1984–85 Pittsburgh Penguins season

NHL team season March 2026 August 2023 NHL 1984–85 1984 Pittsburgh Penguins Wales 11th Patrick 6th 24–51–5 17–20–3 7–31–2 276 385 Eddie Johnston Bob Berry Mike Bullard None Pittsburgh Civic Arena 10,018 Mario Lemieux (43) Mario Lemieux (57) Mario Lemieux (100) Gary Rissling (209) Denis Herron (10) Roberto Romano (4.42) The 1984–85 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's eighteenth in the National Hockey League (NHL). It marked the debut of Mario Lemieux for the Penguins. The Penguins failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year for the first time in franchise history, and finished last in the Prince of Wales Conference with 53 points, the second-worst in the NHL. Background Lemieux debuted with the Penguins on October 11, 1984, in a game against the Boston Bruins; he scored a goal with his very first NHL shot during his first shift. https://www.tsn.ca/nhl/feature/?fid=10600&hubname= Mario Lemieux Retires TSN 2007-09-21 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 one hundred points and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year. 2 Offseason Before the 1984 NHL entry draft, Lemieux announced he wanted to play for whoever drafted him. Christopher Matt On the Ice With... Mario Lemieux 2002 https://books.google.com/books?id=5D6CaqcQhkgC 2007-09-21 Little, Brown and Company 0-316-13799-5 3 2002-12-01 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."Christopher, 23. Even though the draft was held in Montreal, more than three thousand fans viewed the broadcast in Pittsburgh's Civic Arena. In contrast, a typical Penguins game drew fewer than seven thousand fans.Christopher, 21. Lemieux's actions upset many fans and led to accusations of arrogance and aloofness.Deacon James http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0010639 Lemieux, Mario (profile) Maclean's Magazine 1996-04-08 2007-09-19 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20071015163600/http://thecanadianencyclopedia.com/index.cfm?PgNm=TCE&Params=M1ARTM0010639 2007-10-15 After the draft, Johnston signed Lemieux to a two-year contract for $600,000, plus a $150,000 bonus for signing. 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. In response, Lemieux turned #99 upside down and landed on #66, which stayed with him throughout his career. Regular season Season standings PIT Record vs. opponents PIT Schedule and results background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 5px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 5px solid; 1984–85 regular season1984-85 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule https://www.hockey-reference.com/teams/PIT/1985_games.html Hockey-Reference.com March 27, 2025 y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; 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 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; 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 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; 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 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; 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 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; 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 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; 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 |- y background:#FFFFFF; border-top:#000000 2px solid; border-bottom:#FCB514 2px solid; 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: #cfc Win (2 points) 1px solid black #fcc Loss (0 points) 1px solid black #ffc Tie (1 point) 1px solid black Player statistics Skaters + Regular season1984–1985 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats http://ice.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=skatersummary&season=19841985&gameType=2&sort=points&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=S https://web.archive.org/web/20161002020843/http://ice.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=skatersummary&season=19841985&gameType=2&sort=points&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=S dead October 2, 2016 NHL Player GP Games played G Goals A Assists Pts Points +/− Plus/minus PIM Penalty minutes Mario Lemieux 73 43 57 100 -35 –35 54 Warren Young 80 40 32 72 -20 –20 174 Doug Shedden 80 35 32 67 -51 –51 30 Mike Bullard Mike Bullard (ice hockey) 68 32 31 63 -43 –43 75 Wayne Babych 65 20 34 54 -7 –7 35 John Chabot† 67 8 45 53 -37 –37 12 Moe Mantha Jr. 71 11 40 51 -35 –35 54 Doug Bodger 65 5 26 31 -24 –24 67 Andy Brickley 45 7 15 22 -14 –14 10 Randy Hillier ice hockey 45 2 19 21 -12 –12 56 Kevin McCarthy Kevin McCarthy (ice hockey) 64 9 10 19 -20 –20 30 Gary Rissling 56 10 9 19 -6 –6 209 Troy Loney 46 10 8 18 -11 –11 59 Mitch Lamoureux 62 10 8 18 -9 –9 53 Mark Taylor Mark Taylor (ice hockey, born 1958)‡ 47 7 10 17 -7 –7 19 Dave Hannan 30 6 7 13 -8 –8 43 Bruce Crowder 26 4 7 11 -9 –9 23 Joe McDonnell Joe McDonnell (ice hockey) 40 2 9 11 -19 –19 20 Todd Charlesworth 67 1 8 9 -23 –23 31 Rod Buskas 69 2 7 9 -21 –21 191 Roger Belanger 44 3 5 8 -13 –13 32 Bryan Maxwell 44 0 8 8 -23 –23 57 Greg Fox Greg Fox (ice hockey) 26 2 5 7 -6 –6 26 Ron Flockhart Ron Flockhart (ice hockey)‡ 12 0 5 5 4 4 Arto Javanainen 14 4 1 5 1 2 Jim McGeough Jim McGeough† 14 0 4 4 -4 –4 4 Pat Boutette‡ 14 1 3 4 -5 –5 24 Jim Hamilton Jim Hamilton (ice hockey) 11 2 1 3 -6 –6 0 Wally Weir† 14 0 3 3 1 34 Bob Errey 16 0 2 2 -8 –8 7 Rick Kehoe 6 0 2 2 0 0 Steve Gatzos 6 0 2 2 -6 –6 2 Greg Hotham 11 0 2 2 -3 –3 4 Petteri Lehto 6 0 0 0 -4 –4 4 Bob Geale 1 0 0 0 -1 –1 2 Marty McSorley 15 0 0 0 -3 –3 15 Mike Rowe Mike Rowe (ice hockey) 6 0 0 0 -7 –7 7 Tom O'Regan 1 0 0 0 -1 –1 0 Total 276 457 733 — 1,469 Goaltenders + Regular Season1984–1985 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats https://www.nhl.com/stats/player?reportType=season&report=goaliesummary&season=19841985&gameType=2&aggregate=0&teamId=5&pos=G NHL Player GP Games played TOI Time on ice W Win L Loss T Tie GA Goals against GAA Goals against average SA Shots against SV% Save percentage SO Shutouts 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 Brian Ford (ice hockey) 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 Mario Lemieux established a new franchise rookie record for goals (43), assists (57) and points (100). He topped the previous highs held by Pierre Larouche (37 assists, 68 points) and Mike Bullard (36 goals). Rick Kehoe established a career franchise record for points (636). He had led the category since 1984. Mario Lemieux, Calder Memorial Trophy Mario Lemieux, NHL All-Rookie Team Warren Young, NHL All-Rookie Team 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 WEV Wien (Austria) free agency Vincent Tremblay Buffalo Sabres free agency (1985-03-07) May 2009 Draft picks List of Pittsburgh Penguins draft picks The 1984 NHL entry draft was held on June 9, 1984, in Montreal.NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results http://www.nhl.com/ice/draftsearch.htm?year=1984&team=PIT&position=&round= https://web.archive.org/web/20231010130130/https://www.nhl.com/ice/draftsearch.htm?year=1984&team=PIT&position=&round= dead October 10, 2023 NHL 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 Mark Teevens 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 Player stats on Hockey Database Game log on NHL Reference Notes Category:Pittsburgh Penguins seasons Pittsburgh Pitts Pitts