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Penguins Wednesday: Sid's legacy & Tyler Kennedy's future

May 18, 2011, 11:56 AM ET [ Comments]
John Toperzer
Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger • RSSArchiveCONTACT
What if Sidney Crosby's played his last game & has Tyler Kennedy played his last game for Pittsburgh?

Follow me at www.twitter.com/johntoperzer for summertime news


In the summer of 1972, when I was six years old, my family and I took a car vacation into Canada from Pittsburgh. I don’t remember anything about the trip except that we drove up Magnetic Hill in Moncton, New Brunswick.

Magnetic Hill is reputed to be a “hill” in which cars put in neutral will drift upward. It’s actually an optical illusion but tourists come from all parts to experience the unusual attraction.

Fifteen years later, the area witnessed the birth of another once-in-a-lifetime attraction, Sidney Crosby. Crosby is the rare individual who has lived up to an enormous amount of hype and exceeded every possible expectation. His list of accomplishments include more awards than Don Cherry can shake a goalie stick at.

But what if he never plays again? What if the concussion(s) suffered force(s) him off of the ice at the tender age of 23? What is his legacy and where does he rank in the pantheon of NHL legends?

Maybe it’s a silly question to ask. By all accounts, Crosby is recovering nicely from his traumatic brain injury, it’s just taking him longer than many hoped and expected. After all, he is a superman of sorts.

Let’s just say he’s done, though. Where do you think Crosby ranks all-time among Pittsburgh Penguins and NHL players?

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Yes, it’s fair to say that the Jaromir Jagr returning to the Penguins talk has been overblown.

“I don't understand where all this came from," Penguins GM Ray Shero said in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "Jagr is not a guy we've spoken about in a couple of years. We talked about him for a little bit after his time with the Rangers (July 2008), but that's about it."

Shero was more interested in passing a “Golden Ticket” invitation to Jagr for the team’s 20th reunion 1991 Stanley Cup champions golf tourney than anything else.

"I've never met Jaromir Jagr in my life," Penguins GM Ray Shero said in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- and turned the golf invitation over to Czech defenseman Zbynek Michalek.

Even at age 39, Jagr can create some sort of international bidding war between the KHL, Edmonton, Montreal, the Rangers and Pittsburgh. Kudos to Mario Jr.

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Sidney Crosby was spotted in France at the Cannes Film Festival, mugging for the camera with Paul Martin, Max Talbot and Jordan Staal.

Crosby is expected to meet with a concussion specialist, Dr. Michael Collins, before the end of May. Crosby was originally expected to meet with Dr. Collins on April 28th but the team was eliminated a day before.

"There was no reason for him to get cleared for anything [once the Penguins were eliminated]," Shero told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He was going on vacation to relax. He has all kinds of time at this point."

It’s obvious that Sid is back to living his life. As fans, sometimes we might like to have him to sit in a dark room with maid service for the next two months to ensure his recovery, but that just isn't going to happen. That might drive him over the edge, anyhow! He is still just 23.

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Here’s some potentially big news. Restricted free agent, Tyler Kennedy, might have played himself off of the Penguins with his fine 2010-11 campaign. GM Shero said that he’s talked to Kennedy about the possibilities, including a potential trade.

"I've told Tyler that (a possible trade), and I've said that in a few conversations I've had with the agent (Steve Bartlett)," Shero said. "I've told Tyler I want to have him back, but I said that and I wanted (former defensemen Hal) Gill and (Rob) Scuderi back, too."

This news kind of comes out of left field, but the thought that other organizations might be interested in someone like Kennedy makes a lot of sense. Kennedy is still only 24 years of age (7/15/86 birthdate) and comes at what is expected to be a reasonable price tag of $2 million per year or so. The Penguins are bumped up against the cap as it is, so it will be interesting to see whether TK stays in the black & gold (and blue & white).

You know there’s a chance that he might’ve played his last game for Pittsburgh, though, when the GM says that he’d “like to keep” Kennedy. Read more about the developing situation here.

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Evgeni Malkin was indeed a candidate to return to the Penguins lineup for Round 3, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“This is a guy who really, really is a quick healer,” GM Shero said, although he added that “whether it would have happened or not remains to be seen.”

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Loose Chiklets

-- Curtis Glencross signed a four-year, $10.2 million (US) deal with the Calgary Flames. We can cross his name off of the free agent list.

-- Simon Despres and his Saint John Sea Dogs won the QMJHL title and will move onto the MasterCard Memorial Cup, which starts on May 20.

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Have a great day everybody!
John
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