Mario And A Lot Of Questions
By Bob Grove

It's been 19 years since a young French-Canadian raised eyebrows at a Penguins' training camp, but this time Mario Lemieux was the one being impressed.

Not even the scouts who gushed over goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, 18, would predict he'll carry future Pittsburgh teams the way Lemieux has since 1984. But the No. 1 choice in June's draft is the Penguins' foundation for years to come, and as camp wound down there was a chance Fleury would make the rare and difficult immediate jump to the NHL.

'He's got all the tools to be a special goaltender at this level,' says assistant coach Lorne Molleken, a former minor-league goaltender. 'He's shown he's a great athlete his lateral movement and quickness on the ice, his hands.'

After a sluggish start, Fleury helped his team win the camp tournament, and in one drill his other-worldly glove hand victimized Lemieux. The captain shook his head and laughed, 'He looks very quick.'

The Penguins said they had until Oct. 6 to sign Fleury or return him to Cape Breton of the Quebec League. His first-year NHL salary would be capped at $1.2 million, although negotiable signing and performance bonuses were potential problems.

The pace of contract talks was being driven by Fleury's preseason performance, and even if signed the Penguins retain the option of returning him to juniors after their first 10 games.

Only six goaltenders taken in the first round have played at least 20 NHL games the following season: John Davidson (1973), Grant Fuhr (1981), Tom Barrasso (1983), Jocelyn Thibault (1993), Rick DiPietro (2000) and Dan Blackburn (2001).

'He's got the talent to do it, he's got the mind... you never know,' Lemieux said. 'He's got a good chance. You have to be patient with young guys, but it all depends on the character of the player and if he's strong enough mentally. He seems to be, so that's not an issue.'