June 12, 2016 OXFORD, Ohio - As most championship runs do, the story of the Pittsburgh Penguins' postseason run featured a number of heroic efforts over the past two months. While sitting in a sea of compelling figures, a good place to begin the Pens' Stanley Cup story is with
Jeff Zatkoff.
Zatkoff, whose stellar play in goal over three seasons at Miami helped begin the hockey program's ascent into a golden age of success on the ice, became the fourth RedHawk to win a Stanley Cup when the Penguins clinched with a 3-1 win over the San Jose Sharks on Sunday night. While certainly easy to look back and revise history, one can wonder whether this championship run would've gotten off the ground were it not for his steady play at the start of the postseason.
The eventual Stanley Cup champions certainly appeared vulnerable when they opened the playoffs without All-Star Marc-Andre Fleury and rookie Matt Murray due to injuries. Enter Zatkoff, having played just 14 games and earning 11 starts in net during the 2015-16 campaign. With the spotlight burning squarely on the 28-year-old netminder, the Detroit native responded by carrying a shutout into the third period and ultimately stopping 35 of the 37 shots in an eventual 5-2 victory.
That the Rangers won game two and this shining moment was Zatkoff's last before ceding the net to a recovered Murray for the rest of the run was beside the point. Should New York had claimed game one with Pittsburgh licking its literal wounds in goal, who can say how long this triumphant run would have lasted?
Instead, here the Penguins are. Victorious for their fourth Stanley Cup. Matt Murray earning a rightful place in Pittsburgh lore for his stellar play in net throughout the postseason.
Still, fans who followed the run from its inception know to give a tip of their caps to Zatkoff. A man who established a long track of winning, earning 55 in three years at Miami and a school-record 27 in his final season (2007-08).
Jeff Zatkoff, the first sentence of the Penguins' championship story.
