1968–69 Pittsburgh Penguins season
The 1968–69 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the franchise's second season in the National Hockey League.
| 1968–69 Pittsburgh Penguins | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5th West |
| 1968–69 record | 20–45–11 |
| Goals for | 189 |
| Goals against | 248 |
| Team information | |
| General manager | Jack Riley |
| Coach | George "Red" Sullivan |
| Captain | Vacant |
| Alternate captains | Lou Angotti Noel Price Ken Schinkel Bob Woytowich |
| Arena | Pittsburgh Civic Arena |
| Average attendance | 6,008 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Keith McCreary (25) |
| Assists | Charlie Burns (38) |
| Points | Ken Schinkel (52) |
| Penalty minutes | Dunc McCallum (81) |
| Wins | Les Binkley, Joe Daley (10) |
| Goals against average | Marv Edwards (3.00) |
Regular season
Final standings
| GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | DIFF | Pts | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | St. Louis Blues | 76 | 37 | 25 | 14 | 204 | 157 | +47 | 88 |
| 2 | Oakland Seals | 76 | 29 | 36 | 11 | 219 | 251 | −32 | 69 |
| 3 | Philadelphia Flyers | 76 | 20 | 35 | 21 | 174 | 225 | −51 | 61 |
| 4 | Los Angeles Kings | 76 | 24 | 42 | 10 | 185 | 260 | −75 | 58 |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 76 | 20 | 45 | 11 | 189 | 252 | −63 | 51 |
| 6 | Minnesota North Stars | 76 | 18 | 43 | 15 | 189 | 270 | −81 | 51 |
Record vs. opponents
| 1968-69 NHL Records | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Team | BOS | CHI | DET | LAK | MIN | MON | NYR | OAK | PHI | PIT | STL | TOR |
| Boston | — | 5–2–1 | 3–2–3 | 5–1 | 4–0–2 | 4–2–2 | 3–3–2 | 3–1–2 | 4–2 | 5–1 | 2–2–2 | 4–2–2 |
| Chicago | 2–5–1 | — | 3–4–1 | 5–1 | 5–0–1 | 1–7 | 4–3–1 | 1–5 | 3–0–3 | 4–2 | 3–2–1 | 3–4–1 |
| Detroit | 2–3–3 | 4–3–1 | — | 4–2 | 4–2 | 2–5–1 | 4–3–1 | 3–2–1 | 3–1–2 | 4–2 | 0–4–2 | 3–4–1 |
| Los Angeles | 1–5 | 1–5 | 2–4 | — | 1–4–3 | 0–4–2 | 3–3 | 4–2–2 | 3–4–1 | 5–2–1 | 1–6–1 | 3–3 |
| Minnesota | 0–4–2 | 0–5–1 | 2–4 | 4–1–3 | — | 0–5–1 | 1–5 | 3–4–1 | 2–3–3 | 3–5 | 2–4–2 | 1–3–2 |
| Montreal | 2–4–2 | 7–1 | 5–2–1 | 4–0–2 | 5–0–1 | — | 3–4–1 | 2–3–1 | 5–1 | 4–1–1 | 5–0–1 | 4–3–1 |
| New York | 3–3–2 | 3–4–1 | 3–4–1 | 3–3 | 5–1 | 4–3–1 | — | 5–1 | 3–1–2 | 5–1 | 3–1–2 | 4–4 |
| Oakland | 1–3–2 | 5–1 | 2–3–1 | 2–4–2 | 4–3–1 | 3–2–1 | 1–5 | — | 4–2–2 | 4–2–2 | 1–7 | 2–4 |
| Philadelphia | 2–4 | 0–3–3 | 1–3–2 | 4–3–1 | 3–2–3 | 1–5 | 1–3–2 | 2–4–2 | — | 4–1–3 | 1–6–1 | 1–1–4 |
| Pittsburgh | 1–5 | 2–4 | 2–4 | 2–5–1 | 5–3 | 1–4–1 | 1–5 | 2–4–2 | 1–4–3 | — | 3–4–1 | 0–3–3 |
| St. Louis | 2–2–2 | 2–3–1 | 4–0–2 | 6–1–1 | 4–2–2 | 0–5–1 | 1–3–2 | 7–1 | 6–1–1 | 4–3–1 | — | 1–4–1 |
| Toronto | 2–4–2 | 4–3–1 | 4–3–1 | 3–3 | 3–1–2 | 3–4–1 | 4–4 | 4–2 | 1–1–4 | 3–0–3 | 4–1–1 | — |
Schedule and results
| 1968–69 Schedule | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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October: 1–4–2 (Home: 1–2–1 ; Road: 0–2–1), 4 Points
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November: 4–8–2 (Home: 1–4–2 ; Road: 3–4–0), 10 Points
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December: 2–10–2 (Home: 1–6–0 ; Road: 1–4–2), 6 Points
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January: 3–10–1 (Home: 1–4–1 ; Road: 2–6–0), 7 Points
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February: 4–6–2 (Home: 4–2–2 ; Road: 0–4–0), 10 Points
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March: 6–7–2 (Home: 4–2–0 ; Road: 2–5–2), 14 Points
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| Legend: = Win = Loss = Tie |
Playoffs
The Penguins were unable to make the playoffs for the second straight year.
Player statistics
- Skaters
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- Goaltenders
| Player | GP | W | L | T | GA | SO |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Les Binkley | 50 | 10 | 31 | 8 | 158 | 0 |
| Thomas Daley | 29 | 10 | 13 | 3 | 87 | 2 |
| Marv Edwards | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Total | 20 | 45 | 11 | 248 | 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
- Leo Boivin became the first to play 100 games for the Penguins during a 1–2 loss to Los Angeles on December 14. He played 100 of Pittsburgh's first 101 games.
- Ken Schinkel established a new franchise record for lowest plus-minus with –39. He topped the previous record of –23 held by Val Fonteyne.
- Jean Pronovost established a rookie record for the Penguins in terms of assists (25) and points (41).
Transactions
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1968–69 season:
Trades
| July 4, 1968 | To Oakland Seals
George Konik |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
cash |
| September 1, 1968 | To Philadelphia Flyers
loan of Bob Rivard |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
cash |
| October 1, 1968 | To Minnesota North Stars
1972 1st round pick |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Bob Woytowich |
| October 1, 1968 | To Detroit Red Wings
cash |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Doug Barrie |
| November 22, 1968 | To Montreal Canadiens
Larry Hillman |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Jean-Guy Lagace |
| November 29, 1968 | To Oakland Seals
Bob Dillabough |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Billy Harris |
| January 24, 1969 | To Minnesota North Stars
Leo Boivin |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Duane Rupp |
| January 30, 1969 | To Oakland Seals
Earl Ingarfield Sr. |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Tracy Pratt |
| May 30, 1969 | To Toronto Maple Leafs
cash |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Forbes Kennedy |
| June 6, 1969 | To St. Louis Blues
Lou Angotti |
To Pittsburgh Penguins
Craig Cameron |
Additions and subtractions
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Draft picks
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club Team (League) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Garry Swain | Center | Niagara Falls Flyers (OHA) | |
| 2 | 14 | Ron Snell | Right Wing | Regina Pats (WCHL) | |
| 3 | 21 | Dave Simpson | Defense | Port Arthur Marrs (TBJHL) |