JANUARY 19 • 2023 | 37

There were three Jewish players 
on the ice Dec. 28 in Pittsburgh 
when the Detroit Red Wings fell 
behind 4-0 in the first period and 
came from behind to beat the 
Penguins 5-4 in overtime for a 
historic victory.
It was the first time in the Red 
Wings’ 96-year history that they 
rallied from at least a four-goal 
deficit to win on the road.
One of the three Jewish 
players in the Dec. 28 game — 
Red Wings defenseman Jake 
Walman — scored the winning 
goal at 2:13 of the overtime 
period.
Walman and teammate 
Andrew Copp entered the 
Pittsburgh zone on a 2-on-1 
break against Sidney Crosby. 
Walman tapped the puck past 

Penguins goalie Casey DeSmith 
after taking a pass from Copp 
and celebrated by doing the 
Griddy dance in a scene that 
went viral.
The other two Jewish players 
in the game played for the 
Penguins. Forward Jason Zucker, 
who has Michigan ties, scored 
twice in the first period and 
defenseman Mark Friedman 
made his season NHL debut, 
playing 13:40 in 21 shifts.
Walman, 26, who was born in 
Toronto, came to the Red Wings 
on March 21, 2022, as part of a 
trade with the St. Louis Blues. 
The former Providence (R.I.) 
College standout signed with 
Detroit for the 2022-23 season 
on Aug. 11, 2022.
Zucker, 31, who was born in 

Newport Beach, Calif., moved to 
Plymouth when he was 15 so he 
could play for the Compuware 
AAA Minor Midget hockey team 
and then to Ann Arbor, where he 
attended Pioneer High School.
He has a tattoo on his left 

arm that reads “In pursuit of 
perfection,” written in Hebrew.
A member of the gold medal-
winning U.S. hockey team at the 
2010 World Juniors tournament 
and a star at the University of 
Denver, Zucker began his NHL 
career with the Minnesota Wild 
and scored his first NHL goal 
Feb. 17, 2013, in a victory over 
the Red Wings.
He was traded to the 
Penguins from the Wild on Feb. 
10, 2020. This is the final year of 
a three-year contract that pays 
him an average of $5.5 million 
per season.
Friedman, 27, who was born 
in Toronto, was a star at Bowling 
Green State University in Ohio 
before being drafted by the 
Philadelphia Flyers in 2014. He 
signed with them March 21, 2017. 
He was claimed off waivers by 
the Penguins on Feb. 24, 2021.

DAVE REGINEK/DETROIT RED WINGS

Jake 
Walman
Jewish Defenseman Scores Historic 
Goal for the Red Wings

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