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 ..."