NHL Capsules: Winter Classic to showcase NHL's best rivalry
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Mike Knuble teed up a puck on a wooden platform a few inches above Heinz Field's green grass and lofted a perfectly placed wrist shot between the uprights.
Call it the first goal by an NHL player on the Pittsburgh Steelers' home turf. Or was it the first field goal?
On a postcard-perfect midsummer 85-degree day — one that was 47 degrees above the average high temperature for Jan. 1 in Pittsburgh — the sight of the Penguins' Sidney Crosby, the Capitals' Knuble and three other players exhibiting their skills Tuesday while previewing the NHL Winter Classic illustrated the not-uncomfortable juxtaposition between football and hockey.
As Penguins president David Morehouse said, Pittsburgh has long been known as a football town, but it's now one of the best hockey towns, too. For one day, hockey will enjoy a change of venue as the Capitals and Penguins shift what might be the sport's best rivalry — even NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said so — into one of the NFL's best-known stadiums.
Somehow, everything seems to fit.
As the NHL drew up preliminary plans for a game that will showcase Crosby and Alex Ovechkin to the sport's biggest single-game TV audience outside of the Stanley Cup finals, it realized a hockey rink fits perfectly for spectators between Heinz's 20-yard lines. Center ice will be at the 50. There was no such comfortable fit when the Winter Classic rink was wedged into baseball's Fenway Park and Wrigley Field the last two seasons.
Go outside and play, indeed.
"We're going to have an unbelievable chance to make great memories in a special event like this," Crosby said. "It seems like this is a great setup. I don't know what the baseball stadiums were like, but this one seems like a pretty normal fit."
Steelers president Art Rooney II already anticipates some players lobbying to attend the game before the team leaves for Cleveland and a regular season-ending game the following day. Maybe director of football operations Kevin Colbert will, too; he is one of the Penguins' biggest fans.
Even the matchup seems perfectly suited to the one-game-can-mean-everything environment so prevalent in football. While Capitals vs. Penguins on New Year's Day will be only one of 82 regular-season games for both teams, it will mean more than that.
For Ovechkin, who might be the NHL's most skilled offensive talent but doesn't yet have a Stanley Cup title to prove it, it's a chance to upstage his biggest rival on Crosby's home ice. For Crosby, it's an opportunity to be the biggest star in not one but two Winter Classics; he won the first in Buffalo in 2008 with a shootout goal.
How big is the rivalry becoming? Penguins forward Max Talbot is glad Ovechkin wasn't in Heinz Field with Capitals teammates Knuble and David Steckel because he "hates" him.
"It's obviously a big rivalry," Talbot said. "I remember this past season when I was hurt and watching a game against Washington (the Capitals' 5-4 overtime win on Feb. 7) and it was probably the most intense regular-season game I've seen."
The rivalry already is so good — the teams' seven-game Eastern Conference playoff series two seasons ago was one of the NHL's most compelling in years — Crosby doesn't believe it will intensify by moving outdoors.
"I don't think you can imagine it being more intense than it already is," Crosby said. "It's there."
The Winter Classic will add one element to the rivalry, and it might be snow. As many as 12½ inches have fallen on Pittsburgh on a single day during the first week of January, and the mean temperature is in the high 20s. While some Januarys are milder than others, some are downright miserable.
"Maybe the first half it will be sunny, and the second half a storm will be coming in," Knuble said. "That will make it fun for everybody. A little bit of chaos is pretty fun."
Ticket prices and plans haven't been announced, although Penguins season ticket holders will have the chance to buy seats in the 65,500-seat stadium. The Capitals also will receive an allotment.
There will be two outdoor games this season. The Toronto Maple Leafs will visit the Flames on Feb. 20 in Calgary, the first outdoor game in Canada since 2003 when the Montreal Canadiens played the Oilers in Edmonton.
Kings sign goal-scorer Ponikarovsky to 1-year deal
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Los Angeles Kings signed left wing Alexei Ponikarovsky to a one-year contract Tuesday after losing Alexander Frolov to the New York Rangers and falling short in their pursuit of Ilya Kovalchuk.
The Kings gave a $3 million deal to Ponikarovsky, who scored 21 goals last season with Toronto and Pittsburgh, which acquired him in a trade last March 2. The longtime Maple Leafs forward from Ukraine has scored at least 20 goals in four of the past five seasons.
"I hope it's going to be a long-term relationship after one year," Ponikarovsky said. "This was the first time I ever experienced the free agency process, and so it was both exciting and tough. I'm happy it's over, and that I know the team I'm going to be playing for next season. It's a young team playing great hockey. I've followed the team, how they play and where they are at, so I know it's going to be an exciting year."
Yet Ponikarovsky, who also gets a $200,000 signing bonus, is a consolation prize for the Kings, who spent three weeks attempting to sign Kovalchuk before the Russian forward chose a 17-year, $102 million deal with the New Jersey Devils.
During that pursuit, the Kings lost their chance to re-sign Frolov, a dependable forward in Los Angeles for the past half-decade.
After making the playoffs last spring for the first time since 2002, Los Angeles had been eager to become a serious Stanley Cup contender by signing an elite goal-scorer, but Patrick Marleau re-signed with San Jose before free agency began, and Kovalchuk wouldn't take anything less than top dollar.
The Kings and Kovalchuk had significant mutual interest, with the Russian Olympian making a two-day visit to their training complex in El Segundo.
But Los Angeles general manager Dean Lombardi said he wouldn't overspend to sign Kovalchuk at a price that would prevent the Kings from re-signing their homegrown core of talent over the next several years. Cornerstone defensemen Drew Doughty and Jack Johnson will be ready for significant raises in the next year, along with agitating forward Wayne Simmonds.
Kovalchuk eventually agreed to the longest deal in NHL history, but the contract with the Devils is headed to arbitration after the league rejected it, saying it circumvented the salary cap. Lombardi has said he would get back into the bidding if the New Jersey contract is thrown out and Kovalchuk is back on the market, although such a scenario is highly unlikely.
The Kings initially made little effort to re-sign Frolov, who managed just 19 goals last season — falling short of 20 for the first time since his rookie year. Los Angeles made a belated pursuit after talks with Kovalchuk finally fell through, but Frolov chose a fresh start with the Rangers on Tuesday, agreeing to a $3 million deal.
The deal for Ponikarovsky still leaves the Kings roughly $10 million under the NHL salary cap, but with relatively few significant free agents remaining in the NHL pool. Los Angeles also has discussed trades for a top scorer with several teams.
Ponikarovsky is a solid two-way forward who handled a significant offensive role with the woeful Leafs while playing at least 66 games in each of the past six seasons. He scored a career-high 61 points for Toronto in 2008-09, including 23 goals.
The former fourth-round draft pick played in 11 postseason games with the Penguins last spring, scoring five points.
"I'm 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds, and I know what my game is," Ponikarovsky said. "I have to use my size and basically go hard to the net — take the puck there, protect the puck in the corners and finish my checks, all the basic stuff that a guy my size has to do, along with scoring some goals and helping my team win."
-- Greg Beacham
Rangers agree to terms with winger Frolov
NEW YORK (AP) — The Rangers added offensive punch by agreeing to terms Tuesday with longtime Los Angeles Kings forward Alexander Frolov, who should provide a potent complement to Marian Gaborik on New York's top line.
The 28-year-old winger, who spent his first seven NHL seasons with Los Angeles, has scored over 20 goals five times — including two 30-goal seasons — but is coming off a disappointing one in which he had only 19 goals and 32 assists in 81 games.
Frolov and the Rangers agreed on a one-year deal worth $3 million. He earned $4 million last season when he scored his fewest goals since posting 14 in his rookie season of 2002-03.
By signing on for just one season, Frolov will look to have a bounce-back year with the Rangers and turn that into a longer, more-lucrative deal next summer.
Frolov has 24 career multigoal games, including three NHL hat tricks. In 536 regular-season NHL games, Frolov — who can play on either wing — has 168 goals and 381 points. He is expected to play alongside Gaborik, the Rangers' top offensive threat, who had 42 goals and 86 points in his first season with New York.
"Alex is a highly skilled player who we feel will play a key role in improving our offense and play in all situations," Rangers general manager Glen Sather said in a statement. "He is strong competitor and has the ability to play either wing position."
The Rangers are banking on Frolov returning to the form he showed two seasons ago when he led the Kings with 32 goals — 12 on the power play — and was second on the club with 59 points. It was the third time he topped Los Angeles in goals.
Frolov established career highs of 35 goals and 71 points during the 2006-07 season.
He has proven to be durable throughout his career as he has played at least 71 of 82 regular-season games in all but one season. Frolov played a low of 69 games during the 2005-06 season, but still managed 21 goals and 54 points.
-- Ira Podell
Crosby, Lemieux debut Pittsburgh arena ice
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux skated onto the Consol Energy Arena simultaneously, becoming the first skaters to try out the ice at the Pittsburgh Penguins' new Consol Energy Center.
Crosby, the Penguins captain, and Lemieux, the Hall of Fame player and team co-owner, each skated for a few minutes at the still-to-be-opened arena Tuesday before welcoming youngsters wearing jerseys with Lemieux's No. 66 and Crosby's No. 87 onto the ice.
While the Penguins' first exhibition game at the arena isn't until Sept. 22, the ice is already in place.
The $321 million arena is scheduled to open with a Paul McCartney concert Aug. 18. The arena replaces Mellon Arena, which opened in 1961 and was the oldest used by an NHL team.
Islanders' LW Matt Moulson agrees to 1-year deal
UNIONDALE, N.Y. (AP) — New York Islanders left wing Matt Moulson has agreed to a one-year contract worth $2.45 million.
The agreement was announced Tuesday by general manager Garth Snow and allowed the Islanders to avoid arbitration. Snow says Moulson played an "integral" role last season and is part of the team's "young core of players."
Moulson led the Islanders with a career-high 30 goals as New York finished last in the Atlantic Division. His 48 points were fourth on the team. Moulson was one of three Islanders to play all 82 games. He led the team with five winning goals.
Oilers re-sign C Gilbert Brule to 2-year contract
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — The Oilers say they have re-signed center Gilbert Brule.
Brule, who had 17 goals and 20 assists in 65 games with the Oilers last season, agreed to terms Tuesday on a two-year contract, the Oilers say.
"Gilbert made a big step last year in his development," general manager Steve Tambellini said in a statement. "We are excited to have him here in Edmonton and look forward to his continued contribution to the team."
Brule was acquired from Columbus for Raffi Torres in July 2008.
In 222 career NHL games, Brule has 31 goals and 41 assists.
Capitals re-sign Fleischmann for $2.6M, 1 year
ARLINGTON, Va. (AP) — Forward Tomas Fleischmann has re-signed with the Washington Capitals, getting a $2.6 million, one-year contract.
The 26-year-old Fleischmann set career highs with 23 goals and 28 assists last season for the Presidents' Trophy winners, despite missing the first 11 games because of deep vein thrombosis in his leg.
He has 56 goals and 72 assists in five NHL seasons, all with Washington.
The team announced his signing Tuesday.
Coyotes sign C Bracken Kearns to 1-year contract
GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — The Phoenix Coyotes have signed free-agent center Bracken Kearns to a one-year, two-way contract. Terms of the deal were not announced Tuesday.
The 29-year-old Kearns had 15 goals, 36 assists and 99 penalty minutes in 80 games last season for Rockford of the AHL.
He has played 266 career AHL games with Rockford, Norfolk, Milwaukee and Cleveland after four years at the University of Calgary.
Elsewhere
Penguins PA announcer John Barbero dies at age 65
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Longtime Pittsburgh Penguins public address announcer John Barbero has died of a brain tumor at 65.
His family says he died Monday night.
Barbero worked Penguins games for more than 30 years, beginning in 1972. His last one was the team's Game 6 victory in the 2009 Stanley Cup finals. The Penguins won Game 7 in Detroit to capture their third championship.
Barbero's signature call was on Mario Lemieux's goals when he would draw out the star's last name for emphasis.
The Penguins plan to honor Barbero with a display at Consol Energy Center, the new arena opening in August.
Funeral arrangements are incomplete.
