| Newest Penguins physical
and tough
Wednesday,
March 20, 2002
Left winger Ville Nieminen, the main acquisition in the Penguins' trade with the Colorado Avalanche yesterday, isn't all that big by hockey standards. He is 6 feet, 200 pounds, no taller than Johan Hedberg, no heavier than Jan Hrdina. But, as General Manager Craig Patrick put it, "He plays big." Patrick meant that in two ways. One is the manner in which Nieminen makes his living by stubbornly planting himself in front of the opponent's net. He withstands cross-checks to the back and neck, regularly drawing penalties. He chats with any enemy who cares to listen, often punctuating his comments with a devilish grin. And, although he is not the most gifted stickhandler, he can show the touch of a power forward by keeping his blade free for deflections and rebounds. Many liken him to the Detroit Red Wings' Tomas Holmstrom. Two is Nieminen's knack for producing in the clutch. He has 10 goals and 14 assists in 53 games this season, totals which are significantly magnified by five winning goals, including those in each of Colorado's three victories before the trade. More important by far, he was a second-line fixture for the Stanley Cup champion Avalanche last spring, producing four goals and six assists in 23 playoff games, including a winning goal and an assist on an overtime goal. "From all the people we've talked to who know him well, he plays big in big games," Patrick said. "That's critical, to find that in a 24-year-old. ... The guy's going to score some key goals for us." Nieminen angered Colorado management last September by reporting to training camp overweight, and he was used sparingly or made a healthy scratch for much of the early part of this season. But Patrick expressed no concern about Nieminen's work ethic. "He came into camp a little too comfortable and got in their bad books right off the bat," Patrick said. "I'm sure he's learned a lesson from that. We've seen what he can do based on what he did in the playoffs last year." Patrick also had several opportunities to watch Nieminen and defenseman Rick Berry, the other played obtained in exchange for Darius Kasparaitis, while they were playing for Colorado's American Hockey League affiliate in Hershey. As he liked Nieminen's play in front of the opponent's net, he liked the way Berry used his 6-2, 200-pound frame to keep his own crease area clean. "Tough as nails," Patrick said. "He's a good, solid, tough defenseman. He takes on all comers, not only for himself but also for the team. You have to pay a price to get in front of the net when he's there. That's something we were looking for." Berry, 23, has struggled in his rookie season, failing to produce a point in 60 games. Although he had been projected as a two-way defenseman when the Avalanche selected him in the third round of the 1997 NHL Entry Draft, one round before Nieminen, he has been shaky on breakouts and prone to glaring giveaways. He was a healthy scratch for four of his final seven games in Colorado. Nieminen and Berry had different reactions upon learning of the trade in Denver. "I'm a little disappointed. You're always shocked," Nieminen said. "But the sun is going to come up in Pittsburgh the next day. I spent so much time in Hershey that it almost feels like I'm going home. It will be a privilege to play with Mario Lemieux next year when he comes back." "It's definitely a good move for myself," Berry said. "It's a good team here in Colorado, so it's kind of tough to crack the top four defensemen with all the quality players here." Both players can become restricted
free agents after this season. Nieminen's salary is $500,000, Berry's $375,000.
Birth of child turned Nieminen’s
season around
Ville Nieminen’s nightmare season turned around when his first child, a son named Viljami, was born on Dec. 28. Nieminen had scored one goal at that point. He proceeded to score nine more before he was dealt to the Penguins along with defenseman Rick Berry on Tuesday. When the trade was announced, Avalanche assistant coach Bryan Trottier pulled Nieminen aside and told him, “You’re playing for (Viljami’s) future now.” Nieminen appreciated those words. He also learned a lesson this season, when he was scratched nine times after a sluggish training camp. He said helping the Avalanche to the Stanley Cup last season took a lot out of him. “I worked out normally in the summer, but I was burned out already when I went home,” he said. “I kind of lost the excitement a little bit when I came back, and after that, I was in the doghouse for a long time. “I kept telling myself that after Christmas, everything was going to turn around. I started to find myself mentally and physically. Now, I’m happy, and I’m going to have fun. I’m excited.” Nieminen loves to mix it up in front of the net. “That’s one of the only ways to score goals,” he said. “I have to keep doing it if I want to score.” Nieminen isn’t well-acquainted with many of his new teammates, not even Finnish countryman Janne Laukkanen — and he did not attend Sami Salo’s bachelor party last summer, when Laukkanen was injured in a playful wrestling match. “I
didn’t go there,” Nieminen said. “But he’s
going to get a new wrestling partner now.”
Good and Bad on Deadline Day By
Bob Grove
The acquisition of left wing Ville Nieminen, 24, and defenseman Rick Berry, 23, from the Colorado Avalanche in return for veteran defenseman Darius Kasparaitis was a terrific transaction for the Penguins. Thirteen regular-season games from now, Kasparaitis would have walked away from Pittsburgh as an unrestricted free agent; in return the Penguins received two young players with NHL experience who will help them immediately and in the future. The 6-0, 200-pound Nieminen is a natural left winger with scoring ability, which makes him a rarity on the Pittsburgh roster. The Finn scored 14 goals and 22 points in 50 regular-season games last season while playing just more than 12 minutes a game on a Colorado team loaded with talent. He then led all NHL rookies in playoff scoring when he contributed four goals and 10 points in 23 games as the Avalanche marched to the Stanley Cup. Nieminen had 10 goals and 24 points in 53 games with Colorado this season despite no increase in playing time, and he continued to demonstrate a workable knowledge of the defensive game. He is not likely to blossom into a 40-goal scorer, but Nieminen seems capable of eventually scoring in the 20-to-30 goal range for the Penguins, for whom he will be a second line player. Maybe there's some good karma
in Nieminen's trade to Pittsburgh — he was selected 78th overall by Colorado
in 1997, the year the Entry Draft was held at the Civic Arena, and it was
here in Pittsburgh last Feb. 19 that Nieminen recorded the first multi-goal
game of his NHL career with the first two goals in a 5-1 Avalanche victory.
Nieminen is currently earning $500,000 and will become a restricted free
agent this summer.
Tough times hit the Pittsburgh sports world by
JOE MARCHILENA
(...) The Penguins sure did the Colorado Avalanche a favor, not only giving them Darius Kasparaitis for the remainder of the season, but also by taking Ville Nieminen off their hands. Nieminen’s situation with the Avalanche was similar to the Penguins’ situation last summer with Jaromir Jagr, except Nieminen doesn’t make $10 million a year and he’s never won a scoring title. He had, however, fallen out of favor among Colorado officials after gaining a few extra pounds during the off-season and it is possible that the Avalanche was more than happy to trade him for Pittsburgh’s best defensive player. (...)
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