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Friday, March 17, 2000 By Dejan Kovacevic, Post-Gazette Sports Writer
You might think Jean-Sebastien Aubin would be giddy.
The Penguins' No. 1 goaltending job is his. Tom Barrasso, the intimidating veteran who had scolded him on the few occasions he bothered to talk to him, is gone. And to top that, he has a new partner, Ron Tugnutt, who owns one of the NHL's most pleasant personalities.
But when asked how it all felt, Aubin merely shrugged and smiled slightly.
"I feel good, but I always feel good about everything," he said. "It's still weird, I guess. I mean, Tommy was here for more than 10 years. The shadow's still there."
He paused.
"But you have to move on and have fun now."
That's precisely what he did in his unofficial debut as the Penguins' go-to goaltender last night at Mellon Arena, drawing several loud ovations from the sellout crowd of 16,958 while turning aside 31 shots in a rousing 4-2 victory over the Florida Panthers. That improved his record to 19-20-3, meaning he has accounted for all but 10 of his team's wins this season.
Even after that, he remained cool and composed.
"That's great. We needed that game," Aubin said. "And to do it against a good offensive team like that, it's huge."
And personally? "Personally, it's great. I wanted that game."
The game also marked Aubin's 20th start in a row, but he likely won't extend that run much longer, if at all.
Tugnutt, 31, spent most of the past three seasons as the Ottawa Senators' top netminder before being acquired Tuesday by the Penguins for Barrasso, and he figures to get plenty of action the rest of the way. He might even get the nod for the next game tomorrow in Boston.
Tugnutt's demeanor is perfectly suited to work with Aubin, 22, but that doesn't mean he will be satisfied to open and close the bench door.
"I won't show when I'm upset, but I do want to play," Tugnutt said. "I enjoy playing in the big games. I enjoy the intensity."
Which Aubin will tell you is just fine by him.
"I know he's going to play," he said. "We might split. Who knows? I don't even think about that. I just want our team to get into the playoffs."
Aubin and Tugnutt introduced themselves yesterday morning and had a brief chat. Nothing terribly deep but likely far more substantive than anything Aubin and Barrasso discussed in parts of two seasons together. And that, Aubin will tell you, was a welcome change.
"You're not going to change your game on the ice. But off the ice, it's going to be great," Aubin said. "Tugnutt's a great guy. I enjoyed the little bit that I talked to him. So far, so good."
"He's a very loose, easygoing guy," Tugnutt said of Aubin. "I'm sure he's going to be a good partner to work with. I'm a pretty easygoing guy, too. I think our characters will complement each other."
The main topic of their conversation was a mutual acquaintance, Patrick Lalime. He's the Ottawa goaltender who now faces the unenviable task of being Barrasso's backup. When Lalime and Barrasso were Penguins teammates in the 1996-97 season, they never spoke a word. And, by no coincidence, Lalime enjoyed success as a rookie that year and stole the limelight from Barrasso, just as Aubin had done this season.
Lalime had been fearing a reprise upon hearing of the trade but informed Ottawa reporters that their reintroduction went smoothly.
"Everything was fine," Lalime said. "He was great. I think a lot of what happened in the past just had to do with the situation in Pittsburgh at the time. He seems like a good guy, and I know what my role is here. Everything should be OK."
Barrasso didn't try nearly as hard to warm up to the Ottawa media.
"You can say what you want about me, but if you're going to talk about the negative things, you have to say the good things, as well," Barrasso said. "I've won 350 games in this league, and I've got two Stanley Cup rings. I can do the job for this team. And when I'm focused, I know I can do it well."
He also tried to explain why he rubbed so many the wrong way during his 12 years in Pittsburgh.
"I don't always get along with the media, but I don't work with you guys. I answer to the 20 guys I play with and the coaching staff. I think the people who have played with me will tell you I don't like to fool around. If I feel that guys aren't doing the job, I'll say something. But I think there are very few people who will tell you that I'm hard to get along with."
Aubin was asked if he had any advice for Lalime.
"I don't know," he said, grinning. "That's not my business anymore."
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