Tweet Dan Bylsma has walked down the hall at Mellon Arena to get advice from Mario Lemieux.
Authentic Hakeem Nicks Jersey . The Pittsburgh Penguins coach has talked to some of Lemieuxs old teammates from the early 1990s, talked to a handful of players and coaches from the Islanders dynasty teams in the early 1980s, and even polled todays players who either have done it or tried to do it. When it comes to figuring out what its going to be like for the Pittsburgh Penguins to repeat as Stanley Cup champions, Bylsma has done his homework and yet he still isnt sure hes gotten enough information, or if that information is even out there to begin with. "I can honestly tell you I sought out a lot of advice during the summer about this year, and I know (Red Wings coach) Mike Babcock sought out advice after we went to the Final in Anaheim (in 2003)," said Bylsma, whose team will embark on its repeat journey next week. "I can tell you there is not a real good book on what its going to be like in the playoffs. There is not a distinct look from one person saying this is how its going to be." So how does Bylsma think its going to be for his Penguins? Bylsma: Stamkos fast growth surprising Steven Stamkos, only 20, is one goal behind Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin in the race for the Rocket Richard Trophy, and only three goals shy of 50 for the season. You can add Penguins coach Dan Bylsma to the growing list of hockey people amazed at how quickly Stamkos has arrived. "The thing that is most dramatic is not only in the past two years the difference in the player, but even from the beginning of this year," Bylsma said. "The last two times we played him, both five-on-five and on the power play, he was a dynamic player with his shot, getting his shot off, using his one-timer on the power play, getting to the areas where hes dangerous and then delivering the puck on net. Thats something I did not see from his last year or the first two times (Pittsburgh played Tampa Bay) this year. But the last two times its been dynamic. To me, how that has happened in a very short period of time to make him a 47-goal scorer at this time is dramatic." Bylsma can say with some certainty that he believes Stamkos only will get better. "I dont see it stopping, thats for sure," he said. "Just how he plays the game, how dynamic he is and dangerous he is -- he will continue to get those looks, those shots and those goals going forward. I see it being that way well into the future." -- Dan Rosen "I think were going to draw upon the experience we had in the past, and I dont just mean last year when we won," he said. "This group, most of these guys have been to the playoffs for three straight years. That experience will be drawn upon and we know its going to be ratcheted up, what the buildings are going to be like, and there are going to be ups and downs. We know teams that win dont win every game and there is a certain amount of dealing with those situations. There is also a confidence in how your team plays, how you need to play to have success, and we had that confidence last year. We anticipate all that, but we also know we have to be ready for the ups and downs in a game." Bylsma isnt so sure about the last part. He hasnt been happy with his teams consistency this season because he doesnt feel the Penguins have played the way they wanted to play -- "gotten to our game," Bylsma called it -- enough times and its burned them against the better teams. Pittsburgh is a combined 0-8-2 against New Jersey and Washington this season and just 3-13-4 against the nine teams ranked ahead of them in the overall NHL standings as of Wednesday. If the current standings hold up through Sunday, the Penguins again would be lined up to play Washington in the second round. "Are we happy with our mindset? No, not entirely," Bylsma said. "Do we know how we need to play? Yes, but we have not gotten to the consistency we know were going to need. Our challenge going into the last three games is thats where we need to go." Bylsma said the Penguins must ramp up their level of urgency, of desperation, in these last three regular-season games, all of which are against non-playoff teams -- the Islanders twice and the Thrashers. "We know what it is and we know what it means and that level has to happen. Levels have to rise," Bylsma said. "We havent been great at getting to it so far this season. That urgency level is going to come, but the question is, are we going to be a team that can draw from our past and get to that level?" Follow Dan Rosen on Twitter at: @drosennhl
Authentic Percy Harvin Jersey . -- Former top-25 player Taylor Dent is retiring from professional tennis.
Steelers Aaron Smith Jersey . The Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission approved a recommendation from engineers who said they worried simply repairing several torn panels of the stadiums Teflon roof wouldnt be enough to prevent another failure. Work could get underway by the middle of March with a goal of finishing by Aug.
Felipe Lopez Jersey . The last two, Phoenix had the homecourt advantage. Here they are again, opening the Western Conference semifinals in Phoenix on Monday night, the Suns seeded No.
Tom Brady Jerseys . The Ministry of Commerce said the FDI flowing into China shrank by 35.7 percent from a year earlier, to $5.36 billion last month, compared with a 6.8-percent dip in June. This is also the 10th-straight monthly drop since last October.
Jones-Drew Jersey . Shaun Rein, founder and managing director of the China Market Research Group, a strategic market intelligence firm, said that revaluing the Chinese yuan right now would jeopardize the worlds fledgling economic recovery. Krugman, who is also The New York Times columnist, wrote recently in an article headlined World Out of Balance that China severely undervalued renminbi, and he called on the US government to push for a stronger Chinese currency.
Carolina Hurricanes Jersey . Hed also like to see a lot more of what he witnessed Thursday night. "Boy oh boy, was that something else," he gushed to NHL.com the day after the Canadiens upset Washington with a 3-2 overtime victory in Game 1.
Sabres Stafford Jersey . Now that were on this kind of surface for eight months, I think this is a very important start for me, playing well on the hard courts again, the world No 2 said before his first workout at the ATP Cincinnati Masters.
Browns Joe Haden Jersey . The person, who asked for anonymity because of the private nature of the situation, told the AP that the city was focusing on talks with the NHL over the leagues request for cash, probably $20 million to $25 million, to cover next seasons operating losses while sale of the team is completed.SAN DIEGO - Kobe Bryant hyperextended his right knee in the second quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers exhibition game Tuesday night. Bryant, who scored four points in 14 minutes against the Charlotte Bobcats, did not come out with the team for the second half. The Lakers announced Bryant will be re-examined Wednesday. "I didnt even ask him about the injury," coach Phil Jackson ssaid.
Authentic Joe Montana Jersey. . "The trainer said he hyperextended his knee somewhat. Well see what its like (Wednesday), then go from there." Bryant injured his knee jumping for a rebound with 3:08 left in the first half. The reigning NBA MVP limped off the court favouring his right leg. He motioned to the bench to come out and coach Phil Jackson called a 20-second timeout. ' ' '
