The Pittsburgh Penguins are an American hockey team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, a part of the National Hockey League. The team was established in 1967 as one of six expansion teams awarded to Mr. Frederic McLaughlin’s ownership group in his attempt to establish a professional hockey club in Pittsburgh. They were known as the Pittsburgh Hornets at first but due to legal issues with their owner and also because they were forced to change their name by the NHL itself after the NHL expansion draft in 1967 , they changed it to the Penguins which seemed fitting since they represented many areas found in North America.