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Penguins News and Notes for 7/23/14 |
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I have some random news and notes to pass along today. Some of the items are a few days old, some are new today.
Pittsburgh Penguins Assistant Coach Jacques Martin
has been named senior advisor of hockey operations .
His duties will include monitoring NHL games, with an emphasis on Eastern Conference teams, assessing how the Penguins compare to the competition. He will report his information to general manager Jim Rutherford.
Three time Stanley Cup Champion Mark Recchi was named the new player development coach for the Penguins a few days ago. He will take over the position that was left behind by two time Stanley Cup Champion Bill Guerin.
Penguins Head Coach Mike Johnston
sat down for a little Q and A session with Josh Yohe
Here are a few of the questions:
Q: For the first time in his career, Sidney Crosby is dealing with some criticism from Pittsburgh fans. You had lunch with him recently. What did you learn?
A: Whenever you're a new coach, you want to get to know the person before anything else. I know him a little bit because we're from the same place, but I wanted to know more. I wanted to know what he does in the summer, who he trains with, what he's up to. His program is so regimented, and he works so hard in the summer. I loved hearing about it. We talked about lots of things. We talked about what it was like for him to become a star at such a young age. That was interesting to me. I didn't get into the playoffs. I didn't ask him what went wrong. I watched those games as a spectator, and I will watch them again on tape soon. I'll develop my own impressions.
Q: A lot of people wouldn't be flying to Russia next week, given recent events, just to meet a player. But your trip next week to Moscow means a lot to you, doesn't it?
A: It does. First off, I've been to Russia a lot, probably eight times. I was with the national team in Canada, so I'm comfortable in Moscow. I'm looking for it. I want to talk with Geno (Evgeni Malkin). I want to get to know him. I think it's a good thing for a player who he gets to meet his new coach on his home turf. I think it will be comfortable for Geno. It's a chance for me to meet him, and for us to talk, and I think it's important. When training camp comes, you don't really get too much time to talk.
Q: Speaking of training camp, your team is loaded with offensive defensemen such as Kris Letang, Paul Martin, Olli Maatta, Christian Ehrhoff and Simon Despres. Is there room for the Rob Scuderi's and Robert Bortuzzo's of the world?
A: I do believe you have to have some balance in terms of offensive guys and defensive guys. That's important. You need some physical play and some shutdown guys. But I love having the option of three or four guys who can jump into the play, escape their own zone quickly. There's a lot of talented defensemen in this organization.
Prospect Derrick Pouliot
spoke to Wes Crosby of NHL.com
On his injury status:
"Obviously, I'd love to be out there right now, but just with how this has to heal, it's not really possible right now," Pouliot said. "You're kind of itching for it, but you just have to be patient. It's a slow process and it’s going to take some time.
"It's tough to tell [if I will be ready for training camp], especially since it's in only eight weeks or so. So I'm just really starting to get the rehab going at a high tempo. It's tough to say, but hopefully training camp."
On the departures of Orpik, Niskanen, and Engelland:
"A couple of veteran guys are out of the system now, so it's an opportunity for maybe some younger guys to step up and earn their spots," Pouliot said. "But you have to earn it and, first and foremost, get healthy."
On being familiar with Mike Johnston:
"I know Mike a little bit. I know what he's all about and what he's looking for, so that helps," Pouliot said. "It's good to see him here. He's going to do well in Pittsburgh. He's a calm guy. He doesn't really show his emotion on the outside, but he's a smart man. He can really get the players to play the way he wants."
Former Penguins Stanley Cup Champion and first ever Korean born NHL player Jim Paek has been named South Korea's Men's Hockey Coach. The goal is to get the program off the ground and attempt to compete in the 2018 Winter Olympics Hockey Tournament which will be hosted by South Korea in Pyeongchang. Normally host nations are given an automatic bid to compete however Korea's ranking is so low that they might not be given that luxury.
Pittsburgh Tribune columnist Dejan Kovacevic has stepped down from his position with the paper to start up his own subscription based web service. His void at the paper will be filled by former Penguins beat writer Rob Rossi. This leaves Josh Yohe as the lone Penguins beat reporter at the moment. If the paper does look to hire another beat reporter I would love to see former Penguins Hockeybuzz writer Brian Metzer get the job. He does tremendous work on the Penguins Live radio show every day from 5-6PM and obviously his track record of writing about the team is terrific.
That is all for now
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