CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. — It was about an hour after the Pittsburgh Penguins lost their minds — and Game 3 of the infamous 2012 series against the Philadelphia Flyers.
Down 3-0 in the first-round series, the Penguins, who entered the postseason that spring as Stanley Cup favorites, imploded in a Sunday afternoon game that resulted in three of their players being suspended for Game 4.
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Calmly, outside of the team bus, Kris Letang and Ray Shero engaged in a lengthy conversation. Shero did all the talking.
The former Penguins general manager, who died at age 62 on Wednesday, knew his team was done that spring. But he also knew that young stars such as Letang would lead the Penguins to greatness for years to come if they matured.
Because of him, they largely did.
“We were all kind of young when we came in,” Letang said. “Ray did a good job of taking care of us, making sure we could grow into men. Became adults. The people we are today. It doesn’t happen if you don’t have a guy like this, who cares about his players.”
Like most young athletes, Letang and Evgeni Malkin had their maturity issues. They were practically children when Shero took over the franchise in 2006.
Both are appreciative of the fatherlike figure Shero was.
“He was always nice to me, but I didn’t speak English very well,” Malkin said. “So he gave me everything. Gave me a translator.”
Crosby never had much in the way of maturity issues, but make no mistake, he had an issue that threatened to be even bigger.
The Penguins captain — it was Shero who decided to make Crosby the youngest captain in NHL history at age 19 in 2007 — missed more than 100 games between 2011 and 2012 because of a concussion that threatened to end his career.
It was a wild time in Penguins history, as the team consulted numerous doctors only to see Crosby continue to endure concussion symptoms. Shero sat with Crosby through one news conference after another. Toward the end of the saga, it had become clear that Shero was more concerned about Crosby the person than he was Crosby the superstar hockey player.
Crosby never forgot that fact.
“Having that door open, making sure we were communicating through that time,” Crosby said. “It was kind of new territory. There wasn’t this same protocol that there is now. It was navigating through a fairly unknown situation. He was great to deal with. It wasn’t an easy situation, but he did his best to make sure it was as painless as possible. He made a huge impact.”
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Even though the Penguins’ core was extremely young when Shero took over, the team never missed the postseason under his leadership.
Shero knew right away that the Penguins could be great if their youth matured.
He wasn’t above trading certain players if they weren’t doing right by Crosby, Malkin and Letang. Those were his guys, and he knew greatness was ahead for them.
“Ray gave me the opportunity to become the player that I am today,” Letang said. “I’m really grateful for that. I only have great memories. He was a gentleman, a great person.”
The Big Three has won three championships, but there is always something a bit more romantic about the first one.
That Cup-clinching night in Detroit is always on their minds, and, as a result, Shero is always on their minds. Crosby, Malkin and Letang all remained close with Shero following his 2014 firing. Shero gave all three of them long-term contracts. Some people in the organization wanted to trade Letang after the Penguins’ sweep at the hands of Boston in 2013. Shero wouldn’t budge, giving the defenseman an eight-year contract instead.
“Keeping me in Pittsburgh for eight years was a pretty big moment for myself and my family,” Letang said. “Contract was expiring. Decisions had to be made.”
Shero bet on the Big Three. He always did.
They will never forget it.
“He really established how he wanted to change the culture,” Crosby said. “As a young guy, he encouraged me to talk with him. He said his door was always open for a younger player. You’re pretty intimidated to talk with the GM (when you’re young). But he made it a point to bring me in there and to talk hockey. Told me what he expected of us. He empowered everyone personally and us as a group. He had a huge impact on me and a huge impact on the organization.”
It was a somber locker room on Thursday, the first day the Penguins practiced since Shero’s death.
“Just a tough loss,” Malkin said. “I hope his family is fine. He’s probably the first guy who would text me (in the offseason) when I’d be in Russia. He was an amazing guy. We won together. Very, very tough. He’s still young. Again, I just hope his family is OK.”
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Notes
• Rutger McGroarty, off to an outstanding start during his second NHL stint with the Penguins, is out for the season. A shot hit McGroarty’s foot against the Blackhawks on Tuesday. Penguins coach Mike Sullivan said there is a chance that McGroarty will be able to participate at some point in the AHL playoffs for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The Penguins planned on McGroarty and equally precocious forward Ville Koivunen rejoining their AHL affiliate following the conclusion of the NHL season so that they can participate in the AHL playoffs.
• Also out for the season, Sullivan said, are Noel Acciari, Matt Nieto, Blake Lizotte and Thomas Novak. McGroaty, Acciari and Nieto were all injured in Tuesday’s game. Lizotte was injured in Sunday’s game. Novak, acquired from Nashville leading up to the trade deadline, played two games for the Penguins before sustaining an injury in Minnesota that ultimately ended his season.
• The Penguins have recalled Emil Bemstrom, Vasily Ponomarev and Valtteri Puustinen as replacements.
• Crosby, Malkin and Letang appeared on the Pat McAfee special at PPG Paints Arena on Wednesday night. Crosby won $1 million for a fan by hitting a target with a perfect heave of a football. The fan was from Philadelphia.
“That’s OK,” Crosby said with a grin.
Malkin apparently would like to have a larger role in McAfee’s next appearance.
“I’m a little mad,” Malkin said with a grin. “They didn’t give me a ball to throw.”
(Photo of Sidney Crosby and Ray Shero from 2012 news conference about Crosby’s health: Jamie Sabau / Getty Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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