The 1969–70 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the franchise's third season in the National Hockey League. The season saw the Penguins qualify for the playoffs, for the first time in franchise history. The Penguins finished the season in second place in the West Division, 22 points behind the first place St. Louis Blues.

Offseason

Regular season

Tragedy struck the Penguins in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

when promising rookie center

Michel Briere Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

, who finished third in scoring on the team, was injured in a single-vehicle car crash in Quebec on May 15, 1970. His Mercury Cougar hit a frost bump and swerved off the road. It is not known if he was driving or not. Two friends who were in the vehicle with him suffered less serious injuries. After nearly spending a year in the hospital in a coma, Briere died of his head injuries. Given his junior league statistics, many hockey experts predicted that Briere would have been a star in the NHL.

Final standings

Record vs. opponents

Schedule and results

, - style="background:#ffc;" , 1 , , Oct 11 , , Oakland Seals , , 2–2 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (8,230) , , 0–0–1 , , 1 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 2 , , Oct 15 , , Philadelphia Flyers , , 3–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (3,010) , , 0–0–2 , , 2 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 3 , , Oct 18 , , Boston Bruins , , 3–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (5,572) , , 0–0–3 , , 3 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 4 , , Oct 19 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–4 , , Boston Bruins , , Boston Garden (14,831) , , 0–1–3 , , 3 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 5 , , Oct 21 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 3–4 , , Oakland Seals , ,

Oakland Coliseum Arena Oakland Arena is an indoor arena located in Oakland, California, United States. From its opening in 1966 until 1996, it was known as the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum Arena. After a major renovation completed in 1997, the arena was renamed ...

(2,812) , , 0–2–3 , , 3 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 6 , , Oct 22 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–2 , , Los Angeles Kings , , The Forum (5,558) , , 0–3–3 , , 3 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 7 , , Oct 25 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 4–1 , , Minnesota North Stars , , Met Center (14,877) , , 1–3–3 , , 5 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 8 , , Oct 29 , , New York Rangers , , 3–1 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (4,081) , , 1–4–3 , , 5 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 9 , , Nov 1 , , Minnesota North Stars , , 3–6 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (5,595) , , 2–4–3 , , 7 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 10 , , Nov 2 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 3–4 , ,

Detroit Red Wings The Detroit Red Wings (colloquially referred to as the Wings) are a professional ice hockey team based in Detroit. The Red Wings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the East ...

, , Olympia Stadium (12,787) , , 2–5–3 , , 7 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 11 , , Nov 5 , ,

, , 4–2 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (-) , , 2–6–3 , , 7 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 12 , , Nov 8 , ,

Chicago Black Hawks (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, , 4–1 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (6,727) , , 2–7–3 , , 7 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 13 , , Nov 12 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 3–0 , , Toronto Maple Leafs , , Maple Leaf Gardens (16,320) , , 3–7–3 , , 9 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 14 , , Nov 13 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–4 , , St. Louis Blues , ,

St. Louis Arena St. Louis Arena (known as the Checkerdome from 1977 to 1983) was an indoor arena in St. Louis, Missouri. The country's second-largest indoor entertainment venue when it opened in 1929, it was home to the St. Louis Blues and other sports franchis ...

(15,995) , , 3–8–3 , , 9 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 15 , , Nov 15 , , Los Angeles Kings , , 1–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (4,855) , , 4–8–3 , , 11 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 16 , , Nov 19 , , St. Louis Blues , , 4–0 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (4,297) , , 4–9–3 , , 11 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 17 , , Nov 22 , , Philadelphia Flyers , , 3–5 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (5,464) , , 5–9–3 , , 13 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 18 , , Nov 23 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 2–3 , ,

, , Chicago Stadium (16,666) , , 5–10–3 , , 13 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 19 , , Nov 26 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 4–4 , , Minnesota North Stars , , Met Center (14,159) , , 5–10–4 , , 14 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 20 , , Nov 29 , , Oakland Seals , , 3–5 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (6,765) , , 6–10–4 , , 16 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 21 , , Nov 30 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 3–3 , , Philadelphia Flyers , , The Spectrum (13,058) , , 6–10–5 , , 17 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 22 , , Dec 3 , ,

, , 1–2 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (4,116) , , 7–10–5 , , 19 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 23 , , Dec 6 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–5 , , Toronto Maple Leafs , , Maple Leaf Gardens (16,449) , , 7–11–5 , , 19 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 24 , , Dec 7 , , Toronto Maple Leafs , , 2–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,310) , , 8–11–5 , , 21 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 25 , , Dec 10 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 2–0 , , Los Angeles Kings , , The Forum (5,366) , , 9–11–5 , , 23 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 26 , , Dec 12 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 1–4 , , Oakland Seals , ,

(4,760) , , 9–12–5 , , 23 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 27 , , Dec 14 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 1–2 , , Boston Bruins , , Boston Garden (14,831) , , 9–13–5 , , 23 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 28 , , Dec 17 , , Montreal Canadiens , , 5–2 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (6,381) , , 9–14–5 , , 23 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 29 , , Dec 20 , , Boston Bruins , , 6–4 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,858) , , 9–15–5 , , 23 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 30 , , Dec 21 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–4 , , Philadelphia Flyers , , The Spectrum (12,423) , , 9–16–5 , , 23 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 31 , , Dec 26 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 3–2 , , New York Rangers , , Madison Square Garden (IV) (17,250) , , 10–16–5 , , 25 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 32 , , Dec 27 , ,

, , 3–0 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (8,746) , , 10–17–5 , , 25 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 33 , , Dec 31 , , Montreal Canadiens , , 2–4 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (5,202) , , 11–17–5 , , 27 , - , - style="background:#fcf;" , 34 , , Jan 3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–6 , , St. Louis Blues , ,

(16,566) , , 11–18–5 , , 27 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 35 , , Jan 4 , , Toronto Maple Leafs , , 4–4 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,966) , , 11–18–6 , , 28 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 36 , , Jan 7 , , New York Rangers , , 5–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (4,671) , , 11–19–6 , , 28 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 37 , , Jan 8 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 1–3 , , Montreal Canadiens , , Montreal Forum (16,006) , , 11–20–6 , , 28 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 38 , , Jan 10 , ,

, , 5–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (9,471) , , 11–21–6 , , 28 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 39 , , Jan 14 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–5 , ,

, , Chicago Stadium (16,666) , , 11–22–6 , , 28 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 40 , , Jan 17 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–4 , , Toronto Maple Leafs , , Maple Leaf Gardens (16,471) , , 11–23–6 , , 28 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 41 , , Jan 18 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 6–4 , , Philadelphia Flyers , , The Spectrum (16,666) , , 12–23–6 , , 30 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 42 , , Jan 21 , , Oakland Seals , , 3–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (3,443) , , 12–23–7 , , 31 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 43 , , Jan 24 , , Los Angeles Kings , , 2–4 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,581) , , 13–23–7 , , 33 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 44 , , Jan 25 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 1–3 , , Boston Bruins , , Boston Garden (14,835) , , 13–24–7 , , 33 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 45 , , Jan 28 , , Toronto Maple Leafs , , 4–4 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (4,290) , , 13–24–8 , , 34 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 46 , , Jan 31 , , St. Louis Blues , , 1–2 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (9,679) , , 14–24–8 , , 36 , - , - style="background:#fcf;" , 47 , , Feb 1 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–6 , , New York Rangers , , Madison Square Garden (IV) (17,250) , , 14–25–8 , , 36 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 48 , , Feb 4 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 7–5 , , Minnesota North Stars , , Met Center (11,973) , , 15–25–8 , , 38 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 49 , , Feb 7 , , Los Angeles Kings , , 1–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,983) , , 16–25–8 , , 40 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 50 , , Feb 8 , , Minnesota North Stars , , 3–6 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,954) , , 17–25–8 , , 42 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 51 , , Feb 11 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 1–7 , ,

, , Chicago Stadium (16,666) , , 17–26–8 , , 42 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 52 , , Feb 14 , , Boston Bruins , , 3–0 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (12,202) , , 17–27–8 , , 42 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 53 , , Feb 15 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 4–2 , ,

, , Olympia Stadium (14,487) , , 18–27–8 , , 44 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 54 , , Feb 17 , , Philadelphia Flyers , , 2–4 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,494) , , 19–27–8 , , 46 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 55 , , Feb 19 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 6–1 , , Los Angeles Kings , , The Forum (5,298) , , 20–27–8 , , 48 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 56 , , Feb 21 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 3–6 , , Oakland Seals , ,

(6,135) , , 20–28–8 , , 48 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 57 , , Feb 25 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 2–3 , , Montreal Canadiens , , Montreal Forum (16,259) , , 20–29–8 , , 48 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 58 , , Feb 26 , , Los Angeles Kings , , 0–1 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (4,826) , , 21–29–8 , , 50 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 59 , , Feb 28 , , Oakland Seals , , 2–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (10,740) , , 22–29–8 , , 52 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 60 , , Mar 4 , , Montreal Canadiens , , 1–2 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (8,047) , , 23–29–8 , , 54 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 61 , , Mar 5 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 3–5 , ,

, , Olympia Stadium (14,411) , , 23–30–8 , , 54 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 62 , , Mar 7 , , St. Louis Blues , , 2–2 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (12,881) , , 23–30–9 , , 55 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 63 , , Mar 8 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 0–0 , , New York Rangers , , Madison Square Garden (IV) (17,250) , , 23–30–10 , , 56 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 64 , , Mar 11 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 2–2 , , Oakland Seals , ,

(3,775) , , 23–30–11 , , 57 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 65 , , Mar 12 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 1–4 , , Los Angeles Kings , , The Forum (6,027) , , 23–31–11 , , 57 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 66 , , Mar 14 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 3–6 , , Minnesota North Stars , , Met Center (14,833) , , 23–32–11 , , 57 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 67 , , Mar 18 , , New York Rangers , , 2–0 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,551) , , 23–33–11 , , 57 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 68 , , Mar 19 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 1–3 , , St. Louis Blues , ,

(16,336) , , 23–34–11 , , 57 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 69 , , Mar 21 , ,

, , 5–3 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (12,103) , , 23–35–11 , , 57 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 70 , , Mar 22 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 4–5 , , Montreal Canadiens , , Montreal Forum (18,454) , , 23–36–11 , , 57 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 71 , , Mar 25 , , Minnesota North Stars , , 0–2 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (6,017) , , 24–36–11 , , 59 , - style="background:#cfc;" , 72 , , Mar 28 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 2–1 , , Philadelphia Flyers , , The Spectrum (14,606) , , 25–36–11 , , 61 , - style="background:#ffc;" , 73 , , Mar 29 , , St. Louis Blues , , 5–5 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,887) , , 25–36–12 , , 62 , - , - style="background:#cfc;" , 74 , , Apr 1 , , Philadelphia Flyers , , 1–4 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (7,984) , , 26–36–12 , , 64 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 75 , , Apr 4 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , 1–3 , , St. Louis Blues , ,

(17,017) , , 26–37–12 , , 64 , - style="background:#fcf;" , 76 , , Apr 5 , , Minnesota North Stars , , 5–1 , , Pittsburgh Penguins , , Civic Arena (6,991) , , 26–38–12 , , 64 , - , - style="text-align:center;" , ''Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie''

Playoffs

The Penguins would reach the playoffs for the first time in 1970, advancing to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the St. Louis Blues. In the Pittsburgh-Oakland series, in game one, Nick Harbaruk's goal midway through the third period was the winner as Pittsburgh won 2–1. In game two, Gary Jarrett gave Oakland a 1–0 lead, but Pittsburgh came back to win 3–1. Game three at Oakland featured a hat trick by Ken Schinkel of the Penguins as Pittsburgh won 5–2. Game four featured Oakland having 1–0 and 2–1 leads, but the Seals just couldn't hold on and the game was tied 2–2 at the end of regulation time. Overtime was necessary and

scored the series winning goal at 8:28 of overtime for Pittsburgh. In the West Division finals, the St. Louis Blues beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in six games. , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 1 , , April 8 , , Oakland , , 1–2 , , Pittsburgh , , 1–0 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 2 , , April 9 , , Oakland , , 1–3 , , Pittsburgh , , 2–0 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 3 , , April 11 , , Pittsburgh , , 5–2 , , Oakland , , 3–0 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 4 , , April 12 , , Pittsburgh , , 3–2 OT , , Oakland , , 4–0 , - , - bgcolor="#fcf" , 1 , , April 19 , , Pittsburgh , , 1–3 , , St. Louis , , 0–1 , - bgcolor="#fcf" , 2 , , April 21 , , Pittsburgh , , 1–4 , , St. Louis , , 0–2 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 3 , , April 23 , , St. Louis , , 2–3 , , Pittsburgh , , 1–2 , - bgcolor="#cfc" , 4 , , April 26 , , St. Louis , , 1–2 , , Pittsburgh , , 2–2 , - bgcolor="#fcf" , 5 , , April 28 , , Pittsburgh , , 0–5 , , St. Louis , , 2–3 , - bgcolor="#fcf" , 6 , , April 30 , , St. Louis , , 4–3 , , Pittsburgh , , 2–4 , - , - style="text-align:center;" , ''Legend: = Win = Loss''

Player statistics

;Skaters ;Goaltenders ^†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

* Ken Schinkel became the first player to score 100 points for the Penguins. He did so by scoring a goal in a 2–3 loss to Chicago on November 23. * Keith McCreary became the first player to score 50 goals for the Penguins. He did so with the first of his two goals in a 4–4 tie with Toronto on January 28. * Bryan Watson became the first player to earn 100 penalty minutes in one season for the Penguins. He did so by receiving 26 PIMs in a 1–7 loss to Chicago on February 11. * Ken Schinkel became the first to play 200 games for the Penguins. He did so in a 0–2 loss to

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

on March 18. *

Michel Brière Michel Edouard Brière (October 21, 1949 – April 13, 1971) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player for one season in the National Hockey League (NHL). Following his rookie season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Brière was involved in a car ...

established a rookie record for the Penguins in terms of assists (32) and points (44). *

Bob Woytowich Robert Ivan Woytowich (August 18, 1941 – July 30, 1988) was a Canadian ice hockey defenceman. He played for the National Hockey League from 1964 to 1972, and in the World Hockey Association from 1972 to 1976. Playing career Woytowich started ...

tied Noel Price's team record for points in a season by a defenseman with 33.

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1969–70 season:

Trades

Additions and subtractions

Draft picks

Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the

1969 NHL Entry Draft The 1969 National Hockey League, NHL NHL Entry Draft, Amateur Draft was the seventh NHL Entry Draft. It was held at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, Quebec. This draft is notable for being the first NHL draft to be conducted after the leagu ...

. ;Draft notes * The Pittsburgh Penguins' first-round pick went to the Boston Bruins as the result of a May 21, 1968, trade that sent Jean Pronovost and

John Arbour John Gilbert Arbour (born September 28, 1945) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey player who played in both the National Hockey League and the World Hockey Association. A stocky, physical defenceman, Arbour also developed an offensive d ...

to the Penguins in exchange for this pick. * The Pittsburgh Penguins' seventh-round pick went to the St. Louis Blues as the result of a June 12, 1969, trade that sent cash options to the Penguins in exchange for this pick. * The Pittsburgh Penguins' eighth-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a June 12, 1969, trade that sent cash options to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1969-70 Pittsburgh Penguins season Pittsburgh Penguins seasons Pittsburgh Pitts Pitts