Fleury, Murphy among Pittsburgh Penguins Hall of Fame Class of 2026

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins have inducted their 2026 Hall of Fame class, which includes one of the most beloved goaltenders in the team’s history.

Marc-André Fleury, Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford and the family of Jack McGregor received the honor at PPG Paints Arena Saturday night before the Penguins took on the Ottawa Senators.

For thousands, it was a very special “hockey night in Pittsburgh,” as crowds gave a standing ovation for some of the best to ever take the ice wearing the Penguins jersey or those who helped to build the teams behind-the-scenes.

It was an emotional night for goaltender Marc-André Fleury, a three-time Stanley Cup winner who received a unanimous vote into this year’s class of inductees.

“The organization gave me the chance to live my dream and play here for so long,” Fleury said. “That’s why it’s always a special place for me to come back.”

But before Fleury’s time, there was the back-to-back championship team of the early 1990s featuring star defenseman Larry Murphy. He said hoisting the cup twice is an experience he’ll always remember.

“Everything about it, of course, actually getting your hands on the cup, the honor. The skate around the ice with it was something I’ll never forget, but also the reaction of the city of Pittsburgh. It was the first cup for this franchise,” Murphy said,

Fans watched a video of Jack McGregor’s vision becoming a reality, as the NHL officially returned to Pittsburgh in 1966 after a 36-year absence. His family accepted his posthumous honor, decades after he helped to lay the groundwork for some of the league’s most talented players and their fans.

“I’ll never forget the airport, when we arrived … you really got a sense, right then and there, just how much that meant to the city,” Murphy said.

Inductee Jim Rutherford said Pittsburgh is a true sports town, one that he’s honored to have been a part of, serving as the Penguins general manager from 2014-2021.

“With the group that we had and the run that we had, it was just one of those, two of those, years that were just a dream come true,” Rutherford said.

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