Welcome to our series on who wore each number best for the Penguins.
The idea is being openly borrowed from our new hockey writer, Cody Tucker, and his project at the Lansing State Journal covering all the uniform numbers worn through Michigan State football history, one that’s been well received by their readers and prompted heavy discussion and debate.
Under the organization of Taylor Haase, and following the voting of a big chunk of our staff, we’ll publish one new one each day until completion, which should be right around the start of training camp.
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Name: Jeff Zatkoff
Number: 37
Position: Goaltender
Born: June 9, 1987, in Detroit, Mich.
Seasons with Penguins: 2013-16
Statistics with Penguins: 29 games, 16 wins, 2.66 goals against average, .915 save percentage in regular season; 2 games, 1 win, 3.07 goals against average in playoffs
WHY ZATKOFF?
Why? Really? I'll let Jim Rutherford explain:
“You … if you don’t do what you did for us in Game 1 against the Rangers, if you don’t give us that lift … I don’t even want to think about it."
That's what Rutherford told Zatkoff as he embraced his third-string goaltender on the ice in San Jose on June 13, 2016.
Yes, history will note that Matt Murray was the winning goalie in Game 6 against the Sharks and Marc-Andre Fleury was his backup, but none of it might have been possible without No. 37.
Flash back to two months earlier: April 13.
The Penguins opened postseason play for the third straight season against the New York Rangers, the team that had vanquished them each of the previous two seasons. This time, however, they were without Murray or Fleury, who were both out with concussions.
So, Mike Sullivan turned to Zatkoff, who had played in one game since Feb. 20, the final 42 minutes of the regular season finale after Philadelphia's Brayden Schenn knocked out Murray.
"Tishy" had made 35 appearances with the Penguins over the previous three seasons but had been relegated to the press box after Murray's promotion.
He'd been sworn to secrecy, even to his teammates, after being informed by goaltending coach Mike Bales that he'd be the Game 1 starter. The Rangers didn't know Zatkoff would be the starter until the warmups.
In his first playoff start, his first in over two months, Zatkoff figured to be shaky as the Rangers looked to score an early knockout. Except Zatkoff wasn't shaky, wasn't nervous at all during New York's early onslaught. In fact, the 28-year-old may have made his finest save on this Kevin Hayes shot at point-blank range in the game's first five minutes:
In all, Zatkoff stopped 35 of 37 shots in the Penguins' 5-2 victory.
“I’m an NHL goaltender,” Zatkoff told DKPittsburghSports.com afterward. “And I’m proud of it.”
Though the Rangers would put four pucks behind him on 28 shots in Game 2 to even the series at a game apiece, Zatkoff had done his job in gaining the Penguins an all-important split at home before heading to Madison Square Garden for Games 3 and 4.
Murray returned to the net for Game 3 as the Penguins never looked back, beating the Rangers in five games and then going on to win the Cup eight weeks later.
But Zatkoff's contribution in that series has since become the stuff of local legend.
He never played for the Penguins again. Following the Cup win and the parade, he signed as a free agent with the Los Angeles Kings on July 1.
WHAT'S HE DOING NOW?
Zatkoff, 31, signed a one-year deal with the Straubing Tigers of the Deutschland Elite League on July 6 after receiving no NHL interest in free agency. He was dealt by the Kings last January to the Columbus Blue Jackets organization for future considerations. He appeared in 17 games last season with the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL.
IT WAS SPOKEN
“You don’t get too deep at times like that. I’m really just trying to focus on staying within myself.” -- Zatkoff, on what was going through his mind before Game 1.
“He kept us in this. We weren’t good early, and he was awesome throughout. I’ll tell you, everyone in this room loves him. He got such a tough shake all season. He really did. But he’s as good of a guy as you’ll come across. To be honest with you, I don’t think I’ve ever had a better teammate. There’s something really special about the guy. We were playing hard for him. What a guy. What a teammate.” -- Matt Cullen, on Zatkoff's Game 1 performance.
HONORABLE MENTION AT NO. 37
Kip Miller
Jarkko Ruutu
Carter Rowney
ANY DEBATE?
Considerable. The choice of Zatkoff was not unanimous. Miller played over 150 games in a Penguins uniform and was a favorite linemate of Jaromir Jagr's. Ultimately, Miller never won a Cup.
Tomorrow: Chris Bradford has No. 38.
Yesterday: Matthew Barnaby