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Long Day For Konopka

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 12, 2008

MONTREAL - Zenon Konopka experienced the hockey version of "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" on Wednesday.

The center took part in the morning skate with Norfolk in preparation for the Admirals' game. As he was set to go down for his pregame nap around 12:45 p.m., Konopka got a call from Norfolk general manager Mike Butters informing him that he needed to be at the airport at 2 p.m. for a flight to Buffalo at 3 to make his Lightning debut.

"We had just got back from two road trips, one was 15 days and the other was eight days, so it wasn't like I had a lot of clean clothes, so I had to throw whatever clean clothes I had in my bag and peel my suit off the floor in the closet and try to steam that in the shower," Konopka said.

The flight out of Norfolk was slightly delayed, as was his connecting flight out of Washington, D.C., which pushed his landing time in Buffalo back to 6:25 p.m., 35 minutes before faceoff at HSBC Arena. Konopka then waited for 15 minutes at baggage claim before realizing his luggage - and more important, his equipment bag - did not arrive with him.

He immediately called a friend from Niagara Lakes, Ont., to see if he could borrow his skates since their skate size was relatively the same. By about the midway point of the first period, Konopka arrived on the Tampa Bay bench wearing a patchwork of pads put together by equipment trainers Ray Thill, Rob Kennedy and Clay Roffer that consisted of Ryan Malone's shoulder pads and Gary Roberts' shin pads.

But Konopka didn't feel comfortable in the skates - and a lack of good balance led to a penalty on his first shift - so he switched to a pair of Jeff Halpern's. They weren't any better, so he informed the coaching staff of the issue, and he only ended up playing 47 seconds in the game.

"It was the most ridiculous day of my career," he said. "But that's a story I'll be able to tell again and again."

HANGIN' WITH THE PREZ: Lightning owner Oren Koules said he was thrilled to spend some time with former President Bill Clinton before Wednesday's game in Buffalo. After Clinton addressed the team in the locker room about an hour before the game, Koules joined Clinton and about seven other guests for a private dinner hosted by Sabres owner Thomas Golisano.

"That was really cool," Koules said Thursday. "The guys were going through their stretches and we called them all into the room in a hurry, so they didn't know what to expect. It was funny to look around the room at the players' faces as Clinton talked about growing up in Arkansas not knowing anything about hockey or even knowing anybody who skated."

NUTS AND BOLTS: Lightning GM Brian Lawton said he spoke with C Chris Gratton on Thursday, and the veteran center expects to report to AHL Norfolk before tonight's game. ... Malone (upper body) and RW Adam Hall (upper body) were both scratched. ... The Lightning's chartered flight out of Buffalo on Wednesday experienced mechanical problems, forcing the team to fly Thursday to Montreal, where the team arrived at their hotel around noon.

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