Milan Kraft Retires

[Kraftster]

A sad day. Always hoped this would be a thread for PPR.

http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... rieru-4827

[mikey287]

[André]

To as late as a few years back a friend could still taunt me for always saying "Kraft will probably break through this year" =)

[columbia]

What The Hell Happened To…Milan Kraft?
http://thefarmclub.net/2013/01/08/what- ... lan-kraft/

[Tomas]

Apparently it was not the voluntary retirement. The team had no place for him on the roster despite Kraft having a valid contract for the next season. The team offered him to move to the minors, but he chose to retire instead. Interestingly, it's a retirement WITH pay - the team will still pay him the remainder of the contract....

http://translate.google.com/translate?s ... -odmitl%2F

[mikey287]

Wake up, RS! This guy can still play.

Honestly, I thought Kraft was going to turn out. I had overly-optimistic hopes for Generation X because my talent evaluation skills were still developing (and still are...) but Kraft seemed decent enough...

[Beveridge]

Wake up, RS! This guy can still play.

Honestly, I thought Kraft was going to turn out. I had overly-optimistic hopes for Generation X because my talent evaluation skills were still developing (and still are...) but Kraft seemed decent enough...

Generation X should create an error message on these boards. I buried that era deep in my head.

[GSdrums87]

Hey man, Generation X is when I started going to Pens games. 9-0 losses to New Jersey. We'd be happy if they got a few goals while we were there.

[mikey287]

Hey man, Generation X is when I started going to Pens games. 9-0 losses to New Jersey. We'd be happy if they got a few goals while we were there.

Oh Jesus, I remember that game...Madden and McKay each had 4-goal games...

[GSdrums87]

You could hear the skates on the ice, it was that quiet in there. That and the ping of the pucks off the posts.

[Idoit40fans]

I think I was at that game. One of my most memorable games at Mellon/Civic Arena.

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

Wake up, RS! This guy can still play.

Honestly, I thought Kraft was going to turn out. I had overly-optimistic hopes for Generation X because my talent evaluation skills were still developing (and still are...) but Kraft seemed decent enough...

I can't remember which exact year gen x started but I was a season ticket holder, my first or second year as one I think. I was overly optimistic as well but there also were so many obviously bad players too. One year we made some trades at the deadline and got a slew of average depth players and the team got a thousand times better which should have been a clue for me

However, Kraft is one guy I always thought would eventually pan out. He was decent on the PP. Had decent numbers one season, didn't looked lost. I remember being stunned a bit when he wasn't coming back to the club.

Eric Meloche Rico Fata Levebere (I know that spelling is wrong and not close but I'm too lazy to look it up)

Lol I think was a line at some point.

[GSdrums87]

Yeah, but young ol' me loved it, because after the games I got my Kasparitis jersey filled with autographs. Lemieux and Fleury right next to Rico Fata and Josef Melichar.

[Idoit40fans]

I had a great time at the games just before and right after the 04 lockout.

[GSdrums87]

The Mario Lemieux family plan made the drive from Harrisburg pretty affordable. $20 for adults, $10 for each kid you bring. I ALWAYS had a blast. They usually won when I went...Vancouver, Washington in the playoffs, Buffalo...but we all suffered through those dark ages.

[BurghersAndDogsSports]

I had a great time at the games just before and right after the 04 lockout.

Don't get me wrong they were a blast to go to and thats why i originally bought season tickets. It's still funny to think about some of the players we had......on our too lines!

[Dickie Dunn]

I was at that 9-0 loss. Left after the 2nd period. Only time in my life I've left a game early.

[GSdrums87]

November 10th, 2000.

http://old.post-gazette.com/penguins/20001110pens5.asp

"It was embarrassing for us," center Jan Hrdina said. "It was the only sellout game [this season], and we got killed. Everybody is going to think about [this] game in that way, that we have to pay them back a little bit."

9 year old me vividly remembers this night.

[Fast B]

I think I was at that game. One of my most memorable games at Mellon/Civic Arena.

I too was there. "New Jerseys vs. New Jersey" night. Horrible.

As I recall it was also a first and last date. Thanks a lot, John Madden.

[DudeMan2766]

My fondest game memory during that era (and by fondest I mean happiest) was a freakin preseason game against the Blue Jackets, ended in a 6-6 tie. Young upstart Ryan Malone netted a hat trick. That's when the team was going nowhere so Mario just tried to set up plays for the young kids. Pens won the draw with like 4 seconds left and Mario was open in the slot in OT, and passed it off.

The worst game was a regular season game vs the Devils. A friends dads work gave us Igloo seats, dead center on the red line. It was your typical Devils snoozer and Pens lost 3-1. Heading out it was pouring down rain, we make it thru and get to the car only to realize the sun roof was open and the car was soaked. It literally rained and poured on us that night.

[ajh2298]

I remember getting free tickets from my old boss right on the end seats in D-24 for a 7-0 loss to Carolina. My boss's son sat in front on me with his girlfriend while I sat with my girlfriend who is now my wife. He didnt know a thing about hockey and was your typical yinzer who got drunk and yelled stupid crap at the top of his lungs.

Worst part of that game was Barrasso was in net for the Canes and got the shut-out after only facing 11 shots.

12/16/01
http://letsgopens.com/scripts/dbman/box/2927.htm

[Rylan]

I had a great time at the games just before and right after the 04 lockout.

I am in agreement with this. Even though the Pens were bad, it was a blast.

[topshelf]

Honestly, I thought Kraft was going to turn out. I had overly-optimistic hopes for Generation X because my talent evaluation skills were still developing (and still are...) but Kraft seemed decent enough...

I had high hopes for both Kraft and Aleksey Morozov.

[Crankshaft]

I still believe that if Morosov came back after the lock-out, he would have been a serviceable top-6 player.

[Crankshaft]

One of my favorite moments of the young team was Morosov scoring a goal (I think against Boston) and then clutching the Penguin on his chest in pride.