Penguins' Guerin earning his keep

Wednesday, February 10, 2010
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/

Bill Guerin has more pressing concerns, of course.

Like helping the Penguins to elevate their play for the stretch drive, and keep it there.

Defending the Stanley Cup championship they earned last spring.

And simply beating the New York Islanders at 7:38 tonight at Mellon Arena.


Peter Diana/Post-Gazette

Penguins forward Bill Guerin has 36 points this season.

But there are times, Guerin allowed Tuesday, when his thoughts drift beyond this season, when he contemplates what he would like to be doing in the fall.

That's no surprise, given that Guerin is 39 years old. And neither is the conclusion he invariably reaches.

"I think about it a lot," he said. "There hasn't been a day that's come around where I've said I haven't felt like playing next year."

Guerin could change his mind, of course, and decide at some point that, regardless of how the 2009-10 season plays out, it would be best to walk away from the game.

And it certainly is possible that -- even if he is adamant about returning -- the Penguins won't have room for him on their payroll or their roster.

But those are issues for another day, probably months from now, after some of the team's other personnel issues come a bit more into focus.

"That's a bridge we'll cross down the road," Guerin said. "This isn't the time for that. [General manager Ray Shero] has got other guys [to sign]. We'll deal with it. I'm in no rush."

There probably is no reason for him to be, because it's hardly as if the Penguins have been easing him out of their plans. Guerin, acquired from the Islanders in a deadline-day deal last year, has spent virtually all of his time here as Sidney Crosby's right wing and has maintained a fairly regular presence on the score sheet.

He has 17 goals, putting him behind only Crosby (39) and Evgeni Malkin (20), and 36 points, more than any Penguin except Crosby (74), Malkin (61) and Jordan Staal (38).

Those numbers represent Guerin's tangible contributions. The other assets he gives the Penguins -- mostly, the by-products of nearly two decades in the NHL -- are tougher to quantify, but no less important.

"This is a guy who last year was brought here for a purpose -- his leadership, his experience -- and paid big dividends," said assistant coach Tony Granato, who works with the forwards. "I think the same is expected of him this year."

Guerin's expectations for his team haven't changed, either. And he doesn't gloss over its shortcomings, like the lack of consistency it has shown for much of this season.

"It's something we have to be better at," he said. "We can be better at it. I know that."

He also knows that doing so requires more than just talking about it.

"As time moves on -- and time is starting to move on -- we're going to have to really be stronger, mentally, in getting to that and being willing to play our game," Guerin said.

"There's a little bit of stubbornness that goes on, on our part, about getting to our game. As the season rolls on, that becomes more important and other things become less important. It's about getting to our game and winning games. That's it."

One thing he doesn't worry about is whether, after winning a Cup, his teammates have lost the whatever-it-takes mindset that was so evident last spring.

"Oh my God, no," he said. "The competitive edge is still obvious here. It's huge. I think that's something that's kept us in the mix, because we have been very inconsistent, but we do get competitive at the right times. That helps us get through some hard times."

Getting steady production from his line, which has Chris Kunitz on the left side, could help to do that, too, and Guerin believes their unit can be counted on for that.

"[Kunitz] and I aren't going to all of a sudden score 40 or 50 goals this year," he said. "But we're going to have to provide some of that consistency."

If Guerin can play a significant role in making that happen, it might convince Shero that Guerin has to be brought back. For now, however, next season is a back-burner issue, and Guerin has a more urgent matter on which to focus.

"He's here for a reason," Granato said. "He's here to help us win, and he's going to get that opportunity."

All-Star bid

• As if the 2010-11 season won't be special enough, the Penguins bid for the 2011 All-Star Game.


The numbers

Bill Guerin's statistics at age 39:

Stat No. Rk.•

Ice time 17:44 9

Goals 17 3

Points 36 4

Plus/minus --1 14

Shots 180 3

Shooting % 9.4 8

• -team rank