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1970–71 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 1970–71 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the franchise's fourth season in the National Hockey League. After making their first postseason appearance the previous season, the Penguins failed to reach the playoffs.

Offseason

Regular season

Final standings

West Division[1]
GP W L T GF GA DIFF Pts
1 Chicago Black Hawks 78 49 20 9 277 184 +93 107
2 St. Louis Blues 78 34 25 19 223 208 +15 87
3 Philadelphia Flyers 78 28 33 17 207 225 −18 73
4 Minnesota North Stars 78 28 34 16 191 223 −32 72
5 Los Angeles Kings 78 25 40 13 239 303 −64 63
6 Pittsburgh Penguins 78 21 37 20 221 240 −19 62
7 California Golden Seals 78 20 53 5 199 320 −121 45


Record vs. opponents


Schedule and results

1970–71 regular season[3]
October: 2–4–3 (home: 1–2–1; road: 1–2–2), 7 points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location (Attendance) Record Points
1 Oct 10 Buffalo Sabres 2–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (11,189) 0–1–0 0
2 Oct 15 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Minnesota North Stars Met Center (12,134) 0–2–0 0
3 Oct 17 Philadelphia Flyers 0–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (7,535) 0–2–1 1
4 Oct 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (8,656) 0–2–2 2
5 Oct 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Los Angeles Kings The Forum (6,903) 0–3–2 2
6 Oct 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–1 California Golden Seals Oakland Coliseum Arena (4,043) 1–3–2 4
7 Oct 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–1 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum (13,329) 1–3–3 5
8 Oct 28 Los Angeles Kings 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (5,028) 2–3–3 7
9 Oct 31 Chicago Black Hawks 5–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (8,412) 2–4–3 7
November: 3–6–5 (home: 3–2–2; road: 0–4–3), 11 points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location (Attendance) Record Points
10 Nov 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum (14,620) 2–5–3 7
11 Nov 4 Vancouver Canucks 3–8 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (5,029) 3–5–3 9
12 Nov 7 Boston Bruins 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (12,909) 3–5–4 10
13 Nov 8 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium (12,662) 3–5–5 11
14 Nov 10 Los Angeles Kings 5–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (8,089) 3–6–5 11
15 Nov 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) (17,250) 3–6–6 12
16 Nov 14 California Golden Seals 1–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (11,075) 4–6–6 14
17 Nov 19 St. Louis Blues 1–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (9,027) 4–7–6 14
18 Nov 21 Detroit Red Wings 1–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (11,298) 5–7–6 16
19 Nov 22 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Boston Bruins Boston Garden (14,994) 5–8–6 16
20 Nov 24 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–4 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens (16,384) 5–8–7 17
21 Nov 25 Buffalo Sabres 4–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (9,705) 5–8–8 18
22 Nov 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–5 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum (16,838) 5–9–8 18
23 Nov 29 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–6 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) (17,250) 5–10–8 18
December: 5–7–3 (home: 5–2–1; road: 0–5–2), 13 points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location (Attendance) Record Points
24 Dec 2 Montreal Canadiens 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (8,601) 5–10–9 19
25 Dec 5 Vancouver Canucks 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (8,111) 6–10–9 21
26 Dec 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–6 Boston Bruins Boston Garden (14,994) 6–11–9 21
27 Dec 8 Toronto Maple Leafs 0–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (7,034) 7–11–9 23
28 Dec 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 Minnesota North Stars Met Center (12,222) 7–11–10 24
29 Dec 11 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–3 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena (17,764) 7–12–10 24
30 Dec 12 Minnesota North Stars 1–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (9,031) 7–13–10 24
31 Dec 16 Toronto Maple Leafs 4–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (7,222) 7–14–10 24
32 Dec 19 Detroit Red Wings 1–9 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (8,011) 8–14–10 26
33 Dec 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–2 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium (-) 8–15–10 26
34 Dec 23 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–6 New York Rangers Madison Square Garden (IV) (17,250) 8–16–10 26
35 Dec 25 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–8 Boston Bruins Boston Garden (14,994) 8–17–10 26
36 Dec 26 Boston Bruins 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (13,050) 9–17–10 28
37 Dec 30 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum (16,753) 9–17–11 29
38 Dec 31 Minnesota North Stars 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (10,337) 10–17–11 31
January: 6–5–1 (home: 4–1–0; road: 2–4–1), 13 points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location (Attendance) Record Points
39 Jan 2 New York Rangers 3–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (12,444) 10–18–11 31
40 Jan 6 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum (12,127) 10–19–11 31
41 Jan 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens (16,485) 10–20–11 31
42 Jan 13 Los Angeles Kings 2–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (7,575) 11–20–11 33
43 Jan 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium (11,360) 11–20–12 34
44 Jan 16 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–3 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum (14,098) 12–20–12 36
45 Jan 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–2 California Golden Seals Oakland Coliseum Arena (3,293) 13–20–12 38
46 Jan 21 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Los Angeles Kings The Forum (7,587) 13–21–12 38
47 Jan 23 Vancouver Canucks 1–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (12,304) 14–21–12 40
48 Jan 27 Toronto Maple Leafs 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (9,039) 15–21–12 42
49 Jan 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium (-) 15–22–12 42
50 Jan 30 Chicago Black Hawks 1–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (12,528) 16–22–12 44
February: 3–7–3 (home: 3–2–1; road: 0–5–2), 9 points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location (Attendance) Record Points
51 Feb 3 California Golden Seals 1–6 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (10,208) 17–22–12 46
52 Feb 5 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–2 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena (18,206) 17–22–13 47
53 Feb 7 Pittsburgh Penguins 0–1 Chicago Black Hawks Chicago Stadium (-) 17–23–13 47
54 Feb 9 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–4 Montreal Canadiens Montreal Forum (16,211) 17–24–13 47
55 Feb 10 Philadelphia Flyers 3–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (10,311) 18–24–13 49
56 Feb 13 Chicago Black Hawks 4–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (10,755) 19–24–13 51
57 Feb 14 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–5 Minnesota North Stars Met Center (15,042) 19–25–13 51
58 Feb 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 Toronto Maple Leafs Maple Leaf Gardens (16,413) 19–26–13 51
59 Feb 18 Pittsburgh Penguins 6–6 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (9,969) 19–26–14 52
60 Feb 20 New York Rangers 2–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (13,200) 19–27–14 52
61 Feb 24 St. Louis Blues 5–5 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (10,005) 19–27–15 53
62 Feb 27 New York Rangers 4–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (12,419) 19–28–15 53
63 Feb 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–4 Detroit Red Wings Olympia Stadium (12,683) 19–29–15 53
March: 2–7–3 (home: 2–3–3; road: 0–4–0), 7 points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location (Attendance) Record Points
64 Mar 3 Montreal Canadiens 0–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (8,011) 20–29–15 55
65 Mar 6 Boston Bruins 6–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (13,020) 20–30–15 55
66 Mar 7 California Golden Seals 3–3 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (11,283) 20–30–16 56
67 Mar 10 Philadelphia Flyers 2–2 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (8,590) 20–30–17 57
68 Mar 13 Minnesota North Stars 0–0 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (10,284) 20–30–18 58
69 Mar 14 Montreal Canadiens 5–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (8,741) 20–31–18 58
70 Mar 17 Pittsburgh Penguins 2–5 California Golden Seals Oakland Coliseum Arena (2,647) 20–32–18 58
71 Mar 19 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–6 Vancouver Canucks Pacific Coliseum (15,570) 20–33–18 58
72 Mar 20 Pittsburgh Penguins 4–8 Los Angeles Kings The Forum (7,771) 20–34–18 58
73 Mar 24 Detroit Red Wings 2–8 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (9,025) 21–34–18 60
74 Mar 28 Pittsburgh Penguins 1–3 Philadelphia Flyers The Spectrum (14,620) 21–35–18 60
75 Mar 31 Buffalo Sabres 6–4 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (7,051) 21–36–18 60
April: 0–1–2 (home: 0–0–1; road: 0–1–1), 2 points
# Date Visitor Score Home Location (Attendance) Record Points
76 Apr 1 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–3 Buffalo Sabres Buffalo Memorial Auditorium (10,429) 21–36–19 61
77 Apr 3 Pittsburgh Penguins 3–4 St. Louis Blues St. Louis Arena (18,529) 21–37–19 61
78 Apr 4 St. Louis Blues 1–1 Pittsburgh Penguins Civic Arena (10,117) 21–37–20 62

Legend:   Win (2 points)   Loss (0 points)   Tie (1 point)

Player statistics

Skaters
Goaltenders
Regular Season[5]
Player GP W L T GA SO
Les Binkley 34 11 11 10 89 2
Allan Smith 46 9 22 9 128 2
Cam Newton 5 1 3 1 16 0
Paul Hoganson 2 0 1 0 7 0
Total 21 37 20 240 4

†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

  • Ken Schinkel became the first player to record 100 assists with the Penguins. He did so in a 2–5 loss to California on March 17.
  • Wally Boyer became the first player in franchise history to have a final plus-minus of at least +10.
  • Dunc McCallum tied the team record for goals in a season by a defenseman with 9.

Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1970–71 season:[6]

Trades

October 2, 1970 To Montreal Canadiens

cash

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Robin Burns

October 9, 1970 To Buffalo Sabres

Dave Dryden

To Pittsburgh Penguins

cash

January 24, 1971 To Buffalo Sabres

Terry Ball

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Jean-Guy Lagace

January 26, 1971 To New York Rangers

Glen Sather

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Syl Apps Jr.
Sheldon Kannegiesser

May 1, 1971 To Boston Bruins

cash

To Pittsburgh Penguins

Bob Leiter

Other

Player Date Details
Roy Edwards June 7, 1971 Claimed off of waivers from Detroit Red Wings
Rod Zaine June 8, 1971 Lost in intra-league draft to Buffalo Sabres
Al Smith June 8, 1971 #2 overall pick in intra-league draft to Detroit Red Wings
Jim Rutherford June 8, 1971 #3 overall pick in intra-league draft from Detroit Red Wings
Dave Burrows June 8, 1971 #5 overall pick in intra-league draft from Chicago Blackhawks
Rene Robert June 8, 1971 #22 overall pick in intra-league draft from Toronto Maple Leafs
Tim Horton June 8, 1971 Claimed in intra-league draft from New York Rangers

Draft picks

See also: 1970 NHL amateur draft

Pittsburgh Penguins' picks at the 1970 NHL entry draft.[7]

Round # Player Pos Nationality College/Junior/Club team (League)
1 7 Greg Polis Left Wing  Canada Estevan Bruins (WCHL)
2 21 John Stewart Left Wing  Canada Flin Flon Bombers (WCHL)
3 35 Larry Bignell Defenseman  Canada Edmonton Oil Kings (WCHL)
4 49 Connie Forey Left Wing  Canada Ottawa 67's (OHA)
5 63 Steve Cardwell Left Wing  Canada Oshawa Generals (OHA)
6 77 Bob Fitchner Center  Canada Brandon Wheat Kings (WCHL)
7 90 Jim Pearson Defenseman  Canada St. Catharines Black Hawks (OHA)
8 102 Cam Newton Goaltender  Canada Kitchener Rangers (OHA)
9 110 Ron Lemieux Defenseman  Canada Dauphin Kings (MJHL)

References

  1. ^ "1970–1971 Division Standings Standings - NHL.com - Standings". National Hockey League.
  2. ^ "All-Time NHL Results". NHL.com. Retrieved August 25, 2023.
  3. ^ "1970-71 Pittsburgh Penguins Schedule". Hockey-Reference.com. Retrieved March 27, 2025.
  4. ^ "1970–1971 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – All Skaters – Summary – Points – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  5. ^ "1970–1971 – Regular Season – Pittsburgh Penguins – Goalie – Summary – Wins – NHL.com – Stats". NHL.
  6. ^ "Hockey Transactions Search Results". Pro Sports Transactions.
  7. ^ "NHL Entry Draft Year by Year Results". NHL.com. Retrieved February 25, 2013.