Fleury is in the spotlight
PITTSBURGH — Did you hear the news? Marc-Andre Fleury gave up four goals in the first scrimmage at Pittsburgh Penguins training camp.
What does it mean?
Absolutely nothing.
People are down on Fleury, and that’s understandable. He didn’t play well in the postseason (again), and the Penguins had to lean heavily on backup Tomas Vokoun. Fleury’s previous playoff issues were the reason the Penguins signed Vokoun before last season.
They needed a viable alternative for the playoffs, and that’s exactly how things unfolded.
Fleury is clearly in the spotlight, but this has nothing to do with what happens on the first day of training camp.
Think about it. His problems have nothing to do with the regular season. He was outstanding in the shortened regular season last year. Things changed when the playoffs started.
His performance on the first day of camp isn’t even worthy of attention, much less worth panic.
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One of the first positive developments of training camp is seeing Sidney Crosby with a normal smile.
Crosby’s jaw was shattered last spring when a deflected shot hit him in the face so suddenly that he didn’t even have time to turn away.
He spent a lot of hours in the dentist’s chair, having extensive reconstructive work done.
He returned to the lineup, but it was obvious his jaw was still a work in progress. Crosby’s face was misshapen from the trauma associated with the initial injury and all the corrective work that had to be done.
That’s behind him now. Crosby says he feels fine, and he looks normal again.
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During last spring’s playoff run, the Pirates decided to show their support for the Penguins by wearing hockey jerseys on a road trip.
It was a gimmick that got a lot of attention, but it really didn’t mean anything.
A few of the Pirates are big hockey fans. Neil Walker avidly follows the Penguins, and manager Clint Hurdle has been to Consol Energy Center for some games.
Russell Martin grew in Canada, and has an appreciation for hockey.
But most of the other players went along with the policy because it was mandatory. Jeanmar Gomez didn’t become much of a hockey fan in Venezuela, and it’s doubtful he now has much use for that Penguins jersey.
With the Pirates apparently headed for the postseason for the first time in 20 years, some people think the Penguins should return the favor and wear Pirates jerseys on a trip.
It isn’t necessary. Honestly, athletes look silly walking into a hotel wearing a team jersey. There’s a reason the teams have dress codes on the road.
The Penguins can support the Pirates without wearing baseball jerseys into their hotel.
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There isn’t much competition for the spots on the Penguins’ top two lines.
The team re-signed wingers Chris Kunitz and Pascal Dupuis with the idea of keeping them with Crosby.
James Neal has one of the wings on Evgeni Malkin’s line, and Beau Bennett is the leading candidate to take the other spot.
The real fight will be for the spots on the other two lines. Even there, you can write in Brandon Sutter and Craig Adams as centers.
The competition will be to fill the spots vacated by Matt Cooke (free agent to Minnesota) and Tyler Kennedy (traded to San Jose).
The Penguins have a bunch of players with similar profiles, and GM Ray Shero can ease that logjam with a trade.
John Mehno can be reached at johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com.