The Penguins’ 50th anniversary season was not exactly a dull one. It was also plenty successful, the second-best in franchise history in terms of points accumulated with 111.
Here, then, are 50 things you may have forgotten, listed randomly on purpose:
1. Sidney Crosby scores 44 goals, the second-most of his career, and claims his second Rocket Richard Trophy.
2. Conor Sheary, undersized, undrafted and just 24, locks down a spot on Crosby’s wing and scores 23 goals.
3. Brimming with confidence, Justin Schultz enjoys a career year: plus-27, 12 goals and 51 points, the 13th defenseman in franchise history to break the 50-point barrier.
4. Injuries start to pile up during the final two months. The Penguins use 14 defensemen. At one point, their injured players account for about 45-percent of their total salary cap space.
5. Frustrated with his poor showing at the World Cup of Hockey, Evgeni Malkin delivers his second-best season since 2011-12 with 33 goals and 72 points in 62 games.
6. Feb. 28 in Dallas, Penguins finally blow a third-period lead. They had been 65-0 in such circumstances since the start of the 2015-16 season.
7. Carl Hagelin and Trevor Daley score, Marc-Andre Fleury stops all 19 shots he faces in relief of Matt Murray, and the Penguins come back to beat Carolina, 3-2, on Dec. 28, 2016. It marks the seventh win in the Penguins’ first 37 games when trailing after two periods.
8. Nick Bonino blocks 99 shots, bettering his own franchise record from last season and giving him the fourth-best shot-blocking since for a forward since the stat became official in 2005-06.
9. Ian Cole blocks 194 shots — 30 more than Rob Scuderi’s old franchise record from 2008-09. Cole's total turns out to be the third-most league-wide.
10. Jake Guentzel channels his inner Mario Lemieux for his NHL debut, scoring on his first shift and first shot, potting a pair of goals by the end of the first period.
11. It wasn’t a debut — it was his second NHL game — but Josh Archibald delivers a similar head-turner, scoring twice in a February game at Arizona during his second NHL game.
12. Guentzel and Sheary combine with Crosby to form the most dynamic line Crosby has seen since Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz flanked him, and all three were healthy at the same time.
13. Patric Hornqvist scores 11 of his first 14 goals inside of 15 feet — NHL shot distance totals are generally on the high end — and finishes with 21 goals, his seventh 20-goal season in the past eight years.
14. OK, let’s be honest here: Nobody ever really forgets the season-long goalie drama. It’s also probably not over.
15. Despite the penalty kill being a team strength in 2015-16 — the Penguins finished fifth at 84.4 percent — it slips to 20th at 79.8 percent, the fourth-worst PK mark for them since 1991-92.
16. The Penguins never gain much traction on faceoffs. They win just 47.6 percent, their worst mark since 2003-04.
17. Despite all of its success, the HBK line fails to rekindle its postseason magic, and Shawn Michaels becomes much less of a cultural icon in Pittsburgh.
18. Penguins finish 31-6-4 on home ice, one win shy of tying the franchise record.
19. Sort of the opposite on the road. They finish 6-3-2 on the road but failed to win 20 road games (19-15-7) for the first time in 10 seasons.
20. Pittsburgh (11) and Wilkes-Barre (15) achieve the impressive distinction of holding the longest playoff streaks in their respective leads, as the Red Wings’ run comes to a close.
21. Brian Dumoulin scores a goal on April 4. Seems like nothing, except when you consider he had played 150 consecutive regular season without scoring one.
22. Murray becomes only the rookie since 1967 to win 30 games. Does it in the fourth-fewest games all-time, too (44).
23. General manager Jim Rutherford identifies defensive depth as a team need. He acquires Ron Hainsey and Mark Streit to fill it, waiting until the last possible second to make both deals.
24. Phil Kessel’s goal-scoring takes a hit. He finishes with two in his final 26 games. But Kessel does a dish out career-high 47 assists to reach the 70-point plateau for the third time in his career.
25. Left-wing goal-scoring becomes an issue, as Chris Kunitz and Carl Hagelin — total of $7.85 million in cap hits — combine for just 15 goals in 132 games, an average of $523,333 per goal.
26. Matt Cullen defies the aging process. Again. At 40, he produces 13 goals and 31 points while shooting 14.0 percent, the second-highest mark of his career.
27. Derrick Pouliot shows up to training camp chiseled but fails to take the next step in his development. Before a March game in Buffalo, Sullivan gives an impassioned defense of Pouliot that lasts 2:17 and contains 318 words, his longest answer to a question all season.
28. It becomes the en vogue thing to do to batter the Penguins. Nobody does it better than the Blue Jackets or Brandon Dubinsky.
29. Olli Maatta repeatedly criticizes himself for inconsistent play. He hurts his hand against Winnipeg in February, needs surgery and returns for one game before the playoffs.
30. Penguins prove to be a streaky bunch. They win six of seven in October and December, record a season-long, seven-game winning streak in December, win six of eight at one point in February and eight of 10 during one stretch in March.
31. In Joe Starkey’s Post-Gazette column on Oct. 13, it is confirmed that the Penguins are no longer for sale.
32. Franchise icon Jaromir Jagr receives a touching tribute video and a standing ovation at PPG Paints Arena following his inclusion on the NHL 100 list. Jagr is emotionally moved by the whole thing, as a long-awaited reconciliation grows closer.
33. Penguins become the first NHL team to host outdoor hockey in the same venue, and 67,318 show up and brave the cold, making the event a universal success.
34. Opening night on Oct. 13 honors the Penguins’ fourth Stanley Cup-winning team, the first of several such celebrations. Dec. 3, with the early 90s Penguins in town, turns out to be especially well-received by fans.
35. Josh Ho-Sang of the Islanders causes a stir with his choice to wear No. 66 … until, of course, the real No. 66 pipes up and said he couldn’t possibly care less.
36. Penguins stretch their sellout streak to 471 games, which also includes the postseason.
37. The Penguins family suffers a pair of losses before the season starts: original general manager Jack Riley in July and executive producer Ray Walker in August.
38. It’s announced on April 5 that Kris Letang has a herniated disc in his neck, will need surgery and will miss 4-6 months. It ends a frustrating year for Letang, who was injured four separate times.
39. Bryan Rust emerges as a legitimate offensive threat. He scores 15 goals, giving the Penguins eight 15-goal scorers, their most since 1993-94.
40. The Penguins finish with 278 goals scored to lead the NHL for the sixth time in franchise history, the third during the Crosby/Malkin Era.
41. The day after Christmas, the Penguins announce they’ve signed Sullivan to a three-year contract extension, a gift from general manager Jim Rutherford to the entire fan base.
42. Two candidates wage a heated battle on Election Day. Donald and Hillary? Nope. Crosby and McDavid. Sid wins, 4-3.
43. Sidney Crosby picks up his 1,000th point with an assist on a Chris Kunitz goal against Winnipeg on Feb. 16. Evgeni Malkin also delivers a controversial hit on Blake Wheeler.
44. March 8, next meeting between Pens and Jets. Malkin fights Wheeler and picks up a Gordie Howe Hat Trick. The first period turns into a bit of a circus.
45. They slog through the inevitable clunkers: 4-0 at Montreal, 5-1 at Nashville, 7-1 at Washington, 6-2 at Minnesota, 7-1 at Columbus, 4-0 at Philadelphia, 6-2 at home against the Flyers and 5-1 to Chicago three nights later.
46. Penguins make their last visit to Joe Louis Arena, but they don’t leave with the greatest memory. A 6-3 loss caps a winless road trip.
47. Crosby adds to his personal highlight reel, which isn’t short: A baseball swing bank shot off Martin Jones in San Jose, clanking another off Henrik Lundqvist’s head, a no-look, between-the-legs setup of Conor Sheary in New Jersey, among others.
48. During a particularly ragged and lackadaisical practice in late October, Sullivan voices his displeasure. David Warsofsky gets an earful for taking too long to change sweaters.
49. One Penguins player appears in all 82 games: Phil Kessel. His ironman streak remains intact at 610 consecutive games.
50. With a 7-4 win at New Jersey, the Penguins nail down the fourth 50-win season in franchise history.
Jason Mackey: jmackey@post-gazette.com and Twitter @JMackeyPG.
First Published: April 12, 2017, 4:00 a.m.
