Penguins Notebook: Lemieux, others tuning up for alumni game
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Mario Lemieux will lead a team of Penguins' alumni against Capitals alumni Dec. 31 at Heinz Field.
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The Penguins-Washington Capitals alumni game scheduled Dec. 31 at Heinz Field certainly seems to be bringing out the competitive nature of some of the expected Penguins participants.
As a form of preparation, team co-owner Mario Lemieux and fellow Hall of Famer Bryan Trottier played Wednesday at Consol Energy Center in what has become a regular pickup game for staff during the afternoons of weekday home games.
"Mario was Mario," said Penguins coach Dan Bylsma, who also played. "[Trottier], the smarts and the hands were still there. The speed was not what it was."
Earlier, goaltending coach Gilles Meloche was in net at a morning skate where defenseman Deryk Engelland and winger Eric Godard -- the Penguins' healthy scratches for the game Wednesday night against the New York Rangers -- were the only players on the ice, along with assistant Todd Reirden, conditioning coach Mike Kadar and video coordinator Jim Britt.
"Now I know I'm 60," Meloche cracked after a pretty strenuous workout.
Meloche said he faced shots at Southpointe once recently but, other than that, "I hadn't put on the pads in 11, 12 years."
He borrowed skates and sticks from Penguins goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury; pads, glove, blocker and mask from Britt, who, in a pinch, fills in at practice when the Penguins need a goalie; and got a chest protector from equipment manager Dana Heinze.
The alumni game is being held in conjunction with the Jan. 1 outdoor Winter Classic at Heinz Field between the current Penguins and Capitals. The rosters are still being assembled.
Defenseman Ben Lovejoy was in the Penguins' lineup after sitting in favor of Engelland for seven of the previous eight games and 16 of the previous 20.
"There have been times where he probably sat out stretches a little longer than I would have liked to see a guy sit out," Bylsma said of Lovejoy. "He's not your typical first-year pro. Neither is Deryk. I'm not as concerned as if it was, say, a Simon Despres [a 2009 first-round draft pick]. He's got to play games.
First Published December 16, 2010 12:00 am
