CRANBERRY, Pa. -- On one rink, two dozen of the Penguins' presumed top talents in their teens and early 20s, skated their guts out in the Black vs. Gold game that annually concludes development camp, with every member of management, every coach and every instructor monitoring every move.
On the other rink, all by his lonesome, was the 34-year-old who still represents the present and the future of the franchise.
And that, my friends, is all anyone needs to know about the state of this system, phrased as respectfully as possible.