The Penguins are wasting no time leaning into the moment. Their 60th season is already off to a 1-0 start, and after Wednesday night’s historic 7-0 win over the Philadelphia Flyers, they’ll open the home portion of the schedule Saturday against the Montreal Canadiens at 7 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena.
This season is also a milestone year for the franchise, and the team is planning to make sure fans feel it from the jump. The 2026-27 campaign marks the Penguins’ 60th anniversary, and the club will roll out giveaways, celebrations and other touches all season long.
The anniversary theme started with a special 60th logo that traces the team’s history from its early blue roots to the familiar black and gold look fans know now. For opening night, the Penguins are asking fans to get to their seats early for a special celebration.
There’s also a familiar face back for another run. In May, the team announced forward Evgeni Malkin had signed a one-year extension, keeping “Geno” in the fold for at least one more season at a cap hit of $5.5 million.
Malkin put up 19 goals, 42 assists and 61 points in 56 games during the 2025-26 season, then added two goals, one assist and three points in six playoff games. He already made his mark in the opener, scoring against Philadelphia.
In the team’s own words from a video release: "Best city, best fans, I stay one more year," Malkin said in a video released by the team.
While the Penguins celebrate the past, they’re also dressing up the present for fans coming through the doors. PPG Paints Arena remains a fully mobile ticketing venue, so tickets need to be shown on a smartphone.
The building is cashless as well, with concessions, merchandise and other purchases handled by credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. For fans who still show up with cash, reverse ATMs are available to turn it into a prepaid debit card.
The bag policy also stays tight: bags aren’t permitted, with exceptions for medical bags, diaper bags and wallets, though all of those are subject to screening.
The game-day experience is getting some fresh additions, too. One of the new food items available to fans throughout the arena is bread cones, with steak and cheese, a barbecue-and-mac-and-cheese loaded version, and meatballs among the options. Aramark general manager Matt Kingsley said, "Our retail will have a lot of shirts and gear to celebrate the 60th throughout the season," and the team’s merchandise will reflect the anniversary all year.
There’s no shortage of novelty on the promotional side either. Fans will get an alarm clock that plays some of the late Mike Lange’s catchphrases, and another giveaway is built around the old line about scratching your back with a hacksaw. A new partnership with Oberweis will bring an arena-exclusive flavor called The Puck Drop, which Kingsley described this way: "It's a peanut butter ice cream with some caramel drizzle and some fudge pucks they're calling them," Kingsley said.
Fan bowling is also coming back after a multi-year break, with a fan launched out of a slingshot on a sled into a row of pins. And the franchise’s history will get another nod when four more names are added to the Penguins Hall of Fame: Marc Andre-Fleury, Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford and Jack McGregor as 2026 inductees. Kingsley said, "That will be great to welcome them back to PPG Paints Arena Nov. 14 for the Hall of Fame Game," Kingsley said.
The team will also recognize Sidney Crosby in January with a gripper cup, a cup designed with what feels like a game jersey over it. The Penguins are the second team in North America to have that item.
In Other News...
Penguins Win Exposes One Early Problem Fans Can't Ignore
The Penguins got the result they wanted in their overtime win over Montreal, but it was anything but a clean night. Pittsburgh had to battle back from an early hole, leaned on Evgeni Malkin for multiple goals and still found itself staring at a game that kept slipping toward the Canadiens before the final push. Even in victory, the pace and the swings made it clear there are still parts of this roster that need tightening up.
Montreals comeback in the third period was made even more frustrating when a coachs challenge wiped away what looked like a go-ahead Penguins goal, adding another jolt to a game already full of momentum changes. The finish eventually swung Pittsburghs way, but the kind of defensive breakdowns and near-misses on display are the sort of early-season warning signs the Penguins cant afford to shrug off, especially after a night that was supposed to feel a lot more settled than it did. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Blow Big Lead Before Escaping In A Wild Opener
The season opener had all the hallmarks of a comfortable night for Pittsburgh, with Evgeni Malkin setting the tone and the Penguins building what looked like a commanding cushion against Montreal. Malkin logged a power-play goal and two assists while moving past Dale Hawerchuk into 22nd place in NHL history with 1,411 points, a milestone that underscored how much he still drives the offense even as the roster around him continues to evolve.
Instead, the game turned into a survival test, as the Canadiens kept pressing and made the Penguins sweat deep into the night. Montreal clawed all the way back to force overtime, with Cole Caufield striking twice and Ivan Demidov providing the late equalizer before Tommy Novak finally ended it for Pittsburgh in the extra period, a wild finish that left the opener feeling more like a warning than a statement. [Read more 🡒]
Penguins Overtime Win Came With One Ugly Moment Fans Will Debate
The Penguins overtime win over Montreal came with the kind of moment nobody in the building wanted to revisit once the final horn sounded. Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier had already been an important part of their recent stretch and a steady presence in earlier seasons, which made his exit all the more unsettling for Montreal in a game that was supposed to be decided by speed, structure and special teams, not a dangerous collision.
Carrier was knocked out of the game after a sequence involving Pittsburgh forward Egor Chinakhov, and the hit quickly shifted attention from the result to the condition of the Canadiens blueliner. Because he is in the final year of his contract, every game carries a little more weight around his role and future, and this one left a lingering question mark long after the Penguins celebrated the two points. [Read more 🡒]