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The Pittsburgh Penguins has five championships across two of the greatest eras in the modern NHL. From Mario Lemieux to Sidney Crosby, the Penguins have been a dominant force for over 30 years.
Which of the five championships takes the top spot on the list? And which near-championship squads round it out?
Greatest Penguins team of all time: 2016-17
The most recent championship in Penguins' history takes the top spot on the list. They entered the season with the fourth-best odds to win the Stanley Cup coming off their 2016 title. The Penguins finished second in the Metropolitan and the league with a 111-point season. Crosby led the team with 44 goals and 89 points and Phil Kessel had a team-high 47 assists.
They beat the Blue Jackets in five games in the playoffs before setting up another matchup with the Washington Capitals. The Penguins won game seven 2-0 to advance to the conference final. They beat the Ottawa Senators in overtime in game seven to prevent one of the weirdest Cup Finals ever. They beat the Nashville Predators in game six to win the Cup. Crosby won the Conn Smythe as playoff MVP.
#2: 2015-16
The first of the back-to-back Cups came in 2016. The Penguins had struggled in the playoffs, not making the Final since 2009. They finished second in the division behind the President's Trophy-winning Washington Capitals. The team fired Mike Johnston as the head coach after winning 15 of their first 28 games. Mike Sullivan took over and has been the coach ever since.
After beating the Rangers in round one, they faced the Capitals for the first of three consecutive seasons. They took down their rivals in six games, beat the Tampa Bay Lightning in seven games in the Eastern Conference Final, and took down the Sharks in the Final. Crosby also won this Conn Smythe despite Phil Kessell leading the team in playoff scoring.
#3: 2008-09
The first Crosby-era championship ranks third on the Penguins' top ten teams list. They lost to the Detroit Red Wings in the Cup Final the year prior and had very high expectations. Michel Therrien was fired as the head coach in February and Dan Bylsma was hired. The Penguins went 18-3-4 to finish second in their division and make the playoffs.
They beat their two biggest rivals in the first two rounds of the playoffs. It took seven games to knock off the Flyers and six to beat the Capitals. After a sweep of the Carolina Hurricanes, they won an epic game seven against the Red Wings to lift the Cup. Evgeni Malkin became the first Russian-born winner of the Conn Smythe thanks to his team-leading 36 points.
#4: 1990-91
The Penguins' first two Stanley Cups also came in back-to-back fashion. The first one came after a lackluster regular season. They only put up 88 points, winning a poor Patrick Division. Mark Recchi led the team with 40 goals, 73 assists, and 113 points. The hype, however, was around 18-year-old Jaromir Jagr, who scored 27 goals as a rookie. Lemieux only played 26 games but did rack up 45 points in the process.
Lemieux was fully healthy by the playoffs and tore through their opponents. He scored 44 points in 23 games on his way to the Conn Smythe. They faced one of the worst teams to ever make the Cup Final in the 68-point Minnesota North Stars. They got blistering hot, beating the President's Trophy-winning Blackhawks and Messier's Oilers before losing to Pittsburgh in six games.
#5: 1991-92
The following season, the Penguins were also just okay in the regular season. They put up 87 points and finished third in the Patrick because they allowed the third-most goals in the league. Lemieux led the team and league with 131 points in just 64 games. Forward Kevin Stevens finished second with 123 points but took the team lead with 254 penalty minutes.
The playoffs started once again with a victory over the Washington Capitals. Even before Crosby and Ovechkin, these two found a way to meet each other in the big games. After winning that game seven, they went down 2-1 to the Rangers. They wouldn't lose a game for the remainder of the playoffs, winning 11 straight games to lift the Cup.
#6: 2012-13
The best non-championship team in Penguins history took home the President's Trophy in a lockout-shortened season. They had 72 points and a franchise-record points percentage of .750. Crosby led the team with 41 assists and 56 points while Chris Kunitz was the highest scorer with 22 goals.
The Penguins got through the first two rounds of the playoffs fairly easily. They beat the Islanders in six games and the Senators in five to advance to the Conference Final. The Bruins swept Pittsburgh, allowing only two goals over the four games. The Blackhawks would end up winning the title over Boston.
#7: 1992-93
Another great regular season team clocks in at number seven. Coming off back-to-back championships, the Penguins put it all together in the '92-'93 regular season, winning the President's Trophy with 119 points. Lemieux won his second Hart Trophy for MVP and fourth Art Ross for most points with 160.
They cruised through the first round, beating the Devils in five games. They faced the Islanders in the second round. who pulled off the improbable upset in overtime in game seven.
#8: 2008-09
It took a couple of years for Sidney Crosby's incredible individual talent to translate to team success. They won the division for the first time in his career that season, putting up 102 points. Crosby only played 53 games but scored 72 points in those games. Malkin led the team with 47 goals, 59 assists, and 106 points,
The Penguins rolled through the Eastern Conference Playoffs. They swept the Senators and beat the Rangers and Flyers in five games each before facing the Detroit Red Wings in the Cup Final. The Red Wings won three of the first four games and the Penguins staved off elimination in triple overtime in game five. Detroit got it done in game six.
#9: 1995-96
The '95-'96 Penguins looked like they were going to grab their third Stanley Cup of the era. They won their division with 102 points due to their dominating offense. They scored a league-high 362 goals because of Lemieux's 161 points and Jagr's 149 points.
The Penguins faced, you guessed it, the Capitals in the first round in six games. After taking down the Rangers in five games in the second round, they faced the underdog Florida Panthers in the conference final. Florida pulled off the upset in game seven, winning 3-1 on the road to their first Cup Final. While it was not a championship for the Penguins, the season was a great one.
#10: 2000-01
One of the best seasons of Jagr's career puts the '00-'01 season on the list. With Lemieux only playing 43 games in his return from retirement, the team was firmly Jagr's. He put up a league-high 121 points to lead the Penguins to a 96-point season. they finished third in the division to make the playoffs.
They beat the Capitals in six games in the first round and faced the Sabres in the second round. After winning game seven against Buffalo, they faced the New Jersey Devils in the conference final. The Devils won in five games on their way to their second championship. Lemieux led the team with 17 points in 18 games in the playoffs.
