CRANBERRY TOWNSHIP, Pa. -- It's completely uncool in the hockey culture to leave the rink right after the coaches blow the whistle on a practice, so the timing of how and when certain players exit can be plenty telling.
It was Monday morning inside the still-glistening glass of one of the Lemieux Sports Complex rinks, and Mike Johnston had just put the Penguins' primary group through their paces for nearly 90 minutes. Most looked spent. The rest looked exhausted. But sure enough, no one came close to following Johnston and staff when they exited for the locker room. They kept skating and shooting at half-speed, then skating and shooting some more at lesser speeds, then pretty much just played around.
Finally, about five minutes later, a couple of vets broke the barrier.
Soon, it was a couple of minor-league vets. Hey, they're old, too.
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