Uniform Has Changed, but McSorley Still Earns His Money as an Enforcer

The Pittsburgh Penguins obviously knew what defenseman Marty McSorley could do after his five seasons in Los Angeles, but he had no problem offering a refresher course to his new teammates, owner Howard Baldwin, General Manager Craig Patrick and Coach Eddie Johnston.

It took McSorley only 6 minutes 45 seconds into the Mighty Duck-Penguin exhibition Saturday night at Anaheim Arena to resume his role as one of the league’s top enforcers.

The Penguins beat the Ducks, 5-2, and McSorley won a narrow decision over Duck forward Todd Ewen at 6:45 of the first period. In case anyone missed his first fight, McSorley obliged with an encore, this time against Duck enforcer Stu Grimson, a former foe from Chicago, at 9:08 of the second.

If that wasn’t enough, McSorley nearly tangled with Robin Bawa at the end of the second, giving him a not-so-gentle nudge as the teams were leaving the ice. He promptly earned a 10-minute misconduct and later added a double-minor for roughing in the third, finishing with 24 penalty minutes. The crowd of 16,673, which greeted him warmly at the start, started to mildly boo him.

“I had one of the guys say, ‘You don’t need this at this point of the season,’ ” McSorley said. “I’m not going to play any differently. . . . You’ve got guys on that team (the Ducks) who are willing to show their team what they’re willing to do. I was a logical guy for them to come to. It’s OK, I’m ready and waiting.”