The Pittsburgh Penguins (colloquially known as the Pens) are a professional ice hockey team based in Pittsburgh. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference, and have played their home games at PPG Paints Arena, originally known as Consol Energy Center, since 2010. The team previously played at the Civic Arena, also known as "the Igloo". The Penguins are currently affiliated with two minor league teams – the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Wheeling Nailers of the ECHL.

Founded during the 1967 expansion, the Penguins have qualified for six Stanley Cup Finals, winning the Stanley Cup five times—in 1991, 1992, 2009, 2016, and 2017. Along with the Edmonton Oilers, the Penguins are tied for the most Stanley Cup championships among the non-Original Six teams and sixth overall. With their Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017, the Penguins became the first back-to-back champions in the salary cap era. Several of the team's former members have been inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, including co-owner Mario Lemieux, who purchased the Penguins in 1999 and brought the club out of bankruptcy. Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby, and Evgeni Malkin have won the Hart Memorial Trophy while playing for the franchise.

Team history

Early years (1967–1984)
Prior to the arrival of the Penguins, Pittsburgh had been the home of the NHL's Pittsburgh Pirates from 1925 to 1930 and of the American Hockey League's Pittsburgh Hornets franchise from 1936 to 1967 (with a short break from 1956 to 1961). In the spring of 1965, Jack McGregor, a state senator from Kittanning, Pennsylvania, began lobbying campaign contributors and community leaders to bring an NHL franchise back to Pittsburgh. The group focused on leveraging the NHL as an urban renewal tool for Pittsburgh. The senator formed a group of local investors that included H. J. Heinz Company heir H. J. Heinz III, Pittsburgh Steelers' owner Art Rooney and the Mellon family's Richard Mellon Scaife. The projected league expansion depended on securing votes from the then-current NHL owners; to ensure Pittsburgh would be selected as one of the expansion cities, McGregor enlisted Rooney to petition votes from James D. Norris, owner of the Chicago Black Hawks and his brother Bruce Norris, owner of the Detroit Red Wings. The effort was successful, and on February 8, 1966, the National Hockey League awarded an expansion team to Pittsburgh for the 1967–68 season. The Penguins paid $2.5 million ($ million today) for their entry and $750,000 ($ million today) more for start-up costs. The Civic Arena's capacity was boosted from 10,732 to 12,500 to meet the NHL requirements for expansion. The Pens also paid an indemnification bill to settle with the Detroit Red Wings, which owned the Pittsburgh Hornets franchise. The investor group named McGregor president and chief executive officer, and he represented Pittsburgh on the NHL's Board of Governors.

A contest was held where 700 of 26,000 entries picked "Penguins" as the team's nickname, sharing its nickname with the athletic department of the newly named Youngstown State University in nearby Youngstown, Ohio. (Youngstown is part of the Penguins' territorial rights to this day, though they did briefly share them with the Cleveland Barons in the mid-1970s.) Mark Peters had the winning entry (which was inspired because the team was to play in the "Igloo", the nickname of the Pittsburgh Civic Arena), a logo was chosen that had a penguin in front of a triangle, which symbolized the "Golden Triangle" of downtown Pittsburgh. The Penguins' first general manager, Jack Riley, opened the first pre-season camp for the franchise in Brantford, Ontario, on September 13, 1967, playing the franchise's first exhibition match in Brantford against the Philadelphia Flyers on September 23, 1967. Restrictive rules which kept most major talent with the existing "Original Six" teams hampered the Pens, along with the rest of the expansion teams. Beyond aging sniper Andy Bathgate, all-star defenseman Leo Boivin (who had begun his professional career with the Hornets) and New York Rangers' veteran Earl Ingarfield, a cast of former minor leaguers largely manned the first Penguins' team. Several players played for the Hornets the previous season: Bathgate, wingers Val Fonteyne and Ab McDonald, and goaltenders Hank Bassen and Joe Daley. George Sullivan was named the head coach for the club's first two seasons, and McDonald was named the team's first captain.

On October 11, 1967, league president Clarence Campbell and McGregor jointly dropped the ceremonial first puck of the Penguins' opening home game against the Montreal Canadiens. On October 21, 1967, they became the first team from the expansion class to defeat an Original Six team, as they defeated the Chicago Black Hawks 4–2. However, the Penguins went 27–34–13 and finished in fifth place in the West Division, missing the playoffs and ending with the third-worst record in the league. The team's best player proved to be longtime Cleveland Barons AHL goaltender Les Binkley, who recorded a 2.88 goals-against average and was second in the league with six shutouts. Defensive winger Ken Schinkel won the team's sole league honor, being named to represent the Penguins in the NHL All-Star Game. Bathgate led the team in scoring with 59 points but retired at season's end. McDonald, who led the team in goals and was second in team scoring, was also gone at season's end, traded to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for center Lou Angotti.

The next season, 1968–69 saw the team slip in the standings amid a sharp drop in form by Binkley, into sixth place and with the league's worst record. Several changes were made to improve the team, resulting in Boivin and several others being traded, and new players—including longtime future Pens star Jean Pronovost—making their debuts. No captain was named to replace McDonald; the team went with four alternate captains.

Triumph of playoff berths and tragedy of Briere (1969–1974)

In the 1969 draft the Penguins selected Michel Briere who, although being chosen 26th, was soon drawing comparisons to Phil Esposito and Bobby Clarke. Joining the team in November, he finished as the second-place rookie scorer in the NHL (behind Bobby Clarke) with 44 points (57th overall), and third on the Penguins. Briere placed second in Calder Memorial Trophy voting for Rookie of the Year honors behind Chicago goaltender Tony Esposito. Briere led Pittsburgh to its first NHL playoff berth since the 1928 Pirates. The Penguins defeated the Oakland Seals in a four-game sweep in the quarterfinals, with Briere scoring the series-clinching goal in overtime. In the semi-final round, defending conference champions St. Louis Blues got the best of the Penguins during six games. Briere led the team in playoff scoring, recording five goals (including three game-winners) and eight points. Tragedy struck the Penguins just days after their playoff heroics. On May 15, 1970, Briere was in a car crash in his native Quebec, suffering brain trauma and slipping into a coma from which he would never recover; he died a year later. His number 21 jersey was never reissued, remaining out of circulation until it was formally retired in 2001.

In the 1970–71 season, the Penguins finished five games out of the playoffs with a 21–37–20 record, the fourth-worst record in the league. Pittsburgh achieved a playoff berth in 1972, only to be swept by the Chicago Black Hawks in the first round. Except for a handful of players like Ken Schinkel, Pronovost, Syl Apps Jr., Keith McCreary, agitator Bryan Watson and goaltender Les Binkley, talent was thin, but enough for the Penguins to reach the playoffs in both 1970 and 1972.
The Penguins battled the California Golden Seals for the division cellar in 1974, when Riley was fired as general manager and replaced by Jack Button. Button obtained Steve Durbano, Ab DeMarco, Bob "Battleship" Kelly and Bob Paradise through trades. The personnel moves proved successful, and the team improved to a 28–41–9 record, although they remained nine points away from a playoff berth.

However, in early 1975, the Penguins' creditors demanded payment of back debts, forcing the team into bankruptcy. The doors to the team's offices were padlocked, and it looked like the Penguins would fold or relocate. Around the same time, rumors began circulating that the Penguins and the California Golden Seals were to be relocated to Seattle and Denver respectively, the two cities that were to have been the sites of an expansion for the 1976–77 season. Through the intervention of a group that included former Minnesota North Stars head coach Wren Blair, the team was prevented from folding and remained in Pittsburgh, eventually being bought by shopping mall magnate Edward J. DeBartolo, Sr.

Playoff runs and a uniform change (1974–1982)

Beginning in the mid-1970s, Pittsburgh iced some powerful offensive clubs, led by the likes of the "Century Line" of Syl Apps, Lowell MacDonald and Jean Pronovost. They nearly reached the Stanley Cup semi-finals in 1975, but were ousted from the playoffs by the New York Islanders in one of the only four best-of-seven-game series in NHL history where a team came back from being down three games to none. As the 1970s wore on, a mediocre team defense neutralized the Penguins' success beyond the regular season. Baz Bastien, a former coach and general manager of the AHL's Hornets, later became general manager. The Penguins missed the playoffs in 1977–78. Bastien traded prime draft picks for several players whose best years were already behind them, and the team would suffer in the early 1980s as a result. The decade closed with a playoff appearance in 1979 and a rousing opening series win over the Buffalo Sabres before a second-round sweep at the hands of the Boston Bruins.

The Penguins began the 1980s by changing their team colors; in January 1980, the team switched from wearing blue and white to their present-day scheme of black and gold to honor Pittsburgh's other sports teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Pittsburgh Steelers, as well as the Flag of Pittsburgh. Both the Pirates and Steelers had worn black and gold for decades, and both had enjoyed world championship seasons. The Bruins protested this color change, claiming a monopoly on black and gold, but the Penguins defended their choice stating that the NHL Pirates also used black and gold as their team colors and that black and gold were Pittsburgh's traditional sporting colors. The NHL agreed, and Pittsburgh could use black and gold. The Penguins officially debuted the black and gold uniform in a game against the St. Louis Blues at the Civic Arena on January 30, 1980. On the ice, the Penguins began the 1980s with defenseman Randy Carlyle, and prolific scorers Paul Gardner and Mike Bullard but little else.

During the early part of the decade, the Penguins made a habit of being a tough draw for higher-seeded opponents in the playoffs. In 1980, the 13th-seeded Penguins took the Bruins to the limit in their first-round playoff series. The following season, as the 15th seed, they lost the decisive game of their first-round series in overtime to the heavily favored St. Louis Blues. Then, in the 1982 playoffs, the Penguins held a 3–1 lead late in the fifth and final game of their playoff series against the reigning champions, the New York Islanders. However, the Islanders rallied to force overtime and won the series on a goal by John Tonelli, who had tied the game before. It would be the Pens' final playoff appearance until 1989.

Lemieux–Jagr era (1984–2005)

The team had the league's worst record in both the 1982–83 and 1983–84 seasons. With the team suffering financial problems, it seemed the Penguins would either fold or relocate. Mario Lemieux, one of the most highly touted NHL draft picks in history, was due to be drafted in the 1984 NHL Entry Draft. Heading towards the end of the season ahead of the New Jersey Devils, who were placed last, the Penguins made several questionable moves that appeared to weaken the team in the short term. They posted three six-game winless streaks in the last 21 games of the season and earned the right to draft Lemieux amidst protests from Devils' management. Pittsburgh head coach Lou Angotti later admitted that a conscious decision was made to finish the season as the team with the worst record, saying in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that a mid-season lunch prompted the plan, because there was a high chance of the franchise folding if Lemieux was not drafted. Other teams offered substantial trade packages for the draft choice, but the Penguins kept the pick and drafted Lemieux first overall. Lemieux paid dividends right away, scoring on his first-ever shot of his first-ever NHL shift in his first NHL game. However, the team spent four more years out of the playoffs after his arrival. In the late 1980s, the Penguins finally gave Lemieux a strong supporting cast, trading for superstar defenseman Paul Coffey from the Edmonton Oilers (after the Oilers' 1987 Stanley Cup win) and bringing in young talent like scorers Kevin Stevens, Rob Brown and John Cullen from the minors. The team finally acquired a top-flight goaltender with the acquisition of Tom Barrasso from Buffalo. All this talent had an immediate impact in helping Lemieux lead the Pens; but the team struggled to make the playoffs. The 1985–86 Pens missed the playoffs on the final day of the season by one game. In 1986–87, they missed the playoffs by just two games and saw four teams with equal or worse records qualify. In 1987–88, for the second time in a row, the Penguins missed the playoffs by one game.

In 1989, Pittsburgh finally broke through the barrier and made the playoffs on the back of Lemieux leading the league in goals, assists and points. On December 31, 1988, Lemieux became the only player in history to score a goal in all five possible game situations in the same game (even strength, shorthanded, penalty shot, power play, and empty net). The Pens shocked the New York Rangers in a four-game sweep in the first round; however, the Philadelphia Flyers halted their in the second round. The seven-game defeat featured Lemieux scoring five goals in the fifth game.

Back-to-back Stanley Cup titles (1989–1997)

A herniated disc in Lemieux's back cut short his 1989–90 season, although he still amassed 123 points. However, the Penguins fell out of the playoff picture. They opted to strengthen their roster and support Lemieux in the 1990 off-season. Free-agent signings (Bryan Trottier) and trades (Joe Mullen, Larry Murphy, Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson) played a major part in this. Arguably no move was bigger during this time than when the Penguins drafted Jaromir Jagr with the fifth overall pick in the 1990 NHL Entry Draft. The first Czechoslovak player to be drafted into the NHL without first needing to defect to the West, Jagr became the Penguins' second franchise player, and quickly developed into a superstar offensive talent.
The roster overhaul culminated in the Penguins winning their first Stanley Cup title by defeating the Minnesota North Stars in the Stanley Cup Finals in six games, punctuated by an 8–0 victory in the deciding game, the largest margin of victory in a final Stanley Cup game in over 80 years. After the 1991 Stanley Cup Finals, the Penguins met with President George H. W. Bush, the first NHL team ever to visit the White House. The following season, the team lost coach Bob Johnson to cancer, and Scotty Bowman took over as coach. Under Bowman, they swept the Chicago Blackhawks to repeat as Stanley Cup champions in 1991–92.

Cancer revisited the Penguins in 1993 when Lemieux was tragically diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma. Only two months after the diagnosis, missing 24 out of 84 games, he came back to win his fourth Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion with 160 points, edging out Pat LaFontaine and Adam Oates. Despite the off-ice difficulties, Pittsburgh finished with a 56–21–7 record, the franchise's best regular-season ever, winning the Presidents' Trophy. After Lemieux's return, the team played better than it ever had before, winning an NHL-record 17 consecutive games. Despite all of this success, the New York Islanders eliminated them in the second round of Game 7 in overtime.

The Penguins continued to be a formidable team throughout the 1990s. The stars of the Stanley Cup years were followed by the likes of forwards: Alexei Kovalev, Martin Straka, Aleksey Morozov, Robert Lang and Petr Nedved, and defensemen Sergei Zubov, Darius Kasparaitis and Kevin Hatcher. Despite the departure of many of the franchise's Stanley Cup-winning roster, the Penguins fielded enough talent to reach the first round of the playoffs in 1994 (where they lost to the Washington Capitals in six games), the second round in 1995 (where they lost to the New Jersey Devils in five games) and the conference finals in 1996 (where they lost to the Florida Panthers in seven games). The 1997 playoffs marked a turning point, as the Penguins suffered a first-round elimination at the hands of the rival Philadelphia Flyers in five games.

Lemieux's retirement and return (1997–2001)

On April 6, 1997, the franchise was rocked when Mario Lemieux, citing ongoing health concerns and his disapproval with the way NHL hockey was being officiated, announced he would retire at the conclusion of the 1997 playoffs. Lemieux was so respected in the NHL, and his achievements over the course of his career were so great, that he was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in the year he retired, the three-year waiting period being waived. His departure was the first in a series of events that would once again lead the Penguins into regular season stagnation, and to the brink of financial ruin.

The Montreal Canadiens eliminated the team in the first round of the playoffs in 1998, despite being the second-seeded team in the East. The following year, their playoff run ended in the second round when they lost to the Toronto Maple Leafs in six games. In 2000, the Penguins stunned the highly touted Washington Capitals 4–1 in the first round, only to fall to the Philadelphia Flyers 4–2 in the second round.

By this time, the lofty contracts handed out during the early 1990s were catching up with the Penguins. At one point, the team owed over $90 million to numerous creditors, leading then-owners Howard Baldwin and Morris Belzberg (who bought the Penguins after their first Stanley Cup win) to ask the players to defer their salaries to help pay the bills. When the deferred salaries finally came due, combined with other financial pressures, the Penguins were forced to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November 1998.

Lemieux then stepped in with an unusual proposal to buy the team out of bankruptcy. The Penguins owed Lemieux $32.5 million in deferred salary, making him the team's largest individual creditor. He proposed recovering this money by converting it into equity—enough to give him controlling interest. He also vowed to keep the team in Pittsburgh. The NHL and the courts agreed, and Lemieux (with help from supermarket tycoon Ronald Burkle) assumed control on September 3, 1999, saving the franchise for the second time.

Lemieux again shocked the hockey world by announcing at a press conference on December 8, 2000, his intentions to return to the Penguins as an active player. On December 27, 2000, Lemieux stepped onto NHL ice for the first time in 44 months, officially becoming the first player–owner in NHL history. Lemieux helped lead the Penguins deep into the 2001 playoffs, highlighted by an overtime victory against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 of the second round. Darius Kasparaitis scored the series-clinching goal to advance the Penguins to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they lost in five games to the New Jersey Devils.

Rebuilding (2001–2005)

The Penguins' attendance had dwindled in the late 1990s. In 1998–99, the club had an average attendance of 14,825 at home games, the lowest it had been since Lemieux's rookie year. Reducing revenue on top of the previous bankruptcy necessitated salary shedding. The biggest salary move was the trading of superstar Jaromir Jagr to the Washington Capitals in the summer of 2001. The Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 years in 2002, finishing in a tie for third-to-last in their conference. The following season they finished second-last. In the 2003 NHL Entry Draft, the Penguins selected goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury with the first overall pick.

The 2003–04 season was an ordeal with Lemieux missing all but 24 regular-season games with a hip injury, and attendance dipping to an average of 11,877 (the lowest average of any NHL team), with just one sellout. As the season progressed, the Penguins signed new head coach (and former Penguins' player and commentator) Eddie Olczyk and opted not to include Fleury in the lineup for the bulk of the season. This culminated in the worst record in the NHL, with the team winning just 23 games. As in the 1980s, the Penguins' struggles were fortuitously concurrent with a string of NHL Entry Draft classes that would yield multiple world-class talents. The Penguins lost out on the first overall pick for the 2004 NHL Entry Draft (Alexander Ovechkin), which went to the Washington Capitals. However, Ovechkin's countryman, center Evgeni Malkin, was similarly highly regarded, and Pittsburgh took him with the second overall pick. However, a transfer dispute between the NHL and the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) delayed his Pittsburgh debut.

By this point, the Penguins had collapsed financially since the Stanley Cup-winning years of the early 1990s. Their home venue, the Civic Arena, had become the oldest arena in the NHL, and Lemieux had tried unsuccessfully to cut a deal with the city for a new facility. With Pittsburgh uninterested in building a new hockey arena for the struggling Penguins, Lemieux began looking into the possibilities of selling and/or relocating the team to Kansas City, Missouri. A lockout prompted the cancellation of the 2004–05 NHL season. One of the many reasons for the lockout included disagreements on resolving the financial struggles of teams like the Penguins and the Ottawa Senators, which had filed for bankruptcy protection. During the lockout, the Penguins' players dispersed between the club's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and to European leagues.

Crosby–Malkin era (2005–present)

With the lockout resolved in 2005, the NHL organized an unprecedented draft lottery to set the 2005 NHL Entry Draft selection order. The draft lottery, which was held behind closed doors in a "secure location", resulted in the Penguins being awarded the first overall pick. Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) superstar Sidney Crosby (who had been training with Lemieux over the summer) was the consensus first overall pick, with many referring to the draft lottery process as "The Sidney Crosby Sweepstakes". The Penguins selected Crosby on July 30, 2005, with the top pick, instantly rekindling interest in hockey in Pittsburgh.

The Penguins began rebuilding the team under the salary cap. However, Evgeni Malkin, the Penguins' 2004 draft pick, could not report to Pittsburgh immediately because of a playing rights dispute with the Russian Superleague. The addition of Crosby paid instant dividends, with attendance rising by approximately 4,000 per game on average in the 2005–06 season. However, Crosby's presence did not immediately translate into wins, as the team began the season with a long winless skid that resulted in a head coaching change from Olczyk to Michel Therrien. Then, on January 24, 2006, Lemieux announced his second retirement, after developing an irregular heartbeat, this time permanently. He finished as the NHL's seventh all-time scorer (1,723), eighth in goals (690) and tenth in assists (1,033), and with the second-highest career points per game average (1.88), which is second to Wayne Gretzky's 1.92.

Despite the team's struggles, Crosby established himself as a star in the league, amassing 102 points in his debut season and finishing second to Alexander Ovechkin for the Calder Memorial Trophy awarded each year to the league's top rookie. In the Penguins' final game of the season, Crosby tallied a goal and an assist to become the top-scoring rookie in Penguin history (eclipsing Lemieux). The Penguins again posted the worst record in the Eastern Conference and the highest goals-against total in the League. They received the second overall draft pick, their fourth top-two pick in four years, in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and selected touted two-way forward Jordan Staal. The team announced on April 20 they would not renew the contract for general manager Craig Patrick, who had been the general manager since December 1989. On May 25, Ray Shero signed a five-year contract as general manager.

Runner–up and third Stanley Cup title (2006–2009)

Change came for the Penguins on October 18, 2006, when Evgeni Malkin made his NHL debut. He set the modern NHL record with a goal in each of his first six games. Malkin would record points in 16 consecutive games. The Penguins finished the 2006–07 season in fifth place in the Eastern Conference with a record of 47–24–11, totaling 105 points, only two points behind the Atlantic Division winners, the New Jersey Devils. It was the franchise's first 100-point season in 11 years and represented an enormous 47-point leap from the previous season. In the first round of the 2007 playoffs the eventual Stanley Cup runners-up, the Ottawa Senators, defeated the Penguins 4–1. At the season's end, rookies Malkin and Jordan Staal were finalists for the Calder Memorial Trophy, awarded to the Rookie of the Year, which Malkin won.

On March 13, 2007, Pennsylvania's Governor Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato, Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Mario Lemieux of the Penguins ownership group announced an agreement had been reached among the parties to build the long-sought arena. The state-of-the-art, multi-purpose facility, the Consol Energy Center, guaranteed that the Penguins would remain in the city of Pittsburgh. Following the announcement of the plan, the Lemieux ownership group announced they no longer had plans to sell the team. On June 8, 2007, a $325 million bond was issued, and the Penguins signed a 30-year lease on September 19, binding them to the city of Pittsburgh through 2040.

After a mediocre start to the 2007–08 season, Crosby and starting goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury were both injured long-term due to high right ankle sprains. In their absence, the team flourished because of the play and leadership of Malkin. On April 2, 2008, the Penguins clinched the Atlantic Division title—their first division title in 10 years—with a 4–2 win against rivals the Philadelphia Flyers. Malkin finished the season with 106 points for second place in the league and finished as a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy. The team launched into their first extended playoff run in many years, beating Ottawa 4–0, defeating the New York Rangers 4–1 and then defeating the Philadelphia Flyers 4–1 to clinch the Prince of Wales Trophy. Pittsburgh lost the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals to the Detroit Red Wings in six games, finishing the playoffs with a 14–6 record. Crosby finished the playoffs with 27 points (6 goals and 21 assists in 20 games), tying Conn Smythe Trophy-winner Henrik Zetterberg (13 goals and 14 assists in 22 games) for the playoff scoring lead.

In the 2008–09 season, Malkin won the Art Ross and was again a candidate for the Hart Memorial Trophy. Crosby finished third in League scoring with 33 goals and 70 assists for 103 points, despite missing five games. The Penguins' record dipped mid-season but lifted after Dan Bylsma replaced head coach Therrien. The effect was almost instantaneous, and the Penguins recovered enough to secure home-ice advantage in their first-round match up against the Philadelphia Flyers, whom the Penguins defeated in six games. It took seven games for the Penguins to win the next series against Washington, sending them to the Eastern Conference Finals, where they eliminated the Carolina Hurricanes in a four-game sweep. After defeating the Hurricanes, the Penguins earned their second consecutive trip to the Stanley Cup Finals against the Detroit Red Wings, to whom they lost the previous year. After losing Games 1 and 2 in Detroit, like the previous years, the Penguins won Games 3 and 4 in Pittsburgh. Each team won on home ice in Games 5 and 6. In Game 7 in Detroit, Maxime Talbot scored two goals, including the game-winner, as the Penguins won 2–1 to win their third Stanley Cup title. Malkin was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy as the MVP of the playoffs.

New arena and injuries (2009–2015)

During the 2009–10 season, Crosby scored 109 points (51 goals and 58 assists) in 81 games, winning the Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL season's leading goalscorer. The Penguins, seeded fourth in the East, began their title defense, defeating the Ottawa Senators in six games. In the next round, the Penguins faced the Montreal Canadiens. The teams swapped wins in the series en route to the decisive Game 7, which the Penguins lost 5–2, ending their season and their tenure at Mellon Arena.

In 2010–11, the Penguins played their first game in the Consol Energy Center. On February 11, 2011, the Pittsburgh Penguins–New York Islanders brawl took place. A season-ending concussion suffered by Crosby and a knee injury to Malkin marred the season. The team left early in the playoffs, blowing a 3–1 series lead to Tampa Bay Lightning, with Fleury's goaltending called into question. With Crosby still sidelined with post-concussion syndrome, at the start of the 2011–12 season, Malkin led the Penguins' top line and dominated league scoring. He finished with 50 goals and 109 points as the Penguins earned 51 wins on the season. With Malkin's Art Ross-winning performance, and Crosby's late-season return from injury, the Penguins headed into the 2012 playoffs with high hopes of making a significant Stanley Cup run. However, their cross-state rivals, the Philadelphia Flyers, defeated the highly favored Penguins in six games. Malkin was later awarded the Hart Memorial Trophy and Lester B. Pearson award. Following the Penguins' disappointing playoff exit, general manager Ray Shero made changes to the team at the 2012 NHL Entry Draft for the upcoming 2012–13 season.

During the lockout-shortened 2012–13 season, the Penguins again fought through serious injury. At the end of the regular season, they finished atop the Eastern Conference, matching up against the New York Islanders in round one. The Penguins defeated the Islanders in six games, with Fleury struggling once again. The team then dispatched the Ottawa Senators in five games before being swept in the Conference Finals by the Boston Bruins, scoring just two goals in the entire four-game sweep. On June 13, 2013, Malkin signed an eight-year contract extension worth an annual average of $9.5 million.

In the 2013–14 season, the Penguins suffered numerous injuries throughout the campaign. Despite the adversity, the Penguins won the realigned, eight-team Metropolitan Division, though the club struggled in the playoffs, requiring six games to defeat the Columbus Blue Jackets, then losing to the New York Rangers in seven games despite leading the series 3–1 after four games. This collapse prompted Penguins ownership to fire general manager Shero, replacing him on June 6 with Jim Rutherford, the former general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes. Rutherford's first action as general manager was to fire head coach Dan Bylsma, and on June 25, he announced that Mike Johnston was hired as Bylsma's replacement. In the 2014–15 season, the Penguins led the Metropolitan Division for the first half of the season. However, after losing players to injuries and illnesses, including the mumps, the team fell to fourth in the Division. The Pens lost in five games to the New York Rangers in the first round of the playoffs. In the off-season, Rutherford traded several players and picks to acquire star winger Phil Kessel.

Back-to-back Stanley Cups and 50th anniversary (2015–2017)
After acquiring Kessel, the Penguins had high expectations for the 2015–16 season. However, by December 12, 2015, the team was barely managing a winning season, posting a 15–10–3 record. The organization fired head coach Mike Johnston, and replaced him with Mike Sullivan, who had previously served as the head coach in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. This move was followed by a series of trades by Jim Rutherford.

The Penguins qualified for the playoffs for the tenth consecutive season. They earned second place in the Metropolitan Division with 104 points. In the playoffs, the Penguins defeated the Rangers in a 4–1 series, the Capitals 4–2 and the Lightning 4–3 to win the Eastern Conference Championship, advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals against the San Jose Sharks. On June 12, 2016, the Penguins defeated the Sharks in a 4–2 series to win their fourth Stanley Cup title. Captain Sidney Crosby was awarded the Conn Smythe Trophy.

The Penguins opened their 50th anniversary season in the NHL as defending Stanley Cup champions, raising their commemorative banner on October 13, 2016, in a shootout victory over Washington. The Penguins faced the Columbus Blue Jackets in the opening round of the 2017 playoffs, defeating them in five games. In the second round, they played against their divisional rival, Washington, and faced them for the second-straight year in the same round, winning a seven-game series. In the Conference Finals, the Penguins eliminated the Ottawa Senators in seven games to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, where they faced the Nashville Predators. The Penguins won the first two games of the finals and then lost the next two matchups before dominating the fifth and the sixth games of the series to win the Stanley Cup for the second straight year. By defending their title, the Penguins became the first team since the 1997–98 Detroit Red Wings to defend their title successfully and the first to do so in the salary cap era.

Contenders (2017–2023)
Before the 2017–18 season, the Penguins lost longtime goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury in the 2017 NHL Expansion Draft to the Vegas Golden Knights. Nevertheless, the Penguins again qualified for the Stanley Cup playoffs with the second division playoff spot, finishing the regular season with 100 points. They defeated the Philadelphia Flyers in the first round in six games, but were defeated by the eventual Stanley Cup champion Washington Capitals in six games. In the next season, the Penguins clinched a playoff berth, but were swept by the New York Islanders in the First Round. In the following season, which was shortened by the COVID-19 pandemic, the team advanced to the 2020 playoffs, but were defeated by the Montreal Canadiens in the Qualifying Round. On February 9, 2021, the Penguins named Ron Hextall as their new general manager, after Jim Rutherford resigned from his post on January 27, because of personal reasons. Brian Burke was hired as president of hockey operations. On February 21, Crosby became the first player to reach 1,000 NHL games for the team. The Penguins won the East Division title, extending their playoff streak to 15 seasons. This became the longest active streak in North American sports as a result of the San Antonio Spurs missing the 2020 NBA playoffs. The 2020–21 season came to an end in Game 6 of the first round of the playoffs against the New York Islanders.

On November 29, 2021, Fenway Sports Group announced its intent to purchase a controlling stake in the Penguins. On December 31, 2021, they officially took over as majority owners of the Penguins.

The 2022–23 season was marked with two milestones for the Penguins. On November 23, 2022, Evgeni Malkin played his 1,000th NHL game, becoming the second player in franchise history to play his 1,000th game in a Penguins uniform. This would be followed up only months later, when teammate Kris Letang would play his 1,000th game as well, on April 2, 2023, despite missing 18 games during the season. However, despite being in a playoff position midway in the season, the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since Crosby's rookie season in 2005–06, ending a 16-season playoff streak and resulting in Burke and Hextall's dismissals. On June 1, 2023, Kyle Dubas was named the team's new president of hockey operations.

Team culture

Fanbase

Despite Pittsburgh's long history with hockey and a small but loyal fanbase, the Penguins struggled with fan support early on in its history, at times averaging only 6,000 fans per game when Civic Arena had a seating capacity of over 16,000. Fan support was so low by the team's first bankruptcy that the NHL had no problem with the team being moved, something that would change decades later when the team faced another relocation threat.

While the drafting of Mario Lemieux piqued interest in hockey locally, fans remained skeptical. John Steigerwald, brother of former Penguins broadcaster Paul Steigerwald, noted in his autobiography that upon his arrival at KDKA-TV from WTAE-TV in 1985, the station cared more about the Pittsburgh Spirit of the Major Indoor Soccer League than the Penguins. However, Lemieux's play steadily grew the fanbase in the area, which would only be reassured upon the arrival of Sidney Crosby after the team struggled both on the ice and in attendance following the Jaromir Jagr trade.

Today, the Penguins are one of the NHL's most popular teams, especially among American non-Original Six franchises, and are considered second behind the Steelers among Pittsburgh's three major professional sports teams, taking advantage of both its success and the Pittsburgh Pirates struggles both on and off the field. Especially notable was a 2007 survey done of the four major sports leagues' 122 teams. The Penguins surprised observers by being ranked 20th overall and third among NHL teams, while the Steelers were ranked number one and the Pirates (before the arrival of Andrew McCutchen and that team's turnaround) ranked much lower on the list than its peers. The Penguins' popularity has at times rivaled that of the Steelers at the local level.

Rivalries

Philadelphia Flyers

Considered by some to be the best rivalry in the NHL, the Philadelphia Flyers–Pittsburgh Penguins rivalry began in 1967 when the teams were introduced in the NHL's "Next Six" expansion wave. The rivalry exists both due to divisional alignment and geographic location, as both teams play in Pennsylvania. The Flyers lead the head-to-head record with a 153–98-30 record. However, the Penguins eliminated the Flyers from the playoffs in 2008 and 2009 and were eliminated by them from the playoffs in 2012, strengthening the rivalry. Three years later, the Flyers won the sixth playoff meeting between the clubs to advance to the Conference Semi-finals.
The franchises have met seven times in the playoffs, with the Flyers winning four series (1989 Patrick Division Finals, 4–3; 1997 Eastern Conference Quarter-finals, 4–1; 2000 Eastern Conference Semi-finals, 4–2; and 2012 Eastern Conference Quarter-finals, 4–2) and the Penguins winning three (2008 Eastern Conference Finals, 4–1; 2009 Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, 4–2; and 2018 Eastern Conference First Round, 4–2).

Washington Capitals

The two teams have faced off 11 times in the playoffs, with the Penguins winning nine of the 11 matchups, their two series losses coming in the 1994 and 2018 playoffs. The Penguins defeated the Capitals en route to their five Stanley Cup victories. They have met in a decisive game 7 in the 1992, 1995, 2009 and 2017 playoffs. The NHL's fourth Winter Classic, played on January 1, 2011, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh showcased this rivalry. The Capitals won the game 3–1. The rivalry can also be seen in the American Hockey League (AHL). Pittsburgh's top farm team is the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, and their in-state and biggest rivals are the Capitals' top farm team, the Hershey Bears.

Team information

Crest and sweater design
When the Penguins made their NHL debut in 1967, the team wore the colors dark blue, light blue and white. The uniforms had the word "Pittsburgh" written diagonally down the front of the sweater with three dark blue stripes around the sleeves and bottom. The logo featured a hockey-playing penguin in a scarf over an inverted triangle, symbolizing the Golden Triangle of downtown Pittsburgh. A refined version of the logo appeared on a redesigned uniform in the second season, which removed the scarf and gave the penguin a sleeker look. The circle encompassing the logo was later removed.
The team's colors were originally powder blue, navy blue, and white. The powder blue was changed to royal blue in 1973 but returned in 1977. The team adopted the current black and gold color scheme in 1980 to unify the colors of the city's professional sports teams although, like the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Steelers, the shade of gold more closely resembled yellow. The change was not without controversy, as the Boston Bruins protested by claiming to own the rights to the black and gold colors. However, the Penguins cited the colors worn by the now-defunct NHL team the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1920s, as well as black and gold being the official colors of the City of Pittsburgh and its namesake, and obtained permission to use the black and gold colors. The NHL's Pittsburgh Pirates used old Pittsburgh Police uniforms, beginning the black and gold color tradition in the city.

The Penguins generally wore the black and gold "skating penguin" uniform between 1980 and 1992, with a few noticeable changes in the lettering and striping. A gold alternate uniform was worn between 1980 and 1984, and briefly replaced the white uniform for home games in the 1983–84 season.

In the 1992–93 season, the Penguins unveiled new uniforms and introduced the "flying penguin" logo, or "Robopenguin". The team's away uniforms were a throwback to the team's first season, as they revived the diagonal "Pittsburgh" script. In 1995, the team introduced their second alternate jersey, featuring different stripe designs on each sleeve. This jersey proved to be so popular that the team adopted it as their away jersey in 1997. In 2000, the Penguins brought back the "skating penguin" logo, but with a "Vegas gold" shade, upon releasing its new alternate uniform. After 2002, the "skating penguin" was readopted as the primary, though the "flying penguin" remained the alternate. A corresponding white version of the "Vegas gold" uniforms was introduced, and the 1995–2002 black uniform was retired. When the new jerseys were unveiled for the 2007–08 season league wide, the Penguins made major striping pattern changes and removed the "flying penguin" logo from the shoulders.

The Penguins have worn their black jersey at home since the league began the initiative to do so beginning with the 2003–04 NHL season. The team wore their powder blue, 1968–1972 "throwbacks" against the Buffalo Sabres in the 2008 NHL Winter Classic. This throwback was supposedly retired with the introduction of a new dark blue third jersey that made its debut at the 2011 NHL Winter Classic. For the 2011–12 season, the 2011 Winter Classic jersey was the team's official third uniform, with the 2008 Winter Classic uniform having been retired. Called the "Blue Jerseys of Doom" by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the alternate jerseys were worn when Sidney Crosby sustained a broken jaw and when he suffered a concussion in the 2011 Winter Classic. Evgeni Malkin was also concussed during a game when the Penguins donned the alternate uniforms.

In 2014, the Penguins released their new alternate uniforms. The new black uniforms are throwbacks to the early part of Lemieux's playing career, emulating the uniforms worn by the Penguins' 1991 and 1992 Cup-winning teams. The new alternate uniform featured "Pittsburgh gold", the particular shade of gold which had been retired when the Penguins switched to the metallic gold full-time in 2002. The Penguins eventually brought back a white version of the black "Pittsburgh gold" alternates, thus retiring the "Vegas gold" uniforms they wore from 2000 to 2016. A commemorative patch was added to the uniforms throughout the 2016–17 season to celebrate the team's 50th anniversary. During the 2017 NHL Stadium Series against the archrival Philadelphia Flyers, the Penguins wore a special gold uniform featuring military-inspired lettering, a "City of Champions" patch and a variation of the "skating penguin" logo. This design served as the basis for the team's third uniform, which was unveiled in the 2018–19 season and was also partly inspired by the early 1980s gold uniforms. The Penguins wore monochrome black uniforms minus the white elements when they faced the Flyers again in the 2019 NHL Stadium Series.

In 2021, the Penguins wore white "Reverse Retro" uniforms based on the 1992–97 uniforms. This set replaced the "flying penguin" with the alternate "skating penguin" logo minus the gold triangle on the shoulders. A black version served as the replacement for the gold alternate uniforms starting in the 2021–22 season. In the 2022–23 season, the Penguins unveiled their second "Reverse Retro" uniform, this time featuring a black version of the white "flying penguin" uniform they wore from 1992 to 2002.

For the 2023 NHL Winter Classic, the Penguins went with a vintage white uniform with black stripes, and added a gold "P" logo as a nod to the NHL Pirates of the late 1920s.

Media

Radio

The Penguins currently have their radio home on WXDX-FM and their television home on SportsNet Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Penguins Radio Network consists of a total of 34 stations in four states. Twenty three of these are in Pennsylvania, four in West Virginia, three in Ohio, and three in Maryland. The network also features an FM high-definition station in Pittsburgh.

Broadcasters

Local ABC affiliate WTAE-TV broadcast the Penguins during the 1967–68 season, with station Sports Director Ed Conway handling the play-by-play during both the television and radio broadcasts. He remained the lone play-by-play broadcaster until the completion of the 1968–69 season. Joe Tucker took over for Ed Conway during the 1969–70 season, when WPGH-TV and WTAE-TV split Penguins' broadcasts. WPGH-TV retained the rights to broadcast the Penguins for the 1970–71 season, with Bill Hamilton handing the play-by-play duties. The 1970–71 season was also the first season where the Penguins introduced a color commentator to the broadcast team, with John MacDonald taking the position in the booth.

Mike Lange, who joined the Penguins' broadcast team as a play-by-play announcer on the radio side in 1974–75 became the play-by-play broadcaster for the team at the start of the 1979–80 season. At his side was Terry Schiffauer, who had previously held the position of Penguins' director of public relations and eventually transitioned into color commentator for Sam Nover in 1972–73. Lange and Schiffauer remained a team in the Penguins' broadcast booth until 1984–85, when Schiffauer was replaced by Paul Steigerwald. Lange and Steigerwald remained a constant in the broadcast booth from 1985 until 1999.
With Steigerwald's departure in 1999, Mike Lange shared the broadcast booth with former Penguins' defenseman Peter Taglianetti. Taglianetti remained in the position for one season before being replaced by Eddie Olczyk. Lange and Olczyk were broadcast partners from 2000 until 2003, when Olczyk left the booth to become the 18th head coach in Penguins' history following the firing of previous head coach Rick Kehoe after the 2002–03 season. With Olczyk's vacancy, the Penguins hired Bob Errey as their new color commentator for the start of the 2003–04 season. Lange and Errey remained in the booth until 2005–06. After 26 seasons in the television broadcast booth, FSN Pittsburgh did not retain Mike Lange. Instead, he was replaced by former broadcast partner Paul Steigerwald, who remained the team's TV play-by-play broadcaster until the 2016–17 season. Lange returned to the radio broadcast booth and currently holds the position of radio play-by-play announcer, the same position he held with the team in the mid-1970s. Following the 2016–17 season, Steigerwald moved back to the Penguins front office and NHL Network personality Steve Mears was hired as the new television play-by-play announcer starting with the 2017–18 season. Lange retired in the 2021 offseason, with Josh Getzoff being named as his replacement. Currently, Phil Bourque serves as the radio color commentator. Before the 2023–24 season, Getzoff moved to the television booth with Mears replacing him on the radio. The Penguins did not retain TV analyst Bob Errey, choosing to go with a rotation of analysts featuring former Penguins Colby Armstrong, Mike Rupp and Phil Bourque.

Every Penguins game is currently carried on the AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh network, which is carried by cable providers in most of two states and parts of four others. On October 2, 2023, the network will be purchased by the Penguins and rebranded to SportsNet Pittsburgh. In addition, Fox Sports Ohio simulcasts Penguins hockey in the Cleveland metro area, as well as some parts of Eastern Ohio and Northern Kentucky. Dish Network, Verizon FiOS, and Direct TV each carry the Penguins games on their AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh channel in HD nationally. The Pittsburgh Penguins also receive monthly and sometimes weekly "game of the week" national exposure on American networks ESPN, ESPN+, ABC, and TNT, and Canadian networks Sportsnet and CBC. Previously, the Penguins received national TV exposure on Fox, NBC and NBCSN in the U.S., and TSN in Canada.

In-game announcers
Ryan Mill has been the Penguins' public address announcer since 2009 when he succeeded John Barbero. Jeff Jimerson has been the team's official anthem singer since 1991 and also served in the same capacity in the Jean-Claude Van Damme movie Sudden Death.

Arenas
The Penguins called Civic Arena home for over 45 seasons from their inception in 1967. In September 2010, they completed the move to the state-of-the-art Consol Energy Center (now named the PPG Paints Arena). The Penguins also played two "home" games in the Cleveland suburb of Richfield, Ohio, in 1992 and 1993 at the Richfield Coliseum (this is not unlike the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA playing an annual pre-season game in Pittsburgh; the Philadelphia 76ers used the Civic Arena as a second home in the early 1970s).

From 1995 to 2015, the IceoPlex at Southpointe in the South Hills suburbs served as the team's practice facility. Robert Morris University's 84 Lumber Arena has served as a secondary practice facility for the team. During the franchise's first pre-season training camp and pre-season exhibition games, the Brantford Civic Centre in Brantford, Ontario, served as its home, and by the 1970s and continuing through the 1980s, the team was using the suburban Rostraver Ice Garden for training.

In August 2015, the Penguins and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) opened the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, combining a new team practice and training facility with a UPMC Sports Medicine treatment and research complex, in suburban Cranberry Township near the interchange between Interstate 79 and Pennsylvania Route 228. The twin rink facility replaced both the IceoPlex at Southpointe and the 84 Lumber Arena as the Penguins' regular practice facility, freeing up the Consol Energy Center for other events on days the Penguins are not scheduled to play.

As with most other NHL arenas, the Penguins make use of a goal horn whenever the team scores a goal at home. It is also played just before the beginning of a home game, and after a Penguins victory. Their current goal horn made by Nathan Manufacturing, Inc. and introduced in 2005 to coincide with Sidney Crosby joining the team, was used at both the Civic Arena and the Consol Energy Center.

Minor league affiliates
The Penguins have two minor league affiliates assigned to their team. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, their AHL affiliate, have played in Wilkes-Barre Township, Pennsylvania, since 1999. The Penguins also have a secondary affiliate in the ECHL, the Wheeling Nailers, which they have been associated with since the start of the 2000–01 season.

Season-by-season record

This is a partial list of the last five seasons completed by the Penguins.

Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, Pts = Points, GF = Goals for, GA = Goals against

Players

Current roster

Honored members

Retired numbers

Notes
  Taken out of circulation following Briere's death (1971), but not officially retired until January 5, 2001.
  Lemieux's number was restored when he resumed playing for the team on December 27, 2000, and once again retired on October 5, 2006.
 Though not retired, no. 68 has not been issued since Jaromir Jagr was traded in 2001 and Lemieux himself confirmed that the number would be retired by the franchise in the future.
 The NHL retired Wayne Gretzky's No. 99 for all its member teams at the 2000 NHL All-Star Game.

Hockey Hall of Fame
The Pittsburgh Penguins presently acknowledge an affiliation with a number of inductees to the Hockey Hall of Fame. Inductees affiliated with the Penguins include 14 former players and five builders of the sport. The four individuals recognized as builders by the Hockey Hall of Fame includes former head coaches, and general managers.

In addition to builders and players, broadcasters and sports journalists have also been recognized by the Hockey Hall of Fame. In 2001, radio play-by-play broadcaster Mike Lange, was awarded the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award from the Hall of Fame. In 2009, Dave Molinari, a sports journalist for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette was awarded the Elmer Ferguson Memorial Award from the Hall of Fame.

Team captains

All the players who have served as team captain with the Penguins franchise

 Ab McDonald, 1967–1968
 Earl Ingarfield, 1968–1969
 Ron Schock, 1973–1977
 Jean Pronovost, 1977–1978
 Orest Kindrachuk, 1978–1981
 Randy Carlyle, 1981–1984
 Mike Bullard, 1984–1986
 Terry Ruskowski, 1986–1987
 Dan Frawley, 1987
 Mario Lemieux, 1987–1994, 1995–1997, 2001–2006
 Ron Francis, 1995, 1997–1998
 Jaromir Jagr, 1998–2001
 Sidney Crosby, 2007–present

Franchise individual records

These are the top-ten point-scorers in franchise history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
  – current Penguins player

Franchise goaltending leaders
These are the top-ten goaltenders in franchise history by wins. Figures are updated after each completed NHL regular season.
  – current Penguins player

Franchise playoff scoring leaders
These are the top-ten playoff point-scorers in franchise playoff history. Figures are updated after each completed NHL season.
 – current Penguins player
Note: Pos = Position; GP = Games played; G = Goals; A = Assists; Pts = Points; P/G = Points per game

Source:

In the community
The Pittsburgh Penguins Foundation conducts numerous community activities to support both youth and families through hockey education and charity assistance.

References

Footnotes

Citations

Further reading

External links

National Hockey League teams
1967 establishments in Pennsylvania
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1975
Companies that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1998
Ice hockey clubs established in 1967
Ice hockey teams in Pittsburgh
Metropolitan Division
Penguins
Professional ice hockey teams in Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh Penguins


A water tower is a building that is used to hold and give out water. It is almost always built on a high place. It works because a pump gives water to the tower, and gravity makes the saved water go out to the places that need water. Those places are connected to the tower by pipes. A water tower is good when there is no power because it uses gravity to send out the water.

Water infrastructure

Water tower


The Hungarian Food Safety Office (HFSO) operated as the Hungarian partner institution of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) from 2003 to 2012 in conformity with the EU requirements.  One of its priority was to assess the health risks derived from food and indirectly from feed, to liaise with international and Hungarian authorities, and to communicate with the public on food safety issues. From 2012, these tasks are performed by the National Food Chain Safety Office, which was established by the integration of the Central Agricultural Office and HFSO.

Scientific risk assessment
One of the major responsibilities of HFSO was the scientific risk assessment relating to food safety, taking into account up-to-date scientific findings of recognised international institutions.  The scientific risk assessment is based on identifying potential hazards, defining their characteristics, assessing their incidence and frequency and describing the risk.  HFSO is responsible for assessing risks relating to concrete events, furthermore by analysing the data of annual official inspections concerning various agricultural, technological, environmental and biological contaminants, pesticide residues and natural toxic substances in raw and processed food.  Based on the risk assessment, it forwards a proposal concerning the priority of inspections in the forthcoming period and participates in international risk assessment projects relating to individual chemical and microbiological contaminants.

National and international relations
Fostering national and international relations was another important responsibility of HFSO.  Before the establishment of the National Food Chain Safety Office, this institution had been the Hungarian partner organization of the European Food Safety Authority.  In addition, HFSO was the designated contact point in the EU Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed (RASFF), the World Health Organization (WHO) Food Safety Emergency Network (INFOSAN Emergency) and FAO/WHO Codex Alimentarius.

The role of communication
Food is a product that the vast majority comes into direct contact with day-by-day as a consumer, food maker, and customer.  The third core function of HFSO was to fill the gap, in providing credible, up-to-date information for both experts and the general public concerning food safety, which also reflects the latest scientific achievements.  HFSO aimed to raise consumer awareness among the general public, which will enable consumers to reject products and services that are dubious from a food hygiene and food safety point of view, and to become aware of and abide by fundamental principles.

Regular publications
HFSO Newsletters (published every two weeks; HU-EN bilingual publication)
Food Safety Journal (published quarterly; table of contents in English language)

Staff
HFSO worked with a small staff (18 people) under the supervision of the Ministry of Rural Development.  All members of HFSO were public servants.  Its general director was Mária Szeitzné Szabó.

Notes and references

External links

Food safety organizations
Medical and health organisations based in Hungary
Regulation in Hungary

Hungarian Food Safety Office


Portland Commercial Historic District is a national historic district located at Portland, Jay County, Indiana.  It encompasses 58 contributing buildings, 1 contributing structure, and 1 contributing object in the central business district of Portland.  The district developed between about 1870 and 1945, and includes notable examples of Italianate, Romanesque Revival, Classical Revival, and Early Commercial style architecture. Located in the district is the separately listed Jay County Courthouse.  Other notable contributing resources include the U.S. Post Office (1914) designed by the Office of the Supervising Architect under Oscar Wenderoth, Portland Fire Station #1 (1929), Citizens Bank (c. 1875, 1912), FOE Eagles Lodge (1883), Johnson Building (c. 1900), Stevens Building (1910), Walnut Street Church of Christ (1913), and South Meridian Street Bridge (1914).

It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1996.

References

External links

Historic American Buildings Survey in Indiana
Historic districts on the National Register of Historic Places in Indiana
Italianate architecture in Indiana
Romanesque Revival architecture in Indiana
Neoclassical architecture in Indiana
Historic districts in Jay County, Indiana
National Register of Historic Places in Jay County, Indiana

Portland Commercial Historic District


Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) is a private university focused on health- and life-sciences education, with campuses in Boston, Massachusetts, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Manchester, New Hampshire, as well as online programs. The university provides traditional and accelerated programs of study focused on professional education in pharmacy and the health sciences.

History
MCPHS was founded by fourteen Boston pharmacists as the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy in 1823 and is the oldest higher education institution in Boston. It is also the second-oldest and largest college of pharmacy in the United States, preceded only by the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy (Now the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy's Doctor of Pharmacy program at Saint Joseph's University), established in 1821. In 1825, the University published the First American Pharmaceutical Library Catalogue, detailing the effects of many pharmaceutical products. In 1852, the University obtained a charter from the Great Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts to award its first formal degree.

In 1918, the University built the George Robert White Building in the Longwood Medical Area in Boston, across from Harvard Medical School to serve as its main campus. In 1979, The General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts approved a reform in the charter of the University to permit degree awarding authority in the allied health sciences, and the University formally changed its name to the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Allied Health Sciences.

The institution would later shorten its name to Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS). MCPHS added a campus in Worcester, Massachusetts in 2000 and an expanded campus in Manchester, New Hampshire in 2002. Also in 2002, MCPHS obtained and integrated the Forsyth School of Dental Hygienists into the University by introducing an Oral Hygiene Course. During this period, MCPHS grew to include a School of Pharmacy, a School of Physician Assistant Studies, a School of Optometry, a School of Physical Therapy, a School of Arts and Sciences, School of Nursing, a School of Dental Hygiene, and a School of Medical Imaging and Therapeutics, School of Healthcare Business, School of Occupational Therapy, and School of Acupuncture.

In the spring of 2013, the institution legally modified its name to MCPHS University to represent this growth and the variety of programs it provides while retaining its acronym "MCPHS." In April 2016, MCPHS acquired the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA).

In 2017, the school was dealing with overcrowding after a surge in enrollment. In 2018, MCPHS added new residence halls and did extensive renovations. In 2019 the school received an award for restoring the Duncan and Goodell Building at 34 Mechanic Street in Worcester and also added the School of Professional Studies.

In 2021, the University reverted to using its full name as the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences.

Campuses

Boston
The Boston MCPHS campus is based at 179 Longwood Avenue, in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area. It is next to the Massachusetts College of Art and Design and Harvard Medical School, and near health care institutions such as Boston Children's Hospital, Dana–Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women's Hospital, and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The Boston campus consists of three major buildings: the George Robert White Building, the Ronald A. Matricaria Academic and Student Center and the John Richard Fennell Building, which are all structurally integrated with the student dormitories.

The Richard E. Griffin Academic Center, a fourth building, opened in January 2009 to house the University's School of Nursing, School of Physician Assistant Studies, School of Medical Imaging and Therapeutics, Center for Professional Career Development, and University Development. The six-story, triangular structure comprises approximately 50,000 square feet (4,600 m2) of classrooms, faculty and personnel offices, and labs for patient examination and clinical simulation teaching. The building also has a computing and education centre, and an auditorium with 230 seats.

The MCPHS testing laboratories are designed for each of the specialty academic fields. There are such specialist laboratories as a radioisotope testing collection, a product development laboratory equipped for drug production designed for medicinal tableting, coating and encapsulation and a facility to manufacture liquids, ointments, and sterile cosmetic products. Instruments available include infrared, ultraviolet, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometers, gas chromatographs, and high-pressure liquid chromatographs. Facilities for machine and animal testing are accessible too. Additionally, services for testing equipment, although not accessible on site, are accessible via clinical and academic affiliations with other universities in the  Greater Boston/Cambridge region.

Worcester

Located at 19, 25, 40 Foster Street, 28 Mechanics Street, 19 Norwich Street, and 10 Lincoln Square in Downtown Worcester, Massachusetts, MCPHS' Worcester campus houses the institution's accelerated programs in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner, Dental Hygiene, Diagnostic Medical Sonography, and Doctor of Pharmacy as well as the Master of Physician Assistant Studies program, two Master of Acupuncture programs, Doctor of Physical Therapy program, and the Doctor of Optometry program, for post-baccalaureate students.

MCPHS Worcester is composed of three main buildings that are known collectively as The Thomas Henry Borysek Living and Learning Center. The Thomas Henry Borysek Living and Learning Center houses administrative and faculty offices, conference rooms, classrooms, a technology center, patient assessment and clinical simulation laboratories, and six floors of suite-style student housing (all with private bedrooms). The basement provides comfortable group study/social (lounge) space for students. A portion of the ninth floor also houses a spacious room, the Fuller Conference Room, designed for conferences, board meetings, receptions and other University gatherings.

On September 21, 2009, MCPHS officially opened a new academic center in downtown Worcester, the Maher Academic Building at 40 Foster Street. The building houses 30,000 square feet of academic and student space. Two 250-seat auditoria and three "smart" classrooms feature interactive technology. The street-level multipurpose laboratory includes a model pharmacy that simulates community and institutional practice environments. There is also a student lounge, student meeting rooms, quiet study areas, and faculty offices.

In mid-June 2010, MCPHS acquired the property at 10 Lincoln Square (formerly the Crowne Plaza Hotel). This 250,000-square-foot building offers furnished rooms, parking, a fitness center, dining hall, outdoor patio, and green space. It is also home to two clinics open to the public: the Eye and Vision Center and the Forsyth Dental Hygiene Clinic.

The 28 Mechanic Street building is home to MCPHS Online, which was formed in 2011. This physical facility houses the MCPHS Online staff members charged with the development and oversight of MCPHS Online programs.

The New England School of Acupuncture treatment center and programs are housed in the 19 Norwich Street building.

Academics
MCPHS is composed of fifteen distinct schools:
 New England School of Acupuncture
 Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene
 School of Arts and Sciences
 School of Healthcare Business and Technology
 School of Medical Imaging and Therapeutics
 School of Nursing - Boston
 School of Nursing - Worcester/Manchester
 School of Occupational Therapy - Worcester/Manchester
 School of Optometry
 School of Pharmacy – Boston
 School of Pharmacy – Worcester/Manchester
 School of Physical Therapy
 School of Physician Assistant Studies – Boston
 School of Physician Assistant Studies – Worcester/Manchester
 School of Professional Studies

In 2016, the New England School of Acupuncture (NESA) combined with MCPHS's Worcester campus. The NESA was established in 1974, making it the oldest acupuncture school in the United States.

College relations

MCPHS Boston is a member of the Colleges of the Fenway, a collegiate consortium in the Longwood Medical and Academic Area. The association promotes collaboration between local schools, both academically and with buildings. The consortium includes MCPHS, Emmanuel College, MassArt, Simmons, and Wentworth Institute of Technology. Students are able to cross register between institutions and participate in shared social events planned by the Colleges of the Fenway and various groups throughout the campus. Students may also live at either their school of attendance, or in the campus dormitories of the other member schools.  Collectively, the colleges represent more than 12,000 undergraduate students, comprising 16.2% of the total Boston population of undergraduates attending four-year colleges, or around 700 full-time faculty and 2,300 course offerings.

MCPHS Worcester is a member of the Colleges of Worcester Consortium, a collaboration of twelve academic institutions which work to further the individual missions of the member institutions while advancing higher education in the region.

MCPHS has partnerships with a variety of medical institutions to supplement its educational programs in the Premedical and Health Studies. Educational instruction may be provided by institutions such as Ross University School of Medicine for general medicine and Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine for veterinary medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine for Dental Medicine, Lake Erie College of Osteopathic Medicine for Osteopathic Medicine, and A. T. Still University for Osteopathic Medicine.

See also
:Category:Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences alumni

References

External links
 Official website

Medical education in the United States
Health in Massachusetts
Educational institutions established in 1823
Pharmacy schools in Massachusetts
Universities and colleges in Boston
Universities and colleges in Worcester, Massachusetts
Universities and colleges in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire
1823 establishments in Massachusetts
Private universities and colleges in Massachusetts
Private universities and colleges in New Hampshire


The following is a list of Mesopotamian deities.

Major Deities
Hadad (or Adad) - storm and rain god
Enlil (or Ashur) - god of air, head of the Assyrian and Sumerian pantheon
Anu (or An) -  god of heaven and the sky, lord of constellations, and father of the gods
Dagon (or Dagan) - god of fertility
Enki (or Ea) - god of the Abzu, crafts, water, intelligence, mischief and creation and divine ruler of the Earth and its humans
Ereshkigal - goddess of Irkalla, the Underworld
Inanna (later known as Ishtar)  - goddess of fertility, love, and war
Marduk - patron deity of Babylon who eventually became regarded as the head of the Babylonian pantheon
Nabu - god of wisdom and writing
Nanshe - goddess of prophecy, fertility and fish
Nergal - god of plague, war, and the sun in its destructive capacity; later husband of Ereshkigal
Ninhursag (or Mami, Belet-Ili, Ki, Ninmah, Nintu, or Aruru) - earth and mother goddess
Ninlil - goddess of the air; consort of Enlil
Ninurta - champion of the gods, the epitome of youthful vigor, and god of agriculture
Shamash (or Utu) - god of the sun, arbiter of justice and patron of travelers
Sin (or Nanna) - god of the moon
Tammuz (or Dumuzid) - god of food and vegetation

Minor deities
This is only some of them. There are thousands. This is in Alphabetic order.
Abu - a minor god of vegetation
Ama-arhus - Akkadian fertility goddess; later merged into Ninhursag
Amasagnul - Akkadian fertility goddess
Amurru - god of the Amorite people
An - a goddess, possibly the female principle of Anu
Arah - the goddess of fate.
Asaruludu or Namshub - a protective deity
Ashnan - goddess of grain
Aya - a mother goddess and consort of Shamash
Azimua - a minor Sumerian goddess
Bau - dog-headed patron goddess of Lagash
Belet-Seri - recorder of the dead entering the underworld
Birdu - an underworld god; consort of Manungal and later syncretized with Nergal
Bunene - divine charioteer of Shamash
Damgalnuna - mother of Marduk
Damu - god of vegetation and rebirth; possibly a local offshoot of Dumuzi
Emesh - god of vegetation, created to take responsibility on earth for woods, fields, sheep folds, and stables
Enbilulu - god of rivers, canals, irrigation and farming
Endursaga - a herald god
Enkimdu - god of farming, canals and ditches
Enmesarra - an underworld god of the law, equated with Nergal
Ennugi - attendant and throne-bearer of Enlil
Enshag - a minor deity born to relieve the illness of Enki
Enten - god of vegetation, created to take responsibility on earth for the fertility of ewes, goats, cows, donkeys, birds
Erra - Akkadian god of mayhem and pestilence
Gaga - a minor deity featured in the Enûma Eliš
Gatumdag - a fertility goddess and tutelary mother goddess of Lagash
Geshtinanna - Sumerian goddess of wine and cold seasons, sister to man
Geshtu-E - minor god of intelligence
Gibil or Gerra - god of fire
Gugalanna - the Great Bull of Heaven, the constellation Taurus and the first husband of Ereshkigal
Gunara - a minor god of uncertain status
Hahanu - a minor god of uncertain status
Hani - an attendant of the storm god Adad
Hayasum - a minor god of uncertain status
Hegir-Nuna - a daughter of the goddess Bau
Hendursaga -  god of law
Ilabrat - attendant and minister of state to Anu
Ishum - brother of Shamash and attendant of Erra
Isimud - two-faced messenger of Enki
Ištaran - god of the city of Der (Sumer)
Kabta - obscure god "Lofty one of heaven"
Kakka - attendant and minister of state to both Anu and Anshar
Kingu - consort of Tiamat; killed by Marduk, who used his blood to create mankind
Kubaba - tutelary goddess of the city of Carchemish
Kulla - god of bricks and building
Kus (god) - god of herdsmen
Lahar - god of cattle
Lugal-Irra - possibly a minor variation of Erra
Lulal - the younger son of Inanna; patron god of Bad-tibira
Mamitu - Sumerian goddess of fate
Manungal - an underworld goddess; consort of Birdu
Mandanu -god of divine judgment
Muati - obscure Sumerian god who became syncretized with Nabu
Mushdamma - god of buildings and foundations
Nammu - a creation goddess
Nanaya - goddess personifying voluptuousness and sensuality
Nazi - a minor deity born to relieve the illness of Enki
Negun - a minor goddess of uncertain status
Neti - a minor underworld god; the chief gatekeeper of the netherworld and the servant of Ereshkigal
Nibhaz - god of the Avim
Nidaba - goddess of writing, learning and the harvest
Namtar - minister of Ereshkigal
Nin-Ildu - god of carpenters
Nin-imma - goddess of the female sex organs
Ninazu - god of the underworld and healing
Nindub - god associated with the city Lagash
Ningal - goddess of reeds and consort of Nanna (Sin)
Ningikuga - goddess of reeds and marshes
Ningirama - god of magic and protector against snakes
Ningishzida - god of the vegetation and underworld
Ninkarnunna - god of barbers
Ninkasi - goddess of beer
Ninkilim - "Lord Rodent" god of vermin
Ninkurra - minor mother goddess
Ninmena - Sumerian mother goddess who became syncretized with Ninhursag
Ninsar - goddess of plants
Ninshubur - Sumerian messenger goddess and second-in-command to Inanna, later adapted by the Akkadians as the male god Papsukkal
Ninsun - "Lady Wild Cow"; mother of Gilgamesh
Ninsutu - a minor deity born to relieve the illness of Enki
Nintinugga - Babylonian goddess of healing
Nintulla - a minor deity born to relieve the illness of Enki
Nu Mus Da - patron god of the lost city of Kazallu
Nunbarsegunu - goddess of barley
Nusku - god of light and fire
Pabilsaĝ - tutelary god of the city of Isin
Pap-nigin-gara - Akkadian and Babylonian god of war, syncretized with Ninurta
Pazuzu - son of Hanbi, and king of the demons of the wind
Sarpanit - mother goddess and consort of Marduk
The Sebitti - a group of minor war gods
Shakka - patron god of herdsmen
Shala - goddess of war and grain
Shara - minor god of war and a son of Inanna
Sharra Itu - Sumerian fertility goddess
Shul-pa-e - astral and fertility god associated with the planet Jupiter
Shul-utula - personal deity to Entemena, king of the city of Eninnu
Shullat - minor god and attendant of Shamash
Shulmanu - god of the underworld, fertility and war
Shulsaga - astral goddess
Sirara - goddess of the Persian Gulf
Siris - god of beer
Sirsir - god of mariners and boatmen
Sirtir - goddess of sheep
Sumugan - god of the river plains
Tashmetum - consort of Nabu
Tishpak - tutelary god of the city of Eshnunna
Tutu - tutelary god of the city of Borsippa
Ua-Ildak - goddess responsible for pastures and poplar trees
Ukur - a god of the underworld
Uttu - goddess of weaving and clothing
Wer - a storm god linked to Adad
Zaqar - messenger of Sin who relays communication through dreams and nightmares

Primordial beings
Abzu - the Ocean Below, the name for fresh water from underground aquifers; depicted as a deity only in the Babylonian creation epic Enûma Eliš
Anshar - god of the sky and male principle
Kishar - goddess of the earth and female principle
Kur - the first dragon, born of Abzu and Ma.  Also Kur-gal, or Ki-gal the underworld
Lahamu - first-born daughter of Abzu and Tiamat
Lahmu - first-born son of Abzu and Tiamat; a protective and beneficent deity
Ma -primordial goddess of the earth
Mummu - god of crafts and technical skill
Tiamat - primordial goddess of the ocean

Demigods and Heroes
Adapa - a hero who unknowingly refused the gift of immortality
The Apkallu - seven demigods created by the god Enki to give civilization to mankind
Gilgamesh - hero and king of Uruk; central character in the Epic of Gilgamesh
Enkidu - hero and companion of Gilgamesh
Enmerkar - the legendary builder of the city of Uruk
Lugalbanda - second king of Uruk, who ruled for 1,200 years
Utnapishtim - hero who survived a great flood and was granted immortality; character in the Epic of Gilgamesh

Spirits and demons
Alû, demon of night
Asag - monstrous demon whose presence makes fish boil alive in the rivers
Asakku, evil demon(s)
The edimmu - ghosts of those who were not buried properly
Gallû, underworld demon
Hanbi or Hanpa - father of Pazuzu
Humbaba - guardian of the Cedar Forest
Lamashtu - a malevolent being who menaced women during childbirth
Lilû, wandering demon
Mukīl rēš lemutti demon of headaches
Pazuzu - king of the demons of the wind; he also represented the southwestern wind, the bearer of storms and drought
Rabisu - an evil vampiric spirit
Šulak the bathroom demon, "lurker" in the bathroom
Zu - divine storm-bird and the personification of the southern wind and the thunder clouds

Legendary beasts
Battle Bison beast - one of the creatures slain by Ninurta

The eleven mythical monsters created by Tiāmat in the Epic of Creation, Enûma Eliš:

 Bašmu, "Venomous Snake"
 Ušumgallu, "Great Dragon"
 Mušmaḫḫū, "Exalted Serpent"
 Mušḫuššu, "Furious Snake"
 Laḫmu, the "Hairy One"
 Ugallu, the "Big Weather-Beast"
 Uridimmu, "Mad Lion"
 Girtablullû, "Scorpion-Man"
 Umū dabrūtu, "Violent Storms"
 Kulullû, "Fish-Man"
 Kusarikku, "Bull-Man"

Mesopotamian

List of Mesopotamian deities


The Film and Publication Board, (FPB / stylized as fpb) is a content-classification and regulation authority in South Africa, operating under the Minister of Communications and Digital Technologies. The FPB was established in 1996 under the Films and Publications Act, ostensibly to tackle issues of child pornography and child abuse, as well as to provide ratings to publicly consumed media such as movies, music and television programs.  Under these directives, its mandate can be considered one of state censorship.

Overview

History
The Film and Publication Board was established directly under the directive set out in the Films and Publications Act of 1996, shortly after South Africa achieved independence from apartheid rule.  The Board's function would be to receive complaints - or applications to evaluate - a film or publication, to classify it according to its suitability for different audiences.  These publications could include movies, television programs, computer games, and music.

The classification of a film or publication would trigger various prohibitions on possessing, exhibiting, distributing or advertising the film or publication.  Different ratings were devised, the most serious of which was "X18", which prohibited anyone without a specific license from distributing the content, which had to be conducted within "adult premises".

Certain key exemptions from prohibitions were made to the scientific community (in regard to bona fide scientific, documentary, dramatic, artistic, literary or religious films and publications), and the media (in that those holding a broadcasting license were exempt from the duty to apply for classification).

An appeals process was also defined under the Act, allowing rulings made by the FPB to be contested and challenged.

On 3 March 2020, Netflix agreed to obey the FPB's classification rules in the distribution of content in South Africa.

Ratings

The FPB has the following rating guideline:

Additionally, the FPB provides the following content classifications:

Criticism

The Spear

In 2012, the Goodman Gallery in Cape Town, showcased a painting by artist Brett Murray. It depicted President Jacob Zuma in a pose reminiscent of Lenin, but with fully exposed genitalia.  The painting drew swift condemnation from the ANC ruling party, who condemned the artist, the artwork, and all media outlets who had published images of the painting.
Shortly after, the Film and Publication board sent five assessors to provide a rating for the artwork - a move that was harshly criticized for being well outside its mandate, and beyond the remit of the purpose of the FPB.  Despite this, the FPB issued an "16N" rating, which meant that the Gallery could no longer publicly show the painting if there were children in the building.

During the classification proceedings, there were allegations that the FPB was acting outside its statutory remit, and that specific members had made statements or asked questions implying that it was entitled to censor political opinions and restrict freedom of the press.

This decision was later appealed following a public backlash, and amidst accusations of state-led censorship.  Upon appeal in October 2012, the FPB set aside its original rating, thereby effectively de-classifying the painting.  This had taken place after the painting was famously defaced and sold, which rendered the ruling moot on practical terms.

Online Regulation Bill

In March 2015, the FPB gazetted a notice inviting public comment on a Draft Online Regulation policy, which sought sweeping new powers to police and regulate all aspects of content on the internet.  In this draft policy, the FPB sought to classify all manner of content, including, for instance, user-submitted videos to sites such as YouTube, which would require all such content to first be classified by the FPB at a charge and labeled as FPB-approved before it would be allowed to be legally published online.

Specifically, the following sections from the draft detail the broadness of the powers FPB seek:

 5.1.1 Any person who intends to distribute any film, game, or certain publication in the Republic of South Africa shall first comply with section 18(1) of the Act by applying, in the prescribed manner, for registration as film or game and publications distributor.
 5.1.2 In the event that such film, game or publication is in a digital form or format intended for distribution online using the internet or other mobile platforms, the distributor may bring an application to the Board for the conclusion of an online distribution agreement, in terms of which the distributor, upon payment of the fee prescribed from time to time by the Minister of DOC as the Executive Authority, may classify its online content on behalf of the Board, using the Board's classification Guidelines and the Act

The Electronic Frontier Foundation described the proposed legislation as follows:

The EFF also went on to point out that the FPB had effectively put the burden on South African ISPs to remove offending content, or replace said content with FPB-approved (and labelled) content, even on platforms such as YouTube, Vimeo and Vine.

In the response to what is understood as one of the most draconian pieces of internet legislation seen in the world, the FPB has been on the receiving end of a growing online backlash, proliferated through social media such as Facebook and Twitter.  In particular, the Right2Know coalition - who advocate open government and whistleblowing - have championed the cause against FPB's draft proposal.

References

External links

1996 establishments in South Africa
Censorship in South Africa
Cinema of South Africa
Communications in South Africa
South Africa
Communications
Entertainment rating organizations
Mass media in South Africa
Motion picture rating systems
Video game content ratings systems
Video game organizations

Film and Publication Board


Johannine script () was a historical style of handwriting used in the Portuguese Royal Chancery starting around the reign of John I (1385–1433) that was used until the reign of Manuel I (1495–1521). It is, thus, a national variation of chancery hand, a form of blackletter.

Johannine script is essentially cursive, with a short corpus size (but with long ascenders and descenders), letters slope slightly to the right, words are clearly separated one from the other with no ligatures, punctuation is mostly absent, and Arabic numerals are not used (instead, numbers are given in full, or in Roman numerals). The shape of the letters v and b (and Roman numeral 5) are practically indistinguishable. Abbreviations are commonplace, mostly marked with an overline and/or superscript.

The prevailing script in documents from (and from the land that would eventually become) Portugal from the 8th to the 12th centuries was Visigothic script; from the mid-12th century onwards, for about a century, Carolingian minuscule and, later on, an incipient Gothic script. From 1385 onwards, that is, after John I was crowned putting an end to the Portuguese Interregnum, there is radical change in the writing style of the documents issued by the Royal Chancery: this new script (first called "Johannine script" by paleographer ) has influences of the French  and Gothic scripts.

Notable scribes who wrote mostly on Johannine script include  (),  (), and  ().

References

Typography
Western calligraphy

Johannine script


Tuoba Chuo (; pinyin: Tuòbá Chuò) (died 293), chieftain of the Tuoba from 286 to 293. He was the son of Tuoba Liwei, brother of Tuoba Shamohan, Tuoba Xilu, Tuoba Luguan. In 286 he succeeded his brother Tuoba Xilu as chieftain of the Tuoba. In 293, Yuwen chieftain Yuwen Mohuai was killed by his younger brother Yuwen Pubo, who usurped the position as chieftain of the Yuwen. Tuoba Chuo married his daughter to Yuwen Pubo's son Yuwen Qiubuqin. In the same year Tuoba Chuo died, his nephew Tuoba Fu, son of his brother Tuoba Shamohan, succeeded him as chieftain of the Tuoba.

References
 History of the Northern Dynasties

293 deaths
Year of birth unknown
Chieftains of the Tuoba clan

Tuoba Chuo


Jerzy Leśniak (August 14, 1957 – August 20, 2017) was a Polish journalist and historian. He was born in Nowy Sącz, Poland.

His best-known book, Encyklopedia Sądecka (published in 2000, co-authored with Augustyn Leśniak and Karol Leśniak), has been so far the most comprehensive source and compendium of the region's history, as well as personal biographies and rare illustrations. He was also an editor-in-chief of a weekly regional magazine "Echo" and a quarterly "Nowy Sącz". During the years 2003-2006 he was a spokesman of the president of the city of Nowy Sącz.

Leśniak died in Warsaw, Poland on August 20, 2017 of a heart attack at the age of 60.

References

1957 births
2017 deaths
Deaths from myocardial infarction
Polish historians
Polish  journalists

Jerzy Leśniak


The M1 Singapore Fringe Festival is an annual fringe theatre festival in Singapore. In additional to theatrical performances, it hosts art installations, live music, and a forum. It is organised by The Necessary Stage, a non-profit theatre company.

The tenth M1 Singapore Fringe Festival took place in 2014. It had a higher attendance than any previous M1 festival. It was after this festival that The Necessary Stage instituted a policy of appointing a new artistic director every two years. The company intends the two-year tenure to give each director time to realise a vision for the festival, while building relationships with artists and curators.

Themes
The festival occurs each January with a different theme.
 2014 - Art and the People
 2015 - Art & Loss
 2016 - Art & the Animal
 2021 -  Quiet Riot

References

External links

21st-century theatre
Festivals in Singapore
Fringe festivals
Theatre in Singapore

M1 Singapore Fringe Festival


Caleb Threlkeld (1676–1728)  was an Irish botanist, dissenting cleric and physician.

He wrote the first flora of Ireland under the title Synopsis Stirpium Hibernicarum .....Dispositarum sive Commentatio de Plantis Indigenis praesertim Dublinensibus instituta which was published in Dublin in 1726. An appendix was based on botanical notes made by Thomas Molyneux.

References

Nelson, E.C., Raven, M., 1998. Caleb Threlkeld's family. Glasra 3: 161-166.
Nelson, E.C.,1978 The Publication Date of the First Irish Flora. Caleb Threlkeld's Synopsis Stirpium Hibernicarum, 1726.' Glasra 2: 37-42.

19th-century Irish botanists
1676 births
1728 deaths
19th-century Irish clergy

Caleb Threlkeld


James Giles Hampton (June 13, 1814 – September 22, 1861) was an American Whig Party politician who represented New Jersey's 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1845 to 1849.

Hampton was born in Bridgeton, New Jersey on June 13, 1814. He attended the common schools and was graduated from Princeton College in 1835. He studied law, was admitted to the bar in 1839 and commenced practice in Bridgeton. He was collector of the port of Bridgeton from 1841-1844.

Hampton was elected as a Whig to the Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth Congresses, serving in office from March 4, 1845 to March 3, 1849, but was not a candidate for renomination in 1848.

After leaving Congress, he resumed the practice of law in Bridgeton. He was solicitor of the Board of Chosen Freeholders of Cumberland County in 1852. He died in Bridgeton on September 22, 1861, and was interred in that city's Old Broad Street Presbyterian Church Cemetery.

External links

James Giles Hampton at The Political Graveyard

1814 births
1861 deaths
People from Bridgeton, New Jersey
Whig Party members of the United States House of Representatives from New Jersey
New Jersey lawyers
Princeton University alumni
Burials in New Jersey
19th-century American lawyers

James G. Hampton


Mu Sheli (穆舍利), originally named Mu Yeli (穆邪利), nickname Huanghua (黃花), was an empress of the Chinese Northern Qi dynasty. She was Gao Wei's last empress.

Background
Mu Sheli's mother, Mu Qingxiao (穆輕霄), was initially a servant in the household of the official, Mu Zilun (穆子倫), and therefore carried his family name. Later, for reasons unknown, she became a servant of the official, Song Qindao (宋欽道), where she became pregnant and gave birth to Mu Sheli. (Mu Sheli's father is not known for certain, but some believed that Song Qindao was the father.) Song's wife was jealous of her and tattooed the character, Song, on her face.  After Song was killed in a power struggle in 560 between the prime minister, Yang Yin (of whom Song was an associate), and Emperor Fei's uncle, Gao Yan, the Prince of Changshan (later Emperor Xiaozhao), Mu Sheli became a servant inside the palace.  During Gao Wei's reign, she became a servant to his first wife, Empress Hulü. She had a sexual relationship with Gao Wei and became his favorite.  Gao Wei's wet nurse, Lu Lingxuan, in order to strengthen her own power, offered to become Mu Sheli's adoptive mother, and had Gao Wei formally make Mu Sheli an imperial consort. Lady Lu went as far as having her son, Luo Tipo, change his family name to Mu.

As imperial consort
In 570, Consort Mu gave birth to Gao Wei's first son, Gao Heng.  Lady Lu planned to have Gao Heng become crown prince in the future but feared that Empress Hulü would oppose it, and so she gave Gao Heng to Empress Hulü to raise.  Later that year, Gao Heng was made crown prince.

In 572, believing in false accusations by the official Zu Ting that Empress Hulü's father, Hulü Guang, was about to rebel, Gao Wei killed Hulü Guang and his clan and deposed Empress Hulü.  Lady Lu wanted to make Consort Mu empress, but at that time, Gao Wei favored his cousin, Consort Hu -- Empress Dowager Hu's niece, and Empress Dowager Hu, who had been put under house arrest by Gao Wei in 571 after her affair with the Buddhist monk Tanxian (曇獻) was discovered—wanted Consort Hu to be empress as well.  Not confident that she had sufficient persuasive power, however, she had to flatter and give gifts to Lady Lu, requesting her help. Lady Lu, seeing that Gao Wei favored Consort Hu at that time, jointly submitted, with Zu, the suggestion to make Consort Hu empress. In fall 572, Gao Wei made Consort Hu empress.

As empress consort
However, Lady Lu did not relent in her hopes of making Consort Mu empress, stating to Gao Wei, "How can a son be crown prince and a mother be a servant girl, a concubine?"  But as Gao Wei favored Empress Hu, she could not carry out her wishes. She therefore engaged witches to use witchcraft on Empress Hu.  It was said that within a month, Empress Hu began to show symptoms of psychosis, often mumbling to herself or laughing without cause. Gao Wei began to fear and dislike her. In winter 572, Lady Lu put Consort Mu in empress clothing and put her in a tent, surrounded with magnificent jewelry, and then told Gao Wei, "Let me show you a holy woman."  When Gao Wei saw that it was Consort Mu, Lady Lu stated, "For a woman this beautiful not to be empress, who would be qualified to be empress?" Gao Wei agreed with her, and he made Consort Mu "Right Empress" and gave Empress Hu the title, "Left Empress."

Around the new year 573, Lady Lu would further carry out adverse action against Empress Hu. She intentionally acted angry before Empress Dowager Hu and stated, "What kind of niece would use that kind of language?"  When Empress Dowager Hu asked her about it, she initially refused to say anything, and then when Empress Dowager Hu persisted, she said that Empress Hu had told Gao Wei, "The empress dowager's behavior is immoral and should not be followed."  Empress Dowager Hu was incensed, and without verifying the information, she ordered Empress Hu be expelled from the palace, and then had Gao Wei depose her.  In spring 573, Right Empress Mu was formally entitled as the only empress.  Trying to match the clothes made of pearl that he had earlier made for Empress Hu (but which had been destroyed in a fire), he tried to buy pearls from rival Northern Zhou, but Northern Zhou refused to sell him pearls—but somehow he was able to obtain sufficient pearls to do so.

Empress Mu, by this point, viewed Lady Lu as her mother and Mu Tipo her brother, ignoring her own mother, Mu Qingxiao, and Lady Lu received the honorific title of "Grand Lady" (taiji, 太姬), a title used for empresses' mothers pursuant to Northern Qi regulations. Mu Qingxiao, believing that her daughter rejected her on account of her ugliness (from the tattoo), managed to have her tattoo removed and tried to see her daughter, but was never able to do so, as Lady Lu prevented all meetings between them. After Empress Mu became empress, she began to lose favor from Gao Wei as he preferred Consort Cao and Consort Dong. Empress Mu teamed up with Lu Lingxuan to accuse Consort Cao of witchcraft, and she was executed. After the death of Consort Cao, Empress Mu didn't regain the favor of Gao Wei, but instead he preferred Consort Dong. To divert his affections towards Consort Dong, Empress Mu presented her servant, Feng Xiaolian. He greatly favored Feng Xiaolian and took her as a concubine, but he continued to honor Empress Mu as empress.

As retired empress
In 576, Northern Zhou launched a major attack on Northern Qi, and by spring 577 was threatening Northern Qi's capital of Yecheng. In order to try to change his fortune, Gao Wei passed the throne to Gao Heng, taking the title of Taishang Huang (retired emperor). Empress Mu thereafter carried the title of Retired Empress. (Meanwhile, Empress Mu's adoptive brother Mu Tipo had surrendered to Northern Zhou, and upon hearing the news, her adoptive mother, Lady Lu, committed suicide.) Gao Wei soon abandoned Yecheng, fleeing with Gao Heng, Grand Empress Dowager Hu, Retired Empress Mu, Consort Feng, and other concubines and children. On their way to the Chen Dynasty, however, they were captured by Northern Zhou forces and returned to Yecheng.

After Northern Qi's destruction
Subsequently, Gao Wei was made the Duke of Wen by Emperor Wu of Northern Zhou, and he and his entire clan was taken to the Northern Zhou capital of Chang'an. Northern Qi territory was seized by Northern Zhou. Later that year, Emperor Wu, feeling threatened by them, falsely accused them of plotting treason with Mu Tipo, and had them, including Gao Wei and Gao Heng, put to death. Nothing further was recorded in history about Empress Mu.

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Northern Qi empresses
Northern Zhou people

Mu Sheli