Sports History
Rookie Sensations
By Anne Madarasz

Only one Pittsburgh Penguin, Mario Lemieux, has been awarded the Calder Memorial Trophy as the outstanding rookie of the year. But Sidney Crosby was the NHL's Rookie of the Month in October and his strong play in the first quarter of the season has hockey fans wondering if this is the year that the trophy returns to Pittsburgh.

It's somewhat of a surprise that the Calder has been claimed only once by a Penguin. There was little doubt Lemieux would win the award - he started strong, scoring on his first shot in his first shift in the NHL, and building to a 100-point season. Two other Pens made a run, Pierre Larouche and Jaromir Jagr.

Larouche, a first round pick, had been a phenomenal junior player. Competing for the Sorel Black Hawks of the QMJHL in 1973-74, he scored 94 goals and 251 points, a record that lasted for almost a decade until Lemieux shattered it. Larouche made an immediate impact with the Penguins, scoring a goal in his first game and setting team rookie records with 31 goals and 68 points. His point total led all NHL rookies that year and garnered him both the Hockey News Rookie of the Year award and The Sporting News Wales Conference Rookie of the Year. But Larouche finished second to Eric Vail of the Atlanta Flames for the Calder Trophy. In his four seasons with the Pens, Larouche set a number of team records and became the youngest NHL player to score 50 goals in 1975-76, a record later broken by Wayne Gretzky.

Another first round draft pick, young Czech player Jaromir Jagr, also showed great promise in juniors. At 6'2", Jagr blended size with incredible speed. In the World Junior Championship in 1990 he scored 18 points in seven games en route to a bronze medal. But the 18-year-old started slow his first year with the Pens. During a four-week period near the beginning of the season, Jagr netted only one point in 15 games. He struggled with the language, missing home. But after the Penguins traded for fellow countryman Jiri Hrdina, Jagr came alive. In their first month together, Jagr scored six goals and netted 15 points. He finished the season with 57 points, fourth in rookie scoring, and earned a spot on the NHL Rookie Team. More importantly, Jagr became a major part of the Penguins first ever Stanley Cup, contributing 13 playoff points. His numbers improved his second year, when the Penguins took home back-to-back Stanley Cups. In his decade with the Pens, Jagr's best year was 1995-96 when he scored 62 goals and 149 points, becoming the first European player to win the Art Ross trophy.

Anne Madarasz is Director of the Western PA Sports Museum, which features a history of hockey and the Pittsburgh Penguins.