Back to the Burgh
Sabourin Ticketed To Back-up Fleury
By Bob Grove

When the Penguins ended their search for Marc-Andre Fleury's backup on the first day of free agency by signing a guy with 10 National Hockey League starts to his credit, it surprised a few people. To Pittsburgh coach Michel Therrien, however, it made perfect sense to add Dany Sabourin to the roster.

"In Wilkes-Barre, he grew with us. He grew with those young guys, so he's been part of the family for many years," says Therrien, the former Baby Penguins coach for whom Sabourin played 31 American Hockey League games during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons. "When he became a free agent (this summer), there was no doubt that to work with Marc-Andre, he was on the top of our list."

The well-documented chemistry that pervades the Pittsburgh dressing room is partially the result of so many players cutting their minor-league teeth together in Wilkes-Barre, and thus it extends even to those who were relative short-timers there. Sabourin played 20 games for the Baby Penguins during the lockout, most of which he spent in Wheeling of the ECHL, and then was voted the AHL's best goaltender after a 2005-06 season in which he won a club-record 30 games.

The first game of his Wilkes-Barre career, on Dec. 3, 2004, Sabourin stopped 15 of 16 shots in a 4-3 loss at Bridgeport in relief of Fleury. Also dressed that night for the Baby Penguins were Erik Christensen, Ryan Whitney, Colby Armstrong, Maxime Talbot, Rob Scuderi and Alain Nasreddine.

The 27-year-old Sabourin, drafted nine years ago by Calgary, might easily have stayed with those guys last season. He was arguably the best goaltender in camp last fall, but with veteran Jocelyn Thibault on a one-way contract, Sabourin was claimed on waivers by Vancouver when the Penguins reassigned him to the AHL.

"I had a good camp. Just a matter of no room. I'm glad I was able to go to Vancouver and get a whole year of experience in the NHL," he says, "but I'm really happy to be back with the Penguins' organization."

Playing behind veteran Roberto Luongo, Sabourin appeared in just nine regular-season games, starting only seven, but believes he made the best of his opportunity to spend an entire season in the NHL for the first time.

"For me, it was a great year. It was all positive, even if I didn't play a lot," says Sabourin, who also appeared in his first two Stanley Cup playoff games. "I learned a lot, just watching and gaining the experience.

"You have to prepare yourself like you're playing every game, even if you don't play. So when you get the chance to play, you're ready, so it's like normal. In practice, you want to put the emotion in, just like in a game. That's what I did last year, and it worked really good. I'm better this year because of last year, so that's another step for me. This year is going to be another one."

The Penguins hope so, because the depth of experience behind Fleury - who's played only 138 NHL games himself - is thin. Sabourin has 14 NHL games on his resume, Ty Conklin just 76. David Brown and John Curry are both turning pro this fall, with one ticketed to back up Conklin in Wilkes-Barre while the other plays in Wheeling.

Therrien, for one, isn't worried.

"He deserved to be in the NHL last year," he said of Sabourin. "He's a kid who works hard in practice, and his teammates really appreciate his attitude and his work ethic. He's a great kid."