Dedication paying off for Pens' Evgeni Malkin

By Rob Rossi, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Sunday, April 8, 2012

Pittsburgh Penguins' Evgeni Malkin (71) celebrates his 50th goal of the season with teammate Sidney Crosby in the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Pittsburgh Saturday, April 7, 2012. (AP)

Evgeni Malkin is an acknowledged cheater.

As a teenager, his mom said, Malkin would complain of a sore arm and quit tennis matches against his brother late in a decisive set when defeat seemed imminent.

Since joining teammates' card games on Penguins charter flights, he has bullied his way to wins. All is well if Malkin plays the proper hand, but somebody is at fault if he does not and teammates concede defeat rather than deal with his sharp jabs or sleight-of-hand deals, winger Matt Cooke said.

The surest sign of Malkin's willingness to put himself over, at least in the opinion of his dad, are the nights when he sabotages his girlfriend during games of Narde, a two-player board game similar to backgammon.

"If I lose, I hate everyone, everywhere," Malkin said Thursday night after he scored a goal and recorded an assist in a home win over the New York Rangers his sixth goal and eighth point in six games against the club with the best record in the Eastern Conference.

To be clear: Malkin is cool with cheating if it means not losing.

"Always," he said, flashing a grin, "and sometimes it's the same in hockey. You stay near the blueline, and the coach gets mad, but sometimes if you want to win you need a little bit to cheat."
This season has proven to be an ironic exception to that rule.

Malkin, 25 and in his seventh NHL campaign, won a second scoring title with 50 goals and 109 points and is the favorite to win the Hart Trophy (MVP) for which he twice has finished runner-up by refusing to cheat on a commitment to fitness he made about a year ago while rehabbing an injured right knee that forced him to watch the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

He has not skimped on the daily workouts that involve plyometric circuits, core compulsions, lung-burning cardio, kettle bells and traditional weights. What he started in July in Moscow with Penguins strength coach Mike Kadar continued through a postgame session Saturday.

Staying in supreme shape so that teammates could count on him to consistently produce not becoming only third Penguins player to lead the league in scoring more than once is what Malkin said he is most proud of this season.

That is a very Sidney Crosby-like thought, and it should not surprise anybody that Malkin expressed it.
"Geno is like Sid in the sense that he leads by example," Kadar said. "Also, if there is something in front of him, he wants to win at it.

"If you'd look at the stuff we did in the gym over the summer, it was always him wanting one more rep than the guy he was working with, but once we were done with the workouts, it was him back to being laid back and laughing. He's really funny in those spots, but when there is a competition, he gets serious. You can actually see the difference on his face.

"I think he knew he had to step up this season because we weren't sure about Sid's health."


Read more: Dedication paying off for Pens' Evgeni Malkin - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_790414.html#ixzz1rV9DYUYW

Highlights: Penguins 4, Flyers 2

What to Expect in 2012

By Joe Giardina
Painting The Black
http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/
Mon, 04/02/2012

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: Erik Bedard #45 of the Pittsburgh Pirates pitches against the Philadelphia Phillies during the Opening Day game on April 5, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

For the first four months of the 2011 season, the Pirates were relevant again. They entered the All-Star break above .500 for the first time since 1992. They had three All-Stars for the first time since 1990.

On July 18 they were in first place in the NL Central – the latest in the season they were atop the division since 1997. But the final two months weren’t as kind. They lost 47 of their final 72 games and finished the season in fourth place, 24 games back of the division-winning Brewers.

So what is to be expected in 2012? Here are some bold – and some not so bold – predictions…

DO EXPECT to see left fielder Jose Tabata take a step forward in his development as a legit major leaguer. Despite the hype that has surrounded him – be it due to the fact he came from the Yankees, or that he was a victim of that awkward false identity scheme last season – Tabata really hasn’t shown much at the major league level, besides being an injury-prone singles hitter. But general manager Neal Huntington doesn’t generally throw money around easily, and the fact that Tabata was given nearly $15 million guaranteed shows they believe in the type of player he can be, and that the double-digit homerun power will eventually come – just as long as he can stay on the field.

DON’T EXPECT to see Pedro Alvarez develop into the middle-of-the-order bat the Pirates so desperately need. Spring numbers mean little – when they are good. But this spring Alvarez struggled with exactly what he has failed to do throughout his young career, and what he was expected to work on this offseason – hit the outside pitch, recognize off speed pitches, hit the ball consistently with authority. Maybe playing winter ball would have been a good idea? Regardless of the fact he struck out in nearly half of his March at-bats, Alvarez will start the season in Pittsburgh. There is a good chance the results won’t be pretty.

DO EXPECT to see Andrew McCutchen bounce back from a forgettable second half of 2011 in which he hit .216 with a .330 OBP. It’s no secret that McCutchen is the team’s most gifted player, which was obvious even before the ink dried on his new six-year, $51.5-million contract. He is the rare talent that can work the count (.390 OBP in the first half of 2011), hit for power (.505 SLG in the first half of 2011) and run (78 career stolen bases in two and a half seasons). Oh, and he is only 25 years old, meaning he hasn’t even approached his prime. Developing into an eventual 30/30 player, perhaps as soon as this season, isn’t out of the question.

DON’T EXPECT to see Jeff Karstens repeat his amazing two-month run last season in which he went 5-1 with a 1.77 ERA. It’s been written before, but Karstens repertoire doesn’t blow anyone away. His fastball isn’t fast, his breaking pitches aren’t unhittable, and even his usual control has at times escaped him this spring, with eight walks in 17 innings. Again, spring numbers obviously can be skewed, as perhaps he was working on specific pitches, or pitching to a certain location – but the fact is Karstens is a bottom of the rotation starter. On the Pirates, however, he is slated as the number two starter.

DO EXPECT to see Eric Bedard become the most significant and successful free agent signed under Huntington’s watch (not that he is dealing with exceptional company). Four years ago Bedard was making more than $7 million a year and coming off a season in which he struck out slightly more than 30 percent of the batters he faced, which at the time was the seventh best strikeout rate in the history of the American League. This off-season, due to obvious health concerns (he has started only 54 games and thrown 293 innings over the past four seasons, missing all of 2010), Huntington signed him for one year at $4.5 million. He might be one of the most fragile pitchers in baseball, but when he has toed the rubber he’s averaged nearly a strikeout per inning and hasn’t shown much regression. Is he a lock to start 30-plus games? Probably not. But against weaker offenses in the National League, the Pirates only need him to remain relatively healthy until the All-Star break, because…

DON’T EXPECT to see Bedard finish the season in a Pirates’ uniform. The benefit of a low-risk, high-reward signing like Bedard is that if he does stay healthy and perform to his ability, he will become valuable trade bait at the deadline. Contenders are always looking for starting pitching, especially when it’s available in a cheap, pro-rated one-year deal.

Read more: http://www.pittsburghsportsreport.com/PSR/node/4234

Pirates must dig deep for runs

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, April 6, 2012

Pirates pinch hitter Nate McLouth strikes out in front of Phillies catcher Carlos Ruiz during the eighth inning Thursday at PNC Park.
(Christopher Horner/Tribune-Review)


It spoke volumes that a pinch-hit at-bat by Nate McLouth put the biggest charge into the PNC Park-record 39,585 watching the Pirates` 126th season opener Thursday.

Not the strikeout that followed.

The at-bat itself.

It started with polite applause as McLouth was summoned on deck in the eighth inning, the Pirates having a man aboard and trailing the great Roy Halladay and the Phillies by a run. It then grew to a full-throated ovation when McLouth was announced. And by the time he stepped into the box, some folks were standing.

Not just in the stands. You should have seen the home dugout.

"Oh, we were totally into it," fellow outfielder Andrew McCutchen said. "That was awesome."

It was a neat moment. Really was. McLouth was a popular All-Star performer with the Pirates before plunging into Mendoza territory in two-plus seasons with the Braves. People clearly remembered and respected what he did here.

"For these fans to do that … that was so cool," McLouth would say in a quiet clubhouse. "I was trying not to think about it because I was locked into the game. But it means a lot. I just wish it would have been a different outcome."

Right. The outcome.

Turns out McLouth`s smoked liner for a foul ball on Halladay`s first pitch would be one of just four — count `em, four — hard-hit balls all day for the home side. No kidding. Neil Walker and Clint Barmes swatted balls to the track in left, and pitcher Erik Bedard lined out.

It was worse than that, actually. After Alex Presley opened the first inning with a soft single and Jose Tabata reached on a sweet bunt, all the rest of the Pirates` at-bats produced zero runs, zero hits, zero walks, seven balls getting as far as the outfield and, hey, those two hit batsmen.

Where have you gone, Jason Kendall`s elbow guard?

That`s why the fans rose to their feet for McLouth.

That`s also why, in a pleasant surprise, they warmly welcomed struggling Pedro Alvarez for his first at-bat. Funny, but it might have been the Pirates` best all day. Alvarez fought through seven pitches — the most Halladay threw to anyone — before flying out.

"Great at-bat," bench coach Jeff Banister said. "It`s what we want to see."

Pulling hard for struggling players is the stuff of a fan base fully aware that this offense will need to find hits under every overturned couch pillow.


Read more: Kovacevic: Pirates must dig deep for runs - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/columnists/s_790167.html#ixzz1rFwcKetY

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: A general view of the home plate gate at PNC Park prior to the Opening Day game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies on April 5, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: A general view of PNC Park during the Opening Day game between the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies on April 5, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: Pedro Alvarez #24 of the Pittsburgh Pirates signs autographs for fans prior to the Opening Day game against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 5, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: Erik Bedard #45 of the Pittsburgh Pirates throws the first pitch of the game to home plate in front of Shane Victorino #8 of the Philadelphia Phillies during the Opening Day game on April 5, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: Roy Halladay #34 of the Philadelphia Phillies pitches against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the Opening Day game on April 5, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH, PA - APRIL 05: Ty Wigginton #24 of the Philadelphia Phillies slides safely into home plate to score in front of Rod Barajas #26 of the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 7th inning during the Opening Day game on April 5, 2012 at PNC Park in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

Highlights: Penguins 5, Rangers 2

It's 82 or bust for Bucs

By Joe Starkey, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Thursday, April 5, 2012

In this image made with a fisheye lens, members of the media line the dugout area and watch as the Pittsburgh Pirates have a practice session at PNC Park, Wednesday, April 4, 2012, in preparation for Thursday's opening day baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies in Pittsburgh. (AP)

Clint Hurdle, the second-year manager, insists his team is "better" than it was last season in all facets offense, defense, starting pitching, bullpen and bench.

Neal Huntington, the fifth-year general manager, says the club is ready to make "another big step."

Bob Nutting, the sixth-year principal owner, speaks of a different "expectation level."

What's it all mean in terms of won-loss record for the 2012 Pirates?

Well, nobody wants to get that specific. Which is just as well. The last time a Pirates official pegged a win total, it was then-owner Kevin McClatchy predicting 90 wins in 2000.

He was only 21 off.

Certainly, nobody wants to mention the magic number, even if we all know what it is.

Eighty-two.

That's right, 82 wins. A 10-game improvement on last season.

A complicated sabermetrics calculation tells me 82 is one more than 81 a nice number upon which much of the fan base is fixated. After all, an 81-81 record would snap their team's pesky 19-year losing skid.

Problem is, it would not prevent the streak of non-winning seasons from reaching 20. Eighty-one wins would therefore be annoying, confusing and highly inconvenient.

It's 82 or bust.

Nobody's saying 82 wins should be a stated goal at Pirates headquarters. That would be embarrassing. But the rest of us know the importance of 82 and until the Pirates post a winning season, that 500-pound gorilla will have a prominent place in their clubhouse.

Is this the year?

I doubt it. But a bad division and better arms give the Pirates hope. There is always hope, especially on Opening Day.

I asked MLB analyst Eric Byrnes to put a percentage on the Pirates winning the NL Central. He did not hesitate.

"None. Zero. Zilch," he said.

Really, no chance? Byrnes amended the figure to 4 percent, which sounds about right. His analysis was spot-on.

"This isn't a bad team," he said. "I don't think it's a team that will lose 100 games. But this isn't a good team. They have a bunch of middle-of-the-road guys."

Good thing the Pirates don't listen to voices outside of their clubhouse especially the sabermetrics crowd. Consider ESPN's "fantasy projection" for new shortstop Clint Barmes:

Barmes is one of the worst regulars in baseball ... his .297 on-base percentage the past six seasons combined is ninth-worst among players with 2,000-plus plate appearances.

Casey McGehee?

Coming off one of the worst seasons of any regular his .223 batting average was fourth-worst and .626 OPS third-worst among qualified hitters.

Geez. How about Pedro Alvarez?

Among players who saw at least 200 curveballs and sliders combined last season, his .072 batting average against them was a major-league worst.

Alvarez hit .072 on breaking balls? Good thing he went to winter ball to work on that. Oh wait ...

The division has gotten worse, no doubt, but I'm guessing you wouldn't mind a middle of the order featuring Ryan "Real Story" Braun, Aramis Ramirez and Corey Hart. That's Milwaukee's. Or maybe a 2-3-4-5 combo of Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman and David Freese, like they have in St. Louis.

How about a rotation that kicks off with Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos (Cincinnati), or maybe Yovani Gallardo, Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum (Milwaukee)?

Circle those games against the rebuilding Cubs and pitiful Astros all you like, just know this: Somebody's circling the Pirates, too.

Injuries obviously could be an equalizer. Alvarez could be one, too and I'm expecting Andrew McCutchen to leap toward MVP-like numbers but the biggest key, as always, is starting pitching.

Incredible pitching is why the Pirates were in first place in late July. Horrific pitching is why they crumbled.

Erik Bedard, A.J. Burnett and Charlie Morton have top-starter stuff without top-starter resumes. If they stay healthy, and if some combination of Jeff Karstens, Kevin Correia and James McDonald is respectable, all bets are off.

I'm betting on 72-90 again but there's always hope. Especially on Opening Day.

Highlights: Penguins 5, Bruins 3

It's Bylsma's move now

By Dejan Kovacevic, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Monday, April 2, 2012

Pittsburgh Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, center, talks with Penguins' Steve Sullivan (26) and Sidney Crosby (87) on the bench during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Philadelphia Flyers in Pittsburgh, Sunday, April 1, 2012. The Flyers won 6-4. (AP)

Forget the Penguins' total flat-liner of a 6-4 loss to Philadelphia, if you hadn't already by sundown Sunday. The outcome meant little, and the sideshow that followed meant less.

There's no point fretting over blowing home ice for the Stanley Cup Playoffs, not with the Flyers still undefeated at Consol Energy Center. You'd rather see Games 1 and 2 in the Civic Arena rubble than on this side of Centre Avenue.

No point fussing over Peter Laviolette's freak-out, either.

In a final-minute show of what might well have been manufactured rage, Philadelphia's coach reacted to Joe Vitale's textbook hipcheck on Daniel Briere and an ensuing center-ice brawl like a petulant 7-year-old: He smashed a stick, finger-pointed the Penguins' bench and — in a classic case of the pot calling the kettle orange and black — twice described the Penguins' staff as "gutless" for deploying the fourth line late in a lopsided game.

OK, and?

The Flyers behaving boorishly is about as newsworthy as Cup-free summers on the other end of the commonwealth.

No, the most important takeaway here for the home side should have been this hard realization: These fast, furious and more-skilled-than-most-think Flyers are very much a threat to outskate, outsmart and ultimately outlast the Penguins in the first round if Dan Bylsma and his staff don't make major — and yes, gutsy — adjustments.

Here are five:

1. Leave the lines alone

The only line Bylsma left unchanged through this game - and in recent weeks — was Evgeni Malkin, James Neal and Chris Kunitz. There's no reason that shouldn't also be true for Sidney Crosby, who had four wingers in addition to semi-regular linemates Steve Sullivan and Pascal Dupuis in the first period alone.

I raised the issue with Bylsma, and he replied that "there's probably a little bit of a misconception that I mix and match," adding that special teams can force his hand. But he used 13 combinations in the Penguins' previous meeting with the Flyers and 11 in this one.

If Bylsma is going to ream out his players for a lack of cohesiveness, as he did last week at practice, he needs to do his part.

2. Um, Letang on point?

Kris Letang returned from missing three games to injury, but he remained conspicuously missing from the power play, as Bylsma stuck with his talented by terribly non-functional five-forward formation.

If that seems nuts, consider that Bylsma afterward vowed to continue the five-forward plan "into the playoffs," while getting "Kris into the mix."

If that's not a bluff, it borders on madness.

3. Malkin up front

On one power play Sunday, the NHL's leading scorer touched the puck exactly twice. Both times, he was 100-plus feet from the net, lugging the puck to the red line to let others do the offensive work.

To whom should Laviolette send the thank-you card if this persists into playoffs?

Malkin on the half-wall brought a 26 percent success rate. This isn't complex.

4. Stop the stretch

The Flyers, like most opponents during this 2-4 funk, stretched out the Penguins in the neutral zone by sending a forward behind the defense. That forced one defenseman to backpedal early — looked like Zbynek Michalek got started an hour before faceoff — leaving the middle of the ice open for an easy breakout and, all too often, an odd-man break.

Max Talbot, formerly of the Penguins, acknowledged the Flyers picked up the flaw in video study: "You look at things."

There isn't an easy answer. If Bylsma brings a forward back into the neutral zone, that takes away the Penguins' natural aggressiveness.

The best remedy is the one Bylsma has been advocating: Stop recklessly forfeiting possession when deep in the attacking zone.

That was Michalek's response, too: "We all just need to manage the puck better."

5. Adjust, adjust, adjust

Bylsma and his staff deserve all the praise sent their way over the years, but no one can charge them with being adept at changing on the fly. That's been obvious in failures to adjust to disciplined opponents such as the New Jersey Devils, and it was most glaring in the first-round loss last season to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Anyone remember the Statue of Liberty power play?

That's the one where the participants barely budged from their perimeter positions, the Lightning stood in the box and wiggled their sticks and, before long, the Penguins were hitting the links.

Time to get moving.

Highlights: Flyers 6, Penguins 4

Highlights: Islanders 5, Penguins 3

Fond memories: Fisher, retired voice of Penn State, goes back a long way with Pirates

He met Honus Wagner and saw Babe Ruth hit his last home runs

By Lou Prato
The Altoona Mirror
http://www.altoonamirror.com/
March 18, 2012

Fran Fisher, Penn State football's radio announcer, gazes at Beaver Stadium from the Press Box. (Collegian Photo / Timothy Gyves)


STATE COLLEGE - Two of the most memorable days in the history of the Pittsburgh Pirates at Forbes Field were on October 13, 1960 when Bill Mazeroski hit his dramatic game-winning home run in the ninth inning of the 1960 World Series and on May 25, 1935 when the legendary Babe Ruth hit the last three home runs of his career.

There is at least one dedicated Pirate fan in the region who not only witnessed those immortal home runs in the now extinct Oakland ballpark, but he also met the equally legendary Honus Wagner during Pirate batting practice when Wagner was an honorary coach around 1930.

The fan may not be as famous as those three Hall of Famers, but he is also well known in his own right. After all, Fran Fisher was "The Voice of Penn State football" for nearly 40 years.

"I was raised as a Pirate fan by my dad," Fisher, now 88, said as he gears up for another Pirates' season. "My father, Homer, was a devout Pirate fan, and the company he worked for was a box holder at Forbes Field, and he used to take me to games. I met Honus Wagner, and it came about in an unusual way."

The Fisher family then lived in Dormont, and Homer Fisher had became a friend of pitcher Wilbur Cooper, the best Pirate pitcher of his era (1912-1926) and a teammate of Wagner's until Wagner's retirement in 1917.

Homer was a pioneer in the building and constructing of the Memorial Park concept - cemeteries without tombstones - and as sales manager of a local company, he hired Cooper to sell cemetery plots after Cooper retired.

Cooper, who is still the Pirates' winningest pitcher in history with a 216-178 record, invited Homer and his young son to watch a Pirate batting practice.

"I think I was around 6 or 7," Fisher said, "and Wilbur Cooper suggested to my father that since I had become such a fan, it might be enjoyable to me and my father if he would take me to the Pirate dugout before the game to watch batting practice and maybe get some autographs. Wilbur arranged that, and we went to a game and sat right next to the water cooler, as Wilbur had suggested, because when the players finished batting practice, they always wanted a drink of water.

"We got there very early and prior to the start of batting practice, this old, bowlegged guy comes waddling over to the dugout and tousled my head like a guy would do with a youngster. When he walked away, my dad said, 'Do you know who that is?' and I said no, and he told me it was Honus Wagner.

"He was an honorary coach then ... as a PR thing. I've read recently that the Pirates hired him as an official coach in 1933, and reportedly he helped players with their batting and fielding, pitched a little batting practice and did some other little things. But was really still there for public relations, and he did that until he died [in 1955]."

In 1935, Fran Fisher had another brush with greatness. Homer and his son were sitting a couple of rows behind the Pirates' dugout along the first-base line for the final game of a three-game series against the Boston Braves. Along with most of the 10,000 other fans that Saturday afternoon, the Fishers were there to see Babe Ruth, who had been traded by the New York Yankees to the Braves in February. By that time, the Fisher family had moved to Greensburg, where Homer had created and owned the new Westmoreland County Memorial Park.

Everyone in baseball, including the fans, knew the great home run king was close to the end of his playing career. His skills had deteriorated, and he could hardly do anything but hit and trot slowly around the field.

Ruth was batting just .157 in 20 games, and had hit just his third home run of the season in the Braves' previous game at Chicago when Boston opened a three-game series with the Pirates on May 23. The Braves were in last place with an 8-18 record and the Pirates in fifth at 16-17. Forbes Field could seat up to 41,000, but attendance at each of the three games was estimated at about 10,000.

Fisher was 12 at the time, and he witnessed history.

"I remember he hit one into the lower deck, dropped it right over the right field screen, hit the second one into the second deck, and then hit his third one over the roof and clear out of the ball park, the first of only four guys in history to hit one clear out of Forbes Field," Fisher said with excitement still in his voice after what he had witnessed 77 years ago. "Those were his final home runs - 712, 713 and 714. He played just five games after that until he retired completely."

Read More: http://www.altoonamirror.com/page/content.detail/id/559107/Fond-memories--Fisher--retired-voice-of-Penn-State--goes-back-a-long-way-with-Pirates.html?nav=751

Related: Lion broadcaster takes place among radio's elite -
http://www.collegian.psu.edu:8080/archive/1997/10/10-09-97tdc/10-09-97d03-006.htm

Dupuis shows his winning touch again

By Ron Cook / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
March 26, 2012

Pittsburgh Penguins' Pascal Dupuis celebrates his second period goal with teammate Sidney Crosby during an NHL hockey game against the New Jersey Devils in Pittsburgh Sunday, March 25, 2012. (AP)


Pascal Dupuis slid in quite nicely Sunday night as the No. 2 star between Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in the Penguins' 5-2 win against the New Jersey Devils.

Three of a kind, you know?

"C'mon, you're pushing it now," Dupuis said, grinning. "You're really pushing it."

Not as much as you might think.

OK, so the woman who took part in the Penguins' scoreboard version of "Wheel of Fortune" early in the game couldn't come up with "Dupuis" even though she was spotted "Super Duper Pascal ... "

To most other Penguins fans, though, Dupuis is becoming something of a household name.

"I'm not going to lie to you, this is mentally fun," Dupuis said. "I've never come close to a streak like this."

Dupuis scored the winning goal against the Devils late in the second period, cruising down the slot, taking a pass from Crosby and burying the wrist shot. It was his eighth winning goal of the season. To put that in perspective, Tampa Bay's Steven Stamkos, who has an NHL-best 52 goals, has 10 winners. Malkin has nine winners among his 46 goals.

"Eight game-winning goals are a career, let alone one season," Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said.

The goal stretched Dupuis' point-scoring streak to 10 games (8 goals, 5 assists). A little perspective again: That matches Jordan Staal for the Penguins' longest streak of the season. Only five players in the league have longer streaks, led by Carolina's Eric Staal and the New York Islanders' John Tavares with 12.

The goal also extended Dupuis' career single-season-best total to 23. An assist later on a Crosby goal gave him 50 points for the first time. It's a remarkable total because he generally gets almost no power-play time. The Penguins are 20-1-1 when he scores a goal and 34-5-1 when he has a point.

Dupuis has to be the Penguins' MVP, right?

Don't be silly.

I'm talking most versatile player.

The man can play on anywhere from the first to the fourth line.

"Hopefully, not too much of the fourth," Dupuis said, grinning again.

Dupuis played on Crosby's line with Chris Kunitz in the 2010-11 season before Crosby was hurt and helped Crosby produce a staggering 32 goals and 66 points in 41 games. This season, Dupuis has spent much of his time on Jordan Staal's line with Steve Sullivan. With Sullivan out with an injury Sunday night, Dupuis played mostly with Crosby and Tyler Kennedy.

Read More: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/ron-cook/dupuis-shows-his-winning-touch-again-628001/

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.

Highlights: Penguins 5, Devils 2

Highlights: Senators 8, Penguins 4

Evgeni Malkin shows goals to pal Alexander Radulov

By Josh Cooper
The Nashville Tennessean
http://www.tennessean.com
March 23, 2012

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 22: Evgeni Malkin #71 of the Pittsburgh Penguins is congratulated by his teammates on the bench after scoring against the Nashville Predators in the third period during the game on March 22, 2012 at CONSOL Energy Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)

PITTSBURGH — Cheers of “MVP” filled Consol Energy Center on Thursday evening. And forward Evgeni Malkin obliged the announced crowd of 18,579 with another superb performance.

Malkin, the NHL’s scoring leader, had two goals for the Penguins in a 5-1 victory over the Predators — clinching a playoff berth for Pittsburgh — on two blasts from the circles. One knuckled in on Pekka Rinne; the other was a hard shot that found the small opening on the corner.

“He was dynamite,” Predators Coach Barry Trotz said. “If I had to vote today, there is no question he would be MVP for me. I saw him once up close, and he was great.”

With forward Sidney Crosby missing all but 13 games this season with a concussion, Malkin has needed to provide offense for Pittsburgh. After Thursday’s game, Malkin had 95 points in 66 games.

“He’s one of the better players in the world, and he teed it up a few times tonight and put it in,” Rinne said. “I have to be better, but you have to respect that guy’s skill, too.”

Malkin might have had some extra motivation. He and Predators forward Alexander Radulov — who played his first game in the NHL since 2008 — are good friends. The two conversed both before and after the game in the basement of the arena.

Radulov and Malkin were both drafted in 2004. Malkin was the second pick and Radulov was the 15th selection. Malkin has won the Stanley Cup and a Conn Smythe Trophy.

“He’s unbelievable. What do you want me to say? He’s one of the best in the NHL right now, so, (good) for him,” Radulov said. “When they won the Stanley Cup, he was playing the same. He was playing the best.”

Fluke goals: For a team that prides itself on defense, the Predators have given up goals early and often in the past two games.

In their loss to the Penguins, some of those goals were fluky. In addition to Malkin’s first score, Chris Kuntiz’s goal bounced off Shea Weber’s skate.

Nashville has allowed 11 goals in its past two games.

“We’re just not committed enough defensively,” Weber said. “I think we’re too worried about scoring goals. We need to figure out that our main priority is playing defense. We’re talented enough to score goals. Right now we’re thinking offense first and not defense.”

Gaustad out: Forward Paul Gaustad (upper body) is targeting Saturday against the Winnipeg Jets as a return date. Gaustad said he could have played Thursday, but the coaching staff thought it was better to rest him.

“We made the decision to make sure everything was 100 percent,” Gaustad said. “I’m looking at Saturday. I would like to help out right now. But long term going toward the playoffs it would be the best decision to stay off the ice tonight.”

New city: When Steve Sullivan signed with the Penguins last summer, his family came with him.

Sullivan has four young children, so the decision to move the family from Nashville — a place they called home since 2004, when he was traded to the Predators — didn’t come lightly. After he retires, however, Sullivan plans to move back to Nashville.

Still, the family is enjoying its time here.

“The transition has been pretty seamless,” said Sullivan, who had an assist in 13:56 of ice time Thursday. “They’ve been huge troopers. My kid, the oldest one, is getting older. He had some roots in Nashville and having to make that transition wasn’t easy, but they’re happy now, and I’m proud of how they’ve been able to adjust.”

Reach Josh Cooper

at 615-726-8917

or jcooper2@tennessean.com.

Highlights: Penguins 5, Predators 1

Crosby Show plain insane

By Joe Starkey, PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/?_s_icmp=nav_sports
Thursday, March 22, 2012

PITTSBURGH, PA - MARCH 20: Sidney Crosby #87 of the Pittsburgh Penguins handles the puck against the Winnipeg Jets during the game at Consol Energy Center on March 20, 2012 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)


If this Crosby kid ever gets his timing down, look out.

Are you watching this?

Are you watching this?

I ask twice because it's easy to take Sidney Crosby's magnificence for granted. He returns after missing several months, and it's like, "Of course he's lapping the field in points per game. That's what he does."

Nobody does this.

Check that. Mario Lemieux did this, and then some. He made the most remarkable comeback in sports history. Returned from 3.5 years of retirement, at age 35, and immediately became the most prolific point producer in the NHL.

You won't see that again.

But if you blink — or spend even a nanosecond worrying about Crosby's career-long 11-game goal drought — you might miss something special.

Like a behind-the-back pass that triggers a tic-tac-toe goal.

Or a 50-foot backhand saucer pass that lands on a teammate's tape.

Or a cross-ice bullet from one knee that winds up in Evgeni Malkin's wheelhouse for a one-time goal.

Crosby has nine points in four games since he returned to the lineup, 21 points in 12 games overall. That averages to 1.75 points per game, easily tops in the NHL and better than the torrid pace he carried last season, when he was headed for the league's first 130-point season since 1995-96. (Lemieux had 161 that year.)

This is ridiculous. You could freeze Crosby in a cryogenics lab for 20 years, pull him out and drop him into a game, and he'd put up three assists.

Remember, he missed training camp. He has missed so many months of competitive hockey. It takes a fellow player to truly appreciate what the man is doing.

"I missed training camp, too, so I can put it into perspective," defenseman Brooks Orpik said. "Training camp is where you get all your timing back, get your good conditioning out of the way for the rest of the season. When you miss that, you don't have a lot of time in-season to play catch up."

Crosby's perfectionism is at work here, as well. Teammates could see he was capable of inflicting damage weeks before his latest return. He was ready. But he wasn't Sid-ready.

Wasn't ready to dominate.

"I think, even three weeks before he came back, we were saying, 'Geez, he looks great. Why isn't he playing?' " Orpik said, laughing. "That's Sid. He's such a perfectionist. I think if he came back too early and wasn't at the level he's used to, it would drive him crazy."

Here's the scary part: Crosby isn't at the level he's used to. Finishing will be the last part of his game to come together. And it will come together, perhaps starting tonight against Nashville.

It's just a matter of time. Crosby's minutes will go up — he hasn't cracked the 20-minute mark since his return — and his touch will come back.

"It takes time to get that anticipation and reaction back," Crosby said after Tuesday's game. "That's the difference sometimes. You have to go to those (scoring) areas and trust your instincts and hopefully get the bounces."

Martin Brodeur robbed Crosby with a blind, blade save last weekend. A Winnipeg defenseman cleared a Crosby shot just before it crossed the goal line Tuesday.

"Obviously, I love to score, so I want to take advantage of the chances I get," Crosby said. "But there's not a lot I would change at this point, really."

No, things at this point are pretty good. Fantastic, actually. How fun is it to see the band back together? The way the Penguins whipped the puck around Tuesday, "Sweet Georgia Brown" would have been appropriate background music.

Crosby and Malkin are beginning to make beautiful music together on the power play. Penguins television analyst Bob Errey put it well after the game Tuesday, saying this might be the closest we ever come to seeing Lemieux and Wayne Gretzky on the same team.

Anyone in his right mind would label a healthy Penguins team the bet to win it all. I asked winger Pascal Dupuis if the players welcome the favorite's role.

"Yeah, why not?" he said. "The way we feel, we're confident in ourselves right now. If people want to say that about us, perfect."

Dupuis winked and added, "They're maybe a little scared of us."

They should be.

Sid's back.

Ward's exit speech redefines tear-jerker

By Gene Collier, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

March 21, 2012

Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward, right, announces his retirement from the NFL at the Steeler's offices in Pittsburgh Tuesday, March 20, 2012. In rear from left listening are: Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert, and Steelers President and co-owner Art J. Rooney II. (AP)

Well, I hope you're happy; you made him cry.

That's you, Steelers Nation, you fans from Pittsburgh to Pittston to Paris to Piracicaba, Brazil, and everywhere else in The Constellation of the Towel. You were the reason Hines Ward came back to Steelers headquarters Tuesday for one last real wet weep.

That Ward got released by the franchise he loved Feb. 29 surprised few, and that he quickly retreated from his stated intention to play further and chose instead to retire as a Steeler surprised perhaps some, but that he melted into a persistent lacrimation within minutes of his moment surprised no one.

Someone in the Steelers organization has the official results, but linebacker James Harrison, seated behind me at the noon news conference, called the first secretion at 2:26 of Ward's last official act.
Ward somehow got through an additional 25 minutes.

Harrison sat with former Ward teammates Jerome Bettis, Aaron Smith and Brett Keisel, and said unashamedly "we're doing an over/under on tears."

You think they were kidding?

Harrison seem like a kidder?

Ward cried early and often, late and often, pretty much doing the whole thing in a heavy mist, and, for anyone not terribly familiar with No. 86, it was as completely genuine as it was target specific:

"The one thing I love more than football," he gulped. "Steelers Nation and the fans."

Ward said he couldn't imagine playing for another team, which actually might have been the only way he could have played for another team, imagining it. The pounding snowstorm of outrageous free-agent cash that blanketed the NFL's receiving corps this month left Ward's sidewalk as dry and sunny as this new Pittsburgh spring.

I was hoping this presser was staged so that Ward could announce he was running for governor, which wouldn't be the first trail blazed for him by Lynn Swann. Though Swann could counsel Ward on any political aspirations, there's no confirmation Hines has any, at least not beyond the sometimes nonsensical politics of who winds up in Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Read More: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/gene-collier/wards-exit-speech-redefines-tear-jerker-627212/

Related: "Hines Ward's Last Down" -
http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/steelers/hines-wards-last-down-627231/

Highlights: Penguins 8, Jets 4

Pens can still beat themselves

By Mark Madden
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/
March 19, 2012

Philadelphia Flyers' Scott Hartnell (19) scores the game-wining goal past Pittsburgh Penguins' Marc-Andre Fleury (29) and Sidney Crosby with 0.9 seconds left in overtime of yesterday's game in Philadelphia. (AP)

The Penguins ran roughshod over Boston, the New York Rangers and New Jersey by identical 5-2 scores. An opposing coach analyzing video of those games will feel like an army general watching an alien invasion. Options are very limited and mostly ineffective.

In other words: Dead meat.

But Sunday's 3-2 overtime loss at Philadelphia provides a reminder that the Penguins can still beat themselves.

The Penguins were victimized by a hot goalie and a hot shooter, two staples of springtime heartbreak. Ilya Bryzgalov made 38 saves and Scott Hartnell scored twice to give the Flyers the extra point.

The Penguins also got hurt by laissez-faire refereeing that caught them retaliating, not the Flyers infracting. They had better get used to that. NHL referees have put their whistles away. For keeps, I bet.

But the Penguins mostly committed hockey hara-kiri. They lost their cool at inopportune times. Ultimately, it cost them.

Zbynek Michalek got a penalty for slashing Philadelphia's Claude Giroux while he was on the bench. Giroux's a wonderful player. But he's no threat on the bench. The Flyers used that power play to score just 31 seconds into the third period, cutting Pittsburgh's lead to 2-1.

Evgeni Malkin took a hooking penalty behind Philadelphia's goal line just two minutes later. The Flyers have many wonderful players. But none is a threat 200 feet away. The momentum stayed with the Flyers and they tied the score 18 seconds after Malkin's penalty expired.

Malkin took an unnecessary elbowing infraction before regulation time expired, putting an exclamation point on a not-too-bright third period. The Flyers didn't capitalize. But, after being outshot 27-10 over two periods, they had seized the game's ebb and flow and were worthy winners by the time Hartnell netted in overtime's final second.

Malkin was targeted by the Flyers, often after the whistle. He had better get used to that. It's part and parcel of being an MVP candidate.

Malkin scored a marvelous goal. He has scored in every game since Sidney Crosby's return. Malkin seems disinterested in taking a back seat. Good.

But Malkin needs to channel his emotion better than he did Sunday. The same could be said of his teammates. You want to stick up for yourselves, but the Penguins engaged too often. That suited the Flyers just fine.

The loss is no big deal. Not yet. In a race where the distance between the top seed and the fifth seed is just three points, though, it's easy to imagine Sunday's result impacting the Penguins negatively.

But the Penguins had just won 11 straight. Sooner or later, you lose. I'm sure the dressing room empathizes, though, when I ask, "Why to them?"

The Penguins were indomitable at Manhattan and Newark. Carved two good teams into edible individual servings. Crosby's return makes the Penguins impossible to check. Every winger is a potential goal-scorer.

That includes Matt Cooke. Playing mostly with Crosby, Cooke had two goals against the Rangers and two more against the Devils to tie his career high of 16. Cooke is one of hockey's feel-good stories, though you might not read it at NHL.com. He has minimized his evil side, in the process proving that he's a pretty good hockey player.

If Cooke reaches 20 goals, maybe NHL dean of discipline Brendan Shanahan should grant Cooke a mulligan on a head shot. One more, for old times' sake.

The Penguins are dangerous. Crosby looks great, but isn't near what he can be. If they protect his head, and use theirs, greatness is possible.

Mark Madden hosts a radio show 3-6 p.m. weekdays on WXDX-FM (105.9)

Highlights: Flyers 3, Penguins 2 (OT)

Highlights: Penguins 5, Devils 2

Cooke steals spotlight from Crosby

By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
March 16, 2012

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 15: Sidney Crosby #87 (2nd R) of the Pittsburgh Penguins watches the puck go into the goal scored by Matt Cooke #24 (R) against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)

NEW YORK -- And the No. 1 star in the Penguins' emphatic 5-2 win against the New York Rangers Thursday night ...

Matt Cooke.

Las Vegas wouldn't have given odds on that.

"I feel bad I stole the spotlight from Sid," Cooke said.

His partially toothless smile said it all.

Sidney Crosby was back. The Penguins were complete as a team. Their winning streak is at 10 games, tied for the NHL's longest this season. And they -- not the Rangers -- look like the team to beat in the Eastern Conference.

"It was a lot of fun," Crosby said of his return to the lineup and those of defensemen Kris Letang and Paul Martin. "I don't think anyone really wants to talk too much about it. We just want to go with it. But it was awesome to have everyone together."

Crosby, playing for the first time since Nov. 5 after missing 40 games with concussion-like symptoms, had just one assist, much less production than in his first comeback Nov. 21 against the New York Islanders when he had two goals and two assists. But in some ways, this performance was better. For one thing, the level of competition was much higher. Despite the loss, the Rangers remain four points ahead of the Penguins in the Eastern Conference. For another, Crosby did a better job of controlling his emotions. There was no X-rated scream of joy that made his mother blush like there was after he scored his first goal against the Islanders.

"I just tried to calm myself a little better," Crosby said. "I didn't want to get caught up trying to do too much."

Cooke started the game on Crosby's line and had two goals, but it won't be enough to keep him there. "I hope I get more chances," Cooke said, although he knows better. "He creates so much out there and is so much fun to play with." Just say it was great for Cooke while it lasted.

Before the end of the first period, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma had Crosby skating between Steve Sullivan and Pascal Dupuis. Later, Crosby got some work on the wing for the first time since his rookie year -- with Sullivan on Jordan Staal's line. This was a night to celebrate the team's message-sending third consecutive win against the Rangers, but it also wasn't too early to start tinkering to find the best spot for Crosby with the playoffs fewer than four weeks away. "I would like to keep seeing Jordan Staal with him," Bylsma said, adding it will happen again at times in the games Saturday at New Jersey and Sunday at Philadelphia.


Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/sports/ron-cook/cook-cooke-steals-spotlight-from-crosby-358195/

Pittsburgh Penguins star center Sidney Crosby is clearly back on his game against NY Rangers at Garden

Rangers pass up shot at Sid the Kid, division lead shrinks

By Filip Bondy
The Daily News
http://www.nydailynews.com
March 16, 2012

Penguins star Sidney Crosby - with goalie Marc-Andre Fleury - looks to be back on his game after being on ice for three Pittsburgh goals and getting an assist Thursday at the Garden. (Robert Sabo/New York Daily News)

Two minutes into the game, Sidney Crosby climbed over the boards and into the mayhem. The Garden fans jeered with great enthusiasm, many wishing him the worst. Crosby cycled a bit, centered a line with Tyler Kennedy and Matt Cooke, and helped create a chance when the puck pin-balled past Marty Biron for a goal credited to Cooke.

Crosby won faceoffs, manned the point on power plays and looked moderately dangerous. In the third period, he assisted on the clinching fourth goal by Chris Kunitz. Mostly, he stayed out of trouble, out of the corners, and the Rangers treated him downright daintily. They took no cheap shots at the young star, set no Saints-like bounty on his brain.

There was an occasion midway through the second period when Ryan McDonagh had him lined up on a backcheck and might have let Crosby really have it, hard. McDonagh passed on the opportunity, to the crowd’s disappointment. Crosby slipped down to the ice only once, on a mild collision in the third period, and Pittsburgh went on to a clean, demoralizing 5-2 victory.

“It’s not that I was trying to avoid (contact),” Crosby said, “But I wasn’t quick to initiate it like last time, when I tried to test myself more than I needed to.”

Crosby didn’t think the Rangers took mercy on him. “Were they trying to do anything extra? No,” he said. “But I don’t think they passed on anything. I don’t think there was a lot of opportunities.”

And so the Rangers acted like perfect gentlemen on their way to a third straight defeat to Pittsburgh.
For this, they ought to be both congratulated and pitied, because they really were completely outclassed. The Pens are riding a 10-game winning streak, closing in on first place in the Atlantic Division/Eastern Conference — which would dump the Rangers to an undeservedly low fourth seed in the playoffs. Pittsburgh is four points back with a game in hand, and now this fleet powerhouse has Crosby lurking about, working off rust.

His cobwebs, too, are clearing. Having survived the first test Thursday night, Crosby moves gingerly into spring. Ambushes await. The NHL, we know, can eat its young for breakfast. The sport is swift and gorgeous, but the fighting and the hits to the head have exacted a stiff toll. We’ve seen that with the likes of Eric Lindros, who suffered eight concussions and slowly faded to gray. Now we’re getting a similar, sick feeling about Crosby, who is only 24 and should be entering his most productive decade.

Crosby had been out for 40 games since December with the lingering effects of a concussion he first suffered back in January of 2011.

“You have to play the same way, whether you’d gone through this before or you didn’t,” he said. “The more you hesitate in the game, the more chance you have of really getting hit.”

Two years ago at the Vancouver Olympics, Crosby scored the winning overtime goal from a tough angle and with considerable inspiration, to capture the gold medal for Canada against Team USA. There were no concussions or malicious hits to wreck everything. The Olympics are a different game, devoid of the nonsense.

The garbage in the NHL could easily be stopped, but the league demands its red meat. Concussions are treated with far more respect once they occur. They are not being prevented effectively, however.

“The game’s in a really good place,” commissioner Gary Bettman said at the general managers’ meeting this week. “It gave us an opportunity to do what we always do — self-evaluate — but do it in a way where there was no immediate pressing issue.”

NHL players are still suffering concussions at the rate of nearly 100 per season, and yet this somehow was not considered “a pressing issue” by Bettman.

As for Crosby, his synapses finally were firing properly against the Rangers. He played 16 minutes without incident, without getting hit by a nasty blow. The Penguins won, and so did hockey. The Rangers took one for the team.

Highlights: Penguins 5, Rangers 2

Rangers face Crosby in return to Penguins tonight

By Larry Brooks
New York Post
http://www.nypost.com
March 15, 2012

Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby tries to pass from behind the goal which is defended by New York Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist in the first period of their NHL hockey game at Madison Square Garden in New York November 29, 2011. (REUTERS/Ray Stubblebine)

It has been a long time since the hockey world’s focus zeroed in on Madison Square Garden, maybe not since Wayne Gretzky’s Great Goodbye on April 13, 1999.

But that’s where the sport’s spotlight will be aimed tonight, when the Rangers and Penguins meet in a showdown that will feature a playoff atmosphere and the return of the world’s most celebrated hockey player.

The Rangers have the best record in the conference. The Penguins, with a nine-game winning streak, are second-best by six points with a game in hand at the top of the homestretch, but that’s the secondary storyline to Sidney Crosby’s dramatic return, as far as everyone who doesn’t have blueblood running through his or her veins is concerned.

No. 87 is back again, back after being sidelined since Dec. 5 with post-concussion symptoms, back after missing 101 of the Penguins’ last 109 regular-season games dating to Jan. 6, 2011, in the aftermath of a concussion he sustained by taking blows in successive matches from David Steckel and Victor Hedman.

Crosby will be the center of attention while centering Matt Cooke and Tyler Kennedy in this second 2011-12 comeback, the first becoming an eight-game, 12-point (2-10) cameo that commenced at home on Nov. 21 when the Islanders played the part of the Washington Generals and watched Sid The Kid unfurl a two-goal, two-assist bag of tricks before it ended following a rugged game against the Bruins.

There was a Nov. 29 match at the Garden in the mix, a 4-3 Rangers victory during which Crosby collected a pair of assists while getting 20:36 of ice on 23 shifts. The Penguins have outplayed the Rangers decisively in their past three meetings without Crosby, carrying the play each time while winning the last two.

If the Penguins win tonight, the road to the conference title likely will travel through Pittsburgh, where the Rangers will play their penultimate match of the season on April 5.

If the Blueshirts prevail over the Sidsanity that is sure to turn the Garden into a rock concert, the Rangers will take a huge step in securing the top spot in the conference they have led since Dec. 30.

That is their mission.

“I’m happy Sid is back because he’s a great person, and I’m happy for him that he’s feeling well enough to play,” said Rangers center Mike Rupp, who was Crosby’s teammate the previous two seasons. “But am I happy he’s coming back right now? Well, I know that it sets up a great challenge for us, and I know that we’ve responded to challenges all season.

“We haven’t been at our best against them the last couple of times we’ve played. For some reason we’ve been a little hesitant against them and they’ve taken it to us, so we have to change that by being aggressive against them the way we are against everybody else.”

Crosby isn’t everybody else. Even on a team with Evgeni Malkin (and Marc-Andre Fleury and Kris Letang, who might also return to the lineup tonight), Crosby isn’t anyone else.

The Rangers understand that, but they also understand that they are not at the Garden tonight as walk-on extras, but as conference leaders.

“Everyone’s eyes are going to be on that guy, but we can’t get caught up in the hype,” Marc Staal said. “He’s a great player, but nobody is going to back off.

“We’re going to be aggressive against him. We’re going to play our game.”

larry.brooks@nypost.com

Sidney Crosby comeback could be big miscue

Even Don Cherry believes game's greatest talent should wait until next season

By Cam Cole
Vancouver Sun
http://www.canada.com/sports/
March 14, 2012

Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby works out prior to the Penguins regular morning skate in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, March 4, 2012. (JASON COHN , REUTERS)


Don Cherry said something sensible the other night. Hey, it happens.

It wasn't even the actor playing him in the TV movie, but the real Grapes.

What he said on Coach's Corner about Sidney Crosby's impending return from his latest bout of neck/concussion issues was that if he were the Penguins, he would shut him down for the rest of the season.

Start him off fresh next fall, when everyone's on equal footing.

He said that bringing Crosby back now, when he's at practice speed and the rest of the league is battle-hardened - not merely in regular-season shape but basically in playoff mode - is just asking for another injury.

Give him credit. This, from a guy who was old school before the school was, who has made a personal fortune selling headshot-porn to concussion fans, and who never saw a darned thing wrong with the number of brain-trauma notches on Scott Stevens' shoulder pads.

"Suck it up, kid," has been Cherry's stock-in-trade. "Tape an Aspirin to it."

But on this issue, Grapes feels what most of the rest of us feel: queasiness, worry, fear for the future of the game's best player. That feeling is going to be with us for a while.

When Crosby skates onto the ice of Madison Square Garden to face the Rangers on Thursday night, will there be a single viewer not wondering what's going to happen the first time he gets rocked by a bodycheck, let alone one that even accidentally strays near his noggin?

After a robust skate Tuesday with his teammates, in which he took practice-level contact, Crosby admitted: "You're not going to get hit to the extent that you would in a game. But you've got to test that as best you can."

He will have missed a nice, round 40 games and 100 days this time, since colliding with Boston's David Krejci on Dec. 5.

That was his eighth game back after missing 10½ months with post-concussion syndrome from hits in successive games by Dave Steckel and Victor Hedman in the first four days of January, 2011.

Crosby looked as good as new in his comeback game on Nov. 21, like a man freed from shackles, scoring two goals and two assists in a joyful 5-0 victory over the New York Islanders. He had seven more points, all assists, in his next four games, while giving and taking jabs and punches and just generally looking eager to re-engage in every aspect of the game.

But even before the Krejci hit - a mild-looking, glancing elbow - sent him back to the darkness, his game had begun to fade. When he left for the injured reserve list this time, he was eventually diagnosed with a "soft-tissue" neck injury (first thought to be a stress fracture) that may have contributed to his dizziness and disorientation.

So, he's had eight games in 14½ months now, and he's coming back to a league in full stride, in a road game against the East's top team, with a Penguins squad that has been humming along in superb form - 21-4-1 in its past 26 games, on a run of nine straight wins - without any help from Crosby.

Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma, unwilling to tinker with a winning formula and doubtless wary of the effect his 24yearold captain's return might have on the team's potential Hart Trophy nominee, Evgeny Malkin, plans to start Crosby on the third line between Tyler Kennedy and Matt Cooke, the reformed concussion donor.

But Crosby will certainly see some power-play time as well, perhaps initially on the point. He will play three games in four nights if there are no setbacks - in New York, New Jersey and Philadelphia - before his first home game, next Tuesday against Winnipeg.

That's a pretty rude reintroduction to the game, although "rude" is relative: the Penguins don't have to leave their time zone for the remainder of their 14 games.

"I'm going to try to pace myself a bit, especially with the schedule," Crosby said Tuesday.

"It's going to be [work] enough getting back into it."

"He'll need some games and I think that was a goal for him, to come back this season and not in the second and third game of the playoffs," said Pens GM Ray Shero.

"He wanted to come back as soon as he could to get into the swing of playing hockey games again ... It's a great step for him and our hockey team. He's been trying to get back for a while now."

Ridiculous as it may seem, the issue of just how hard he's been trying has percolated in the background for weeks now. First came a story suggesting that certain unnamed teammates thought he was fine and couldn't understand why he wasn't already playing. Others have surmised that Crosby was so angry at the NHL for doing nothing to punish Steckel and Hedman for the head blows that caused his concussion, he's been in no hurry to return as the league's poster-boy, as if all was forgiven. More likely, though, he and the Penguins have just been ultracautious, waiting until he was absolutely symptom-free to risk him in a playoff-like environment.

In theory, Crosby's return and that of defenceman Kris Letang, also from a concussion, ought to be a palpable boost to a team that's already so hot, a run to the Presidents' Trophy may be in the cards.

If they were both in the lineup Thursday, it would be only the second time all season the Penguins have been able to ice their 'A' team. How long it stays together is another story.

Could Crosby avoid unnecessary contact, and would he be the same player if he did? What of the opposition? Does anybody seriously doubt that each team he will face has at least one player willing to test the soundness of his skull?

Maybe that's why "wait 'til next year" sounded like the better alternative. Not because it would be safer, although Cherry might be right about that. But because it would delay the moment of truth - the moment when Sidney Crosby gets run over, as he surely will, and the audience holds its breath.

ccole@vancouversun.com