"If the Eastern Conference semifinal series against Montreal goes down as his last stand with the Penguins, Sergei Gonchar admits he is unsatisfied with the way his five-year tenure ended.

Gonchar would prefer not to be remembered for allowing Canadiens winger Travis Moen to get past him at the blue line to score a short-handed goal in the Penguins' 5-2 Game 7 loss Wednesday at Mellon Arena.

"I am not satisfied, and it has nothing to do with free agency," said Gonchar, who becomes an unrestricted free agent July 1. "As a team, I felt like we had a good chance in that series. But it didn't work out."

Now, Sarge is in charge of his future.

The team's top defenseman and power-play quarterback left the Igloo Friday to go to Germany for the IIHF World Hockey Championships amid uncertainty over whether he will return to play for the Penguins next season.

"Walking out of here and not knowing if you're going to come back, it's not a great feeling," Gonchar said. "But we have plenty of time until July 1.""