Don Quixote lives, and he's a Penguins fan living in New York

If the Penguins leave Pittsburgh -- and people who don't recognize that losing the franchise remains a very real danger are either fooling themselves or simply not paying attention -- it won't be because of a lack of public support.

Fans have bought tickets; often, more than the quality of the on-ice product warranted. They have written letters, made phone calls, sent e-mails. They have organized rallies and attended them.

But two former area residents, Nic Pakler and Charlie Stack, have taken their backing for construction of the up-to-date arena needed to keep the Penguins here to a level few, if any, others have reached. They haven't just expressed support for the project. They're trying to help pay for it.

Those two, who identify themselves as Fox Chapel graduates and Junior Penguins alumni now living in Manhattan, are selling T-shirts and pledging to put roughly two-thirds of the $17 price of each toward any up-front payment the Penguins would be required to make on a new building here.

There are Quixotic overtones to all this because a statement on the Web site Pakler and Stack have set up (www.helpthepens.com) proclaims their desire to raise $1 million for the project. If two-thirds of each sale goes into the fund, they would have to sell 88,496 T-shirts to reach that goal.

The pace will have to pick up a bit if they are to accomplish that. At least if they intend to do it before the Penguins are ready to move into the facility that would replace the one they're hoping to have built the next couple of years. According to the Web site, as of Friday afternoon, a total of $1,140 had been raised.

There are three versions of the T-shirts. All are emblazoned with the slogan "Keep The Pens," and each carries an additional phrase: "Crosby's a Yinzer," "Malkin likes Kennywood" or "Kansas City is for Jagoffs."

The $17 price does not include shipping.

Whether the Penguins would accept such a contribution isn't clear, and it isn't realistic to think the T-shirt proceeds will have a significant impact on how the arena situation plays out. But even if the worst-case scenario comes to pass, Pakler said, the cash will be put to good use.

"If the Penguins end up leaving Pittsburgh, we've decided that we will donate all of the money we raise to the Mario Lemieux Foundation [for cancer research in Pittsburgh]," he said via e-mail. "Then we'll go egg Mario's house."

The 'kneed' for an explanation

Sidney Crosby scored arguably his most spectacular goal as a pro -- not that there's any shortage of candidates for that distinction -- a week ago, when he deflected a Mark Recchi pass over the right leg pad of Tampa Bay goalie Johan Holmqvist while sliding toward the Lightning net on his side.

Two nights later, Crosby scorched Holmqvist again, this time from one knee after he stole the puck from Lightning defenseman Dan Boyle, then was pulled off his feet by Boyle as he moved toward the net.

While Crosby doesn't make a habit of shooting from one knee in situations when he has control of the puck, he does it fairly often when fielding a pass from a teammate.

Dropping to one knee, he said, gives him the leverage needed to lift the puck over a goaltender's pad or glove or stick when he gets it close to the net.

"It's a way to get under the puck," Crosby said. "I try to get low and get under it. My blade is so straight that if I don't get under the puck when it's close to me, it's hard to [lift it]. ... Plus, your foot's there, so sometimes if you miss a pass, it can hit your foot."

Crosby isn't the only player who's proficient on one knee -- Brett Hull scored a fair chunk of his 741 career goals from that position -- but it's not something he came by naturally. He spent a lot of time doing it in practice.

"Now, it's natural," he said. "I just go low when I shoot it. You try to get pucks away quick, and, for me, that's part of it."

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The search for the next 'Russian Idol'

Local interest in the 2007 entry draft doesn't figure to be quite as high as it has been in recent years, mostly because the Penguins are unlikely to own one of the top two choices for the first time since they claimed Ryan Whitney fifth overall in 2002. Or if they do, it presumably will be because they traded for it, not because they got it on merit.

And even though prospect rankings can be volatile -- center Phil Kessel, long the favorite to be No. 1 in 2006, ended up going to Boston, which picked fifth -- the Penguins shouldn't count on getting a shot at Russian forward Alexei Cherepanov. He's the top skater in Europe, according to NHL Central Scouting's midseason ratings.

Cherepanov, a 6-foot, 183-pound right winger who plays for Avangard Omsk in the Russian Super League, was named the top forward at the recent world junior championships. He also has 10 goals and nine assists in 28 Super League games, extremely good numbers for a guy who won't turn 18 until tomorrow.

But perhaps the most interesting nugget about him to be gleaned from a Central Scouting profile is his choice of role models.

One is New York Rangers right winger Jaromir Jagr, which is fairly logical. Jagr, after all, plays the same position as Cherepanov, has been one of the league's most productive performers over the past 15 years and actually spent 32 games with Omsk during the NHL lockout.

The second would have been tougher to predict. It makes perfect sense on some levels -- the player shares Cherepanov's Russian heritage, for example -- but not on others.

Mostly how the other guy Cherepanov admires -- Penguins rookie center Evgeni Malkin -- is only 20, an age when it seems more likely that he would have role models than be viewed as one by someone a few years his junior.

Plasse will forever be No. 1 in history

Michel Plasse, who died of a heart attack Dec. 30, appeared in 299 NHL games while playing for the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Kansas City Scouts, Penguins, Colorado Rockies and Quebec Nordiques, but earned his only two shutouts as a member of the Penguins in 1975-76. That, however, will not be his enduring legacy. Neither will being the first player selected in the 1968 draft.

Instead, Plasse's place in hockey history was secured Feb. 21, 1971, when he became the first professional goaltender to score a goal.

He was playing for the Blues' Central Hockey League affiliate in Kansas City that night when the Oklahoma City Blazers, facing a 2-1 deficit late in the third period, replaced their goalie with an extra attacker. Plasse got control of the puck, shot it down the ice and into the empty net.

And, in the process, earned a distinction that will last forever.