The organizational history of the Pittsburgh Penguins has a plethora of great players, and we decided to examine the best Penguins players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #11 in Penguins history.
There have been many great #11s in Penguins history, from George Ferguson to John Cullen and Darius Kasparaitis.
But one No. 11 played a crucial role in the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup run and was one of Pittsburgh’s best forwards in franchise history: Jordan Staal.
© Charles LeClaire – USA Today Sports
Staal was drafted second overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, and was not expected to make an NHL roster that season. But since Evgeni Malkin was unable to start playing in the NHL on opening day due to visa issues, Staal took a nine-game tryout.
He impressed so much in those nine games — scoring his first three shorthanded NHL goals and recording a season-high seven shorthanded goals as a rookie — that the Penguins had no choice but to keep him around.
And it’s a decision they wouldn’t regret anytime soon.
Staal’s ability as an elite power forward, along with his size and long reach, attracted the league’s attention early on, and he became Pittsburgh’s regular third-line center as well as their best penalty killer.
The Penguins reached the playoffs for the first time in the Crosby era during Staal’s rookie season, a season in which he scored 29 goals and 42 points in 81 games. He played much of his rookie season alongside Malkin, and if he had remained in that role instead of being assigned as a third-line center, he likely would have produced many more points during his Penguins tenure.
But even if his production wasn’t elite at the level of the two future Hall of Fame centers ahead of him, he often showed up as a clutch player. Perhaps no goal in the Crosby era was more decisive than his — you guessed it — shorthanded goal in Game 4 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final against Detroit.
It ended up being one of the most important goals in the history of the franchise, as it tied the game, led to the Penguin victory that tied the knot in the series and gave them the momentum they needed to win the Cup:
Another notable Penguins Staal moment came in November 2008 against Detroit, their first meeting with the Red Wings since they were defeated in the Cup final the previous year. With his team trailing in the third period, Staal completely took control of the game, scoring a hat trick in the third period and robbing Red Wing great Pavel Datsyuk in overtime to fuel the OT winner and help the Penguins get revenge on Detroit :
Staal was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and has played in Carolina ever since. He registered 285 goals and 675 points in 1,253 career games so far, and he is a two-time Selke Trophy finalist. He also scored 36 goals and 70 points in 147 career playoff games, including six game-winning goals and three overtime goals in the playoffs.
In his six seasons with the PenguinsStaal scored 120 goals and 248 points in 431 games.
Honorable Mentions: George Ferguson, John Cullen, Darius Kasparaitis
Related: Best Penguins for Jersey Number: #10
