Pittsburgh was formally granted an NHL franchise on February 9, 1966.
Less than three months later, on April 30, 1967, Pittsburgh Hornets' Billy Harris scored an overtime goal against Rochester to win the Calder Cup. The fate of Pittsburgh's AHL franchise was sealed.
In May, Pittsburgh caught a glimpse of the hockey future when the United Fund's Miss Torch, Karen Antkiewicz (left) modeled the Penguins sweater for the first time.
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I can see it now, the day after we play a bad game, the sportswriters will say, ‘They skated like a bunch of nuns.’
RED SULLIVAN
The Penguins first coach explaining his dislike for the expansion team's new nickname
FAST FACTS
• General manager Jack Riley was partial to the naming the team “Shamrocks,” seeing as he and fellow Irishman Sullivan were running the show (and there had been a team called the Pittsburgh Shamrocks in the International Hockey League in the 1930s).
• Others favored “Hornets,” after the Pittsburgh’s championship minor-league team. “Eskimos” received consideration, too, but this team would be called the Penguins, a name quickly shortened to “Pens” in local vernacular.
