I was saddened, but not surprised, by the news that our old friend and Stanley Cup hero, Patric Hornqvist, decided to hang up his skates. Due largely to his uncompromising, hell-for-leather style, “Horny” suffered numerous concussions over the course of his 15-year NHL career, including two last season with the Panthers that limited him to 22 games.
After changing the Penguins’ dressing culture almost singlehanded upon his arrival in the ‘Burgh in 2014, the net-front warrior instilled a winning attitude in the Panthers after being dealt to South Florida in 2020. An attitude that helped fuel a Presidents’ Trophy in 2021-22 and the Panthers’ Cinderella run to the Finals this past season.
In his honor, I’ve posted the following feature from my book, 100 Things Penguins Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.
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Of all the players who sported the skating Penguins logo, if safe to say none were quite like Patric Gosta Hornqvist. Employing a style best described as The Tasmanian Devil on skates, the rugged Swede rose from humble hockey beginnings to establish himself as the prototype crease-crashing forward.
Ironic, when you consider he began his career as a goalie.
“I wanted to be like my dad,” Hornqvist explained. “He was a goalie. Actually my first game, I was playing in net, and it didn’t really work out that well. I think we lost like 11-0. So I told him I don’t want to play in net anymore.”
Hornqvist was hardly a household name when selected by Nashville with the final pick of the 2005 Entry Draft. He soon established himself as a force to be reckoned with, tallying 23 goals in 2006-07 to break the Swedish Elite League record for junior players.
Two years later he joined the Predators. Following a modest rookie season, Hornqvist struck for 30 goals in 2009-10. His game began to crystalize, too. Employing a style reminiscent of countryman Tomas Holmstrom, the muscular 189-pounder planted himself in the crease. Equal parts fearless and relentless, he absorbed a terrific beating from marauding defensemen in the form of slashes, elbows and crosschecks. Yet he kept coming back for more.
“I don’t think I’m tougher than anyone else,” he said. “I play the game the way I believe it should be played. The key is taking those shots and getting back out there for your teammates.”
Hornqvist continued his steady production for the Predators, topping the 20-goal mark in three of his next four seasons. Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, Jim Rutherford assumed the role of general manager. Given a mandate to shake up an underachieving team, he immediately targeted Hornqvist. On June 27, 2014, he acquired the net-front menace for James Neal.
“Hornqvist plays at the net, works the corners,” Rutherford said, describing his prized acquisition. “We think he’s a complete player, an all-around player, a player that plays with an edge. He’ll be good in the playoffs.”
“Horny” immediately won over his new teammates with his infectious, up-beat personality. He earned their undying respect as well.
“I just couldn’t believe the beating he took in front of the net night after night,” marveled frequent linemate Sidney Crosby. “He’d get knocked down, get back up…you see why he’s so tough to play against.”
True to form, Hornqvist tallied 25 goals during his first season in Pittsburgh, despite losing 18 games to injury. Playing through the customary assortment of bumps, bruises and welts, he skated a full 82-game slate in 2015-16 and notched 22 goals.
Just as Rutherford anticipated, the lion-hearted winger emerged as a playoff stud. After notching a hat trick in the 2016 postseason opener, Hornqvist tallied nine goals in all, second only to Phil Kessel among black-and-gold scorers. Ever the opportunist, he notched the final goal of the playoffs, depositing the puck into an empty net to vanquish San Jose and clinch the Stanley Cup.
Fueled by his favorite brew, dark-roast coffee, Hornqvist again reached the 20-goal plateau in 2016-17. As fate would have, the Penguins were pitted against his old team, Nashville, in the Stanley Cup Final. It seemed only fitting that the warrior winger would score the Cup-winning goal, swatting the puck in off Pekka Rinne from the side of the net in his trademark gritty style.
“He’s such a terrific teammate,” said Pens coach Mike Sullivan in admiration. “He’s just all about the Penguins. He just wants to win in the worst way.”
At his best the following season, the maniacal Swede struck for 29 goals in ’17-18, the second-highest total of his career. Red-hot down the homestretch, Hornqvist potted 11 goals in his final 14 regular-season games and five more during the Pens’ aborted stab at a three-peat. Earning him a five-year extension and cementing his legacy as the all-time gamer in franchise history.
Rick
Horny was awesome for the Pen’s and gave them a dimension they
no longer have on the roster. Zucker was probably the next best
thing.
Rick, but I would have to say JR moved him at the right time – His
body was beat up and his game began to regress. I only wish the
Pen’s had another player like him that was waiting in the wings.
Agreed Mike. The Pens don’t win a Cup without Hornqvist. His offensive grit around the opponent’s net made their PP and he was the heart and soul of the team. Moreover, they will not win another Cup until they get a Coach that understands hockey enough to know hockey 101 and how important a Hornqvist is to a Cup equation.
If Sullivan and crew would stop defanging all the prospects, Angello just may have been a replacement. He played that hard when he first got to WBS and had decent hands around the net, but quickly lost his snarl when he realized his TOI was inversely proportional to grit. I haven’t seen him play since leaving Pgh but by the end, he rarely used his size.
Hi Rick
Your book certainly captures the essence of what Patric meant to our Pens and their success.
Well done.
For me when I saw him and Crosby playing together it amazed me how the 1st and the very last players taken in the draft ended up on the same line and both were Cup champions.
One of them had unlimited talent and the other had unlimited heart.
He was forced to retire due to all the pounding his body absorbed as you pointed out.
He will be missed…
Jim
Hello Jim,
Really great observation about Sid and Hornqvist. Especially love your comment regarding one possessing unlimited talent and the other possessing unlimited heart.
Hornqvist was a ferocious competitor. I saw him get beat on like nobody’s business, yet he kept coming back for more. You simply couldn’t deter or discourage him.
For opposing defensemen…and goalies…he must’ve been absolute murder to play against. Perhaps the ultimate compliment for any player.
Rick
Indeed Rick he must have been murder to play against.
If I may add that is ONE KEY ingredient that our Pens have lacked for the past 2 or 3 years. That is not a knock on Sid or Geno or Jeff Carter but none of them have that trait like Patric. It is like he knew he was NOT the most talented player on the ice but he darn well was not going to be OUT worked by anyone. I wish we had 4 players like Patric so every line could have one on the ice at all times.
We not only need to be better as a team but we need that edge again that Patric brought every shift. We need to be hard to play against once again if we want success. .
Jim