Tragedy struck the Penguins in 1970 when promising rookie center Michel Briere, who finished third in scoring on the team, was injured in a single-vehicle car crash in Quebec on May 15, 1970.
Given his junior league statistics, many hockey experts predicted that Briere would have been a star in the NHL.
The Penguins would reach the playoffs for the first time in 1970, advancing to the Western Conference Finals where they lost to the St. Louis Blues.
In the Pittsburgh-Oakland series, in game one, Nick Harbaruk's goal midway through the third period was the winner as Pittsburgh won 2–1.
Game three at Oakland featured a hat trick by Ken Schinkel of the Penguins as Pittsburgh won 5–2.