Good thing the Penguins have those five Stanley Cup banners and three others recognizing the franchise's 15 NHL scoring championships.
Without those -- along with one for their seven Hart Trophy recipients and another for their five Conn Smythe winners -- it might be kind of lonely up there in the rafters at PPG Paints Arena.
Certainly, there isn't much space taken up by retired numbers, because the Penguins have only had two of those -- Nos. 21 (Michel Briere) and 66 (Mario Lemieux) -- since entering the NHL in 1967.
That's quite a contrast to some franchises, which seem to seriously consider taking a player's number out of circulation if he has a three-point game and dresses himself without assistance afterward.
It says a lot about the Penguins' stringent criteria that a number of Hockey Hall of Fame members who played here -- guys like Paul Coffey (77), Joe Mullen (7), Larry Murphy (55) and Mark Recchi (8) -- rarely even get mentioned as being worthy of consideration.
Alphabetically, here's a look at six leading contenders for that honor (three are active and wouldn't have their number retired while they're still wearing it to work, especially the two still with the Penguins), which, at least for this franchise, is far more rare than induction to the Hall of Fame:
SIDNEY CROSBY (87)
The case for: Have you been paying even a little attention since the fall of 2005?
The case against: Crosby has never once taken the controls of a team flight when it was in distress and executed a smooth emergency landing. Not that we know of, anyway. That might be the only thing missing from his resume.
The verdict: Schedule the ceremony.
MARC-ANDRE FLEURY (29)
The case for: He's the team's all-time leader in victories (375), shutouts (44) and goals-against average (2.58). was part of three Cup winners -- earning all 16 victories in goal in 2009 and nine of the 16 in 2017 -- and, by virtue of performance and personality, became one of the most beloved figures in franchise history.
The case against: Fleury never won a major individual award, such as a Vezina Trophy, during his 11 seasons with the Penguins. (Or, for that matter, during the two with Vegas that have followed.)
The verdict: PPG Paints Arena might be shaken off its foundation if No. 29 was being hoisted toward the ceiling ... but that's not the reason it shouldn't happen. Fleury's credentials simply come up a bit short.
RON FRANCIS (10... and 9)
The case for: He was, game-in and game-out, the best two-way center in franchise history, with a hockey IQ that had few rivals. Francis' arrival, with Ulf Samuelsson and Grant Jennings, from Hartford in 1991 solidified the Penguins' status as legitimate Cup contenders.
The case against: For all he did -- and it was a lot, all over the ice -- Francis wore a Penguins sweater for only 533 of the 1,731 regular-season games he played in the NHL.
The verdict: No. If he'd spent all -- or even most -- of his career with the Penguins, Francis would be a no-brainer. But he didn't. So he isn't.
JAROMIR JAGR (68)
The case for: He's the No. 3 point-producer in franchise history, won two Stanley Cups, five scoring titles and a Hart Trophy as league MVP during his 11 seasons with the Penguins.
The case against: It's all off the ice. Jagr effectively forced management to trade him in 2001 when it couldn't meet his salary demands. After once vowing that he would play for Lemieux for free because he was so indebted to him, he then spurned a seven-figure offer from the Penguins to sign with arch-rival Philadelphia as a free agent in 2011.
The verdict: It's time to forgive, if not forget. Retire No. 68.
EVGENI MALKIN (71)
The case for: He's been a complement to -- and somewhat overshadowed by -- Crosby, but he's won three Cups, two scoring championships, a Hart Trophy and a Conn Smythe as playoff MVP while spending his entire career here. A career that began when he was named NHL Rookie of the Year in 2007.
The case against: Having Crosby for a teammate has allowed Malkin to pad his stats, because opponents can't concentrate their defensive efforts on both and Crosby generally ends up getting the extra attention.
The verdict: It's close, but yes, raise it. Although Malkin is no better than No. 3 on the Penguins' all-time depth chart at center, in a lot of cities he would be celebrated as a once-in-a-lifetime talent.
JEAN PRONOVOST (19)
The case for: He was the most prolific goal-scorer in franchise history before Lemieux came along and rewrote the team's record book and was the cornerstone of the franchise's best forward unit -- the Century Line, with Syl Apps and Lowell MacDonald -- of the pre-Lemieux era.
The case against: The Penguins won just two of seven playoff rounds during Pronovost's time here, which means he had little chance to perform in truly high-stakes games, and there's a good chance the people who would decide whether he's worthy of the honor didn't see him play all that much.
The verdict: Alas, no. Pronovost is a perfect example of how being a great player shouldn't be good enough to get a guy's number retired.