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Alexei Ponikarovsky News & Rumors

Hamhuis points finger at Kings' forward for dangerous hit
March 6
Vancouver Sun
 
"Vancouver Canuck defenceman Dan Hamhuis, who missed five games in February because of a concussion suffered on an end-boards hit, escaped with just a scare Saturday afternoon when he was checked from behind by Los Angeles King Alexei Ponikarovsky. Ponikarovsky shoved the back of Hamhuis's head, propelling the Canuck into the boards late in the second period of Vancouver's 3-1 National Hockey League win. Ponikarovsky was assessed only a minor penalty for boarding. "It was dangerous," Hamhuis said. "My head didn't take any of the blow; I was able to kind of tuck it down."
Former Leaf Alexei Ponikarovsky loves L.A.
January 11
Toronto Star
 
"It didn't take long for Alexei Ponikarovsky, his wife and their three children to get used to life in sunny Southern California. It's warm all the time, they live near the ocean, the Los Angeles Kings' practice facility is five minutes away — a dream considering the L.A. traffic — and celebrities, to the delight of his oldest daughter, show up at games. "The (kids) liked that you don't have to wear any snowpants and stuff like that," said Ponikarovsky. "No hats, no mitts and all that stuff."
Two Kings have broken bones
November 9
Los Angeles Times
 
"The Kings' depth will be tested over the next month while two veterans recover from fractures. An MRI exam on defenseman Willie Mitchell's left wrist revealed a fracture that wasn't detected by X-rays, a club spokesman said Monday. The injury, incurred during the Kings' 4-1 victory over Nashville on Saturday, will keep Mitchell out of the lineup four to six weeks. He's not expected to need surgery. Left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky suffered a fractured finger during the same game and is expected to sit out about four weeks. He is not expected to need surgery, either. Mitchell, signed as a free agent last summer, has been a key part of the Kings' early success as a shutdown defenseman and"
Poni rides off to L.A.
July 28
Toronto Sun
 
"The Poni Express is riding west, baggage and all. Former Toronto Maple Leaf Alexei Ponikarovsky, an unrestricted free agent who has never scored more than 23 goals in a season and has carried the "underachiever" label for much of his career, agreed to terms on a one-year, $3 million contract with the Los Angeles Kings Tuesday. The deal also includes a $200,000 signing bonus. Ponikarovsky, who was dealt to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Luca Caputi and Martin Skoula at the trade deadline last season, combined for 21 goals and 29 assists in 77 games split between the two teams. The 30-year-old Ukrainian has scored 20 or more goals four times in six full NHL seasons but never really lived up to"
Kings sign Ponikarovsky
July 28
L.A. Daily News
 
"The Kings' first free-agent acquisition of the offseason was a big one, more literally than metaphorically. Left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky agreed to a one-year contract Tuesday worth $3 million, plus a reported $200,000 signing bonus. The signing came a week after Ilya Kovalchuk spurned Los Angeles for a now-disputed contract in New Jersey, and hours after ex-King Alexander Frolov signed with the New York Rangers. At 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, the 30-year-old Ponikarovsky represents an upgrade in size, if not skill, over Frolov. He has 116 goals and 150 assists in 493 career games. He scored a career-best 23 goals in 2008-09 for the Toronto Maple Leafs, where Ponikarovsky began his NHL career"
Ponikarovsky, Fedotenko sit for Game 5
May 9
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"Given their respective troubles in the playoffs, LW Alexei Ponikarovsky and RW Ruslan Fedotenko were good candidates to be a healthy scratch in Game 5 against Montreal. Penguins coach Dan Bylsma took things a step further, scratching both players. Pleased with how C Mark Letestu has performed in this series, Bylsma opted to leave the rookie in the lineup. Fedotenko was largely disappointing this season, scoring only 11 goals while registering a team-worst minus-17 figure. Ponikarovsky has been almost completely ineffective since coming here in a March trade from Toronto. In 28 games with the Penguins - 18 in the regular season, 10 in the postseason - he has produced only three goals"
Guerin and Rupp replace Ponikarovsky, Fedotenko
May 9
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Right winger Bill Guerin, who missed Games 3 and 4 because of an undisclosed ailment, and left winger Mike Rupp, who did not play in Game 4 for a reason that was not revealed, reclaimed their places in the Penguins' lineup for Game 5 Saturday night at Mellon Arena. Guerin said he was "100 percent, whatever that means" and prepared to take on his usual workload, which includes playing on the No. 1 line and working on the top power-play unit. Guerin's center, Sidney Crosby, had a pretty good idea the veteran was ready to go, and that was only partly because of what he saw on the ice. Crosby -- often a target of Guerin's wit -- saw the feisty side of his linemate return. "Yeah, I think he's"
Ponikarovsky hunts for goals
April 18
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Alexei Ponikarovsky is aware of all the relevant facts and numbers. Painfully so. He knows that the Penguins were willing to part with one of their finest prospects, winger Luca Caputi, to acquire him at the trade deadline because they believed he could be productive in a top-six role. That management felt a guy who is 6 feet 4, weighs 229 pounds, has decent hands and a proven willingness to go to the net would thrive on Evgeni Malkin's left wing. That no one -- especially Ponikarovsky -- foresaw that he would score a goal in his first game after arriving from Toronto, then get just one in the 17 that followed. That is a slump that some segments of the team's fan base think should cost"
No longer a Leaf, Poni will see playoffs
March 28
Toronto Sun
 
"Alexei Ponikarovsky laughed when it was jokingly suggested that he will have to remember to go to the rink in mid-April. As a part of a Maple Leafs team that missed the playoffs the past four seasons, Ponikarovsky is going into unfamiliar territory now that he's a Penguin. "It has been quite some time since I made the playoffs, it's exciting," Ponikarovsky said Saturday. "To play on a team which is the defending Stanley Cup champions ... I can't wait for it.""
Alexei Ponikarovsky's former mates turn foes
March 28
Toronto Star
 
"Alexei Ponikarovsky may have thought he'd died and gone to heaven when he was traded to the Penguins from the Toronto Maple Leafs. Not really, but he is going to the playoffs. That much was assured after Ponikarovsky assisted on the winning goal Saturday in Pittsburgh's 4-1 victory over the Flyers, the Penguins clinching a playoff spot with the win. "I'm still excited, playing on a team that's the defending Stanley Cup champion," he said. "That says a lot. You have to get focused on your game, play relentless hockey. It's been a long time since I was in the playoffs and I can't wait for it.""
Malkin, Ponikarovsky developing chemistry
March 11
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"Evgeni Malkin and Alexei Ponikarovsky have been linemates for only two games but have already started to display early signs of chemistry. Ponikarovsky set up Malkin's game-winning goal Sunday against Boston, and the center seems quite pleased with his new linemate. Playing with such a large winger seems to intrigue Malkin. "I like playing with him," Malkin said. "He is long and has a good shot. It's good playing with him. He has played well." Malkin is not only pleased with his new linemate but likes the direction of the team. The Penguins have won four straight games since the Olympic break, and Malkin noticed a difference."
Ponikarovsky scores in Pens' Mellon debut
March 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"His 20th goal, which capped the Penguins' scoring in a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars at Mellon Arena, was his first since Jan. 29 ? a span of six NHL games over 35 days. The goal also kept him from becoming the only scoring-line winger acquired by general manager Ray Shero during the trade-deadline period not to record a point in his first home game with the Penguins. Add Ponikarovsky, acquired Tuesday from Toronto, to the list of wingers that took an early liking to Pittsburgh: Gary Roberts (a goal and two assists on March 4, 2007); Marian Hossa (a goal and an assist on March 16, 2008); Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin (each with an assist on March 10, 2009). A 151st consecutive home sellout"
Ponikarovsky scores in Pens' Mellon debut
March 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"His 20th goal, which capped the Penguins' scoring in a 6-3 win over the Dallas Stars at Mellon Arena, was his first since Jan. 29 ? a span of six NHL games over 35 days. The goal also kept him from becoming the only scoring-line winger acquired by general manager Ray Shero during the trade-deadline period not to record a point in his first home game with the Penguins. Add Ponikarovsky, acquired Tuesday from Toronto, to the list of wingers that took an early liking to Pittsburgh: Gary Roberts (a goal and two assists on March 4, 2007); Marian Hossa (a goal and an assist on March 16, 2008); Chris Kunitz and Bill Guerin (each with an assist on March 10, 2009). A 151st consecutive home sellout"
Ponikarovsky gets goal in debut
March 7
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"This was just what the Penguins envisioned when they swung a deal with Toronto to get left winger Alexei Ponikarovsky. "I'm a big guy. I basically have to screen the goalie," Ponikarovsky said Saturday after he did just that and, a second or so later, got his first goal with his new team to cap a 6-3 win against Dallas at Mellon Arena. At 6 feet 4, 229 pounds and with good skating and shooting ability, Ponikarovsky is the kind of player who is at his best when he hangs a shingle out in front of the crease. That's what he was doing during a Penguins' power play in the third period, giving Stars goaltender Kari Lehtonen a limited view of the ice when Sergei Gonchar's shot from center point"
Ponikarovsky ready to join Penguins
March 5
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"The final hurdle to Alexei Ponikarovsky joining the Penguins has been cleared. This afternoon, Ponikarovsky, who was acquired from Toronto in a trade Tuesday, received the visa he needs to play for a team based in the United States. He will not join the Penguins for their game against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden tonight, but is scheduled to fly from Toronto to Pittsburgh and to participate in the team's practice Friday."
Ponikarovsky's job: Get Malkin on right track
March 4
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
""A (lineup) of guys all speaking Russian," he said Wednesday after the Penguins practiced at Southpointe. "Tell him if we get one more Russian like (defenseman Sergei Gonchar), we can have five guys all speaking the same - just like back home." The "him" to whom Malkin was jokingly referring is Penguins general manager Ray Shero, who acquired Russian-speaking left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky from Toronto for prospect Luca Caputi and defenseman Martin Skoula late Tuesday night. Ponikarovsky, a childhood friend of Penguins winger Ruslan Fedotenko, will not join his new club until Friday because of time needed for the United States government to process his P-1 work visa. He will not play"
Ponikarovsky won't make his Penguins debut tonight
March 4
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Alexei Ponikarovsky gets a chance to do something most players who have just been traded don't. He will be scouting his new team for at least one game. It's not that the left winger is injured or ill, and he certainly has no qualms about joining the Penguins -- "It's a great opportunity for me to bring my best game," Ponikarovsky said Wednesday. It's just that he is at the mercy of U.S. Immigration. Ponikarovsky can't legally play with the Penguins against the Rangers tonight in New York. Ponikarovsky was acquired late Tuesday night from Toronto in a trade for prospect Luca Caputi and defenseman Martin Skoula. Because he is shifting from a Canadian employer to a United States employer, he"
Arrival delayed for Penguins' new winger
March 3
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"Winger Alexi Ponikarovsky, obtained by the Penguins late Tuesday night in a trade with Toronto, will not be able to join his new team until at least Friday because of an immigration holdup. That means Ponikarovsky will miss Thursday's road game against the New York Rangers. His first possible game with the Penguins will be Saturday afternoon at home against Dallas. Ponikarovsky -- who was dealt for prospect Luca Caputi and defenseman Martin Skoula -- does not have the proper work visa to be based in the United States. While with Toronto, he was able to play games in the United States as a visiting team member. He is Ukrainian."
Adieu Alexei
March 3
Toronto Sun
 columnist Terry Koshan
"Alexei Ponikarovsky's former Maple Leafs teammates thought he struck it rich, hockey-style. Late last night, the Leafs traded Ponikarovsky to the Pittsburgh Penguins, getting young forward Luca Caputi and veteran defenceman Martin Skoula in return. "They're a high-powered team and I think he will fit into the mix fairly well there," Leafs forward John Mitchell said of the trade. Said Tomas Kaberle: "Good for him. It is a good team. They have a pretty good chance." Caputi, a Toronto native who played in the OHL for Mississauga and Niagara, is the centrepiece for the Leafs. He had two goals and one assist in nine career games for the Penguins, and had 23 goals and 24 assists in 54 games"
Shero, Pens 'Poni' up for scoring-line winger
March 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
 
"General manager Ray Shero wasn't afraid Tuesday to pony up for a scoring line winger the night before the NHL trade deadline expired. After the Penguins' 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Mellon Arena, Shero announced a deal with Toronto for scoring-line winger Alexei Ponikarovsky - a 6-foot-4, 229-pound winger who will likely play to the left of center Evgeni Malkin. Ponikarovsky is likely to join longtime friend Ruslan Fedotenko on a line with Malkin, the leading scorer during the regular season and playoffs last year. Ponikarovsky, 29, and Fedotenko were born a year apart in Kiev, Ukraine. "He's a good, hard-working winger," said Fedotenko. "He drives to the net hard. He's a good"
Penguins win and trade on one busy night
March 3
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
 
"The Penguins have spent much of this season hoping to get secondary scoring from their wingers. Tuesday night, in a 3-2 victory against Buffalo at Mellon Arena, they did. Too bad it came just as general manager Ray Shero was finalizing the details of a trade to add some more, in the form of Toronto winger Alexei Ponikarovsky. Blue-collar winger Pascal Dupuis got his 14th and Ruslan Fedotenko scored his first in the past 18 games as the Penguins (37-22-4) moved into first place in the Atlantic Division, pending the outcome of New Jersey's game at San Jose Tuesday night. The Devils trailed the Penguins by one point before facing the Sharks. "We want to be on top," Dupuis said. "We're going"
Ponikarovsky traded to Penguins
March 3
Toronto Sun
 
"Alexei Ponikarovsky's former Maple Leafs teammates thought he struck it rich, hockey-style. Late last night, the Leafs traded Ponikarovsky to the Pittsburgh Penguins, getting young forward Luca Caputi and veteran defenceman Martin Skoula in return. "They're a high-powered team and I think he will fit into the mix fairly well there," Leafs forward John Mitchell said of the trade. Said Tomas Kaberle: "Good for him. It is a good team. They have a pretty good chance." Caputi, a Toronto native who played in the OHL for Mississauga and Niagara, is the centrepiece for the Leafs. He had two goals and one assist in nine career games for the Penguins, and had 23 goals and 24 assists in 54 games this"
Ponikarovsky: The artful dodger
February 3
Toronto Sun
 columnist Bill Lankhof
"When he got married, Alexei Ponikarovsky told his bride that being a hockey player was a little like being in the military. In other words, keep the suitcase handy, because invariably the marching orders will be handed down. For nine seasons in the Maple Leafs organization, the phone call telling him to take a hike has not come. Several times it has been expected by the media, the public and even Ponikarovsky himself, but when the Leafs hit the ice Tuesday night against New Jersey Devils, the only two players in the lineup with more than two years of service in Toronto were Tomas Kaberle and Ponikarovsky. He has seen Leafs icons such as Gary Roberts, Tie Domi and Mats Sundin summarily"
Capitals melt down in loss to Maple Leafs
December 13
Washington Times
 
"The Washington Capitals were playing their third game in four nights and didn't arrive here until the late morning because of a mechanical issue with their chartered aircraft. Those are valid concerns, but not strong enough excuses for the scope of their meltdown in the final 40 minutes Saturday night at Air Canada Centre. The Toronto Maple Leafs erased an early two-goal deficit and dispatched the Caps 6-3 in front of a sellout crowd and sweep the games between these teams in this building. There were plenty of breakdowns in front of him, but rookie netminder Michal Neuvirth yielded six goals on 36 shots and lost for the second time in as many NHL starts this season. The top line produced"