Pens

NHL Expansion Team Pittsburgh Penguins

  • Pittsburgh Hornets

    Pittsburgh Hornets

    Pittsburgh Hornets Minor league hockey team from 1936 to 1967 did not play from 1956 to 1961 team later became the Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Jack McGregor

    Jack McGregor

    Jack McGregor, a state senator from Kittanning began lobbying a campaign to bring an NHL franchise back to Pittsburgh
  • Group of Investors

    Group of Investors

    Jack McGregor formed a group of investors from Pittsburgh to help with the startup (H. J. Heinz Company heir H. J. Heinz III, Pittsburgh Steelers owner Art Rooney, and the Mellon family's Richard Mellon Scaife)
  • Art Rooney

    Art Rooney

    McGregor had Rooney petition the owner of the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings for votes to make sure they would be chosen as one of the NHL expansion cities
  • Pittsburgh Gets a Team

    Pittsburgh Gets a Team

    Pittsburgh was awarded an NHL expansion team
  • Pittsburgh Has To Pay The Price

    Pittsburgh Has To Pay The Price

    Penguins had to pay an entry fee of 2.5 Million dollars (today it would equal $18.4 million) and a startup cost of $750,000 (today it would equal$ 5.3 Million)
  • The Civic Arena

    The Civic Arena

    The Civic arena’s capacity had to be bossed form 10,732 to 12,500 to meet NHL requirements
  • The Debt To The Red Winds

    The Debt To The Red Winds

    The Penguins had to pay an indemnification bill to the Detroit Red Wings who owned the Pittsburgh Hornets
  • Jack Riley

    Jack Riley

    Penguins new General Manager Jack Riley has first preseason camp for the team in Brantford, Ontario
  • First Game

    First Game

    The Pittsburgh Penguins play their first NHL game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Brantford