Penguins fans enjoying trek
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In the early days, information was hard to come by. Perhaps a friend would catch a score or a tidbit of news somewhere and pass it along.
That's how it was for a group of Penguins fans in and around Russia in the years before the Internet or sports publications with NHL news.
It has gotten easier, but there's nothing like experiencing things in person. That's just what two members of the Penguins Support Crew are doing this week.
Evgeni Mihkeyev, 33, and Yaroslav Tretiakov, 27, have made the pilgrimage from their hometown of Moscow for a whirlwind tour that is to include three Penguins games -- including tonight's against the New York Rangers -- and one at the home of the club's top minor-league team.
"Everyone was saying one day we should come here," Mihkeyev said yesterday as he and Tretiakov visited Mellon Arena for the first time to watch practice as guests of the Penguins.
They met some of the players, including Russian defenseman Sergei Gonchar and Belarussian forward Konstantin Koltsov, took pictures and received gifts from the team.
They had something to give to the players, too -- a duffle bag full of T-shirts that on the front said, "Jesus loves me 'cause I played hockey for the Pittsburgh Penguins." On the back is their group emblem with a muscle-bound Penguin.
The Penguins Support Crew started after the Penguins beat the visiting powerhouse Red Army team, 4-2, in a 1989 exhibition game.
"That impressed me a lot," said Mihkeyev, whose solid command of English came from several years of studying it in school.
In 1991, a Moscow newspaper called Sport Express at last made it easier to follow the Penguins. It was good timing. The Penguins were about to win two Stanley Cup titles in a row.
The Internet helped solidify the group of Penguins fans. Mihkeyev isn't sure just how many are in the club, but they span several cities from the old Soviet Union, including St. Petersburg, Kiev and Minsk.
Those who live in Moscow, like Mihkeyev and Tretiakov, now also have a local sports bar with British and American owners. From three to 15 Penguins fans -- sometimes including girlfriends -- gather there in the middle of the night to watch games when they are on a satellite feed.
The group has an Internet site, www.letsgopens.ru, with links to -- and, coming soon, Russian translations of -- newspaper articles, game reports and other information about the Penguins.
In January, Mihkeyev and Tretiakov resolved to come to the United States to watch the Penguins in person and began planning.
More from the group wanted to come, Mihkeyev said, but money or schedule problems got in the way. Mihkeyev, who co-owns a small business, and Tretiakov, a consultant for a United States company called Oracle, are spending upward of $2,000 each for the trek.
They got seats close to the glass for the Penguins' game Tuesday at Philadelphia and gamely endured taunts and boos from Flyers fans.
"Nobody likes us -- we don't care," they answered, borrowing a slogan they picked up from an English soccer club.
On their way to the Penguins' road game Saturday against the New York Islanders, they'll stop in Wilkes-Barre for a Baby Penguins game tomorrow night to see some future Penguins.
Members of the Penguins Support Group have had an easy time tracking one of the team's top prospects. Evgeni Malkin, the second overall pick in the 2004 draft, plays for Magnitogorsk in the Russian Super League.
Mihkeyev and Tretiakov can't wait for Malkin to join the Penguins. Tretiakov expects Malkin to be better than Washington's Alex Ovechkin, a Russian player who is a top contender to be the NHL rookie of the year.
"I don't really like Ovechkin," Tretiakov said. "He's a one-way player."
When they return home after Saturday's game, the two Russian men no doubt will be pressed by their friends to share the photos and stories from their trip. Penguins Support Crew members don't seem fazed by the fact that the Penguins have been losing for years.
"The bad thing is," Mikheyev said, "we got used to it already."
Bill Wade, Post-GazettePenguins fans Eugeni Mikheyev, left, and Yaroslav Tretiakov from Moscow get autographs from the Penguins' Sergei Gonchar and Konstantin Koltsov in the team locker room after practice yesterday.
Click photo for larger image.
Matchup: New York Rangers at Penguins, 7:38 p.m. today, Mellon Arena.
TV, radio: FSN Pittsburgh, WWSW-FM (94.5).
Probable goaltenders: Marc-Andre Fleury for Penguins. Kevin Weekes for Rangers.
Penguins: Are 1-3-1 in April. ... Are 2-5 vs. Rangers this season. ... Sidney Crosby has six points (4 goals, 2 assists) vs. Rangers.
Rangers: Have lost two in row after winning four of five. ... Have won the past three meetings with Penguins by combined 14-4. ... Jaromir Jagr has 10 points w(6 goals, 4 assists) vs. Penguins this season.
Hidden stat: In 3-2 loss Tuesday to Islanders, the Rangers set season high for shots in a period with 24 in the third.
Penguins Notebook: No arguing Jagr is one of the best
First Published April 13, 2006 12:00 am
