Pittsburgh Penguins ice and in attendance following the Jaromir Jagr trade. Today, the Penguins are one of the NHL's most popular teams, especially among American non-Original Six franchises and are considered second behind the Steelers among Pittsburgh's three major professional sports teams, taking advantage of both its success and the Pittsburgh Pirates struggles both on and off the field. Especially notable was a 2007 survey done of the four major sports leagues 122 teams, in which the Penguins surprised observers by being ranked 20th overall and third among NHL teams, while the Steelers were ranked number one and the Pirates (before the
Ice hockey in Japan Ice hockey in Japan Ice hockey is a minor sport that is gaining popularity in Japan. Baseball and football (soccer) have dominated Japanese sports for decades, but ice hockey has been less popular in Japan since its founding in the 1920s. It is governed by the Japan Ice Hockey Federation The Japan Ice Hockey League (JIHL) was the national league in the country from 1966-2004, when it folded in favor of the international Asia League. Only Japanese teams were allowed to compete, and there were only six teams at any time in the league. Since 1933, a cup competition, the