Who is the best player in Penguins' history to wear #12?

The Pittsburgh Penguins' organizational history has a plethora of great players, and we've decided to go through the best Penguins' players to wear each jersey number. Today, we continue the list by naming the best #12 in Penguins' history.

Throughout NHL history, we have witnessed several "hockey families" across generations. There are the Sutters, the Conachers, the Stastnys, the Tkachuks, and many more - including a Penguins' hockey family in the Malones.

The father is Greg, the son is Ryan, they're both "Bugsy", and they both wore #12. One of them is the greatest #12 in team history, and, although it was close, Greg had the edge.

Greg Malone, a center, was one of the few bright spots on some bleak Penguins' teams in the late '70s and early '80s. He played for Pittsburgh from 1976-1983, and the team only had two winning seasons during his tenure despite making the playoffs in four out of his seven seasons. His last season in a Penguins' uniform - in which the Penguins posted an abysmal 18-53-9 record - happened to precede the summer that the Penguins drafted Mario Lemieux.

But he shined brightly in a dark time for the Penguins with his skill and finesse:

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD0hoMPpvZI[/embed]

He also wasn't afraid to drop the gloves from time to time:

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-0XPXOvxtk[/embed]

During his Penguins' career, Malone registered 143 goals and 364 points in 495 games. He went on to play with the Hartford Whalers for parts of three seasons after his Penguins' tenure, and he finished his career with the Quebec Nordiques in 1986-87.

Over 12 NHL seasons, he scored 191 goals and 501 points in 704 games.

Honorable Mentions: Ryan Malone, Bob Errey. Since the #12 selection was nearly a dead tie, we went off-script and decided to shine a light on our honorable mentions.

Bob Errey was a first-round draft pick by the Penguins in 1983, and although it took him awhile to find his footing in the NHL, he picked up steam in the late-80s. He broke out when he played on a line alongside Mario Lemieux and Rob Brown in 1988-89, scoring a career-high 26 goals and 58 points in 76 games. Errey was also a key contributor, both offensively and defensively, on a shutdown third line with Phil Bourque and Troy Loney in 1991 and 1992 Stanley Cup Championship years.

Ryan Malone was drafted by the Penguins in the fourth round of the 1999 NHL Entry Draft. He debuted in 2003-04 - just before the lockout - and he impressed in his rookie season with 22 goals and 43 points in 81 games. Ryan was a three-time 20-goal scorer in his four seasons with the Penguins before signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2008, and he surpassed 20 goals six times in his 11-year NHL career. Of note, he played only six games with the New York Rangers during his 11th season in 2014-15 before his career came to an end.