2005 – 06 Pittsburgh Penguins season The Pittsburgh Penguins season was the team ' s 38th season in the National Hockey League . It was the rookie season for first - overall draft pick Sidney Crosby . Regular season . Sidney Crosby . Sidney Crosby was selected first overall in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft by the Pittsburgh 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 solid rookie campaigns , Crosby finished second behind Ovechkin for the Calder Memorial Trophy . 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 led both his team and all NHL rookies in penalty minutes , and 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 – 2006 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 , Mario Lemieux announced his second and permanent retirement from professional hockey at the age of 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 that " I can no longer play at a level I was accustomed to in the past " . Playoffs . The Penguins did not qualify for the playoffs . Player stats . Forwards . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; PIM = Penalties in minutes " Defencemen . " Note : GP = Games played ; G = Goals ; A = Assists ; Pts = Points ; PIM = Penalties in minutes " Goaltending . " Note : GP = Games played ; W = Wins ; L = Losses ; T = Ties ; SO = Shutouts ; GAA = Goals Against Average " References . < / div >