Familiar faces return to bite Pens
PITTSBURGH — Mike Babcock knew what awaited Marian Hossa in Pittsburgh, so the Detroit coach decided to use some reverse psychology on his star forward.
Aware the fans would boo — and loudly — a player who turned down a huge contract from Pittsburgh to sign a one-year deal with Detroit, Babcock told Hossa, "They'll be cheering for you like crazy."
Uhh, not exactly. Hossa was booed whenever he stepped on the ice, drew chants of "Traitor! Traitor!" and was subjected to several non-flattering signs that questioned his loyalty.
The fans might have aided their team more simply by ignoring Hossa.
Motivated by the negative reaction in a city where he was cheered loudly last spring, Hossa scored a pivotal goal halfway through the third period, and Pavel Datsyuk had two goals during the Red Wings' 3-0 victory Sunday.
Babcock never doubted Hossa would be ready for the crowd reaction, saying, "You worry about the guys that aren't mentally strong."
Hossa's subtle message to Penguins rooters: Silence is golden.
"These are great hockey fans, and they show you their emotions," Hossa said. "Once or twice in your career you've got these games, so basically you try to enjoy it because this doesn't happen often. You try to use their energy to your advantage."
Apparently, he did. With the Red Wings clinging to a 1-0 lead in the third period, Hossa created a goal by himself, skating away from Jordan Staal to put a backhander on net from the slot. Three defenders between Hossa and the net couldn't stop him from scoring his 30th goal of the season.
When the puck got by Marc-Andre Fleury, it was quiet enough in Mellon Arena to hear the Penguins drop a valuable couple of points they badly needed in the Eastern Conference playoff race.
"I guess we expected them to boo him a little bit but, man, that was vicious at times," said Red Wings goalie Ty Conklin, himself a Penguins player last season.
It was the same kind of goal Hossa scored so often for the Penguins during their Stanley Cup run last year, when he had 12 goals and 14 assists in 20 games before they were eliminated in the sixth game of the finals by ... yes, Detroit.
Hossa, dealt by Atlanta at the trading deadline last year, all but said he would take less money to stay with the talented, youthful Penguins. Instead, he baffled management and angered his former fans by turning down an estimated $49 million, long-term deal with Pittsburgh to sign a one-year contract for little more than one-seventh that amount.
His reasoning? The Red Wings, not the Penguins, had a better chance to win the Stanley Cup this season.
"Lots of people think it could be a gamble, but it was my feeling at the time to decide to come here and it's worked out so far," Hossa said. "It's been great. No regrets, not so far."
No doubt the Penguins would love to have Hossa back. While Detroit (35-11-7) leads the Central Division and is a solid second behind San Jose in the Western Conference, the Penguins (26-24-5) are two points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
