Penguins Quarter-Century First Team: Sergei Gonchar

The NHL announced the Pittsburgh Penguins Quarter-Century team on Jan. 9, featuring several memorable names in franchise history.

Today, we want to examine Sergei Gonchar’s tenure with the club and his credentials for being honored on the Penguins’ first team.

Initially drafted by the Washington Capitals with the 14th pick in the 1992 Draft, Gonchar played parts of ten seasons in the nation’s capital.

He scored 144 goals and 416 points in 654 games, finishing in the Top 10 in Norris Trophy voting on five occasions.

Eventually, he was dealt to the Boston Bruins, playing 15 games with the club before becoming a free agent. During the NHL lockout in 2004, Gonchar played in his native Russia, becoming a free agent.

He came to Pittsburgh on Aug. 5, 2005.

Interestingly, Gonchar recorded 100 penalty minutes during his first campaign with the Penguins, the only time he’d reach triple digits in his career.

However, in year two, he tied a career high with 67 points, which was followed by his final All-Star Game appearance in 2007-08.

Gonchar scored 14 points in 20 games and helped the Penguins to the Stanley Cup Final in 2008, where they lost to the Detroit Red Wings.

During Pittsburgh’s championship season in 2008-09, he duplicated his totals from the previous run with 14 points in 22 games. Gonchar almost tied his regular season input of 19 points, having only played 25 games due to injury.

One year after earning a ring, he scored 11 goals, the last time he’d reach double digits with 50 points, the final time he’d score more than 37 in his career.

During Gonchar’s five seasons with Pittsburgh, these were his totals and ranks among players over the past 25 years:

• Awards: None

• All-Star Games: 2008

• Honors: None

• Stanley Cup Wins: 2009

Gonchar departed the Penguins as a free agent and signed with the Ottawa Senators on July 1, 2010. He played in Canada’s capital city for three years, scoring 15 goals and 91 points in 186 games.

The Senators dealt him to the Dallas Stars on June 7, 2013, where he stayed for only 79 games, scoring two goals and 23 points before a trade to the Montreal Canadiens on Nov. 11, 2014.

During the final 45 games in the NHL, Gonchar scored one final goal and 14 points to finish his 20-year career with 244 goals, 652 assists, and 896 points.