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A cut above Pens' future star Petersen rebounds from broken legs
Updated: Saturday March 31, 2001 10:05 PM
by Josh Goldfine, Special to CNNSI.com Come April, NHL playoff contenders from coast to coast are searching players with the grit and heart to help carry the team to the next level. The Pittsburgh Penguins may have just such a talent playing in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. Back in October, no one, including Toby Petersen himself, could have predicted that the Bloomington, Minnesota native would end the season as a member of the AHL's All-Rookie Team. After all, Petersen was less than two years removed a pair of accidents in which he broke not one, but both of his legs. Petersen's excellence this season really should not have surprised anybody. After all, this was a kid who, after recording 59 points (29G, 30A) in 25 games for Bloomington Jefferson High School and earning All-State honors in his junior year, left high school for the rigors of Junior hockey. The University of Minnesota hockey team is traditionally comprised of just that -- Minnesotans. So, when Petersen and his brother Ian, who is three years older, both committed to play for Don Lucia at Colorado College, it was a shock to the natives of their home state. "It was a tough decision," said Petersen. "I wanted to get away from home, and it's a small school [enrollment: 2,100] with small class sizes, which was ideal for me. It was a match made in heaven." Petersen's freshman year would turn out to be his best. The speedy center piled up 38 points (17 G, 21 A) in 40 games on a team that fell to eventual champion North Dakota in the semi-finals of the Frozen Four. His production remained steady the following season, as the 5-foot-10, 195-pounder tallied 16 goals and 17 assists in 40 games. That June, the Penguins thought enough of Petersen to select him in the 10th round of the NHL draft. This was hardly the "put on the jersey and smile for the camera" draft-day scenario, however. Petersen found out about his selection only when his father, Gary, scoured the Internet for draft information. The next day, Pittsburgh Scouting Director Greg Malone placed a call to welcome Petersen into the Penguin family. But, by that November, Malone probably wished that he had never made that call. On Friday, November 13, 1999, Petersen slid into the boards feet first, breaking his right fibula (the bone outside the shin). After months in rehabilitation, he amazingly returned by season's end. But, it would be short-lived. Just five months to the day after his first injury, in nearly the same spot on the ice where he had broken his right leg, Petersen caught a skate in the ice and snapped two bones in his left leg. "The first one was painful," Petersen recalled. "But it was nothing compared to the second one."
After dismissing fleeting thoughts about hanging up his skates, Petersen was back on the warpath. He was elected as the team's captain for his senior season and was determined not to let the injuries get the best of him. "I rehabbed as soon as I could to get a jump in my wheels," said Petersen. "I ran into Greg Malone and Herb Brooks [Penguins scout] in the stands [at Colorado College], and they told me to keep going, because you never know what happens." They were right, as Petersen came back to put up 33 points (14 G, 19 A) in 37 games. "He started a little slow and got better and better," said Colorado College coach Scott Owens. "He was our top player. He played in all situations and in all roles." Maybe it was that versatility which the Penguins liked from the beginning. Or, maybe it is the smarts that Petersen brings to the ice. "He's one of the smartest players you'll see," said Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach Glenn Patrick. "If you don't have size, you have to have something else. "He has no problem taking the man. It is a surprise that he can play so physical." Petersen has proven himself more than able in the pro game this season. With 64 points (25 G, 39 A) in 66 games, the 23-year-old has shown that size is hardly an indication of the player. The Penguins have realized this as well. On December 2 of last year, after all the exercise bikes, treadmills, and rehab programs, Toby Petersen walked into an NHL locker room as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. The next night, it got even better, when he was paired on a line with Jaromir Jagr. Mario Lemieux's return, while a boost for the world of hockey, would be Petersen's ticket back to the bush leagues. He has hardly sulked, scoring 35 points (12 G, 23 A) in 41 games since rejoining Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Patrick believes that Petersen's minor league tenure will be short-lived. "He's going to be in the NHL next year," said Patrick.
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