Penguins/NHL
Training Camp to open in 4 weeks
With training camp expected to open on September 12th, Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby has been in top shape for over two weeks according to sources close to Crosby as the star forward is ready for another Cup run.
A close source to TIOPS had a chance to speak to Pat Brisson the agent for Sidney Crosby in Las Vegas for Jerry Bruckheimer’s Badboys hockey tournament a few weekends ago and Brisson indicated that Crosby has hit his workout regiment harder than he ever has.
Despite a lingering knee injury from Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals, Crosby took three weeks off following the Cup finals and began his full workout regiment, after the July 4th weekend.
Brisson indicated that Crosby wakes up at 6:30 a.m. (Monday-Friday) to begin his workouts and that no one needs to motivate Crosby as Brisson said it best, that he is “simply born that way.”
Repeating as champions is one of the most difficult tasks in sports but the effort and intensity will be there from the Penguins on day 1 because Crosby won’t have it any other way.
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*Sidney Crosby has not been the only Penguin putting in the extra work this summer. Marc Andre Fleury and Ruslan Fedotenko have been training with a number of NHL players in Montreal for the past 10 days.
Fleury has been training a few weeks earlier than usual in preparation for Team Canada’s Orientation Camp which will be held August 24-27.
*Veteran defenseman Martin Skoula has declined a two-way offer from the Penguins, sources close to Skoula’s camp tell Inside Pittsburgh Sports. The deal would have paid Skoula $600,000 at the NHL level.
*Philippe Boucher has been in talks with the New York Rangers. The Rangers are exploring Boucher as an option, as are the Penguins who would like to bring him back at the league minimum.
Boucher has considered retirement if he doesn’t receive a guaranteed contract.
*Do not rule out Matt Cooke getting a look on Evgeni Malkin’s line. Cooke had some success on Malkin’s line last year and the Penguins like having a grinder on one of Malkin’s wings.
