2006–07 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The Pittsburgh Penguins 2006–07 season was ripe with potential, as the team featured one of the largest groups of young stars in the National Hockey League (NHL). Evgeni Malkin, the second overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, came to the United States from Russia prior to the season and joined the team. He promptly became the first NHL rookie since 1917 to score goals in each of his first six games. Malkin and second-year phenom Sidney Crosby were joined by 18-year-old Jordan Staal, who made the jump directly from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) to the Penguins roster after being drafted second overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. The Penguins also brought back Mark Recchi via free agency, giving Recchi his third stint with the team.

2006–07 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division2nd Atlantic
Conference5th Eastern
2006–07 record47–24–11
Home record26–10–5
Road record21–14–6
Goals for277
Goals against246
Team information
General managerRay Shero
CoachMichel Therrien
CaptainVacant
Alternate captainsSidney Crosby
Sergei Gonchar
John LeClair (Oct.–Dec.)
Mark Recchi
ArenaMellon Arena
Team leaders
GoalsSidney Crosby (36)
AssistsSidney Crosby (84)
PointsSidney Crosby (120)
Penalty minutesJarkko Ruutu (125)
Plus/minusJordan Staal (+6)
WinsMarc-Andre Fleury (40)
Goals against averageJocelyn Thibault (2.83)
Marc-Andre Fleury

The season was clouded with uncertainty, however, about the Penguins' future in Pittsburgh. After Jim Balsillie had agreed to purchase the franchise for $175 million and to keep it in Pittsburgh, the situation seemed settled. Balsillie's deal fell through, however, in December. Isle of Capri Casinos was next to make a bid to keep the team in Pittsburgh, but their deal was nixed as well. On January 3, 2007, Penguins officials, including Mario Lemieux and other members of the team's ownership group, visited Kansas City, Missouri, to discuss potentials of relocating the team there. Other cities which reportedly have expressed interest in the franchise include Houston, Winnipeg, Portland and Oklahoma City.[1]

On March 14, 2007, in a joint announcement by Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Mario Lemieux, it was made public that an agreement had been reached between the parties. A new state-of-the-art multi-purpose arena (the Consol Energy Center) will be built. This agreement will keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh for another 30 years. Following the announcement of this plan, the Lemieux ownership group announced that they no longer have plans to sell the team.

On January 9, 2007, the NHL announced that Sidney Crosby had been voted by the fans to start at forward in the 2007 All-Star Game in Dallas, Texas.[2] Malkin, Staal and defenseman Ryan Whitney were all invited to All-Star Weekend to play in the YoungStars game.[3]

Regular season

The Penguins finished the regular season having scored 94 power-play goals, the most in the NHL. They also had the most power-play opportunities, with 463.[4]

Season standings
Atlantic Division
No. CR GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
12New Jersey Devils8249249216201107
25Pittsburgh Penguins82472411277246105
36New York Rangers8242301024221694
48New York Islanders8240301224824092
515Philadelphia Flyers8222481221430356

[5]

Note: No. = Division rank, CR = Conference rank, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, GF = Goals For, GA = Goals Against, Pts = Points
       Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Eastern Conference[6]
R Div GP W L OTL GF GA Pts
1 P - Buffalo SabresNE8253227308242113
2 Y - New Jersey DevilsAT8249249216201107
3 Y - Atlanta ThrashersSE8243281124624597
4 X - Ottawa SenatorsNE8248259288222105
5 X - Pittsburgh PenguinsAT82472411277246105
6 X - New York RangersAT8242301024221694
7 X - Tampa Bay LightningSE824433525326193
8 X - New York IslandersAT8240301224824092
8.5
9 Toronto Maple LeafsNE8240311125826991
10 Montreal CanadiensNE824234624525690
11 Carolina HurricanesSE824034824125388
12 Florida PanthersSE8235311624725786
13 Boston BruinsNE823541621928976
14 Washington CapitalsSE8228401423528670
15 Philadelphia FlyersAT8222481221430356
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast

P – Clinched Presidents Trophy; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

Schedule and results
2006–2007 Schedule
October: 6–3–0 (Home: 3–3–0 ; Road: 3–0–0), 12 Points
November: 5–5–4 (Home: 3–1–3 ; Road: 2–4–1), 14 Points
December: 5–7–2 (Home: 3–4–0 ; Road: 2–3–2), 12 Points
January: 8–2–2 (Home: 4–0–1 ; Road: 4–2–1), 18 Points
February: 9–3–1 (Home: 5–1–0 ; Road: 4–2–1), 19 Points
March: 12–3–2 (Home: 7–0–1 ; Road: 5–3–1), 26 Points
April: 2–1–0 (Home: 1–1–0 ; Road: 1–0–0), 4 Points
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = OT/SO Loss

Playoffs

The Pittsburgh Penguins ended the 2006–07 regular season as the Eastern Conference's fifth seed. They lost to the Ottawa Senators in five games, in the conference quarter-finals. They would sweep the Senators in the playoffs the following season.

  • Green background indicates win.
  • Red indicates loss.
2007 Stanley Cup playoffs
Eastern Conference Quarter-finals vs #4 Ottawa: 1–4 (Home: 0–2 ; Road: 1–2)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeDecisionAttendanceSeriesRecap
1April 11Pittsburgh3 – 6OttawaFleury19,6110–1
2April 14Pittsburgh4 – 3OttawaFleury20,1331–1
3April 15Ottawa4 – 2PittsburghFleury17,1321–2
4April 17Ottawa2 – 1PittsburghFleury17,1321–3
5April 19Pittsburgh0 – 3OttawaFleury20,1791–4

Player statistics
Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season[9]
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Marc-Andre Fleury67653,905:28401691842.831,9540.9065034
Jocelyn Thibault22171,101:15782522.835720.9091000
Total825,006:434724112362.832,5260.9076034
Playoffs[10]
Player GP GS TOI W L OT GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Marc-Andre Fleury55286:42140183.771500.8800000
Jocelyn Thibault108:0200000.0011.000000
Total5294:44140183.671510.8810000

†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 Team only.

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 2006–07 season:[11]

Trades
July 19, 2006 To Nashville Predators

2007 3rd round pick

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Libor Pivko
rights to Dominic Moore

July 20, 2006 To San Jose Sharks

2007 2nd round pick

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Patrick Ehelechner
Nils Ekman

December 19, 2006 To Boston Bruins

Future considerations

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Wade Brookbank

February 27, 2007 To Florida Panthers

Noah Welch
2007 4th round pick (Matt Rust)

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Gary Roberts
Joel Kwiatkowski

February 27, 2007 To Phoenix Coyotes

Daniel Carcillo
2008 3rd round pick (Tomas Kundratek

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Georges Laraque

February 27, 2007 To San Jose Sharks

2007 7th round pick

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

Nolan Schaefer

February 27, 2007 To Minnesota Wild

Dominic Moore

 To Pittsburgh Penguins

2007 3rd round pick

Player signings
PlayerDateContract terms
Colby Armstrong[23]July 21, 20061-year contract
Brooks Orpik[24]July 23, 20062-year contract
Ryan Malone[25]July 28, 20062-year/$2.75M contract
Dominic Moore[26]August 1, 20062-year contract
Alain Nasreddine[27]August 2, 20061-year contract
Libor Pivko[28]August 2, 20061-year contract
Marc-Andre Fleury[29]August 5, 20062-year contract
Evgeni Malkin[30]September 5, 20063-year contract
Jordan Staal[31]October 2, 20063-year entry level contract
Kris Letang[31]October 2, 20063-year entry level contract
Mark LetestuMarch 22, 20072-year contract
Aaron Boogaard[32]April 23, 20073-year contract entry level contract
Jonathan D'AversaMay 25, 20073-year contract
Tim WallaceMay 29, 20072-year contract
Connor JamesJune 19, 20071-year contract

Other
PlayerDateDetails
Andre Savard[33]July 3, 2006Hired as assistant coach
Chuck FletcherJuly 14, 2006Hired as assistant GM
Eddie JohnstonJuly 14, 2006Hired as senior adviser of hockey operations
Gilles Meloche[34]July 26, 2006Hired as goaltending coach
Bill O'Flaherty[35]August 24, 2006Hired as pro scout
Chris Stewart[36]August 24, 2006Hired as athletic trainer
Dan MacKinnon[35]August 24, 2006Hired as pro scout
Jay Heinbuck[35]August 24, 2006Hired as director of amateur scouting
Jim Madigan[35]August 24, 2006Hired as amateur scout
Patrik Allvin[35]August 24, 2006Hired as European scout
Scott Adams[36]August 24, 2006Hired as assistant athletic trainer
Travis Ramsay[36]August 24, 2006Hired as video coordinator
Gabriel Bouthillette[37]September 12, 2006Released
Jeff Kryzakos[37]September 12, 2006Released
Jim Balsillie[38]October 5, 2006Signed a purchase agreement to buy the team
John LeClair[39]November 30, 2006Waived
John LeClair[40]December 14, 2006Released
David MorehouseApril 4, 2007Hired as president
Ron PorterJune 4, 2007Hired as senior consultant

Roster
# Nat Player Pos S/G Age NHL Draft Birthplace
20 Colby Armstrong RW R 24 2001 Lloydminster, Saskatchewan
33 Eric Cairns D L 32 1992 Oakville, Ontario
16 Erik Christensen C L 23 2002 Edmonton, Alberta
87 Sidney Crosby (A) C L 19 2005 Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia
47 Micki DuPont D R 27 2000 Calgary, Alberta
3 Mark Eaton D L 30 Undrafted Wilmington, Delaware
28 Nils Ekman RW L 31 1994 Stockholm, Sweden
29 Marc-Andre Fleury G L 22 2003 Sorel, Quebec
55 Sergei Gonchar (A) D L 33 1992 Chelyabinsk, Soviet Union
6 Joel Kwiatkowski D L 30 1996 Kindersley, Saskatchewan
27 Georges Laraque RW R 30 1995 Montreal, Quebec
10 John LeClair (A) LW L 37 1987 St. Albans, Vermont
58 Kris Letang D R 20 2005 Montreal, Quebec
71 Evgeni Malkin C L 20 2004 Magnitogorsk, Soviet Union
12 Ryan Malone LW L 27 1999 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2 Josef Melichar D L 28 1997 České Budějovice, Czechoslovakia
32 Alain Nasreddine D L 31 1993 Montreal, Quebec
44 Brooks Orpik D L 26 2000 San Francisco, California
7 Michel Ouellet RW R 25 2000 Rimouski, Quebec
26 Ronald Petrovicky RW R 30 1996 Žilina, Czechoslovakia
8 Mark Recchi (A) RW L 39 1988 Kamloops, British Columbia
10 Gary Roberts LW L 41 1984 North York, Ontario
37 Jarkko Ruutu LW L 31 1998 Helsinki, Finland
5 Rob Scuderi D L 28 1998 Syosset, New York
11 Jordan Staal C L 18 2006 Thunder Bay, Ontario
25 Maxime Talbot C L 23 2002 LeMoyne, Quebec
41 Jocelyn Thibault G L 32 1993 Montreal, Quebec
22 Chris Thorburn RW R 24 2001 Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario
19 Ryan Whitney D L 24 2002 Scituate, Massachusetts

Draft picks

Pittsburgh's picks at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver.[41] The Penguins had the second overall draft pick, making the fourth consecutive draft the team had a pick in the top two: they had the first overall pick in the 2003 NHL Entry Draft (Marc-Andre Fleury), the second overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft (Evgeni Malkin) and the first overall pick in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft (Sidney Crosby).

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 2 Jordan Staal Center  Canada Peterborough Petes (OHL)
2 32 Carl Sneep Defence  United States Brainerd High School (USHS-MN)
3 65 Brian Strait Defence  United States U.S. National Team Development Program (NAHL)
5 125 Chad Johnson Goaltender  Canada University of Alaska Fairbanks (WCHA)
7 185 Timo Seppanen Defence  Finland HIFK (SM-liiga)
Draft notes[42]
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' fourth-round pick went to the Chicago Blackhawks as the result of an August 10, 2005 trade that sent Jocelyn Thibault to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.[43]
  • The Pittsburgh Penguins' sixth-round pick went to the Florida Panthers as the result of a January 18, 2006 trade that sent Eric Cairns to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.[44]

Farm teams

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are Pittsburgh's top affiliate in the AHL for the 2006–07 season.

Wheeling Nailers

The Wheeling Nailers are Pittsburgh's ECHL affiliate for the 2006–07 season.

See also

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-01-05. Retrieved 2007-01-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. TSN : NHL - Canada's Sports Leader
  3. NHL.com - 2007 All-Star Game Coverage
  4. https://www.hockey-reference.com/leagues/NHL_2007.html
  5. Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 157. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
  6. "2006–2007 Standings by Conference". National Hockey League. Retrieved March 26, 2012.
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  8. "2006–2007 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  9. "2006–2007 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  10. "2006–2007 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
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  14. "PENGUINS SIGN DEFENSEMAN WADE SKOLNEY". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 21, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  15. "PENGUINS SIGN DEFENSEMAN MATT CARKNER". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 23, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  16. "PENGUINS SIGN RONALD PETROVICKY". Pittsburgh Penguins. July 24, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
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  20. "PENGUINS CLAIM KARL STEWART OFF WAIVERS FROM DUCKS". Pittsburgh Penguins. September 27, 2006. Archived from the original on November 3, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  21. "PENGUINS CLAIM CHRIS THORBURN OFF WAIVERS FROM BUFFALO". Pittsburgh Penguins. October 3, 2006. Archived from the original on November 3, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
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  26. "PENGUINS SIGN DOMINIC MOORE TO TWO-YEAR DEAL". Pittsburgh Penguins. August 1, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
  27. "PENGUINS RE-SIGN NASREDDINE TO ONE-YEAR DEAL". Pittsburgh Penguins. August 2, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
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  30. "It's official: Penguins sign Russian star Malkin". ESPN. Associated Press. September 7, 2006. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
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  37. "PENGUINS TRIM CAMP ROSTER BY SIX PLAYERS". Pittsburgh Penguins. September 12, 2006. Archived from the original on November 4, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
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  39. "LeClair in final year of contract with Pens". ESPN. SportsTicker. November 30, 2006. Retrieved September 23, 2012.
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  44. "PENGUINS ACQUIRE DEFENSEMAN ERIC CAIRNS FOR DRAFT PICK – Pittsburgh Penguins". Pittsburgh Penguins. January 18, 2006. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
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