By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/?m=1
Little more than 12 hours after his Los Angeles Kings were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Vancouver Canucks in six games Sunday night, old friend Rob Scuderi was on the telephone from his Manhattan Beach, Calif., home to offer best wishes to one and all.
"Now that we're out, sure, I'd love to see the Penguins win it all again," he said.
You expected Scuderi to be pulling for the Washington Capitals?
Please.
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
Kings defenseman Rob Scuderi on his former team, the Penguins: "Maybe it will be a little bittersweet for me if they win again."
You can take Scuderi out of Pittsburgh, but you can't take Pittsburgh out of Scuderi. He spent all or parts of five NHL seasons in a Penguins sweater, experiencing the lowest of lows in 2005-06 when the team had 58 points and the highest of highs last season when it lifted the Stanley Cup in no small part because of his fine work on the blue line. He still watches the Penguins' games when he can and keeps in touch with many of his former teammates, notably defenseman Brooks Orpik.
"Maybe it will be a little bittersweet for me if they win again," Scuderi said. "But it's not like I left there with a feeling of unfinished business. It was sad to leave, but I'll always know that I accomplished something special with that group of guys."
If the Penguins don't win this season, I'm blaming Scuderi.
For, you know, leaving.
The Penguins aren't as strong defensively without Scuderi. Teammates didn't call him "The Piece" last season for nothing, did they? OK, they did, but more on that in a second. The team misses him and shutdown defensive partner Hal Gill, who left as a free agent for the Montreal Canadiens. In case you haven't noticed, Gill is having a terrific playoff series against the President Trophy-winning Washington Capitals, who will try to survive against the Canadiens tonight in Game 7 in Washington.
"They might miss me a little," Scuderi said of the Penguins, "but they're certainly not showing it. Every time I've seen them play, they've looked really good. I think the defensemen have played great."
That's Scuderi.
Mr. Humble.
That's why the Penguins playfully jumped all over him during the Cup final last season when he misspoke in a Post-Gazette story. Instead of saying he was a piece of the team's puzzle, he said, "I'm the piece to the puzzle that you need to get a championship."
Hence, "The Piece."
Scuderi's teammates loved the way he took their abuse with a smile. It went a long way toward easing the tension during the pressure-packed final against the Detroit Red Wings. They also loved something else he said in that same article.
"I'm not ashamed of what I do for my team or how I help my team win. I'm always going to be a role player and I'm fine with that."
That's why no one in the Penguins' dressing room or front office begrudged Scuderi's decision to leave. He sifted through offers from Dallas, Minnesota, Tampa Bay and the New York Islanders before accepting a four-year, $13.6 million contract from the Kings.
Not bad for a role player.
"The Piece," indeed.
Penguins general manager Ray Shero, who wanted to keep Scuderi but couldn't fit him under the team's salary cap, said the big deal couldn't happen to a better guy.
"There's no player in the history of hockey who wanted to leave a championship team," Scuderi said. "I'm just glad I had the choices that I had."
Scuderi gave the Kings just what they expected -- solid defense, a strong presence in the room and a top-shelf partner for ridiculously young Drew Doughty, 20, who is a finalist for the Norris Trophy.
"To be as poised and as patient with the puck as he is at his age, he's definitely a special player," Scuderi said.
The man knows one when he sees one after playing with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in Pittsburgh.
Scuderi said this year's Kings remind him of the Penguins' team in 2006-07 that was eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Ottawa Senators, a painful but necessary step in the development of the Stanley Cup champions. Doughty is just one of several young, talented players who should be better next season for the experience they gained against the Canucks. The Kings won two of the first three games in the series only to lose three in a row, blowing third-period leads in two.
"We're all disappointed how the series ended," Scuderi said. "But there's no doubt this was a step in the right direction for this organization. They hadn't made the playoffs in eight years, and we got there. We were a couple minutes away from winning a couple more games. Hopefully, everyone learned their lessons."
The roughest part for Scuderi?
It's not even May yet.
"I'm not used to having this much time in the offseason," he said. "My wife just asked me, 'What are we going to do now?' "
Hernia surgery is in Scuderi's immediate future. The Scuderis also will move into the new home they just bought outside of Boston. Then, there's a little playoff hockey to watch.
"Oh, yeah, I'll be watching the Penguins," Scuderi said.
Rooting for 'em, too.
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the "Vinnie and Cook" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan.
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