Penguins History: The Century Line

Throughout hockey history there have been many storied line combinations. The powerhouse Red Wings of the early 1950s boasted the “Production Line” of Gordie Howe, Sid Abel and “Terrible” Ted Lindsay. Later in the decade Montreal rode the stellar play of Maurice “Rocket” Richard and his “Punch Line” mates to Stanley Cup glory.

Unlike their famous counterparts, the Penguins’ first great line came together almost by accident. Each member was cast-off from another team. Yet together they became one of the most dynamic combinations in team history.

The first to join the fold was right wing Jean Pronovost. The kid brother of Hall-of-Fame defenseman Marcel Pronovost, Jean was originally signed by the Boston Bruins. Following a strong season with the Oklahoma City Blazers in 1967-68, the Penguins acquired the 23-year-old from the talent-rich Bruins. Blessed with good speed and sure hands, “Prony” was named the Pens’ Rookie of the Year in 1968-69.

Next on the scene was an oft-injured port-sider named Lowell MacDonald. Selected by Los Angeles in the 1967 Expansion Draft, the former Pittsburgh Hornets star notched 21 goals for the Kings in 1967-68. However, a succession of knee injuries, coupled with a fear of flying, threatened to derail his career. MacDonald was on the scrap heap when the Penguins plucked him from the Kings in the 1970 Intra-League (waiver) Draft.

The third and final piece of the puzzle, center Syl Apps, arrived in a trade with the New York Rangers on January 26, 1971. Although he bore the same name as his legendary father, a Hall-of-Famer with Toronto in the 1930s and ‘40s, there was little to suggest that Apps was a star in the making. In half a season with the Rangers he had tallied one measly goal.

From the moment they were united by coach Ken Schinkel the trio made sweet music. Initially dubbed “The MAP Line”—a play on the first letters of their last names—they displayed an instinctive feel for each other.

“Syl and Prony and I just clicked,” MacDonald said. “We roamed all over the place. It was more dangerous running into Prony and Apps than it was those guys like Dave Schultz on the Flyers. But we had a chemistry where we just knew where the other guys were going to be.”

Taking full advantage of the Civic Arena’s then-oversized 207-foot by 92-foot ice surface, they employed the weaving, up-tempo style popularized by the Europeans.

“Lowell and I couldn’t shoot the puck any more than 15 feet; that’s why we did a lot of passing,” Apps told Joe Starkey in Tales from the Pittsburgh Penguins. “Plus, Lowell couldn’t see that far. I think he had a worse shot than I did, but, boy, could he pick his spot. We were a little bit of a throwback in that we didn’t dump the puck and we used a lot of drop passes.”

After the line piled up over 100 goals during the 1973-74 campaign, team publicist Terry Schiffhauer came up with a bold new nickname—“the Century Line.”

For the next two years the trio ranked among the most lethal combinations in the league. After tallying an impressive 94 goals in 1974-75—including a team-best 43 by Pronovost—the unit exploded for 114 goals in 1975-76. Pronovost (52 goals) and Apps (99 points) finished among the league’s top ten scorers, while MacDonald potted 30 goals.

“When Prony got his 50th goal, that was kind of special,” Apps said. “When someone gets 50 goals, that’s a product of a line. We were very proud of that moment. It was his goal but we shared in it. That was special.”

Sadly, another knee injury to the classy MacDonald signaled the end of the Century Line. Apps was traded to Los Angeles in November of 1977, departing as the team’s all-time assist leader.

Pronovost soldiered on in 1977-78 to lead the Pens in goals (40) and points (65). Seeking a fresh start, he requested a trade the following summer and was dealt to Atlanta, a move he would later regret. Number 19 finished his Penguins career as the team’s all-time leader in goals and points.

A four-time All-Star, Prony remains fifth on the club’s all-time list in goals (316) behind some pretty select company—Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni Malkin.