988.[76]

Game log

|- style="background:#cfc;"| 1 || 4 || 2:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 OT || Ottawa Senators || Ericsson Globe @ Stockholm, SWE (13,699) || 1–0–0 || 2|- style="background:#fcf;"| 2 || 5 || 2:30 PM || Ottawa Senators || 3–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Ericsson Globe @ Stockholm, SWE (13,699) || 1–1–0 || 2|- style="background:#ffc;"| 3 || 11 || 7:30 PM || New Jersey Devils || 2–1 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 1–1–1 || 3|- style="background:#cfc;"| 4 || 14 || 7:30 PM || Philadelphia Flyers || 2–3 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,965) || 2–1–1 || 5|- style="background:#fcf;"| 5 || 16 || 7:30 PM || Washington Capitals || 4–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,030) || 2–2–1 || 5|- style="background:#cfc;"| 6 || 18 || 7:00 PM || Toronto Maple Leafs || 1–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,033) || 3–2–1 || 7|- style="background:#cfc;"| 7 || 20 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–1 SO || Boston Bruins || TD Garden (17,565) || 4–2–1 || 9|- style="background:#cfc;"| 8 || 23 || 7:30 PM || Carolina Hurricanes || 1–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 5–2–1 || 11|- style="background:#ffc;"| 9 || 25 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 SO || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) (18,200) || 5–2–2 || 12|- style="background:#fcf;"| 10 || 28 || 10:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–2 || San Jose Sharks || SAP Center at San Jose (17,496) || 5–3–2 || 12|- style="background:#fcf;"| 11 || 30 || 10:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–4 || Phoenix Coyotes || Gila River Arena (15,178) || 5–4–2 || 12|-|- style="background:#cfc;"| 12 || 1 || 8:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–3 || St. Louis Blues || Scottrade Center (19,150) || 6–4–2 || 14|- style="background:#cfc;"| 13 || 6 || 7:00 PM || Edmonton Oilers || 4–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,971) || 7–4–2 || 16|- style="background:#cfc;"| 14 || 8 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 SO || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (14,303) || 8–4–2 || 18|- style="background:#cfc;"| 15 || 11 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 7–6 OT || Detroit Red Wings || Joe Louis Arena (20,066) || 9–4–2 || 20|- style="background:#cfc;"| 16 || 13 || 7:30 PM || Philadelphia Flyers || 4–5 SO || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 10–4–2 || 22|- style="background:#cfc;"| 17 || 15 || 7:30 PM || Buffalo Sabres || 2–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 11–4–2 || 24|- style="background:#ffc;"| 18 || 18 || 7:00 PM || Minnesota Wild || 2–1 SO || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,971) || 11–4–3 || 25|- style="background:#cfc;"| 19 || 20 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–2 || Atlanta Thrashers || Philips Arena (13,391) || 12–4–3 || 27|- style="background:#fcf;"| 20 || 22 || 2:00 PM || Vancouver Canucks || 3–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,040) || 12–5–3 || 27|- style="background:#cfc;"| 21 || 26 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–3 || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (14,871) || 13–5–3 || 29|- style="background:#fcf;"| 22 || 28 || 7:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–4 || Buffalo Sabres || First Niagara Center (18,690) || 13–6–3 || 29|- style="background:#cfc;"| 23 || 29 || 7:30 PM || New Jersey Devils || 1–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 14–6–3 || 31|-|- style="background:#ffc;"| 24 || 3 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 SO || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) (18,200) || 14–6–4 || 32|- style="background:#cfc;"| 25 || 4 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–2 || Carolina Hurricanes || PNC Arena (14,559) || 15–6–4 || 34|- style="background:#fcf;"| 26 || 6 || 2:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 || Ottawa Senators || Canadian Tire Centre (19,561) || 15–7–4 || 34|- style="background:#fcf;"| 27 || 8 || 7:30 PM || Buffalo Sabres || 4–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,976) || 15–8–4 || 34|- style="background:#fcf;"| 28 || 10 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–4 || New Jersey Devils || Prudential Center (16,808) || 15–9–4 || 34|- style="background:#cfc;"| 29 || 11 || 7:30 PM || New York Islanders || 2–9 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,972) || 16–9–4 || 36|- style="background:#fcf;"| 30 || 13 || 1:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–6 || Philadelphia Flyers || Wells Fargo Center (19,811) || 16–10–4 || 36|- style="background:#cfc;"| 31 || 18 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–3 || Atlanta Thrashers || Philips Arena (15,124) || 17–10–4 || 38|- style="background:#fcf;"| 32 || 20 || 7:00 PM || Toronto Maple Leafs || 7–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,053) || 17–11–4 || 38|- style="background:#cfc;"| 33 || 22 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 OT || Buffalo Sabres || First Niagara Center (18,690) || 18–11–4 || 40|- style="background:#fcf;"| 34 || 23 || 7:30 PM || Tampa Bay Lightning || 2–0 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,064) || 18–12–4 || 40|- style="background:#cfc;"| 35 || 26 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 1–0 || New Jersey Devils || Prudential Center (16,921) || 19–12–4 || 42|- style="background:#fcf;"| 36 || 27 || 7:00 PM || Montreal Canadiens || 3–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 19–13–4 || 42|- style="background:#fcf;"| 37 || 30 || 7:30 PM || Boston Bruins || 5–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 19–14–4 || 42|-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 38 || 1 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–4 || Boston Bruins || TD Garden (17,565) || 19–15–4 || 42|- style="background:#fcf;"| 39 || 3 || 1:00 PM || Florida Panthers || 6–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,042) || 19–16–4 || 42|- style="background:#fcf;"| 40 || 5 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 0–4 || New York Rangers || Madison Square Garden (IV) (18,200) || 19–17–4 || 42|- style="background:#cfc;"| 41 || 6 || 7:30 PM || Atlanta Thrashers || 1–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,975) || 20–17–4 || 44|- style="background:#fcf;"| 42 || 8 || 8:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–5 || Nashville Predators || Bridgestone Arena (14,297) || 20–18–4 || 44|- style="background:#fcf;"| 43 || 10 || 3:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–5 || Colorado Avalanche || Pepsi Center (17,908) || 20–19–4 || 44|- style="background:#cfc;"| 44 || 13 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–2 || Philadelphia Flyers || Wells Fargo Center (19,872) || 21–19–4 || 46|- style="background:#fcf;"| 45 || 14 || 7:30 PM || Washington Capitals || 6–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,975) || 21–20–4 || 46|- style="background:#cfc;"| 46 || 16 || 7:30 PM || Anaheim Ducks || 1–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,005) || 22–20–4 || 48|- style="background:#cfc;"| 47 || 18 || 12:30 PM || New York Rangers || 0–3 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,024) || 23–20–4 || 50|- style="background:#fcf;"| 48 || 20 || 7:30 PM || Carolina Hurricanes || 2–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,972) || 23–21–4 || 50|- style="background:#cfc;"| 49 || 28 || 7:30 PM || New York Rangers || 2–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,965) || 24–21–4 || 52|- style="background:#ffc;"| 50 || 30 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–4 OT || New Jersey Devils || Prudential Center (17,625) || 24–21–5 || 53|- style="background:#fcf;"| 51 || 31 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–5 || Toronto Maple Leafs || Air Canada Centre (19,570) || 24–22–5 || 53|-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 52 || 3 || 7:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–4 || Montreal Canadiens || Bell Centre (21,273) || 24–23–5 || 53|- style="background:#cfc;"| 53 || 4 || 7:30 PM || Tampa Bay Lightning || 3–4 OT || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,977) || 25–23–5 || 55|- style="background:#cfc;"| 54 || 6 || 7:30 PM || Columbus Blue Jackets || 1–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,050) || 26–23–5 || 57|- style="background:#fcf;"| 55 || 8 || 12:30 PM || Detroit Red Wings || 3–0 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 26–24–5 || 57|- style="background:#cfc;"| 56 || 11 || 7:30 PM || San Jose Sharks || 1–2 SO || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,034) || 27–24–5 || 59|- style="background:#fcf;"| 57 || 14 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–6 || Toronto Maple Leafs || Air Canada Centre (19,365) || 27–25–5 || 59|- style="background:#ffc;"| 58 || 16 || 2:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 SO || New York Islanders || Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (16,234) || 27–25–6 || 60|- style="background:#cfc;"| 59 || 19 || 7:00 PM || Montreal Canadiens || 4–5 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,968) || 28–25–6 || 62|- style="background:#cfc;"| 60 || 21 || 1:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–4 || Philadelphia Flyers || Wells Fargo Center (19,992) || 29–25–6 || 64|- style="background:#fcf;"| 61 || 22 || 12:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–5 || Washington Capitals || Verizon Center (18,277) || 29–26–6 || 64|- style="background:#cfc;"| 62 || 25 || 7:30 PM || New York Islanders || 0–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (16,975) || 30–26–6 || 66|- style="background:#cfc;"| 63 || 27 || 8:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 5–4 OT || Chicago Blackhawks || United Center (22,689) || 31–26–6 || 68|-|- style="background:#cfc;"| 64 || 1 || 3:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–1 || Dallas Stars || American Airlines Center (18,532) || 32–26–6 || 70|- style="background:#cfc;"| 65 || 3 || 7:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–1 || Tampa Bay Lightning || Amalie Arena (19,908) || 33–26–6 || 72|- style="background:#cfc;"| 66 || 5 || 7:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–1 || Florida Panthers || BB&T Center (18,933) || 34–26–6 || 74|- style="background:#cfc;"| 67 || 8 || 3:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 4–3 SO || Washington Capitals || Verizon Center (18,277) || 35–26–6 || 76|- style="background:#cfc;"| 68 || 10 || 7:30 PM || Florida Panthers || 3–4 SO || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 36–26–6 || 78|- style="background:#ffc;"| 69 || 12 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–4 SO || Columbus Blue Jackets || Nationwide Arena (19,167) || 36–26–7 || 79|- style="background:#ffc;"| 70 || 14 || 3:00 PM || Ottawa Senators || 4–3 SO || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 36–26–8 || 80|- style="background:#cfc;"| 71 || 15 || 3:00 PM || Boston Bruins || 4–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 37–26–8 || 82|- style="background:#cfc;"| 72 || 17 || 7:30 PM || Atlanta Thrashers || 2–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,088) || 38–26–8 || 84|- style="background:#cfc;"| 73 || 20 || 7:30 PM || Los Angeles Kings || 1–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 39–26–8 || 86|- style="background:#fcf;"| 74 || 22 || 12:30 PM || Philadelphia Flyers || 3–1 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 39–27–8 || 86|- style="background:#cfc;"| 75 || 25 || 7:30 PM || Calgary Flames || 0–2 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,083) || 40–27–8 || 88|- style="background:#cfc;"| 76 || 28 || 1:00 PM || New York Rangers || 3–4 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,110) || 41–27–8 || 90|-|- style="background:#cfc;"| 77 || 1 || 7:30 PM || New Jersey Devils || 1–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 42–27–8 || 92|- style="background:#ffc;"| 78 || 4 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–3 OT || Carolina Hurricanes || PNC Arena (18,680) || 42–27–9 || 93|- style="background:#fcf;"| 79 || 5 || 5:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 2–4 || Florida Panthers || BB&T Center (18,232) || 42–28–9 || 93|- style="background:#cfc;"| 80 || 7 || 7:30 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 6–4 || Tampa Bay Lightning || Amalie Arena (19,538) || 43–28–9 || 95|- style="background:#cfc;"| 81 || 9 || 7:30 PM || New York Islanders || 1–6 || Pittsburgh Penguins || Civic Arena (17,132) || 44–28–9 || 97|- style="background:#cfc;"| 82 || 11 || 7:00 PM || Pittsburgh Penguins || 3–1 || Montreal Canadiens || Bell Centre (21,273) || 45–28–9 || 99|-|-| Legend:      = Win      = Loss      = OT/SO Loss

Standings

Divisional standings
Conference standings

Detailed records

Final[77]

Eastern Conference
AtlanticGPWLOTSHOTSGFGAPPPKFO W–L
6 3 1 2 148–216 16 12 4–25 1–26 149–161
6 5 0 1 202–153 27 12 5–26 4–23 202–179
6 3 1 2 171–193 17 15 2–31 3–23 148–168
6 4 2 0 166–168 21 21 5–29 7–28 172–166
Pittsburgh Penguins
Division Total 24 15 4 5 687–730 81 60 16–111 15–100 671–674
NortheastGPWLOTSHOTSGFGAPPPKFO W–L
4 2 2 0 132–127 12 14 2–19 5–23 108–136
4 2 2 0 109–119 15 13 4–22 3–18 130–120
4 2 2 0 128–111 12 12 1–16 1–10 97–112
4 1 2 1 110–132 10 13 2–21 3–18 108–122
4 1 3 0 101–134 13 19 3–13 5–22 115–109
Division Total 20 8 11 1 580–623 62 71 12–91 17–91 558–599
SoutheastGPWLOTSHOTSGFGAPPPKFO W–L
4 4 0 0 111–102 18 8 8–20 3–20 115–121
4 2 1 1 125–131 12 8 4–13 2–14 109–135
4 2 2 0 170–103 11 14 1–17 3–14 132–110
4 3 1 0 114–123 13 10 4–18 1–16 83–118
4 1 3 0 110–138 12 18 6–24 5–17 121–120
Division Total 20 12 7 1 630–597 66 58 23–92 14–81 560–604
Conference Total 64 35 22 7 1897–1950 209 189 51–294 46–272 1789–1877
Western Conference
CentralGPWLOTSHOTSGFGAPPPKFO W–L
1 1 0 0 28–45 5 4 1–4 3–7 27–34
2 1 0 1 66–62 7 5 2–5 1–11 61–67
2 1 1 0 59–63 7 9 1–9 4–8 54–66
1 0 1 0 25–35 3 5 0–3 1–3 36–37
1 1 0 0 28–22 6 3 1–5 0–3 36–27
Division Total 7 4 2 1 206–227 28 26 5–26 9–32 214–231
NorthwestGPWLOTSHOTSGFGAPPPKFO W–L
1 1 0 0 28–31 2 0 1–2 0–5 29–21
1 0 1 0 24–32 3 5 1–1 1–1 22–35
1 1 0 0 34–31 5 4 1–6 0–4 39–21
1 0 0 1 25–25 1 2 0–4 0–2 32–24
1 0 1 0 19–19 1 3 0–4 0–2 28–24
Division Total 5 2 2 1 130–138 12 14 3–17 1–14 150–125
PacificGPWLOTSHOTSGFGAPPPKFO W–L
1 1 0 0 24–22 3 1 0–3 1–4 26–20
1 1 0 0 23–21 4 1 1–6 1–6 30–27
1 1 0 0 26–25 4 1 1–4 1–8 21–31
1 0 1 0 28–30 1 4 1–5 1–4 30–25
2 1 1 0 47–71 3 3 0–5 0–7 50–59
Division Total 6 4 2 0 148–169 15 10 3–23 4–29 157–162
Conference Total 18 10 6 2 484–534 55 50 11–66 14–75 521–518
NHL Total 82 45 28 9 2381–2484 264 239 62–360 60–347 2310–2395

Stanley Cup playoffs

See main article: 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs.

The Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season. They earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and home-ice advantage in the opening round match-up against the Philadelphia Flyers, following a loss by the Flyers on the last day of the regular season.[78] For the second consecutive season, the Penguins erected a 12 by 16 foot LED screen on the lawn directly outside Mellon Arena, allowing fans to watch all playoff games, free of charge.[79] After defeating Philadelphia, the Penguins beat the Washington Capitals and the Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins faced the Detroit Red Wings, defeating them in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. The final game of the season drew a 42.2 television rating in Pittsburgh—the highest local rating in any city since the NHL began to track the figure.[80]

Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

The Penguins won Game 1 of the series 4–1, with goals from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy and defenseman Mark Eaton.[81] "It was a good [night] for me," said Malkin, "It was a good [night] for everybody."[82] Flyers head coach John Stevens was fined US$10,000 and forward Daniel Carcillo was suspended by the NHL for the second game of the series for a hit to Maxime Talbot's head immediately following a faceoff with seven seconds left in the game; Carcillo was not penalized at the time of the hit.[83] In Game 2, Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 38 saves.[84] Bill Guerin scored two goals, including the game winner in overtime, and the Penguins won 3–2.[85] With the Penguins up two games to zero, the series moved to Philadelphia for Game 3. After falling behind 2–0, goals from Malkin and Rob Scuderi tied the game. Malkin added his second goal of the game in the final period; however, Philadelphia won the game 6–3.[86] In Game 4, Fleury stopped 45 shots, giving up one goal as the Penguins won 3–1. Crosby scored his second goal of the playoffs and Tyler Kennedy added the game winner.[87] The Penguins were unable to clinch the series in Game 5 at Mellon Arena. A goal by Malkin was taken away after it was determined that he had kicked the puck into the net; Martin Biron stopped 28 shots for the shutout.[88] Pittsburgh viewers were unable to see approximately 30 minutes of the second period after a lightning strike at a FSN Pittsburgh network facility in Atlanta caused the station to temporarily black out.[89]

In Game 6, the Flyers lead 3–0 four minutes into the second period. Maxime Talbot fought Daniel Carcillo after the Flyers tallied their third goal and the Penguins, re-energized by Talbot's display, scored three goals in what remained of the second period to tie the game 3–3. Sergei Gonchar scored his first goal of the series, his first in 23 playoff games dating back to game two of the Penguins' first-round series against Ottawa in 2008, to break the tie at 2:19 of the third period. Crosby added an empty-net goal and the Penguins eliminated the Flyers and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.[90] Three days after the Penguins series-clinching victory of the Flyers, the Penguins announced that Head Coach Dan Bylsma had signed a multi-year contract extension with the team.[91]

Eastern Conference semi-finals

The Penguins drew a matchup with the Washington Capitals in the second round semi-finals. The anticipation for the series was high considering the rivalry between the teams and star players, most notably Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins and Alexander Ovechkin and Alexander Semin of the Capitals.[92] [93] [94] The first three games in the series were scheduled for national television in the U.S., with game one on NBC and games two and three on Versus.[95]

Game 1 was held in Washington, where Capitals owner Ted Leonsis took steps to prevent Penguins' fans from purchasing tickets, such as not selling tickets to customers whose 724 or 412 area code indicated they were from Western Pennsylvania.[96] Crosby scored to give the Penguins a first period lead, but Washington scored two goals before the conclusion of the period. Mark Eaton tied the game in the second period, but Washington's Semyon Varlamov held the Penguins scoreless for the remainder of the game as the Capitals took a 1–0 lead in the series.[97] The game had 40% more viewers than playoff games the previous season.[98] In Game 2, Ovechkin and Crosby scored three goals each, though Dave Steckel's second period goal was the difference as Washington won 4–3.[99]

The series moved to Pittsburgh for Game 3 with the Penguins down 2–0. Goals from Ruslan Fedotenko, Nicklas Backstrom, Ovechkin and Malkin left the game tied after regulation. Kris Letang scored a powerplay goal 11 minutes into overtime, winning the game for the Penguins.[100] [101] Pittsburgh tied the series at two games apiece after a 5–3 Game 4 victory at Mellon Arena. After a Washington goal scored less than a minute into regulation, the Penguins responded with three goals in the first period. The Penguins' five goals came from five different players.[102] [103] During the first period, Sergei Gonchar was forced to leave the game after a knee-on-knee hit from Ovechkin;[104] Gonchar returned to the Penguins' line-up for Game 7.[105] Game 5 took place in Washington, D.C., the next day, due to the scheduling of a Yanni concert in Pittsburgh.[106] After a scoreless first period, Washington took a 2–1 lead in the second. Fedotenko tied the game less than a minute into the third period, but a goal by Matt Cooke was matched by Ovechkin and the game went into overtime. With one second remaining in their second powerplay of the game, Malkin scored to give the Penguins their third consecutive victory.[107] [108] Game 6 was the third overtime game of the series. Washington forced a seventh game with a 5–4 victory. Nine different players scored goals in the game.[109] [110]

In the final game of the series, Pittsburgh scored two goals within eight seconds of one another to take a 2–0 lead after Fleury stopped Ovechkin on a breakaway. Pittsburgh scored three more goals in the second period, extending their lead to 5–0, before Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the series. Each team added a goal in the final period to end the game with a 6–2 final score.[111] [112] Ovechkin scored eight goals and added six assists in the series, while Crosby tallied eight goals and five assists. Crosby's 13-point tally in the series totalled one less than Ovechkin's 14 points, which was the highest single-series point total since the 1995 playoffs.[111] While shaking hands following the final game, Crosby told Ovechkin he had played a "great series," to which Ovechkin responded, "win the Stanley Cup."[113]

Eastern Conference Final

Pittsburgh faced the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, after Carolina defeated the Boston Bruins and New Jersey Devils. The series opened in Pittsburgh, where Miroslav Satan and Philippe Boucher scored their first goals of the playoffs. Marc-Andre Fleury was named the game's third star after making 23 saves and helping the Penguins to a 3–2 victory.[114] In Game 2, Malkin scored a hat-trick and Chris Kunitz scored his first goal of the playoffs as the Penguins won 7–4, taking a two games to none series lead.[115] [116] In Game 3, Malkin scored two goals and Crosby scored one as the Penguins took a 3–1 lead into the first intermission. After a scoreless second period, the Hurricanes came within a goal after Sergei Samsonov scored less than two minutes into the final period, but goals by Fedotenko, Craig Adams and Guerin gave the Penguins a 6–2 victory.[117] The series concluded with the Penguins sweeping, four games to none.[118] In the series' fourth game, Pittsburgh gave up the initial goal less than two minutes into the opening period, but goals from Fedotenko and Talbot gave them the lead after the first period. A second period goal from Guerin and an empty netter from Adams sealed the Penguins' victory in the game and the series.[119]

Following Game 4, Crosby hoisted the Prince of Wales Trophy after refusing to touch it the previous season. As team captain, Mario Lemieux hoisted the Prince of Wales Trophy in 1991 and 1992, and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup each time.

Stanley Cup Finals

See main article: 2009 Stanley Cup Finals.

For the second consecutive season, the Penguins played the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Finals, marking the first time in 25 years that two teams played each other in consecutive Finals.[120] Tickets for Games 3 and 4, which were hosted at Mellon Arena, sold out in 10 minutes.[121] In the first game of the series, the Red Wings scored the first goal when a puck shot by Brad Stuart ricocheted off the boards behind the goal, then bounced off Marc-Andre Fleury and into the net. Ruslan Fedotenko, with an assist from Evgeni Malkin, tied the game before the conclusion of the first period. Detroit went on to score a goal in each of the final two periods to win Game 1, 3–1.[122] [123] Evgeni Malkin scored a powerplay goal in the first period of game two, but the Penguins were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest; falling 3–1 for a second consecutive game.[124]

With the Penguins down two games to none, the series shifted to Pittsburgh for Game 3. After a 2–2 first period and a scoreless second period, Sergei Gonchar and Maxime Talbot each scored a goal in the third period to give the Penguins a 4–2 victory.[125] In Game 4, the Penguins tied the Red Wings at two games apiece with three unanswered goals in the second period, including a shorthanded goal by Jordan Staal.[126] With the series returning to Detroit, the Red Wings took a three games to two lead in the series with a 5–0 win.[127] Staal and Tyler Kennedy scored as the Penguins tied the series at three games apiece in a 2–1 game six victory.[128] In the seventh and final game of the series, Maxime Talbot scored two goals and Fleury made 23 saves as the Penguins won their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.[129]

Evgeni Malkin won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.[130] Fans celebrated in the streets of Pittsburgh after the game, with the Stanley Cup victory coming four months after the Pittsburgh Steelers' victory in Super Bowl XLIII.[131] Two days after the victory, 375,000 people attended a parade of the Cup through downtown Pittsburgh.[132]

Playoff log

|- style="background:#cfc;"| 1 || April 15||Philadelphia||1–4||Pittsburgh|| ||Crosby, Kennedy, Malkin, Eaton||Gagne||Fleury (1–0)||17,132||1–0||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030141|- style="background:#cfc;"| 2 || April 17||Philadelphia||2–3||Pittsburgh||18:29||Malkin, Guerin, Guerin (OT)||Hartnell, Powe||Fleury (2–0)||17,132||2–0||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030142|- style="background:#fcf;"| 3 || April 19||Pittsburgh||3–6||Philadelphia|| ||Malkin, Scuderi, Malkin||Carter, Richards, Giroux,
Gagne, Ross, Gagne (en) ||Fleury (2–1)||19,745||2–1||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030143|- style="background:#cfc;"| 4 || April 21||Pittsburgh||3–1||Philadelphia|| ||Crosby, Kennedy, Talbot (en)||Carcillo||Fleury (3–1)||19,745||3–1||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030144|- style="background:#fcf;"| 5 || April 23||Philadelphia||3–0||Pittsburgh|| || ||Asham, Giroux, Knuble||Fleury (3–2)||17,132||3–2||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030145|- style="background:#cff;"| 6 || April 25||Pittsburgh||5–3||Philadelphia|| ||Fedotenko, Eaton, Crosby,
Gonchar, Crosby (en)||Knuble, Lupul, Briere||Fleury (4–2)||20,072||4–2||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030146|-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 1 ||May 2||Pittsburgh||2–3||Washington|| ||Crosby, Eaton||Steckel, Ovechkin, Fleischmann||Fleury (4–3)||18,277||0–1||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030221|- style="background:#fcf;"| 2 ||May 4||Pittsburgh||3–4||Washington|| ||Crosby (3)||Ovechkin, Steckel, Ovechkin (2)||Fleury (4–4)||18,277|| 0–2||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030222|- style="background:#cfc;"| 3 ||May 6||Washington||2–3||Pittsburgh||11:23||Fedotenko, Malkin, Letang ||Ovechkin, Backstrom||Fleury (5–4)||17,132||1–2||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030223|- style="background:#cfc;"| 4 ||May 8||Washington||3–5||Pittsburgh||||Gonchar, Guerin, Fedotenko, Crosby, Talbot||Backstrom, Clark, Jurcina||Fleury (6–4)||17,132||2–2||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030224|- style="background:#cfc;"| 5 ||May 9||Pittsburgh||4–3||Washington||3:28||Staal, Fedotenko, Cooke, Malkin||Ovechkin, Backstrom, Ovechkin||Fleury (7–4)||18,277||3–2||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030225|- style="background:#fcf;"| 6 ||May 11||Washington||5–4||Pittsburgh||6:22||Guerin, Eaton, Letang, Crosby||Kozlov, Fleischmann, Laich, Kozlov, Steckel||Fleury (7–5)||17,132||3–3||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030226|- style="background:#cff;"| 7 ||May 13||Pittsburgh||6–2||Washington|| ||Crosby, Adams, Guerin, Letang, Staal, Crosby||Ovechkin, Laich||Fleury (8–5)||18,277||4–3||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030227|-|- style="background:#cfc;"| 1 ||May 18||Carolina||2–3||Pittsburgh|| ||Satan, Malkin, Boucher||LaRose, Corvo||Fleury (9–5)||17,132||1–0||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030311|- style="background:#cfc;"| 2 ||May 21||Carolina||4–7||Pittsburgh|| ||Crosby, Malkin, Talbot, Kunitz, Malkin 2, Kennedy||Larose, Jokinen, Seidenberg, Eaves||Fleury (10–5)||17,132||2–0||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030312|- style="background:#cfc;"| 3 ||May 23|| Pittsburgh||6–2||Carolina|| ||Malkin, Crosby, Malkin, Fedotenko, Adams, Guerin||Cullen, Samsonov||Fleury (11–5)||18,789||3–0||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030313|- style="background:#cff;"| 4 ||May 26|| Pittsburgh||4–1||Carolina|| ||Fedotenko, Talbot, Guerin, Adams||Staal||Fleury (12–5)||18,680||4–0||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030314|-|- style="background:#fcf;"| 1 ||May 30||Pittsburgh||1–3||Detroit||||Fedotenko||Stuart, Franzen, Abdelkader||Fleury (12–6)||20,066||0–1||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030411|- style="background:#fcf;"| 2 ||May 31||Pittsburgh||1–3||Detroit||||Malkin||Ericsson, Filppula, Abdelkader||Fleury (12–7)||20,066||0–2||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030412|- style="background:#cfc;"| 3 ||June 2||Detroit||2–4||Pittsburgh||||Talbot, Letang, Gonchar, Talbot||Zetterberg, Franzen||Fleury (13–7)||17,132||1–2||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030413|- style="background:#cfc;"| 4 ||June 4||Detroit||2–4||Pittsburgh||||Malkin, Staal, Crosby, Kennedy ||Helm, Stuart||Fleury (14–7)||17,132||2–2||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030414|- style="background:#fcf;"| 5 ||June 6||Pittsburgh||0–5||Detroit|| || ||Cleary, Filppula, Kronwall, Rafalski, Zetterberg||Fleury (14–8)||20,066||2–3||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030415|- style="background:#cfc;"| 6 ||June 9||Detroit||1–2||Pittsburgh|| ||Staal, Kennedy||Draper||Fleury (15–8)||17,132||3–3||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030416|- style="background:#cff;"| 7 ||June 12||Pittsburgh||2–1||Detroit|| ||Talbot (2)||Ericsson||Fleury (16–8)||20,066||4–3||http://www.nhl.com/ice/recap.htm?id=2008030417|-|-| Legend:      = Win      = Loss      = Playoff series win

Player statistics

Skaters
Regular Season[133]
Playerdata-sort-type="number"
82 35 78 113 17 80
77 33 70 103 3 76
82 22 27 49 5 37
76 25 21 46 3 36
65 16 23 39 18 44
65 17 19 36 3 36
67 15 20 35 15 30
74 10 23 33 -7 24
76 13 18 31 0 101
71 12 16 28 1 30
75 12 10 22 -9 63
45 6 14 20 5 16
25 6 13 19 6 26
79 2 17 19 10 73
20 7 11 18 3 16
81 1 15 16 23 18
28 2 11 13 -15 16
17 5 7 12 3 18
62 2 8 10 11 53
68 4 5 9 3 36
25 3 3 6 10 24
22 2 4 6 -2 27
71 2 2 4 -3 171
16 2 1 3 -4 2
20 1 2 3 0 4
14 1 2 3 4 0
8 1 1 2 5 2
8 0 2 2 -4 2
16 0 2 2 2 7
5 1 0 1 -1 4
9 0 1 1 0 0
15 0 1 1 -1 22
1 0 0 0 0 0
2 0 0 0 1 2
7 0 0 0 -3 0
2 0 0 0 0 0
Total 258 447 705 1,096
Playoffs[134]
Playerdata-sort-type="number"
24 14 22 36 3 51
24 15 16 31 9 14
24 7 8 15 8 15
24 7 7 14 9 4
22 3 11 14 3 12
24 1 13 14 3 19
24 8 5 13 8 19
23 4 9 13 1 26
24 5 4 9 -1 4
24 4 5 9 -5 8
24 4 3 7 4 10
24 1 6 7 -2 22
17 1 5 6 1 11
24 3 2 5 -1 16
24 1 4 5 5 6
9 1 3 4 -2 4
24 0 4 4 -1 22
24 0 2 2 8 6
7 0 1 1 -3 0
2 0 1 1 -1 0
16 0 0 0 -5 8
Total 79 131 210 277
Goaltenders
Regular Season[135]
Player
62 61 3640:59 35 18 7 162 2.67 1850 0.912 4 0 1 8
19 16 989:26 6 8 2 47 2.85 463 0.898 0 0 0 2
3 2 149:45 2 1 0 6 2.40 69 0.913 0 0 0 0
4 3 205:53 2 1 0 10 2.91 94 0.894 0 0 0 0
Total 82 4986:03 45 28 9 225 2.71 2476 0.909 4 0 1 10
Playoffs[136]
Player
24 24 1447:18 16 8 -- 63 2.61 686 0.908 0 0 0 2
1 0 24:20 0 0 -- 0 0.00 8 1.000 0 0 0 0
Total 24 1471:38 16 8 0 63 2.57 694 0.909 0 0 0 2
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

Milestones

Regular Season
PlayerMilestoneReached
1st career goal October 5, 2008[138]
100th career goal
200th career assist
300th career point
October 18, 2008
100th career goal October 18, 2008
1st career goal January 1, 2009[139]
Evgeni Malkin 200th career point January 30, 2009[140]
1st career goal February 3, 2009[141]
1000th career game February 4, 2009[142]
100th career win March 1, 2009[143]
800th career point March 5, 2009[144]
300th career goal April 7, 2009[145]
Players who made their NHL debut[146]
Player Notes
2003 fourth round pick
2007 undrafted free agent
2007 sixth round pick
2008 free agent
2008 free agent
2007 fourth round pick
2006 undrafted free agent

Awards

Player Award
All-Star starting forwards[147]
YoungStars sophomore defenceman[148]
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy finalist[149]
Art Ross Trophy (113 points)
Hart Memorial Trophy finalist[150]
Lester B. Pearson Award finalist[151] Conn Smythe Trophy[152]
Mark Messier Leadership Award finalist[153]

Prior to the team's final home game on April 9 against the New York Islanders, the team announced its annual award winners. Awards were given by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Penguins Booster Club, as well as voted amongst the team.[154]

PlayerAwardNotes
Baz Bastien Memorial Award Awarded by the Writers Association for cooperation throughout the season. Sponsor: UPMC Sports Medicine
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy nominee Nominated by the Writers Association for league-wide recognition. Sponsor: Trib Total Media
A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Cup Awarded to the player with the most "three stars" recognitions.
Edward J. DeBartolo Award Awarded for time and effort towards community and charity projects. Sponsor: Verizon Wireless
Defensive Player of the Year Sponsor: CONSOL Energy
Player's Player Award Voted by the team for leadership and teamwork. Sponsor: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield
Sponsor:BNY Mellon

Transactions

Concerns over future player contracts were raised just days after the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals.[155] Approximately a dozen players, including Marian Hossa, Jarkko Ruutu, Ryan Malone and Brooks Orpik, had fulfilled the final year on their contracts.[156] [157] On June 28, the Penguins traded the contract negotiation rights to Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone to the Tampa Bay Lightning for a conditional draft pick; it became a third-round pick when both Malone and Roberts signed with the Lightning on June 30. Evgeni Malkin was offered a contract from a Russian team in the newly formed Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) worth approximately $12.5 million, tax exempt, per year, which would make him the highest-paid hockey player in the world.[158] However, Malkin turned down the offer to remain with the Penguins, and the IIHF released a statement saying that it would not honor the offer, as Malkin was already under an existing contract with the Penguins at the time.[159] [160] Malkin agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $8.7 million per year—the same value as Sidney Crosby's contract—with the Penguins on July 2.[161] On July 3, the Penguins agreed to a seven-year deal with restricted free agent goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in addition to one-year contracts with free agents Miroslav Satan and Ruslan Fedotenko.[162] On October 8, the Penguins made several roster adjustments, placing Kris Beech, who was already in Europe looking for a new team, on unconditional waivers and sending Janne Pesonen, John Curry and Jeff Taffe, who first had to clear waivers,[163] to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.[164] The next day, on October 9, the Penguins acquired Michael Zigomanis from Phoenix for future considerations.[163] On December 19, the team extended their agreement with Maxime Talbot for an additional two seasons.[165]

Trades
June 28, 2008[166] [167] To Tampa Bay Lightning
Gary Roberts
Ryan Malone
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Conditional 3rd- or 4th-round pick in 2009
July 17, 2008[168] To Chicago Blackhawks
Tim Brent
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Danny Richmond
October 1, 2008[169] To Tampa Bay Lightning
Michal Sersen
To Pittsburgh Penguins
5th-round pick in 2009
October 9, 2008To Phoenix Coyotes
Future considerations
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Michael Zigomanis
November 16, 2008[170] To Dallas Stars
Darryl Sydor
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Philippe Boucher
December 19, 2008[171] To St. Louis Blues
Jonathan Filewich
To Pittsburgh Penguins
6th-round pick in 2010
January 5, 2009[172] To Montreal Canadiens
T. J. Kemp
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Conditional 7th-round pick in 2010
January 17, 2009[173] To Edmonton Oilers
Dany Sabourin
Ryan Stone
4th-round pick in 2011
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Mathieu Garon
February 26, 2009[174] To Anaheim Ducks
Ryan Whitney
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Chris Kunitz
Eric Tangradi
March 4, 2009[175] To St. Louis Blues
Danny Richmond
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Andy Wozniewski
March 4, 2009To New York Islanders
Conditional pick in 2009
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Bill Guerin
Free agents signed by Pittsburgh
Player Former team Contract Terms
Calgary Flames3 years[176]
New York Islanders1 year, $3.5 million[177]
New York Islanders1 year, $2.5 million
Washington Capitals2 years, $2.4 million[178]
Karpat (SM-liiga)1 year[179]
Norfolk Admirals (AHL)1 year[180]
Springfield Falcons (AHL)1 year
1 year[181]
1 year[182]
Undrafted free agent 3 years[183]
Signed with new team
Player New team Contract Terms
Detroit Red Wings1 year, $750,000[184]
Detroit Red Wings1 year, $7.45 million[185]
Ottawa Senators3 years, $3.9 million[186]
Montreal Canadiens3 years, $4.5 million[187]
New York Islanders1 year[188]
Colorado AvalancheTerms unknown[189]
Sinupret Ice Tigers (DEL)2 years[190]
1 year[191]
Claimed from waivers
Date Player Previous team
March 4, 2009Chicago Blackhawks

Draft picks

The 2008 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 20–21, 2008, in Ottawa, Ontario. The Penguins did not make their first selection until the fourth round, at 120th overall.[192]

RoundPlayerPosNationalityCollege/Junior/Club team (League)
4120Nathan MoonCenterKingston Frontenacs (OHL)
5150Alexander PechurskiGoaltenderMetallurg Magnitogorsk-2 (RUS-3)
6180Patrick KilleenGoaltenderBrampton Battalion (OHL)
7210Nicholas D'AgostinoDefenseSt. Michael's Buzzers (OPJHL)
Draft notes[193]

Farm teams

Pittsburgh's American Hockey League affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, finished the 2008–09 season third in the East Division.

Chris Minard, the AHL's leading goal scorer at time of announcement, was selected as a starter for Team Canada in the 2009 All Star Classic. Jeff Taffe and Ben Lovejoy were selected as reserves for the PlanetUSA team. All three players were under two-way NHL contracts and played games with Pittsburgh during the season. In the game, Taffe scored three goals and recorded two assists.[197]

Janne Pesonen, who signed a contract with the Penguins in July 2008, finished the 2008–09 season as the AHL's fourth-leading scorer, set a new record for points in a single season for the team, surpassing Toby Petersen's 67-point season in 2000–01, and his 82 points were the most ever by a Finn in AHL history.[198] [199]

The ECHL affiliate Wheeling Nailers finished the season fourth in the Northern Division, and were eliminated in the first round of the 2009 Kelly Cup Playoffs.

The Nailers had three players selected for the 2009 ECHL All-Star Game, all reserve forwards. Nick Johnson, the only Penguins prospect, was drafted by the team 67th overall in 2004 and signed an entry-level contract with the organization in March 2008. Johnson did not play in the All-Star Game because he finished the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Media affiliates

WXDX-FM 105.9 of Pittsburgh was the radio flagship station for the Penguins for the third season. In April, the team and the station agreed to a six-year contract extension. Mike Lange, former Penguin Phil Bourque and Bob Grove were the station's broadcasters.[200]

FSN Pittsburgh was the primary television network. Paul Steigerwald, Dan Potash, Rob King, and former Penguins Bob Errey and Jay Caufield were the station's broadcast team. During the semi-final playoff round against the Washington Capitals, game five set a record as the highest watched game on any FSN regional network in history. It was then surpassed by games six and seven; the final game of the series drew a 24.97 average rating—twice the viewers than the second most watched show of the evening.[201]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NHL Attendance – 2009. April 14, 2009 . ESPN. https://web.archive.org/web/20090306090642/http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/attendance. March 6, 2009 . live.
  2. Web site: Shero's Firm and Honest Approach has Set the Tone for the Penguins' Organization - Pittsburgh Penguins - Features . October 14, 2010 . September 24, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100924132224/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=538011 . live .
  3. Web site: Guerin appreciative of fresh start with Pittsburgh - NHL.com - Fresh Starts . October 14, 2010 . April 10, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090410000722/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=416957#&navid=nhl-search . live .
  4. News: Anderson . Shelley . Penguins re-sign Therrien . . July 19, 2008 . July 22, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080722234951/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08201/898117-61.stm. July 22, 2008 . dead.
  5. News: Pens Renew 99% Of Season Tickets . PittsburghPenguins.com . July 17, 2008 . July 17, 2008 . March 24, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324180625/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=496091 . live .
  6. Web site: Why wait until September? Here are our Summer Power Rankings. July 29, 2008. Scott Burnside. NHL. ESPN. July 25, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080729065503/http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/columns/story?columnist=burnside_scott&id=3504426. July 29, 2008 . live.
  7. News: Craig. Custance. Power Poll: Gotta go Red Wings for preseason No. 1. Yahoo! Sports. October 2, 2008 . October 2, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081006141138/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/news?slug=powerpollgottagoredwings&prov=tsn&type=lgns. October 6, 2008 . dead.
  8. News: Bob. Smizik. Penguins' bar rises. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 17, 2008 . September 17, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080919114122/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08261/912707-61.stm. September 19, 2008 . dead.
  9. News: Dave. Molinari. Penguins' camp will end as quickly as it begins. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 16, 2008 . September 17, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20080918232715/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08260/912465-61.stm. September 18, 2008 . dead.
  10. News: Crosby, Pens Top Jokerit, 4–1 . PittsburghPenguins.com . October 2, 2008 . October 2, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324180644/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?bcid=384497 . March 24, 2012 . dead . mdy-all .
  11. News: Shelly. Anderson. Training camp takes on Swedish flavor. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 29, 2008. September 29, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081002044047/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08273/915944-61.stm. October 2, 2008 . dead.
  12. News: Penguins confirm Gonchar will miss 4 to 6 months. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. September 30, 2008. September 30, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081003040841/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08274/916220-61.stm. October 3, 2008 . dead.
  13. News: Sergei Gonchar to Undergo Surgery; Sidelined Four to Six Months. PittsburghPenguins.com. September 30, 2008. September 30, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081003040841/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08274/916220-61.stm. October 3, 2008 . dead.
  14. News: Shelly. Anderson. Penguins Orpik, Malkin are named alternate captains. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. October 2, 2008. October 2, 2008. October 5, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081005032935/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08276/916883-100.stm. live.
  15. News: Penguins to Take 25 Players on Sweden Trip Today . PittsburghPenguins.com . September 27, 2008 . September 27, 2008 . March 24, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324180718/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=496178 . live .
  16. News: Mike G.. Morreale. NHL Premiere kicks off 08-09 campaign. Season Preview. NHL.com. October 3, 2008. October 4, 2008. January 9, 2010. https://web.archive.org/web/20100109110422/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=381303. live.
  17. News: Sam. Kasan. Pens Fans Enjoy Watch Party. PittsburghPenguins.com. October 4, 2008. October 4, 2008. March 24, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120324180738/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=496213. live.
  18. News: Rob. Rossi. Outdoor fun awaits Penguins fans. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. October 11, 2008. October 11, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081012044316/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_592765.html. October 12, 2008. dead. mdy-all.
  19. News: AP . Crosby scores 100th NHL goal, adds 200th assist . . October 18, 2008 . October 19, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081023224928/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2008101816&prov=ap. October 23, 2008 . live.
  20. News: Rob. Rossi. Crosby, Malkin shine in Pens' 4–1 victory. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. October 18, 2008. October 19, 2008. https://archive.today/20130131093055/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_594069.html?source=rss&feed=12. January 31, 2013. dead. mdy-all.
  21. News: Gene. Cherry. Ed Osmond. Crosby collects 100th career goal, 300th point in Pens win. Reuters. October 19, 2008. October 19, 2008. August 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065001/https://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSTRE49I0E020081019?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews. live.
  22. News: Rob. Rossi. 'Igloo' chills Penguins' opponents. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. October 24, 2008. October 24, 2008. https://archive.today/20130111095548/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_594982.html?source=rss&feed=12. January 11, 2013. dead. mdy-all.
  23. News: Rob. Rossi. Forbes rates Pens 18th most valuable NHL team. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. October 30, 2008. October 30, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20090519004205/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_595862.html?source=rss&feed=12. May 19, 2009. dead. mdy-all.
  24. News: AP . Penguins' six-game winning streak ends with shootout loss . ESPN . November 18, 2008 . November 29, 2008 . October 25, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121025092728/http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap?gameId=281118016 . dead .
  25. News: Shelly. Anderson. Penguins Notebook: Therrien 'knights' this month's alternate captains. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 2, 2008. November 7, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081208173634/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08307/924766-61.stm. December 8, 2008 . dead.
  26. News: Larry. Lage. Hossa loses to former teammates in Cup rematch. Yahoo! Sports. November 11, 2008. November 12, 2008. May 22, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110522212027/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2008111105&prov=ap. live.
  27. News: Dave. Molinari. Penguins rally to defeat Red Wings in OT, 7–6. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 11, 2008. November 12, 2008. August 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065029/https://old.post-gazette.com/pg/08316/927143-100.stm. live.
  28. Web site: Minnesota Wild vs. Pittsburgh Penguins – Recap . ESPN . November 18, 2008 . December 9, 2010 . November 6, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121106024608/http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/recap/_/id/281118016/minnesota-wild-vs-pittsburgh-penguins . dead .
  29. News: Associated Press. Overtime a normal shift for Penguins. NHL.com. November 19, 2008. November 20, 2008. May 21, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110521194629/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=393325. live.
  30. News: Shelly. Anderson. Penguins Notebook: Fleury still struggling with undisclosed ailment. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. November 25, 2008. March 8, 2015. April 8, 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150408011902/http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/penguins/2008/11/25/Penguins-Notebook-Fleury-still-struggling-with-undisclosed-ailment/stories/200811250139. live.
  31. News: Ira. Podell. Malkin, Crosby rally Penguins in big 3rd period. Yahoo! Sports. November 26, 2008. November 29, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081202022313/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2008112612&prov=ap. December 2, 2008 . live.
  32. News: Associated Press. Malkin leads Penguins past Thrashers. Yahoo! Sports. December 18, 2008. December 19, 2008. May 22, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110522221921/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2008121828&prov=ap. live.
  33. News: Malkin, Crosby deflate Islanders . Dave . Molinari . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . November 27, 2008 . December 9, 2010 . August 19, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065004/https://old.post-gazette.com/pg/08332/931233-61.stm . live .
  34. News: Sam. Kasan. A Tip of the Hat for Crosby. PittsburghPenguins.com. November 29, 2008. November 30, 2008. March 24, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120324180741/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=496400. live.
  35. News: Sam. Kasan. Aftermath: Penguins 4, Devils 1. Game Notes. PittsburghPenguins.com. November 29, 2008. November 30, 2008. March 24, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120324180744/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=496398. live.
  36. News: AO, Malkin and MacDonald top stars of November. NHL.com. December 1, 2008. December 1, 2008. May 21, 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110521200409/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=395469. live.
  37. News: Penguins Notebook: Staal, Cooke tabbed alternate captains for Dec. . December 3, 2008 . Shelly . Anderson . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . December 9, 2010 . December 6, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081206043729/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08338/932309-61.stm . live .
  38. Web site: Sports power brokers: How teams rank in the Turnkey Team Brand Index . Sports Business Journal . December 2, 2008 . December 2, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081203173138/http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/60749. December 3, 2008 . live.
  39. News: Shelly. Anderson. A good mixture of rest, work. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 18, 2008. December 19, 2008. February 8, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090208021922/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08353/935937-61.stm. live.
  40. News: Crosby, Malkin Rank 1–2 in Eastern Conference all-star voting . Dave . Molinari . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . December 10, 2008 . December 9, 2010 . December 15, 2008 . https://web.archive.org/web/20081215172446/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08345/934172-100.stm . live .
  41. News: Alan . Robinson . Pens beat Islanders 9–2 as Sykora finally scores 3 . Yahoo! Sports . December 12, 2008 . December 12, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081214120653/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2008121116&prov=ap. December 14, 2008 . live.
  42. Web site: Crosby tops Jagr's vote record in All-Star fan balloting . NHL.com . December 21, 2008 . December 22, 2008 . March 10, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100310035733/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=399452 . live .
  43. News: Mike. Prisuta. Whitney returns to the lineup. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. December 23, 2008. December 26, 2008. https://archive.today/20130131083344/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_604280.html?source=rss&feed=12. January 31, 2013. dead. mdy-all.
  44. News: Associated Press. Fleury stops 37 shots, Pens beat Devils 1–0. Yahoo! Sports. December 26, 2008. December 26, 2008. https://web.archive.org/web/20081227200652/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2008122611&prov=ap. December 27, 2008 . live.
  45. News: Rob. Rossi. Penguins' loss leads to players-only meeting. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. December 31, 2008. January 2, 2009. https://archive.today/20120907032409/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_605108.html?source=rss&feed=3. September 7, 2012. dead. mdy-all.
  46. News: Gene. Cherry. Peter Rutherford. Rangers' Lundqvist shuts out slumping Penguins. Reuters. January 5, 2009. January 6, 2009. August 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065004/https://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSTRE5050K520090106. live.
  47. News: Dave. Molinari. Penguins master the art of not scoring. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. January 6, 2009. January 6, 2009. August 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065007/https://old.post-gazette.com/pg/09006/939848-13.stm. live.
  48. News: Gene. Cherry. Peter Rutherford. Canadiens dominate East's All-Star starting lineup. Reuters. January 3, 2009. January 4, 2009. August 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065005/https://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSTRE50306820090104. live.
  49. Web site: St. Louis replaces ailing Crosby for Eastern All-Stars . Shawn P. . Roarke . NHL.com . January 22, 2009 . January 22, 2009 . January 30, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090130003119/http://nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=405848 . live .
  50. Web site: Shelly . Anderson . Penguins sign Jordan Staal . January 8, 2009 . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette . January 8, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090122104003/http://post-gazette.com/pg/09008/940438-100.stm. January 22, 2009 . dead.
  51. News: Rob . Rossi . Crosby, other Penguins won't be playing tonight . Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . January 16, 2009 . January 16, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090121111205/http://pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_607506.html?source=rss&feed=8 . January 21, 2009 . dead . mdy-all .
  52. Web site: Pens fail to win third straight . Rob . Rossi . Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . January 21, 2009 . January 21, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090122224752/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_608108.html . January 22, 2009 . dead . mdy-all .
  53. News: Associated Press. Penguins' Boucher out indefinitely. ESPN . February 14, 2009 . February 14, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090218214711/http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3907535. February 18, 2009 . live.
  54. News: Rob. Rossi. Penguins rally for point in loss. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. March 13, 2009. March 13, 2009. https://archive.today/20130201125202/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_615886.html?source=rss&feed=12. February 1, 2013. dead. mdy-all.
  55. News: Dave. Molinari. Therrien fired, Blysma in as Penguins' interim head coach . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 15, 2009. February 15, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090217233702/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09046/949415-100.stm. February 17, 2009 . dead.
  56. News: Dave. Molinari. Bylsma named coach as Pens fire Therrien. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 16, 2009. February 22, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090219170258/http://post-gazette.com/pg/09047/949493-61.stm. February 19, 2009 . dead.
  57. News: Dan. Gelston. Crosby's 2 goals lead Pens past Flyers. Yahoo! Sports. February 21, 2009. February 22, 2009. August 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065010/https://www.yahoo.com/?err=404&err_url=https%3A%2F%2Fsports.yahoo.com%2Fnhl%2Frecap%3B_ylt%3DApmfKFL6ZHT.YLCSjiJsH0x7vLYF%3Fgid%3D2009022115. live.
  58. News: Dave. Molinari. Penguins win, 1–0, pick up two key points. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 26, 2009. February 26, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090226213121/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09057/951846-61.stm. February 26, 2009 . dead.
  59. News: Pens trade defenseman Ryan Whitney to Anaheim. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. February 26, 2009. February 26, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090228082005/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_613565.html. February 28, 2009. dead. mdy-all.
  60. News: Shelly. Anderson. Penguins' Malkin nets overtime winner against Chicago. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. February 28, 2009. February 28, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090303220651/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09059/952389-61.stm. March 3, 2009 . dead.
  61. News: Shelly. Anderson. Penguins stay alive with win over Stars, 4–1. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 1, 2009. March 2, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090306062322/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09060/952539-100.stm. March 6, 2009 . dead.
  62. News: Howard. Fendrich. Crosby lifts Pens over Ovechkin's Caps in shootout. Yahoo! Sports. March 8, 2009. March 9, 2009. October 20, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121020225241/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2009030823&prov=ap. live.
  63. News: Dave. Molinari. Penguins come home with 5–0 record on the road. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. March 8, 2009. March 9, 2009. March 12, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090312003905/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09067/954146-100.stm. live.
  64. News: Rob. Rossi. Penguins' home sellout streak hits 100. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. March 16, 2009. March 16, 2009. https://archive.today/20120906221443/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_616236.html?source=rss&feed=12. September 6, 2012. dead. mdy-all.
  65. News: Malkin surpasses 100 in Pens' win over Thrashers. Yahoo! Sports. March 17, 2009. March 17, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090324064636/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2009031716&prov=ap. March 24, 2009 . live.
  66. News: Pens Hall of Famer Vince Lascheid Passes Away. PittsburghPenguins.com. March 20, 2009. March 22, 2009. March 9, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120309231945/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=496813. live.
  67. News: Lafferty. Tricia. Pens hope to make most of home-ice advantage. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. March 14, 2009. March 14, 2009. https://archive.today/20120908210618/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_616029.html?source=rss&feed=12. September 8, 2012. dead. mdy-all.
  68. News: Jahmal. Corner. Ian Ransom. Penguins rout Devils to move to fourth in East. Reuters. April 2, 2009. April 2, 2009. August 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065104/https://www.reuters.com/article/sportsNews/idUSTRE5310QM20090402?feedType=RSS&feedName=sportsNews&sp=true. live.
  69. News: Record Ratings for Penguins' Regular Season on FSN . PittsburghPenguins.com . April 16, 2009 . April 16, 2009 . March 24, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120324180748/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=496908 . live .
  70. News: Associated Press. Crosby scores twice, Penguins secure playoff spot. Yahoo! Sports. April 7, 2009. April 8, 2009. October 21, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121021022656/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2009040720&prov=ap. live.
  71. News: Rob. Rossi. No Pens playoff tickets left. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. April 8, 2009. April 9, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090410060750/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_619674.html. April 10, 2009. dead. mdy-all.
  72. News: Penguins' Collection Raises More Than $100,000 For Pittsburgh Fallen Heroes Fund. PittsburghPenguins.com. April 9, 2009. April 10, 2009. March 24, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20120324180807/http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=496889. live.
  73. News: Associated Press. Pens score 2 SH goals in 3rd, top Canadiens 3–1. Yahoo! Sports. April 12, 2009. April 12, 2009. October 21, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121021022920/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2009041110&prov=ap. live.
  74. News: Joe. Starkey. The book on Penguins coach Bylsma. Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. April 12, 2009. April 12, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090413111550/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_620304.html. April 13, 2009. dead. mdy-all.
  75. Web site: 2008–09 NHL Conference Standings. NHL.com. April 12, 2009. April 19, 2013. June 19, 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130619213419/http://www.nhl.com/ice/standings.htm?season=20082009&type=con. live.
  76. News: Associated Press. Malkin wins race for Art Ross Trophy. ESPN. April 11, 2009. December 6, 2010. November 6, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121106022656/http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=nhl&id=4061912. live.
  77. Web site: 2008-2009 Pittsburgh Penguins vs All Teams. Pittsburgh Penguins. January 20, 2016. August 19, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210819065014/https://platform.twitter.com/widgets/widget_iframe.f88235f49a156f8b4cab34c7bc1a0acc.html?origin=http%3A%2F%2Fpenguins.ice.nhl.com. live.
  78. News: Ira . Podell . Pens earn home-ice advantage on NHL's last day . NHL . April 13, 2009 . December 6, 2010 . October 22, 2012 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121022041154/http://www.nhl.com/ice/news.htm?id=417974 . live .
  79. News: Tricia . Lafferty . Penguins to host outdoor viewing parties . Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . April 14, 2009 . April 14, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090415103216/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_620484.html . April 15, 2009 . dead . mdy-all .
  80. News: Penguins set ratings mark. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 25, 2009. June 27, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090628100143/http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09176/979782-61.stm. June 28, 2009 . dead.
  81. News: Alan . Robinson . Crosby, Malkin score as Pens beat Flyers 4–1 . Yahoo! Sports . Associated Press . April 15, 2009 . April 16, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090423002705/http://sports.yahoo.com/nhl/recap?gid=2009041516. April 23, 2009 . live.
  82. News: Rob . Rossi . Dropping like Flyers . Pittsburgh Tribune-Review . April 16, 2009 . April 16, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090417080317/http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_620866.html . April 17, 2009 . dead . mdy-all .
  83. News: Carcillo suspended, coach fined for hit . . ESPN . April 16, 2009 . April 17, 2009. https://web.archive.org/web/20090418200656/http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/playoffs/2009/news?id=4075326. April 18, 2009 . dead.
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