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. Evgeni Malkin, the second overall pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, defected 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 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.

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, though, 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.

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 of the Pittsburgh Penguins ownership group, 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 thirty 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. Malkin, Staal, and defenceman Ryan Whitney were all invited to All-Star Weekend to play in the YoungStars game.

April

 * Green background indicates win.
 * Red background indicates regulation loss.
 * White background indicates overtime/shootout 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.

Player Stats
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; +/- = plus/minus; PIM = Penalty minutes; PPG = Power-play goals; SHG = Short-handed goals; GWG = Game-winning goals MIN = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T/OT = Ties/Overtime losses; GA = Goals-against; GAA = Goals-against average; SO = Shutouts; SA = Shots against; SV = Shots saved; SV% = Save percentage;

Draft picks
Pittsburgh's picks at the 2006 NHL Entry Draft in Vancouver, British Columbia. 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).

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.