Penguins far from satisfied

By Joe Starkey
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, May 19, 2008



Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury makes a stretching save on Philadelphia Flyers' Jeff Carter during the third period Sunday in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final at Mellon Arena.
Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review

No offense to the lovely Prince of Wales Trophy - which goes to the NHL's Eastern Conference champion - but Penguins center Jordan Staal probably spoke for a lot of people when he said, "I don't think I ever heard of it before tonight."

To be sure, the Staal boys did not grow up on their 500-acre sod farm in Thunder Bay, Ontario, wondering how it would feel to hoist the Prince of Wales Trophy one day.

The Penguins wanted no part of the thing Sunday after their smashing, 6-0 victory over the Philadelphia Flyers, one that assured them a spot in the Stanley Cup final.

It was no big deal that the Penguins refused to touch the Prince of Wales Trophy on the ice. Nobody does that. It's considered bad luck before the Stanley Cup final.

But the Penguins went a step further. They wouldn't even let the trophy inside their dressing room - a strong indication that they are far, far from satisfied.

As grizzled winger Gary Roberts put it, "There's a bigger Cup to win."

None of which mattered to Philip Pritchard, who stood outside the dressing room at 6:20 p.m., wondering what the heck he should do with the 40-pound Prince of Wales Trophy he was cradling in white-gloved hands.

Pritchard, who works for the Hockey Hall of Fame in Toronto, has been handing out conference championship trophies since 1988. He asked a Penguins' representative if he could bring it into the dressing room and set it down. The rep said he would ask inside and check back.

"I've never had a team not allow it in the dressing room," Pritchard said.

That streak ended five minutes later when a security guard emerged and said the Penguins did not want the trophy in the room.

Penguins coach Michel Therrien laughed when the story was relayed to him.

"That's their choice," Therrien said of team executives who presumably made the call. "I know what Cup they're looking for."



The Penguins' Brooks Orpik knocks down the Philadelphia Flyers' Daniel Briere in the second period of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Final at Mellon Arena, May 18, 2008.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review

The Penguins shouldn't be satisfied. This team is built to win it all now, and there is no guarantee anyone will get even one more crack at a Stanley Cup. Certainly, this group will be at least partially broken up before next season.

Roberts won it all with the Calgary Flames as a 22-year-old and said to himself, "I wonder how many times I'll be back here."

He's finally back - at age 41.

General manager Ray Shero recounted a story he'd just heard from director of player development Tom Fitzgerald, who played on the 1996 Florida Panthers team that upset the Penguins in the Eastern Conference final.

"They thought they were going to win the Stanley Cup," Shero said.

They didn't, losing to Colorado.

So you can understand why the mood inside the dressing room was so tame. The only sign of real celebration was a champagne toast among family and friends of team members outside the club offices.

Sure, the Penguins were pleased to have stormed to the final with an unbelievable 12-2 playoff run. They were thrilled to have dismantled the Flyers in what had to be one of the more satisfying victories in franchise history (and the second most-lopsided home playoff win, topped only by a 7-0 shutout of New Jersey in 1993).

But there is so much more work ahead. The final four victories will be the toughest to achieve. This mostly youthful group seems to understand as much. It has shown uncommon maturity to this point and wasn't about to get all giddy yesterday.

The players even refused to don the "Eastern Conference Champion" hats and T-shirts given to them. Three of those hats were placed before Sidney Crosby, Ryan Malone and Marc-Andre Fleury at the post-game interview podium.

All three players left without so much as touching one.



The Penguins' Sidney Crosby skates away from the Philadelphia Flyers' Jason Smith in the second period of Game 5 in the Eastern Conference Final at Mellon Arena, May 18, 2008.
Chaz Palla/Tribune-Review

You'll know this team has won something of significance when one of the reticent co-owners - Mario Lemieux or Ron Burkle - speaks to reporters. The enigmatic Burkle politely declined an interview as he shook players' hands, saying, "I'm not good at it, but thanks."

Unlike the Prince of Wales Trophy, two of those hats and four of those T-shirts actually made it into the dressing room. They rested, completely ignored, on a pair of hangers in Lemieux's vacant locker stall.

A few feet away, hanging on the wall, is a framed photograph of the only trophy the Penguins want -- the big silver one.

"For us, this is just another step," Therrien said. "We're getting closer."


Joe Starkey is a sports writer for the Tribune-Review. He can be reached at jstarkey@tribweb.com.