• the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Florida Panthers, 3-2, in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals (the Panthers eventually won the series in seven games)

1995

• the Penguins opened the Eastern Conference Semifinals with a 3-2 win over the New Jersey Devils, but lost the next four games in the series

The Penguins were the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Devils were the #5 seed. Prior to Pittsburgh meeting New Jersey in the semifinals, they beat the #6 seed, Washington Capitals, in seven games.

• ICEOPLEX at Southpointe opened to the public

The Iceoplex has been the official practice facility for the Pittsburgh Penguins since it opened on this date.  The Penguins owner at the time, Howard Baldwin, was one of the leaders of this project; and when the building opened, Dave Hanson (Slap Shot fame) was the general manager and Suzy Semanick (American figure skating champion) was a skating instructor.  The building is also home to the Washington & Jefferson Presidents (ACHA Division I level as a member of College Hockey Mid America Conference).

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TODAY’S PENGUINS TRIVIA QUESTION:

Who was the fourth Pittsburgh Penguins player to score 50 goals in one season?

Find out tomorrow!

ANSWER (to yesterday’s TRIVIA QUESTION – CLICK HERE to view it):

2009-10 season (October 28, 2009) against the Montreal Canadiens‘ Jaroslav Halak; it was his second career hat trick on home ice

Do you have a trivia question that could be featured on this page or am I missing a major Penguins historical fact for one of the “On This Date” posts?? BE SURE to leave a comment below OR email me at thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com!!

Stephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.

• Ken Schinkel was relieved of the Pittsburgh Penguins head coaching duties for the second time (Schinkel’s combined record with the Penguins for a total of 203 games was 83-92-28)

Schinkel played right wing for the Penguins being drafted by them the season that Pittsburgh became an expansion team in 1967.  He was named assistant captain.  He played a total of six seasons with the Penguins retiring in 1973 (as the last original player from the Penguins first team) to become the team’s third head coach following Red Kelley.  He ended his playing career with Pittsburgh as a career leader in games and points which has since been surpassed (127 goals and 198 assists for 325 points in 636 games).

In February 1974, the Penguins failed to make the playoffs and Schinkel was replaced with Marc Boileau and given a position in the organization’s front office.  He would return to the head coaching position for a second stint with the Penguins in January 1976 to replace Boileau.  He was relieved for a second time and returned to Pittsburgh’s front office for good until 1989 on this date in 1977 and was replaced by Johnny Wilson.  He ended his coaching career with the Penguins with a winning percentage of .478.

He was an integral part in drafting Mario Lemieux in 1984.

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TODAY’S PENGUINS TRIVIA QUESTION:

In what season (and against which team) did Sidney Crosby score his third career regular-season hat trick?

Find out tomorrow!

ANSWER (to yesterday’s TRIVIA QUESTION – CLICK HERE to view it):

15 games; surpassing Dmitri Kvartalnov of the Boston Bruins (14 games; 1992-93 season)

Do you have a trivia question that could be featured on this page or am I missing a major Penguins historical fact for one of the “On This Date” posts?? BE SURE to leave a comment below OR email me at thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com!!

Stephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.

• the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-0, and won the Eastern Conference Championship in five games

• Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 21 shots for his third career playoff shutout

Pittsburgh was the #2 seed going into the playoffs and Philadelphia was the #6 seed.  The Penguins went on to the next round to play the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup Final.  They would ultimately lose in six games.

1996

• the Penguins dropped Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals to the Florida Panthers, 5-1, and eventually lost the series in seven games

1995

• Pittsburgh goalie Ken Wregget stopped 33 shots to shut out the Washington Capitals, 3-0, to win Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

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TODAY’S PENGUINS TRIVIA QUESTION:

What was Pittsburgh Penguins Evgeni Malkin‘s career-high point streak (how many games) making it the longest in NHL history by a Russian-born and trained player and which other Russian-born and trained player did he pass?

Find out tomorrow!

ANSWER (to yesterday’s TRIVIA QUESTION – CLICK HERE to view it):

Ivan Hlinka (Czechoslovakia); and Chicago Blackhawks head coach, Alph Suhonen (Finland)

Do you have a trivia question that could be featured on this page or am I missing a major Penguins historical fact for one of the “On This Date” posts?? BE SURE to leave a comment below OR email me at thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com!!

Stephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.

McNeil was the Penguins sixth round draft pick in 2010 (170th overall).  He is among Beau Bennett (first round), Bryan Rust (2), Tom Kuhnhackl (3), Kenny Agostino (4), and Joe Ragalski (5) in Pittsburgh’s 2010 draft class and has also played alongside Pittsburgh’s 2011 second round draft pick (and fellow defenseman), Scott Harrington, for the London Knights during the 2010-11 season.

Prior to his professional hockey career, McNeill played junior hockey (Junior D, B) for the Lambeth Lancers (2008-09), London Nationals (2009-10), London Knights (2009-10, 2010-11), and Barrie Colts (2011-12).

He is a gritty defenseman who doesn’t shy away from dropping the gloves as illustrated by the number of fights on his card (three in 2010-11; five in 2011-12).  Although he’s defensive-minded, he is capable of helping out offensively when needed which may prove handy in the type of system Dan Bylsma utilizes.

McNeill has taken part in the last two Penguins’ rookie development camps held in July and rookie tournaments in September, so it would appear that he has impressed the organization especially with a three year deal.  And as unsuccessful as the defensive corps has been for the Penguins after being eliminated in the first round of this year’s playoffs, the team will be needing all the help it can get as far as defense goes and could especially use some of the toughness that McNeill would bring.  This will allow them to increase the depth that they’re known for.

Stephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.

The “You Can Play” project was started by Patrick Burke to honor his late brother, Brendan Burke.  Brendan Burke was Patrick’s younger brother and the son of Toronto Maple Leaf‘s general manager, Brian Burke, and was killed in a tragic automobile accident back in 2010.  Prior to his death, Brendan was trying to spread the word of tolerance and acceptance of homosexuality in the hockey world at Miami (Ohio) State where he was a student manager and video assistant for the men’s hockey team.  The initiative is Patrick’s tribute to his brother and to continue his valiant efforts.

“If you can play, you can play” is a simple statement with a powerful message especially when it’s coming from super star players like Orpik, Zdeno Chara (Boston Bruins), Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay Lightning), Shea Weber (Nashville Predators), and Carey Price (Montreal Canadiens).

The ”You Can Play” mission statement from the official webpage:

You Can Play is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation.

You Can Play works to guarantee that athletes are given a fair opportunity to compete, judged by other athletes and fans alike, only by what they contribute to the sport or their team’s success.

You Can Play seeks to challenge the culture of locker rooms and spectator areas by focusing only on an athlete’s skills, work ethic and competitive spirit.

You have to commend Orpik and the Penguins organization for taking part in this initiative.  I’m not certain whether or not Orpik was chosen or he volunteered to be part of the PSA and this project, but it was a good choice either way.

To learn more about how you can help promote equality and respect in sports OR to donate to the cause, visit the “You Can Play” webpage.

Stephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.

• Toronto Maple Leaf‘s Garry Valk scored a goal 1:58 into overtime to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 4-3, and eliminated the Pens in six games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals

1992

• the Penguins beat the Boston Bruins in Game 1 of the Wales Conference Finals, 4-3, on an overtime goal by Jaromir Jagr

From “On This Date … (May 13)”
The Penguins went into these playoffs as the defending Stanley Cup Champions and #3 seed in the conference. Prior to playing the New York Rangers, Pittsburgh beat the Washington Capitals in the semifinals in seven games and then, after New York, moved on to play the Boston Bruins in the conference final. They ultimately repeated to become the Stanley Cup Champions for the second season in a row sweeping the Chicago Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Final

1991

• the Penguins beat the Minnesota North Stars, 4-1, to win the team’s first Stanley Cup final game (the Pens would win their first Cup in six games)

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TODAY’S PENGUINS TRIVIA QUESTION:

Which Pittsburgh Penguins coach was one of two European-born coaches to meet for the first time on January 21, 2001 when the Penguins defeated the Chicago Blackhawks, 4-0, at the United Center?

Find out tomorrow!

ANSWER (to yesterday’s TRIVIA QUESTION – CLICK HERE to view it):

Patrick Lalime

Do you have a trivia question that could be featured on this page or am I missing a major Penguins historical fact for one of the “On This Date” posts?? BE SURE to leave a comment below OR email me at thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com!!

Stephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.

• the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Washington Capitals, 7-1, to force a Game 7 in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals; the game marked the second in time in team history the Pens faced three goaltenders in one game (Jim Carey, Olaf Kolzig, and Byron Dafoe) – the first time the Pens faced three goalies was December 5, 1991 at San Jose

1967

• Pittsburgh caught a glimpse of the hockey future when Karen Antkiewicz, the United Fund’s Miss Torch, modeled the Penguins’ sweater for the first time

Pittsburgh was among the cities that was granted an expansion team by the NHL for the 1967-68 season on February 9, 1966.  Since the home of the new Pittsburgh hockey team was the Civic Arena and had already been nicknamed “the Igloo,” it was decided that the team would be named the “Penguins” and the logo would feature a Penguins on top of a triangle which symbolized Pittsburgh’s downtown “Golden Triangle.”

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TODAY’S PENGUINS TRIVIA QUESTION:

Which Pittsburgh Penguins goaltender began his career in 1996-97 with an NHL rookie-record 16-game unbeaten streak?

Find out tomorrow!

ANSWER (to yesterday’s TRIVIA QUESTION – CLICK HERE to view it):

Paul Baxter (409 PIM in one season)

Do you have a trivia question that could be featured on this page or am I missing a major Penguins historical fact for one of the “On This Date” posts?? BE SURE to leave a comment below OR email me at thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com!!

Stephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.

If you watch the video (below), he starts out pleasant enough; in fact, he seems to be in a pretty good mood and then … a phone rings and that’s all it takes.  I must admit that it is annoying because the ring isn’t a low or quiet type of ring and, of course, the person didn’t pick it up right away so you’re just like, “would you please pick up your phone before Torts goes off?!”  This is probably one of the calmer times I’ve seen Tortorella confront the media about something he’s ticked off about. 

But this is the kind of stuff that makes Tortorella so entertaining (probably one of the most entertaining coaches to watch / listen to in the NHL today).  And this is only the latest of his many rants.  He’s had so many just this season alone (post-season even) that a popular DJ, Steve Porter, put them to music for a pretty comical result.

I’m pretty sure we’ll be fortunate enough to see more of these displays from Tortorella the longer the Rangers stay in the race and, by the looks of it, it may be into June.

New York will face New Jersey again tonight for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final at 8 PM (EST) on NBCSN on home ice at MSG.

• the first Stanley Cup Finals game was played at the Civic Arena; the Pittsburgh Penguins hosted the Minnesota North Stars (it was a 5-4 loss to the Stars)

1970

• Penguins rookie Michel Briere was involved an automobile accident that would leave him in a coma for nearly a year before he died on April 13, 1971

The Penguins selected Briere in the third round of the 1969 NHL Amateur Draft (26th overall).  He helped lead Pittsburgh through the second round / semifinals of the playoffs in the 1969-70 season and came just two wins short of the Stanley Cup Final (losing to the St. Louis Blues).

Briere and his childhood sweetheart, Michele Beaudoin, had a son, Martin, who was one year old during Briere’s rookie season.  In the off-season, Briere returned to Quebec with plans to marry Beaudoin on June 6, 1970; however, on May 15, 1970, Briere and two of his friends were involved in a car accident on Highway 117.  He suffered major head trauma and was flown by government plane to Notre Dame Hospital in Montreal.  Briere was in a coma for 11 months before dying in April 1971.

During the season that Briere spent in a coma (1970-71), the Penguins prepared a jersey with his name on the back and they took it along with his equipment bag with them on road trips for the entire season.

Briere wore #21 and no one has since worn that number, but it was officially retired by the Pittsburgh Penguins on January 5, 2001 (his and Mario Lemieux’s numbers were the only ones in team history to be retired).

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TODAY’S PENGUINS TRIVIA QUESTION:

Which Pittsburgh Penguins player holds the team record for most penalty minutes in one season?

Find out tomorrow!

ANSWER (to yesterday’s TRIVIA QUESTION – CLICK HERE to view it):

Beau Bennett

Do you have a trivia question that could be featured on this page or am I missing a major Penguins historical fact for one of the “On This Date” posts?? BE SURE to leave a comment below OR email me at thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com!!

Stephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.

• Pittsburgh Penguins winger Luc Robitaille scored 4:30 into overtime to beat the Washington Capitals in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

The Penguins were the #3 seed in the Eastern Conference while the Capitals were the #6. The series between the Penguins and Capitals would go on for two additional games with Pittsburgh finally taking the series over Washington in seven games; they went on to the Eastern Conference final and were matched up with the #5 seed, New Jersey Devils, who beat the Penguins in five games (4-1).

1993

• the New York Islanders‘ David Volek scored in overtime to beat the Penguins, 4-3, in overtime of Game 7 of the Patrick Division Finals

The Penguins were once again defending Stanley Cup Champions for the second consecutive playoff series.  They were also the #1 seed in the division this time around.  It was not in the cards for them to “three-peat” as the #3 seed, Islanders, would eliminate them in the second round on this date.

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TODAY’S PENGUINS TRIVIA QUESTION:

Who did the Pittsburgh Penguins pick with the 20th overall selection in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft?

Find out tomorrow!

ANSWER (to yesterday’s TRIVIA QUESTION – CLICK HERE to view it):

Duane Rupp

Do you have a trivia question that could be featured on this page or am I missing a major Penguins historical fact for one of the “On This Date” posts?? BE SURE to leave a comment below OR email me at thesteelcitysportsfan@gmail.com!!

Stephanie Lewark is a featured Pittsburgh Penguins columnist for RantSports.com. If you enjoy her articles / posts, you can follow her on Twitter (@steelcitysports), check out her personal Facebook page (via Networked Blogs), visit her personal Tumblr page, or stop by her Pinterest page.