The Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational history is full of exceptional players, and we decided to take a look at the best Penguins players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best No. 38 in Penguins history.
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Eleven players have worn No. 38 for the Penguins, and there’s really only one name on that list who deserves the honor.
This is the “X-Generation” striker Jan Hrdina.
Hrdina, a Czech forward drafted in the fifth round by Pittsburgh in 1995, had a successful career with the Penguins. In his first season in 1998-99, he recorded a respectable 13 goals and 42 points in a full season.
His five seasons with the Penguins – notably with Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr – were the best of his seven-year NHL career. His best season came in 2001-02, when he scored 24 goals and 57 points in 79 games.
But Hrdina wasn’t just known for his complementary offensive abilities. He was also known for being a good faceoff player as well as a good defensive forward, which contributed to good work on the penalty kill:
During his career with the Penguins, Hrdina accumulated 79 goals and 227 points in 366 gamesHe was traded to the Phoenix Coyotes during the 2002–03 season, where he spent one more season before finishing the final two years of his NHL career with the New Jersey Devils and Columbus Blue Jackets.
Hrdina retired due to complications from hip injuries. He finished his career with 101 goals and 297 points in 513 games.
Related: Best Penguins by Jersey Number: #37
