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.” Berry tough When Berry played in Seattle of the Western League, fans would get on him about his name and wonder aloud if he shot under-handed free throws like former NBA star Rick Barry. “I heard a lot of that,” Berry said Wednesday morning after he checked in at Mellon Arena. Luckily for those people, Berry took the jibes in good humor. When he gets upset on the ice, he isn't so nice. Penguins GM Craig Patrick said that Berry is willing to take on all comers. Berry confirmed as much yesterday, saying he has fought the likes of Donald Brashear, Sandy McCarthy and Ethan Moreau. “It started in the minors,” Berry said. “I filled a role nobody else was doing, found a way to help out the guys. There's no need for anybody to get picked on, and you have to stick up for yourself. It's more pride than anything.” Berry also loves to step up and hit people. Trottier said Berry is good for “one or two kills every night.” Berry said going for the kill sometimes gets him in trouble. “I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing,” he said. “You're just so tempted to go kill a guy with a body check, but sometimes, you're probably better off just playing defense. That was the thing in Colorado. They really wanted me just to play defense, and I agree with them. But it takes a little bit of time to train yourself.” Berry certainly won't be accused of trying to force offense. He went into last night's game with no goals in 76 career games. “I believe I'm way overdue,” he said with a laugh. “I've had a few posts and a couple called off. It's been a nightmare that way. But life goes on. It'll come, sooner or later.” Moment of silence The Penguins had a moment of silence before the game to honor Brittanie Cecil, the 13-year-old Ohio girl who died Tuesday after being hit by a puck at a recent Columbus Blue Jackets game. Slap shots Nieminen wore No. 10, becoming the first Penguins player since Ron Francis to wear it. … Forwards Eric Meloche and Shane Endicott were returned to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. … Newsday reported yesterday that the Penguins wanted New York Islanders prospects Branislav Mezei and Raffi Torres in exchange for Darius Kasparaitis. … Colorado's Pascal Trepanier gave up his No. 11 so that Kasparaitis can wear it. “That was pretty cool,” Kasparaitis said. Tie-breakers If two or more clubs are tied in points at the end of the regular season, the standing of the clubs in each conference will be determined in the following order: 1. The greater number of games won. 2. The greater number of points earned in games between the tied clubs. If two clubs are tied and have not played an equal number of home games against each other, points earned in the first game played in the city that had the extra game shall not be included. If more than two clubs are tied, the higher percentage of available points earned in games among those clubs shall be used to determine the standing. 3. The greater differential between goals for and against for the entire regular season. Scratches The Penguins played without Robert Lang (hand), Andrew Ference and Toby Petersen. … The Phoenix Coyotes played without Ossi Vaananen, Denis Pederson, Darcy Hordichuk and Branko Radivojevic.

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