Win or lose on Thursday night, the Pittsburgh Penguins (33-35-12) will have their first losing season since the 2005-06 campaign, when the club was 22-46-14.

That season was memorable for so many reasons. Mario Lemieux retired after 26 games, and Sidney Crosby debuted, finishing second in the Calder Trophy to future long-time rival Alex Ovechkin. 

Meanwhile, the NHL had only 30 teams; Jaromir Jagr was on Broadway, Martin Brodeur was still chasing the all-time wins record, Wayne Gretzky owned all the scoring records, and Joe Thornton became the only league MVP in North American sports history to be traded mid-season. 

Ultimately, the NHL was quite a different place in 2006, the last time the Penguins failed to win more games than they lost. Here are 25 fascinating facts about the league 20 years ago.

25 Fascinating Facts About The NHL In 2005-06, The Last Time The Penguins Had A Losing Season

25. The Columbus Blue Jackets and Detroit Red Wings played in the Western Conference.

Both clubs moved to the Eastern Conference for the 2013-14 season.

24. The Winnipeg Jets, Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken, and Utah Hockey Club did not exist.

The Jets relocated in 2011, while the Golden Knights joined the NHL in 2017, followed by the Kraken in 2021, and the Utah Hockey Club became a new franchise in 2024.

23. The Phoenix Coyotes and Atlanta Thrashers were still active clubs.

Atlanta would move to Winnipeg in 2011, while the Coyotes would change their name from Phoenix to Arizona and fold operations in 2024.

22. The Boston Bruins hadn't won the Stanley Cup in 34 years.

Boston's drought would reach 39 seasons before a title in 2011.

21. The Toronto Maple Leafs' Stanley Cup drought was only 39 years old in 2006.

The Maple Leafs haven't played in the Stanley Cup Final since 1967.

20. The Chicago Blackhawks were in their 45th year without a championship.

The Blackhawks would win three Stanley Cup titles in 2010, 2013, and 2015.

19. Neither the Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, Washington Capitals, St. Louis Blues, nor the Florida Panthers had won the Stanley Cup yet.

All these clubs have won the Stanley Cup in the past 20 seasons, including the Ducks in 2007, the Kings in 2012 and 2014, the Capitals in 2018, the Blues in 2019, and the Panthers in 2024.

18. Martin Brodeur had only 446 wins in 813 games with 80 shutouts.

Brodeur would go on to set the NHL records for wins (691), games played (1,266), and shutouts (125).

17. Macklin Celebrini wasn't born yet, and Connor Bedard was turning one.

The Penguins' final game of the 2005-06 season took place on Apr. 18, 2006. Celebrini was born on June 13, 2006, while Bedard was born on July 17, 2005.

16. Connor McDavid was only nine years old.

McDavid was born on Jan. 13, 1997.

15. Mark Messier ranked second all-time in points (1,887).

Messier now ranks third all-time behind Jaromir Jagr (1,921).

14. 2006 Hart Trophy winner Joe Thornton had only 189 goals, 347 assists, and 546 points in 590 career games.

Thronton would finish his 24-year career with 430 goals, 1,109 assists, and 1,539 points.

13. The Detroit Red Wings had the fifth-best season in NHL history.

In 2005-06, the Red Wings were 58-16-8 with 124 points, the fifth-best single-season performance in NHL history. Since then, the Tampa Bay Lightning (2019) and Bruins (2023) have surpassed their totals.

12. Steve Yzerman was a few weeks away from retirement.

Yzerman played his final game on May 1, 2006, and ranked sixth all-time in NHL scoring with 692 goals, 1,063 assists, and 1,755 points at the time of his retirement. 

11. Six active players were in the NHL during the 2005-06 season.

According to statistics at NHL.com, only Alex Ovechkin, Sidney Crosby, Corey Perry, Brent Burns, Ryan Suter, and Marc-Andre Fleury were around to see the last Penguins' losing season.

10. Mark Recchi had one Stanley Cup ring when the Penguins traded him in March 2006, winning his second with the Carolina Hurricanes in June.

Recchi won the Stanley Cup with the Penguins in 1991, another ring with the Hurricanes in 2006, and a win with the Bruins in 2011. 

9. The Civic Arena was 45 years old.

Built in 1961, the Civic Arena was still four seasons away from closing its doors in 2010.

8. Mike Sullivan had only 164 games of head coaching experience, going 70-56-15-13 with the Boston Bruins.

The winningest coach in Penguins history has compiled a record of 408-254-89 in 751 games behind the Pittsburgh bench in ten seasons, including championships in 2016 and 2017.

7. Jaromir Jagr had 591 goals and 1,432 points in 1,109 games with only three teams.

Jagr is the second-highest scorer in NHL history, with 766 goals and 1,921 points in 1,733 games.

6. Mario Lemieux played his last NHL game on Dec. 16, 2005, five months before the season ended.

Lemieux played 26 games during the 2005-06 season, skating alongside rookie Crosby. 

5. Marc-Andre Fleury was 21 with 17 career wins in 71 games.

Fleury will retire at age 40 after the 2024-25 season, winning the second-most games (575) and skating in the second-most games (1,051).

4. Evgeni Malkin (1,212 games) and Kris Letang (1,161 games) hadn't made their NHL debuts.

Malkin ranks third all-time in Penguins history with 1,346 points, while Letang owns all the team's defensive scoring records. 

3. Alex Ovechkin had only 52 goals in 81 games.

In April 2025, Ovechkin broke Wayne Gretzky's goal record with his 895th career goal.

2. Sidney Crosby had 39 goals, 63 assists, and 102 points as an 18-year-old.

As the Penguins' all-time assist leader with 1,061, Crosby is chasing down Lemieux's goal (690) and points (1,723) records with 624 goals and 1,685 points.

1. The Penguins were a perfect 2-0 in the Stanley Cup Final.

The Penguins have played in the Stanley Cup Final four times since 2006, losing in 2008 but winning in 2009, 2016, and 2017 to improve to 5-1 in the championship series.