CALGARY, Alberta -- Sergei Gonchar ... goon?

The Penguins defenseman doesn't think so.

Gonchar yesterday got a chance to talk about the tackle he made on Minnesota's Cal Clutterbuck during the third period of the Penguins' 4-3 loss Monday.

The hit knocked Clutterbuck's helmet off, left him with a cut on his nose and earned Gonchar a five-minute major interference penalty.

After the Penguins' morning skate yesterday, Gonchar, who has no known reputation for dirty play, said he was retaliating for what he thought was a questionable hit from Clutterbuck.

"It was a late hit," Gonchar said. "His arms were up. He hit me in the head -- which is what I thought the NHL was looking [to crack down on].

"I had a chance to hit him. I thought the puck would get there and I would hit him when the puck arrived [which would be a legal play], but the puck kind of stopped halfway there, and I hit him. He didn't have the puck, but it's the anticipation that's part of the game."

Gonchar said he had gotten no word that the NHL planned to investigate or take any action against him.

Clutterbuck aimed a threat at Gonchar after that game, telling the Star-Tribune of Minneapolis: "He better hope he retires at the end of the year, I'll tell you that. Somebody's going to hurt him before the end of the year. Someone will. It's not going to be me, but someone will."

The Penguins and Wild don't play again this season, unless they meet in the Stanley Cup final.

Told of Clutterbuck's comments, Gonchar smiled and said, "I wish we would play them again."

Penguins assistant to the general manager Tom Fitzgerald worked behind the bench last night in Calgary. Fitzgerald, whose severe foot injury from last summer has healed enough for him to travel, was filling in on a temporary basis for assistant coach Mike Yeo.

General manager Ray Shero stressed that Yeo continues to pass medical tests that have "sidelined" him since early this month. Shero said Yeo probably will take on his regular duties again Monday when the team returns from this five-game road trip.

Brooks Orpik, who missed his second game in a row last night when the Penguins played Calgary, went onto the ice in warm-up gear as the Penguins' morning skate was winding down and skated on his own. He was encouraged afterward, although it's not known if he might return as soon as tonight at Edmonton.

"It went better than I expected," Orpik said. "As long as it keeps going the way it's going right now, I don't think it will be very long."

The last time center Sidney Crosby was in Calgary was late August for the Team Canada Olympic orientation camp. He and several others, including goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, found time to charter a fly-fishing trip on the Bow River.

"It's not how you usually fly fish when you're on land, and guys are kind of swinging their lines [back and forth] across the boat," Crosby recalled.

That's when one of his casts went awry.

"I tried to miss [Fleury] and I ended up getting my line hooked in my head. It went right into my head," Crosby said. "I got it out. It was fine."

Last night was a homecoming for forward Craig Adams, who was born on the far side of the world in Brunei but grew up in Calgary. ... Forward Mike Rupp played on his birthday, and it was a big one. "It's the next chapter of your life, right?" said Rupp, who turned 30. "I'm starting to feel a little bit older now, especially with these [younger] guys."

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