LOOKING AHEAD
Opening day 2000: Penguins vs. Nashville Predators, 11:08 p.m. Oct. 5, Saitama Arena, Tokyo. The Penguins will open the 2000-01 regular season with two games in Japan.
THE HEADLINE
Full house: Last night's standing-room crowd of 17,114 was the Penguins' fourth sellout in five home playoff dates and put their two-round attendance at 84,924, an average of 16,985. Given that Mellon Arena seats 16,958 for hockey, team officials were understandably pleased. "When you sell out four of five games, that's tremendous," said Tom McMillan, the Penguins' vice president of communications. He added that Game 1 of the Washington series, which attracted a crowd of 16,366, likely would have drawn a capacity crowd "if it hadn't been so late in the regular season when we qualified for the playoffs." The Penguins sold about 10,000 12-game ticket packages for the playoffs, with the balances of the tickets being bought on a single-game basis. The Penguins sold the equivalent of about 9,500 full season tickets this season, up from 8,000 a year ago. Their ultimate objective is to get to 12,000, which is the level expansion teams are required to reach as a condition of getting a franchise.
PENGUINS NOTEBOOK
Scratches: The Penguins played without G Jean-Sebastien Aubin (ankle), RW Aleksey Morozov, C John Slaney, RW Steve Leach, D Michal Rozsival, D Dan Trebil and LW Tom Chorske. RW Pat Falloon returned to the lineup after being a healthy scratch in Game 5.
Injury update: RW Jaromir Jagr, who left Game 5 early because of a pulled leg muscle, made it clear he wouldn't have dressed last night if not for the urgency of the situation: "Of course. It doesn't matter how I feel. If something happens to me, I've got all summer to fix it. I feel a lot better than I did." ... D Bob Boughner, who left Game 5 in the second period because of a bruised sternum, returned to the lineup. ... G Jean-Sebastien Aubin is rehabilitating his high ankle sprain.
Barnaby, Penguins fined: The NHL office slapped LW Matthew Barnaby with two $1,000 fines last night in connection with separate episodes before and during Game 5 Sunday in Philadelphia. The first was for his part in an exchange with Flyers G John Vanbiesbrouck late in the pregame warmup, which Barnaby capped by using his stick to gesture at the place on the bench where Vanbiesbrouck had spent all of his time in these playoffs. The second was for bumping into referee Mark Faucette while protesting a non-call late in the second period. Barnaby received a 10-minute misconduct and game misconduct for that incident. The Penguins also were hit with a $25,000 fine because of the Barnaby-Vanbiesbrouck run-in. That was a conditional fine and came in the wake of a warning issued by the league after a pregame skirmish between the Penguins and Toronto during the regular season. That one featured Barnaby and Maple Leafs D Bryan Berard. The league did not fine the Flyers or any of their players for anything that happened during Game 5.
Chorske's father dies: The father of Penguins LW Tom Chorske died Monday in Minnesota. Chorske, who signed with the Penguins as a free agent last summer, was given a leave of absence several months ago after his dad was diagnosed with terminal cancer. "The team was very supportive of me," said Chorske, who singled out owner Mario Lemieux and General Manager Craig Patrick for the consideration they showed him. Whether Chorske, who had one goal and five assists in 33 regular-season games, has a future with the Penguins remains to be seen. The team has an option to bring him back next season but is far from certain to exercise it.
Encouraging outlook: Herb Brooks, who replaced Kevin Constantine as coach of the Penguins Dec. 9, plans to be back at his old job as a scout when training camp convenes in the fall. Working in that role has given him a good feel for the talent at various levels of the Penguins' organization, and Brooks is encouraged by the players who are on their way here. "This hockey club will be more competitive next year, internally," he said. "The competition for jobs will be even more [intense] than it is now, as some of the young guys in the pipeline are coming. There will be some real big [personnel] decisions here."
FLYERS NOTEBOOK
Scratches: The Flyers played without C Eric Lindros (concussion), D Ulf Samuelsson (knee), LW Mark Greig, LW Gino Odjick and D Mark Eaton.
Injury update: LW Simon Gagne returned after missing Game 5 because of an injured finger on his left hand. His status had been uncertain a few hours before the game because he was having trouble gripping his stick. ... Doctors have diagnosed C Eric Lindros with a Grade II concussion, which could put him out for the rest of the playoffs. ... D Ulf Samuelsson is out indefinitely with torn knee ligaments.
Delmore as Orr? Rookie D Andy Delmore's five goals in this series prompted more than a few calls to Philadelphia radio stations which suggested the Flyers might be grooming the next Bobby Orr or Brian Leetch. "I try not to listen to that stuff," Delmore said. "I got lucky enough to get three goals in a game, and it's something I'll never forget. But guys like Orr and Leetch, they put these strings together for years, not a week. That's something I think people have to remember. This isn't 10 seasons or 10 All-Star selections."
Bedeviled by New Jersey: The Flyers did not fare well against the Devils during the regular season. They went 1-4. They were outscored, 16-11, and outshot, 157-120.
