On This Date in Pens History: Pittsburgh’s First Prince of Wales Trophy

Twenty-seven years ago today on May 11, 1991, the Pittsburgh Penguins earned their first Price of Wales Trophy in a decisive win over the Boston Bruins.

The Penguins played Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final at home at the Civic Arena. The first two periods of the game didn’t go according to plan however, as the Pens trailed 2-0 halfway through the second period. This was surprising given Pittsburgh’s seven-goal performance in Game 5 at Boston to win the game.

However, the Penguins didn’t give up as they pressed hard at the Boston net. Larry Murphy scored Pittsburgh’s first goal of the game on the man advantage at 11:45 in the second period, cutting the Bruins’ lead in half. Six minutes later, Phil Borque worked his magic to tie it up at 2-2.

Mark Recchi had the game-winning goal for Pittsburgh at 15:40 in the third period with assists by Gordie Roberts and Larry Murphy. Roberts and Murphy created a beautiful setup in front of the net for Recchi, which can be seen at 2:35 in the video below.

The Penguins went on to win the game 5-3 and clinch the series 4-2. It was the first time in franchise history that the team would compete in the Stanley Cup Final. Pittsburgh faced the Minnesota North Stars in that year’s Stanley Cup series, where the Penguins won the series 4-2 and earned their first Stanley Cup.