When the Penguins acquired Marian Hossa at the NHL trade deadline, it duly was noted that general manager Ray Shero had been part of the management team that had drafted him in Ottawa, and that he had spent considerable time around Hossa during the formative stages of his pro career.

That gave Shero insights on Hossa's personality and mental makeup, helped him to project exactly what Hossa could be counted on to contribute and whether he would be a good fit in the Penguins' personnel jigsaw.

It was a lot like what Shero had done almost six months earlier, when he made another move that was far less celebrated and scrutinized by inviting free agent Adam Hall to training camp on a tryout.

Hall didn't cost the Penguins three players and a No. 1 draft choice, the way Hossa did, and he certainly didn't have a seven-figure salary like Hossa's.

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Conference final tickets on sale today

Approximately 2,000 individual game tickets for Games 1 and 2 of the Penguins' Eastern Conference final playoff series against Philadelphia will go on sale at 10 a.m. today

Game 1 will be Friday at Mellon Arena, with Game 2 Sunday. Both games will begin at 7:38 p.m.

Team officials are encouraging fans, who can purchase a maximum of four tickets per game, to order online at www.ticketmaster.com, but tickets also can be purchased at the Gate 1 box office at Mellon Arena, all Ticketmaster locations and by calling Ticketmaster at 412-323-1919. Lottery systems will be used at the Gate 1 box office and Ticketmaster locations.

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Understandably so, on both counts, because Hall is a role player, not a high-profile difference-maker.

He's not the one counted on to score overtime goals, the way Hossa did Sunday to secure the Penguins' berth in the Eastern Conference final against Philadelphia; Hall is kind of player who kills penalties and handle other blue-collar chores, making it possible for the game to get overtime in the first place.

That's the role he filled in Nashville after the Predators spent a second-round draft choice on him in 1999 and grafted him onto a line with former Penguin Greg Johnson and Scott Hartnell, now with the Flyers.

"It was a heck of a pick," Shero said. "He didn't have the upside [of some prospects], but he was a good third-line player. He's always answered the bell."

A year ago, that bell seemed to be tolling the end of Hall's career.

After a solid stint with the Predators, Hall was sent to the New York Rangers in a three-way trade that netted center Dominic Moore for the Penguins. He struggled to fit in in Manhattan and subsequently was dealt to Minnesota, where things didn't go much better.

"He had a tough, tough year," Shero said.

The Wild declined to re-sign him last summer, leaving Hall with no contract, and no apparent prospect for getting one in the NHL.

When Hall still was available in September, Shero -- cognizant of his grit and versatility and willingness to work -- invited him to camp, with a guarantee of nothing more than a per diem and an opportunity.

Hall accepted those terms, along with the challenge of beating out players already under contract for a spot on the roster. By the time the regular season opened Oct. 5, he had earned a place on the payroll.

"I said to myself, 'Here's a kid who can still play, maybe, and help us out,' " Shero said. "I don't know what happened to him last year, but I'm happy for him. You're not going to find a nicer kid, or a better teammate."

Hall's season had some serious potholes -- he missed 31 games because of a groin injury and sports hernia surgery -- and he didn't get into a playoff game until a groin injury forced Gary Roberts out of the lineup midway through the first round against Ottawa.

Before Roberts was hurt, Hall hadn't known when he'd get into uniform, but figured it would happen at some point.

"With the talent we have on this team, you expect to go far in the playoffs," he said. "And you know that it's going to be a long road, so you know that injuries can be a factor. You just have to keep yourself ready, be prepared."

Hall obviously did, and the tough part now will be find a reason to take him out of the lineup.

He is a capable faceoff man, even though he is just 18-21 on draws during the playoffs, and is an integral part of a penalty-killing unit with a success rate of 89.5 percent, easily the best of any of the four teams still alive in these playoffs.

Hall, who plays both the wing and center, is averaging nine minutes, 42 seconds of ice time per game. Of that, nearly 2 1/2 minutes are spent while the Penguins are shorthanded.

Killing penalties is demanding work, with little margin for error. It's a job that yields more bruises than glory, but one Hall embraces.

"You go out there with the mind-set that when the challenge is laid down, you have to be perfect," he said. "You can't let them score, can't give them any chances, because that could be the difference in the game."

Which means a guy like Adam Hall just might be a difference-maker for the Penguins, after all.