1994–95 Pittsburgh Penguins season

Despite the absence of Mario Lemieux, the 1994–95 Pittsburgh Penguins started the season off strong, by winning their first seven games. They remained undefeated in their first 13 games, going 12–0–1. However, after such a red-hot start to the season, the Penguins had a lukewarm record in their final 35 games, going 17–16–2. Jaromir Jagr won the Art Ross Trophy for most points (70), captain Ron Francis led the league in assists (48) and plus/minus ( 30), and goaltender Ken Wregget led the league in wins (25). In a 7–3 Penguins' win over the Florida Panthers on February 7, Joe Mullen recorded an assist and became the first American-born NHL player to reach 1,000 points. Nine days later, Luc Robitaille scored four goals in a 5–2 Penguins win over the Hartford Whalers.

1994–95 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division2nd Northeast
Conference3rd Eastern
1994–95 record29–16–3
Home record18–5–1
Road record11–11–2
Goals for181
Goals against158
Team information
General managerCraig Patrick
CoachEddie Johnston
CaptainRon Francis
Alternate captainsUlf Samuelsson
Kevin Stevens
ArenaPittsburgh Civic Arena
Average attendance16,108
Minor league affiliate(s)Cleveland Lumberjacks
Team leaders
GoalsJaromir Jagr (32)
AssistsRon Francis (48)
PointsJaromir Jagr (70)
Penalty minutesFrancois Leroux (114)
Plus/minusRon Francis ( 30)
WinsKen Wregget (25)
Goals against averageKen Wregget (3.21)

Off-season

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Regular season

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The Penguins had the highest shooting percentage in the NHL during the regular season, scoring 181 goals on just 1,400 shots (12.9%).[1]

Final standings

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Northeast Division
No. CR GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 1 Quebec Nordiques 48 30 13 5 185 134 65
2 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 48 29 16 3 181 158 61
3 4 Boston Bruins 48 27 18 3 150 127 57
4 7 Buffalo Sabres 48 22 19 7 130 119 51
5 10 Hartford Whalers 48 19 24 5 127 141 43
6 11 Montreal Canadiens 48 18 23 7 125 148 43
7 14 Ottawa Senators 48 9 34 5 117 174 23

[2]

Eastern Conference[3]
R Div GP W L T GF GA Pts
1 Quebec Nordiques NE 48 30 13 5 185 134 65
2 Philadelphia Flyers AT 48 28 16 4 150 132 60
3 Pittsburgh Penguins NE 48 29 16 3 181 158 61
4 Boston Bruins NE 48 27 18 3 150 127 57
5 New Jersey Devils AT 48 22 18 8 136 121 52
6 Washington Capitals AT 48 22 18 8 136 120 52
7 Buffalo Sabres NE 48 22 19 7 130 119 51
8 New York Rangers AT 48 22 23 3 139 134 47
9 Florida Panthers AT 48 20 22 6 115 127 46
10 Hartford Whalers NE 48 19 24 5 127 141 43
11 Montreal Canadiens NE 48 18 23 7 125 148 43
12 Tampa Bay Lightning AT 48 17 28 3 120 144 37
13 New York Islanders AT 48 15 28 5 126 158 35
14 Ottawa Senators NE 48 9 34 5 117 174 23

Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast

bold – Qualified for playoffs


Playoffs

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Despite finding themselves in a three-games-to-one series deficit against the Washington Capitals in the first round of the playoffs, the Penguins won Game 5 at home in overtime, 6–5, via Luc Robitaille's goal at 4:30 of the first overtime period. Peter Bondra, Dale Hunter, Jaromir Jagr and Kevin Stevens each scored twice in the game. Pittsburgh went on to win Game 6 in Washington, 7–1, and then closed out the series at home with a 3–0 victory in Game 7. It was the second time in four years that the Penguins had come back to defeat the Capitals after being down three games to one. The Penguins faced the New Jersey Devils in the second round, and won the opening game, 3–2. With only 1:15 remaining in Game 2, Jaromir Jagr tied the game at 2–2. The game seemed certain to head to overtime until a breakaway-goal by Devils captain Scott Stevens with just 29 seconds remaining. Claude Lemieux added an empty-net goal and the Devils tied the series with a 4–2 win. In the final three games of the series, the Penguins managed to score only three goals and were ultimately eliminated at home in Game 5, 4–1.

Schedule and results

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Regular season

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1994–95 regular season[4]
January: 5–0–0 (home: 1–0–0; road: 4–0–0), 10 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
1 Jan 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–3 Tampa Bay Lightning 1–0–0 2 Recap
2 Jan 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–5 Florida Panthers 2–0–0 4 Recap
3 Jan 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 New York Rangers 3–0–0 6 Recap
4 Jan 27 Ottawa Senators 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–0–0 8 Recap
5 Jan 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–1 Washington Capitals 5–0–0 10 Recap
February: 9–3–2 (home: 7–1–1; road: 2–2–1), 20 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
6 Feb 1 New York Rangers 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–0–0 12 Recap
7 Feb 4 Tampa Bay Lightning 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–0–0 14 Recap
8 Feb 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 OT New Jersey Devils 7–0–1 15 Recap
9 Feb 7 Florida Panthers 3–7 Pittsburgh Penguins 8–0–1 17 Recap
10 Feb 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–2 New York Islanders 9–0–1 19 Recap
11 Feb 11 Montreal Canadiens 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 10–0–1 21 Recap
12 Feb 14 Boston Bruins 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 11–0–1 23 Recap
13 Feb 16 Hartford Whalers 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 12–0–1 25 Recap
14 Feb 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Hartford Whalers 12–1–1 25 Recap
15 Feb 19 Buffalo Sabres 3–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 12–1–2 26 Recap
16 Feb 21 Quebec Nordiques 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 13–1–2 28 Recap
17 Feb 24 Tampa Bay Lightning 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 13–2–2 28 Recap
18 Feb 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 New York Islanders 13–3–2 28 Recap
19 Feb 27 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–5 Quebec Nordiques 14–3–2 30 Recap
March: 8–6–0 (home: 5–1–0; road: 3–5–0), 16 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
20 Mar 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Buffalo Sabres 14–4–2 30 Recap
21 Mar 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 OT Boston Bruins 15–4–2 32 Recap
22 Mar 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Philadelphia Flyers 15–5–2 32 Recap
23 Mar 7 Quebec Nordiques 5–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 15–6–2 32 Recap
24 Mar 9 New York Islanders 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 16–6–2 34 Recap
25 Mar 11 Buffalo Sabres 2–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 17–6–2 36 Recap
26 Mar 13 Montreal Canadiens 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 18–6–2 38 Recap
27 Mar 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–8 Montreal Canadiens 18–7–2 38 Recap
28 Mar 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Quebec Nordiques 18–8–2 38 Recap
29 Mar 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 Ottawa Senators 19–8–2 40 Recap
30 Mar 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–2 Buffalo Sabres 20–8–2 42 Recap
31 Mar 24 New Jersey Devils 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 21–8–2 44 Recap
32 Mar 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–2 Florida Panthers 21–9–2 44 Recap
33 Mar 28 New York Islanders 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 22–9–2 46 Recap
April: 7–5–1 (home: 5–2–0; road: 2–3–1), 15 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
34 Apr 1 Philadelphia Flyers 2–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 23–9–2 48 Recap
35 Apr 5 Hartford Whalers 8–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 23–10–2 48 Recap
36 Apr 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Montreal Canadiens 23–11–2 48 Recap
37 Apr 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 Ottawa Senators 24–11–2 50 Recap
38 Apr 11 Washington Capitals 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 25–11–2 52 Recap
39 Apr 15 Ottawa Senators 2–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 26–11–2 54 Recap
40 Apr 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 OT Philadelphia Flyers 26–12–2 54 Recap
41 Apr 18 New York Rangers 5–6 Pittsburgh Penguins 27–12–2 56 Recap
42 Apr 22 Washington Capitals 2–1 Pittsburgh Penguins 27–13–2 56 Recap
43 Apr 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 Hartford Whalers 28–13–2 58 Recap
44 Apr 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 OT New Jersey Devils 28–13–3 59 Recap
45 Apr 28 Boston Bruins 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 29–13–3 61 Recap
46 Apr 30 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 Boston Bruins 29–14–3 61 Recap
May: 0–2–0 (home: 0–1–0; road: 0–1–0), 0 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Record Points Recap
47 May 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–7 Washington Capitals 29–15–3 61 Recap
48 May 3 Florida Panthers 4–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 29–16–3 61 Recap
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie

Playoffs

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1995 Stanley Cup playoffs[4]
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (6) Washington Capitals – Penguins win 4–3
Game Date Visitor Score Home Series Recap
1 May 6 Washington Capitals 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–1 Recap
2 May 8 Washington Capitals 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 Recap
3 May 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Washington Capitals 1–2 Recap
4 May 12 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Washington Capitals 1–3 Recap
5 May 14 Washington Capitals 6–5 OT Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Recap
6 May 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–1 Washington Capitals 3–3 Recap
7 May 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–0 Washington Capitals 4–3 Recap
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (5) New Jersey Devils – Devils win 4–1
Game Date Visitor Score Home Series Recap
1 May 20 New Jersey Devils 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–0 Recap
2 May 22 New Jersey Devils 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 Recap
3 May 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 New Jersey Devils 1–2 Recap
4 May 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 OT New Jersey Devils 1–3 Recap
5 May 28 New Jersey Devils 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Recap
Legend:        = Win        = Loss

Suspensions

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Player Length Date
Luc Robitaille 2 games February 2, 1995

Injuries

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Player Injury Date
Mario Lemieux 1–year leave for Hodgkin's Lymphoma treatment August 29, 1994
Wayne McBean Wrist surgery (Out indefinitely) October 1, 1994
Tom Barrasso Wrist surgery (Out indefinitely) January 20, 1995
Greg Andrusak Separated shoulder (DTD) March 15, 1995
Tom Barrasso Sore wrist (DTD) May 3, 1995
Drake Berehowsky Knee surgery (Out indefinitely) July 1, 1995

Player statistics

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Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season[7]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Ken Wregget 38 2208:28 25 9 2 118 3.21 1219 0.903 0 0 0 14
Wendell Young 10 496:38 3 6 0 27 3.26 255 0.894 0 0 0 2
Philippe DeRouville 1 60:00 1 0 0 3 3.00 27 0.889 0 0 0 0
Tom Barrasso 2 125:00 0 1 1 8 3.84 75 0.893 0 0 0 0
Total 2890:06 29 16 3 156 3.24 1576 0.901 0 0 0 16
Playoffs[8]
Player GP TOI W L GA GAA SA SV% SO G A PIM
Ken Wregget 11 660:35 5 6 33 3.00 349 0.905 1 0 0 7
Tom Barrasso 2 80:00 0 1 8 6.00 41 0.805 0 0 0 2
Total 740:35 5 7 41 3.32 390 0.895 1 0 0 9

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

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Awards

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Type Award/honor Recipient Ref
League
(annual)
Art Ross Trophy Jaromir Jagr [9]
Frank J. Selke Trophy Ron Francis [10]
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy Ron Francis [11]
Lester Patrick Trophy Joe Mullen [12]
NHL First All-Star team Jaromir Jagr (Right Wing) [13]
NHL Second All-Star team Larry Murphy (Defense) [13]
NHL Plus-Minus Award Ron Francis [14]
Team A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award Jaromir Jagr [15]
Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award Larry Murphy [16]
Bob Johnson Memorial Badger Bob Award Ron Francis [16]
Joe Mullen
Leading Scorer Award Jaromir Jagr
Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy No winner [17]
Most Valuable Player Award Jaromir Jagr [18]
Players' Player Award Ron Francis [17]
The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award Ron Francis [15]
Bryan Trottier

Milestones

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Milestone Player Date Ref
1,000th point Joe Mullen February 7, 1995 [19]
400th goal Luc Robitaille February 19, 1995 [20]
First game Philippe DeRouville April 10, 1995 [21]
Rusty Fitzgerald April 15, 1995
Richard Park May 3, 1995
Ian Moran May 10, 1995 [22]
1,000th game played Ron Francis April 16, 1995 [23]

Transactions

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The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1994–95 season:[24]

Trades

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July 29, 1994 To Los Angeles Kings

Rick Tocchet
1995 2nd round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Luc Robitaille

February 16, 1995 To Tampa Bay Lightning

future considerations

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Wendell Young

April 7, 1995 To Toronto Maple Leafs

Grant Jennings

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Drake Berehowsky

April 7, 1995 To Winnipeg Jets

Greg Brown

To Pittsburgh Penguins

cash

April 7, 1995 To Ottawa Senators

Martin Straka

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Norm Maciver
Troy Murray

Free agents

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Player Acquired from Lost to Date
Jeff Christian New Jersey Devils August 2, 1994
Mike Ramsey Buffalo Sabres August 3, 1994
John Cullen Toronto Maple Leafs August 3, 1994
Len Barrie Florida Panthers August 15, 1994

Signings

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Player Date
Joe Dziedzic August 10, 1994
Brian Farrell September 20, 1994
Ryan Savoia April 7, 1995

Other

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Name Date Details
Allen Pedersen September 20, 1994 Released
Doug Brown January 18, 1995 Lost in waiver draft (to Detroit Red Wings)
Chris Joseph January 18, 1995 Claimed in waiver draft (from Tampa Bay Lightning)
Francois Leroux January 18, 1995 Claimed in waiver draft (from Ottawa Senators)
Mike Hudson January 18, 1995 Claimed in waiver draft (from New York Rangers)
Wayne McBean January 18, 1995 Claimed in waiver draft (from Winnipeg Jets)
Micah Aivazoff January 18, 1995 Claimed in waiver draft (from Detroit Red Wings)
Micah Aivazoff January 18, 1995 Lost in waiver draft (to Edmonton Oilers)

Draft picks

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Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1994 NHL Entry Draft.[25]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 24 Chris Wells Center   Canada Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
2 50 Richard Park Right Wing   United States Belleville Bulls (OHL)
3 57[a] Sven Butenschon Defense   Germany Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
3 73[b] Greg Crozier Left Wing   Canada Lawrence Academy (USHS–MA)
3 76 Alexei Krivchenkov Defense   Russia CSKA Moscow (Russia)
4 102 Tom O'Connor Defense   United States Springfield Olympics (EJHL)
5 128 Clint Johnson Left Wing   United States East High School (Duluth) (USHS–MN)
6 154 Valentin Morozov Center   Russia CSKA Moscow (Russia)
7 161[c] Serge Aubin Center   Canada Granby Bisons (QMJHL)
7 180 Drew Palmer Defense   United States Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
8 206 Boris Zelenko Left Wing   Russia CSKA Moscow (RUssia)
9 232 Jason Godbout Defense   United States Hill-Murray School (USHS–MN)
10 258 Mikhail Kazakevich Center   Russia Torpedo Yaroslavl (Russia)
11 284 Brian Leitza Goaltender   United States Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
Draft notes[26]
  • a The Hartford Whalers' third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a March 10, 1992, trade that sent Frank Pietrangelo to the Whalers in exchange for a seventh-round pick and this pick.
  • b The Boston Bruins' third-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of an October 8, 1993, trade that sent Paul Stanton to the Bruins in exchange for this pick.
  • c The Hartford Whalers' seventh-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a March 10, 1992, trade that sent Frank Pietrangelo to the Whalers in exchange for a third-round pick and this pick.

See also

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References

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  • "Pittsburgh Penguins 1994-95 roster and scoring statistics at hockeydb.com". www.hockeydb.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  • "1994-95 Pittsburgh Penguins Roster, Stats, Injuries, Scores, Results, Shootouts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  1. ^ "1994-95 NHL Summary". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  2. ^ Standings: NHL Public Relations Department (2008). Dave McCarthy; et al. (eds.). THE NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE Official Guide & Record Book/2009. National Hockey League. p. 154. ISBN 978-1-894801-14-0.
  3. ^ "1994-1995 Conference Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". NHL.
  4. ^ a b "1994-95 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  5. ^ "1994–1995 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  6. ^ "1994–1995 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  7. ^ "1994–1995 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  8. ^ "1994–1995 – Playoffs – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  9. ^ "Art Ross Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  10. ^ "Frank J. Selke Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  11. ^ "Lady Byng Memorial Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  12. ^ "Lester Patrick Trophy". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  13. ^ a b "Postseason All-Star Teams". records.nhl.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  14. ^ "Ron Francis | Carolina Hurricanes". NHL.com. Archived from the original on August 2, 2021. Retrieved September 11, 2023. He also won the Alka-Seltzer Plus Award in 1995, when he led the NHL in plus/minus
  15. ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.313
  16. ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.312
  17. ^ a b 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.311
  18. ^ 2014–15 Pittsburgh Penguins Media Guide, p.314
  19. ^ "Mullen first American to total 1,000 points". Tampa Bay Times. February 8, 1995. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  20. ^ "NHL - This week in NHL history". ESPN.com. February 13, 2000. Retrieved September 11, 2023. Feb. 19, 1995: Left wing Luc Robitaille, then with the Pittsburgh Penguins, recorded his 400th career goal in an 3-3 tie with the Buffalo Sabres at Civic Arena.
  21. ^ "1994-95 NHL Debuts". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 5, 2024.
  22. ^ "Ian Moran 1994-95 Game Log". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved October 6, 2024.
  23. ^ "1981 NHL Entry Draft -- Ron Francis". www.hockeydraftcentral.com. Retrieved September 11, 2023. Played his 1,000th career NHL game for Pittsburgh on April 16, 1995, at Philadelphia.
  24. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". ProSportsTransactions.
  25. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.com. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
  26. ^ "1994 NHL Entry Draft Pending Transactions". Pro Sports Transactions. Retrieved July 14, 2012.