1984–85 Pittsburgh Penguins season

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1984–85 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division6th Patrick
Conference11th Wales
1984–85 record24–51–5
Goals for276
Goals against385
Team information
General managerEddie Johnston
CoachBob Berry
CaptainMike Bullard
Alternate captainsNone
ArenaPittsburgh Civic Arena
Average attendance10,018
Team leaders
GoalsMario Lemieux (43)
AssistsMario Lemieux (57)
PointsMario Lemieux (100)
Penalty minutesGary Rissling (209)
WinsDenis Herron (10)
Goals against averageRoberto Romano (4.42)

The 1984–85 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 18th in the National Hockey League. It marked the debut of Mario Lemieux for the Penguins. Lemieux debuted on October 11, 1984, against the Boston Bruins and scored a goal with his very first NHL shot, on his first shift.[1] Later that season, Lemieux played in the NHL All-Star Game and became the first rookie to be named the All-Star Game's Most Valuable Player. Despite missing seven games during the season, Lemieux scored 100 points and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year.

Offseason[]

Before the 1984 NHL Entry Draft, Lemieux announced he wanted to play for whoever drafted him.[2] He and his agent were deadlocked with the Penguins and could not negotiate a contract. Because of this, when the Penguins called his name as the first overall draft pick, he did not shake general manager Eddie Johnston's hand or don the Penguins jersey, as is NHL tradition. He claimed he was upset about the contract negotiation, and said that "Pittsburgh doesn't want [him] bad enough."[3] Even though the draft was held in Montreal, over 3,000 fans viewed a broadcast in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena — a typical Penguins game drew less than 7,000 fans at the time.[4] Lemieux's actions upset many fans and led to accusations of arrogance and aloofness.[5] After the draft, Johnston signed Lemieux to a two-year contract for $600,000, plus a $150,000 bonus for signing.[3] Although Lemieux wore the jersey #27 during his time with the Laval Voisins, he wanted to adopt Wayne Gretzky's #99 when he entered the NHL. However, his agent advised him to create his own identity; thus, Lemieux turned #99 upside down and landed on #66, which stuck with him throughout his career.

Regular season[]

Season standings[]

Patrick Division
  GP W L T GF GA PTS
Philadelphia Flyers 80 53 20 7 348 241 113
Washington Capitals 80 46 25 9 322 240 101
New York Islanders 80 40 34 6 345 312 86
New York Rangers 80 26 44 10 295 345 62
New Jersey Devils 80 22 48 10 264 346 54
Pittsburgh Penguins 80 24 51 5 276 385 53

[6]Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against
Note: Teams that qualified for the playoffs are highlighted in bold.

Schedule and results[]

1984–85 Schedule
October: 5–4–0 (Home: 4–1–0 ; Road: 1–3–0), 10 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
1 Oct 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Boston Bruins Boston Garden 0–1–0 0
2 Oct 13 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum 0–2–0 0
3 Oct 17 Vancouver Canucks 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 1–2–0 2
4 Oct 20 Philadelphia Flyers 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 2–2–0 4
5 Oct 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 2–3–0 4
6 Oct 24 New Jersey Devils 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 2–4–0 4
7 Oct 27 Montreal Canadiens 5–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 3–4–0 6
8 Oct 30 Detroit Red Wings 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 4–4–0 8
9 Oct 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 7–6 New Jersey Devils Brendan Byrne Arena 5–4–0 10
November: 1–8–3 (Home: 0–4–3 ; Road: 1–4–0), 5 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
10 Nov 3 New York Rangers 7–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–5–0 10
11 Nov 6 Edmonton Oilers 3–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–5–1 11
12 Nov 8 St. Louis Blues 6–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 5–6–1 11
13 Nov 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–5 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 5–7–1 11
14 Nov 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 OT Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Arena 6–7–1 13
15 Nov 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–7 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum 6–8–1 13
16 Nov 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–5 Los Angeles Kings The Forum 6–9–1 13
17 Nov 21 Washington Capitals 3–3 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 6–9–2 14
18 Nov 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–9 Hartford Whalers Hartford Civic Center 6–10–2 14
19 Nov 24 New Jersey Devils 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 6–11–2 14
20 Nov 27 Buffalo Sabres 2–2 OT Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 6–11–3 15
21 Nov 29 Chicago Black Hawks 6–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 6–12–3 15
December: 8–5–1 (Home: 6–1–0 ; Road: 2–4–1), 17 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
22 Dec 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 6–13–3 15
23 Dec 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–9 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 6–14–3 15
24 Dec 5 St. Louis Blues 4–7 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 7–14–3 17
25 Dec 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 OT New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 8–14–3 19
26 Dec 8 Calgary Flames 4–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 9–14–3 21
27 Dec 12 New York Islanders 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 10–14–3 23
28 Dec 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 5–2 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens 11–14–3 25
29 Dec 19 New Jersey Devils 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 11–15–3 25
30 Dec 21 Philadelphia Flyers 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 12–15–3 27
31 Dec 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 12–16–3 27
32 Dec 26 New York Islanders 5–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 13–16–3 29
33 Dec 28 Hartford Whalers 0–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 14–16–3 31
34 Dec 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–10 Quebec Nordiques Colisée de Québec 14–17–3 31
35 Dec 31 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 OT Detroit Red Wings Joe Louis Arena 14–17–4 32
January: 4–8–1 (Home: 3–3–0 ; Road: 1–5–1), 9 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
36 Jan 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–1 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens 15–17–4 34
37 Jan 4 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–7 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 15–18–4 34
38 Jan 5 Quebec Nordiques 8–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 15–19–4 34
39 Jan 9 Vancouver Canucks 4–7 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 16–19–4 36
40 Jan 12 Edmonton Oilers 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 17–19–4 38
41 Jan 16 Washington Capitals 5–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 17–20–4 38
42 Jan 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 17–21–4 38
43 Jan 19 Chicago Black Hawks 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 18–21–4 40
44 Jan 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–7 Winnipeg Jets Winnipeg Arena 18–22–4 40
45 Jan 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Minnesota North Stars Met Center 18–23–4 40
46 Jan 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–6 OT Calgary Flames Olympic Saddledome 18–23–5 41
47 Jan 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Edmonton Oilers Northlands Coliseum 18–24–5 41
48 Jan 30 Toronto Maple Leafs 6–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 18–25–5 41
February: 2–10–0 (Home: 1–6–0 ; Road: 1–4–0), 4 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
49 Feb 2 New York Islanders 4–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 18–26–5 41
50 Feb 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 New Jersey Devils Brendan Byrne Arena 18–27–5 41
51 Feb 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 18–28–5 41
52 Feb 10 Los Angeles Kings 4–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 18–29–5 41
53 Feb 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–5 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium 18–30–5 41
54 Feb 16 Quebec Nordiques 8–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 18–31–5 41
55 Feb 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–8 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 18–32–5 41
56 Feb 20 Calgary Flames 3–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 19–32–5 43
57 Feb 22 New York Rangers 8–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 19–33–5 43
58 Feb 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 Minnesota North Stars Met Center 20–33–5 45
59 Feb 25 Minnesota North Stars 5–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 20–34–5 45
60 Feb 27 Winnipeg Jets 6–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 20–35–5 45
March: 4–12–0 (Home: 3–3–0 ; Road: 1–9–0), 8 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
61 Mar 2 New York Rangers 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 21–35–5 47
62 Mar 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 21–36–5 47
63 Mar 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–6 Los Angeles Kings The Forum 21–37–5 47
64 Mar 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena 21–38–5 47
65 Mar 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–5 OT Boston Bruins Boston Garden 22–38–5 49
66 Mar 10 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–11 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum 22–39–5 49
67 Mar 13 Boston Bruins 7–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 22–40–5 49
68 Mar 16 New York Rangers 0–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 23–40–5 51
69 Mar 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Hartford Whalers Hartford Civic Center 23–41–5 51
70 Mar 19 Philadelphia Flyers 5–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 23–42–5 51
71 Mar 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium 23–43–5 51
72 Mar 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 23–44–5 51
73 Mar 26 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–5 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) 23–45–5 51
74 Mar 27 New Jersey Devils 3–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 24–45–5 53
75 Mar 30 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–6 New Jersey Devils Brendan Byrne Arena 24–46–5 53
76 Mar 31 Montreal Canadiens 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 24–47–5 53
April: 0–4–0 (Home: 0–2–0 ; Road: 0–2–0), 0 Points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location Record Points
77 Apr 2 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 New York Islanders Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum 24–48–5 53
78 Apr 3 Detroit Red Wings 3–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 24–49–5 53
79 Apr 6 Washington Capitals 7–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena 24–50–5 53
80 Apr 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–7 Washington Capitals Capital Centre 24–51–5 53
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Tie

Playoffs[]

The Penguins failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year, and finished in last again as well.

Player statistics[]

Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season[8]
Player GP TOI W L T GA GAA SA SV% SO
Denis Herron 42 2193:00 10 22 3 170 4.65 1362 0.875 1
Roberto Romano 31 1629:00 9 17 2 120 4.42 974 0.877 1
Michel Dion 10 553:00 3 6 0 43 4.67 316 0.864 0
Brian Ford 8 457:00 2 6 0 48 6.30 292 0.836 0
Total 4832:00 24 51 5 381 4.73 2944 0.871 2

†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[]

Transactions[]

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1984–85 season:

Trades[]

October 15, 1984 To Boston Bruins

1985 4th round pick

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Randy Hillier

November 9, 1984 To Montreal Canadiens

Ron Flockhart

To Pittsburgh Penguins

John Chabot

November 16, 1984 To Hartford Whalers

Pat Boutette

To Pittsburgh Penguins

rights to Ville Siren

December 6, 1984 To Quebec Nordiques

Tom Thornbury

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Brian Ford

March 12, 1985 To Washington Capitals

Mark Taylor

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Jim McGeough

Additions and subtractions[]

Additions
Player Former team Via
Petteri Lehto TPS Turku (SM-liiga) free agency (1984-07)
Wayne Babych St. Louis Blues Waiver Draft (1984-10-09)
Bruce Crowder Boston Bruins Waiver Draft (1984-10-09)
Joe McDonnell Edmonton Oilers free agency (1984-12-30)
Wally Weir Hartford Whalers waivers (1985-03-01)
Subtractions
Player New team Via
Paul Gardner Washington Capitals free agency (1984-07-17)
Darren Lowe (Austria) free agency
Vincent Tremblay Buffalo Sabres free agency (1985-03-07)

Roster[]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age NHL Draft Birthplace
26 Canada Wayne Babych RW R 26 1978 Edmonton, Alberta
24 Canada Roger Belanger Jr. C R 19 1984 St. Catharines, Ontario
33 Canada Doug Bodger D L 18 1984 Chemainus, British Columbia
23 United States Andy Brickley LW L 23 1980 Melrose, Massachusetts
22 Canada Michael Bullard (C) C L 24 1980 Ottawa, Ontario
7 Canada Rod Buskas D R 24 1981 Wetaskiwin, Alberta
9 Canada John Chabot C L 23 1980 Summerside, Price Edward Island
27 Canada Todd Charlesworth D R 20 1983 Calgary, Alberta
28 Canada Bruce Crowder RW R 28 1977 Essex, Ontario
29 Canada Michel Dion G R 31 Undrafted Granby, Quebec
10 Canada Bob Errey LW L 20 1983 Montreal, Quebec
31 Canada Brian Ford G R 23 Undrafted Edmonton, Alberta
2 Canada Gregory Fox D R 31 1973 Port McNeill, British Columbia
28 Canada Steve Gatzos RW R 23 1981 Toronto, Ontario
28 Canada Robert Geale C R 23 1980 Edmonton, Alberta
13 Canada James Hamilton RW L 28 1977 Barrie, Ontario
32 Canada David Hannan C L 23 1981 Sudbury, Ontario
1 Canada Denis Herron G L 32 1972 Chambly, Quebec
34 Canada Randy Hillier D L 25 1980 Toronto, Ontario
6 Canada Gregory Hotham D R 29 1976 London, Ontario
19 Finland Arto Javanainen RW R 26 1984 Pori, Finland
17 Canada Rick Kehoe RW R 33 1971 Windsor, Ontario
12 Canada Mitch Lamoureux C R 22 1981 Ottawa, Ontario
8 Finland Petteri Lehto D R 24 Undrafted Turku, Finland
66 Canada Mario Lemieux C R 19 1984 Montreal, Quebec
11 Canada Troy Loney LW L 21 1982 Bow Island, Alberta
20 United States Maurice Mantha D R 24 1980 Lakewood, Ohio
5 Canada Bryan Maxwell D R 29 1975 North Bay, Ontario
25 Canada Kevin McCarthy D R 27 1977 Winnipeg, Manitoba
2 Canada Joe McDonnell D R 24 Undrafted Kitchener, Ontario
16 Canada James McGeough C R 22 1981 Regina, Saskatchewan
4 Canada Marty McSorley D R 22 Undrafted Cayuga, Ontario
8 United States Thomas O'Regan C R 23 Undrafted Cambridge, Massachusetts
15 Canada Gary Rissling LW R 28 Undrafted Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
30 Canada Roberto Romano G R 22 Undrafted Montreal, Quebec
5 Canada Mike Rowe D R 20 1983 Kingston, Ontario
14 Canada Douglas Shedden C R 24 1980 Wallaceburg, Ontario
23 Canada Edward Weir RW R 30 Undrafted Verdun, Quebec
35 Canada Warren Young C R 29 1976 Toronto, Ontario

Draft picks[]

See also: List of Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks

The 1984 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 9, 1984, in Montreal, Quebec.[9]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club Team (League)
1 1 Mario Lemieux Center  Canada Laval Voisins (QMJHL)
1 9 Doug Bodger Defense  Canada Kamloops Junior Oilers (WHL)
1 16 Roger Belanger Jr. Center  Canada Kingston Canadians (OHL)
4 64 Right Wing  Canada Peterborough Petes (OHL)
5 85 Arto Javanainen Right Wing  Finland Assat Pori (FNL)
7 127 Tom Ryan Defense  United States Newton North H.S. (Massachusetts)
9 169 John Del Col Left Wing  Canada Toronto Marlboros (OHL)
10 189 Steve Hurt Right Wing  United States Hill-Murray H.S. (Minn.)
11 210 Jim Steen Center  United States Moorhead H.S. (Minn.)
12 230 Mark Ziliotto Left Wing  Canada Streetsville Jr. B (OHA)

References[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ "Mario Lemieux Retires". TSN. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  2. ^ Christopher, Matt (2002-12-01) [2002]. On the Ice With... Mario Lemieux. Little, Brown and Company. p. 3. ISBN 0-316-13799-5. Retrieved 2007-09-21.
  3. ^ a b Christopher, 23.
  4. ^ Christopher, 21.
  5. ^ Deacon, James (1996-04-08). "Lemieux, Mario (profile)". Maclean's Magazine. Archived from the original on 2007-10-15. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
  6. ^ Dinger, Ralph, ed. (2011). The National Hockey League Official Guide & Record Book 2012. Dan Diamond & Associates. p. 152. ISBN 9781894801225.
  7. ^ "1984–1985 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  8. ^ "1984–1985 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  9. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.
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