Penguins 2016 By The Numbers

On December 31, 2015, the Pens came back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Detroit Red Wings 5-2. If Mike Johnston were still coach, it’s safe to assume this comeback would have never happened. Penguins’ players may have fell asleep on the bench during the game, but you’d never know because you’d be asleep yourself. But the last game of 2015 set the tone for the 2016 Penguins, seemingly the only group of people who had a great 2016, and what a fuckin’ year it was for them.

And it all got started right here:

Mike Sullivan showing more emotion than his predecessor ever did. https://t.co/WNJYD7bLUO

— Allie (@Allie874) January 1, 2016

Let’s breakdown some things that happened in 2016, by the numbers style.

• 2,907 – The number of shot the Pens took this year, easily the most in the league — over 100 more than the next closest team.
• 139 – The number of shots Ian Cole blocked in 2016. Remember when people wanted to ban shot blocking because they thought it made the game boring? Yeah, that was really dumb. Turns out it was just the team you were watching that was boring. Watch more hockey; shot blocking can actually be good.
• 122 – The combined plus/minus of Patric Hornqvist (+31), Ian Cole (+30), Sidney Crosby (+31) and Justin Schultz (+30), who occupy four of the top-five rankings in the NHL for this calendar year.
• 100 – The number of points Crosby had in the calendar year, the only player to do so.
• 96 – The number of wins — including the playoffs — the Penguins had in 2016.
• 85 – The number of points the next closest player, Patrick Kane, had in 2016, who, by the way, played in five more games than Crosby.
• 83 – The number of hockey games Matt Cullen played in 2016. When I’m 40, I just hope I can watch 83 games in a year.
• 83 – How old Matt Cullen will be when he retires.
• 55 – Regular season wins for the Pens in 2016 — most in the league.
• 53 – Regular season goals for Sidney Crosby in 2016, which led the NHL.
• 53 – The number of people in Pittsburgh who wrote-in Phil Kessel for President.
• 35 – The number of wins Matt Murray had in 2016, including playoffs.
• 35 – The number of wins Marc-Andre Fleury had in 2016, including playoffs.
• 16 – The number of players who were called up from Wilkes-Barre and registered at least one point with the Penguins.
• 1 – Stanley Cup.
• 0 – Number of back-to-back regulation losses the Pens had in 2016.