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 #92 in Penguins’ history.
Three players in Penguins’ history have worn #92, and two have been within the last 12 years. Tomas Vokoun wore it. Alex Nylander wore it.
But – by a mile – the best #92 in Penguins’ history was Rick Tocchet.
Tocchet was drafted in the sixth round by the cross-state rival Philadelphia Flyers in 1983. He played parts of the first eight seasons of his career with the Flyers, giving the Penguins fits over the years – along with the rest of his team.
That all changed on Feb. 19, 1992, when he was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him to Pittsburgh with Kjell Samuelsson, Ken Wregget, and a 3rd-round pick in exchange for Mark Recchi, Brian Benning, and a first-round pick.
Tocchet fit in with the group immediately with his strong net-front play and his skill, scoring 14 goals and 30 points in 19 games with Pittsburgh for the remainder of that season. He also played a critical role in their playoff run en route to their second consecutive Stanley Cup, scoring six goals and registering 19 points in 14 playoff games that season:
And then – in 1992-93 – Tocchet enjoyed the finest season of his NHL career with the Penguins. Seeing time with Mario Lemieux, he put up a career-high 48 goals and 109 points in 80 games that season.
But he wasn’t just known for his production. No – Tocchet was also known to drop the gloves, and he was one of the most reputable guys in the league for that during his time.
Tocchet spent one more season with the Penguins before moving on to the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins, Washington Capitals, Phoenix Coyotes, and the Flyers again for the final two seasons of his playing career. He ended his NHL career after the 2001-02 season with 440 goals and 952 points in 1,144 games.
He has had an extensive coaching career since his playing days concluded, including a stint as a Penguins’ assistant coach from 2014-17, winning two more Cups with Pittsburgh as a coach. He is currently the head coach of the Vancouver Canucks.
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