Filling in average gaps a must
By Rob Rossi
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
September 14, 2008

A qualifying statement followed the word used by Kyle Woodlief to describe the Penguins' current prospect crop.

"Overall, I'd say it's an uninspiring group," said Woodlief, editor of independent scouting service Red Line Report. "They're good prospects, but there are no world-beaters in the system.

"But that's not a bad thing for the Penguins. They don't need a next wave of world-beaters. The Penguins need some of their prospects to become useful NHL players, and they have plenty of guys in the system that could fill that role."

The Penguins need a few of those guys to begin filling that role Wednesday, when training camp opens. General manager Ray Shero said last week "a few jobs are open," and he is optimistic that a couple more veteran prospects -- 23-year-old forwards Ryan Stone and Jonathan Filewich -- will stake strong claims to roster spots.

However, many of the prospects worth watching in the early days of camp have essentially no chance to play with the Penguins this season.

International Scouting Services scout Mike Oke believes the Penguins should be thrilled with that development.

"They're in a position every NHL franchise wants to be in, but few have the luxury of being in," Oke said. "The rapid development of their best prospects has allowed them to start building a 'Penguins System,' and that's the true measure of success for any franchise.

"Only a few franchises -- New Jersey and Detroit -- have done it. Pittsburgh is going in that direction."

After all, the Penguins don't lack so-called franchise players.

They skated to within two wins of the Stanley Cup last season behind a core consisting of six players selected in the first round of NHL entry drafts dating to 2000. Five of those players -- most notably 21-year-old captain Sidney Crosby, center Evgeni Malkin, 22, and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, 23 -- were among the first five players chosen in their respective drafts classes.

The franchise's evolution from bottom feeder to Cup contender coincided with the rapid development of upper-echelon prospects. With the exception of 2006 second-overall pick Jordan Staal, those prospects are signed to long-term contracts with the Penguins.

"They don't need a savior; they have two or three saviors," said E.J. McGuire of NHL Central Scouting. "They need a next wave of prospects to fill role spots and provide some grit, much as (forward Tyler) Kennedy did last season."

McGuire, Oke and Woodlief each praised the work of Penguins' director of amateur scouting Jay Heinbuck, whose 2007 class Woodlief rated second overall among NHL teams. That class includes center Keven Veilleux (51st overall), left wing Luca Caputi (111th) and defensemen Alex Grant (118th) and Dustin Jeffrey (171st) -- four prospects among the organization's top 10.

McGuire believes each of those prospects solidifies a Penguins' system he termed "deep and defined with players that will capably fill various roles within the organization."

"They are set up very well," McGuire said. "The salary cap and free agency is going to create NHL rosters spots for each club every year. The Penguins' spots are going to need to be filled by players with specific roles -- players with a mix of grit, enough skill and energy.

"They have those types of prospects that will bang on the door for a spot every year."

Crosby to live with Lemieux again
By Shelly Anderson
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
September 11, 2008

It's likely Penguins center Sidney Crosby scoped out a few houses with for sale signs yesterday as he and other members of the organization roamed the area hand-delivering season tickets to 35 homes.

For all that the fourth-year center has seen and everything he has experienced in the NHL, Crosby finds himself in familiar surroundings this week -- that is, he is back living at the home of team owner and former teammate Mario Lemieux and his family.

"I've been looking for a place for the last year, but I haven't found anything I'm quite ready for yet," Crosby said after spending time at the Mt. Lebanon home of David and Mary Disney, original Penguins season-ticket holders dating to 1967.

This was the second year the team had members deliver season tickets. The other Penguins who participated were goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, forwards Jordan Staal, Max Talbot, Tyler Kennedy, Pascal Dupuis and Jeff Taffe, defensemen Sergei Gonchar and Brooks Orpik and coach Michel Therrien.

One thing Crosby, 21, is ready for is the 2008-09 season. Players officially report Tuesday and open the regular season Oct. 4 against Ottawa in Stockholm, Sweden. Most of them are in town.

"It's been a short offseason, but we're here now," Crosby said. "Guys are all skating together, and we've all got that itch to get back out there."

At the end of the 2006-07 season, Crosby was recuperating from a broken foot but was able to resume workouts June 1 as usual. This year, the team still was playing on that date, advancing to the Stanley Cup final before losing to Detroit in six games.

That meant a change in routine.

"It's just a little bit less of everything," Crosby said. "You have to let your body heal a little bit more. You probably can't gain as much as you might have in a typical summer in terms of getting stronger or faster. It's more of just getting back to where you need to be and getting back to feeling good."

That includes his right ankle. He missed 28 games in the second half of the regular season because of a high ankle sprain.

"No issues there," Crosby said. "Hopefully, I don't have to deal with it and I can have a healthy season."

After the Penguins won the Atlantic Division title and spun through the first three rounds of the playoffs with just two losses, falling to the Red Wings hit them hard. That meant there was some soul-searching during the short offseasonhe mostly spent at home in Nova Scotia.

"For the first few weeks after the season, it still stings. You still think about it," he said. "But, once you start working out and you start seeing who's coming in and everything that's happening in free agency and things like that, you realize that it's a new season and you use last season as a motivation. I think we've all moved on. We'll take the experience."

Among the roster changes were the loss of top-six forwards Ryan Malone to Tampa Bay and Marian Hossa to Detroit. It was expected that Malone would leave for a big contract, but Hossa's decision to join the Red Wings on a one-year deal while turning down a multiyear offer from the Penguins came as a surprise to many.

Hossa recently arrived in Detroit to skate with his new teammates and again explained his reasoning.

"It's my decision, and I try to get the best chance to win the Cup and I felt like this is the team to be [with] and that's why I sign with Detroit," Hossa told The Detroit Free Press, adding that it came down to the Penguins or Red Wings and he wasn't concerned about criticism of his choice.

"I don't care. People can say what they want. It's my life, and I make the decision I like."

Crosby, who developed good chemistry with Hossa when they were linemates late in the regular season and during the playoffs, doesn't hold a grudge.

"He's happy with his situation. That's fine," Crosby said.

Asked who he thought had the better shot at winning a Cup -- the Red Wings in 2008-09 or the Penguins over the next five to seven years, Crosby grinned.

"I love when they ask that question because there's 30 teams and the league isn't [predictable] anymore," said Crosby.

"Detroit's got a great team, and they haven't really lost anyone and they've added Hossa. I'm not going to take anything away from them. They're the champions right now and they're a favorite. But since when has it really been a favorite that's really dominated? The league's too competitive. I could say us for the next five years, too, but who knows?"

Whitney injury downplayed
By Dan Stefano
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
August 21, 2008

Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney's recovery from foot surgery won't be complete when the team opens its season Oct. 4 in Stockholm, Sweden, but coach Michel Therrien won't be weeping into the Baltic Sea over it.

"Yes, we're going to miss him, but we faced so many injuries last year (that) this is not something brand new for us," Therrien said Wednesday after assisting with the Pittsburgh Penguins Youth Hockey School at RMU Island Sports Center on Neville Island.

Therrien said he was aware of Whitney's left-foot misalignment last season, which may have caused the defender's production dip after a successful 2006-07 campaign. Whitney expects to return by November or December.

"Our medical staff decided that the best way for him to get better was for him to get an operation," Therrien said. "And we support that."

The Penguins still have seven defensemen with NHL experience to help fill the void, but Therrien will wait to determine the lineup.

"We're going to let training camp dictate," Therrien said. "This is why there is training camp."

One young defender to watch when the Penguins open camp Sept. 16 will be Alex Goligoski.

The Penguins' second-round draft choice (61st overall) in 2004 broke out for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the AHL's Calder Cup playoffs last season, his first in the professional ranks. He led the team with 28 points over 23 games in the postseason and had 38 points in 70 regular-season games.

Goligoski, 23, also appeared in three games for the Penguins last season, recording two assists.

"I like his poise with the puck," Therrien said. "I like the way he skates. He always makes a good first pass. He's a good passer on the power play. He improved through the course of the season, his defensive game.

"At such a young age, those type of players need to improve defensively. We'll see during training camp where he is, and we'll make a decision."

Whitney's troubles aside, Therrien was pleased with the results of a busy off season for the Penguins, which saw fan favorites Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts leave for Tampa Bay, veteran forwards Matt Cooke and Miroslav Satan come to Pittsburgh and young stars Evgeni Malkin and Marc-Andre Fluery sign long-term deals.

"We really concentrate on our young players as the core group of this team, and the future looks really bright," Therrien said.

One of the coach's chief concerns entering training camp is the unusual scenario presented by the Penguins' season-opening trip to Europe, which will have the team play a pair of games against Ottawa on Oct. 4 and 5. Camp will be shorter because of the trip, and the team will have fewer exhibition games against NHL clubs.

"Compared to years in the past, when we have seven or eight exhibition games, which gives you a chance to have more young players to participate in those exhibition games, that's going to be a bit tougher this year," Therrien said. "We only have four exhibition games, so I'm going to concentrate a lot on players that are really close to making it to the NHL."

Whitney out at least three months
By Rob Rossi
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
August 16, 2008

Ryan Whitney's critics have considerably less ammunition today.

Turns out, the defenseman skated on one healthy foot last season.

Whitney, whose point total dropped from 59 in 2006-07 to 40 last season, underwent surgery to correct a left-foot misalignment Friday in Charlotte. Full recovery from the procedure, an osteotomy, usually takes three to five months.

"I just couldn't live on one healthy foot anymore, let alone try to skate," Whitney said Thursday, on the eve of his surgery. "We've tried everything to avoid surgery because we knew it would mean missing a chunk of the season. But nothing worked."

The Penguins confirmed Whitney's surgery yesterday.

Whitney, entering the second season of a six-year, $24 million contract he signed in July 2007, said general manager Ray Shero and coach Michel Therrien "were stunned" during season-ending meetings when Whitney informed them he had played all of last season on basically one skate.

Whitney said several teammates, including defenseman Brooks Orpik and center Sidney Crosby, were aware his left foot "was in bad shape" last season, but he didn't want an injury to be an excuse for an admittedly disappointing season.

"I'm not making that an excuse," Whitney said. "I need to perform better than I did, and I know that is the expectation. But I've always thought skating was the biggest part of my game, and last season, I couldn't skate like I can."

Whitney's loss deals a blow to the Penguins. He spent much of the past two seasons working the "off" point on the power play, where he tallied 16 of his 26 goals.

The Penguins, however, are deep on defense. They will open training camp next month with seven healthy defenseman that are NHL-tested, and right-handed shooting Kris Letang could ease the temporary loss of Whitney.

Also, the organization's top prospect, defenseman Alex Goligoski, starred with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL during his first professional year last season.

Whitney said he first noticed his foot pain when the Penguins played the Ottawa Senators in the opening round of the 2007 Stanley Cup playoffs. He worked with team trainers to correct the problem prior to and during last season, but none of the suggested methods -- specifically the use of orthotics -- worked.

The Penguins supported his decision to seek several medical opinions before opting for surgery, Whitney said. He visited three orthopedic specialists this summer, each of whom initially recommended more conservative treatment options.

But each of those physicians ultimately recommended the osteotomy procedure.

Whitney said missing a portion of the season "looked like a certainty" after consulting with a North Carolina physician who performed the surgery.

"Obviously, had we known surgery was inevitable, we would have had it in June," Whitney said. "Ray was great about trying to treat this without surgery, but nothing we tried worked.

"It's frustrating. We went from being optimistic. I wouldn't miss any time, to maybe not coming back until January. But at least now I know when I come back this year, it will be the me that's coming back."

Lemieux in for long haul
By Rob Rossi
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
August 15, 2008

Mario Lemieux shoveled dirt on speculation his days as majority co-owner of the Penguins are numbered.

"Not for a while," Lemieux said Thursday of potentially selling his share in the NHL franchise his ownership group purchased in 1999. "As long as the ownership group is having fun and putting a good product on the ice, I'll be here for a while."

Those words from Lemieux came only minutes after he joined Penguins executives and state and local elected officials at a groundbreaking ceremony on the site of Pittsburgh's new $290 million arena.

That arena, which team chief executive officer Ken Sawyer said will open for the 2010-11 season, will include a statue honoring Lemieux, the all-time leading scorer in Penguins history.

"We'd be remiss if we didn't have that," Sawyer said of the to-be-designed statue, which will be positioned near the plaza entrance at the northwest corner of Centre Avenue.

Sawyer said revenue the Penguins expect to generate from the new arena allowed general manager Ray Shero to sign several young players to long-term contracts over the past two years - including captain Sidney Crosby, fellow center Evgeni Malkin and goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury.

Lemieux, who said he is "always involved" in personnel decisions, added the Penguins are within $3 million or $4 million of the NHL's 2008-09 salary cap, $56.7 million. He said the team will be better positioned to "go to the cap" when the new arena opens.

The Penguins likely would have pressed against the cap for the upcoming season had right wing Marian Hossa not rejected three offers to stay in Pittsburgh. Hossa, who paced the team with 12 playoff goals in 20 postseason games last season, signed a one-year contract July 2 with the Detroit Red Wings.

"It was very disappointing," Lemieux said of Hossa's departure. "I thought he wanted to be part of what we've built here over the past couple of years - especially with Sid and Malkin, having two of the best players in the world."

Sawyer suggested the Penguins' new arena will be among the best in the world. He credited Ron Burkle, a California billionaire who serves as Lemieux's majority ownership partner, for securing funds last year.

"He became more hands-on during the (arena) process," Sawyer said of Burkle, who did not attend the groundbreaking ceremony. "He knows how to put deals together, and this deal was major and outside of the ordinary for us."

Burkle attended many Penguins playoff games on their run to the Stanley Cup final last season. His enthusiasm for the Penguins was on display when he flew to Nova Scotia for Crosby's surprise 21st birthday party Aug. 7.

Lemieux said Burkle is "having fun," and added that "the entire ownership group is very happy with the way business has been the past couple of years."

The Penguins have played before a franchise-record 67 consecutive home sellouts. They have renewed 99 percent of season tickets for the upcoming season.

"My goal when I came here in (1984) - I gave myself five years to build a great team," Lemieux said. "It took a little longer, but I knew from the start it was a good hockey city."

Note: At least six Penguins games will be televised nationally this season. NBC will air a game Jan. 18 at Mellon Arena against the New York Rangers. That network can select three more Sunday games involving the Penguins in the second half of the season. Cable network Versus will broadcast five Penguins games. FSN Pittsburgh will air all remaining regular-season games.

Artifacts from Igloo could net big bucks
By Andrew Conte
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
August 14, 2008

Priceless to some Penguins fans and historic preservationists, Mellon Arena could fetch top dollar when it starts coming down in two years.

The demolition clock unofficially starts ticking today with the groundbreaking on a $290 million arena that will sit along Centre Avenue, featuring views of Downtown, state-of-the-art technology and possibly a nearby hotel. The arena is scheduled to open for the 2010-11 season.

When the Igloo's demise finally comes, the city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority could recoup some of its costs by selling off the building's stainless steel roof and the sports-themed memorabilia inside. A March 2007 deal to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh calls for the sports authority to demolish Mellon Arena, turn it into a parking lot and allow the team to collect the revenue.

For now, the sports authority has been more focused on preparing the arena site -- rather than determining what to do with the old building, said Doug Straley, the SEA's project executive.

"We haven't really looked at it yet," Straley said. "We've got two more hockey seasons to go, so we're focused on getting the building built right now."

Based on the city Stadium Authority's experience with the former Three Rivers Stadium, however, Mellon Arena could generate some income.

The biggest item could be the Mellon Arena's iconic stainless steel roof -- 170,000 square feet in eight retractable leaves. With a street value of 70 cents a pound, the stainless steel could bring more than $400,000 after it's cut into 5-foot-by-2-foot sections and recycled, according to some estimates.

A Mellon Arena estate sale surely wouldn't stop there, however.

Before Three Rivers Stadium was imploded in 2001, the Stadium Authority made $1.17 million by auctioning off everything from the Sony JumboTron (part of a lot that went for $519,000) to the bullpen home plate ($3,100) to a U.S. flag that flew at the stadium ($650).

The Steelers and Pirates were first allowed to take items they needed, and other pieces were donated to high schools and charities. Rows of stadium seats ($875 a set) ended up in dens and family rooms throughout the region.

The proceeds went toward paying for the building's $5.1 million demolition.

Team officials said they have started brainstorming ideas for the Mellon Arena's final days but have spent more time working on plans for their future home.

When team owner Mario Lemieux and public officials break ground at the future location of center ice at 11 a.m. today, fans are invited to wear boots and come along. That's a theme that will carry through to the building, which fans had a hand in designing, said team spokesman Tom McMillan.

The building will feature sweeping concourses at which fans will be able to see the game action and look out through glass windows to the city skyline. A restaurant and smokehouse bar on the northwest upper corner of the arena will look out toward the U.S. Steel Tower.

"You take advantage of what you have," McMillan said. "We happen to be right on the lip of Downtown with a spectacular skyline. You'll know you are in Pittsburgh."

Inside, the arena will have an high-definition JumboTron, and the Penguins have challenged the Pittsburgh Technology Council to help "future-proof" the building by predicting what latest-technology gadgetry fans will want in years to come, McMillan said.

In filings with the Pittsburgh zoning office, the team has hinted that its plans eventually could include a multistory hotel on the northeast corner of the site, near a planned 500-space parking garage.

"You just get a much better fan experience in a new arena, from the angles of the seats to other subtleties of an old arena versus a new arena," said Neil Irwin, a Phoenix-based lawyer who specializes in sports transactions.

Before the sports authority starts counting money that could come from carving up Mellon Arena, however, it needs to look at the savings that could come from keeping the building, said Rob Pfaffmann, an architect who serves on the board of Preservation Pittsburgh.

The arena could be reused as a hotel or amphitheater, meaning the SEA could avoid demolition costs, he said.

"We want to reuse the Igloo," Pfaffmann said. "We can demonstrate it is fiscally more responsible to reuse the building than tearing it down."

Review: Pittsburgh convention center oversight lax
By Dan Nephin
Associated Press
August 14, 2008

PITTSBURGH - The city's convention center was built with lax oversight that led to cost overruns and quality control problems - including a beam collapse that killed an ironworker, according to Allegheny County's controller.

The city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority, which runs the center, must learn from those mistakes as it breaks ground Thursday on the Pittsburgh Penguins' $290 million hockey arena, Controller Mark Patrick Flaherty said.

In building the David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the authority used an in-house construction manager that wasn't responsible for cost or schedule overruns, Flaherty said Wednesday.

Cost and quality problems would have been reduced had the authority used an at-risk construction manager, which is liable for cost overruns, he said.

Authority officials say they are using an at-risk manager for the arena project.

Flaherty's review of the convention center isn't complete, noted Mary Conturo, the authority's executive director. Still, she said, the authority is applying knowledge gained from the "sometimes challenging experiences in building the convention center" to the arena.

Flaherty said the only thing missing from the review is the authority's response to his findings. He undertook the review, he said, because the authority was embarking on the arena project and he wanted to ensure problems weren't repeated.

Initial plans for the convention center called for a budget of about $215 million, but by the time it opened in 2003, the cost had climbed to close to $400 million, Flaherty said.

The project was also plagued by a series of construction problems.

In February 2002, a 150-ton steel truss fell, fatally crushing an ironworker. Investigators said the truss had been secured with nuts that were too small to hold its weight.

Considering that problem and others, the authority should have restricted or canceled planned events pending independent investigations, Flaherty said.

"I think they were overambitious on such a unique project ... I think they should have had more of a cautious attitude on booking events," he said.

In February 2007, a large slab of concrete crashed to a walkway about 30 feet below when a tractor-trailer drove through a loading area.

Despite the problems, Flaherty said the convention center "remains a safe and cutting-edge green facility for hosting meetings and conventions."

"The building is fine," he said. "Everyone should be proud of it."

The Penguins' arena will be built across the street from 47-year-old Mellon Arena, the oldest and one of the smallest arenas in the NHL. The Penguins hope the facility will be complete by the start of the 2010-2011 season.

On The Net

Pens tap Bylsma to guide Wilkes-Barre
By Tricia Lafferty
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
August 5, 2008

Penguins general manager Ray Shero and assistant general manager Chuck Fletcher came to a solution five minutes after they sat down to discuss the hiring of a new Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins head coach.

The answer was Dan Bylsma, who was promoted Monday from assistant coach to head coach of the Penguins' American Hockey League affiliate.

""The hiring process was pretty simple," Fletcher told reporters at a news conference yesterday. “It started and it ended with Dan.

"It really was a no-brainer. Ray and I sat down and I probably spent five minutes talking about potential candidates and Ray's words to me were, 'Why don't you just hire (Bylsma)?' "

Bylsma was an assistant for the Baby Penguins the past two seasons and will replace Todd Richards, who accepted a position as an assistant coach with the San Jose Sharks last month.

"Spending two years here in Wilkes-Barre, you just get a sense that this is standard in the American Hockey League from a lot of standpoints: the management, the facilities, the fans and the expectations on the players here are second to none," Bylsma said. "And when you want a chance to start your coaching career, you want to be thinking about a place to have success. I don't think there's a better place than here in Wilkes-Barre."

Prior to arriving in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in 2006, Bylsma served as an assistant coach with the AHL's Cincinnati Mighty Ducks in 2004-05 and the New York Islanders in 2005-06. Bylsma made his NHL debut as a player with the Kings in 1995-96 and appeared in 220 games with Los Angeles throughout five seasons. He joined the Ducks prior to the 2000-01 season and was a member of the team that advanced to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2003.

Bylsma's experience as a player and NHL assistant coach, as well as his familiarity with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, made him an attractive hire.

"Obviously, the continuity was important to us," Fletcher said. "We've had two highly successful seasons here and Dan was a big part of it. Dan and Todd coached together and there was a lot of responsibility spread between the two. Certainly, we don't feel what's happened here over the last two years, it's not broken, so we don't want to fix it."

The Baby Penguins advanced to the Calder Cup playoffs the past two seasons. They advanced to the Calder Cup finals last year before falling to the Chicago Wolves in six games.

Bylsma said his team's style of play will be very similar to what fans have seen the past two seasons.

"We will be hard-working," Bylsma said. "We will be prepared. We will be passionate. We will play with a lot of energy and the product will reflect that on the ice. The question is how am I going to accomplish that? I'd be remiss if I didn't thank Todd Richards up until this point.

"He's a huge part of my coaching career, a huge part of my development as a coach and I will mimic him a lot as a head coach."

Crosby's 21st birthday nears
By Rob Rossi
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
August 3, 2008

Sidney Crosby's offseason training gets serious Monday when he hits the ice. The only day he plans to take off between then and Sept. 17 -- the opening of Penguins' training camp -- is Thursday, his 21st birthday.

Yep, Sid's days as a Kid are numbered. He will celebrate with some junior hockey friends at a barbecue at his home in Nova Scotia.

"I can hold my own," Crosby said of his grill skills. "But one lesson I've learned is to keep it simple."

Rarely one to look back, Crosby did just that in an exclusive interview last week with Tribune-Review Penguins beat reporter Rob Rossi:

Q: What do you want for your 21st birthday?

A: I've thought about this because a lot of people have asked. Honestly, I couldn't tell you one thing that I want.

Q: What does turning 21 mean for you?

A: To be honest, it doesn't change anything on the ice. Off the ice, I'm able to drink. I look at it like this: At 19, I'm an adult in Canada. Now, I'm an adult all the way around.

Q: So what adult beverage does "Sid the Kid" drink?

A: Jack Daniels or Crown Royal.

Q: How did being under the legal drinking age in the United States limit your off-ice activities with teammates?

A: All the guys were great about that, actually. The good thing about being on a young team is that all the guys knew we had three guys under 21. Anything we did, we all could be a part of. I didn't miss out on anything.

Q: What will you do better at 21 than you did at 20?

A: Play a full season, for starters.

Q: Fair enough. How is the right ankle?

A: It needs to keep getting stronger, but it feels good.

Q: What did you learn during your first season as team captain?

A: That I'm still learning. I'd like to be a better leader. I really think it's a matter of recognizing things and using my experience from last year to recognize when something needs to be said or handled. There are certain moments when you have to be more of a leader. It's hard to explain, but last year helped make me more aware of that.

Q: How would you characterize your first three NHL seasons?

A: It's been a lot of fun. I've had a lot of experiences, that's for sure. We finished my first season 29th overall and worked our way up to the Cup final. It's been kind of up and down, but more ups than downs.

Q: What has been your greatest surprise?

A: How tough it was for us the first year. There was so much being said about how good we would be. We just struggled, and I didn't really expect that. I expected us to compete and have a chance. But a lot of things happened, and it was a big surprise because coming in, I expected to go far.

Q: What is your greatest disappointment?

A: Being so close and not winning the Cup is still hard to digest.

Q: Was it at all surprising to come within two victories of the Cup only two years after finishing 29th overall?

A: Well, we have a lot of guys that have been together since that first year, and we'd been growing. We earned that chance. It's great to see the attitude we have -- that we can be productive if we stick together. We've proved we can do well without a lot of experience.

Q: Of what you have accomplished before your 21st birthday, what stands out most?

A: Going to the final. We lost. It's not the best memory, but the whole journey -- at the time it was awful that we lost -- but it was fun and a great ride. That is something you want to go through as many times as you can.

Q: Of what you have yet to accomplish before your 21st birthday, what stands out most?

A: Not finishing the deal. It's hard not to think about it. Everybody I see brings it up. I'm reminded by it everywhere. You always see things on TV where guys had the Cup in their hometown. It's a constant reminder. The memory of losing is not something that just goes away.

Q: How much more motivated are you to win the Stanley Cup after losing in the final?

A: I thought I was motivated before. It's definitely more now. Being that close and not being able to do it -- it's just hard. The quicker you can get back and win it, the better.

Q: How did you react upon learning Marian Hossa would not re-sign with the Penguins?

A: I was pretty surprised. He told me that he really enjoyed it in Pittsburgh. He loved the team and the city. He never had one bad thing to say.

Q: Have you spoken with Hossa since he signed with Detroit?

A: We've played phone tag, but I haven't talked to him yet. I thought he liked it here. He was great to play with. It's too bad.

Q: What is your reaction when a former teammate that played alongside you in the Stanley Cup final says another team gives him a better chance to win the Stanley Cup next year?

A: To be honest, if you look at (the Red Wings), they haven't lost anyone. We came within two games, but they won, and they haven't lost one guy. Maybe on paper they have the best chance to win the Cup and, in his mind, that is what he thinks. If you ask anybody else, that's the way it looks. I'm not mad at him or anything like that. That's just the way it is.

Q: Do you derive any extra motivation from his comments?

A: We have enough motivation in the fact that we came that close and didn't win. Whether he said that or not doesn't matter.

Q: What is your assessment of the Penguins' off-season dealings to date?

A: It's been really good. It says a lot about the organization when it signs long-term deals with players that have been here. It sends a message to the rest of the team, too -- we have to do our part. That's important and encouraging.

Q: What should the expectations for the Penguins be this season?

A: Every team plays to win the Stanley Cup. That's what we want coming in, but there are a lot of things to be done before that can happen. Our goal should be to be better than we were last year. It's no given to reach the playoffs. You never look too far ahead. We have to keep that approach that we did last year.