The Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we’ve decided to go through the best Penguins’ players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #13 in Penguins’ history.
This was a very tough choice, as Nick Bonino made significant contributions to the Penguins and their Stanley Cup runs in 2016 and 2017. But our choice was a grizzly veteran who helped lead the Penguins to their third Stanley Cup in 2009: Bill Guerin.
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Guerin was traded from the New York Islanders to the Penguins on March 4, 2009, and he made an immediate impact in both the locker room and on the ice, registering 12 points in the last 17 games of the season.
But it was the leadership aspect he brought to a young Penguins team that endeared him to both fans and teammates. He came through in clutch moments, played a responsible game on both sides of the puck, and, along with Crosby, helped shepherd a young team through a second-consecutive long playoff push.
He helped on the scoresheet as well, scoring seven goals and 15 points in 24 playoff games en route to the Penguins’ 2009 Stanley Cup Championship, including the overtime winner in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series against the Philadelphia Flyers:
Guerin went on to play one more season with the Penguins in 2009-10, closing out his Pittsburgh career with 26 goals and 57 points in 95 games. One of his signature moments came against Boston when he scored a game-tying goal with just 0.4 seconds left on the clock to send the Penguins to their eventual OT win:
Guerin retired following the 2009-10 season, finishing his career as one of the best American-born players of all time with 429 goals and 856 points in 1,263 games. He also won a Stanley Cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1994-95.
Honorable Mention: Nick Bonino. We’re breaking format again today, as Bonino’s contributions to the Penguins – particularly during their 2015-16 run – are hard to ignore. Not only did he register four goals and 18 points in 24 playoff games as part of the legendary HBK line (Hagelin-Bonino-Kessel) in 2016, but he scored what is one of the most memorable goals in franchise history when he scored the overtime winner in Game 6 against the Washington Capitals in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to send the Penguins to the Eastern Conference Final:
And no one could ever forget this one:
Related: Best Penguins by Jersey Number: #12
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