2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 39th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The season was notable for being Sidney Crosby's rookie campaign. It would be the last time the Penguins missed the Stanley Cup playoffs as of the 2020 NHL season.

2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division5th Atlantic
Conference15th Eastern
2005–06 record22–46–14
Home record12–21–8
Road record10–25–6
Goals for244
Goals against316
Team information
General managerCraig Patrick
CoachEddie Olczyk
CaptainMario Lemieux (Oct.–Jan.)
Vacant (Jan.–Apr.)
Alternate captainsSidney Crosby
Sergei Gonchar
John LeClair
Mark Recchi (Oct.–Feb.)
Josef Melichar
ArenaMellon Arena
Average attendance15,804[1]
Team leaders
GoalsSidney Crosby (39)
AssistsSidney Crosby (63)
PointsSidney Crosby (102)
Penalty minutesBrooks Orpik (124)
Plus/minusColby Armstrong (15)
WinsMarc-Andre Fleury (13)
Goals against averageMarc-Andre Fleury (3.25)

Pre-season
Pre-season: 2–5–2 (Home: 2–2–1 ; Road: 0–3–1)

Regular season
Sidney Crosby with the Penguins.

The Penguins struggled defensively, finishing 30th overall in goals allowed, with 310 (excluding 6 shootout goals allowed).[2][3]

Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby was selected first overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Penguins on July 30, 2005. Due to the labour stoppage in the previous season, the 2005 draft was conducted via a weighted lottery based on each team's playoff appearances and draft lottery victories in the last four years. This lottery system led to the draft being popularly referred to as the "Sidney Crosby Lottery" or the "Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes".[4]

On December 16, 2005, Michel Therrien named Crosby as an alternate captain for the Penguins. The move drew criticism from some hockey pundits, including Don Cherry, who claimed that Crosby had done nothing to earn the position.[5]

Crosby finished his rookie season with the franchise record in assists (63) and points (102) for a rookie, both of which had been previously held by Mario Lemieux. Crosby is the youngest player in the history of the NHL to score 100 points in a single season, and only the seventh rookie ever to hit the benchmark.[6] Overall, Crosby finished sixth in the NHL scoring race and seventh in the NHL in assists. Among Canadian NHL players, he trailed only Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley. While both Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals had impressive rookie campaigns, Crosby finished second behind Ovechkin for the Calder Memorial Trophy for NHL rookie of the year.

Through his first season, Crosby was accused by opposing players and coaches of taking dives and complaining to officials, which has been attributed to his youth.[7] During his rookie campaign, he was second on his team and fourth among all NHL rookies in penalty minutes, and is the only rookie to accumulate both 100 points and 100 penalty minutes in a single season in NHL history. This magnified his reputation for complaining to NHL officials.[8] Hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey compared Crosby to Gretzky, who had a similar reputation as a "whiner" in his youth, and suggested that as Crosby matured, he would mellow out and his reputation would fade.[8]

Mario Lemieux

After the lockout concluded, Lemieux returned to the ice for the 2005–06 season. Hopes for the Penguins were high due to the salary cap and revenue sharing, which enabled the team to compete in the market for several star players. Another reason for optimism was the Penguins winning the lottery for the first draft pick, enabling them to select Sidney Crosby. Lemieux opened up his home to Crosby to help the rookie settle in Pittsburgh and Lemieux also served as Crosby's mentor.

On January 24, 2006, Lemieux announced his second and permanent retirement from professional hockey at age 40. This followed a half-season in which he struggled not only with the increased speed of the "new NHL" but also with yet another threatening physical ailment, a heart condition called atrial fibrillation that caused him to experience irregular heartbeats.

Although he had put up points at a pace that most NHL forwards would be perfectly content with (22 points in 26 games) in his last season, Lemieux still remarked, "I can no longer play at a level I was accustomed to in the past."

Season standings
Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
13New Jersey Devils8246279242229101
25Philadelphia Flyers82452611267259101
36New York Rangers82442612257215100
412New York Islanders823640623027878
515Pittsburgh Penguins8222461424431658

[9]

Eastern Conference[10]
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 Z- Ottawa SenatorsNE8252219314211113
2 Y- Carolina HurricanesSE8252228294260112
3 Y- New Jersey DevilsAT8246279242229101
4 X- Buffalo SabresNE8252246242239110
5 X- Philadelphia FlyersAT82452611267259101
6 X- New York RangersAT82442612257215100
7 X- Montreal CanadiensNE824231924324793
8 X- Tampa Bay LightningSE824333625226092
8.5
9 Toronto Maple LeafsNE824133825727090
10 Atlanta ThrashersSE824133828127590
11 Florida PanthersSE8237341124025785
12 New York IslandersAT823640623027878
13 Boston BruinsNE8229371623026674
14 Washington CapitalsSE8229411223730670
15 Pittsburgh PenguinsAT8222461424431658

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results
2005–2006 Schedule
October: 1–5–5 (Home: 1–3–2 ; Road: 0–2–3), 7 Points
November: 6–7–1 (Home: 2–3–1 ; Road: 4–4–0), 13 Points
December: 3–5–2 (Home: 3–1–2 ; Road: 0–4–0), 8 Points
January: 2–11–2 (Home: 1–5–0 ; Road: 1–6–2), 6 Points
February: 2–4–1 (Home: 0–2–1 ; Road: 2–2–1), 5 Points
March: 5–8–1 (Home: 3–5–1 ; Road: 2–3–0), 11 Points
April: 3–4–2 (Home: 2–0–1 ; Road: 1–4–1), 8 Points
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = OT/SO Loss

Playoffs

The Penguins did not qualify for the playoffs.

Player statistics
Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season[12]
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Marc-André Fleury50452809:13132761523.2514850.8981010
Sébastien Caron26231312:18895873.987330.8811010
Jocelyn Thibault1613806:42193604.464840.8760002
Dany Sabourin1120:33010411.68140.7140000
Total824948:462246143033.6727160.8882022

†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

Milestones
  • Sidney Crosby played his first professional NHL game on October 5, 2005, against the New Jersey Devils, and registered an assist on the team's first goal of the season, scored by Mark Recchi in a 5–1 loss.[13]
  • November 11, 2005 – Sidney Crosby beat Jose Theodore of the Montreal Canadiens to win his first career shootout.
  • November 11, 2005- Mario Lemieux scores his seventh goal of the season, and the last of his career.
  • November 22, 2005 – Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin face each other for the first time.
  • March 12, 2006 – Marc-Andre Fleury gets a shutout by stopping 22 shots against the Philadelphia Flyers.
  • March 29, 2006 – John LeClair scores the 400th goal of his career.
  • January 24, 2006 – Mario Lemieux announces his retirement.
  • April 13, 2006 – Sidney Crosby scores four points in one game, including his 90th point of the season.
  • April 17, 2006 – Sidney Crosby becomes the youngest player to score 100 points in one season.

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 2005–06 season:[14]

Trades
August 10, 2005 To Chicago Blackhawks

2006 4th round pick

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Jocelyn Thibault

September 9, 2005 To Nashville Predators

Kris Beech

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

conditional draft pick

December 9, 2005 To St. Louis Blues

Steve Poapst

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Eric Boguniecki

January 18, 2006 To Florida Panthers

2006 6th round pick

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Eric Cairns

January 26, 2006 To Edmonton Oilers

Dick Tarnstrom

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Cory Cross
Jani Rita

March 9, 2006 To Florida Panthers

Ric Jackman

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Petr Taticek

March 9, 2006 To Carolina Hurricanes

Mark Recchi

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Krystofer Kolanos
Niklas Nordgren
2007 2nd round pick

March 9, 2006 To Detroit Red Wings

Cory Cross

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

2007 4th round pick

Player signings
PlayerDateContract terms
Noah WelchAugust 3, 20053-year entry level contract
Ryan LannonAugust 3, 20053-year entry level contract
Rob ScuderiAugust 9, 2005
Dany SabourinAugust 10, 2005
Jocelyn ThibaultAugust 10, 2005Multi-year contract
Kris BeechAugust 10, 20051-year qualifying offer
Shane EndicottAugust 11, 2005Multi-year contract
Colby ArmstrongAugust 12, 2005
Guillaume LefebvreAugust 15, 2005Qualifying offer
John LeClair[19]August 15, 20052-year contract
Josef MelicharAugust 15, 20052-year contract
Matt HusseyAugust 15, 2005Qualifying offer
Matt MurleyAugust 15, 2005
Konstantin KoltsovAugust 16, 2005
David KociAugust 17, 2005
Michel OuelletAugust 18, 2005Multi-year contract
Dick Tarnstrom[20]August 29, 20051-year/$1.6M contract
Sidney Crosby[21]September 8, 20053-year/$850K contract
Mario LemieuxSeptember 9, 20051-year/$3M contract
Brooks OrpikSeptember 13, 20051-year contract
Tyler KennedyMay 19, 2006Multi-year contract
Micki DuPontJune 16, 2006
Evgeni MalkinJune 20, 20063-year entry level contract

Other
PlayerDateDetails
Kevin StevensSeptember 2, 2005Hired as scout
Eddie Olczyk[22]December 15, 2005Fired as head coach
John WeldayDecember 15, 2005Fired as strength & conditioning coach
Randy Hillier[22]December 15, 2005Fired as assistant coach
Shane CliffordDecember 15, 2005Fired as goaltending coach
Joe Mullen[22]December 15, 2005Fired as assistant coach
Michel Therrien[23]December 15, 2005Hired as head coach
Stephane DubeDecember 15, 2005Hired as strength and conditioning coach
Mike YeoDecember 15, 2005Hired as assistant coach
Gilles LeFebvreDecember 15, 2005Hired as goaltending coach
Zigmund Palffy[24]January 18, 2006Retired
Mario Lemieux[25]January 24, 2006Retired
Craig Patrick[26]April 20, 2006Fired as GM
Ray Shero[27]May 25, 2006Hired as GM, 5-year contract

Roster
# Nat Player Pos S/G Age NHL Draft Birthplace
20 Colby Armstrong RW R 23 2001 Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
18 or 23 Eric Boguniecki C R 31 1993 New Haven, Connecticut
33 Eric Cairns D L 31 1992 Oakville, Ontario
31 Sebastien Caron G L 25 1999 Amqui, Quebec
16 Erik Christensen C L 22 2002 Edmonton, Alberta
87 Sidney Crosby (A) C L 18 2005 Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia
14 or 23 Shane Endicott C L 24 2000 Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
29 Marc-Andre Fleury G L 21 2003 Sorel, Quebec
55 Sergei Gonchar (A) D L 32 1992 Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union
9 Andy Hilbert LW L 25 2000 Howell, Michigan
7 or 28 Matt Hussey C L 27 1998 New Haven, Connecticut
71 Konstantin Koltsov LW L 25 1999 Minsk, Soviet Union
10 John LeClair (A) LW L 36 1987 St. Albans, Vermont
11 Guillaume Lefebvre LW L 25 2000 Amos, Quebec
66 Mario Lemieux (C) C R 40 1984 Montreal, Quebec
12 Ryan Malone LW L 26 1999 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2 Josef Melichar D L 27 1997 České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia
17 Matt Murley LW L 26 1999 Troy, New York
32 Alain Nasreddine D L 30 1993 Montreal, Quebec
15 Niklas Nordgren LW R 26 1997 Örnsköldsvik, Sweden
24 Lyle Odelein D L 37 1986 Quill Lake, Saskatchewan
44 Brooks Orpik D L 25 2000 San Francisco, California
7 or 59 Michel Ouellet RW R 24 2000 Rimouski, Quebec
33 Zigmund Palffy RW L 34 1991 Skalica, Czechoslovakia
11 Lasse Pirjeta LW L 32 2002 Oulu, Finland
28 Jani Rita LW R 24 1999 Helsinki, Finland
36 Andre Roy RW L 31 1994 Port Chester, New York
30 Dany Sabourin G L 25 1998 Val-d'Or, Quebec
5 Rob Scuderi D L 27 1998 Syosset, New York
43 Tomas Surovy LW L 24 2001 Banská Bystrica, Czechoslovakia
25 Maxime Talbot C L 22 2002 LeMoyne, Quebec
41 Jocelyn Thibault G L 31 1993 Montreal, Quebec
37 Ryan Vandenbussche RW R 33 1992 Simcoe, Ontario
4 Noah Welch D L 23 2001 Brighton, Massachusetts
6 or 19 Ryan Whitney D L 23 2002 Scituate, Massachusetts

Draft picks

NHL draft
Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 1 Sidney Crosby Center  Canada Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL)
2 61 Michael Gergen Forward  United States Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN)
3 62 Kris Letang Defense  Canada Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL)
4 125 Tommi Leinonen Defense  Finland Oulun Kärpät Jr. (Finland)
5 126 Tim Crowder Right Wing  Canada South Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
6 194 Jean-Philippe Paquet Defense  Canada Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL)
7 195 Joe Vitale Center  United States Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)

References
  1. "2005–2006 NHL Attendance – National Hockey League – ESPN". ESPN. Retrieved February 18, 2013.
  2. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2006.html
  3. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2006_games.html
  4. "2005 Year in Review". CBC. 2005-12-20. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  5. "Crosby doesn't deserve 'A': Cherry". Canadian Press. 2005-12-17. Archived from the original on 2007-10-12. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  6. Campigotto, Jess (2006-09-27). "The education of Sidney Crosby". CBC Sports. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  7. Basu, Arpon (2006-03-22). "Don't forget, Sid's still a Kid". thefourthperiod.com. Archived from the original on 2006-12-30. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  8. Campigotto, Jesse (2006-09-27). "The education of Sidney Crosby". CBC Sports. Retrieved 2006-12-24.
  9. Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2009). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book/2010. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 162.
  10. "2005–2006 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
  11. "2005–2006 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  12. "2005–2006 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  13. "Crosby nets first point in loss to Devils". TSN. 2005-10-05. Archived from the original on 2007-03-12. Retrieved 2006-11-17.
  14. "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  15. "Gonchar signs five-year, $25M deal". ESPN – Associated Press. August 3, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  16. "Demitra signing can't keep Palffy in L.A." ESPN – Associated Press. August 7, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  17. "Penguins sign another veteran, defenseman Odelein". ESPN – SportsTicker. September 2, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  18. "Thrashers claim winger Fata from Penguins". ESPN – SportsTicker. January 31, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  19. "Penguins sign free-agent winger LeClair". ESPN.com news services. August 16, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  20. "Penguins agree to give Tarnstrom $1.6M salary". ESPN – Associated Press. August 29, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  21. "Crosby signs $850,000 contract with Penguins". ESPN – Associated Press. September 9, 2005. Retrieved September 17, 2012.
  22. Hradek, E.J. (December 15, 2005). "Eddie O-ver and out". ESPN Insider. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  23. "Penguins fire Olczyk; Therrien takes over". ESPN – Associated Press. December 15, 2005. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  24. "Palffy retires; reportedly because of shoulder injury". ESPN – Associated Press. January 19, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  25. "Lemieux announces retirement". ESPN.com news services. January 25, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  26. "Penguins not bringing back GM Patrick". ESPN – Associated Press. April 20, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  27. "Shero hired by Pens after talks with Bruins lapse". ESPN – Associated Press. May 25, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
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