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Penguins Announce 2026 Hall of Fame Class… With a Flower
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- Penguins Announce 2026 Hall of Fame Class… With a Flower
Penguins Announce 2026 Hall of Fame Class… With a Flower
The Pittsburgh Penguins continued their renewed Hall of Fame with a trio of worthy inductees who all drank from the Stanley Cup during their Penguins tenure and helped shape the culture of one of the winningest franchises in hockey.
The team will induct goalie Marc-Andre Fleury , former general manager Jim Rutherford, and defenseman Larry Murphy, and contributor Jack McGregor will be honored in a pregame ceremony on Saturday, Nov. 14, when the Penguins host the Ottawa Senators .
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Last season, the team inducted Ron Francis, Kevin Stevens, Scotty Bowman, and Eddie Johnston.
Of course, the loudest ovation will be for Fleury, the longtime fan favorite, who signed a ceremonial PTO last fall to play one period in a preseason game and retire as a Penguin. The team made Fleury the first overall pick in 2003 when former GM Craig Patrick traded up from the third overall pick to the first and selected Fleury.
Fleury made his NHL debut at 18 years old, just months after the draft. Although he struggled with growing pains and development issues for his first few pro seasons, he played 21 NHL games in the 2003-04 season and impressed everyone with his raw talent and athleticism. In total, he played 13 seasons with the Penguins, winning 375 games, becoming the all-time leader in shootout wins, and winning three Stanley Cups.
Of course, Fleury will always be remembered for the "Oh Sh-t" save in the final seconds of Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final when he made a diving save on Niklas Lidstrom to preserve the Penguins' third Cup victory.
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Fleury was claimed (technically traded) in the 2017 Vegas expansion draft and went on to win the 2018 Vezina Award, play 1051 games, and end his career with the second-most all-time wins (575).
Murphy is already featured in the Penguins Ring of Honor mural, which debuted in 2003, and was also inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2004. He was the steady offensive defenseman from 1991 through 1995, who functioned as a true No. 1, though he did so quietly after being acquired from the Minnesota North Stars in one of Patrick's beneficially lopsided trades that season.
Murphy still leads all Penguins defensemen with a plus-102 during his Penguins tenure. He was a primary figure during the Penguins' back-to-back championships of 1991 and 1992. He registered points in eight of 10 Stanley Cup Final games, and his 13 points in the Cup Finals trailed only Mario Lemieux. Murphy was twice named to the NHL Second All-Star Team, and he led the Penguins' blueliners in scoring four times in the regular season and playoffs.
Rutherford was the surprising choice for GM in 2014 when the Penguins' job had become radioactive in hockey circles. Eventually, Rutherford stepped aside from his president role in Carolina to take the Penguins job and immediately began building a strong contender by revamping the roster.
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Rutherford's first trade was dealing James Neal to Nashville for a rock-ribbed character, Patric Hornqvist . Over the next 18 months, Rutherford made small moves and big trades, such as trading a faded Rob Scuderi to Chicago for Trevor Daley , signing Matt Cullen as a bargain free agent, swapping David Perron for Carl Hagelin , and his masterpiece: Acquiring Phil Kessel on July 1, 2015.
Rutherford remained the Penguins' GM until his surprise resignation in January of 2021. He later became president of hockey operations for the Vancouver Canucks , stepping down from that role last May.
McGregor will be inducted into the Contributors category posthumously. He was the team's first president, serving from 1967 to 1970, and organized the effort that brought an NHL team to Pittsburgh. McGregor passed away on Jan. 6, 2026.
The current Penguins Hall of Fame before the inductions:
| Player |
Position |
|---|---|
| Syl Apps Jr. |
Center |
| Les Binkley |
Goaltender |
| Dave Burrows |
Defenseman |
| Paul Coffey |
Defenseman |
| Ron Francis |
Center |
| Rick Kehoe |
Right wing |
| Mario Lemieux |
Center |
| Joe Mullen |
Right wing |
| Jean Pronovost |
Right wing |
| Mark Recchi |
Right wing |
| Ulf Samuelsson |
Defenseman |
| Kevin Stevens |
Left wing |
Builders
| Member |
Position |
| Scotty Bowman |
Coach/director of player personnel |
| "Badger" Bob Johnson |
Head coach |
| Eddie Johnston |
Coach/general manager |
| Craig Patrick |
General manager |
| Jack Riley |
General manager |
Contributors
| Member |
Contribution |
|---|---|
| Dr. Charles Burke |
Team physician |
| A.T. Caggiano |
Locker-room staff |
| Edward J. DeBartolo Sr. |
Owner |
| Elaine Heufelder |
Front-office employee |
| Mike Lange |
Broadcaster |
| Vince Lascheid |
Organist |
| Frank Sciulli |
Locker-room staff |
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