2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins season
| 2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins | |
|---|---|
| Division | 5th Atlantic |
| Conference | 15th Eastern |
| 2005–06 record | 22–46–14 |
| Home record | 12–21–8 |
| Road record | 10–25–6 |
| Goals for | 244 |
| Goals against | 316 |
| Team information | |
| General Manager | Craig Patrick |
| Coach | Ed Olczyk |
| Captain |
Mario Lemieux (Oct-Jan) Vacant (Jan-Apr) |
| Alternate captains |
Sidney Crosby Sergei Gonchar John LeClair Mark Recchi |
| Arena | Mellon Arena |
| Average attendance | 15,804 |
| Team leaders | |
| Goals | Sidney Crosby (39) |
| Assists | Sidney Crosby (63) |
| Points | Sidney Crosby (102) |
| Penalties in minutes | Brooks Orpik (124) |
| Plus/minus | Colby Armstrong (15) |
| Wins | Marc-Andre Fleury (13) |
| Goals against average | Marc-Andre Fleury (3.25) |
The Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 39th season in the National Hockey League. It was the rookie season for first-overall draft pick Sidney Crosby.
The Penguins struggled defensively, finishing 30th overall in goals allowed, with 310 (excluding 6 shootout goals allowed).
Sidney Crosby was selected first overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins on July 30, 2005. Due to the labour stoppage in the previous season, the 2005 draft was conducted via a weighted lottery based on each team's playoff appearances and draft lottery victories in the last four years. This lottery system led to the draft being popularly referred to as the "Sidney Crosby Lottery" or the "Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes."
On December 16, 2005, Michel Therrien named Crosby as an alternate captain for the Penguins. The move drew criticism from some hockey pundits, including Don Cherry, who claimed that Crosby had done nothing to earn the position.
Crosby finished his rookie season with the franchise record in assists (63) and points (102) for a rookie, both of which had been previously held by Mario Lemieux. Crosby is the youngest player in the history of the NHL to score 100 points in a single season, and only the seventh rookie ever to hit the benchmark. Overall, Crosby finished sixth in the NHL scoring race and seventh in the NHL in assists. Among Canadian NHL players, he trailed only Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley. While both Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals had solid rookie campaigns, Crosby finished second behind Ovechkin for the Calder Memorial Trophy.
Through his first season, Crosby was accused by opposing players and coaches of taking dives and complaining to officials, which has been attributed to his youth. During his rookie campaign, he led both his team and all NHL rookies in penalty minutes, and this magnified his reputation for complaining to NHL officials. Hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey compared Crosby to Gretzky, who had a similar reputation as a "whiner" in his youth, and suggested that as Crosby matured, he would mellow out and his reputation would fade.
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