Great story by the Dayton Daily News here about a Pens fan that found a way to get onto the ice and into the locker room when the Pens won the Cup.

The photo gallery is unbelievable as fan Ryan Kraft poses for pictures with Ray Shero, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby, Eddie Johnston and the Stanley Cup itself, etc, etc.

In Wild news, I don’t believe the team’s interested in now-free-agent Nikolai Zherdev. Maybe I’ll write up a blog later tonight to explain. Also, the Wild issued the following press release:

MINNESOTA WILD NAMES P.J. DELUCA VIDEO COORDINATOR AND CHRIS PIETRZAK-WEGNER STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING COACH

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    SAINT PAUL/MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – Minnesota Wild General Manager Chuck Fletcher today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has named P.J. DeLuca Video Coordinator and Chris Pietrzak-Wegner Strength and Conditioning Coach.
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    DeLuca is responsible for all of the team’s video scouting efforts, including breaking down and analyzing game footage, as well as video of upcoming opponents. He served as the Colorado Avalanche’s video coordinator in 2008-09 and spent the 2007-08 season as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Denver assisting Head Coach George Gwozdecky in on-ice coaching, game analysis, video breakdown and scouting for the Pioneers.
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    DeLuca, 31 (7/26/78), joined the Pioneers after serving one season as a graduate assistant coach with the USA Hockey National Development Team Program (NTDP) in Ann Arbor, Mich. He assisted in the day-to-day operations and coaching for the Under-17 and Under-18 teams, working on daily practice planning and scouting, as well as managing the video breakdown and analysis.
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    Prior to joining USA Hockey, the Chicago native worked as an assistant coach for the Chicago Mission Hockey Club (AAA) from 2005-06 and was the head coach for the Chicago Blues Hockey Club (AA) from 2004-05. DeLuca is a graduate of Eastern Illinois University and played junior hockey for the Cleveland Barons and Danville Wings of the North American Hockey League from 1994-96 and Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League in 1996-97.
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    Pietrzak-Wegner is responsible for developing, implementing and executing all aspects of strength and conditioning throughout the Wild organization. The Minneapolis native spent the last three seasons in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Prior to joining the Penguins, he spent the 2005-06 season as a consultant to the Oji Eagles in Tomakomai, Japan and three seasons (2002-05) as the Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Milwaukee Admirals including the 2004 Calder Cup champion team.
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    Pietrzak-Wegner, 39 (7/12/70), is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association and a Certified Metabolic Typing Advisor-Nutritionist. He graduated from the University of Maryland with a Bachelor of Science degree in Kinesiology.

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