New faces highlight Penguins’ camp

‘ ‘ ‘ June 4, marked the unofficial ‘tragic day of the year’ for Pittsburgh sports fans, as… ‘ ‘ ‘ June 4, marked the unofficial ‘tragic day of the year’ for Pittsburgh sports fans, as their beloved Penguins came within a measly two games from reaching hockey’s Mecca. ‘ ‘ ‘ Instead, Mellon Arena’s capacity crowd stood with respectful disgust, watching the Detroit Red Wings skate victory laps with Lord Stanley’s cup. ‘ ‘ ‘ The lengthy, so-called shortened offseason couldn’t have come soon enough (103 days later to be exact) for Pens fans, and the opportunity to begin completing last season’s mission to carve its name on the cup and in history has almost arrived. ‘ ‘ ‘ But, the offseason is gone. And the Penguins took to the ice for the first time Wednesday at the Igloo, as training camp officially commenced. ‘ ‘ ‘ The anticipated 2008-09 Penguins roster will enter camp, and possibly go, almost unrecognized. ‘ ‘ ‘ The offseason functioned as a roster-explosion for Pittsburgh, as players like Ryan Malone, Jarkko Ruutu, Adam Hall, Gary Roberts, Georges Laraque, Ty Conklin and the heralded trade deadline gem, Marian Hossa, opted to sign elsewhere. ‘ ‘ ‘ Now, the Pens will sport a new look come training camp. Not to mention the ever-familiar and ever-talented phenoms Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, who took less money and signed a five-year extension to stay in Pittsburgh, newcomers will include: ‘ ‘ ‘ Miroslav Satan: Pure goal-scorer expected to play on the top unit, which features Crosby. ‘ ‘ ‘ Ruslan Fedotenko: Solid two-way player who has earned a reputation for delivering clutch goals, as was evident by his performance in the Stanley Cup finals with Tampa Bay in 2004. ‘ ‘ ‘ Matt Cook: Quintessential agitator who should fill Ruutu’s shoes (or skates), but with better knack for scoring. ‘ ‘ ‘ Eric Godard: NHL tough-guy brought in to protect the Pens’ core of stars and drop the gloves given the proper occasion (Laraque’s replacement). ‘ ‘ ‘ Janne Pesonen: Product of the Finnish Elite league. Brings depth to the Pens’ roster. ‘ ‘ ‘ Naysayers have feared the Penguins will be unable to contend again because of the restructured lineup. But likely not taken into consideration was the roster at the start of the 2007-08 campaign, which most NHL aficionados concur was an inferior lineup. ‘ ‘ ‘ That inferior lineup did nothing but capture the Atlantic Division title and finish second overall in the competitive Eastern Conference. ‘ ‘ ‘ Not to suggest a shortage of great challenges. Actually, it’ll be quite the opposite. ‘ ‘ ‘ Those same health issues that plagued the team last season are an eye-opening question mark. ‘ ‘ ‘ Whether or not players like young defenseman Kris Letang or energy winger Tyler Kennedy will defeat regression with progression also remains to be seen. ‘ ‘ ‘ Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will have to prove that the magic showcased throughout the playoffs was less fluke than routine. ‘ ‘ ‘ Center stud Jordan Staal will have to evolve into a productive two-way forward. ‘ ‘ ‘ And, of course, the newly acquired bunch has to fit into the team’s plans to maintain chemistry, which served as a catalyst for Pittsburgh’s memorable run. ‘ ‘ ‘ Given the unusual abridged structure of this year’s camp, opportunities to crack the lineup are scarce, if at all existent. Still, training camp will allow for the select few to prove their worthiness. Players to look for include: ‘ ‘ ‘ Alex Goligoski (D): Will he be able to take advantage of defenseman Ryan Whitney’s lengthy injury and take his game to the next level? ‘ ‘ ‘ Jonathan Filewich (RW): Could this be his year to finally find a role with the Penguins, after several disappointing camps? ‘ ‘ ‘ John Curry (G): With Dany Sabourin tentatively penciled in for the backup job behind Fleury, Curry has the green light to make a case for himself as a legitimate reserve goalie. ‘ ‘ ‘ Questions and uncertainty heading into a training camp are common. For a team that prides itself on perseverance, those issues are healthy. The Penguins will have until early October to prove they are up for the challenge.