"Joey, when he was born had two kidney problems. He had two surgeries," Sam Vitale said. "The one thing I think about all the time is after his second surgery my wife and I were in tears and the doctor said, ‘Don’t feel so bad, your son doesn’t know what he’s going through. One thing I’ve found out about kids at this age that have this kind of surgery is they grow up to be tough, strong men.’ I just keep thinking about that. The doctor was right."

Deadline is March. If no buyer, Nailers go dark...
Team for sale "mid-6 figures." Brooks brothers will sell for less than they paid to assure the team stays in Wheeling

"It’s a little bizarre. He should just put it in his locker instead of hanging it up there," Fleury grinned. "We’ll show him where his locker is. There are hangers in the locker so he doesn’t have to go through the trouble of putting his clothes up there. If he does it every morning or game day that could get inconvenient."

The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled forward Dustin Jeffrey from his conditioning assignment with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

Jeffrey, 23, played two games for WBS last week, collecting one assist and three shots on goal.

"RT @pensinsidescoop: #Pens Crosby not @ pract today. He went back 2 attend sked doctors appntmnt. He'll be back w/ team for pract on Mon -SK" Via Twitter of PGHPenguins

Could this him being clearance to play, or just another appointment. Interesting side note, initial injury was 1-1-11, possible return date could be 11-11-11, also the date the movie "Immortals" comes out. Coincidence? Maybe, but I like to think not.

That's why Maxime Talbot, a six-year veteran with the Penguins, was a bit surprised that one of the first phone calls he got when he became an unrestricted free agent July 1 came from Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren.

"The Flyers called and I stopped for a second," Talbot told NHL.com, "and I'm like, is this something I could do? And I said yes.

"The first step for me this summer was to realize that I was not going to be back with the Pens," he said. "That was obviously tough. It was a hard thing, because I had been there six good years. But when that was set aside, I wanted to make the best decision for Max Talbot -- the best organization that gave me the chance to win, an organization that treats its players well and takes pride in winning and doing the right things."

"We created something down there," Talbot said of Pittsburgh. "It's the love. It's more about being a fan favorite down there and starting my own foundation down there, making an effort to build a brand, something special with the fans, the fan mail, trying to respond through websites. It was something I took pride in. It was a special situation for me in Pittsburgh. But what stops me from building something like that here? Changes are tough, but changes are life. It's not for the worst sometimes; it can be for good or better."

Joseph (Point Breeze): Hey DK, thanks for the great reporting of late. In your discussions with Penguins coaches and administration, have they mentioned what line configurations they've been experimenting with in case Sid misses time?

Dejan Kovacevic: I've heard nothing to that effect. No need this early, anyway. Having Jeffrey and now Steve Sullivan in the mix — not to mention Malkin back — gives you a top-six either way. It obviously would be infinitely better with Crosby, but I wouldn't see the need for a sweeping roster adjustment without him.

Hoyle13: You hardly ever hear anyone talk about letting Sid play after the first hit. Everyone is only concerned about when he is coming back. And I love that you are with the Trib and thanks for all the interaction (blog, articles, Twitter, chats). We love it and keep up the good work.

Dejan Kovacevic: Thanks about all that. I hear that about the trainers/doctors/coaches all the time, maybe 10 times a day from readers. I've written about it, I've talked about it on TV and radio and on Twitter. You want another? OK, here goes: The Penguins and all concerned completely bungled their handling of Crosby, that night at Heinz Field, the days between the Lightning game and by letting him dress for the Lightning game. ... I saw Sid moments after the Winter Classic. I sat in the front chair of the press conference room, asked the first question. He looked right at me with the most uncomfortable glaze. And I remember remarking about that to a fellow reporter when it was done. "Can't believe he came out here." ... If I can see that, the Penguins surely should have.

The latest steps in Sidney Crosby’s recovery from a concussion have been visits to leading specialists around the country to monitor his progress.

Their conclusion is that he will make a full recovery – it just takes time.

Crosby is expected to be back in Pittsburgh in the next few weeks, where he will continue to work toward a return to the ice, although no specific timetable has been set.

"Whenever you get a chance to play with the best player in the world, you have to be excited. I have high expectations and my hopes are big. This could be my best year yet."

I don't think it matters where I play, right wing or left wing.