Lemieux debuted with the Penguins on October 11, 1984, in a game against the Boston Bruins; he scored a goal with his very first NHL shot during his first shift.
Despite missing seven games during the season, Lemieux scored one hundred points and won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the rookie of the year.
[3] Although Lemieux wore the jersey #27 during his time with the Laval Voisins, he wanted to adopt Wayne Gretzky's #99 when he entered the NHL; however, his agent advised him to create his own identity.
The Penguins failed to qualify for the playoffs for the third consecutive year, and finished last in the Prince of Wales Conference with 53 points, the second-worst in the NHL.
The Penguins were involved in the following transactions during the 1984–85 season: 1985 4th round pick Randy Hillier Ron Flockhart John Chabot Pat Boutette rights to Ville Siren Tom Thornbury Brian Ford Mark Taylor Jim McGeough The 1984 NHL Entry Draft was held on June 9, 1984, in Montreal.