1984–85 Pittsburgh Penguins season

1984–85 Pittsburgh Penguins
Division	6th Patrick
Conference	11th Wales
1984–85 record	24–51–5
Goals for	276
Goals against	385
Team information
General Manager	Eddie Johnston
Coach	Bob Berry
Captain	Mike Bullard
Alternate captains	None
Arena	Pittsburgh Civic Arena
Average attendance	10,018
Team leaders
Goals	Mario Lemieux (43)
Assists	Mario Lemieux (57)
Points	Mario Lemieux (100)
Penalties in minutes	Gary Rissling (209)
Wins	Denis Herron (10)
Goals against average	Roberto Romano (4.42)
<1983–84 1985–86>

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 Izod Center 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 XL 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 Quebec Coliseum 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 Scotiabank 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 Izod Center 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 The Checkerdome 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 XL 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 Izod Center 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

Regular Season[7] Player GP G A Pts +/− PIM Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux 73 43 57 100 –35 54 Young, WarrenWarren Young 80 40 32 72 –20 174 Shedden, DouglasDouglas Shedden 80 35 32 67 –51 30 Bullard, MichaelMichael Bullard 68 32 31 63 –43 75 Babych, WayneWayne Babych 65 20 34 54 –7 35 Chabot, JohnJohn Chabot^† 67 8 45 53 –37 12 Mantha, MauriceMaurice Mantha 71 11 40 51 –35 54 Bodger, DougDoug Bodger 65 5 26 31 –24 67 Brickley, AndyAndy Brickley 45 7 15 22 –14 10 Hillier, RandyRandy Hillier 45 2 19 21 –12 56 McCarthy, KevinKevin McCarthy 64 9 10 19 –20 30 Rissling, GaryGary Rissling 56 10 9 19 –6 209 Loney, TroyTroy Loney 46 10 8 18 –11 59 Lamoureux, MitchMitch Lamoureux 62 10 8 18 –9 53 Taylor, MarkMark Taylor^‡ 47 7 10 17 –7 19 Hannan, DavidDavid Hannan 30 6 7 13 –8 43 Crowder, BruceBruce Crowder 26 4 7 11 –9 23 McDonnell, JoeJoe McDonnell 40 2 9 11 –19 20 Charlesworth, ToddTodd Charlesworth 67 1 8 9 –23 31 Buskas, RodRod Buskas 69 2 7 9 –21 191 Belanger Jr., RogerRoger Belanger Jr. 44 3 5 8 –13 32 Maxwell, BryanBryan Maxwell 44 0 8 8 –23 57 Fox, GregoryGregory Fox 26 2 5 7 –6 26 Flockhart, RonRon Flockhart^‡ 12 0 5 5 4 4 Javanainen, ArtoArto Javanainen 14 4 1 5 1 2 McGeough, JamesJames McGeough^† 14 0 4 4 –4 4 Boutette, PatrickPatrick Boutette^‡ 14 1 3 4 –5 24 Hamilton, JamesJames Hamilton 11 2 1 3 –6 0 Weir, EdwardEdward Weir^† 14 0 3 3 1 34 Errey, BobBob Errey 16 0 2 2 –8 7 Kehoe, RickRick Kehoe 6 0 2 2 0 0 Gatzos, SteveSteve Gatzos 6 0 2 2 –6 2 Hotham, GregoryGregory Hotham 11 0 2 2 –3 4 Lehto, PetteriPetteri Lehto 6 0 0 0 –4 4 Geale, RobertRobert Geale 1 0 0 0 –1 2 McSorley, MartyMarty McSorley 15 0 0 0 –3 15 Rowe, MikeMike Rowe 6 0 0 0 –7 7 O'Regan, ThomasThomas O'Regan 1 0 0 0 –1 0 Total 276 457 733 — 1,469

Goaltenders

Regular Season^[8]

Player	GP	TOI	W	L	T	GA	GAA	SA	SV%	SO
Herron, DenisDenis Herron	42	2193:00	10	22	3	170	4.65	1362	0.875	1
Romano, RobertoRoberto Romano	31	1629:00	9	17	2	120	4.42	974	0.877	1
Dion, MichelMichel Dion	10	553:00	3	6	0	43	4.67	316	0.864	0
Ford, BrianBrian 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

• Mario Lemieux, Calder 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)

This sports-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

Roster

#	Nat	Player	Pos	S/G	Age	NHL Draft	Birthplace
26		Babych, WayneWayne Babych	RW	R	26	1978	Edmonton, Alberta
24		Belanger Jr., RogerRoger Belanger Jr.	C	R	19	1984	St. Catharines, Ontario
33		Bodger, DougDoug Bodger	D	L	18	1984	Chemainus, British Columbia
23		Brickley, AndyAndy Brickley	LW	L	23	1980	Melrose, Massachusetts
22		Bullard, MichaelMichael Bullard	C	L	24	1980	Ottawa, Ontario
7		Buskas, RodRod Buskas	D	R	24	1981	Wetaskiwin, Alberta
9		Chabot, JohnJohn Chabot	C	L	23	1980	Summerside, Price Edward Island
27		Charlesworth, ToddTodd Charlesworth	D	R	20	1983	Calgary, Alberta
28		Crowder, BruceBruce Crowder	RW	R	28	1977	Essex, Ontario
29		Dion, MichelMichel Dion	G	R	31	Undrafted	Granby, Quebec
10		Errey, BobBob Errey	LW	L	20	1983	Montreal, Quebec
31		Ford, BrianBrian Ford	G	R	23	Undrafted	Edmonton, Alberta
2		Fox, GregoryGregory Fox	D	R	31	1973	Port McNeill, British Columbia
28		Gatzos, SteveSteve Gatzos	RW	R	23	1981	Toronto, Ontario
28		Geale, RobertRobert Geale	C	R	23	1980	Edmonton, Alberta
13		Hamilton, JamesJames Hamilton	RW	L	28	1977	Barrie, Ontario
32		Hannan, DavidDavid Hannan	C	L	23	1981	Sudbury, Ontario
1		Herron, DenisDenis Herron	G	L	32	1972	Chambly, Quebec
34		Hillier, RandyRandy Hillier	D	L	25	1980	Toronto, Ontario
6		Hotham, GregoryGregory Hotham	D	R	29	1976	London, Ontario
19		Javanainen, ArtoArto Javanainen	RW	R	26	1984	Pori, Finland
17		Kehoe, RickRick Kehoe	RW	R	33	1971	Windsor, Ontario
12		Lamoureux, MitchMitch Lamoureux	C	R	22	1981	Ottawa, Ontario
8		Lehto, PetteriPetteri Lehto	D	R	24	Undrafted	Turku, Finland
66		Lemieux, MarioMario Lemieux	C	R	19	1984	Montreal, Quebec
11		Loney, TroyTroy Loney	LW	L	21	1982	Bow Island, Alberta
20		Mantha, MauriceMaurice Mantha	D	R	24	1980	Lakewood, Ohio
5		Maxwell, BryanBryan Maxwell	D	R	29	1975	North Bay, Ontario
25		McCarthy, KevinKevin McCarthy	D	R	27	1977	Winnipeg, Manitoba
2		McDonnell, JoeJoe McDonnell	D	R	24	Undrafted	Kitchener, Ontario
16		McGeough, JamesJames McGeough	C	R	22	1981	Regina, Saskatchewan
4		McSorley, MartyMarty McSorley	D	R	22	Undrafted	Cayuga, Ontario
8		O'Regan, ThomasThomas O'Regan	C	R	23	Undrafted	Cambridge, Massachusetts
15		Rissling, GaryGary Rissling	LW	R	28	Undrafted	Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
30		Romano, RobertoRoberto Romano	G	R	22	Undrafted	Montreal, Quebec
5		Rowe, MikeMike Rowe	D	R	20	1983	Kingston, Ontario
14		Shedden, DouglasDouglas Shedden	C	R	24	1980	Wallaceburg, Ontario
23		Weir, EdwardEdward Weir	RW	R	30	Undrafted	Verdun, Quebec
35		Young, WarrenWarren Young	C	R	29	1976	Toronto, Ontario

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	Mark Teevens	Right Wing	Canada	Peterborough Petes (OHL)
5	85	Arto Javanainen	Right Wing		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		Moorhead H.S. (Minn.)
12	230	Mark Ziliotto	Left Wing		Streetsville Jr. B (OHA)

References

• Player stats on Hockey Database
• Game log on NHL Reference

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. Christopher, 23.
4. Christopher, 21.
5. Deacon, James (1996-04-08). "Lemieux, Mario (profile)". Maclean's Magazine. 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.