CANONSBURG, Pa. – The Pittsburgh Penguins aren't worried
about Mario Lemieux's sore back – yet.
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Lemieux skipped a voluntary practice Monday but showed up at the
Penguins' practice rink and told teammates he was feeling better.
Lemieux hasn't played much worse since returning to the team
than he did in the Penguins' 4-2 loss Sunday to the expansion
Minnesota Wild. He was held scoreless for only the second time in
his 19-game comeback.
Restricted by the back pain and the Wild's neutral-zone trap, he
took only three shots, all in the third period. In a 5-4 overtime
victory Saturday over the Devils, he was limited to a single
assist.
Before ending his 3½-year retirement in late December, the
35-year-old team owner said his back was the one unknown factor.
While he no longer has the debilitating pain that once forced
him to stop playing for weeks at a time, he was uncertain how his
back would respond after being away from the game for so long.
Lemieux, bothered frequently by back pain from 1990 through 1997, had
soreness in his first two comeback games in late December. After
that, he said, "The back felt the best it's been in years" until
he "felt something pop" early in practice Friday.
He is receiving daily treatment from Tom Plasko, a therapist
whom Lemieux refers to as "my back guru." He credits him with
keeping his back problems to a minimum during the 1995-97 seasons.
"I don't think this is comparable to the back problems he had
before," said linemate Kevin Stevens, who also played for the
Penguins when Lemieux had back operations in 1990 and 1993.
"He told me today he feels a lot better," Stevens said Monday.
"When he was here Friday, he was hurting."
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