Off-ice assist for Crosby
NEW YORK — It might be one of Sidney Crosby’s finest assists, and it didn’t happen anywhere near a sheet of ice.
While watching a Canadian TV network, Crosby heard the story of Jonathan Pitre, a 14-year-old Ottawaarea resident who suffers from Epidermolysis bullosa, which the Mayo Clinic website describes as “a group of rare diseases that cause the skin to blister.”
Symptoms of the condition, according to the website, can include fluid-filled blisters, deformity of fingernails or toenails, internal blistering and loss of hair.
After the Ottawa Citizen mentioned in a story that Pitre hoped to be a broadcaster or hockey scout someday, the Senators signed him to an one-day contract in the fall.
Upon learning Pitre’s story, Crosby had a team official contact Pitre’s mother to inform her that Crosby wanted to have a suit tailormade for him so that Pitre could look and feel like a player or team official when he went to the Canadian Tire Centre to watch Senators games.
She passed his measurements along to Crosby’s tailor in Montreal, and Pitre had his suit in time for Ottawa’s 1-0 victory Wednesday against Montreal in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference first-round series.
“He’s an inspiration to a lot of people and I thought the attitude he had and the courage he’s shown going through what he’s going through, was pretty amazing,” Crosby said before the Penguins faced the New York Rangers in Game 5 of their opening-round playoff series Friday night at Madison Square Garden.
“I just wanted to show my support any way I could. … I knew how much he looked up to NHL players [and] I figured that if he [could] look like a pro going into a game, that was something that might be cool for him. He’s an amazing kid. It’s the least I could do.”
Gill was a presence
Over the course of 1,108 career games, Hal Gill made his fair share of enemies. That was only natural for his role as a large (6 feet 4, 243 pounds), physical defenseman who was expected to clear away trespassing forwards trying to make life miserable for his goaltender.
But by many accounts, Gill made more friends than foes in a 16-season NHL career in which he played for six teams. A member of the Penguins for two seasons, including their run as the Stanley Cup champions in 2009, Gill announced his retirement Thursday at the age of 40.
“So funny,” said Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin who was Gill’s teammate in stints with the Penguins and Boston Bruins. “Always kept the room loose. I remember when I got traded to Boston, and Hal and I were teammates. Probably the first week, I was thinking to myself, ‘When is this guy going to shut the heck up?’ After that week, I was like, ‘Where’s Hal? We need him in the room.” You need him talking.”
Pouliot a scratch again
Defenseman Derrick Pouliot did not rejoin the lineup Friday night, despite being “very close” as Johnston had indicated this week. Asked if he would be comfortable inserting a young, inexperienced player into an elimination game, coach Mike Johnston replied before Game 5: “Who might that young defenseman be?” with a smirk. “If you’re talking about making a change in our lineup tonight we’re not making any changes.”