Notebook: Another rough season for Laukkanen

NEW YORK — Janne Laukkanen is lucky his salary isn't contingent on the number of games he plays.

If it were, he'd be living under a bridge.

Laukkanen is winding down the most injury-riddled season of his career, and that's saying something. He has played in just 44 of 77 games this season and just 105 of a possible 170 games since the Penguins acquired him from the Ottawa Senators on Mar. 14, 2000.

In the past four seasons, Laukkanen's medical chart reads like War and Peace, or, in his case, I Can't Stay in One Piece.

Here's the official rundown: abdominal surgery (June, 1998), missed 19 games; strained groin (Nov. 23, 1998), missed four games; back spasms (Jan. 26, 1998), three games; strained back (Apr. 3, 1999), one game; concussion (Apr. 7, 1999), five games; bruised shoulder (Nov. 30, 1999), three games; bruised ankle (Dec. 29, 1999), one game; bruised ribs (March, April, 2000), two games; bruised knee (Oct. 13, 2000), three games; strained knee (Nov. 13, 2000), 18 games; strained groin (Feb. 23, 2001), one game; sprained knee (Mar. 10, 2001), six games; sprained knee (Mar. 29, 2001), three games; knee surgery (June, 2001), 27 games; asthmatic/lung condition (March/April, 2002), five games.

The causes range from the commonplace to the bizarre to the as-yet-unknown. Laukkanen still isn't sure why he has been plagued with fatigue lately. It's either a lung virus or an asthmatic condition. He needed inhalers in order to rejoin the lineup two games ago. He missed the first month-and-half of the season recovering from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that occurred while playing floor hockey and wrestling last summer at the bachelor party of Ottawa Senators' forward Sami Salo.

Asked if he would be attending any bachelor parties this summer, Laukkanen laughed and said, “I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying home all day.”

To the Penguins, Laukkanen's injury problems can't be a laughing matter. He is the team's highest-paid defenseman. He makes $1.3 million this season and will make $1.6 million next season, after which he can be an unrestricted free agent.

But if Penguins general manager Craig Patrick regrets signing Laukkanen to a three-year deal two summers ago, he isn't letting on. Patrick believes Laukkanen's injuries are at least partially attributable to the fact that he isn't very big (6-foot-1, 196 pounds) but likes to play physical.

“He plays an abrasive style, and I'm sure that may lead to injuries,” Patrick said. “He plays the game hard.”

Said Laukkanen: “You want to be where there's a lot of action. I can't call it bad luck. Things happen for a reason. It's part of hockey.”

Laukkanen has averaged less than 55 games per season since he became a full-time NHL player in 1996. He says this has been his longest season.

“First, the knee surgery, and it took a long time to get back,” he said. “You have to work twice as hard to get in shape. And now this (lung) mystery. It's been a long year.”

Doctors told Laukkanen it would be a year before his knee was fully recovered. The Penguins will need him to be one of their best defensemen next season.

“It would be nice if he had a full season,” Patrick said. “But you can't guarantee those things.”

BILLY CLUBBING

Penguins winger Krzysztof Oliwa gave Billy Tibbetts a pretty good beating Saturday. It was the third time the two fought in two games. They'd nearly come to blows a few times as roommates earlier this season.

“He came after me and hit me, and we just dropped the gloves and went,” Oliwa said. “I do my job; he's trying to do his job. He's a rookie, so he's the one who has to prove himself, not me.”

Oliwa resorted to body blows late in the bout.

“His head was down to my knees, so it's hard to hit somebody (in the face),” Oliwa said. “You do what you have to do.”

SLAP SHOTS

The Penguins have recalled forward Tom Kostopoulos from Wilkes-Barre. GM Craig Patrick said he isn't planning any more recalls. “We're going to go with what we have,” he said. …Defenseman Michal Rozsival said his injured groin shouldn't keep him out of the final four games, although he is doubtful for tonight. …Former Penguins first-round draft pick Craig Hillier reportedly has been living in Nova Scotia for the past year working as an assistant coach with Cole Harbour's bantam AAA team and preparing to play goal in Europe next season. He still wants to play in the NHL.

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