Pittsburgh Penguins: 2016 Gallant Game Winning Goal Scorers
By Rob Joncas
A few players who scored multiple GWG in 2016 with the Pittsburgh Penguins.
On Jun. 12, 2016, the Pittsburgh Penguins claimed the Fourth Stanley Cup in the team’s history with a 3-1 victory over San Jose in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Four players scored multiple game-winning-goals during the Penguins siege to reach Stanley and here is a look back at those players.
Eric Fehr
Fehr is a veteran of 652 games over 14 seasons with Washington, Pittsburgh, Toronto, Winnipeg, San Jose, and Minnesota. Fehr scored 113 career regular-season goals with 21 of the goals being game-winning-goals (GWG)
In 70 playoff games, Fehr scored 11 goals with two GWG, both scored with Pittsburgh.
Fehr scored the GWG’s, in Pittsburgh’s Game 4, victory over the New York Rangers (5-0) in the first round and in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 victory over Washington in Game 2 of their second-round series.
Matt Cullen
Pittsburgh made Cullen an honorary “Dad” during his tenure with the club, and he has developed into quite the cult hero.
Cullen appeared in 1516 games during his 21-year career and made stops in Anaheim, Carolina, Minnesota, Pittsburgh, Florida, Nashville. New York, and Ottawa prior to his retirement at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.
Cullen scored 266 goals over his career with 37 of them being GWG. In the post-season, Cullen scored 19 goals ( four GWG) in 132 games.
Cullen was credited with the GWG’s in Pittsburgh’s 3-1 victory in Game 3 against the Rangers, and the 6-3 victory in Game 5. The GWG in Game 5 was also the series-clinching goal.
Nick Bonino
Bonino is a veteran of 626 regular-season games and has played with, Anaheim, Pittsburgh, Nashville, and Vancouver over his 11-year career. Bonino was acquired by the Penguins from Vancouver on Jul. 28, 2015.
Bonino has scored 122 regular-season goals with 13 being GWG. In the postseason Bonino has played 92 games and has scored 18 goals (six GWG).
The legend of “Bonino, Bonino, Bonino” was born during the 2016 playoffs when Bonino scored arguably two of the biggest goals of his career, with one being just a little “bigger” in the grand scope of things.
Bonino collected the GWG in overtime of Game of the Penguins second-round match-up vs. the Washington Capitals, the goal was also the series-clinching goal, which sent Pittsburgh off to the Conference Finals vs. Tampa Bay.
Bonino’s second GWG of the playoffs occurred in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final vs. San Jose to give the Penguins the 3-2 win.
Although the goal itself lacked the same dramatics of the series-clinching goal vs. Washington. A penalty taken by Ben Lovejoy in the dying minutes of the game provided some rather tense moments, but the Penguins held on and Bonino’s goal stood as the winner.
Sidney Crosby
Crosby has scored 462 (64 GWG) regular-season goals with the Penguins.
Crosby’s 64 GWG”s is good for Fourth place on the Penguins all-time list for most GWG’s
- 78 – Jaromir Jagr
- 74 – Mario Lemieux
- 73 – Evgeni Malkin
- 64 – Crosby
Coincidentally, Crosby has scored 66 playoff goals, with nine being credited as GWG.
Three of Crosby’s GWG’s came in the 2016 Eastern Conference Final vs. Tampa Bay, which tied Kevin Stevens record for most GWG scored in a single series. Stevens set the mark in 1991.
Crosby collected the GWG’s in Game 2 (3-2 OT), Game 3 (4-2), and Game 5 (5-2), which helped propel the Pittsburgh Penguins into the Stanley Cup final.