A lot has changed at Mellon Arena since the 2003-04 NHL season.

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Their experience level.

Their expectations.

And their coach's job description.

Two seasons ago, when he made his coaching debut, Eddie Olczyk took over a team with an unholy mix of players who were, for the most part, unproven, unproductive or unwanted. In some cases, all of the above.

Oh, there were some intriguing prospects such as Marc-Andre Fleury, Brooks Orpik, Ryan Malone and Konstantin Koltsov in the opening-night lineup, but there also were relics like Kelly Buchberger, Mike Eastwood and Drake Berehowsky, who had peaked sometime during the previous millennium.

In the fall of 2003, players and team officials talked openly of competing for a playoff spot. More objective observers set the over-under on a successful season closer to the 38 points the Penguins earned in 1983-84, when the franchise hit its nadir.

And for much of the winter -- especially when the Penguins were in an 0-17-0-1 free fall -- that seemed unduly optimistic.

But Olczyk never lost the faith of his players -- an astonishing feat, considering the circumstances -- and the Penguins, their lineup bolstered by instant-gratification acquisitions like Ric Jackman, Landon Wilson and Lasse Pirjeta, finished with a 12-5-3 surge.

That wasn't enough to hoist the Penguins out of last place in the overall standings but did establish that Olczyk was capable of coaxing every shred of potential out of an overmatched team.

Awfully impressive, to be sure. But, at this point, not terribly relevant, because the team Olczyk will be coaching is only remotely similar to the one he had two years ago. If this group seems to be headed for another 23-47-8-4 record, odds are Olczyk won't be around to address the crowd at the final home game.

Although he downplays the pressure imposed by predictions from the press and public, Olczyk agrees that adding impact players like Sidney Crosby, Zigmund Palffy, Sergei Gonchar, Mark Recchi, John LeClair and Jocelyn Thibault totally alters the equation.

"The expectation level from within is all that really matters," he said. "Obviously, when you bring in high-caliber, difference-maker type of players and you have more than a couple lines of them, you give yourself a much better opportunity to have success."

Some aspects of Olczyk's coaching style aren't affected by specific personnel. He will, for example, always put a premium on exchanging ideas with his players, and conveying what he expects he expects of them.

"I don't know how to be anything else," he said. "I'm going to continue to be the same person, the same coach, with the same passion, the same energy, the same respect for my players and the game and the organization. I don't know how to be any different. I'm still going to be a strong communicator, a teacher, be able to talk to the guys and get feedback. I'm always interested in what they're thinking. I think the players know the way I do things and the way I want to handle things from within."

No problem there, but Olczyk is a details guy and, as such, isn't afraid to micromanage. With an older team, he might have to resist the urge to be too much of a locker-room presence and allow the veterans to keep their teammates focused and in line.

He'll also have to guard against draining his older players' energy, especially when many likely will log serious ice time.

Olczyk said he already has gone over the schedule "five or six times" in an effort to identify times when his players might benefit from a day off or an optional practice. That's particularly true this season, because the league has to compensate for the Olympic break in February.

Whether he effectively can tailor his approach to coaching to fit his new players won't be known for a while. But there was more uncertainty about him two years ago -- remember, his only coaching experience at that time had been with youth teams -- and those who know him best say they're confident he'll adapt without difficulty.

"I think so," forward/owner Mario Lemieux said. "He's a smart guy. He was able to adjust as a player, and I'm sure he can do the same as a coach."