"Sergei Gonchar is not sure what he will miss most about Pittsburgh.

"It has not hit me yet that I will not be back," he said Friday from his offseason home in Miami. "Ask me in a few months when I am not there every day."

Gonchar, 36, signed a three-year contract that totals $16.5 million with the Ottawa Senators within 30 minutes after the NHL free-agent market opened at noon Wednesday.

By autographing that offer sheet, he ended a five-year career with the Penguins. The notable numbers: 54 goals, 205 points, a Stanley Cup and a pivotal role mentoring fellow Russian Evgeni Malkin.

During an exclusive interview with the Tribune-Review, Gonchar referred to the Penguins as "we," the Senators as "them" — catching his mistake only at the end."