Goodbye, Stranger

It’s all but official: by tomorrow, Jake Guentzel will be wearing a different uniform.

Guentzel has been an NHL regular since January of 2017. He’s played 503 games in a Penguins sweater, scoring 219 goals and providing 247 assists. More impressive, however, are his postseason stats. In the playoffs, Guentzel is a point-per-game player; in 58 games, he has 34 goals and 24 assists. It’s no secret that Guentzel has been a fan favorite since his unforgettable debut.

Without further ado, here is a list of my Top 8 Jake Guentzel moments.

8. The Last GuentzGOAL

It felt only right to start this list off with what will likely be Guentzel’s last goal in the black and gold. While Sidney Crosby did most of the work on this play, it showcases the Crosby-Guentzel connection; more importantly, it shows just how smart of a player Guentzel is. He’s great with the puck, sure, but more importantly, he’s strong away from it. As this play develops, he’s constantly moving, anticipating plays and putting himself into the best position to provide support if necessary. He’s rewarded with a backdoor tap in on the receiving end of an incredible spinning backhand pass from Crosby.

7. The First Time I Saw Him Score Live

It wasn’t the prettiest goal of his career. But it came against the Philadelphia Flyers, where a gritty goal can make all the difference. Guentzel, parked at the right side of the net, received a beautiful pass from Kris Letang. It took three attempts for Guentzel to stuff the puck into the net, and after review, it was determined that the puck did in fact cross the goal line. And just for good measure, ten minutes into the third period, he cut between the Flyers defense on a breakaway, and went backhand-forehand to flip the puck over Carter Hart’s left shoulder.

6. The Weegar Bank Shot

On October 14, 2021, Guentzel played in his 300th NHL game. Due to a string of injuries to their top-end talent, Pittsburgh’s 1st line was Guentzel - Carter - Heinen. The game was tied at two with twelve minutes to go in the 3rd period. Jeff Carter fired the puck towards the net from near the blueline. Carter’s shot was blocked by Florida defenseman Mackenzie Weegar, and the puck trickled towards Guentzel, who was parked at the right side of the goal. Guentzel fired the puck, and was robbed by a sprawling Sergei Bobrovsky. Never deterred, Guentzel corralled the puck, cycled behind the net, and banked it in off of Weegar’s skate. This goal perfectly sums up Guentzel’s skillset: he’s persistent, he’s crafty, he’s got a great shot, and his net front presence is extremely underrated.

5. The Hacky Sack Goal

Man oh man. This has to be the most skillful goal in Guentzel’s career. Bryan Rust tries to thread him a pass, but it takes a bounce over Rangers defenseman Ryan Lindgren’s stick. Not to worry. Guentzel simply kicks the puck into the air, and bats it down around Igor Shesterkin and into the net. In hindsight, this goal probably should have been called back on account of a high stick, or maybe even goaltender interference. But after review, it was determined that the call on the ice stood, and that the goal counted. Had the goal been overturned, it still would have made my list. I’ve never seen anything like it.

4. His First Career Hat Trick

Guentzel has established himself as a postseason performer, and he earned that reputation quickly. In round one, game three of the 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, he started setting records. The Penguins were up on the Columbus Blue Jackets in the series, two games to none. Columbus struck eleven seconds into the game. Just over three minutes later, off of a fortunate bounce off the end boards, Guentzel answered. Two minutes later, Columbus retook the lead, and added another tally a minute later. Pittsburgh fought back and scored two in the second period to retie the game. In the third, Guentzel scored on the power play to give Pittsburgh the lead for the first time in the game. With less than five minutes to go in the third period, Columbus responded to send game three to overtime. At 13:10 in overtime, Guentzel once again lit the lamp to finish off his first career hat trick. Just three games into his postseason career, Guentzel continued setting records. He was the first Penguins rookie to score a playoff hat trick, and the second rookie ever to score a hat trick and the overtime winner in the same playoff game.

3. His Debut

Jake Guentzel’s career started with a bang. In his first NHL game— a 5-2 loss to the New York Rangers on 11/21/2016— he was given the opportunity to play on a line with Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel. And, man, did he ever take advantage of it. Just over a minute into the game, Guentzel fired the puck past Rangers goalie Antti Raanta to score on his first shot, on his first shift. It was the fastest goal by a Penguins player in their NHL debut, and he became the fifth player in franchise history who scored on their first shot. Just four shifts later, 13:12 into the game, the Guentzel-mania continued as he scored his second goal on his second shot. His family, in attendance, reacted accordingly.

2. Game One of the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals

The Penguins started well against the Nashville Predators in game one of the 2017 Stanley Cup Finals, scoring three first period goals. They then sat back, and seemingly forgot how to shoot the puck. Nashville clawed back, and eventually tied the game at 13:29 in the third period. Things weren’t looking too hot for Pittsburgh, to say the least. Not only had they blown a 3-0 lead, the Penguins hadn’t managed so much as a shot on goal since the first period. Nashville had all the momentum. Then, along came Matt Cullen who checked Roman Josi off of the puck and bumped it along to Jake Guentzel. Guentzel took off with it, racing down the right side, and rifled a shot that beat Pekka Rinne glove side to regain the lead. It was Pittsburgh’s first shot in 37 minutes.

Honorable Mention: His Entire Rookie Playoffs

I know I make the rules here, but it just didn’t feel fair to rank an entire 25 game postseason. But it needs to be mentioned. As a rookie, he lead all Penguins in goals with 13. The next closest was Evgeni Malkin with 10. He lead all Penguins in game-winning-goals with five, and it wasn’t particularly close. Phil Kessel, Justin Schultz, and Bryan Rust all had two. Guentzel was averaging 17:29 of ice time a night, and his shooting percentage was 25%. What a talent.

1. Four Goals in Game Six Against the Flyers

It was April 22, 2018. The Battle of Pennsylvania was in full swing, with the Penguins up on the Flyers, three games to two. Game six was a particularly high-scoring affair, with each team scoring twice in the first period. With less than a minute to go in the second, Pittsburgh was down one. And then Jake Guentzel stepped up, cleaning up Olli Määttä’s rebound to put one past Michal Neuvirth. At the start of the third period, Jake Voracek sucker punched Guentzel in the face. Jake retaliated when he found himself on the receiving end of a great pass from Phil Kessel to score his second goal of the game. With less than eight minutes to go in the third period, the officials missed a tripping call against Kris Letang, but that didn’t matter to Jake Guentzel, who completed his second playoff hat trick at 12:48. Just ten seconds later, Guentzel finished off a pass from Patric Hörnqvist to record the third four goal playoff game in Pittsburgh Penguins history.

Wherever Guentzel goes— Carolina, by the sound of it— he’s sure to find success. He’s a fast, crafty winger than isn’t afraid to take a beating in front of the net. I never expected Guentzel’s Penguins career to end with him getting moved at the trade deadline; but, like Detroit-born poet Robert Seger once said: “Everything must have an end.”

Goodbye, Guentzel. It’s been nice. Hope you find your paradise.