User: rsheposh Time: 03-31-2012 21:43 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 04-01-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: sports PageNo: 3 C
THE TIMES LEADER
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SUNDAY, APRIL 1, 2012 PAGE 3C
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PENGUINS SUNDAY LAST FIVE GAMES
March 23 Adirondack L, 1-0
March 24 St. John’s L, 2-0
March 25 Springfield W, 5-3
Friday at Conn. W, 3-0
NEXT FIVE GAMES
Saturday at Albany W, 5-2
Tuesday at Norfolk 7:15 p.m.
April 6 Hershey 7:05 p.m.
April 7 Connecticut 7:05 p.m.
“IT’S A BORING GAME. I hate to say that. Fans go to see goals, saves, hits and fights. It was exciting to watch and, to me, that’s hockey.” -- Steve MacIntyre
April 13 Binghamton 7:05 p.m.
April 14 Bridgeport 7:05 p.m.
Fantasy GM
Fighting for their jobs Enforcers’ gigs are now in the past By TOM VENESKY tvenesky@timesleader.com
Former enforcer Dave Brown played 729 NHL games from 1982-96. Back then, the NHL had plenty of 50-goal scorers, big hitters, colorful goaltenders and feared enforcers. But if Brown, who played with the Philadelphia Flyers, Edmonton Oilers and San Jose Sharks, had to carve out his career in today’s game, he doesn’t think he would’ve reached the NHL. “I’m glad I played when I did,” he said. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins tough guy Steve MacIntyre has spent the last11years in pro hockey, including 89 NHL games. If he had played during Brown’s era, MacIntyre said he’d probably still be in the NHL. That’s because many of the elements that were in the game during for decades through the 1990s have disappeared, including the role of the enforcer. Brown and MacIntyre both agree that rules changes, particular the instigator penalty, has taken away a lot of the physical play and, as a result, many NHL teams have moved away from having an enforcer on the roster. The result, they said, is a watered-down version of the game that lacks accountability on the ice. “It’s a boring game. I hate to say that,” MacIntyre said. “Fans go to see goals, saves, hits and fights. It was exciting to watch and, to me, that’s hockey.” MacIntyre, 31, has carved out a career as one of the most feared fighters in the game, but his rise to the NHL came at a time when enforcers were beginning to vanish from the league. He first saw the role of the enforcer begin to phase out of the game while he was in juniors in the late1990s. Brown said the enactment of the instigator penalty in1992 started the trend. It ultimately led to less accountability on the ice and possibly more concussions in today’s game. “After1992, a lot of the fighting was staged and it took a lot of the spontaneity out of the game,” Brown said. “Before that, if a guy wanted to fight, he’d throw the gloves off and start. That meant that everybody had to be awake and guys would think twice before they’d step out of line. “I really think if they took the instigator out, you’d take out a lot of concussions. They’re not getting hurt from fighting, it’s from the hits.” The risk of earning an instigator penalty and putting your team on the penalty kill has made the already difficult job of an enforcer even tougher, MacIntyre said. Earning a penalty for protecting one’s teammates, he said, is just plain frustrating. “It handcuffs you,” MacIntyre said. “You’re not able to deal with a situation because you have to take a penalty that your team has to kill off for doing your job. I’m not a big fan of it and I don’t think there’s a tough guy out there who is.” The alternative to the rule, MacIntyre said, is to let the play-
NICK PETERSEN Penguins’ Winger
Nick Petersen put his personal feelings aside when it came time to pick his Fantasy GM team. He chose an agitator he admits he doesn’t like, but one who does a good job in the role. He also picked an enforcer that he watched the other night on television and was impressed with what he saw. When it came time to pick a penalty killer, Petersen admitted it’s a role that really isn’t a part of his game. He had to think about that choice. And for his All-Time Great, Petersen chose two -- one for the past and one for the present. Not bad.
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Steve MacIntyre, shown with the Edmonton Oilers in 2010-11, has fought more than 140 times on the road to his 89-game NHL career.
Currently the Philadelphia Flyers director of player personnel, Dave Brown played parts of 14 seasons in the NHL, recording 45 goals, 52 assists and 1,789 penalty minutes in 729 career games, mostly with the Flyers.
ers do what they did for decades -police themselves. When that was the case, the game had accountability and players didn’t take as many liberties, he said. “If you got your stick up or ran a guy, you were looking over your shoulder. There was that accountability that you were going to have to answer the bell for your actions,” MacIntyre said. Brown earned almost1,800 penalty minutes by holding opponents accountable during his NHL career. Fighting was the best deterrent to someone throwing an illegal hit, he said, and the intimidation factor that worked so well for years is now gone. “It used to be that you had to have some courage and be tough to play this game,” Brown said. “You were supposed to have that little bit of fear when you stepped onto the ice.” Accountability was still a vital component of the game when MacIntyre first skated onto the ice while growing up in the Saskatchewan farm country. You never held your stick above your waist, he said, and you never skated with your head down. If you did the former, chances are you would have to face the other team’s tough guy. And if you did the latter, MacIntyre said, a shoulder to the chin would
likely send you to the ice. But today, because enforcers are becoming a thing of the past, players who want to cross the line can do so without fear. “They don’t have to answer the bell and they take advantage of it,” MacIntyre said. “There are guys out there who are five-footnothing carrying their stick around like it’s a battle axe and they figure that’s part of hockey. They’ll hit you from behind, take your knees out and then go hide behind their bench. “That, to me, is gutless.”
couple times but it usually wasn’t malicious. ” As a kid playing hockey with his buddies, MacIntyre recalls how everyone would pick which NHL player they would be before they played. His choice was always longtime New Jersey Devils defenseman Scott Stevens, who MacIntyre admired for playing with an edge and delivering crushing hits. “You look back and I think he got one elbowing penalty. How many times do you think he would’ve been suspended if he played today?” he said. “It’s a tough game, you’re supposed to hit guys. They’ve taken that away from the players.” Some of that toughness, however, is also gone, according to Brown. When he played, the fights were mostly spontaneous, the result of a puck battle or hard hit. Players would battle for the puck and if it resulted in a fight, so be it, Brown said. “When I first came into the league you had to be ready all the time. It was all about who wants it more and sometimes the price of winning hurts,” Brown said. “It was the way the game was played and the fans really enjoyed watching us play that way.”
A decade too late? While Brown isn’t sure if he’d have a lengthy career in today’s Characters lost NHL, MacIntyre knows that he Aside from losing accountwould’ve thrived in the NHL of ability, MacIntyre feels hockey is the1980s and1990s, when every losing some of its most colorful team had at least one enforcer. characters by doing away with “I’d be looking over my shoulenforcers. He rattles off a list of der wondering which guy is players he idolized as a kid -- Tiger next,” he joked. “It sure would’ve Williams, Bob Probert, Kevin been a more exciting time.” McClelland, Tony Twist, Scott MacIntyre played with eight Parker, Tim Hunter, Marty different teams in six leagues McSorley, Dave Semenko and before he got his NHL shot in Brown. They were among the 2008. It was a long road that most popular players on their required patience and sacrifice, teams, MacIntyre said, and they but MacIntyre was determined to made fans interested in the game. see it through. “Look at Dennis Bonvie here. “I wanted to do whatever I He’s probably the most popular could to fulfill my dream,” he guy. He can probably run for said. “Looking back, I wouldn’t mayor of Wilkes-Barre and win,” change a thing.” MacIntyre said. “All those guys On Oct.18, 2008, MacIntyre’s played the game the right way. dream became reality when he Maybe they went over the line a played in his third NHL game
with Edmonton. The Oilers were playing against the rival Calgary Flames in a matchup that is dubbed The Battle of Alberta. MacIntyre laid a crushing hit along the boards and then fought Flames tough guy Brandon Prust. When he got to the penalty box, the Edmonton crowd was on its feet, cheering for their new enforcer. “It was a lot of fun to play Calgary and be a part of that. I felt like I could go through a brick wall,” MacIntyre said. As his NHL career continued, MacIntyre soon found himself trying to prove that he belonged. Enforcers weren’t needed as much, and being able to hit and fight may not be enough to guarantee an NHL career. “I worked on my skating, keeping up with the play and contributing to the game, but you still get pegged as being onedimensional. Then you’re told that they’re heading in a different direction and it’s like a slap in the face,” MacIntyre said. “As a hockey player, you’re constantly trying to prove yourself. But as a tough guy, with the way things are now… it’s frustrating.” What the future holds Brown and MacIntyre both agree that getting rid of the instigator is the key to bringing accountability, and enforcers, back to hockey. Let the players police themselves, MacIntyre said, and the game will be more exciting and the concussions resulting from illegal hits could drop. “I’m not talking about goon antics or line brawls, I don’t agree with that,” MacIntyre said. “But there’s a time and a place for their tough guy and myself to go out there and set the tone, let the other team know that we have the biggest gun and if you step out of line we’re going to deploy that gun. “It’s frustrating the way the game has gone but supposedly it’s better for the fans and more exciting. I don’t know, but it seems like we’re the last of the gunslingers and it’s a shame.”
FORWARD – Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh), “He always good and, right now, probably the best at the position.” DEFENSEMAN – Zdeno Chara (Boston), “He’s a big guy who can walk around everybody, and he’s always in front of the other team’s net causing goals.” GOALTENDER – Henrik Lundqvist (N.Y. Rangers), “He’s an MVP candidate this year. Playing really well.” POWER PLAY SPECIALIST – Steven Stamkos (Tampa Bay), “He’s got 55 goals, 12 on the power play, and he has a good shot.” PENALTY KILL SPECIALIST – Maxime Talbot (Philadelphia), “He always did a good job at it and I always liked him.” SHOOTOUT SPECIALIST – Evgeni Malkin (Pittsburgh), “He’s 8-for-11 this year, and he’s good at it every year.” ENFORCER – Brad Staubitz (Montreal), “I watched him on TV the other night. He’s doing a good job with the Habs.” AGITATOR/PEST – Brad Marchand (Boston), “Don’t like him, but he does a good job getting under the other team’s skin. Very effective at what he does.” HEAD COACH – Ken Hitchcock (St. Louis), “He’s done a good job this year and throughout his career. He turned the Blues around this season.” ALL-TIME GREAT – Wayne Gretzky (Edmonton, Los Angeles, N.Y. Rangers, St. Louis) and Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh), “Wayne Gretzky was the best player ever, and Sidney Crosby is the best player of my time.”
W H E E L I N G WAT C H
Defenseman Hotham nabs pair of honors Wheeling Nailers defenseman Andrew Hotham was named to the AllECHL Second Team. In 49 games, Hotham has eight goals and 33 assists and is a plus-11 with 78 penalty minutes. Hotham was also named to the ECHL All-Rookie Team, along with the Nailers leading scorer, Chris Barton. Heading into the weekend, Barton led the Nailers with 28 goals and 58 points. He also leads all ECHL rookies in goals and is third in points.
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User: jsoprano Time: 07-23-2012 23:06 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 07-24-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: sports_f PageNo: 1 B Color: C K Y M
SPORTS
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THE TIMES LEADER
TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2012
P E N N S TAT E S C A N D A L
WE ARE … OVERWHELMED
NCAA, Big Ten inflict massive penalties on PSU
AP PHOTO
ABOVE: Penn State running back Silas Redd, left, with a Walter Camp Football Foundation backpack, leaves the Lasch football building after a team meeting explaining the ramifications of the NCAA sanctions against the football program in State College. BELOW: Starting quarterback Matt McGloin wears items touting his family’s business while leaving the Lasch building Monday.
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By DEREK LEVARSE | dlevarse@timesleader.com
TATE COLLEGE -- Not long after Bill O’Brien took over as coach at Penn State, a few new signs appeared at the team’s Lasch Building headquar-
ters. One, posted on a door in the back, gives five bullet point reminders for players “WHEN YOU LEAVE HERE,” outlining expectations in the community and the classroom. The fifth and final directive instructs players to “Ignore the Noise.” Dozens of Nittany Lions, upon exiting that same door on Monday morning following a team meeting, did just that, silently walking past a large crowd of media seeking comment in the aftermath of the NCAA’s severe sanctions against the football program and university.
Lewis’ commitment to PSU remains strong … for now By DEREK LEVARSE dlevarse@timesleader.com
STATE COLLEGE – Before ever playing a down at Penn State, Eugene Lewis learned that he may never get to play in a bowl game for the Nittany Lions. Heavy sanctions levied by the Lewis NCAA against the football program on Monday have clouded the future for the Wyoming Valley Conference standout. On one hand, Lewis’ father said his son will remain at Penn State. “Oh yeah, that’s no question,” Eugene Lewis Sr. said Monday evening. “He’s that type of person, when he’s committed to you, he’s committed to you.” Lewis’ former football coach at Wyoming Valley West said, however, that Lewis was unsure if he would transfer to another school when he last heard from him in the late afternoon and early
Most did not acknowledge questions asked of them. The few that stopped only said that they had no comment. Further attempts to contact players over the phone, at their apartments and on campus See NCAA, Page 4B
evening Monday. “Well, we were texting, so I wasn’t able to tell any emotion with him, but I’m sure he’s pretty devastated,” Pat Keating said. “He told me he’d take a day or two to make his decision.” Adding to the confusion was the fact that Lewis, along with Penn State players and coaches, were not available for comment Monday. The football team also traditionally does not allow first-year players to speak to the media. Lewis, who starred as a quarterback and wide receiver at Valley West, arrived in State College earlier this month and would have a chance to see the field as a true freshman at wideout. If he plays immediately in 2012 and does not use a redshirt season, however, he will not have the opportunity to play in a bowl game during his Penn State career. Among Penn See LEWIS, Page 4B
The late coach really dug the Lions a grave They paralyzed Penn State’s football program. They pillaged its once-storied past. And they fouled up any future new coach Bill O’Brien hoped to build in his early years as the team’s new leader. Not NCAA president Mark Emmert and his band of college sports regulators. Joe Paterno and his Penn State cronies did all this. If you’re looking for someone to blame for all the harsh penalties handed down by Emmert on Monday, point the finger at Penn State’s late head coach. He’s the one who turned Penn
PAUL SOKOLOSKI OPINION State pride into a symbol of shame, remaining quiet while his former defensive coordinator and recently-convicted sexual predator Jerry Sandusky preyed on young boys for more than a decade. And Paterno’s the one who became so swelled with power, people feared challenging his football program to the point where they covered up a crime. “There is no action we can take that will remove their pain,” Emmert said in a televised press conference. So instead, the NCAA crippled
the program Paterno built a day after his disgraced statue was rightfully removed from outside Beaver Stadium. He’s no longer the all-time winningest coach in major college football history, down to a record of 298-136-3 after losing 111 career victories the NCAA forced Penn State to vacate over the past 15 seasons, starting from 1998. “The 1998 date was selected because that’s when the first (child abuse) incident was reported,” Emmert said. “The university’s failures began at that point.” Now future generations of Nittany Lions will suffer for the sins of the all-powerful Paterno, who was See GRAVE, Page 4B
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AP PHOTO
Penn State football was all but leveled Monay by an NCAA ruling that wiped away 14 years of former coach Joe Paterno’s victories and imposed a mountain of fines and penalties.
User: rsheposh Time: 10-21-2012
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23:49 Product: Times_Leader PubDate: 10-22-2012 Zone: Main Edition: Main_Run PageName: sports_f PageNo: 1 B Color: C K Y M
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THE TIMES LEADER
WBS PENGUINS
Crunched Penguins remain winless
Major power play sets tone for fourth consecutive loss to open season AHL slate.
MONDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2012
Giants force Game 7 Ryan Vogelsong shuts down the Cardinals’ bats to even the NLCS at three games.
ber. Vogelsong struck out a careerbest nine in another postseason gem, and the Giants avoided elimination for a second straight game by beating St. Louis 6-1 on Sunday night. GIANTS CARDINALS Marco Scutaro delivered a tworundoubleandBusterPoseydrove in his first run of the series with a ship series. AP PHOTO Turns out the defending cham- groundout in the first inpionCardinalsaren’ttheonlyteam Giants first base coach Roberto Kelly congratulates Pablo Sandoval after Sandoval’s RBI single on Sunday. that’s tough to put away in Octo- See GIANTS, Page 5B
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By JANIE McCAULEY AP Baseball Writer
SAN FRANCISCO — Ryan Vogelsong and the San Francisco Giants saved their season once more, pushing St. Louis to a winner-takeall Game 7 in the NL champion-
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N AT I O N A L F O O T B A L L L E A G U E
Steelers finally nab road win
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By JOE KAY AP Sports Writer
ther the fourth quarter or overtime, his second this season and eighth over the past two seasons. This pass might have been one of the most improbable. It came two plays and 19 seconds after Griffin capped what was a potential winning, 77-yard drive with a 30-yard touchdown toss to Santana Moss. The rookie had kept the drive alive with a19yard pass off a desperate scram-
CINCINNATI — Ben Roethlisberger threw one touchdown pass, and the Pittsburgh Steelers overcame their injury-depleted running game to beat the Cincinnati Bengals 24-17 on Sunday night. Shaun Suisham kicked field goals of 42, 47 and 42 yards, and the Steelers clamped down on Cincinnati’s Dalton-to-Green connection, holding it to one completion. STEELERS The Steelers (3-3) won on the road for the first time this season BENGALS and improved to 12-2 at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals (3-4) fell to 0-6 the last two seasons against Baltimore and Pittsburgh. Andy Dalton’s interception set up Roethlisberger’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Heath Miller and a tying 2-point conversion to the tight end with 24 seconds left in the half. The teams traded field goals in the third quarter. Roethlisberger’s 31-yard pass to Emmanuel Sanders moved Pittsburgh to the Cincinnati 14yard line as the quarter ended. Both teams needed a win to stay close to AFC North leader Baltimore (5-2), which lost 43-13
See ELI, Page 3B
See STEELERS, Page 3B
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See PENGUINS, Page 5B
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AP PHOTO
Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz catches the game-wining TD pass against the Redskins on Sunday in East Rutherford, N.J. The Giants won the game 27-23.
Eli shows RG3 how it’s done Manning hits Victor Cruz with game-winning bomb after Griffin rallies Skins.
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By TOM CANAVAN AP Sports Writer
GIANTS
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — While Robert Griffin III is quickly becoming the NFL’s most exciting quarterback, there’s none better than Eli Manning with the game on the line.
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REDSKINS
Manning one-upped the Washington Redskins’ rookie sensation with a pinpoint 77-yard scoring pass to Victor Cruz with 1:13 to play and the New York Giants
overcame a late touchdown toss by Griffin to defeat the Washington Redskins 27-23 on Sunday. “With our offense and Eli at the helm, we’re never too worried,” Cruz said. “No matter what situation we’re in, no matter how many points we need or a field goal we need, we have the confidence we can do it. We have a lot of confidence in each other, and in Eli.” The winning drive was the 22nd of Manning’s career in ei-
P E N N S TAT E F O O T B A L L
NASCAR
Special Ks: Kenseth wins Kansas; Keselowski keeps lead Restrictor plates are not being In a caution-filled race, Keselowski avoids trouble to keep seven-point Chase lead. By By JENNA FRYER AP Auto Racing Writer
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MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
By TOM VENESKY tvenesky@timesleader.com
WILKES-BARRE TWP. – Midway through the first period of Sunday’s game against the Syracuse Crunch, the WilkesBarre/Scranton Penguins found themselves in a familiar situation – trying to kill of a power play. CRUNCH In the first three games of the season, the Penguins have PENGUINS been shorthanded for at least five minutes of the first period. Sunday was no different, but there were a few twists. Not only did the Penguins find themselves shorthanded against one of the top offenses in the AHL, they were also down a man for a full five minutes thanks to a boarding major issued to Joe Morrow. The Crunch made them pay, scoring two goals during the five minute power play en route to a 3-1 win. The loss wraps up a dismal weekend for the Penguins. They lost all three games and, even worse, start the season 0-4 – the only team in the league without a point. After Sunday’s loss, head coach John Hynes said the five-minute power play for Syracuse was the difference-maker. “You give that much time in one block to that talented of a team, and more often then not you’re going to pay the price,” he said. Actually, the Penguins got behind earlier in the period when Keith Aulie finished off a nifty pass play down low to give Syracuse a 1-0 lead in the first four minutes. Later, Morrow was assessed a boarding major and a game mis-
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the standings looked much the same when Matt Kenseth took the checkered flag in a battered Ford that he banged hard into the wall midway through the race. Kenseth still managed to drive it to his second victory in three races, while Brad Keselowski dodged accident after accident to hang onto his seven-point lead over Jimmie Johnson in the standings with four races remaining in the Chase. “I was thinking, ‘Man, this has to be entertaining for everybody to watch,’ “Kenseth said. “There
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The fast, smooth new surface at Kansas Speedway had the potential to wreak havoc on the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. The recent repave cluttered Sunday’s race with a record 14 cautions — a season high in the Sprint Cup Series — and contributed to issues that affected at least four title contenders. But See KENSETH, Page 4B
used by Nittany Lions’ offense
By DEREK LEVARSE dlevarse@timesleader.com
AP PHOTO
Matt Kenseth does a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series auto race at Kansas Speedway, Sunday.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- One word. No more. That’s all Matt McGloin has to say to get things moving in Penn State’s new nohuddle offense. Theformation,theroutes,theprotection -- all conveyed on the fly with just that one word from the quarterback, one of many drilled into players’ heads during the week. And that’s how an offense goes in front of 75,000 rowdy Iowansandisabletooperatemuch of the game without a huddle, ex See OFFENSE, Page 5B
QB Matt McGloin