Penguins Begin Season Without Jagr Against Cup Champ Avs By ALAN ROBINSON AP Sports Writer Wednesday October 03, 2001 2:10 AM PITTSBURGH (AP) - The last time Mario Lemieux didn't have Jaromir Jagr as a teammate, Lemieux was 24, hadn't won the Stanley Cup and was more interested in getting a big contract from the Pittsburgh Penguins than buying them. That's why, as the Penguins open their first Jagr-less season since 1989-90 against Stanley Cup champion Colorado on Wednesday night, it is difficult to judge exactly how much losing one of hockey's greatest scorers will mean to them. Certainly, they have plenty of scorers left: Lemieux, Martin Straka, Robert Lang and Alexei Kovalev, all of whom signed big contracts after Jagr and his $10 million salary were traded to Washington. But the Penguins have been to the playoffs only once in the last 20 years without Jagr, in 1988. And, while Lemieux has won six scoring titles, Jagr has five, all but one of them without Lemieux as a teammate. Losing Jagr and his scoring touch, even one that disappeared for much of the playoffs last spring, might not seem that big a deal in October, but it might by April. "He was here and he was a part of your life and, all of a sudden, he ends up on the other team," Kovalev said Tuesday. "But we can't really think about whether he is here or he is away. We have to think about what we can do without him." Lemieux also figures to draw more defensive attention than ever without Jagr playing alongside him. "That didn't happen in the past?" Lemieux said. "I'm used to it, and it's no different this time, playing against the top defensive lines. We've got to find a way to go out and do that, just as we did in the past." Lemieux thinks opposing coaches won't always send their best defensive pairings against his line because the Straka-Lang-Kovalev line was so productive last season. All three finished in the top 25 in scoring, and Straka and Kovalev tied with 95-point seasons. "I don't know if we're the first line. We're probably the second line, now," Lemieux said of his own line, which currently includes rookie Kris Beech, obtained from Washington in the Jagr deal, and Stephane Richer. Don't tell that to the NHL. Its opening night matchup of the NHL's marquee player against its marquee team was anything but a coincidence. Also on Wednesday's schedule are a couple of rivalry games, Ottawa at Toronto and Edmonton at Calgary. Eight more season openers are Thursday as the NHL begins only the second season in league history that will be interrupted at midterm by an Olympic break. The Avalanche spent more than $100 million to re-sign stars Joe Sakic, Patrick Roy and Rob Blake after their seven-game Stanley Cup final against New Jersey last spring. But they aren't the same team. Ray Bourque, the Stanley Cup finally his after chasing it since the 1970s, has retired. Also missing is Peter Forsberg, who is taking time off after having his spleen removed and might not play this season. Also, defenseman Adam Foote could miss the first month of the season following shoulder surgery. As a result, the Avalanche spent much of camp working on new line combinations and pairings - Blake is now with Martin Skoula, for example - and were only 1-4-0-1 during the preseason. The Penguins also won only once. "It's important for us now to forget about training camp and make sure we prepare ourselves for a big start in Pittsburgh," Roy said. "We know it's going to be a very big game, and they'll be ready for us. We have to be ready for a big start and pick up a bit of confidence here and there."
