The Penguins have announced the Penguins Hall of Fame “Class of 2026”, which includes two players, a “builder”, and a “contributor.”
Marc-Andre Fleury, Larry Murphy, Jim Rutherford and Jack McGregor are this year’s honorees. Fleury and Murphy enter the Hall of Fame in the Player Category, Rutherford was elected to the Builder Category and McGregor was selected to the Contributor Category.
Fleury, Murphy, Rutherford and McGregor are the second group of individuals announced as part of a three-year plan to relaunch the team’s Hall of Fame. The remaining four of Tom Barrasso, Jaromir Jagr, Chris Kunitz and Ray Shero (posthumously) will be inducted next year. The Class of 2026 will be prominently featured in Hall of Fame space on the FedEx main concourse level at PPG Paints Arena.
The Class of 2026 will be honored with an on-ice ceremony prior to the home game on Saturday, November 14 versus the Ottawa Senators. Special programming with the Class of 2026 will be announced in the coming weeks.
From the Pens’ release:
Marc-Andre Fleury
Fleury, 41, is the first player of the post-lockout era (2005-Present) to enter the Penguins Hall of Fame after being unanimously selected by the Hall of Fame voting committee in his first year of eligibility. Fleury spent 13 seasons with the team, leading them to three Stanley Cups (2009, ’16, ’17). In 2009, he made a last-second, game-saving stop in Game 7 against the Detroit Red Wings to clinch the team’s first Stanley Cup in 17 years. Fleury was part of a tandem in ’16 and ’17, where his clutch performances in ’17 helped the team go back-to-back.
Fleury leads the franchise in regular-season games played (691), wins (375), goals-against average (2.58, min. 50 GP), shutouts (44) and in playoff games played (115), wins (62) and shutouts (10). He recorded eight different 30-plus win seasons which included two 40-win seasons as well.
During his time with the Penguins, he played in two NHL All-Star games (2011, ’15) and earned two Team MVP awards, three Players’ Player awards and one Defensive Player of the Year award from the Penguins. Beyond that, he became a fan favorite and a respected leader in the locker room and is one of the most beloved goaltenders in team history.
Larry Murphy
Murphy, 65, often overshadowed by his teammates, was a legit No. 1-blueliner that played in 410 out of 421 games as a Penguin (97%) and his plus-102 leads all defensemen in franchise history. During the Pens’ back-to-back championships (1991, ’92), Murphy tallied points in eight of 10 Stanley Cup Final games, as his 13 points in those series trailed only Mario Lemeiux. Murphy was twice named to the NHL Second All-Star Team and he led Penguins’ blueliners in scoring four times in the regular season and playoffs. He also served as an alternate captain in the 1992-93 season.
Jim Rutherford
Rutherford, 77, served as the Executive Vice President and General Manager of the Penguins from June 2014 to January 2021. He was known for his bold moves and strategic thinking that helped lead the Penguins to sustained success during his tenure. He acquired the likes of Phil Kessel, Patric Hornqvist, Nick Bonino, Trevor Daley, Carl Hagelin and Justin Schultz prior to winning the 2016 Stanley Cup championship and they helped earn him the NHL General Manager of the Year award that same year.
When he guided them to back-to-back titles in ’17, no team since the Penguins had accomplished the feat since 1992 and no team had done so in the Salary Cap Era. While leading the Penguins, only three teams had more wins than Pittsburgh’s 276 and he trails only Craig Patrick (575) and Ray Shero (373) for wins in franchise history among team general managers. Rutherford’s tenure with the Penguins was defined by his fearless approach to team-building and his success in achieving two Stanley Cup titles, cementing his legacy as the key architect of one of the most successful periods in franchise history.
Jack McGregor
McGregor, who will enter the Penguins Hall of Fame in the Contributor category posthumously, organized the effort that brought an NHL team to Pittsburgh and was the President of the franchise from 1967 to 1970, where he served in that role for three seasons. He dropped the ceremonial first puck before their first ever game and on the 50th anniversary of the franchise in 2017. McGregor passed away on January 6, 2026.
