# 2000–01 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 2000–01 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 34th in the National Hockey League. The team played 82 games under new head coach Ivan Hlinka, who replaced Herb Brooks, who stepped down to remain a scout with the team. The Penguins' .585 points percentage meant that they were the only NHL team from the 1990–91 season to this one that had a points percentage above .500 every season.
The last remaining active member of the 2000–01 Pittsburgh Penguins was right wing Jaromir Jagr, who played his final NHL game in the 2017–18 season, although he did not play in the NHL during the 2008–09, 2009–10, and 2010–11 seasons. His career is still going on as a member of the Czech Extraliga's Rytiri Kladno.

## Offseason

Herb Brooks resigned as head coach at the end of the previous season, but remained with the team as a scout. Ivan Hlinka succeeded Brooks as head coach. Former Penguin Joe Mullen became an assistant coach along with his former teammate Randy Hillier.

## Regular season

The Penguins opened the regular season by splitting a two-game series against the Nashville Predators in Japan.
On December 9, 2000, it was announced by owner Mario Lemieux that he intended to come back as a player. Lemieux returned to the ice on December 27, 2000. Prior to the game, his number 66 banner was lowered from the rafters of the Mellon Arena with son Austin watching. Lemieux scored a goal and set up two others (including one on his first shift) in the Penguins' 5–0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to Lemieux's return, the Penguins were 15–14–6–1. After his comeback, the Penguins went 27–14–3–2 for a regular season record of 42–28–9–3 and a third-place finish in the Atlantic Division for a playoff spot. The Penguins were shut out only once all year, on October 28 against the New Jersey Devils. Only New Jersey scored more goals than Pittsburgh during the regular season. Jaromir Jagr had a stellar year, leading the team in goals (52), assists (69) and points (121). Alexei Kovalev had a career year, finishing with 44 goals and 51 assists for 95 points. Martin Straka finished second on the team in assists (68) and had 27 goals for 95 points, while Robert Lang had 32 goals and 48 assists for 80 points. In just 43 games, Lemieux had 35 goals and 41 assists for 76 points.

### Final standings

Atlantic Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 1 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 48 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 295 | 195 | 111 |
| 2 | 4 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 43 | 25 | 11 | 3 | 240 | 207 | 100 |
| 3 | 6 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 42 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 281 | 256 | 96 |
| 4 | 10 | New York Rangers | 82 | 33 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 250 | 290 | 72 |
| 5 | 15 | New York Islanders | 82 | 21 | 51 | 7 | 3 | 185 | 268 | 52 |
Note: CR = Conference rank; GP = Games played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; OTL = Overtime loss; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; Pts = Points Bolded teams qualified for the playoffs.
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | T | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Z- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 48 | 19 | 12 | 3 | 295 | 195 | 111 |
| 2 | Y- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 48 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 274 | 205 | 109 |
| 3 | Y- Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 41 | 27 | 10 | 4 | 233 | 211 | 96 |
| 4 | X- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 43 | 25 | 11 | 3 | 240 | 207 | 100 |
| 5 | X- Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 46 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 218 | 184 | 98 |
| 6 | X- Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 42 | 28 | 9 | 3 | 281 | 256 | 96 |
| 7 | X- Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 37 | 29 | 11 | 5 | 232 | 207 | 90 |
| 8 | X- Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 38 | 32 | 9 | 3 | 212 | 225 | 88 |
| 8.5 |||||||||||
| 9 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 36 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 227 | 249 | 88 |
| 10 | New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 33 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 250 | 290 | 72 |
| 11 | Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 28 | 40 | 8 | 6 | 206 | 232 | 70 |
| 12 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 22 | 38 | 13 | 9 | 200 | 246 | 66 |
| 13 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 23 | 45 | 12 | 2 | 211 | 289 | 60 |
| 14 | Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 24 | 47 | 6 | 5 | 201 | 280 | 59 |
| 15 | New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 21 | 51 | 7 | 3 | 185 | 268 | 52 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Playoffs
### Eastern Conference Quarterfinals

The Penguins opened the playoffs against the Washington Capitals. It was their sixth meeting in the playoffs. The Penguins were shut out in Game 1, 1–0. Lemieux scored a goal and had an assist in Game 2, which was won by the Penguins, 2–1. Newcomer Johan Hedberg shut out the Capitals in Game 3. The Capitals won Game 4 in overtime, 4–3. However, game-winning goals by Lemieux and Martin Straka in Game 5 and 6 won the series for the Penguins, 4–2.

### Eastern Conference Semifinals

The Penguins played the Buffalo Sabres in the conference semi-finals. The Penguins won Game 1 by the score of 3–0 and Game 2 by the score of 3–1. The Sabres won the next three games, pushing the Penguins to elimination. However, overtime-winning goals by Straka and Darius Kasparaitis in Game 6 and 7 won the series for the Penguins. Game 7 was Dominik Hasek's last game as a Sabre; he would sign with the Detroit Red Wings in the off-season.

### Eastern Conference Finals

The Penguins and the New Jersey Devils split the first two games of the series before the Devils took games three, four, and five to eliminate the Penguins.

## Schedule and results
### Regular season

2000–01 regular season :
October: 5–4–1–0 (home: 3–4–0–0; road: 2–0–1–0), 11 Points
#OctVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
17Nashville Predators3–1Pittsburgh Penguins0–1–0–00Recap
28Pittsburgh Penguins3–1Nashville Predators1–1–0–02Recap
313Tampa Bay Lightning2–3Pittsburgh Penguins2–1–0–04Recap
414New York Rangers6–8Pittsburgh Penguins3–1–0–06Recap
518Carolina Hurricanes3–2Pittsburgh Penguins3–2–0–06Recap
619Pittsburgh Penguins3–3Ottawa Senators3–2–1–07Recap
721Columbus Blue Jackets2–5Pittsburgh Penguins4–2–1–09Recap
825Ottawa Senators3–2Pittsburgh Penguins4–3–1–09Recap
927Pittsburgh Penguins4–1New York Rangers5–3–1–011Recap
1028New Jersey Devils9–0Pittsburgh Penguins5–4–1–011Recap :
November: 6–4–2–1 (home: 3–1–1–0; road: 3–3–1–1), 15 Points
#NovVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
111Pittsburgh Penguins2–3San Jose Sharks5–5–1–011Recap
123Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Vancouver Canucks6–5–1–013Recap
134Pittsburgh Penguins1–1Calgary Flames6–5–2–014Recap
148Philadelphia Flyers2–5Pittsburgh Penguins7–5–2–016Recap
1510Pittsburgh Penguins4–2New Jersey Devils8–5–2–018Recap
1611Edmonton Oilers2–5Pittsburgh Penguins9–5–2–020Recap
1713Pittsburgh Penguins2–3 OTColorado Avalanche9–5–2–121Recap
1816Pittsburgh Penguins3–4St. Louis Blues9–6–2–121Recap
1918Atlanta Thrashers1–3Pittsburgh Penguins10–6–2–123Recap
2022Carolina Hurricanes3–1Pittsburgh Penguins10–7–2–123Recap
2124Pittsburgh Penguins1–0Philadelphia Flyers11–7–2–125Recap
2225Los Angeles Kings2–2Pittsburgh Penguins11–7–3–126Recap
2328Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Boston Bruins11–8–3–126Recap :
December: 6–6–3–0 (home: 2–5–0–0; road: 4–1–3–0), 15 Points
#DecVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
241Pittsburgh Penguins6–4Buffalo Sabres12–8–3–128Recap
252Buffalo Sabres3–2Pittsburgh Penguins12–9–3–128Recap
265Pittsburgh Penguins4–2Ottawa Senators13–9–3–130Recap
276Boston Bruins3–2Pittsburgh Penguins13–10–3–130Recap
289Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Toronto Maple Leafs13–11–3–130Recap
2910Pittsburgh Penguins4–3Detroit Red Wings14–11–3–132Recap
3013Toronto Maple Leafs7–4Pittsburgh Penguins14–12–3–132Recap
3115Florida Panthers4–1Pittsburgh Penguins14–13–3–132Recap
3216Pittsburgh Penguins4–4Montreal Canadiens14–13–4–133Recap
3320Pittsburgh Penguins2–2Florida Panthers14–13–5–134Recap
3421Pittsburgh Penguins1–1Tampa Bay Lightning14–13–6–135Recap
3523Dallas Stars8–2Pittsburgh Penguins14–14–6–135Recap
3626Pittsburgh Penguins5–3Buffalo Sabres15–14–6–137Recap
3727Toronto Maple Leafs0–5Pittsburgh Penguins16–14–6–139Recap
3830Ottawa Senators3–5Pittsburgh Penguins17–14–6–141Recap :
January: 8–5–0–1 (home: 5–2–0–0; road: 3–3–0–1), 17 Points
#JanVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
393Washington Capitals2–3Pittsburgh Penguins18–14–6–143Recap
405Montreal Canadiens4–3Pittsburgh Penguins18–15–6–143Recap
418Pittsburgh Penguins5–3Washington Capitals19–15–6–145Recap
429Pittsburgh Penguins2–5Boston Bruins19–16–6–145Recap
4312New York Islanders3–4Pittsburgh Penguins20–16–6–147Recap
4413Pittsburgh Penguins5–6New York Islanders20–17–6–147Recap
4515Mighty Ducks of Anaheim2–3Pittsburgh Penguins21–17–6–149Recap
4617Pittsburgh Penguins4–5Phoenix Coyotes21–18–6–149Recap
4719Pittsburgh Penguins5–6 OTDallas Stars21–18–6–250Recap
4821Pittsburgh Penguins4–0Chicago Blackhawks22–18–6–252Recap
4924Montreal Canadiens1–3Pittsburgh Penguins23–18–6–254Recap
5027Atlanta Thrashers1–5Pittsburgh Penguins24–18–6–256Recap
5130Pittsburgh Penguins6–3Atlanta Thrashers25–18–6–258Recap
5231Philadelphia Flyers5–1Pittsburgh Penguins25–19–6–258Recap :
February: 7–3–1–0 (home: 6–1–0–0; road: 1–2–1–0), 15 Points
#FebVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
537Philadelphia Flyers4–9Pittsburgh Penguins26–19–6–260Recap
5410New Jersey Devils4–5 OTPittsburgh Penguins27–19–6–262Recap
5511Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Minnesota Wild27–20–6–262Recap
5614Minnesota Wild1–2Pittsburgh Penguins28–20–6–264Recap
5716Pittsburgh Penguins4–4New Jersey Devils28–20–7–265Recap
5817Pittsburgh Penguins3–2 OTColumbus Blue Jackets29–20–7–267Recap
5919Colorado Avalanche5–1Pittsburgh Penguins29–21–7–267Recap
6021Florida Panthers2–3 OTPittsburgh Penguins30–21–7–269Recap
6123New York Rangers4–6Pittsburgh Penguins31–21–7–271Recap
6225New York Islanders1–6Pittsburgh Penguins32–21–7–273Recap
6328Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Montreal Canadiens32–22–7–273Recap :
March: 8–5–2–0 (home: 4–2–1–0; road: 4–3–1–0), 18 Points
#MarVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
642Pittsburgh Penguins7–5New York Rangers33–22–7–275Recap
653Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Washington Capitals33–23–7–275Recap
667Washington Capitals4–3Pittsburgh Penguins33–24–7–275Recap
678Pittsburgh Penguins5–3Atlanta Thrashers34–24–7–277Recap
6810Calgary Flames3–6Pittsburgh Penguins35–24–7–279Recap
6912Pittsburgh Penguins3–3New York Rangers35–24–8–280Recap
7014New York Islanders3–1Pittsburgh Penguins35–25–8–280Recap
7116Pittsburgh Penguins6–3Florida Panthers36–25–8–282Recap
7217Pittsburgh Penguins1–5Tampa Bay Lightning36–26–8–282Recap
7320Boston Bruins2–2Pittsburgh Penguins36–26–9–283Recap
7423Pittsburgh Penguins3–5Carolina Hurricanes36–27–9–283Recap
7525Pittsburgh Penguins4–2New Jersey Devils37–27–9–285Recap
7627Buffalo Sabres1–4Pittsburgh Penguins38–27–9–287Recap
7729Chicago Blackhawks2–5Pittsburgh Penguins39–27–9–289Recap
7831St. Louis Blues3–5Pittsburgh Penguins40–27–9–291Recap :
April: 2–1–0–1 (home: 1–0–0–0; road: 1–1–0–1), 5 Points
#AprVisitorScoreHomeRecordPointsRecap
792Pittsburgh Penguins1–4New York Islanders40–28–9–291Recap
804Tampa Bay Lightning2–4Pittsburgh Penguins41–28–9–293Recap
817Pittsburgh Penguins3–4 OTPhiladelphia Flyers41–28–9–394Recap
828Pittsburgh Penguins6–4Carolina Hurricanes42–28–9–396Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Tie (1 point)
  Overtime loss (1 point) :

### Playoffs

2001 Stanley Cup playoffs :
Eastern Conference Quarterfinals vs. (3) Washington Capitals – Penguins win 4–2
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1LApril 12, 20010–1@ Washington CapitalsCapitals lead 1–0Recap
2WApril 14, 20012–1@ Washington CapitalsSeries tied 1–1Recap
3WApril 16, 20013–0Washington CapitalsPenguins lead 2–1Recap
4LApril 18, 20013–4 OTWashington CapitalsSeries tied 2–2Recap
5WApril 21, 20012–1@ Washington CapitalsPenguins lead 3–2Recap
6WApril 23, 20014–3 OTWashington CapitalsPenguins win 4–2Recap :
Eastern Conference Semifinals vs. (5) Buffalo Sabres – Penguins win 4–3
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1WApril 26, 20013–0@ Buffalo SabresPenguins lead 1–0Recap
2WApril 28, 20013–1@ Buffalo SabresPenguins lead 2–0Recap
3LApril 30, 20011–4Buffalo SabresPenguins lead 2–1Recap
4LMay 2, 20012–5Buffalo SabresSeries tied 2–2Recap
5LMay 5, 20012–3 OT@ Buffalo SabresSabres lead 3–2Recap
6WMay 8, 20013–2 OTBuffalo SabresSeries tied 3–3Recap
7WMay 10, 20013–2 OT@ Buffalo SabresPenguins win 4–3Recap :
Eastern Conference Finals vs. (1) New Jersey Devils – Devils win 4–1
GameResultDateScoreOpponentSeriesRecap
1LMay 12, 20011–3@ New Jersey DevilsDevils lead 1–0Recap
2WMay 15, 20014–2@ New Jersey DevilsSeries tied 1–1Recap
3LMay 17, 20010–3New Jersey DevilsDevils lead 2–1Recap
4LMay 19, 20010–5New Jersey DevilsDevils lead 3–1Recap
5LMay 22, 20012–4@ New Jersey DevilsDevils win 4–1Recap :
Legend:
  Win
  Loss :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Jaromir Jagr | 81 | 52 | 69 | 121 | 19 | 42 |
| Alex Kovalev | 79 | 44 | 51 | 95 | 12 | 96 |
| Martin Straka | 82 | 27 | 68 | 95 | 19 | 38 |
| Robert Lang | 82 | 32 | 48 | 80 | 20 | 28 |
| Mario Lemieux | 43 | 35 | 41 | 76 | 15 | 18 |
| Jan Hrdina | 78 | 15 | 28 | 43 | 19 | 48 |
| Josef Beranek | 70 | 9 | 14 | 23 | -7 | 43 |
| Kevin Stevens$^†$ | 32 | 8 | 15 | 23 | -4 | 55 |
| Hans Jonsson | 58 | 4 | 18 | 22 | 11 | 22 |
| Janne Laukkanen | 50 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 9 | 34 |
| Aleksey Morozov | 66 | 5 | 14 | 19 | -8 | 6 |
| Darius Kasparaitis | 77 | 3 | 16 | 19 | 11 | 111 |
| Rene Corbet | 43 | 8 | 9 | 17 | -3 | 57 |
| Jiri Slegr$^‡$ | 42 | 5 | 10 | 15 | -9 | 60 |
| Andrew Ference | 36 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 6 | 28 |
| Milan Kraft | 42 | 7 | 7 | 14 | -6 | 8 |
| Jeff Norton$^‡$ | 32 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 8 | 20 |
| Kip Miller | 33 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 0 | 6 |
| Roman Simicek$^‡$ | 29 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -5 | 30 |
| Toby Petersen | 12 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| Ian Moran | 40 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 28 |
| Wayne Primeau$^†$ | 28 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 0 | 54 |
| Marc Bergevin$^†$ | 36 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 26 |
| Matthew Barnaby$^‡$ | 47 | 1 | 4 | 5 | -7 | 168 |
| Michal Rozsival | 30 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 26 |
| Bob Boughner | 58 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 | 147 |
| Krzysztof Oliwa$^†$ | 26 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -4 | 131 |
| Billy Tibbetts | 29 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -2 | 79 |
| Frantisek Kucera$^†$ | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
| Josef Melichar | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | -5 | 21 |
| Sven Butenschon$^‡$ | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Bobby Dollas | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
| Dan Trebil | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 7 |
| Dennis Bonvie | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -1 | 0 |
| Greg Crozier | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steve McKenna | 34 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 100 |
| Dan Lacouture | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 |
| Total | Total | 281 | 500 | 781 | — | 1,561 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Mario Lemieux | 18 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 4 | 4 |
| Martin Straka | 18 | 5 | 8 | 13 | -1 | 8 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 16 | 2 | 10 | 12 | 4 | 18 |
| Alex Kovalev | 18 | 5 | 5 | 10 | -2 | 16 |
| Andrew Ference | 18 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 0 | 16 |
| Robert Lang | 16 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 2 | 4 |
| Jan Hrdina | 18 | 2 | 5 | 7 | -4 | 8 |
| Kevin Stevens | 17 | 3 | 3 | 6 | -4 | 20 |
| Aleksey Morozov | 18 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Janne Laukkanen | 18 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| Wayne Primeau | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 | -2 | 2 |
| Darius Kasparaitis | 17 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -5 | 26 |
| Josef Beranek | 13 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Rene Corbet | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -5 | 12 |
| Marc Bergevin | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Bob Boughner | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 22 |
| Ian Moran | 18 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -3 | 4 |
| Krzysztof Oliwa | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
| Hans Jonsson | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 8 |
| Dan Lacouture | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Milan Kraft | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 2 |
| Total | Total | 38 | 67 | 105 | — | 212 |

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Jean-Sebastien Aubin | 36 | 35 | 2050:06 | 20 | 14 | 1 | 107 | 3.13 | 973 | 0.890 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Garth Snow | 35 | 34 | 2031:43 | 14 | 15 | 4 | 101 | 2.98 | 1014 | 0.900 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 8 |
| Johan Hedberg | 9 | 9 | 544:54 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 24 | 2.64 | 253 | 0.905 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rich Parent | 7 | 4 | 331:39 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 17 | 3.08 | 150 | 0.887 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 82 | 4958:22 | 42 | 31 | 9 | 249 | 3.01 | 2390 | 0.896 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12 |
Playoffs :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | T | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Johan Hedberg | 18 | 18 | 1123:04 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 43 | 2.30 | 482 | 0.911 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 18 | 1123:58 | 9 | 9 | 0 | 43 | 2.30 | 482 | 0.911 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
$^†$Denotes player spent time with another team before joining the Penguins. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only. $^‡$Denotes player was traded mid-season. Stats reflect time with the Penguins only.

## Awards and records

* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 1500 points for the Penguins. He did so in a 5–3 win over Ottawa on December 30.
* Mario Lemieux became the first person to score 900 assists for the Penguins. He did so in a 6–1 win over the New York Islanders on February 25.
* Kevin Stevens set the franchise record for penalty minutes (1023). He broke the previous high of 980 set by Troy Loney in 1993.

### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | Art Ross Trophy | Jaromir Jagr |
| League (annual) | NHL First All-Star Team | Jaromir Jagr (Right wing) |
| League (annual) | NHL Second All-Star Team | Mario Lemieux (Center) |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Jaromir Jagr |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Alexei Kovalev |
| League (in-season) | NHL All-Star Game selection | Mario Lemieux |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Month | Mario Lemieux (January) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Month | Alexei Kovalev (February) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Month | Jaromir Jagr (March) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Week | Alexei Kovalev (November 13) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Week | Jaromir Jagr & Mario Lemieux (January 2) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Player of the Week | Alexei Kovalev (February 12) |
| Team | A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award | Alexei Kovalev |
| Team | Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award | Alexei Kovalev |
| Team | Bob Johnson Memorial Badger Bob Award | Darius Kasparaitis |
| Team | Bob Johnson Memorial Badger Bob Award | Martin Straka |
| Team | Leading Scorer Award | Jaromir Jagr |
| Team | Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy | No winner |
| Team | Most Valuable Player Award | Mario Lemieux |
| Team | Players' Player Award | Martin Straka |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Bob Boughner |
Broadcaster Mike Lange was also awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 2001, thus securing his induction into the broadcaster's wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame.

### Milestones

Regular Season :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Roman Simicek | First NHL goal | October 14, 2000 |
| Milan Kraft | First NHL goal | October 14, 2000 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 400th career goal | November 13, 2000 |
| Darius Kasparaitis | 100th career point | November 25, 2000 |
| Toby Petersen | First NHL goal | December 10, 2000 |
| Jan Hrdina | 100th career point | December 16, 2000 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 1000th career point | December 30, 2000 |
| Mario Lemieux | 1500th career point | December 30, 2000 |
| Marc Bergevin | 1000th career game | January 13, 2001 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 600th career assist | January 15, 2001 |
| Kevin Stevens | 700th career assist | January 19, 2001 |
| Martin Straka | 400th career assist | January 27, 2001 |
| Robert Lang | 100th career goal | January 30, 2001 |
| Billy Tibbetts | First NHL goal | February 16, 2001 |
| Alexei Kovalev | 200th career goal | February 19, 2001 |
| Johan Hedberg | First NHL win | March 16, 2001 |
Playoffs :
| Player | Milestone | Reached |
| Johan Hedberg | First playoff win | April 14, 2001 |
| Jaromir Jagr | 100th playoff assist | April 26, 2001 |
| Martin Straka | 50th playoff point | May 15, 2001 |
Making their NHL debuts in 2000–01 as members of the Pittsburgh Penguins were Greg Crozier, Johan Hedberg, Milan Kraft, Josef Melichar, Toby Petersen, Roman Simicek, and Billy Tibbetts.

## Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions from June 11, 2000, the day after the deciding game of the 2000 Stanley Cup Finals, through June 9, 2001, the day of the deciding game of the 2001 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| June 25, 2000 (2000-06-25) | To Montreal Canadiens 4th-round pick in 2000 | To Pittsburgh Penguins 4th-round pick in 20005th-round pick in 2000 |
| November 14, 2000 (2000-11-14) | To New York Islanders 9th-round pick in 2001 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Dan Trebil |
| December 28, 2000 (2000-12-28) | To St. Louis Blues Dan Trebil | To Pittsburgh Penguins Marc Bergevin |
| January 13, 2001 (2001-01-13) | To Minnesota Wild Roman Simicek | To Pittsburgh Penguins Steve McKenna |
| January 14, 2001 (2001-01-14) | To Atlanta Thrashers Jiri Slegr | To Pittsburgh Penguins 3rd-round pick in 2001 |
| January 14, 2001 (2001-01-14) | To Philadelphia Flyers John Slaney | To Pittsburgh Penguins Kevin Stevens |
| January 14, 2001 (2001-01-14) | To Columbus Blue Jackets 3rd-round pick in 2001 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Krzysztof Oliwa |
| February 1, 2001 (2001-02-01) | To Tampa Bay Lightning Matthew Barnaby | To Pittsburgh Penguins Wayne Primeau |
| March 12, 2001 (2001-03-12) | To San Jose Sharks Jeff Norton | To Pittsburgh Penguins Bobby DollasJohan Hedberg |
| March 13, 2001 (2001-03-13) | To Edmonton Oilers Sven Butenschon | To Pittsburgh Penguins Dan LaCouture |
| March 13, 2001 (2001-03-13) | To Columbus Blue Jackets 6th-round pick in 2001 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Frantisek Kucera |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| July 28, 2000 (2000-07-28) | Darcy Verot | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) | | Free agency |
| August 28, 2000 (2000-08-28) | Trent Cull | Phoenix Coyotes | | Free agency |
| September 19, 2000 (2000-09-19) | Rich Parent | Ottawa Senators | 1-year | Free agency |
| September 24, 2000 (2000-09-24) | Kip Miller | Anaheim Mighty Ducks | | Free agency |
| September 29, 2000 (2000-09-29) | Jason MacDonald | Orlando Solar Bears (IHL) | | Free agency |
| October 10, 2000 (2000-10-10) | Garth Snow | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) | | Free agency |
| November 14, 2000 (2000-11-14) | Jeff Norton | San Jose Sharks | | Free agency |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| N/A | Valentin Morozov | HC Lada Togliatti (RSL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| June 23, 2000 (2000-06-23) | Jonas Junkka | Columbus Blue Jackets | Expansion draft |
| June 23, 2000 (2000-06-23) | Tyler Wright | Columbus Blue Jackets | Expansion draft |
| July 2, 2000 (2000-07-02) | Peter Popovic | Boston Bruins | Free agency (III) |
| July 4, 2000 (2000-07-04) | Ron Tugnutt | Columbus Blue Jackets | Free agency (III) |
| July 18, 2000 (2000-07-18) | Tom O'Connor | Augusta Lynx (ECHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| July 28, 2000 (2000-07-28) | Dan Trebil | New York Islanders | Free agency (VI) |
| August 9, 2000 (2000-08-09) | Tyler Moss | Carolina Hurricanes | Free agency (VI) |
| August 25, 2000 (2000-08-25) | Pat Falloon | HC Davos (NLA) | Free agency (UFA) |
| September 18, 2000 (2000-09-18) | Rob Brown | Chicago Wolves (IHL) | Free agency (III) |
| N/A | Tom Chorske | Houston Aeros (IHL) | Free agency (III) |
| N/A | J. P. Tessier | Norfolk Admirals (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 3, 2000 (2000-10-03) | Peter Skudra | Boston Bruins | Free agency (UFA) |
| November 15, 2000 (2000-11-15) | Steve Leach | Louisville Panthers (AHL) | Free agency (III) |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| July 17, 2000 (2000-07-17) | Jan Fadrny | | Entry-level |
| July 17, 2000 (2000-07-17) | Roman Simicek | | Entry-level |
| July 17, 2000 (2000-07-17) | Alexander Zevakhin | | Entry-level |
| July 27, 2000 (2000-07-27) | Chris Kelleher | | Re-signing |
| July 28, 2000 (2000-07-28) | Sven Butenschon | | Re-signing |
| July 30, 2000 (2000-07-30) | Janne Laukkanen | 3-year | Re-signing |
| July 31, 2000 (2000-07-31) | Matthew Barnaby | 1-year | Re-signing |
| July 31, 2000 (2000-07-31) | Rene Corbet | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 3, 2000 (2000-08-03) | Josef Beranek | | Re-signing |
| August 10, 2000 (2000-08-10) | Dennis Bonvie | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 16, 2000 (2000-08-16) | Alexei Morozov | | Re-signing |
| August 18, 2000 (2000-08-18) | Toby Petersen | | Entry-level |
| August 28, 2000 (2000-08-28) | Mark Moore | | Entry-level |
| September 5, 2000 (2000-09-05) | Sebastien Caron | | Entry-level |
| September 24, 2000 (2000-09-24) | Jean-Sebastien Aubin | 1-year | Re-signing |
| December 11, 2000 (2000-12-11) | Mario Lemieux | 1-year | Re-signing |
| June 4, 2001 (2001-06-04) | Darcy Robinson | | Entry-level |

### Other

| Name | Date | Notes |
| Ivan Hlinka | June 21, 2000 | Promoted to head coach |
| Joe Mullen | June 21, 2000 | Hired as assistant coach |
| Rick Kehoe | June 21, 2000 | Re-signed as assistant coach |

## Draft picks

The Penguins selected the following players at the 2000 NHL entry draft at the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary:
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 18 | Brooks Orpik | Defense | United States | Boston College (Hockey East) |
| 2 | 52 | Shane Endicott | Center | Canada | Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) |
| 3 | 84 | Peter Hamerlik | Goaltender | Slovakia | HK 36 Skalica (Slovakia) |
| 4 | 124 | Michel Ouellet | Right Wing | Canada | Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL) |
| 5 | 146 | David Koci | Defense | Czech Republic | Sparta Prague Jr. (Czech Republic) |
| 6 | 185 | Patrick Foley | Left Wing | United States | University of New Hampshire (Hockey East) |
| 7 | 216 | Jim Abbott | Left Wing | United States | University of New Hampshire (Hockey East) |
| 8 | 248 | Steven Crampton | Right Wing | Canada | Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL) |
| 9 | 273 | Roman Simicek | Center | Czech Republic | HPK Hameenlinna (Finland) |
| 9 | 280 | Nick Boucher | Goaltender | Canada | Dartmouth College (ECAC) |

### Draft notes

* The Pittsburgh Penguins' fourth-round pick went to the Montreal Canadiens as the result of a June 24, 2000 trade that sent a 2000 fourth-round pick and a 2000 fifth-round pick to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
* $^a$ The Montreal Canadiens' fourth-round pick (from the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim) went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a June 24, 2000 trade that sent a 2000 fourth-round pick to the Canadiens in exchange for a 2000 fifth-round pick and this pick.
* $^b$ The Montreal Canadiens' fifth-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a June 24, 2000 trade that sent a 2000 fourth-round pick to the Canadiens in exchange for a 2000 fourth-round pick and this pick.
* The Pittsburgh Penguins' fifth-round pick went to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim as the result of a March 14, 2000 trade that sent Dan Trebil to the Penguins in exchange for this pick.
* $^c$ The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim's ninth-round pick went to the Pittsburgh Penguins as a result of a January 29, 2000 trade that sent Kip Miller to the Mighty Ducks in exchange for this pick.

## Farm teams

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the AHL finished second in the Mid-Atlantic Division with a record of 36-33-9-2 record. They defeated the Syracuse Crunch, Philadelphia Phantoms and Hershey Bears to win the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as Western Conference playoff champions. They lost to the Saint John Flames in six games in the Calder Cup Finals. John Slaney won the Eddie Shore Award as defenseman of the year.
The ECHL's Wheeling Nailers finished last overall with a record of 24-40-8.