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‘Another day at the job’
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Unlike other stops in Steve Sullivan’s 17-year career, big things are expected from the Pittburgh Penguins hockey club, and the expectation going into every postseason is clear: to win the Stanley Cup.
Pens have clear expectation for postseason: win the Cup
Associated Press
PITTSBURGH
Steve Sullivan walked into the Pittsburgh Penguins dressing room on Monday and expected the vibe to be different.
During every other stop in Sullivan’s 17-year career the mood shifted once the long slog through the regular season ended and the chase for a Stanley Cup began.
Typically the first day back at practice in preparation for the playoffs was met with a mix of joy, relief and nerves.
“You were just so excited to get in and see what happens from there,” Sullivan said.
Not in Pittsburgh, where the only difference on Monday was that there was no difference.
“Here, we expect big things from this hockey club,” Sullivan said. “Today is just another day at the job.”
One that won’t be considered complete unless the Penguins hoist sport’s most coveted Cup for the second time in four years. Pittsburgh opens the Eastern Conference quarterfinals on Wednesday against rival Philadelphia as perhaps the team to beat.
“Everyone says it the first day of training camp, ‘Our goal is to win the Stanley Cup,’” he said. “But there’s only a few teams that can honestly believe that and we’re one of those teams. That’s why I came here.”
At an age when most players are into their post-career lives, the 37-year-old Sullivan is thriving. He finished with 17 goals and 31 assists while floating between lines and quarterbacking Pittsburgh’s power play.
Sullivan just laughs when asked how a 5-foot-8, 161-pound guy survives in the NHL for the better part of two decades.
“I think my asset throughout my career has been speed,” he said. “If you’re not a big guy, if you don’t have speed, it’s tough to make a living here.”
Sullivan sat out two full years with a painful back injury then modified his training regimen to focus on intensity, not duration. It’s allowed him to keep the step he worried would disappear during his sabbatical.
“I’m not saying I’m as fast as I was when I was 25 years old but I think if you’re able to try to stay as close as you can to there,” he said. “That’s what keeps you around.”
Pittsburgh coach Dan Bylsma placed Sullivan on the power play not because Sullivan has a big-time shot — he’s only topped 30 goals in a season twice — but because of his feel for the game.
“I think probably more than anyone on our team, he can see the things that [Sidney Crosby] and [Evgeni Malkin] are doing and what they need and get them the puck in those situations,” Bylsma said.