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Thread: Pens re-sign Craig Adams to 2 year contract (cap hit $675 K)

  1. #1
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    Pens re-sign Craig Adams to 2 year contract (cap hit $675 K)

    Good signing at a reasonable price. Adams is a big part of our league-leading PK units. And he seems like the prototypical 4th line center. Gritty, smart, defensive-minded, a leader...he seems like a carbon copy of what Dan Bylsma was when he was a player. With other penalty killers such as Max Talbot and Pascal Dupuis also being free agents (who may be able to get more $$$ on the open market than we would be willing to fit under our cap), and with the emergence of a few young forwards like Mark Letestu and Dustin Jeffrey, it was important to keep this major piece of our PK going forward.

    Pens Re-Sign Forward Craig Adams
    Thursday, 06.09.2011 / 3:45 PM

    The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Craig Adams to a two-year contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.

    The contract has an average annual value of $675,000, and runs through the 2012-13 season.

    Adams, 34, played the last two-plus seasons with Pittsburgh and was a key contributor to the team’s Stanley Cup championship season in 2009. Adams, who was originally claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh March 4, 2009, was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent July 1, but chose instead to re-sign with the Penguins.

    A two-time Stanley Cup champion, Adams (6-foot, 197 pounds) has been a key defensive player and penalty killer for the Penguins since arriving in Pittsburgh. Adams, who led the team’s forwards with 3:05 shorthanded minutes per game, helped Pittsburgh become the No. 1-ranked penalty killing unit in the NHL in 2010-11 with a success rate of 86.1 percent – the first time in franchise history the Penguins boasted the league’s top PK.

    In his 10-year NHL career, Adams has totaled 115 points (41G-74A) in 669 career games while also playing for Carolina (2000-0 and Chicago (2008-09). He’s added nine points (6G-3A) in 73 postseason games, and won his first Stanley Cup with Carolina in 2006.

    Adams played four seasons at Harvard University (1995-99). He totaled 29 goals and 62 points in his collegiate career.
    [url]http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=565396&cmpid=pit-email-penguins[/url]
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

  2. #2
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    Re: Pens re-sign Craig Adams to 2 year contract (cap hit $67

    Adams Thrilled to Continue Role with Team
    Friday, 06.10.2011 / 2:13 AM
    By Michelle Crechiolo

    It’s Game 7 of the 2009 Stanley Cup Final, the Penguins are holding a precarious 2-1 lead over the Red Wings with 6.5 seconds remaining in regulation – and Detroit has a faceoff in the Pittsburgh zone.

    The puck ended up on the stick of Red Wings defenseman Nick Lidstrom, whose shot is turned aside by goalie Marc-Andre Fleury.

    And the ensuing rebound? Well, it had no chance against forward Craig Adams.

    As the clock wound down and the other Penguins on the ice prepared to throw up their arms in celebration, Adams was flat on his stomach between the puck and the net as two Detroit players dug fruitlessly to free the rubber disc from under his prone body.

    It has become Adams’ role to be on the ice in situations like that, and speaks volumes about the type of player he is.

    “Everyone has a different role,” Adams told [url="http://www.PittsburghPenguins.com"]www.PittsburghPenguins.com[/url]. “If we need a goal in the last two minutes, I’m probably not going to be the guy who gets put out there. But if we’re looking to protect a lead, then Dan (Bylsma) has given me that chance quite a few times to be out there in the last minute.”

    When asked if he ever felt nervous in situations like that, Adams said he actually felt the complete opposite.

    “I love it,” he said. “I don’t see it (as being scary) at all. I never feel that way. I’m excited to be out there and to be in those pressure situations. Obviously being out there at the end of Game 7 was special. I’m glad I had the chance to do it.”

    It says a lot about an NHL player when the head coach wants him on the ice to help preserve leads, especially in games like that. And on Thursday, the Penguins locked up that player for the next two years.

    Adams, 34, forewent potential unrestricted free agency to sign a two-year contract extension with the Penguins.

    “It feels great,” he said. “My family and I are really excited. It feels good that we got something done and it’s good to be staying put here for at least a couple of years.”

    Adams has been in the league since 2000 and has seen a lot in his 10-plus years in the NHL. And according to Adams, the Penguins franchise shines the brightest.

    “You can’t find a better organization in the league than the Penguins,” he said. “All the way from the management and the coaching staff and all the way down. Then obviously with the new building and the fans and the team we have, it’s a great place to play hockey. But beyond that, Pittsburgh is a great city to live in. The support we get around here is great.”

    Adams' role has become a big one over his two-plus seasons with Pittsburgh since the team claimed him off waivers from Chicago on March 4, 2009.

    For starters, the veteran forward has been an integral part of the Penguins penalty kill, which finished No. 1 in the NHL last season with an 86.1-percent success rate. Adams led the team’s forwards with 3:05 shorthanded minutes per game.

    Thanks to his gritty, grinding style of play, Adams also paced all forwards with 64 blocked shots and finished fourth on the team with 171 hits.

    It’s also not uncommon to for Adams to repeatedly throw his body in front of shots and do whatever else is necessary to clear the puck out of the Penguins defensive zone, both shorthanded and even strength.

    “It’s something you do out of necessity or pride,” he said of the mentality behind blocking shots. “It’s just that I know if I want to be out there and I want to get the chance to be in those situations, those are the things I’ve got to do.”

    It’s that selfless play and team-first attitude that has helped the Penguins immensely and, in turn, gained Adams the support of the coaches.

    “I think you gain the trust of your coaching staff and then you’re given responsibility,” he said. “You get a chance to play in certain situations that maybe you didn’t get to play in before. In that way, my role has expanded. I’ve got the coaching staff to thank for that. So I’m definitely happy with my role.”

    But not only does Adams possess shutdown defensive abilities, penalty kill prowess and the ability to win faceoffs, but he brings that leadership and experience that is absolutely vital in the National Hockey League.

    Adams donned an “A” as a Penguins alternate captain on many occasions during the 2010-11 season.

    He has won two Stanley Cups in his 10-year NHL career, his other coming with Carolina in 2006. He has played in 669 career regular-season games and has skated in an impressive 73 postseason contests.

    But looking ahead, Adams’ goal is simple -- he wants another Cup with Pittsburgh.

    “I’m looking forward to winning another Stanley Cup,” he said. “That’s all there is to it. There’s really nothing else. I’m excited to be part of what I know is going to be a competitive team."
    [url]http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=565442&cmpid=pit-email-penguins[/url]
    Steeler teams featuring stat-driven, me-first, fantasy-football-darling diva types such as Antonio Brown & Le'Veon Bell won no championships.

    Super Bowl winning Steeler teams were built around a dynamic, in-your-face defense plus blue-collar, hard-hitting, no-nonsense football players on offense such as Hines Ward & Jerome Bettis.

    We don't want Juju & Conner to replace what we lost in Brown & Bell.

    We are counting on Juju & Conner to return us to the glory we once had with Hines & The Bus.

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