Sergei Gonchar is the highest scoring Russian defensemen ever, and ranks #17 in the NHL all-time. Of the players above him, he ranks #13 in points per game. The Penguins signed Gonchar during the 2005 offseason, stabilizing their defense and adding a mentor for their newly acquired rookie, and fellow Russian, Evgeni Malkin, who would live with Gonchar as he became acclimated to life in the US. Gonchar anchored the Penguins to a Stanley Cup finals birth in ‘08, and a victory in ‘09, before eventually signing with the Ottawa Senators in 2010. Gonchar, or “sarge” as the players called him, returned as an assistant coach for the Penguins from 2017-2020.

This jersey was used in ten games during the first half of the 2007-08 season, and is a Reebok Edge 1.0 jersey, a new line of jerseys that was ultimately rejected by the players and replaced with a looser fitting cut made with a more breathable air-knit material. It is matched to several games and features decent wear, puck and stick marks, pilling, and pulled threads. It features a “Pittsburgh 250” patch honoring the 250th birthday of the city.