Defenseman Schultz back on his skates
Returns to ice after ankle was broken in Oct.
Friday morning, Penguins coach Mike Sullivan was asked when standout defenseman Justin Schultz, who has been out of the lineup for nearly three months now, might get back on the ice and start skating again.
That step, which he called the next big one in Schultz’s recovery, had not happened yet, he replied, “but we do anticipate it happening soon.”
Less than 24 hours later, as his teammates laced up their skates in the locker room at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in preparation for a noon practice, Schultz skated for the first time since his left ankle was fractured Oct. 13.
Wearing a black track suit and a white helmet, Schultz leisurely skated around the rink and fiddled with a puck a little bit. His skate lasted no more than a half-hour. When a Zamboni started rumbling, Schultz headed back to the Penguins locker room and watched his teammates take the ice.
“He’s had an amazing attitude the whole time,” Sidney Crosby said. “He comes in here and works hard. I can tell he’s happy to be around the guys. It’s tough when you’re hurt and not really practicing with [the team], traveling and stuff like that. Just to be around it a little bit more has been good.
Schultz had four points in three-plus games before he went down with his gruesome injury in a loss to Montreal. In the previous two seasons, the skilled rightshooting defenseman scored 16 goals, put up 78 points and had an impressive plus-49 rating, tops on the team over that span.
After Schultz had surgery in the days after his injury, the Penguins said the expectation was that he would be out for four months. The team has since given no indication that anything has changed with that time line. That would put him on track to return sometime in February.
Make-A-Wish signings
The Penguins Saturday signed three youngsters to contracts.
In a morning news conference at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex, general manager Jim Rutherford welcomed Wyatt, Kenneth and Jonathan — young fans from Make-A-Wish Foundation chapters in Nebraska, Colorado and Ontario, Canada — to the organization with ceremonial one-day contracts.
“We’re really honored to have you guys here today. I know this is a big day for you to sign with the Penguins. But it’s a big day for us, too,” Rutherford told them. “We look forward to getting you signed here as our prospects.”
The GM then showed each youngster where to sign on the dotted line.
It was all part of a fun weekend for the boys, who spent Saturday at their Cranberry facility, where they had breakfast in the locker room, interacted with Sidney Crosby and others, then joined a few players on the ice.
“It’s great. It’s cool that they can come here and see the facility,” Crosby said after they made their debuts.
The boys were tired after an early morning but seemed to have a blast.
“I’m glad to be a Pittsburgh Penguin,” said Kenneth, 14, of Colorado. “For me, it’s a really, really good feeling because I actually love this team.”
Added Jonathan, a 12year-old from Ontario, who, like Kenneth, plays sled hockey: “You probably know how I feel because I’m speechless.”
So, what turned it around?
When the Penguins were stuck in their November slump, Patric Hornqvist, perhaps the most vocal of team leaders, repeatedly told reporters that it would only take one game or even one shift for them to turn things around.
So, now that the Penguins have, when exactly was that turning point?
“I don’t know exactly which game it was,” the winger said Friday.
A reporter suggested it occurred when Hornqvist scored a third-period hat trick, the fastest one in franchise history, to beat Colorado Dec. 4.
“I don’t know about that,” he replied. “Obviously, it was a good third-period win for us. But I think it started a little earlier than that.”
Crosby was asked if he thought Hornqvist might have sparked them.
“It was such a swing of momentum, to string together three goals like that,” Crosby said. “So that’s a big boost. Late in the game like that, when you’re able to turn around pretty quickly, you can build off of that.”
2009 Cup team honored
With Chris Kunitz and the Chicago Blackhawks in town Sunday, the Penguins will honor their 2008-09 championship squad at PPG Paints Arena.
The Penguins under Crosby’s leadership have since won two more Stanley Cup titles. But he said winning his first at 21 will always be “special.”
Current Penguins Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang were also on that team.