# 2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins season

The 2005–06 Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team's 39th season in the National Hockey League (NHL). The season was notable for being Sidney Crosby's rookie campaign. However, Crosby's inaugural season did not improve the team, as they suffered another losing season, finishing last place in the Eastern Conference with 58 points, the second worst in the NHL. The Penguins failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. It would be the final season where they missed the Stanley Cup playoffs until 2023.

## Regular season

The Penguins struggled defensively, finishing 30th overall in goals allowed, with 310 (excluding 6 shootout goals allowed).

### Sidney Crosby

Sidney Crosby was selected first overall in the 2005 NHL entry draft by the Penguins on July 30, 2005. Due to the labour stoppage in the previous season, the 2005 draft was conducted via a weighted lottery based on each team's playoff appearances and draft lottery victories in the last four years. This lottery system led to the draft being popularly referred to as the "Sidney Crosby Lottery" or the "Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes".
On December 16, 2005, Michel Therrien named Crosby as an alternate captain for the Penguins. The move drew criticism from some hockey pundits, including Don Cherry, who claimed that Crosby had done nothing to earn the position.
Crosby finished his rookie season with the franchise record in assists (63) and points (102) for a rookie, both of which had been previously held by Mario Lemieux. Crosby is the youngest player in the history of the NHL to score 100 points in a single season, and only the seventh rookie ever to hit the benchmark. Overall, Crosby finished sixth in the NHL scoring race and seventh in the NHL in assists. Among Canadian NHL players, he trailed only Joe Thornton and Dany Heatley. While both Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals had impressive rookie campaigns, Crosby finished second behind Ovechkin for the Calder Memorial Trophy for NHL rookie of the year.
Through his first season, Crosby was accused by opposing players and coaches of taking dives and complaining to officials, which has been attributed to his youth. During his rookie campaign, he was second on his team and fourth among all NHL rookies in penalty minutes, and is the only rookie to accumulate both 100 points and 100 penalty minutes in a single season in NHL history. This magnified his reputation for complaining to NHL officials. Hockey analyst Kelly Hrudey compared Crosby to Gretzky, who had a similar reputation as a "whiner" in his youth, and suggested that as Crosby matured, he would mellow out and his reputation would fade.

### Mario Lemieux

After the lockout concluded, Lemieux returned to the ice for the 2005–06 season. Hopes for the Penguins were high due to the salary cap and revenue sharing, which enabled the team to compete in the market for several star players. Another reason for optimism was the Penguins winning the lottery for the first draft pick, enabling them to select Sidney Crosby. Lemieux opened up his home to Crosby to help the rookie settle in Pittsburgh and Lemieux also served as Crosby's mentor.
On January 24, 2006, Lemieux announced his second and permanent retirement from professional hockey at age 40. This followed a half-season in which he struggled not only with the increased speed of the "new NHL" but also with yet another threatening physical ailment, a heart condition called atrial fibrillation that caused him to experience irregular heartbeats.
Although he had put up points at a pace that most NHL forwards would be perfectly content with (22 points in 26 games) in his last season, Lemieux still remarked, "I can no longer play at a level I was accustomed to in the past."

### Season standings

Atlantic Division :
| No. | CR | | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | 3 | New Jersey Devils | 82 | 46 | 27 | 9 | 242 | 229 | 101 |
| 2 | 5 | Philadelphia Flyers | 82 | 45 | 26 | 11 | 267 | 259 | 101 |
| 3 | 6 | New York Rangers | 82 | 44 | 26 | 12 | 257 | 215 | 100 |
| 4 | 12 | New York Islanders | 82 | 36 | 40 | 6 | 230 | 278 | 78 |
| 5 | 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | 82 | 22 | 46 | 14 | 244 | 316 | 58 |
Eastern Conference :
| R | | Div | GP | W | L | OTL | GF | GA | Pts |
| 1 | Z- Ottawa Senators | NE | 82 | 52 | 21 | 9 | 314 | 211 | 113 |
| 2 | Y- Carolina Hurricanes | SE | 82 | 52 | 22 | 8 | 294 | 260 | 112 |
| 3 | Y- New Jersey Devils | AT | 82 | 46 | 27 | 9 | 242 | 229 | 101 |
| 4 | X- Buffalo Sabres | NE | 82 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 242 | 239 | 110 |
| 5 | X- Philadelphia Flyers | AT | 82 | 45 | 26 | 11 | 267 | 259 | 101 |
| 6 | X- New York Rangers | AT | 82 | 44 | 26 | 12 | 257 | 215 | 100 |
| 7 | X- Montreal Canadiens | NE | 82 | 42 | 31 | 9 | 243 | 247 | 93 |
| 8 | X- Tampa Bay Lightning | SE | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 252 | 260 | 92 |
| 8.5 ||||||||||
| 9 | Toronto Maple Leafs | NE | 82 | 41 | 33 | 8 | 257 | 270 | 90 |
| 10 | Atlanta Thrashers | SE | 82 | 41 | 33 | 8 | 281 | 275 | 90 |
| 11 | Florida Panthers | SE | 82 | 37 | 34 | 11 | 240 | 257 | 85 |
| 12 | New York Islanders | AT | 82 | 36 | 40 | 6 | 230 | 278 | 78 |
| 13 | Boston Bruins | NE | 82 | 29 | 37 | 16 | 230 | 266 | 74 |
| 14 | Washington Capitals | SE | 82 | 29 | 41 | 12 | 237 | 306 | 70 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh Penguins | AT | 82 | 22 | 46 | 14 | 244 | 316 | 58 |
Divisions: AT – Atlantic, NE – Northeast, SE – Southeast
Z – Clinched Conference; Y – Clinched Division; X – Clinched Playoff spot

## Schedule and results
### Preseason

2005 preseason :
Preseason: 2–5–2 (home: 2–2–1; road: 0–3–1)
#DateVisitorScoreHomeLocation/AttendanceRecord
1September 19Pittsburgh Penguins2–3 SOColumbus Blue JacketsNationwide Arena0–0–1
2September 21Boston Bruins5–4 OTPittsburgh PenguinsMohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza0–0–2
3September 23Ottawa Senators3–0Pittsburgh PenguinsVisions Veterans Memorial Arena0–1–2
4September 24Ottawa Senators6–2Pittsburgh PenguinsMohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza0–2–2
5September 25Pittsburgh Penguins2–3Washington CapitalsHersheypark Arena0–3–2
6September 27Columbus Blue Jackets2–7Pittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena1–3–2
7September 29Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Ottawa SenatorsCorel Centre1–4–2
8September 30Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Washington CapitalsVerizon Center1–5–2
9October 2Washington Capitals1–7Pittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena2–5–2 :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

### Regular season

2005–06 regular season :
October: 1–5–5 (home: 1–3–2; road: 0–2–3), 7 Points
#OctVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
15Pittsburgh Penguins1–5New Jersey DevilsMellon Arena (18,101)0–1–00Recap
27Pittsburgh Penguins2–3 SOCarolina HurricanesMellon Arena (18,787)0–1–11Recap
38Boston Bruins7–6 OTPittsburgh PenguinsTD Banknorth Garden (17,132)0–1–22Recap
410Pittsburgh Penguins2–3 OTBuffalo SabresMellon Arena (12,050)0–1–33Recap
514Pittsburgh Penguins5–6 OTPhiladelphia FlyersMellon Arena (19,566)0–1–44Recap
615Tampa Bay Lightning3–1Pittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (17,132)0–2–44Recap
720New Jersey Devils6–3Pittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (16,082)0–3–44Recap
822Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Boston BruinsMellon Arena (17,565)0–4–44Recap
925Florida Panthers4–3 OTPittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (14,636)0–4–55Recap
1027Atlanta Thrashers5–7Pittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (14,009)1–4–57Recap
1129Carolina Hurricanes5–3Pittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (16,420)1–5–57Recap :
November: 6–7–1 (home: 2–3–1; road: 4–4–0), 13 Points
#NovVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
121Pittsburgh Penguins4–3 OTNew Jersey DevilsMellon Arena (10,134)2–5–59Recap
133Pittsburgh Penguins5–1New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (14,415)3–5–511Recap
145Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Boston BruinsMellon Arena (17,565)3–6–511Recap
157Pittsburgh Penguins3–2New York RangersMellon Arena (18,200)4–6–513Recap
169Pittsburgh Penguins0–5Atlanta ThrashersMellon Arena (14,046)4–7–513Recap
1710Montreal Canadiens2–3 SOPittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (16,254)5–7–515Recap
1812New York Rangers6–1Pittsburgh PenguinsMadison Square Garden (IV) (17,132)5–8–515Recap
1914New York Islanders3–2 SOPittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (10,793)5–8–616Recap
2016Pittsburgh Penguins3–2 OTPhiladelphia FlyersMellon Arena (19,687)6–8–618Recap
2119Philadelphia Flyers6–3Pittsburgh PenguinsWachovia Center (17,132)6–9–618Recap
2222Washington Capitals4–5Pittsburgh PenguinsVerizon Center (16,978)7–9–620Recap
2325Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Florida PanthersMellon Arena (18,124)7–10–620Recap
2427Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Tampa Bay LightningMellon Arena (20,218)7–11–620Recap
2529Buffalo Sabres3–2Pittsburgh PenguinsHSBC Arena (15,118)7–12–620Recap :
December: 3–5–2 (home: 3–1–2; road: 0–4–0), 8 Points
#DecVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
261Pittsburgh Penguins1–2New York RangersMellon Arena (18,200)7–13–620Recap
273Calgary Flames3–2Pittsburgh PenguinsPengrowth Saddledome (16,626)7–14–620Recap
288Minnesota Wild5–0Pittsburgh PenguinsXcel Energy Center (14,627)7–15–620Recap
2910Colorado Avalanche3–4Pittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (16,677)8–15–622Recap
3012Pittsburgh Penguins1–3Detroit Red WingsMellon Arena (20,066)8–16–622Recap
3113Pittsburgh Penguins0–3St. Louis BluesMellon Arena (14,336)8–17–622Recap
3216Buffalo Sabres4–3 OTPittsburgh PenguinsHSBC Arena (16,648)8–17–723Recap
3317Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Buffalo SabresMellon Arena (18,690)8–18–723Recap
3423Philadelphia Flyers5–4Pittsburgh PenguinsWachovia Center (17,132)8–19–723Recap
3527Toronto Maple Leafs3–2 OTPittsburgh PenguinsAir Canada Centre (17,132)8–19–824Recap
3629New Jersey Devils2–6Pittsburgh PenguinsIzod Center (17,132)9–19–826Recap
3731New York Rangers3–4 OTPittsburgh PenguinsMadison Square Garden (IV) (17,132)10–19–828Recap :
January: 2–11–2 (home: 1–5–0; road: 1–6–2), 6 Points
#JanVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
382Pittsburgh Penguins2–3 OTToronto Maple LeafsMellon Arena (19,449)10–19–929Recap
393Pittsburgh Penguins6–4Montreal CanadiensMellon Arena (21,273)11–19–931Recap
406Pittsburgh Penguins4–6Atlanta ThrashersMellon Arena (17,209)11–20–931Recap
417Atlanta Thrashers4–3Pittsburgh PenguinsPhilips Arena (17,132)11–21–931Recap
4210Edmonton Oilers3–1Pittsburgh PenguinsRexall Place (14,905)11–22–931Recap
4311Pittsburgh Penguins1–6Columbus Blue JacketsMellon Arena (18,136)11–23–931Recap
4413Pittsburgh Penguins1–4Chicago BlackhawksMellon Arena (20,541)11–24–931Recap
4515Pittsburgh Penguins4–5Nashville PredatorsMellon Arena (17,113)11–25–931Recap
4616Vancouver Canucks4–2Pittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (15,681)11–26–931Recap
4719New York Rangers4–2Pittsburgh PenguinsMadison Square Garden (IV) (14,272)11–27–931Recap
4821Philadelphia Flyers2–1Pittsburgh PenguinsWachovia Center (17,132)11–28–931Recap
4923Pittsburgh Penguins2–4Philadelphia FlyersMellon Arena (19,726)11–29–931Recap
5025Washington Capitals1–8Pittsburgh PenguinsVerizon Center (14,415)12–29–933Recap
5126Pittsburgh Penguins3–4 SONew York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (16,362)12–29–1034Recap
5228Pittsburgh Penguins1–7New York RangersMellon Arena (18,200)12–30–1034Recap :
February: 2–4–1 (home: 0–2–1; road: 2–2–1), 5 Points
#FebVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
531Pittsburgh Penguins1–3New York RangersMellon Arena (18,200)12–31–1034Recap
542Ottawa Senators7–2Pittsburgh PenguinsCorel Centre (14,714)12–32–1034Recap
554New York Islanders5–4 SOPittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (11,218)12–32–1135Recap
566Pittsburgh Penguins2–5Ottawa SenatorsMellon Arena (19,877)12–33–1135Recap
578Boston Bruins3–1Pittsburgh PenguinsTD Banknorth Garden (15,603)12–34–1135Recap
5810Pittsburgh Penguins4–3Carolina HurricanesMellon Arena (18,830)13–34–1137Recap
5911Pittsburgh Penguins6–3Washington CapitalsMellon Arena (18,277)14–34–1139Recap :
March: 5–8–1 (home: 3–5–1; road: 2–3–0), 11 Points
#MarVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
601Ottawa Senators4–3Pittsburgh PenguinsCorel Centre (14,026)14–35–1139Recap
614Carolina Hurricanes7–5Pittsburgh PenguinsRBC Center (16,293)14–36–1139Recap
627Tampa Bay Lightning5–4 SOPittsburgh PenguinsSt. Pete Times Forum (15,048)14–36–1240Recap
638Pittsburgh Penguins3–6Washington CapitalsMellon Arena (14,374)14–37–1240Recap
6411New Jersey Devils3–6Pittsburgh PenguinsIzod Center (16,061)15–37–1242Recap
6512Philadelphia Flyers0–2Pittsburgh PenguinsWachovia Center (14,904)16–37–1244Recap
6616Pittsburgh Penguins1–2New Jersey DevilsMellon Arena (11,513)16–38–1244Recap
6718Pittsburgh Penguins5–4Montreal CanadiensMellon Arena (21,273)17–38–1246Recap
6819Toronto Maple Leafs1–0Pittsburgh PenguinsAir Canada Centre (15,174)17–39–1246Recap
6921Pittsburgh Penguins2–5Ottawa SenatorsMellon Arena (19,360)17–40–1246Recap
7024New York Islanders3–4 OTPittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (11,286)18–40–1248Recap
7126Montreal Canadiens6–5Pittsburgh PenguinsBell Centre (14,807)18–41–1248Recap
7229Florida Panthers5–3Pittsburgh PenguinsBankAtlantic Center (14,024)18–42–1248Recap
7331Pittsburgh Penguins4–0New York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (15,210)19–42–1250Recap :
April: 3–4–2 (home: 2–0–1; road: 1–4–1), 8 Points
#AprVisitorScoreHomeLocationRecordPointsRecap
742New Jersey Devils3–2 OTPittsburgh PenguinsIzod Center (14,427)19–42–1351Recap
755Pittsburgh Penguins4–6New Jersey DevilsMellon Arena (13,118)19–43–1351Recap
767Pittsburgh Penguins5–1Florida PanthersMellon Arena (14,776)20–43–1353Recap
778Pittsburgh Penguins0–1Tampa Bay LightningMellon Arena (20,844)20–44–1353Recap
7811Pittsburgh Penguins3–4Philadelphia FlyersMellon Arena (19,756)20–45–1353Recap
7913New York Rangers3–5Pittsburgh PenguinsMadison Square Garden (IV) (15,155)21–45–1355Recap
8015Pittsburgh Penguins4–5 SONew York IslandersNassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum (17,084)21–45–1456Recap
8117New York Islanders1–6Pittsburgh PenguinsMellon Arena (12,282)22–45–1458Recap
8218Pittsburgh Penguins3–5Toronto Maple LeafsMellon Arena (19,392)22–46–1458Recap :
Legend:
  Win (2 points)
  Loss (0 points)
  Overtime/shootout loss (1 point) :

## Player statistics
### Skaters

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | G | A | Pts | +/− | PIM |
| Sidney Crosby | 81 | 39 | 63 | 102 | -1 | 110 |
| Sergei Gonchar | 75 | 12 | 46 | 58 | -13 | 100 |
| Mark Recchi$^‡$ | 63 | 24 | 33 | 57 | -28 | 56 |
| John LeClair | 73 | 22 | 29 | 51 | -24 | 61 |
| Ryan Malone | 77 | 22 | 22 | 44 | -22 | 63 |
| Ziggy Palffy | 42 | 11 | 31 | 42 | 5 | 12 |
| Colby Armstrong | 47 | 16 | 24 | 40 | 15 | 58 |
| Ryan Whitney | 68 | 6 | 32 | 38 | -7 | 85 |
| Michel Ouellet | 50 | 16 | 16 | 32 | -13 | 16 |
| Ric Jackman$^‡$ | 49 | 6 | 22 | 28 | -20 | 46 |
| Tomas Surovy | 53 | 12 | 13 | 25 | -13 | 45 |
| Mario Lemieux | 26 | 7 | 15 | 22 | -16 | 16 |
| Andy Hilbert$^†$ | 19 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 8 | 16 |
| Josef Melichar | 72 | 3 | 12 | 15 | -2 | 66 |
| Erik Christensen | 33 | 6 | 7 | 13 | -3 | 34 |
| Eric Boguniecki$^†$ | 38 | 5 | 6 | 11 | -2 | 29 |
| Dick Tarnstrom$^‡$ | 33 | 5 | 5 | 10 | -10 | 52 |
| Konstantin Koltsov | 60 | 3 | 6 | 9 | -10 | 20 |
| Brooks Orpik | 64 | 2 | 7 | 9 | -3 | 124 |
| Max Talbot | 48 | 5 | 3 | 8 | -12 | 59 |
| Lasse Pirjeta | 25 | 4 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 18 |
| Jani Rita$^†$ | 30 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -6 | 4 |
| Matt Murley | 41 | 1 | 5 | 6 | -9 | 24 |
| Noah Welch | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 2 |
| Steve Poapst$^‡$ | 21 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -5 | 10 |
| Rob Scuderi | 57 | 0 | 4 | 4 | -18 | 36 |
| Andre Roy | 42 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -3 | 116 |
| Shane Endicott | 41 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -9 | 43 |
| Eric Cairns$^†$ | 27 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 87 |
| Ryan Vandenbussche | 20 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 42 |
| Lyle Odelein | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -10 | 50 |
| Cory Cross$^{†‡}$ | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -1 | 6 |
| Matt Hussey | 13 | 0 | 1 | 1 | -5 | 0 |
| Alain Nasreddine | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 8 |
| Niklas Nordgren | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4 | 4 |
| Rico Fata | 20 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -5 | 10 |
| Guillaume Lefebvre | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -3 | 9 |
| Total | Total | 243 | 431 | 674 | — | 1,537 |

### Goaltenders

Regular Season :
| Player | GP | GS | TOI | W | L | OT | GA | GAA | SA | SV% | SO | G | A | PIM |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | 50 | 45 | 2809:13 | 13 | 27 | 6 | 152 | 3.25 | 1485 | 0.898 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sebastien Caron | 26 | 23 | 1312:18 | 8 | 9 | 5 | 87 | 3.98 | 733 | 0.881 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Jocelyn Thibault | 16 | 13 | 806:42 | 1 | 9 | 3 | 60 | 4.46 | 484 | 0.876 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Dany Sabourin | 1 | 1 | 20:33 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 11.68 | 14 | 0.714 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | Total | 82 | 4948:46 | 22 | 46 | 14 | 303 | 3.67 | 2716 | 0.888 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
$^†$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
### Awards

| Type | Award/honor | Recipient |
| League (annual) | NHL All-Rookie Team | Sidney Crosby (Forward) |
| League (in-season) | NHL Rookie of the Month | Sidney Crosby (October) |
| Team | A. T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Award | Sidney Crosby |
| Team | Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Good Guy Award | Sidney Crosby |
| Team | Michel Briere Memorial Rookie of the Year Trophy | Sidney Crosby |
| Team | Most Valuable Player Award | Sidney Crosby |
| Team | Players' Player Award | John LeClair |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Colby Armstrong |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Marc-Andre Fleury |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Ryan Malone |
| Team | The Edward J. DeBartolo Community Service Award | Ryan Whitney |

### Records

* Sidney Crosby set the franchise record for most assists (63) and points (102) as a rookie. He broke the previous records of 57 and 100 respectively set by Mario Lemieux in 1985.

### Milestones

* Sidney Crosby played his first professional NHL game on October 5, 2005, against the New Jersey Devils, and registered an assist on the team's first goal of the season, scored by Mark Recchi in a 5–1 loss.
* November 11, 2005 – Sidney Crosby beat Jose Theodore of the Montreal Canadiens to win his first career shootout.
* November 11, 2005- Mario Lemieux scores his seventh goal of the season, and the last of his career.
* November 22, 2005 – Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin face each other for the first time.
* March 12, 2006 – Marc-Andre Fleury gets a shutout by stopping 22 shots against the Philadelphia Flyers.
* March 29, 2006 – John LeClair scores the 400th goal of his career.
* January 24, 2006 – Mario Lemieux announces his retirement.
* April 13, 2006 – Sidney Crosby scores four points in one game, including his 90th point of the season.
* April 17, 2006 – Sidney Crosby becomes the youngest player to score 100 points in one season.

## Transactions

The Penguins were involved in the following transactions from February 17, 2005, the day after the 2004–05 NHL season was officially cancelled, through June 19, 2006, the day of the deciding game of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals.

### Trades

| Date | Details | Details |
| August 10, 2005 (2005-08-10) | To Chicago Blackhawks 4th-round pick in 2006 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Jocelyn Thibault |
| September 9, 2005 (2005-09-09) | To Nashville Predators Kris Beech | To Pittsburgh Penguins Conditional draft pick |
| December 9, 2005 (2005-12-09) | To St. Louis Blues Steve Poapst | To Pittsburgh Penguins Eric Boguniecki |
| January 18, 2006 (2006-01-18) | To Florida Panthers 6th-round pick in 2006 | To Pittsburgh Penguins Eric Cairns |
| January 26, 2006 (2006-01-26) | To Edmonton Oilers Dick Tarnstrom | To Pittsburgh Penguins Cory CrossJani Rita |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To Florida Panthers Ric Jackman | To Pittsburgh Penguins Petr Taticek |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To Carolina Hurricanes Mark Recchi | To Pittsburgh Penguins Krys KolanosNiklas Nordgren2nd-round pick in 2007 |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | To Detroit Red Wings Cory Cross | To Pittsburgh Penguins 4th-round pick in 2007 |

### Players acquired

| Date | Player | Former team | Term | Via |
| August 3, 2005 (2005-08-03) | Sergei Gonchar | Boston Bruins | 5-year | Free agency |
| August 4, 2005 (2005-08-04) | Andre Roy | Tampa Bay Lightning | 3-year | Free agency |
| August 8, 2005 (2005-08-08) | Zigmund Palffy | HC Slavia Praha (ELH) | 3-year | Free agency |
| August 10, 2005 (2005-08-10) | Dany Sabourin | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL) | | Free agency |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | John LeClair | Philadelphia Flyers | 2-year | Free agency |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Steve Poapst | Chicago Blackhawks | | Free agency |
| September 2, 2005 (2005-09-02) | Lyle Odelein | Florida Panthers | 1-year | Free agency |
| March 9, 2006 (2006-03-09) | Andy Hilbert | Chicago Blackhawks | | Waivers |

### Players lost

| Date | Player | New team | Via |
| N/A | Darcy Robinson | Asiago HC (Serie A) | Free agency (UFA) |
| May 31, 2005 (2005-05-31) | Ross Lupaschuk | Mora IK (SHL) | Free agency (II) |
| July 12, 2005 (2005-07-12) | Martin Strbak | HC CSKA Moscow (RSL) | Free agency (II) |
| August 1, 2005 (2005-08-01) | Mike Eastwood | | Contract expiration (III) |
| August 8, 2005 (2005-08-08) | Ramzi Abid | Atlanta Thrashers | Free agency (VI) |
| August 18, 2005 (2005-08-18) | Matt Bradley | Washington Capitals | Free agency (UFA) |
| September 6, 2005 (2005-09-06) | Michal Rozsival | New York Rangers | Free agency (UFA) |
| October 2005 (2005-10) | Steven Crampton | Norfolk Admirals (AHL) | Free agency (UFA) |
| January 18, 2006 (2006-01-18) | Zigmund Palffy | | Retirement |
| January 24, 2006 (2006-01-24) | Mario Lemieux | | Retirement |
| January 31, 2006 (2006-01-31) | Rico Fata | Atlanta Thrashers | Waivers |
| May 2, 2006 (2006-05-02) | Jani Rita | Jokerit (Liiga) | Free agency |
| May 10, 2006 (2006-05-10) | Niklas Nordgren | Rapperswil-Jona Lakers (NLA) | Free agency |
| May 26, 2006 (2006-05-26) | Chris Kelleher | Linkoping HC (SHL) | Free agency |
| June 17, 2006 (2006-06-17) | Lasse Pirjeta | Malmo Redhawks (SHL) | Free agency |

### Signings

| Date | Player | Term | Contract type |
| July 27, 2005 (2005-07-27) | Paul Bissonnette | | Entry-level |
| July 27, 2005 (2005-07-27) | Daniel Carcillo | | Entry-level |
| July 27, 2005 (2005-07-27) | Stephen Dixon | | Entry-level |
| July 27, 2005 (2005-07-27) | Jonathan Filewich | | Entry-level |
| July 28, 2005 (2005-07-28) | Ryan Stone | | Entry-level |
| July 29, 2005 (2005-07-29) | Andy Schneider | | Entry-level |
| August 3, 2005 (2005-08-03) | Ryan Lannon | 3-year | Entry-level |
| August 3, 2005 (2005-08-03) | Noah Welch | 3-year | Entry-level |
| August 9, 2005 (2005-08-09) | Rob Scuderi | | Re-signing |
| August 10, 2005 (2005-08-10) | Kris Beech | 1-year | Re-signing |
| August 10, 2005 (2005-08-10) | Jocelyn Thibault | multi-year | Re-signing |
| August 11, 2005 (2005-08-11) | Shane Endicott | multi-year | Re-signing |
| August 12, 2005 (2005-08-12) | Colby Armstrong | | Re-signing |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Matt Hussey | | Re-signing |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Guillaume Lefebvre | | Re-signing |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Josef Melichar | 2-year | Re-signing |
| August 15, 2005 (2005-08-15) | Matt Murley | | Re-signing |
| August 16, 2005 (2005-08-16) | Konstantin Koltsov | | Re-signing |
| August 17, 2005 (2005-08-17) | David Koci | | Re-signing |
| August 18, 2005 (2005-08-18) | Michel Ouellet | multi-year | Re-signing |
| August 24, 2005 (2005-08-24) | Daniel Fernholm | | Entry-level |
| August 29, 2005 (2005-08-29) | Dick Tarnstrom | 1-year | Arbitration award |
| September 1, 2005 (2005-09-01) | Ryan Malone | | Re-signing |
| September 8, 2005 (2005-09-08) | Sidney Crosby | 3-year | Entry-level |
| September 9, 2005 (2005-09-09) | Mario Lemieux | 1-year | Re-signing |
| September 13, 2005 (2005-09-13) | Brooks Orpik | 1-year | Re-signing |
| May 19, 2006 (2006-05-19) | Tyler Kennedy | multi-year | Entry-level |
| June 15, 2006 (2006-06-15) | Micki DuPont | multi-year | Re-signing |

### Other

| Player | Date | Details |
| Kevin Stevens | September 2, 2005 | Hired as scout |
| Eddie Olczyk | December 15, 2005 | Fired as head coach |
| John Welday | December 15, 2005 | Fired as strength & conditioning coach |
| Randy Hillier | December 15, 2005 | Fired as assistant coach |
| Shane Clifford | December 15, 2005 | Fired as goaltending coach |
| Joe Mullen | December 15, 2005 | Fired as assistant coach |
| Michel Therrien | December 15, 2005 | Hired as head coach |
| Stephane Dube | December 15, 2005 | Hired as strength and conditioning coach |
| Mike Yeo | December 15, 2005 | Hired as assistant coach |
| Gilles LeFebvre | December 15, 2005 | Hired as goaltending coach |
| Craig Patrick | April 20, 2006 | Fired as GM |
| Ray Shero | May 25, 2006 | Hired as GM, 5-year contract |

## Draft picks

Pittsburgh's draft picks at the 2005 NHL entry draft held at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, Ontario.
| Round | # | Player | Pos | Nationality | College/Junior/Club team (League) |
| 1 | 1 | Sidney Crosby | Center | Canada | Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL) |
| 2 | 61 | Michael Gergen | Forward | United States | Shattuck-Saint Mary's (USHS-MN) |
| 3 | 62 | Kris Letang | Defense | Canada | Val-d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL) |
| 4 | 125 | Tommi Leinonen | Defense | Finland | Oulun Kärpät Jr. (Finland) |
| 5 | 126 | Tim Crowder | Right wing | Canada | South Surrey Eagles (BCHL) |
| 6 | 194 | Jean-Philippe Paquet | Defense | Canada | Shawinigan Cataractes (QMJHL) |
| 7 | 195 | Joe Vitale | Center | United States | Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) |