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Ryan Malone

He earned his spot on the Penguins' opening night roster and soon after emerged as one of the bright spots in a dismal season, not to mention one of the best young players in the league.

All of this was true for Marc-Andre Fleury, too, but it was especially satisfying for the Pittsburgh hockey community to be able to apply these truths to one Ryan Malone. The former Upper St. Clair High School player became the first locally-trained player to reach the NHL in October, but since then he's proved to be much more than an historical footnote.

He is the first Penguins' rookie since Shawn McEachern in 1992-93 to score 20 goals, as he took 22 into the final two weeks of the season. He became the first rookie in history to score three overtime goals in one season. And the son of former Penguins' center and current head scout Greg Malone has established himself as a big part of the Penguins' future.

PSR's Bob Grove caught up with Malone recently to talk about his memorable first season as a professional.

PSR: What's harder: being on the ice when you're losing a game, or going home and thinking about it later?

RM: Being on the ice when the scoreboard doesn't read as you like, obviously, it's definitely tough. Usually when I leave the rink I try not to think about it as much. Some nights you can't help but think about it, but you just try to leave everything at the rink and get refocused for the next day.

PSR: You kind of flew under the radar screen this year at training camp. Can you describe your mindset coming in?

RM: Everyone, all you guys, expected me to be in Wilkes-Barre. So obviously, I like to prove people wrong and I wanted to come in and make the team right out of camp Ð no matter what role they gave me or how many minutes they gave me. I just wanted to go out and play. At the beginning of the year, I sat down and thought, ÔI just want to be a better player at the end of the year than I am now.' I would consider that a successful season. I couldn't imagine scoring as many goals as I have. Honestly, I just wanted to make the team.

PSR: You've said a few times this year that as you played other sports as a kid, you were better at some than hockey. Why didn't you end up playing something else?

RM: This is an awesome game. I love this game. I put too much time in during the summers. My dad always said you have to make sacrifices in life if you want to go somewhere. If it was easy, everyone would do it. That kind of always stuck in my mind, and I always dedicated my summers to getting better. I can't say enough about the Minnesota hockey camp up in Brainerd. It's just done wonders for me. That's pretty much made me the player that I am. I dedicated my summers to working hard. I just love this game, and there isn't any other job I'd rather have.

PSR: What were the positives about having a father who played in the NHL? On the other hand, I know you heard about it at times, too.

RM: It wasn't that bad hearing about it. He had an inside view; he's been there and knows what it takes to make it, how to act on and off the ice. He got me ready mentally for training camp. He pretty much told me you have to do something to stand out every day, because we have a lot of great young players. Every day I tried to do something. If I wasn't doing anything (offensively), I'd try to get a big hit or whatever I could to get noticed.

PSR: The significance of being the first local kid to reach the NHL, let alone play in the NHL, hasn't been lost on you.

RM: It's great to be the first kid growing up to play here, but earlier in the year I wasn't thinking about it too much. Not till the year is over will I be satisfied. I have to finish up strong.

PSR: You come into the league, have a great first year, and now there's a real possibility you won't be playing here next year because of the labor situation. That has to bother you.

RM: It looks like, obviously, we're not going to play. You have to go out and train hard this summer and find a place to play. You have to play somewhere; you can't take a year off, obviously. You have to go to play in Europe, or whatever the rules will be, maybe in Wilkes-Barre or wherever. You have to play somewhere. That will be bad for the game if we can't play. We should just settle the differences.