A look at Penguins First NHL Goals

Oskar Sundqvist is the fifth Pittsburgh Penguins’ rookie to score his first NHL goal this season.

Sundqvist’s first goal happened today as he scored an unassisted, short-handed goal against the New York Islander’s Jean-Francois Berube.

The Penguins have had at least one player score their first NHL goal in every season since they entered the league in 1967.

Penguins rookie winger Daniel Sprong scored his first NHL goal against the Ottawa Senators this season on Oct. 15, 2015. The second Pens’ player this season to notch his career first was Conor Sheary, on Dec. 18, when he beat Boston Bruins’ goaltender Tuukka Rask.

The consecutive-season streak was almost in jeopardy in the 1991-92 campaign.  As the Penguins were en route to winning their second-consecutive Stanley Cup championship, emergency call-up Mike Needham scored on May 9, 1992 in Game 4 of the Patrick Division Finals.  Needham beat Rangers goaltender John Vanbiesbrouck. Four days later, on May 13, Pens rookie Shawn McEachern scored an unassisted goal for his milestone goal.  McEachern’s goal was the first time Pens’ announcer Mike Lange used the expression: “He’s smiling like a butcher’s dog!”

Speaking of unassisted goals, of the 185 players to score their first NHL goal with Pittsburgh, a mere 16 of them were solo scoring acts.  Jean Pronovost (10/30/68) was the first Penguins player to score unassisted and Ben Lovejoy (12/22/10) was the last.

Not all of the first goal scorers were rookies.

When the NHL doubled in size in 1967-68, it benefited journeyman defenseman Noel Price.  Price made his debut with the Toronto Maple Leafs in 1957-58. He would have to wait 10 more seasons to score his first NHL goal against Boston Bruins’ goalie Eddie Johnston on Nov. 22, 1967.

Pens defenseman Alain Nasreddine scored his first NHL goal halfway through the 2006-07, nine seasons removed from his NHL debut with the Chicago Blackhawks in 1998-99.  His first goal came in his hometown of Montreal on Dec. 16, 2006, and was set up by Sidney Crosby and Mark Recchi. It was the only NHL goal of Nasreddine’s 74-game career.

There are Penguins players who didn’t have to wait as long as Price or Nasreddine.  15 Penguins players pulled off the feat of scoring in their NHL debut.  Four of those players did so on their first shift.

The NHL career of Mario Lemieux is widely associated with “First game, first shift, first goal.”  And it’s true.  On his first shift Lemieux did it all by himself. He collected a loose puck in his own zone and outmaneuvered Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque before beating goalie Pete Peeters just 2:59 into the game.  As remarkable as it sounds, it wasn’t the fastest goal from the start of a career in Penguins history.  That distinction belongs to Rick Kessell.  Kessel did it in 2:19, 40 seconds faster than Lemieux, when he was called up from the Baltimore Clippers near the end of the 69-70 season.  Luca Caputi also did it faster than Lemieux, scoring his marker against Montreal’s Carey Price just 2:30 into his first game.  Kevin Stevens is the only other Pens player to score on his first NHL shift when he beat Minnesota North Stars goaltender Don Beaupre at 4:29 on March 1, 1988.

Faithful followers of the Penguins have witnessed goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury make several rink-length attempts at bagging an empty net goal, but two other Pittsburgh netminders have been involved in a teammate’s first NHL goal.  On Feb. 25, 1989 Tom Barrasso got the second assist on Dave McLlwain’s first NHL goal and in Johan Hedberg picked up an assist on Milan Kraft’s first goal on Oct. 6, 2001.

As for the opposition goaltenders’ connections with Penguins first NHL goals, New Jersey Devils’ Martin Brodeur was between the pipes for eight of them.  Minnesota North Stars’ Ken Broderick surrendered two first NHL goals in one game when Tracy Pratt and Michel Briere scored on Nov. 1, 1969. Mark Kachowski and Rob Brown also scored their primary goals in the same game on Oct. 21, 1987 against New Jersey’s Alain Chevrier.  Finally,  Anaheim’s Steve Shields allowed two goals (Milan Kraft and Dan Lacouture) in one game on Oct. 6, 2001.

Here’s a list of Pittsburgh Penguins First NHL goals:

First NHL Goals