1979 Playoffs: Ferguson wins it for the Pens in OT

The Penguins headed into the third period of the decisive third game of their 1979 Preliminary Round series against the Buffalo Sabres trailing 3-2. The hometown Sabres threw everything they had at Pens goalie Denis Herron in the third, piling up a whopping 18 shots, but couldn't get anything behind the Pittsburgh goalie. The only rubber that hit any twine during the frame was at the other end, when George Ferguson knocked in a Jacques Cossette rebound at the 4:17 mark to tie things up.

But Ferguson's heroics hardly ended there.

The puck had barely dropped on the first overtime period when Fergy corraled it near center ice. "I noticed the left side of the rink was open," he told the Pittsburgh Press in this report, "so I just took off and when I thought I could score I just let it fly."

The puck flew right into the back of the net, giving the Penguins their first playoff series win in four years and only the third in franchise history. You can view a video of Ferguson's winner here.

It should be noted that Ferguson would not have had a chance to be the hero if it weren't for the impressive display by rookie defenseman Jim Hamilton, who scored two goals. Drafted by the Pens in 1977, Hamilton would spend his career shuttling between the big club and the minors, totalling 95 NHL games and 32 points. He played in six playoff games, too, but a finer moment than this one in an NHL rink he never had.

Ferguson would play three more full seasons with the Pens, never scoring less than 21 goals, before being traded to the Minnesota North Stars early in the 1982-83 season.