On October 11, 1967, league president Clarence Campbell and team owner Jack McGregor jointly dropped the ceremonial first puck of the Penguins' opening home game against the Montreal Canadiens. On October 21, 1967, they became the first team from the expansion class to defeat an Original Six team, beating the Chicago Blackhawks 4-2.

In 1967-68, defensive winger Ken Schinkel won the team's sole league honor, being named to represent the Penguins in the NHL All-Star Game.

Though Patrick Lalime spent only one year in Pittsburgh, his short time there was sensational. He joined the Penguins during the 1996-97 season, when he set an NHL record for most games played without a loss to begin a career (16 games with a 14-0-2 record) before suffering his first defeat in a 4-3 OT loss to the Colorado Avalanche. During the streak, Lalime recorded his first shutout, a 4-0 win over the San Jose Sharks, and had a 49 save performance against the Calgary Flames.

In the 19th round of the 1967 NHL Expansion Draft, the Pittsburgh Penguins selected aging sniper (and future Hall of Famer) Andy Bathgate. On October 11, 1967, he scored the first goal in the Penguins history in a 2-1 loss to the Montreal Canadiens.

In the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals, Pittsburgh defeated the Minnesota North Stars 4-2 to claim their first championship. It was the first Stanley Cup Final to feature two teams from the expansion group of 1967.

Penguin Pete, an Ecuadorian-born Humboldt penguin on loan from the Pittsburgh Zoo, was the first mascot of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The team had special ice skates made for Pete, and a skater from the University of Pittsburgh taught Pete how to skate. He made his first appearance during the second intermission of a game against the Philadelphia Flyers on February 21, 1968. Pete made six more appearances before dying of pneumonia on November 23, 1968. After his death, Pete was sent to an area taxidermist and displayed in the lobby of the Penguins team offices. He was later removed when several concerned fans objected to his presence.

Mario Lemieux is at the top of every individual scoring statistic in Penguins franchise history, including goals (690), assists (1,033), and points (1,723). The Penguins retired his #66 jersey on November 19, 1997. (NOTE: Although Michel Briere's #21 was taken out of circulation in 1971 following his death, it was not officially retired until January 5, 2001.)

Nicknamed "Sid the Kid", Sidney Crosby was selected first overall by the Penguins in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. In 2009, he led the Penguins to their third championship and became the youngest captain in NHL history to win the Stanley Cup at 21 years 10 months.

The Pittsburgh Penguins were the best team in the NHL during the 1992-93 regular season. Their 56 wins and 119 points earned them the Presidents' Trophy's as the League's top team. Four players reached the 100-point plateau and, for the second consecutive season, five reached the 30-goal plateau. Despite missing over a quarter of the regular season due to Hodgkin's Disease, Mario Lemieux returned later in the year to help the Penguins put together a 17-game winning streak, the longest in the history of the NHL.

Nicknamed "The Magnificent One" or Le Magnifique, Mario Lemieux led Pittsburgh to consecutive Stanley Cup championships in 1991 and 1992, earning the Conn Smythe Trophy both years as playoffs MVP.