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 #59 in Penguins’ history.
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Five players throughout franchise history have worn #59, but just like #58, this one is fairly obvious for anyone who has been paying attention to Penguins’ hockey for the past decade.
The best #59 in Penguins history is Sidney Crosby’s greatest winger, Jake Guentzel.
Guentzel was drafted by the Penguins in the third round of the 2013 NHL Draft. He spent parts of his first eight NHL seasons with Pittsburgh before being dealt to the Carolina Hurricanes at the 2024 trade deadline.
But Guentzel’s career in Pittsburgh was nothing short of spectacular, as he was the bona fide goal-scorer that Crosby had always lacked in years prior. And his NHL career started with a bang when, like Mario Lemieux before him, he scored on his very first shot on goal during his first NHL shift.
Guentzel ended up scoring twice in his NHL debut:
However, the biggest goal of his career – without a doubt – came in the 2017 Stanley Cup Final in Game 1 against the Nashville Predators. The Penguins had not recorded a single shot on goal in 37 minutes, and Guentzel potted the game-winning goal on the Penguins’ first shot in that time:
Over the course of his Penguins career, Guentzel recorded 219 goals and 466 points in 503 games, many of those coming alongside Crosby. The chemistry between the two was something to marvel at for years, as Guentzel’s hockey IQ and finishing ability married with Crosby’s elite vision and playmaking smarts.
After spending the remainder of the 2023-24 season with the Hurricanes, Guentzel’s UFA rights were traded to Tampa Bay, where he signed a seven-year, $63 million extension this summer. He currently has two goals and nine points in nine games with the Lightning.
