March 3
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Penguins were digging defense tonight after a 3-2 win over the Buffalo Sabres at Mellon Arena. Defenseman Sergei Gonchar scored his 200th NHL goal, and in the debut of newly acquired defenseman Jordan Leopold the Penguins held Buffalo to five shots on four fruitless power-play chances. Gonchar's ninth goal, winger Pascal Dupuis' 14th and winger Ruslan Fedotenko's ninth were held up by 26 saves from backup goalie Brent Johnson."
March 1
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Penguins and defenseman Sergei Gonchar aren't close on a contract extension, and talks between general manager Ray Shero and agent JP Barry won't resume until after the season. Barry said Sunday he met with Shero in Vancouver, British Columbia, during the Olympics, and "offers that would be acceptable to us over two different terms" were provided to the Penguins. "Ray explained ... they are not in a position to counter at this juncture," Barry said. "We both agreed that it is again time to focus on the performance of the team. Sergei does not want his contractual status to be any kind of distraction as the team tries to defend the Cup. "Our negotiations will thus be put on hiatus until ..."
January 15
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The next couple of weeks could produce movement regarding talks between the Penguins and defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who can become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Gonchar's agent, JP Barry, said Thursday he plans to speak with his client at the conclusion of the Penguins' five-game road trip, which ends Saturday at Vancouver, before meeting with Penguins general manager Ray Shero. "We haven't really agreed on terms or dollar aspect, but the time for that is soon," Barry said, adding that he wants to discuss numbers with Shero as early as next week for the first time since late September. Barry described dialogue with the Penguins as "comfortable." Talks between the parties have been ..."
January 14
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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As of Wednesday, the NHL had neither suspended nor fined Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar for his controversial hit on Wild right wing Cal Clutterbuck during the Penguins' loss at Minnesota on Monday. Gonchar, who admitted he "took a run" at Clutterbuck, offered an assessment of the incident before the Penguins played at Calgary last night. "His arms were up. He hit me in the head, which I thought the NHL was now looking for," Gonchar said. "I had a chance to hit him. I thought the puck would get there and I'd hit him when the puck arrived, but the puck kind of stopped halfway there, and he didn't have the puck. "At the same time it's a situation and it's the game, and I wish we played ..."
January 7
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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It appears likely that defenseman Sergei Gonchar will play tonight when the Philadelphia Flyers visit Mellon Arena. Gonchar took part in practice and looked fine. The availability of Ruslan Fedotenko and Max Talbot could be in question after they missed practice Wednesday. Coach Dan Bylsma said both players were undergoing "maintenance days," which sometimes simply means a day of rest but also could indicate an injury. Fedotenko crashed into the Atlanta net late in Tuesday's 5-2 victory. After the game, he seemed OK. "I got hurt when I fell into the net," he said. "But it's no big deal. I'm fine." Talbot was believed to be a healthy scratch Tuesday. He has only one goal in 20 games since ..."
January 2
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar, who blocked a shot with his foot two days ago in New Jersey, left Penguins practice after 15 minutes today at Southpointe. He looked uncomfortable while skating and did not participate in any drills. Gonchar's availability for games Saturday in Tampa and Sunday in Miami is unknown."
December 20
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
columnist Rob Rossi
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Buffalo-born Chicago Blackhawks winger Patrick Kane suggested recently the hockey gods may be on Team USA's side this February at the Olympic Games in Vancouver. "There is great talk about the 'Miracle On Ice,'" he said of the United States' upset victory over heavily favored Russia in the semifinal round of the 1980 Olympic men's ice hockey tournament at Lake Placid, N.Y. "It's the 30th anniversary of that... hopefully we can make that mean something." Told of Kane's hope, Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar suggested that perhaps the hockey gods will pay the karmic favor of returning Russia to the top of a sport its citizens once cherished and make it the defending Olympic champion when ..."
December 15
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Sergei Gonchar spent most of his Monday morning sandwiched high in the offensive zone by Penguins centers Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby, shooting pucks from the middle point toward wingers Bill Guerin and Matt Cooke, who were positioned near the goal crease. "We'll see how we do in the game," said Gonchar, a defenseman who runs the Penguins' much maligned power play. "It doesn't matter how good you look in the morning; it only matters how you look at night." The Penguins (22-10-1, 45 points) look like a team that can win without a productive power play, but Gonchar knows that their second-to-last 13.6 percentage won't cut it for many more nights. "Imagine if we could score on the power ..."
December 9
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Whether in Pittsburgh, Washington, Boston or while playing on numerous Russian national teams, Sergei Gonchar has quarterbacked many dynamic power plays. This definitely isn't one of them. Has Gonchar ever played on such a talented power play that struggled so much? "No," he said, shaking his head. "I don't think there's one thing in particular that's wrong. It's here and there. It can't get any worse." The Penguins' power-play conversion rate is a mere 14.3 percent, which ranks 28th out of the NHL's 30 teams. Only Carolina and St. Louis, two of the league's worst teams, have struggled more. Many believe the Penguins have become too predictable on the power play. Gonchar always plays the ..."
November 25
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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One of the quietest Penguins is their most important power-play weapon. So much for the suggestion that their power-play struggles this season have been because of poor on-ice communication. "I would say we need some communication when guys are battling for the puck; sometimes there is pressure and you don't see a guy coming around the corners - little things you have to do to help each other, and maybe sometimes you have to yell," defenseman Sergei Gonchar said. "But otherwise ... we pretty much know where everybody is and what they're doing." The Penguins are not doing much with their advantages this season. They are only 14.7 percent on the power play through 24 games, fourth worst in ..."
November 19
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Defenseman Sergei Gonchar will play tonight for the Penguins at Ottawa. Gonchar has been out since his left wrist was broken Oct. 20. All news is not good for the defense corps. Mark Eaton is a game-time decision because of back spasms. The Penguins have recalled Chris Lee from the AHL as a precaution. The Penguins are already playing with three AHL regulars on defense: Deryk Engelland, Ben Lovejoy and Nate Guenin."
November 19
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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In yet another eventful day on the Penguins' injury front, there was good and bad news. The bad news is that another defenseman, Jay McKee, will be out of action for a while. McKee has sustained a finger infection and will miss between two and four weeks. Defensemen Sergei Gonchar, Brooks Orpik, Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski were already nursing injuries when the McKee news broke. The Penguins, though, haven't yet recalled another defenseman from Wilkes-Barre. There is a chance that either Gonchar or Orpik will play tonight in Ottawa. Gonchar has been out with a broken wrist, and Orpik has been bothered by a lower-body injury, believed to be his hip. Gonchar appears the best bet to play ..."
October 22
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Last year, the Penguins needed defenseman Sergei Gonchar to return from a five-month absence to save their season. All signs this year point to them continuing to thrive over the next four-to-six weeks -- the timeframe team physicians expect Gonchar will need to recover from a broken left wrist. Injured Tuesday night midway through a 5-1 victory over St. Louis, Gonchar will not return until late November at the earliest. The Penguins (8-1-0, 16 points) will have played 28 percent of their regular-season slate by then, and about 61 percent of those 23 games without Gonchar, their top defenseman and power-play lynchpin. The alarming statistic facing these Penguins is their 27-24-5 last ..."
October 22
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Below are excerpts from my 20-minute interview Wednesday afternoon with injured Penguins D Sergei Gonchar, who will miss between 4-6 weeks with a broken left wrist. Additional parts of this interview will appear in Thursday's Tribune-Review. What will be different about your recovery from this injury compared to your left shoulder separation last season? The doctor said I could skate right away, so I won't lose much of my conditioning. Last year was tough because of the unknown time frame. We said six months, and it ended up being about that, but early on we really didn't know anything for sure. I hadn't been injured a lot before last year, so I had a lot of questions. This year I'm ..."
October 21
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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The Penguins will be without top defenseman Sergei Gonchar for between 4-6 weeks with a broken bone in his left wrist, coach Dan Bylsma said today. Gonchar will not need surgery, but his bone has been reset in a cast. Gonchar left the club's victory against St. Louis on Tuesday night midway through the second period. The collision St. Louis right wing David Backes that caused Gonchar's injury was not seen by most teammates or observers, and Bylsma said after the game that video footage was not ideal to assess the sequence. Bylsma said today that the hit did not view the hit as illegal or dirty, and labeled Gonchar's injury as a result as "just unfortunate." Gonchar will be replaced in the ..."
October 21
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Accept the premise that this season is about winning the Stanley Cup, not keeping it, and it is easier after nine games to ask this question about the Penguins: What's going to keep them from winning it? A significant injury to defenseman Sergei Gonchar might turn that trick. That was the reality Tuesday night after the Penguins' 5-1 victory over the St. Louis Blues at Mellon Arena. Teammates were told Gonchar has a broken bone near his hand or wrist, and he will be re-evaluated today to find its precise location. He is expected to miss at least a month. Gonchar played only 16 minutes and 23 seconds, and he did not return after midway through the second period. Video footage of his ..."
October 15
Pittsburgh Tribune Review
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Penguins defenseman Sergei Gonchar said Wednesday he is finally over a nasty cold that afflicted him from the final week of training camp through the opening weeks of the regular season. "Mostly it just kept me tired all the time," he said. Gonchar added "it only makes sense" that his agent, JP Barry, and the Penguins have agreed to put off negotiations on a contract extension until after Jan. 1, when GM Ray Shero will have a better grasp on the 2010-11 salary cap. Gonchar, 35, is in the final season of a five-year deal at a $5 million annual cap hit. He reiterated his desire to finish his NHL career with the Penguins • Hurricanes goaltending coach Tom Barrasso is slated to become the ..."