The history of the Pittsburgh Penguins is full of great players and we decided to go through the best Penguins players with their respective jersey numbers. Today we continue the list and name the best number 11 in Penguins history.

There have been many great number 11 players in Penguins history, from George Ferguson to John Cullen to Darius Kasparaitis.

But one number 11 played a crucial role in the Penguins’ Stanley Cup run in 2009 and was one of the best two-way forwards in Pittsburgh franchise history: Jordan Staal.

Staal was selected second overall in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft and was not expected to make the NHL roster that season. However, with Evgeni Malkin unable to play in the NHL on Day One due to visa issues, Staal got his nine-game tryout.

He impressed so much in those nine games—scoring his first three NHL goals while shorthanded and setting a new rookie record with seven shorthanded goals in the season—that the Penguins had no choice but to keep him.

And it is a decision they would not soon regret.

Staal’s ability as a top-notch two-way forward, coupled with his size and long reach, caught the league’s attention from the start, and he became Pittsburgh’s regular third-line center and best penalty killer.

The Penguins made 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 alongside Malkin for much of his rookie season, and had he stayed in that role instead of eventually being used as a third-line center, he likely would have scored many more points during his time with the Penguins.

But while his performance wasn’t on the level of the two future Hall of Fame centers before him, he was often a decisive 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 was ultimately one of the most important goals in franchise history, as it tied the game, led to a series-clinching victory for the Penguins, and gave them the momentum they needed to win the Cup:

Another signature Staal moment for the Penguins came in November 2008 against Detroit, their first meeting with the Red Wings since losing in the Cup final the previous year. With his team trailing in the third period, Staal completely took over the game, scoring a hat trick in the third period and stealing a goal from Red Wing star Pavel Datsyuk in overtime to score the game-winner and help the Penguins get revenge on Detroit:

Staal was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and has played for Carolina since then. He has scored 285 goals and 675 points in 1,253 career games and is a two-time Selke Trophy finalist. He has also scored 36 goals and 70 points in 147 career playoff games, including six game-winning goals and three playoff overtime goals.

In his six seasons with the Penguins, Staal scored 120 goals and 248 points in 431 games.

Honorable Mentions: George Ferguson, John Cullen, Darius Kasparaitis

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