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 #17 in Penguins’ history.
Twenty players in franchise history have worn #17, and there have been some good ones. Players like Ron Schock, Tomas Sandstrom, and Bryan Rust have made significant contributions to the Penguins, but there is one who stands above the rest.
That would be Rick Kehoe.
© Screen Capture: Hockey 365
Kehoe played for the Penguins from 1974-1984, and until Mario Lemieux came around, he was the leading scorer in franchise history. Over the course of his Penguins’ career, Kehoe registered 312 goals and 636 points, and he was the star of some pretty rough Penguins’ teams that predated Lemieux.
But there were some bright moments. One of those was Kehoe’s overtime goal against the New York Islanders in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Quarterfinal:
Although the Penguins went on to lose that series, it was one of many moments that showcased Kehoe’s ability to come up big in big moments. Unfortunately, because of the quality of Penguins’ teams that Kehoe played for, he didn’t get too many opportunities to shine in the playoffs, scoring four goals and 21 points in just 39 playoff games over the course of seven playoff appearances by the Penguins during his tenure.
But nonetheless, he made his living around the net front, and he had a good shot to go along with his hardline style of play. He was also a great playmaker.
Kehoe played only three seasons with the Toronto Maple Leafs before spending the remainder of his career with the Penguins. Over the course of his entire NHL career, Kehoe registered 371 goals and 767 points in 906 games.
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