THE The Pittsburgh Penguins joined the NHL in 1967, the year the Original Six era ended, and the league expanded from six to twelve teams.
In addition to the Penguins, the Philadelphia Flyers, Los Angeles KingsMinnesota North Stars, The St. Louis Bluesand the Oakland Seals became franchises.
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In 2024, only the Flyers, Kings, Blues and Penguins remain in their home cities, while the North Stars have relocated to DallasTX in 1993, and the Golden Seals folded as the Cleveland Barons in 1978.
Here’s a look at how Pittsburgh fared against its expansion counterparts as five of the six new original teams approach their 57th seasons.
California Golden Seals – 69 games (35-16-18-0)
The Penguins have had some success against the Seals early on. Over the first 26 meetings, the two teams have a combined record of 9-8-9 in favor of Pittsburgh.
When the Seals became the Golden Seals, the Penguins began to rack up wins, going 18-8-7 in 33 games.
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Interestingly, when the Golden Seals moved to Cleveland, Ohio in 1976, Pittsburgh never lost to the Barons, posting a near-perfect 8-0-2 record against their first neighboring Ohio rival.
In their only playoff meeting in 1970, the Penguins swept the Golden Seals in four straight games.
St. Louis Blues – 155 games (61-70-18-6)
Unlike the other expansion teams on this list, with the exception of the Seals franchise, the Blues were the last team from the original expansion to win the Stanley Cup, earning their first victory in 2019.
Since their inception, the Blues have been one of the best teams in the Western Conference. However, they lost three consecutive Finals from 1967 to 1969. The Blues never had a problem with Pittsburgh, holding a nine-game lead in their overall matchup.
Meanwhile, in three playoff series, Saint-Louis The French team also holds a slight lead, 2-1. They have only lost in 1975, winning the first meeting in 1970 and the last in 1981.
The Dallas Stars – 154 games (73-66-12-3)
When the North Stars existed, penguins loved to travel to them Minnesota and had a positive record of 54-47-10 over the first 111 games.
In 1991, the two former expansion clubs met in the Stanley Cup Final, with Pittsburgh winning its first championship in six games, destroying the North Stars 8–0 in the final.
Since the franchise moved to Texas in 1993, the Penguins’ rivalry has grown even more intense. The two teams have split 43 games 19-19-2-3. Pittsburgh and Dallas have yet to meet in the finals.
Los Angeles Kings – 168 games (69-77-18-4)
Unlike the Blues, who waited 52 years to win a title, the Kings waited 45 years to sip the Stanley Cup, winning in 2012 and 2014. But like so many other clubs on this list, the Penguins have struggled to come away with victories against their California rival.
In 168 games, Pittsburgh continues to lag with an overall record of 69-77-18-4.
The Kings, however, are the only 1967 expansion team the Penguins have yet to face in the playoffs. Both teams are expected to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals for this series.
Philadelphia Flyers – 311 games (116-153-30-12)
The Penguins have played 4,417 games, including 311 against the Flyers, their arch-rival. Statistically, the rivalry with Pennsylvania accounts for 7% of all games in club history.
Even though the Flyers are one of six teams the Penguins have beaten more than 100 times, the overall numbers aren’t in favor of the black and gold, who have compiled a 116-153-30-12 record against their division opponent.
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Those 153 losses are the most ever against a league opponent.
In the meantime, these two teams have met seven times in the playoffs, with the Flyers leading 4-3, although the overall win-loss total is just 21-20.
As if anyone needed a reminder, Game 4 of the 2000 playoff series between the Penguins and Flyers ended in five overtimes and is the longest game in modern NHL history.
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