THE The Pittsburgh Penguins“The history of the organization is full of great players, and we decided to take a look back at the best Penguins players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best No. 33 in Penguins history.
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Twenty-two players have worn the number 33. Doug Bodger, a defenseman, wore it for one season in 1985, but he mostly wore the number 8. Marty McSorley, a defenseman and right winger, wore it in 1994.
But there was another defenseman who was a legitimate offensive threat before he was traded in 1991. And that was Zarley Zalapski.
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Zalapski was drafted fourth overall by the Penguins in 1986 and was with the Penguins from 1988 until the 1991 trade deadline (which we’ll get to later).
He made an immediate impression. Zalapski scored three goals and had 11 points in his first 15 games, and it was clear from the start that he was a commanding presence in the offensive zone.
During his career with the Penguins, Zalapski scored 33 goals and 135 points in 190 games, playing on the top pairing alongside Paul Coffey and often sharing the ice with Mario Lemieux. He had a powerful shot and, like Coffey, was a keen skater.
And in the 1990-91 season, in which he scored 12 goals and 48 points in 66 games, he was one of the league’s leading scorers among defensemen.
Because Zalapski was a legitimate defensive talent, it ultimately made it more acceptable for Hartford general manager Eddie Johnston – formerly the Penguins’ general manager – to trade a franchise player to Pittsburgh.
On March 4, 1991, Zalapski and forwards John Cullen and Jeff Parker were traded to the Whalers in exchange for Ron Francis, Grant Jennings and Ulf Samuelsson, in what still stands as one of the biggest and most lopsided trades in NHL history – that is, in favor of the Penguins.
Zalapski played for Hartford until the 1994 trade deadline, when he went to Calgary. He also played for Montreal And Philadelphia before retiring from the NHL in 2000 with 99 goals and 384 points in 637 career games.
He tragically died at the age of 49 in 2017 from complications related to a viral infection.
Related: Best Penguins by Jersey Number: #32
