The 2008β09 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the 42nd season of
Pittsburgh Penguins in the
National Hockey League (NHL). The regular season began with two games against the
Ottawa Senators in Stockholm, Sweden on October 4 and October 5, 2008.
The Penguins qualified for the playoffs for the third consecutive season. They did not repeat as champions of the
Atlantic Division, but earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference with 99 points. They began the
2009 Stanley Cup playoffs on April 15 against the
Philadelphia Flyers. They beat the Flyers, Washington Capitals, and Carolina Hurricanes to earn a second-straight berth in the
Stanley Cup Finals. In the Finals, the Penguins defeated the
Detroit Red Wings in seven games in a rematch of the
previous season's Stanley Cup Finals to win the franchise's third league title. To date, this is the only Stanley Cup the Penguins have won without having home-ice advantage. They became the first team since the
1983-84 Edmonton Oilers to win the Stanley Cup after losing it the previous year.
Pre-season
Due to their appearance in the
2008 Stanley Cup Finals, the Penguins had less than three weeks before free agency began to settle numerous contract decisions. The Penguins added
nine free agents and lost ten to other teams. Head Coach
Michel Therrien also signed a new three-year contract that replaced the last year of his existing contract, with an increase in salary. The new contract was projected to keep him with the Penguins through the 2010β11 season.[5]
The Penguins renewed 99% of their season ticket sales from the
2007β08 season; having sold out 67 consecutive games at Mellon Arena dating back to the
2006β07 season.[6] In July,
ESPN named Pittsburgh the top team in the
Eastern Conference,[7] and Sporting News predicted the team would finish in the league's fifth overall position.[8]
The team commenced training camp on September 16, 2008, in Pittsburgh.[9][10] They played five
pre-season games in preparation for the season, finishing with a 4β0β1 record.[11] The team concluded its preparation for the season with practices in
Stockholm.[12] Defensemen
Sergei Gonchar was injured in the pre-season opener and originally anticipated to miss "four to six months." He appeared for the first time on February 14, 2009.[13][14] With Gonchar out of the lineup and previous season's two other alternate captains
Ryan Malone and
Gary Roberts departed, the Penguins began the season with no returning alternate captains in the lineup. Therrien selected two alternate captains each month;
Evgeni Malkin and
Brooks Orpik served the role throughout the opening month.[15]
2008β09 Preseason Game Log: 4β0β1 (Home: 1β0β1; Road: 3β0β0)
"It's a long season... We're going to get better."
βMichel Therrien, after the Penguins games in Sweden.[16]
On September 27, the Penguins embarked on a trip for Sweden where they opened the season against the
Ottawa Senators, at the
Stockholm Globe Arena.[17] The Penguins were one of four teams to participate in NHL Premiere which began the season with games in
Prague, Czech Republic and
Stockholm, Sweden.[18] Pittsburgh won the opening game of the season in overtime, getting two goals from
Tyler Kennedy, including the game-winner.[16] The game was broadcast on
Mellon Arena's
JumboTron where 2,300 spectators watched the game.[19] The team returned to Pittsburgh after ten days in Europe and a 1β1β0 record.[16] The Penguins hosted the Trib Total Media Faceoff Festival 2008 prior to their first four home games, allowing fans to watch the games on 9-by-12 foot
LED screen outside of Mellon Arena.[20] On October 18,
Sidney Crosby scored one goal in addition to three assists to surpass benchmarks of 100 goals, 200 assists, and 300 total points for his career.[21] In the same game,
Evgeni Malkin assisted on four goals, giving him 200 total career points.[22][23]
The Penguins received continued fan support from their
previous season. In addition to extending a home sellout streak to 72 games on October 23, the Penguins ranked 113% above the national average for male television viewers aged 18 to 34.[24] The franchise ranked as the 18th most valuable in the league at US$195 million, marking a 26% increase from the past season.[25] According to Forbes, the franchise's revenue would likely put the Penguins into the top ten after their new arena,
Consol Energy Center, opened in 2010.[25] The Penguins finished October with a 3β1β1 record in Pittsburgh and concluded the month with three consecutive road losses.
November
Mike Zigomanis led the NHL in face-off winning percentage through 20 games.
The Penguins won their first six games in November before losing in a shootout on November 18.[26]Rob Scuderi and
Hal Gill were selected by Therrien to be November's alternate captains, taking over for
Brooks Orpik and Malkin who served in October.[27] On November 11, the Penguins returned to Detroit for the first time since the
2008 Stanley Cup Finals.[28] The third goal of
Jordan Staal's second career
hat-trick came with 22.8 seconds remaining in regulation, sending the game into overtime where the Penguins achieved a 7β6 victory.[29] Malkin's 13-game point streak ended on November 18, during the streak he scored 27 points.[30] Through November 19, the Penguins led the league in overtime games with nine of 18 games taking extra time to decide.[31] Through the first 20 games of the season,
Mike Zigomanis led the league in faceoff percentage and
Alex Goligoski led rookie defensemen in points.[32] After an injury to
Marc-Andre Fleury,
Dany Sabourin and rookie
John Curry split goaltending duties in his multi-game absence in which the team was 5β6β2.[33][34] On November 26, Malkin scored three goals for his third career hat-trick,[35] three days later Sidney Crosby also achieved a hat trickβthe second of his career.[36] After the team's final game of the month, Malkin and Crosby ranked first and second in league scoring with 39 and 34 points respectively.[37] Malkin also ranked first in the league with 29 assists,[37] and was named the NHL's second Star of the Month.[38]
December
Kristopher Letang prior to a game
Therrien named
Jordan Staal and
Matt Cooke December's alternate captains. "I think it's important for our young group to try to extend the leadership group," the coach said of the decision.[39] A survey by Turnkey Sports & Entertainment released on December 2 that surveyed fans of all 122
NFL,
NBA,
NHL and
MLB teams ranked the Penguins eighth. The survey consisted of 21 categories such as entertainment value, commitment to winning, ticket value and likeability of the players and owners. Ranked 20th in the same poll in 2007, the Penguins were the second-ranked NHL team, behind the
Detroit Red Wings.[40] The Penguins began the month with seven games in eleven days in which they were 2β4β1.[41] As of December 10, Crosby and Malkin continued to lead the league in points as well as leading voting for the
All-Star Game in
Montreal.[42] On December 11, after losing three consecutive games,
Petr Sykora and
Pascal Dupuis each scored their first career hat-tricks in a 9β2 victory over the
New York Islanders in Pittsburgh. It was the seventh time in the Penguins' history that two players scored a hat-trick in the same game, the first since 1993.[43]
On December 21, Sidney Crosby surpassed the record for most All-Star Game votes at 1,020,736, set by
Jaromir Jagr, then with the Penguins, in 2000. Crosby broke the record with 13 days remaining in voting.[44] Defenceman
Ryan Whitney made his first appearance of the season on December 23, after missing 33 games with a foot injury.[45] On December 26, Marc-Andre Fleury made 37 saves in Pittsburgh's first shutout of the season, defeating the
New Jersey Devils, 1β0.[46] After concluding the month with a 5β8β1 record, the team held a players-only meeting on December 30. "The attitude is a little off right now," said Brooks Orpik, "It's easy to be a good team when you're winning games. When you're going through rough batches like this, it's what tests guys' character."[47]
January
The Penguins began 2009 with three consecutive losses, extending their losing streak to five gamesβthe most consecutive since 2006.[48] During the streak, the Penguins fell from second to ninth place in the Eastern Conference and failed to score on 32 consecutive power plays.[48][49]
Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin led all players in voting for the
2009 All-Star Game.[50] However, Crosby did not play due to a knee injury. The top vote-getter for the second year in a row, Crosby also missed the 2008 All-Star Game.[51] On January 8, the team announced that they had agreed to a four-year contract extension with
Jordan Staal worth $16 million. Staal's rookie contract was set to expire at the end of the season. He was the Penguins first round pick, second overall in
2006.[52]
The team suffered from injuries, culminating in January where at one point they had eight starters injured. Mike Zigomanis had been inactive since December 3 and
Ruslan Fedotenko was ruled out for four to six weeks after breaking his hand on January 6.
Sergei Gonchar practiced with the team for the first time on January 16 after suffering a
separated shoulder during the pre-season. By that time, the Penguins had lost 173
man-games due to injury, after losing 239 in the entire
2007β08 season.[53] With a 3β0 victory over the
New York Rangers on January 18, the Penguins won a second consecutive game for the first time since November 15. However, the team was unable to capitalize and lost their last game before the All-Star break to the
Carolina Hurricanes. The Penguins entered the break with a 23β21β4 record. The team's 50 points put them in tenth place in the
Eastern Conference, two spots out of the
playoffs.[54]
February
Michel Therrien, who was in his fourth season with the Penguins, was fired on February 15, 2009.Dan Bylsma was promoted from the Penguins' AHL affiliate to replace Therrien.
On February 14, Sergei Gonchar made his season debut and Ruslan Fedotenko returned to the line-up after missing over a month due to a hand injury.[55] On February 15βwith the Penguins five points out of the playoffs[56]βTherrien was replaced by
Dan Bylsma, the coach of the Penguins'
AHL affiliate
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, on an interim basis.[57]Tom Fitzgerald was promoted from Director of Player Development to assistant coach for forwards, while
Mike Yeo, already with the team, became assistant for the defensemen. Assistant
Andre Savard was reassigned within the organization.[58]
On February 21, Crosby recorded his 250th career assist in a 2-goal, 2-assist victory over the Philadelphia Flyers.[59] On February 25, Fleury recorded his third shutout of the season, as the Penguins defeated the Islanders 1β0; the team remained two points out of the playoffs after the win.[60] The day after the shutout,
Ryan Whitney was traded to the
Anaheim Ducks for
Chris Kunitz and signing rights to prospect
Eric Tangradi.[3] In his first game after being traded to Pittsburgh, Kunitz recorded a goal and an assist as the Penguins defeated the
Chicago Blackhawks in overtime.[61]
March
The Penguins began March with five of six games on the road, before a homestand of eight consecutive games. Upon the Penguins' win on March 1, the team moved into eighth place in the Eastern Conference with 70 points.[62] The
NHL trade deadline was on March 4. On March 3, the Penguins placed
Miroslav Satan on waivers to clear roster space for a trade. Before the deadline, the Penguins acquired
New York Islanders' captain
Bill Guerin in exchange for a conditional draft pick in the
2009 draft.[4] The Penguins also exchanged minor league defensemen, sending
Danny Richmond to the
St. Louis Blues organization for
Andy Wozniewski. They also claimed winger
Craig Adams off waivers from the Chicago Blackhawks.[63] Dan Bylsma surpassed
Herb Brooks' record for the best record in his first ten games as a Penguins' coach.[64] The team went a franchise-first 5β0β0 on a road trip at the beginning of March.[65]
On March 15, the Penguins soldout their 100th consecutive game at the Mellon Arena.[66] Evgeni Malkin recorded his 100th point of the season while tying a career-high five point game against the
Atlanta Thrashers on March 17.[67] On March 20,
Vince Lascheid, Penguins and
Pittsburgh Pirates organist of 33 years, died. Vice President of Communications Tom McMillan said, "[Lascheid] probably is the only organist in the history of professional sports to be inducted into a team Hall of Fame."[68] The Penguins concluded March with eight consecutive games at the Mellon Arenaβtheir longest homestand of the season.[69]
April and season results
Graph of the Penguins point total
Pittsburgh finished their homestand with a 6β1β1 record, moving into fourth place in the Eastern Conference.[70] The final game of the homestand was the most watched game of the season on
FSN Pittsburgh, the Penguins regional television network. FSN Pittsburgh was the most-watched regional Fox network in the NHL for the second consecutive season.[71] On April 7, Sidney Crosby scored his 100th point of the season, Evgeni Malkin acquired his 300th career point and Petr Sykora scored his 300th career goal, while the Penguins qualified for the post-season for the third consecutive season with a 6β4 win over the
Tampa Bay Lightning.[72] Tickets for Pittsburgh's first two opening round playoff games sold out within a few hours of going on sale.[73] The team collected over $100,000 for the families of three
Pittsburgh Police officers who were
killed days before the game.[74] The Penguins finished their regular season on April 12 with a win over the Montreal Canadiens.[75] Through his first 25 games as Penguins' coach, Dan Blysma's 18β3β4 record amounted to 40 pointsβthe second-most of any coach in NHL history through their first 25 games.[76] The Penguins finished with a 45β28β9 record, for 99 points; fourth place in the Eastern Conference and second place in the Atlantic Division.[77]
Evgeni Malkin won the
Art Ross Trophy as the league's leading scorer with 113 points. Malkin followed
Mario Lemieux,
Jaromir Jagr and Crosby to become the fourth different Penguin to win the award. The award was the 13th overall for the Penguins since 1988.[78]
The Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup playoffs for the third consecutive season. They earned the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference and home-ice advantage in the opening round match-up against the
Philadelphia Flyers, following a loss by the Flyers on the last day of the regular season.[80] For the second consecutive season, the Penguins erected a 12 by 16 foot LED screen on the lawn directly outside Mellon Arena, allowing fans to watch all playoff games, free of charge.[81] After defeating Philadelphia, the Penguins beat the
Washington Capitals and the
Carolina Hurricanes to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals. The Penguins faced the Detroit Red Wings, defeating them in seven games to win their third Stanley Cup in franchise history. The final game of the season drew a 42.2 television rating in Pittsburghβthe highest local rating in any city since the NHL began to track the figure.[82]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals
The Penguins won Game 1 of the series 4β1, with goals from Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Tyler Kennedy and defenseman Mark Eaton.[83] "It was a good [night] for me," said Malkin, "It was a good [night] for everybody."[84] Flyers head coach
John Stevens was fined US$10,000 and forward
Daniel Carcillo was suspended by the NHL for the second game of the series for a hit to
Maxime Talbot's head immediately following a faceoff with seven seconds left in the game; Carcillo was not penalized at the time of the hit.[85] In Game 2, Evgeni Malkin had a goal and an assist, while Marc-Andre Fleury made 38 saves.[86] Bill Guerin scored two goals, including the game winner in overtime, and the Penguins won 3β2.[87] With the Penguins up two games to zero, the series moved to Philadelphia for Game 3. After falling behind 2β0, goals from Malkin and
Rob Scuderi tied the game. Malkin added his second goal of the game in the final period; however, Philadelphia won the game 6β3.[88] In Game 4, Fleury stopped 45 shots, giving up one goal as the Penguins won 3β1. Crosby scored his second goal of the playoffs and Tyler Kennedy added the game winner.[89] The Penguins were unable to clinch the series in Game 5 at Mellon Arena. A goal by Malkin was taken away after it was determined that he had kicked the puck into the net;
Martin Biron stopped 28 shots for the shutout.[90] Pittsburgh viewers were unable to see approximately 30 minutes of the second period after a lightning strike at a
FSN Pittsburgh network facility in
Atlanta caused the station to temporarily black out.[91]
"I just thought Malkin and Crosby almost looked like they took the game over, to be honest with you. We capitalized on a few opportunities there, and if you get a 3β0 lead, it should be over."
βJohn Stevens, following the Penguins victory in game six.[92]
In Game 6, the Flyers lead 3β0 four minutes into the second period. Maxime Talbot fought Daniel Carcillo after the Flyers tallied their third goal and the Penguins, re-energized by Talbot's display, scored three goals in what remained of the second period to tie the game 3β3.
Sergei Gonchar scored his first goal of the series, his first in 23 playoff games dating back to game two of the Penguins' first-round series against Ottawa in
2008, to break the tie at 2:19 of the third period. Crosby added an empty-net goal and the Penguins eliminated the Flyers and advance to the Eastern Conference Semifinals.[93] Three days after the Penguins series-clinching victory of the Flyers, the Penguins announced that Head Coach Dan Bylsma had signed a multi-year contract extension with the team.[94]
Eastern Conference semi-finals
Sidney Crosby scored a hat-trick in Game 2 of the Conference Semifinals.
The Penguins drew a matchup with the
Washington Capitals in the second round semi-finals. The anticipation for the series was high considering the rivalry between the teams and star players, most notably Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin of the Penguins and
Alexander Ovechkin and
Alexander Semin of the Capitals.[95][96][97] The first three games in the series were scheduled for national television in the U.S., with game one on
NBC and games two and three on
Versus.[98]
Game 1 was held in Washington, where Capitals owner
Ted Leonsis took steps to prevent Penguins' fans from purchasing tickets, such as not selling tickets to customers whose 724 or 412
area code indicated they were from
Western Pennsylvania.[99] Crosby scored to give the Penguins a first period lead, but Washington scored two goals before the conclusion of the period. Mark Eaton tied the game in the second period, but Washington's
Semyon Varlamov held the Penguins scoreless for the remainder of the game as the Capitals took a 1β0 lead in the series.[100] The game had 40% more viewers than playoff games the previous season.[101] In Game 2, Ovechkin and Crosby scored three goals each, though
Dave Steckel's second period goal was the difference as Washington won 4β3.[102]
The series moved to Pittsburgh for Game 3 with the Penguins down 2β0. Goals from Ruslan Fedotenko,
Nicklas Backstrom, Ovechkin and Malkin left the game tied after regulation. Kris Letang scored a powerplay goal 11 minutes into overtime, winning the game for the Penguins.[103][104] Pittsburgh tied the series at two games apiece after a 5β3 Game 4 victory at Mellon Arena. After a Washington goal scored less than a minute into regulation, the Penguins responded with three goals in the first period. The Penguins' five goals came from five different players.[105][106] During the first period, Sergei Gonchar was forced to leave the game after a knee-on-knee hit from Ovechkin;[107] Gonchar returned to the Penguins' line-up for Game 7.[108] Game 5 took place in Washington, D.C., the next day, due to the scheduling of a
Yanni concert in Pittsburgh.[109] After a scoreless first period, Washington took a 2β1 lead in the second. Fedotenko tied the game less than a minute into the third period, but a goal by Matt Cooke was matched by Ovechkin and the game went into overtime. With one second remaining in their second powerplay of the game, Malkin scored to give the Penguins their third consecutive victory.[110][111] Game 6 was the third overtime game of the series. Washington forced a seventh game with a 5β4 victory. Nine different players scored goals in the game.[112][113]
"I think everyone built the series up to end with a dramatic game seven, a huge story, and a big finish, but it didnβt feel anticlimactic to us."
βDan Bylsma, speaking about the Penguins' 6β2 victory in game seven[114]
In the final game of the series, Pittsburgh scored two goals within eight seconds of one another to take a 2β0 lead after Fleury stopped Ovechkin on a breakaway. Pittsburgh scored three more goals in the second period, extending their lead to 5β0, before Ovechkin scored his eighth goal of the series. Each team added a goal in the final period to end the game with a 6β2 final score.[115][116] Ovechkin scored eight goals and added six assists in the series, while Crosby tallied eight goals and five assists. Crosby's 13-point tally in the series totalled one less than Ovechkin's 14 points, which was the highest single-series point total since the
1995 playoffs.[115] While shaking hands following the final game, Crosby told Ovechkin he had played a "great series," to which Ovechkin responded, "win the Stanley Cup."[117]
Eastern Conference Final
Pittsburgh faced the
Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final, after Carolina defeated the
Boston Bruins and
New Jersey Devils. The series opened in Pittsburgh, where
Miroslav Satan and
Philippe Boucher scored their first goals of the playoffs. Marc-Andre Fleury was named the game's third star after making 23 saves and helping the Penguins to a 3β2 victory.[118] In Game 2, Malkin scored a hat-trick and
Chris Kunitz scored his first goal of the playoffs as the Penguins won 7β4, taking a two games to none series lead.[119][120] In Game 3, Malkin scored two goals and Crosby scored one as the Penguins took a 3β1 lead into the first intermission. After a scoreless second period, the Hurricanes came within a goal after
Sergei Samsonov scored less than two minutes into the final period, but goals by Fedotenko,
Craig Adams and Guerin gave the Penguins a 6β2 victory.[121] The series concluded with the Penguins sweeping, four games to none.[122] In the series' fourth game, Pittsburgh gave up the initial goal less than two minutes into the opening period, but goals from Fedotenko and Talbot gave them the lead after the first period. A second period goal from Guerin and an empty netter from Adams sealed the Penguins' victory in the game and the series.[123]
Following Game 4, Crosby hoisted the
Prince of Wales Trophy after refusing to touch it the previous season. As team captain, Mario Lemieux hoisted the Prince of Wales Trophy in 1991 and 1992, and the Penguins won the Stanley Cup each time.
Sidney Crosby holds the Stanley Cup at a parade in Pittsburgh.
For the second consecutive season, the Penguins played the
Detroit Red Wings in the
Stanley Cup Finals, marking the first time in 25 years that two teams played each other in consecutive Finals.[124] Tickets for Games 3 and 4, which were hosted at Mellon Arena, sold out in 10 minutes.[125] In the first game of the series, the Red Wings scored the first goal when a puck shot by
Brad Stuart ricocheted off the boards behind the goal, then bounced off Marc-Andre Fleury and into the net. Ruslan Fedotenko, with an assist from Evgeni Malkin, tied the game before the conclusion of the first period. Detroit went on to score a goal in each of the final two periods to win Game 1, 3β1.[126][127] Evgeni Malkin scored a powerplay goal in the first period of game two, but the Penguins were held scoreless for the remainder of the contest; falling 3β1 for a second consecutive game.[128]
With the Penguins down two games to none, the series shifted to Pittsburgh for Game 3. After a 2β2 first period and a scoreless second period, Sergei Gonchar and Maxime Talbot each scored a goal in the third period to give the Penguins a 4β2 victory.[129] In Game 4, the Penguins tied the Red Wings at two games apiece with three unanswered goals in the second period, including a shorthanded goal by Jordan Staal.[130] With the series returning to Detroit, the Red Wings took a three games to two lead in the series with a 5β0 win.[131] Staal and Tyler Kennedy scored as the Penguins tied the series at three games apiece in a 2β1 game six victory.[132] In the seventh and final game of the series, Maxime Talbot scored two goals and Fleury made 23 saves as the Penguins won their third Stanley Cup in franchise history.[133]
Evgeni Malkin won the
Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.[134] Fans celebrated in the streets of Pittsburgh after the game, with the Stanley Cup victory coming four months after the
Pittsburgh Steelers' victory in
Super Bowl XLIII.[135] Two days after the victory, 375,000 people attended a parade of the Cup through downtown Pittsburgh.[136]
Playoff log
2009 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Eastern Conference quarterfinals vs No. 5 Philadelphia Flyers: 4β2 (Home: 2β1; Road: 2β1)
β Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
β‘Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.
Prior to the team's final home game on April 9 against the
New York Islanders, the team announced its annual award winners. Awards were given by the Pittsburgh chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Penguins Booster Club, as well as voted amongst the team.[158]
Concerns over future player contracts were raised just days after the
2008 Stanley Cup Finals.[159] Approximately a dozen players, including
Marian Hossa,
Jarkko Ruutu,
Ryan Malone and
Brooks Orpik, had fulfilled the final year on their contracts.[160][161] On June 28, the Penguins traded the contract negotiation rights to
Gary Roberts and
Ryan Malone to the
Tampa Bay Lightning for a conditional draft pick; it became a third-round pick when both Malone and Roberts signed with the Lightning on June 30.[162]Evgeni Malkin was offered a contract from a Russian team in the newly formed
Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) worth approximately $12.5 million, tax exempt, per year, which would make him the highest-paid hockey player in the world.[163] However, Malkin turned down the offer to remain with the Penguins, and the
IIHF released a statement saying that it would not honor the offer, as Malkin was already under an existing contract with the Penguins at the time.[164][165] Malkin agreed to a five-year contract extension worth $8.7 million per yearβthe same value as Sidney Crosby's contractβwith the Penguins on July 2.[166] On July 3, the Penguins agreed to a seven-year deal with restricted free agent goaltender
Marc-Andre Fleury in addition to one-year contracts with free agents
Miroslav Satan and
Ruslan Fedotenko.[167] On October 8, the Penguins made several roster adjustments, placing
Kris Beech, who was already in Europe looking for a new team, on unconditional waivers and sending
Janne Pesonen,
John Curry and
Jeff Taffe, who first had to clear waivers,[168] to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.[169] The next day, on October 9, the Penguins acquired
Michael Zigomanis from
Phoenix for future considerations.[168] On December 19, the team extended their agreement with
Maxime Talbot for an additional two seasons.[170]
^Initially fifth-round pick, fourth-round pick if Penguins make playoffs, third-round pick if Penguins win a playoff round and Guerin plays in 50% of the games.[179]
The
2008 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 20β21, 2008, in
Ottawa, Ontario. The Penguins did not make their first selection until the fourth round, at 120th overall.[196]
The Pittsburgh Penguins' second-round pick went to the
Toronto Maple Leafs as the result of a February 26, 2008 trade that sent
Hal Gill to the Penguins in exchange for a
2009 fifth-round pick and this pick.[199]
The Pittsburgh Penguins' third-round pick went to the
Phoenix Coyotes as the result of a February 27, 200 trade that sent
Georges Laraque to the Penguins in exchange for
Daniel Carcillo and this pick.[200]
Chris Minard, the AHL's leading goal scorer at time of announcement, was selected as a starter for Team Canada in the
2009 All Star Classic.
Jeff Taffe and
Ben Lovejoy were selected as reserves for the PlanetUSA team. All three players were under two-way NHL contracts and played games with Pittsburgh during the season. In the game, Taffe scored three goals and recorded two assists.[201]
Janne Pesonen, who signed a contract with the Penguins in July 2008, finished the
2008β09 season as the AHL's fourth-leading scorer, set a new record for points in a single season for the team, surpassing
Toby Petersen's 67-point season in
2000β01, and his 82 points were the most ever by a Finn in AHL history.[202][203]
The Nailers had three players selected for the 2009
ECHL All-Star Game, all reserve forwards.
Nick Johnson, the only Penguins prospect, was drafted by the team 67th overall in
2004 and signed an entry-level contract with the organization in March 2008. Johnson did not play in the All-Star Game because he finished the season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Media affiliates
WXDX-FM 105.9 of Pittsburgh was the radio
flagship station for the Penguins for the third season. In April, the team and the station agreed to a six-year contract extension.
Mike Lange, former Penguin
Phil Bourque and Bob Grove were the station's broadcasters.[204]
FSN Pittsburgh was the primary television network.
Paul Steigerwald,
Dan Potash,
Rob King, and former Penguins
Bob Errey and
Jay Caufield were the station's broadcast team. During the semi-final playoff round against the Washington Capitals, game five set a record as the highest watched game on any FSN regional network in history. It was then surpassed by games six and seven; the final game of the series drew a 24.97 average ratingβtwice the viewers than the second most watched show of the evening.[205]
^Kasan, Sam (October 4, 2008).
"Pens Fans Enjoy Watch Party". PittsburghPenguins.com.
Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved October 4, 2008.
^Molinari, Dave (November 27, 2008).
"Malkin, Crosby deflate Islanders". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Archived from the original on August 19, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
^Kasan, Sam (November 29, 2008).
"A Tip of the Hat for Crosby". PittsburghPenguins.com.
Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
^
abKasan, Sam (November 29, 2008).
"Aftermath: Penguins 4, Devils 1". Game Notes. PittsburghPenguins.com.
Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved November 30, 2008.
^Anderson, Shelly (December 18, 2008).
"A good mixture of rest, work". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2008.
^Anderson, Shelly (January 8, 2009).
"Penguins sign Jordan Staal". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from
the original on January 22, 2009. Retrieved January 8, 2009.
^Rossi, Rob (April 16, 2009).
"Dropping like Flyers". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from
the original on April 17, 2009. Retrieved April 16, 2009.
^Bombulie, Jonathan (April 15, 2009).
"All eyes on Pesonen". The Citizens' Voice. Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania: Times-Shamrock Communications. Archived from
the original on August 11, 2009. Retrieved May 19, 2009.