The Pittsburgh Penguins’ organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we’ve decided to go through the best Penguins’ players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #52 in Penguins’ history.
Only three players in team history have worn #52, with the most recent being forward Emil Bemstrom. The first to wear it was Rusty Fitzegerald in 1996, a center who played in only 25 games for the Penguins and registered four points.
There’s really only one answer here, and it was a guy who ended up being a bit of a cult favorite for a short time in Pittsburgh. That would be defenseman Mark Friedman.
Friedman was drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the third round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. He spent three seasons in the Flyers’ organization and didn’t see much playing time before he was waived and claimed by Pittsburgh on February 24. 2021.
Although he was still, largely, a seventh defenseman, Friedman got more of an opportunity at the NHL level with the Penguins. He isn’t the biggest guy at 5-foot-11, 185 lbs, but he was pesky, he was feisty, and he had a knack for getting under the opposing team’s skin.
He was particularly good at getting under the skin of his former team, as he – apparently – was not a very popular guy in that locker room. He scored his first NHL goal in his first game against Philadelphia, and he also plowed over then fought Flyers forward Joel Farabee during his second contest against them:
But Friedman also had some good offensive instincts. He excelled at joining the rush and being aggressive on the offensive attack. He also scored a memorable playoff goal against the New York Rangers and celebrated in a fashion that only Friedman would by trolling two Rangers fans at ice level.
Over the course of his Penguins’ career, Friedman registered four goals and 11 points in 54 games. He was traded to the Vancouver Canucks in October 2023, and he re-signed with the team on a one-year deal this past summer.
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