1991–92 Pittsburgh Penguins season

NHL team season (won Cup)

1991–92 Pittsburgh Penguins
Stanley Cup champions
Wales Conference champions
Division3rd Patrick
Conference4th Wales
1991–92 record39–32–9
Home record21–13–6
Road record18–19–3
Goals for343 (1st)
Goals against308 (20th)
Team information
General managerCraig Patrick
CoachScotty Bowman
CaptainMario Lemieux
Alternate captainsBob Errey
Kevin Stevens
Bryan Trottier
ArenaCivic Arena
Average attendance15,993
Team leaders
GoalsKevin Stevens (54)
AssistsMario Lemieux (87)
PointsMario Lemieux (131)
Penalty minutesKevin Stevens (252)
Plus/minusLarry Murphy (+33)
WinsTom Barrasso (25)
Goals against averageTom Barrasso (3.53)

The 1991–92 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the Penguins' 25th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The team was coming off of its first-ever Stanley Cup victory in 1990–91, as they defeated the Minnesota North Stars in the Finals in six games. The Penguins, along with the Detroit Red Wings and New York Rangers, had five 30-goal scorers. Six players and three off-ice staff members from the 1991-92 team's year-end roster have been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Off-season

In the off-season, Head Coach Bob Johnson was diagnosed with brain cancer, forcing him to step down, where the Penguins brought in former St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, and Buffalo Sabres head coach Scotty Bowman to replace Johnson. Bowman had previously led the Canadiens to five Stanley Cup championships in the 1970s. Johnson lost his battle to cancer on November 26, 1991, and the Penguins honored him by wearing a patch on the left sleeve of their jersey with his nickname "Badger" written on it along with his birth year and death year.

Regular season

Pittsburgh started the season off very well, and through their first 38 games, they had a record of 22–12–4, earning 48 points and fighting with the Washington Capitals and New York Rangers for first in the Division. The team, along with Mario Lemieux, who missed time due to a back injury, would slump in their next 24 games, going 5–15–4 to slide down to .500 and battling with the New York Islanders and Philadelphia Flyers for the final playoff position in the Division. The Penguins, facing losing defenseman Paul Coffey as a free agent after the season, would deal him to the Los Angeles Kings in a move that looked like they were giving up for the season, however, they would make a move to bring some more grit to the team, acquiring Rick Tocchet, Kjell Samuelsson, and Ken Wregget from Philadelphia for Mark Recchi, and the club would have a 12–5–1 record to close out the season, finishing in third place in the Division and making the playoffs for the second-straight season.

Mario Lemieux led the club offensively, despite missing 16 games to injuries, as he earned an NHL-high 131 points from 44 goals and 87 assists to win the Art Ross Trophy. Kevin Stevens led the team with 54 goals and finished second in League scoring behind Lemieux with 123 points. Joe Mullen also had a solid season, as he scored 42 goals and earned 87 points, while Jaromír Jágr continued to develop, as he recorded 69 points in 70 games. Larry Murphy put up a defense-high 77 points in his first full season with the Penguins.

In goal, Tom Barrasso played the majority of the games, earning a team high 25 victories, along with a team best 3.53 goals against average (GAA), while earning a shutout for the club.

Offensively, the Penguins led the NHL in scoring, with 343 goals for.[1]

On October 29, 1991, the Penguins were shut out at home 8–0 by the Washington Capitals. It was the first time the Penguins had been shut-out in a regular season game since January 2, 1989, when they coincidentally lost 8–0 on the road also to the Capitals. Prior to their home loss against the Caps, the Penguins had gone 211 consecutive regular season games without being shut-out.[2][3][4][5]

Sale to Baldwin and Belzberg

Although owner Edward DeBartolo, Sr. had enjoyed his team winning the Stanley Cup, the elder DeBartolo sought to sell the Penguins, but did not have a deal in place prior to the start of the season. Minnesota North Stars co-owners Howard Baldwin and Morris Belzberg had sold their stakes in that team to fellow co-owner Norman Green following a dispute between the owners, with Baldwin having sold his interest in August and Belzberg selling off in October. Baldwin and Belzberg partnered together to purchase the Penguins, and the NHL approved the deal on November 18, 1991.[6]

Season standings

Patrick Division[7]
GP W L T GF GA Pts
New York Rangers 80 50 25 5 321 246 105
Washington Capitals 80 45 27 8 330 257 98
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 39 32 9 343 308 87
New Jersey Devils 80 38 31 11 289 259 87
New York Islanders 80 34 35 11 291 299 79
Philadelphia Flyers 80 32 37 11 252 273 75
Wales Conference[8]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 p – New York Rangers PAT 80 50 25 5 321 246 105
2 Washington Capitals PAT 80 45 27 8 330 257 98
3 Montreal Canadiens ADM 80 41 28 11 267 207 93
4 Pittsburgh Penguins PAT 80 39 32 9 343 308 87
5 New Jersey Devils PAT 80 38 31 11 289 259 87
6 Boston Bruins ADM 80 36 32 12 270 275 84
7 New York Islanders PAT 80 34 35 11 291 299 79
8 Philadelphia Flyers PAT 80 32 37 11 252 273 75
9 Buffalo Sabres ADM 80 31 37 12 289 299 74
10 Hartford Whalers ADM 80 26 41 13 247 283 65
11 Quebec Nordiques ADM 80 20 48 12 255 318 52

Divisions: ADM – Adams, PAT – Patrick

p – Clinched Presidents' Trophy
bold – Qualified for playoffs


Schedule and results

1991–92 Schedule
October: 5–5–2 (home: 2–3–2 ; road: 3–2–0), 12 Points
# Oct Time (ET) Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
1 4 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 5–4 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 1–0–0 2
2 6 7:35 PM Philadelphia Flyers 2–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 1–0–1 3
3 10 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 2–0–1 5
4 12 7:45 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 New Jersey Devils Brendan Byrne Arena 2–1–1 5
5 15 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 7–6 OT New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 3–1–1 7
6 17 7:35 PM New York Islanders 5–8 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 4–1–1 9
7 19 7:35 PM New York Rangers 5–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 4–2–1 9
8 22 7:35 PM Chicago Blackhawks 4–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 4–2–2 10
9 24 7:35 PM New Jersey Devils 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 4–3–2 10
10 26 8:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum 4–4–2 10
11 29 7:35 PM Washington Capitals 8–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 4–5–2 10
12 31 7:35 PM Minnesota North Stars 1–8 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–5–2 12
November: 8–3–2 (home: 4–1–2 ; road: 4–2–0), 18 Points
# Nov Time (ET) Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
13 2 7:35 PM Hartford Whalers 6–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–6–2 12
14 5 7:35 PM Boston Bruins 5–5 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–6–3 13
15 8 8:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Arena 6–6–3 15
16 9 8:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Minnesota North Stars Met Center 7–6–3 17
17 11 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 7–7–3 17
18 13 7:35 PM Edmonton Oilers 4–5 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 8–7–3 19
19 15 8:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 8–8–3 19
20 18 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 7–3 Quebec Nordiques Colisée de Québec 9–8–3 21
21 20 7:35 PM Philadelphia Flyers 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 10–8–3 23
22 23 7:35 PM New York Islanders 2–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 10–8–4 24
23 27 7:35 PM New Jersey Devils 4–8 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 11–8–4 26
24 29 1:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 9–3 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 12–8–4 28
25 30 7:35 PM Philadelphia Flyers 1–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 13–8–4 30
December: 9–5–0 (home: 3–3–0 ; road: 6–2–0), 18 Points
# Dec Time (ET) Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
26 3 9:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–5 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum 13–9–4 30
27 5 10:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 8–0 San Jose Sharks Cow Palace 14–9–4 32
28 7 8:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 1–6 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena 14–10–4 32
29 10 7:35 PM New York Rangers 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 15–10–4 34
30 13 7:45 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 New Jersey Devils Brendan Byrne Arena 16–10–4 36
31 14 7:35 PM Washington Capitals 7–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 16–11–4 36
32 17 7:35 PM San Jose Sharks 2–10 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 17–11–4 38
33 19 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 6–4 Boston Bruins Boston Garden 18–11–4 40
34 21 7:35 PM New York Rangers 7–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 18–12–4 40
35 23 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 19–12–4 42
36 26 7:35 PM Toronto Maple Leafs 1–12 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 20–12–4 44
37 28 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 6–2 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 21–12–4 46
38 29 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 22–12–4 48
39 31 6:05 PM New Jersey Devils 7–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 22–13–4 48
January: 3–7–1 (home: 1–4–0 ; road: 2–3–0), 7 Points
# Jan Time (ET) Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
40 2 7:45 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 0–4 New Jersey Devils Brendan Byrne Arena 22–14–4 48
41 4 1:35 PM Winnipeg Jets 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 23–14–4 50
42 7 7:35 PM Los Angeles Kings 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 23–15–4 50
43 10 9:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 5–7 Calgary Flames Olympic Saddledome 23–16–4 50
44 12 5:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum 24–16–4 52
45 16 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 OT Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena 24–16–5 53
46 23 7:35 PM Buffalo Sabres 5–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 24–17–5 53
47 25 2:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 25–17–5 55
48 26 12:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 4–6 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 25–18–5 55
49 28 7:35 PM Winnipeg Jets 4–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 25–19–5 55
50 30 7:35 PM New York Islanders 8–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 25–20–5 55
February: 3–7–3 (home: 3–2–2 ; road: 0–5–1), 9 Points
# Feb Time (ET) Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
51 1 1:35 PM St. Louis Blues 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 26–20–5 57
52 3 7:35 PM Detroit Red Wings 4–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 26–20–6 58
53 5 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 26–21–6 58
54 8 2:05 PM Los Angeles Kings 4–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 26–22–6 58
55 9 1:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Boston Bruins Boston Garden 26–23–6 58
56 15 8:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 Minnesota North Stars Met Center 26–24–6 58
57 16 7:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 OT Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 26–24–7 59
58 18 7:35 PM Toronto Maple Leafs 1–7 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 27–24–7 61
59 20 7:35 PM Quebec Nordiques 4–4 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 27–24–8 62
60 22 8:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum 27–25–8 62
61 25 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–5 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 27–26–8 62
62 27 7:35 PM Hartford Whalers 8–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 27–27–8 62
63 29 1:35 PM Buffalo Sabres 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 28–27–8 64
March: 10–3–1 (home: 7–0–0 ; road: 3–3–1), 21 Points
# Mar Time (ET) Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
64 3 9:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 6–3 Calgary Flames Olympic Saddledome 29–27–8 66
65 6 10:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 7–3 San Jose Sharks Cow Palace 30–27–8 68
66 7 10:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–5 Los Angeles Kings Great Western Forum 30–28–8 68
67 10 7:35 PM Calgary Flames 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 31–28–8 70
68 12 7:35 PM New York Islanders 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 32–28–8 72
69 14 8:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens 32–29–8 72
70 15 8:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 Chicago Blackhawks Chicago Stadium 33–29–8 74
71 17 7:35 PM Edmonton Oilers 5–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 34–29–8 76
72 19 7:35 PM Quebec Nordiques 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 35–29–8 78
73 22 7:05 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 OT Hartford Whalers Hartford Civic Center 35–29–9 79
74 24 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena 35–30–9 79
75 26 7:35 PM Vancouver Canucks 3–7 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 36–30–9 81
76 28 8:05 PM Montreal Canadiens 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 37–30–9 83
77 31 7:35 PM Philadelphia Flyers 5–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 38–30–9 85
April: 1–2–0 (home: 1–0–0 ; road: 0–2–0), 2 Points
# Apr Time (ET) Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
78 13 7:45 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 New Jersey Devils Brendan Byrne Arena 38–31–9 85
79 15 7:35 PM Washington Capitals 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 39–31–9 87
80 16 7:35 PM Pittsburgh Penguins 1–7 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 39–32–9 87
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie

Playoffs

Division Semifinals

In the playoffs, the Penguins would open up against the Washington Capitals, who they defeated in the second round in the previous season en route to the Stanley Cup championship. The Capitals finished the season 11 points ahead of Pittsburgh, and had home ice for the series. Washington would open the series up with two solid victories at home, however, Pittsburgh responded with a Game 3 victory to cut the Caps series lead in half. Washington would demolish the Penguins in the fourth game, going up 3–1 in the series, and returning home in hopes of closing it out. Pittsburgh had no trouble beating the Capitals in Game 5, winning 5–2, and evened the series up at home in Game 6 with a 6–4 win. In the seventh and deciding game of the series, Tom Barrasso would step up, allowing only one goal as Pittsburgh won the final game by a 3–1 scoreline to upset the favored Capitals and complete the series comeback.

Division Finals

Up next was the Patrick Division-winning New York Rangers, who had 18 more points than Pittsburgh during the regular season. Pittsburgh would surprise the Rangers with a 4–2 victory in the opening game, however, New York tied the series up in the second game. The Rangers took a 2–1 series lead with 6–5 overtime victory. The Penguins would tie the series up with their own overtime win in the fourth game, as the series returned to New York for the fifth game. Pittsburgh would hang on for a 3–2 victory in the fifth game, and close out the series at home with a 5–1 win, to upset the Rangers, and return to the Conference Finals.

Conference Finals

The Penguins next opponent was the Boston Bruins, who they defeated in the playoffs the previous year in six games. The Bruins had 84 points during the regular season, three less than the Penguins, giving Pittsburgh home ice advantage. The Pens opened up the series with a 4–3 overtime win, then went up 2–0 in the series with a 5–2 win, as the series would shift to Boston. The Penguins stayed hot, winning Games 3 and 4 by identical 5–1 scorelines, to sweep the Bruins, and reach the Stanley Cup finals for the second-straight season.

Stanley Cup Finals

Pittsburgh had to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks in hopes of a second-straight Stanley Cup. The Hawks finished the season with 87 points, the same amount as the Penguins, but since the Pens had more wins than the Hawks (39 to 36), Pittsburgh would have home ice in the Finals. Chicago had defeated the St. Louis Blues, Detroit Red Wings and Edmonton Oilers en route to the Finals, entering the series with an NHL playoff record 11-game winning streak. The Penguins, however, were on their own seven-game winning streak, as they won the last three games of the Rangers series and four in the Boston series. Pittsburgh stayed hot, with a 5–4 victory in Game 1, and then defeated Chicago 3–1 in Game 2 to go up 2–0 as the series would move to Chicago Stadium. The Penguins would then shut-out Chicago 1–0 in the third game to win their tenth in a row, with Pittsburgh finishing off the sweep after a 6–5 Game 4 win, tying the Blackhawks' NHL playoff record with their own 11th-straight win as they would become the first team since the 1986–87 and 1987–88 Edmonton Oilers to win back-to-back Stanley Cups. Mario Lemieux won the Conn Smythe Trophy for the second straight year, as he recorded a League-high 34 points in just 15 playoff games.

Playoff log

1992 Stanley Cup playoffs
Patrick Division semi-finals vs No. 2 Washington Capitals: 4–3 (home: 2–1; road: 2–2)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT PIT goals WSH goals Decision Attendance Series Recap
1 April 19 Pittsburgh 1–3 Washington Loney Bondra,
Druce, Bondra		 Barrasso (0–1) 16,689 0–1
2 April 21 Pittsburgh 2–6 Washington Murphy, Stevens Khristich, Bondra,
Pivonka, Cote, Ciccarelli, Miller		 Barrasso (0–2) 17,453 0–2
3 April 23 Washington 4–6 Pittsburgh Bourque, Mullen, Jagr,
Lemieux (2), Lemieux (en)		 Hatcher, Khristich, Iafrate, Hatcher Barrasso (1–2) 16,164 1–2
4 April 25 Washington 7–2 Pittsburgh Lemieux, Trottier Krygier, Ciccarelli,
Kristich, Ciccarelli, Bondra, Ciccarelli		 Barrasso (1–3) 16,164 1–3
5 April 27 Pittsburgh 5–2 Washington Trottier, Errey,
Murphy, Jagr, Errey (en)		 Krygier, Iafrate Barrasso (2–3) 17,621 2–3
6 April 29 Washington 4–6 Pittsburgh Stevens (2), Mullen, Bourque,
Lemieux (2)		 Hunter, Bondra (2), Iafrate Barrasso (3–3) 16,164 3–3
7 May 1 Pittsburgh 3–1 Washington Lemieux,
Jagr, Mullen (en)		 Iafrate Barrasso (4–3) 17,783 4–3
Patrick Division finals vs No. 1 New York Rangers: 4–2 (home: 2–1; road: 2–1)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT PIT goals NYR goals Decision Attendance Series Recap
1 May 3 Pittsburgh 4–2 N.Y. Rangers Loney, Murphy,
Stevens, Francis		 King, Amonte Barrasso (5–3) 17,744 1–0
2 May 5 Pittsburgh 2–4 N.Y. Rangers Stevens, Murphy Leetch, Beukeboom,
King, Beukeboom (en)		 Barrasso (5–4) 18,200 1–1
3 May 7 N.Y. Rangers 6–5 Pittsburgh 1:29 Stevens, Francis (2), Murphy, Stevens Graves, Kerr, Nemchinov, Gartner, Erixon,
King		 Barrasso (5–5) 16,164 1–2
4 May 9 N.Y. Rangers 4–5 Pittsburgh 2:47 Needham, Francis (2), Loney,
Francis		 Gilhen, Amonte, Messier (2) Barrasso (6–5) 16,164 2–2
5 May 11 Pittsburgh 3–2 N.Y. Rangers Tocchet,
Jagr (2)		 Turcotte, Gartner Barrasso (7–5) 18,200 3–2
6 May 13 N.Y. Rangers 1–5 Pittsburgh Tocchet,
Jagr, McEachern, Tocchet (en), Francis (en)		 Weight Barrasso (8–5) 16,164 4–2
Wales Conference finals vs No. 2 Boston Bruins: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT PIT goals BOS goals Decision Attendance Series Recap
1 May 17 Boston 3–4 Pittsburgh 9:44 Trottier, Callander, McEachern,
Jagr		 Sweeney, Donato, Wesley Barrasso (9–5) 16,164 1–0
2 May 19 Boston 2–5 Pittsburgh Loney, Jagr,
Tocchet, Lemieux, Lemieux (en)		 Murray, Oates Barrasso (10–5) 16,164 2–0
3 May 21 Pittsburgh 5–1 Boston Stevens (3),
, Trottier, Stevens		 Juneau Barrasso (11–5) 14,448 3–0
4 May 23 Pittsburgh 5–1 Boston Jagr,
Lemieux, Stanton, Lemieux, Michayluk		 Leach Barrasso (12–5) 14,448 4–0
Stanley Cup Finals vs No. 2 Chicago Blackhawks: 4–0 (home: 2–0; road: 2–0)
# Date Visitor Score Home OT PIT goals CHI goals Decision Attendance Series Recap
1 May 26 Chicago 4–5 Pittsburgh Bourque, Tocchet, Lemieux, Jagr,
Lemieux		 Chelios, Goulet, Graham, Sutter Barrasso (13–5) 16,164 1–0
2 May 28 Chicago 1–3 Pittsburgh Errey,
Lemieux (2)		 Marchment Barrasso (14–5) 16,164 2–0
3 May 30 Pittsburgh 1–0 Chicago Stevens Barrasso (15–5) 18,472 3–0
4 June 1 Pittsburgh 6–5 Chicago Jagr, Stevens, Lemieux, Tocchet, Murphy,
Francis		 Graham (3), Roenick (2) Barrasso (16–5) 18,472 4–0
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Playoff series win
  • Scorer of game-winning goal in italics

Player statistics

Skaters
Regular Season[9]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Mario Lemieux 64 44 87 131 27 94
Kevin Stevens 80 54 69 123 8 254
Joe Mullen 77 42 45 87 12 30
Larry Murphy 77 21 56 77 33 48
Mark Recchi‡ 58 33 37 70 –16 78
Jaromir Jagr 70 32 37 69 12 34
Paul Coffey‡ 54 10 54 64 4 62
Ron Francis 70 21 33 54 –7 30
Bob Errey 78 19 16 35 1 119
Rick Tocchet† 19 14 16 30 12 49
Bryan Trottier 63 11 18 29 –11 54
Troy Loney 76 10 16 26 –5 127
Phil Bourque 58 10 16 26 –6 58
Gordie Roberts 73 2 22 24 19 87
Jiri Hrdina 56 3 13 16 4 16
Ulf Samuelsson 62 1 14 15 2 206
Ken Priestlay 49 2 8 10 5 4
Paul Stanton 54 2 8 10 –8 62
Grant Jennings 53 4 5 9 –1 104
Jamie Leach 38 5 4 9 –2 8
Jim Paek 49 1 7 8 0 36
Peter Taglianetti 44 1 3 4 7 57
Shawn McEachern 15 0 4 4 1 0
Kjell Samuelsson† 20 1 2 3 0 34
Jeff Chychrun† 17 0 1 1 –8 35
Gord Dineen 1 0 0 0 –2 0
Glenn Mulvenna 1 0 0 0 –1 2
Jay Caufield 50 0 0 0 –6 175
Jeff Daniels 2 0 0 0 0 0
Todd Nelson 1 0 0 0 0 0
Total 343 591 934 — 1,863
Playoffs[10]
Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM
Mario Lemieux 15 16 18 34 6 2
Kevin Stevens 21 13 15 28 2 28
Ron Francis 21 8 19 27 8 6
Jaromir Jagr 21 11 13 24 4 6
Rick Tocchet 14 6 13 19 0 24
Larry Murphy 21 6 10 16 –4 19
Shawn McEachern 19 2 7 9 6 4
Troy Loney 21 4 5 9 1 32
Paul Stanton 21 1 7 8 6 42
Bryan Trottier 21 4 3 7 0 8
Phil Bourque 21 3 4 7 –1 25
Joe Mullen 9 3 1 4 –4 4
Jim Paek 19 0 4 4 10 6
Jock Callander 12 1 3 4 0 2
Kjell Samuelsson 15 0 3 3 6 12
Bob Errey 14 3 0 3 0 10
Jiri Hrdina 20 0 2 2 –6 16
Ulf Samuelsson 21 0 2 2 7 39
Gordie Roberts 19 0 2 2 –1 32
Dave Michayluk 7 1 1 2 1 0
Mike Needham 5 1 0 1 0 2
Grant Jennings 10 0 0 0 –9 12
Jay Caufield 5 0 0 0 0 2
Total 83 132 215 — 333

Goaltenders
Regular Season[11]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Tom Barrasso 57 3329:29 25 22 9 196 3.53 1702 0.885 1 0 4 30
Wendell Young 18 837:40 7 6 0 53 3.80 476 0.889 0 0 0 0
Ken Wregget† 9 448:10 5 3 0 31 4.15 202 0.847 0 0 0 2
Frank Pietrangelo‡ 5 225:19 2 1 0 20 5.33 130 0.846 0 0 0 0
Total 4840:38 39 32 9 300 3.72 2510 0.880 1 0 4 32
Playoffs[12]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Tom Barrasso 21 1232:59 16 5 0 58 3.00 622 0.907 1 0 2 4
Ken Wregget 1 40:00 0 0 0 4 1.55 16 0.750 0 0 0 0
Total 1272:59 16 5 0 62 2.92 638 0.903 1 0 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 900 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 5–6 loss to Hartford on November 2.
  • Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 400 goals for the Penguins. He did so in a 3–6 loss to Toronto on March 14.
  • Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 1000 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 3–4 loss to Detroit on March 24.
  • Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 600 assists for the Penguins. He did so in a 7–3 win over Vancouver on March 26.
  • Paul Coffey established franchise records for goals (108) assists (332) and points (440) by a defenseman. He had set record for each category within the previous two seasons.

Awards

Player Award
Phil Bourque Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award
Mario Lemieux Bowser Pontiac Leading Point Scorer Award
Booster Club Award
Foodland Most Valuable Player Award
Art Ross Trophy
NHL Second All-Star Team
Conn Smythe Trophy
Troy Loney Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award
Joe Mullen Unsung Hero Award
Pittsburgh Penguins Masterton Nominee
Murray Hill Jewelers Player's Player Award
Larry Murphy Baz Bastien Memorial "Good Guy" Award
Jim Paek Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Award
Kevin Stevens NHL First All-Star Team

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1991–92 season:[13]

Trades

February 19, 1992 To Los Angeles Kings

Paul Coffey

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Brian Benning
Jeff Chychrun
1992 1st round pick

February 19, 1992 To Philadelphia Flyers

Brian Benning
Mark Recchi
1992 1st round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Kjell Samuelsson
Rick Tocchet
Ken Wregget
1993 conditional 3rd round pick

March 10, 1992 To Quebec Nordiques

rights to Scott Young

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Bryan Fogarty

March 10, 1992 To Hartford Whalers

Frank Pietrangelo

To Pittsburgh Penguins

1994 3rd round pick
1994 7th round pick

Free agents

Player Acquired from Lost to Date
Kim Issel Vancouver Canucks August 1, 1991
Barry Pederson Hartford Whalers September 5, 1991

Signings

Player Date Contract terms
Bryan Trottier August 19, 1991 1-year contract
Ron Francis October 25, 1991 Multi-year contract

Other

Name Date Details
Bob Johnson October 1, 1991 Replaced as head coach due to medical condition
Pierre McGuire October 1, 1991 Hired as assistant coach
Scotty Bowman October 1, 1991 Hired as interim head coach
Howard Baldwin November 19, 1991 Transfer of ownership
Morris Belzberg
Tom Ruta
Craig Patrick January 30, 1992 Re-signed as GM and VP to a 5-year contract
Peter Taglianetti June 18, 1992 Lost in expansion draft to Tampa Bay Lightning
Wendell Young June 18, 1992 Lost in expansion draft to Tampa Bay Lightning

Draft picks

Pittsburgh's draft picks at the 1991 NHL Entry Draft.[14]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 16 Markus Naslund Left wing  Sweden Modo Hockey Ornskoldsvik (SEL)
2 38 Rusty Fitzgerald Center  United States Duluth East H.S. (Minn.)
3 60 Shane Peacock Defense  Canada Lethbridge Hurricanes (WHL)
4 82 Joe Tamminen Center  United States Virginia H.S. (Minn.)
5 104 Robert Melanson Defense  Canada Hull Olympiques (QMJHL)
6 126 Brian Clifford Center  United States Nichols (N.Y. H.S.)
7 148 Ed Patterson Right wing  Canada Kamloops Blazers (WHL)
8 170 Peter McLaughlin Defense  United States Belmont Hill H.S. (Massachusetts)
9 192 Jeff Lembke Goaltender  United States Omaha Lancers (USHL)
10 214 Chris Tok Defense  United States Greenway (Minn H.S.)
11 236 Paul Dyck Defense  Canada Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL)
12 258 Pasi Huura Defense  Finland Ilves Tampere (FNL)
S 22 Greg Carvel Center  United States St. Lawrence University (ECAC)

Farm teams

The IHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks finished second in the East Division with a 41-28-13 record. They defeated the Milwaukee Admirals and Kalamazoo Wings before being swept by the Kansas City Blades in the Turner Cup Finals. This finals loss came as a result of the Penguins recalling Jock Callander, Mike Needham, and Dave Michayluk to fill open spots left by injuries to both Mario Lemieux and Joe Mullen. Michayluk still won the Ironman Award by the IHL for playing in all of his team's games while displaying outstanding offensive and defensive abilities.

The East Coast Hockey League's Knoxville Cherokees finished last overall in the standings with a record of 20-36-8.

Media affiliates

Radio

Flagship station Play-by-play Color commentator Studio host
KDKA-AM 1020 (main)
WDVE-FM 102.5 (backup) 		Mike Lange Paul Steigerwald

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

Television

Local TV Play-by-play Color commentator
KDKA-TV 2
KBL 		Mike Lange Paul Steigerwald

See also

References

  1. ^ "1991-92 NHL Summary".
  2. ^ "1988-89 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule and Results".
  3. ^ "1989-90 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule and Results".
  4. ^ "1990-91 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule and Results".
  5. ^ "1991-92 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule and Results".
  6. ^ "NHL OKs sale of Penguins". UPI. November 18, 1991. Retrieved December 29, 2022.
  7. ^ "1991-1992 Division Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  8. ^ "1991-1992 Conference Standings". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 25, 2012.
  9. ^ "1991–1992 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  10. ^ "1991–1992 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  11. ^ "1991–1992 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  12. ^ "1991–1992 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  13. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions.
  14. ^ "NHL.com – NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 6, 2012.
  • SHRP Sports
  • The Internet Hockey Database
  • National Hockey League Guide & Record Book 2007
  • v
  • t
  • e
FranchiseHistoryPersonnel
Owner(s)
Fenway Sports Group (majority)
Ronald Burkle
Mario Lemieux
General manager
Kyle Dubas
Head coach
Mike Sullivan
Team captain
Sidney Crosby
Current roster
Arenas
RivalriesAffiliatesMediaCulture and lore
  • Category
  • Commons