We have all read, or at least heard of, the Ernest Hemmingway novel The Old Man and the Sea. The novel was the last major work of fiction that was published during his lifetime and tells the tale of an aging fisherman struggling with a large marlin.
Well, I’m certainly no Hemmingway, but I would like to regale you with a tale about “The Old Men and the Ice,” which chronicles the elder statesmen of the Penguins working on the last major accomplishments in their storied careers.
While young stars like Ben Kindl and Ville Koivunen are making an impact on the team, the team’s oldest stars, particular Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, are reminding everyone that, despite being nearly 40 years old, they are still here and can still play at an elite level.
Malkin and Crosby are 39 and 38, respectively, but they still have years to go to hold the distinction of being the oldest player(s) in Penguins history. The oldest player to ever suit up for the Penguins was Matt Cullen at age 42 years and 155 days old. The second-oldest player to don a Penguins’ uniform was Tim Horton; yes the Tim Horton of coffee and donut fame. Horton had a brief cup of coffee with the Penguins, playing the 1971-72 season in Pittsburgh at age 42. His last game with the Penguins was on April 9, 1972 at age 42 years, 2 months and 28 days. Gary Roberts nearly caught Horton, but came up just a few months short, playing his final game for the Penguins in the 2008 Stanley Cup Final on June 4, 2008 at age 42 years and 12 days.
Cullen, Horton, and Roberts are part of a very exclusive group in Penguins’ franchise history. There have only been seven players to have laced up their skates at age 40 or older for the Penguins; Cullen, Horton, Roberts, Mario Lemieux, Joe Mullen, Patrick Marleau, and Ken Schinkel. Interestingly, Schinkel actually retired after playing 42 games during the 1972-73 season, at the age of 40, to become the Penguins’ head coach after Red Kelly was fired.
The statistics for these players at age 40+ are mixed. Some players still played at a relatively high level, while the production of others tailed off. Horton was a defenseman, but his 11 points (2G, 9A) were the third-lowest total of his career. Schinkel was never a prolific-scoring right wing, but he had a respectable 21 points in 42 games during his age 40 season with Pittsburgh. During Roberts’ age 40 season, which was split between Florida and Pittsburgh, “Scary Gary” played a combined 69 games, recording 42 points (20G, 22A). However, his age 41 season saw a decline, playing only 38 games for the Penguins and recording just 15 points (3G, 12A). Lemieux played just 26 games at the age of 40, recording a respectable 22 points (7G, 15A) before being forced to retire for a final time because of a heart condition known as atrial fibrillation. Cullen, during his first stint with the Penguins in his age 40 season, played in 72 games, recording an admirable 31 points (13G, 18A) considering he played in a mostly fourth-line role.
While the Penguins have only had seven players skate at age 40 or older, there are numerous Penguins alumni that skated at age 40 or older in the NHL. In fact, including the players mentioned above, a total of 17 Penguins alumni skated in the NHL at age 40 or older. That is an impressive number considering that there have been only slightly more than 100 players in the history of the NHL to have played at age 40 or older.
Many of the Penguins alumni that played at age 40 or older are recognizable names, but some are not. For instance, Dean Prentice was a left wing that played for the Penguins 1969-71, which were his age 37 and 38 seasons. He was a rather productive player during his time in Pittsburgh, recording 89 points in 144 games. He went on to play until the age of 41, finishing out his career with the Minnesota North Stars. Another forgotten name from Penguins’ history that played past age 40 was defenseman Noel Price. He manned the Penguins’ blue line 1967-69 and went on to play five more seasons after leaving Pittsburgh, with his career flaming out in Atlanta at the age of 40.
The complete list of Penguins Alumni to play in the NHL at age 40 or older is shown below:
| Former Penguins Player | Age at Last NHL Game Played | Year | Last Team |
| Jaromir Jagr | 45 years, 319 days | 2017 | Calgary |
| Tim Horton | 44 years, 39 days | 1974 | Buffalo |
| Mark Recchi | 43 years, 134 days | 2011 | Boston |
| Gary Roberts | 42 years, 282 days | 2009 | Tampa Bay |
| Matt Cullen | 42 years, 155 days | 2019 | Minnesota Wild |
| Patrick Marleau | 41, 242 days | 2021 | San Jose |
| Dean Prentice | 41 years, 84 days | 1973 | Minnesota North Stars |
| Ron Francis | 41 years, 62 days | 2004 | Toronto |
| Sergei Gonchar | 40 years, 355 days | 2015 | Montreal |
| Kjell Samuelsson | 40 years, 180 days | 1999 | Tampa Bay |
| Marc-Andre Fleury | 40 years, 153 days | 2025 | Minnesota Wild |
| Mario Lemieux | 40 years, 72 days | 2005 | Pittsburgh |
| Luc Robitaille | 40 years, 59 days | 2006 | Los Angeles |
| Joe Mullen | 40 years, 56 days | 1997 | Pittsburgh |
| Larry Murphy | 40 years, 46 days | 2001 | Detroit |
| Ken Schinkel | 40 years, 45 days | 1973 | Pittsburgh |
| Noel Price | 40 years, 40 days | 1976 | Atlanta Flames |
Many interpret the Marlin in Hemmingway’s novel as a metaphor for achievement, pride, and the struggle against nature/time. While they are not quite 40 years old yet, Malkin and Crosby (and don’t forget Kris Letang) continue to be the embodiment of achievement and pride for the Penguins even as they struggle against the ravages of time.
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