This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
Who are the top Pittsburgh Penguins of all time? Here is our top 10 countdown:
10. Rick Kehoe: an early Penguins star in the 1970s and 1980s, Kehoe retired as the franchise career scoring leader, bolstered by five 30+ goal seasons, including a career-best 55 goals in a 1980-1981 season that also saw him win the Lady Byng Trophy.
9. Jean Pronovost: perhaps the team’s first star in the 1970s, Pronovost posted six 30+ goal seasons and 316 total goals during a decade with Pittsburgh, including a career-high 52 goals and 104 points in 1975-1976.
8. Marc-Andre Fleury: the #1 overall pick in 2003, Fleury was a bit up-and-down during his 13 years with the Penguins, but nevertheless holds the franchise record for goalie wins (375) and was an integral part of three Cup-winning teams.
7. Kevin Stevens: one of the best power forwards of the 1990s, Stevens had back-to-back 50+ goal and 100+ point campaigns with Pittsburgh in his prime (as part of four consecutive 40+ goal and 80+ point seasons) as an integral part of the first two Stanley Cup-winning teams.
6. Tom Barrasso: the first American-born goalie to reach 300 career NHL wins, Barrasso spent a dozen years in his prime with the Penguins and won 226 games; notably, he backstopped the team to back-to-back Stanley Cups in the early 1990s and led the NHL in wins while finishing second for the Vezina Trophy in 1992-1993.
5. Ron Francis: second all-time in career assists and fifth all-time in points, Francis averaged well over a point per game during his time with the Penguins while leading the league in assists in back-to-back seasons, winning a pair of Lady Byngs and a Selke Trophy, and winning two Stanley Cups.
4. Evgeni Malkin: despite being overshadowed by his teammate Sidney Crosby, Malkin has been a superstar in his own right: over 1,000 career points, a Calder Trophy, the Hart/Pearson/Ross trifecta in 2011-2012 (plus another Ross Trophy), and three Stanley Cups with a Conn Smythe.
3. Jaromir Jagr: the second-highest point-scorer in NHL history behind only Wayne Gretzky, Jagr played his first 11 years with Pittsburgh and was a 5x Ross Trophy, 2x Pearson Award, and 1x Hart Trophy winner who tallied over 1,000 points in a Penguins uniform and was part of back-to-back championship teams.
2. Sidney Crosby: dubbed “The Next One” and considered the heir apparent to Wayne Gretzky, Crosby has done it all in his NHL career so far while also serving as captain of the Penguins for well over a decade: 1,200+ career points, Hart Trophies (2x), Ross Trophies (2x), Richard Trophies (2x), Pearson Awards (3x), Conn Smythes (2x), and Stanley Cups (3x).
1. Mario Lemieux: despite being slowed by illness and injury at various points in his career, Lemieux is one of the game’s all-time legends – his accomplishments and accolades include 690 goals (second highest goals-per-game average in NHL history) and 1,033 assists for 1,723 career points, three Hart Trophies, six Ross Trophies, four Pearson Awards, and two Conn Smythes while leading the Penguins to back-to-back Stanley Cups in the early 1990s.
Agree/Disagree? As always, debate/discuss, and leave your thoughts and comments below.
Note: All statistics as of time of publication.
More Good Stuff
- Watch: Get tickets to see the Pittsburgh Penguins or any other NHL team in action
- Wear: Buy sports apparel for the Penguins or any other NHL team
- Collect: Buy unique sports memorabilia for the Penguins or your favorite NHL player(s) or team(s)
- Play: Show off your hockey knowledge by playing daily fantasy hockey
- Build: Start your own sports website/blog
Previous
Countdown 100: Top 10 New York Giants of All Time
