Penguins give Sergei Gonchar professional tryout contract

He won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009, and now defenseman Sergei Gonchar will be fighting for a spot on their bench once again.

The team announced Friday that Gonchar, 41, will join the Penguins on a professional tryout contract. Conveniently, the offer came from the ideal club for the 20-year veteran.

"The Penguins were the only team that I was looking at," said Gonchar, per the club's website. "We've been talking for a while now. We had to wait for them to finish making all of their moves."

Gonchar's previous success in Pittsburgh is what ultimately drew his interest back to the team when his deal with the Montreal Canadiens expired on July 1. He spent 2005-10 in black and gold, a time in which the Penguins made Stanley Cup final appearances in 2008 and 2009, both against the Detroit Red Wings. Gonchar tallied 14 points (3G-14A) in 22 playoff games during the '09 run.

But the past is the past, and the Russia native is focused on what's happening now.

"My goal is to come to camp and show the team that I can still play," Gonchar said. "Then I want to help the team in any way that I can. Whatever the team needs I'll try to do. That's the way that I am looking at it."

He appeared in 45 games for the Habs last season after being traded by the Dallas Stars in November, and how much Gonchar has left in the tank to offer the Penguins is still to be determined.

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