NHL goalie goal deep dive: Penguins' Tristan Jarry joins short list of scorers

Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Tristan Jarry may have showed more outward emotion celebrating with teammates after scoring an empty-net goal late in the third period Thursday at Tampa Bay than at any point in his career with the club.

Jarry, in his eighth season with the Penguins, is usually reserved and soft-spoken in his mannerisms.

But after sealing the deal for the Penguins, who left Amalie Arena with a 4-2 win over the Lightning, he was visibly amped.

Jarry had good reason to be excited.

The goal Jarry scored was the first by a Penguins goaltender and only the 17th by a goalie in NHL history.

He became just the 14th goaltender in league history to record a goal.

For the first time in Pittsburgh Penguins history, we have a GOALIE GOAL! pic.twitter.com/fXvx99fvRh

— Pittsburgh Penguins (@penguins) December 1, 2023

A second-round pick by the Penguins in the 2013 NHL Draft, Jarry managed to score a goal at the American Hockey League level on Nov. 14, 2018, while playing with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

In light of Jarry’s goal last night, we thought we’d do a #flashbackfriday and revisit this beauty from 2018 ????

He’s really got a flair for the historic, huh? pic.twitter.com/R2cFJLPFEI

— WBS Penguins (@WBSPenguins) December 1, 2023

Fellow Penguins goalie Alex Nedeljkovic also scored a goal for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton this season back on Nov. 17.

Looking at rare feats across professional sports, goalie goals have occurred with less frequency than a perfect game in baseball, which 22 pitchers have accomplished during the game’s Modern Era.

In the NFL, 66 quarterbacks have achieved a perfect passer rating of 158.3 during a game since the statistic was developed in 1971.

The most holes-in-one recorded during the PGA Tour (since 1971) came in 1994, when 44 were aced.

“It’s pretty neat, honestly,” Jarry told reporters in Tampa Bay following the win. “It’s something that doesn’t happen very often. There are very few that have done it. It’s something that’s definitely pretty cool, but honestly, the win means more.”

Boston’s Linus Ullmark was the last NHL goalie to score, doing so Feb. 25, 2022 against Vancouver.

The first NHL goaltender to accomplish the feat was Billy Smith of the New York Islanders on Nov. 28, 1979, against the Colorado Rockies.

In that instance, Smith, as the last player to touch the puck, was credited with a goal when Colorado’s Rob Ramage scored in his own net.

Of the 17 recorded goalie goals in league history, seven have been scored in this manner, while 10 goals came as a result of a direct shot on goal, such as Jarry’s Thursday.

None other than former Penguins general manager Ron Hextall, then playing for the Philadelphia Flyers, became the first goalie to score by direct shot on goal during a 5-2 win over the Bruins on Dec. 8, 1987.

Later, on April 11, 1989, Hextall scored his second (and final) career goal, becoming the first netminder to do so in the postseason when he managed one against Washington in an eventual series win for the Flyers.

Longtime New Jersey Devils goalie and Hockey Hall of Famer Martin Brodeur holds the record at the position with three career goals.

He and Hextall are the only goalies to record more than one goal during their careers.

Below is a chronological look at all 17 goalie goals recorded in NHL history from 1979 to Jarry’s tally Thursday.

Billy Smith, New York Islanders, Nov. 28, 1979

Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers, Dec. 8, 1987

Ron Hextall, Philadelphia Flyers, April 11, 1989

Chris Osgood, Detroit Red Wings, March 6, 1996

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils, April 17, 1997

Damian Rhodes, Ottawa Senators, Jan. 2, 1999

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils, Feb. 15, 2000

Jose Theodore, Montreal Canadiens, Jan. 2, 2001

Evgeni Nabokov, San Jose Sharks, March 10, 2002

Mika Noronen, Buffalo Sabres, Feb. 14, 2004

Chris Mason, Nashville Predators, April 15, 2006

Cam Ward, Carolina Hurricanes, Dec. 26, 2011

Martin Brodeur, New Jersey Devils, March 21, 2013

Mike Smith, Phoenix Coyotes, Oct. 19, 2013

Pekka Rinne, Nashville Predators, Jan. 9, 2020

Linus Ullmark, Boston Bruins, Feb. 25, 2023

Tristan Jarry, Pittsburgh Penguins, Nov. 30, 2023