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Konopka Fighting To Beat The Odds

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By ERIK ERLENDSSON The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 19, 2008

TAMPA - Zenon Konopka stepped onto the ice for Thursday's first of two scrimmage sessions and two minutes after the clock started he picked out the biggest guy he could find and made a bee line.

"He asked me if I wanted to fight," said 6-foot-5, 255-pound Evgeny Artyukhin. "It's been so long, I got a little confused, rusty."

For Konopka, 6-1 and 213, it was all part of a strategy to make whatever impression he can on the coaching staff to show what he brings to the team. He later got entangled with 6-5 defenseman Matt Smaby after Konopka got a solid hit in on LW Vinny Prospal and got under the skin of a couple of others, including in front of the offensive net when he ended up underneath D Shane O'Brien.

"On the depth chart coming into training camp I think there are 19 forwards ahead of me so the status quo is not going to get me on the team," said Konopka, who had 24 goals and 194 penalty minutes with Syracuse last year. "I don't know what analogy you want to use, but going into training camp I have a number of chips and I don't want to leave anything in the tank. I'll do anything to make this team and that's pretty much the bottom line."
Konopka said that will be his strategy again for this morning's scrimmage, which begins at 10:45.

Even in a scrimmage setting, where players are going against potential teammates, Lightning coach Barry Melrose wants to see that type of attitude out of everybody on the ice.

"He's here to make the team and he doesn't care if he takes a veterans job or whatever," Melrose said. "He started the second fight because he hit Prospal with a good hit at center ice. The veterans think they are untouchable, they think the kids are just here to get autographs on their way to Norfolk and Konopka's not, he wants to take their job and I love that."

For the record, Konopka said RW Marty St. Louis and C Vinny Lecavalier, who was named team captain Thursday, are the two he does consider untouchable.

FREE TICKETS: The Lightning will hand out free tickets to each of the team's two home preseason games in exchange for donations to the Salvation Army.

Representatives of the Salvation Army will be in front of the box office beginning at 5 p.m. prior to Monday's game against Pittsburgh and Tuesday's game against the New York Rangers. For a donation of $5 fans will receive a terrace level ticket while a $10 donation will receive a plaza level ticket.

SCRIMMAGE RESULTS: LW Paul Szczechura and LW Gary Roberts scored the only two goals in Thursday's scrimmage game for a 2-0 victory by Team White. Goaltenders Mike Smith and Karri Ramo each stopped all 17 shots they faced for Team White.

Olie Kolzig stopped five of six shots while rookie Riku Helenius stopped 11 of 12 shots he faced.

NUTS AND BOLTS: Former Lightning general manager Jay Feaster will be a regular contributor this season on NHL Live, which runs weekdays from noon to 2 p.m. on XM Radio Channel 204 and is simulcast on television on the NHL Network. ... LW Dana Tyrell, RW Chris Lawrence and D Ty Wishart arrived from Detroit to the St. Pete Times Forum early Thursday afternoon and did not take part in the scrimmage. All three are expected to play today.

Erik Erlendsson

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