By Rob Rossi
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Seemingly, there was little chance Gary Roberts would cause a stir inside the Penguins' locker room upon joining the upstart hockey club last month.
After all, Roberts is not one for saying a whole lot.
"From what I can tell, he's just not a talkative guy," rookie Jordan Staal said. "He doesn't have to talk."
Conversation with any Penguins player about Roberts, though, leads to rave reviews:
"He is an intense player," Staal said. "When he's on the ice, everybody knows."
"He is so focused," winger Michel Ouellet said. "He brings us an attitude every day."
"He sets an example for everybody," winger Georges Laraque said. "From the day we came here, you could tell that he would set the tone for this team."
To be sure, the Penguins belong to second-season superstar Sidney Crosby, who is the captain-less club's leader.
Still, Roberts' aggressive physicality on the ice and grueling commitment to fitness off it clearly has rubbed off on the Penguins.
Many players speak of the "little things" Roberts brings to the rink daily. In reality, those things -- fierce forechecking, gritty work along the boards and in the corners, and, most notable, his persistence for getting in front of the cage -- are not so little.
Neither is Roberts' attention to detail when it comes to staying in shape. His post-game workouts are often more exhaustive than the preceding contests. As Staal jokingly agreed, if Roberts' workout regimen is the standard, hockey players around the NHL are in trouble.
"I don't think you judge a Gary Roberts based on his points. He's about winning and doing what you need to do to win," said general manager Ray Shero, who acquired Roberts from the Florida Panthers at the NHL trading deadline.
With four goals and 10 points in 15 games with the Penguins, Roberts, despite a knee injury that kept him sidelined Thursday against the Boston Bruins, appears to be heating up as the postseason approaches.
Roberts, whom the Penguins say is day-to-day with a bone bruise, is expected to play tonight in Toronto.
Pending a long playoff run, Roberts could turn 41 during the upcoming Stanley Cup tournament. But pay not attention to his age, Shero warned.
"A lot of these players remember what Gary Roberts was like during those Toronto-Ottawa playoff series (earlier this decade). I certainly do," Shero said. "The way he plays this game is a great example of the way you have to play in order to have success in the playoffs."
Winning in the playoffs requires a certain attitude. Not to suggest that the Penguins lacked the mentality necessary to win a best-of-7 postseason battle, but they clearly have a different swagger since Roberts donned their colors.
"Some guys, when they are on the ice, you watch, and Gary is one of those guys," Staal said. "The first game he played for us, he was all over the place, hitting everybody, digging in the corners -- he even dropped the gloves. It was, like, 'Wow!'
"He's an intense player. Everybody in this dressing room realizes that and has picked up the intensity since he came. We're not in awe of him, but he definitely has our respect and attention."
For that reason alone, whether Roberts, a free agent-to-be, re-signs with the Penguins this offseason or continues his career elsewhere, he is likely to leave a lasting impression in Pittsburgh.
"His being here will have a long-term impact on our franchise for years," Shero said.
Rob Rossi can be reached at rrossi@tribweb.com or (412) 380-5635.
No comments:
Post a Comment