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spt_PenguinsTimeline.sPubDate = "6/14/2009 9:35:09 AM GMT";
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spt_PenguinsTimeline.appHeader = "From bankruptcy to Stanley Cup champions";
spt_PenguinsTimeline.appDeck = "How the Penguins barely survived staying in Pittsburgh and are now the NHL's top team";
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Oct. 13: Citing operating losses of $37.5 million over the previous two seasons and a debt-load of $120 million, Penguins owners Howard Baldwin and Roger Marino file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
Oct. 27: Pittsburgh City council president Jim Ferlo demands the Penguins be evicted from Civic Arena until they pay the $1 million in back taxes owed the city.
Oct. 29: A list of hockey employees owed money by the Penguins is released. Easily topping the list is Mario Lemieux at $17.94 million.
Dec. 10: Baldwin indicates his role will be reduced to that of minority owner once the Penguins emerge from their financial difficulties.
Dec. 12: U.S. bankruptcy judge Bernard Markovitz approves a plan for the Penguins to borrow $20 million from French bank Societe Generale if the club can arrange more favorable terms for the loan.
Dec. 31: Rumors begin to circulate that former Penguins captain Mario Lemieux, owed $28 million in deferred money by the team, has begun to assemble a group to purchase the ailing franchise. \"I've heard that for six months now,” Marino said. \"But I haven't heard anything (from such a group), formally or informally, frankly.”";
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Jan. 6: Penguins GM Craig Patrick adds the titles of president and chief executive officer to his duties.
Feb. 18: Owner Mario Lemieux meets with Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Ridge to discuss his plan to save the Penguins.
March 26: A U.S. federal judge issues an order prohibiting the Penguins from leaving Civic Arena before 2007 and issues a permanent injunction preventing current or future ownership from trying to take the team to another city or sell it to non-Pittsburgh owners.
April 20: Lemieux announces he has 10 partners in his plan to rescue the Penguins.
April 23: The NHL suggests that the Penguins face dissolution as a franchise if a reorganization plan is not in place by May 31.
June 22: Lemieux files his plan to rescue the team with U.S. bankruptcy court.
June 24: U.S. bankruptcy judge Bernard Markovitz completes a $95-million closing that gives the team to Lemieux. The deal ensures the Penguins will stay in Pittsburgh. \"It's one thing to bring the team out of bankruptcy,\" Lemieux said. \"We have to make it viable now. Hopefully, we can make this a great success story.\" The only objectors to the deal are SMG, which manages Pittsburgh's Civic Arena.
Aug. 25: Lemieux reaches two-year lease deal with SMG for Pittsburgh's Civic Arena.
Sept. 1: NHL board of governors approves Lemieux as new owner of the Penguins.
Dec. 9: Penguins fire coach Kevin Constantine and name Herb Brooks, coach of the 1980 U.S. ‘Miracle on Ice’ team, as his replacement.";
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May 15: The club announces that it broke even on operating costs in its first year under Mario Lemieux's ownership, increasing ticket sales and generating revenue by selling the naming rights to their arena. After emerging from bankruptcy in September, the Penguins anticipated losses of between $2-3 million.
June 21: Penguins promote former Czech star Ivan Hlinka from associate coach to head coach.
Oct. 11: The Penguins reveal they have sold 9,400 full-season tickets, up from 8,500 a year ago but 1,100 below their goal of 10,500. \"We're concerned a little bit,\" Lemieux said. \"Ticket sales are our No. 1 source of revenue, and if we don't get to our goal, we won't make any money, we will lose money.\"
Oct. 12: Lemieux indicates the club will begin the NHL season with a payroll of $30.16 million, slightly below the $31.5 million paid out the season prior.
Dec. 8: Lemieux, the club's all-time scoring leader, announces he will come out of retirement and return to play for the Penguins.
Dec. 27: In his first NHL game since April 26, 1997, Lemieux scores a goal and sets up two others as Pittsburgh blanks the Toronto Maple Leafs 5-0. \"It was a great moment, a moment I will cherish all my life,\" he says afterward.";
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May 22: With Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, stars of their 1990-91 and 1991-92 Stanley Cup championship teams leading the way, the sixth-seeded Penguins reach the Eastern Conference finals before falling to the New Jersey Devils in five games.
July 11: In a cost-cutting move, the Penguins trade Jagr, a five-time NHL scoring champion, and his nearly $10 million salary to the Washington Capitals.
Oct. 15: Penguins fire Ivan Hlinka and name Rick Kehoe coach.
Dec. 22: Hlinka files a breach of contract suit against the team seeking $854,000 in back and future pay.";
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Feb. 7: Owner/player Mario Lemieux admits the team will lose money for the season and fears for its future. \"I'm going to have to make decisions this summer,\" Lemieux said. \"We've just got to make the numbers work. We can't allow this team to go back into bankruptcy.\"
Feb. 10: For purely financial reasons, the Penguins trade Alexei Kovalev, the NHL's sixth-leading scorer, to the New York Rangers.";
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March 11: Dumping salary at the NHL trade deadline, the Penguins move Wayne Primeau, Ian Moran, Marc Bergevin, Shean Donovan, Jan Hrdina and Francois Leroux to new homes. GM Craig Patrick admits the team can't compete under the NHL's current financial plan.
April 15: Penguins fire coach Rick Kehoe.
June 5: Saying he feels \"betrayed\" by the lack of support for a new arena project from city and county politicians, owner/player Mario Lemieux expresses doubt that the Penguins have a future in Pittsburgh. \"This franchise is a free agent in 2007,\" he notes, pointing to the end of the club's lease with the city for ancient Mellon Arena, which expires following the 2006-07 season.
June 11: Penguins name Ed Olczyk coach.
June 21: Penguins select goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury first overall in the NHL entry draft, the first time they've had the top pick since selecting Lemieux in 1984.
Dec. 1: Lemieux turns down a $5 million raise promised him by the club's board of directors, hoping it will help keep the financially-troubled team afloat.";
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June 10: In an interview, owner/player Mario Lemieux says Pennsylvania's plan to bring slot parlors to the state could be the spark that leads to a new arena being built in Pittsburgh.
June 26: Penguins select center Evgeni Malkin second overall in the NHL entry draft.";
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June 10: William (Boots) Del Biaggio, a San Jose, Calif., businessman and friend of Pittsburgh owner/player Mario Lemieux and other unidentified investors negotiate a letter of intent to buy the team.
July 30: Eight days after winning an unprecedented league-wide draft lottery (aka the ‘Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes’), the Penguins grab the most coveted junior star since Lemieux when they select center Crosby first overall in the NHL entry draft.
Aug. 5: Following settlement of the NHL lockout, Lemieux declares that the team is off the block and he will maintain ownership of the Penguins.
Aug. 20: Team ownership announces that all creditors from the club's 1998 bankruptcy will receive 100 percent of what they were owed.
Sept. 13: With the institution of league salary cap, Penguins plan for a $9 million raise in payroll to $31 million and budget for a 2005-06 season operating loss of $7 million.
Oct. 5: Crosby makes his NHL debut alongside Lemieux on what also happens to be Lemieux's 40th birthday in a 5-1 loss to the New Jersey Devils.
Dec. 15: Penguins fire Ed Olczyk and name Michel Therrien coach.
Dec. 21: Penguins reveal a partnership plan with Isle of Capri Casinos Inc. to build a $290 million new arena, contingent on Isle of Capri gaining the slot parlor license for Pennsylvania.";
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Jan. 19: Not wanting to be part of the franchise leaving Pittsburgh, owner/player Mario Lemieux announces that the Penguins are for sale.
Jan. 24: Diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, Lemieux announces his retirement from hockey.
Feb. 17: NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly warns that Pittsburgh's arena situation must be resolved within months or the franchise may relocate.
April 20: After 17 seasons with the team, Penguins general manager Craig Patrick is fired.
May 25: Penguins sign Ray Shero to a five-year contract as GM.
June 24: Penguins select center Jordan Staal second overall in the NHL entry draft.
July 28: A group led by Hartford-based commercial real estate broker Sam Fingold -- including Fingold, his father David, brother Michael and concert promoter Michael Cohl -- sign a letter of intent to purchase the Penguins for $175 million.
Sept. 15: Fingold and his group fail to reach an agreement to purchase the Penguins.
Oct. 5: Announcement is made that Canadian billionaire businessman and Research In Motion chief executive office Jim Balsillie has reached a deal to purchase the Penguins franchise.
Dec. 15: Balsillie pulls out of the deal to purchase the team.
Dec. 20: A Pennsylvania state gaming panel awards the single license to build a slots machine parlor in Pittsburgh to Detroit-based gambling company owner Don Barden, rather than a Penguins-supported gaming concern. Isle of Capri Casinos had promised to build a $290-million arena for the Penguins next door to its casino if it was granted the slots parlor license. Within an hour of the slots announcement, state, county and city leaders rushed to assuage the Penguins, promising to start talks immediately on a so-called Plan B agreement to build the arena. Lemieux announces that the team will look at possible relocation sites for the franchise, including Kansas City, Las Vegas, Houston, Portland, Ore., and Winnipeg.";
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Jan. 3: Penguins owners meet with Kansas City officials interested in purchasing the franchise and relocating it to the city.
Feb. 1: Pittsburgh mayor Luke Revenstahl indicates that politicians and the Penguins are close to finalizing a new arena package.
March 7: Penguins co-owner Ron Barkle meets with Las Vegas mayor Oscar B. Goodman about relocating the team to that city.
March 12: Penguins reach a deal with city, county and state officials for financing to construct a new arena. To be built at a cost of $290 million, it is slated to replace 46-year-old Mellon Arena sometime during the 2009-10 season. \"We are proud to announce that the Penguins are staying in Pittsburgh, where we belong,\" owner Mario Lemieux says.
March 14: Lemieux and his partners announce that the team is no longer for sale.
April 7: Sidney Crosby wins the Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion, the first teenager ever to lead a major North American pro league in scoring.
April 11: The Penguins play their first playoff game since May 9, 2001, dropping a 6-3 decision to the Ottawa Senators.
May 31: Penguins name Crosby captain. At 19 years of age, he's the youngest captain in NHL history.
June 14: Crosby wins the Hart Trophy as MVP of the NHL.
July 10: Crosby signs a five-year, $43.5-million contract extension with the Penguins.
Oct. 19: Lemieux is paid $21 million as a settlement on the $32 million in deferred payments he was owed when the club filed for bankruptcy in 1998. The payment comes with a caveat -- if the Pens fall again on financial hard times, he must reinvest in the team.";
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April 2: A 4-2 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers clinches the Atlantic Division crown, Pittsburgh's first division title since 1997-98.
May 18: Defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 6-0 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals, the Penguins advance to the Stanley Cup finals for the first time since 1992.
June 4: First Stanley Cup presentation in Mellon Arena, but it's by Detroit, which defeats Pittsburgh in six games in the finals.
July 2: Marian Hossa spurns a lucrative offer to stay with the Penguins and signs a one-year contract with Detroit. \"When I compared the two teams,\" Hossa said. \"I felt like I would have a little better of a chance to win the Cup in Detroit.\"
Aug. 14: Ground is broken for Pittsburgh’s new multi-purpose arena, which is scheduled to open in time for the start of the 2010-11 NHL season. The Consol Engery Center will seat 18,087 for hockey.
Sept. 11: Sidney Crosby, eight other players and coach Michel Therrien hand carry season tickets to 35 randomly selected Penguins ticket holders.
Oct. 4: Tyler Kennedy's OT lifts the Penguins over Ottawa 4-3 in the NHL's regular-season opener in Stockholm, Sweden.
Oct. 11: Crosby has his 100th career NHL goal and his 200th assist to surpass the 300-point plateau in the Penguins' 4-1 win over Toronto.
Nov. 11: Jordan Staal has a hat trick in the third period and sets up Ruslan Fedotenko’s OT as Penguins beat Detroit 7-6 in a rematch of the Cup finals.";
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Jan. 3: Sidney Crosby shatters Jaromir Jagr's All-Star record with 1,713,021 votes. Crosby, however, will miss the game with a knee injury. Evgeni Malkin also passes the mark and is second with more than 1.5 million votes. Later in the day, the slumping Penguins fall to Florida as Crosby gets into the second fight of his career.
Feb. 15: At 27-25-5 and five points out of a playoff spot, general manager Ray Shero fires coach Michel Therrien. Dan Bylsma is hired from the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an interim basis.
Feb. 16: The Penguins lose to the last-place New York Islanders 3-2 in a shootout in a Bylsma's first game behind the bench.
Feb. 19: The Penguins defeat Montreal 5-4 in Bylsma's first game at home. It begins a stretch in which they win 9 of 10 games.
Feb. 26: Ryan Whitney is dealt to Anaheim for forward Chris Kunitz, who will play on Crosby's line.
March 1: The Penguins move into in the eighth place in the Eastern Conference and wouldn't fall out of a playoff spot again.
March 4: Veteran Bill Guerin is acquired from the New York Islanders at the NHL trade deadline. Guerin will join the recently-acquired Kunitz on a line with Crosby.
March 8: Complete 5-0 road trip with 4-3 victory at Washington.
April 11: Defeat Montreal 3-1 to finish season on 18-3-4 run. Malkin finishes with an NHL-best 113 points (35 goals, 78 assists).
April 12: Capture No. 4 seed -- and home-ice advantage in first round of playoffs -- when Philadelphia loses to the already-eliminated New York Rangers.
April 25: Rally from 3-0 deficit in Game 6 to defeat Philadelphia 5-3 and advance to second round by beating rivals in playoffs for second straight year.
April 28: The Penguins removed Bylsma's interim tag and signed the coach to a three-year contract.
May 4: Crosby and Washington's Alexander Ovechkin live up to the hype as each scores a hat trick in the Capitals' 4-3 victory.
May 6: Kris Letang's overtime goal prevents the Penguins from falling into an 0-3 hole against Washington.
May 13: Crosby has two goals and an assist as the visiting Penguins beat Washington 6-2 in Game 7 to advance to the Eastern Conference finals.
May 21: Malkin has a hat trick as the Penguins beat Carolina 7-4 to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.
May 26: Defeat Carolina 4-1 to sweep the series and become first runner-up to return to the Cup finals since Edmonton in 1984.
June 4: After dropping the first two games of the Cup finals to Detroit, the host Penguins even the series with a 4-2 victory in Game 4 as Crosby scores his first goal of the series.
June 6: Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury pulled during Detroit's 5-0 victory that gave the Red Wings a 3-2 lead in the series.
June 9: Third-liners Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy score both Penguins' goals in 2-1 victory to force a Game 7.
June 12: Max Talbot scores both Penguins' goals as Pittsburgh beats Detroit 2-1 in Game 7. By becoming the first road team to win a Game 7 on the road in the Cup finals since 1971, the Penguins won their third Cup and first since 1992. Crosby, 21, is the youngest Cup-winning captain in NHL history. Malkin is the Conn Smythe Trophy winner as MVP of the playoffs.";
// END editorial data