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Penguins fire staffer, don't sign 2 '05 picks
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The Penguins have severed ties to their strength and conditioning coach and two 2005 draft choices.
General manager Ray Shero confirmed yesterday that conditioning coach Stephane Dube has been fired. He declined to elaborate except to say that Dube "did nothing 'wrong.' "
Dube, a long-time associate of coach Michel Therrien who joined the Penguins when Therrien was brought in to replace Eddie Olczyk as coach in December 2005, could not be reached for comment. Shero described Therrien as being "supportive" of the move.
Shero said the search for Dube's successor will begin this week, but that there is no timetable for replacing him. The Penguins, he said, "just want to make sure we hopefully find the right fit."
Because two defensemen drafted two years ago -- Jean-Philippe Paquet and Tommi Leinonen -- were not signed by the June 1 deadline, they will return to the talent pool for the entry draft June 22-23 in Columbus.
Leinonen, the 125th player taken in 2005, did not have a point in 13 games with Karpat Oulu in Finland's SM-liiga this past season, but represented his country at the world junior championships.
Paquet, claimed with the 194th choice, split last season between Shawinigan and Baie-Comeau in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, putting up 13 goals and 41 assists in 69 games.
First Published June 2, 2007 10:47 pm
