The NHL is celebrating the best of the past 25 years by revealing Quarter-Century Teams for each of the League’s 32 franchises and the Arizona Coyotes.
Each club will be represented by a First Team and Second Team of six players -- three forwards, two defensemen and one goalie – who played for the franchise after Jan. 1, 2000. The first and second teams were selected by broadcasters, national writers and local writers and NHL.com writers who have covered the respective teams, in addition to select former players.
The six players voted to each First Team will be on the ballot for the NHL All Quarter-Century Team that will be chosen via a fan vote that will start in February.
Today, the First and Second Quarter-Century Teams for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
PITTSBURGH PENGUINS QUARTER-CENTURY TEAMS
First Team
Forwards
Sidney Crosby
Jake Guentzel
Evgeni Malkin
Defensemen
Goalie
Forwards: Legends. That's the way to describe Crosby and Malkin. Pittsburgh legends. NHL legends. Hockey legends. Crosby has the most points in the NHL this century with 1,640 and counting. He has the second most goals (603) behind Alex Ovechkin (872). He will soon have the most assists, but for now he's 20 behind Joe Thornton with 1,037. Malkin is sixth in goals (506), fifth in assists (822) and fourth in points (1,328) in the NHL this century. In Pittsburgh history, Crosby has played in the most games (1,314) and has the most assists. He is second to Mario Lemieux in goals and points, but he could still catch him in both. Lemieux had 690 goals and 1,723 points. Malkin is second behind Crosby in games played (1,186). He is third in Pittsburgh history in goals, assists and points. Moreover, Crosby and Malkin combined to lead the Penguins to three Stanley Cup championships (2009, 2016, 2017). Crosby is Pittsburgh's all-time playoff leader in games played (180), assists (130) and points (201). His 71 goals are five behind Lemieux. Malkin is second in games played (177), assists (113) and points (180). He is third in goals (67). Guentzel earned his way on by doing more than just ride shotgun with Crosby from 2016-24. He had 58 points (24 goals, 34 assists) in 58 playoff games, helping the Penguins win the Cup in 2017. He is third among Penguins forwards in goals (219), assists (247) and points (466) in 503 games this century.
Defensemen: Letang is another legend. Like Crosby's No. 87 and Malkin's No. 71, his No. 58 will hang in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena. He too could be a future Hall of Famer. Letang is the all-time leader in just about all relevant statistical categories among Penguins defensemen with 173 goals, 585 assists, 758 points, 1,123 games played, and in the playoffs with 23 goals, 67 points, 90 assists and 149 games played. He is also a three-time Stanley Cup champion, even though he was injured and didn't play in the 2017 Cup run. Gonchar got a lot done in just five seasons with the Penguins from 2005-10. He is second all-time among Pittsburgh defenseman in goals (54), assists (205) and points (259) in just 322 games. He is third among Penguins defenseman in playoff scoring with 44 points (seven goals, 37 assists) in 60 games. He won the Cup with the Penguins in 2009.
Goalie: Fleury, another Pittsburgh legend, is first in the NHL this century with 569 wins and 1,038 games played, with 375 wins and 691 games played coming in his 13 seasons with the Penguins from 2003-17. That is clearly the most wins and games played in Penguins history too. So, too, are his 44 shutouts. He had a .912 save percentage and 2.58 goals-against average with the Penguins. Fleury led them to the 2009 Stanley Cup championship, backed up Matt Murray in 2016 and played a big role in 2017, too, starting 15 games and going 9-6 with a 2.56 GAA and .924 save percentage. Save a space in the rafters for his No. 29.
