Tuesday, 31 January 2012 14:17

Written by Seth Rorabaugh

It's doubtful you'll find a third line quite like the one the Penguins have.

Short and old.

Matt Cooke (above), Richard Park and Steve Sullivan are hardly sky scrapers considering they're all under six feet in height. And all three are well beyond the age most car rental companies will refuse service too.

But they boast quite a bit of NHL experience with a combined 2,509 games. Any while the bar hasn't been set terribly high, one could argue they've been the Penguins' second-best line after the trio of Chris Kunitz, Evgeni Malkin and James Neal during the team's seven-game winning streak.

Last week, they talked about their roles.

Steve Sullivan (right), RW
(37 years old, 5-foot-7)

How rare is it to have a 33-year old like Cooke be the "young" guy on a line?

“Ha ha! Yeah, you don’t usually see that very often. A 33-year-old be the youngest guy. That’s they way our lines have set up so far. We’ve been winning some hockey games. I thought we’ve been pretty good but I think we need to get on the score sheet a little bit more.“

What's different playing with two pretty experienced, older teammates as opposed to a younger guy in his 20s?

“I think the experience we have is knowing how to communicate with each other. On the ice and also off the ice. We discuss a lot, we’ve been through a lot. We talk about our games. We’re not afraid to critique each other. We watch shifts together. We talk about what we should have done on certain shifts. We’ve been through a lot of games collectively. We know what’s right and what’s wrong.”

What does Cooke offer?

“He’s a hard forechecker. He loves to get in there first and make contact. He loves to be a net-front presence. I think he’s got some knack to score some goals. I think we’ve got to expose that a little bit more. Try to get him the puck a little bit more. Very tenacious hockey player. Very tough to play against. “

What does Park offer?

“Very smart. Very detailed-oriented in his game. That’s probably the biggest word I would use to describe him. Detailed. He’s very specific in how he plays. He does all the little things right. “

Is it fair to say, there probably isn't a shorter third line in the NHL?

“Ha… Nah. Probably not.”

Richard Park (right, with Winnipeg defenseman Zach Bogosian), RW
(35 years old, 5-foot-11)

Is it fair to say this is the oldest collective third line in the NHL?

"Ha, ha ha… I guess in that day and age, it’s not that common. That’s the first time I’ve ever heard it mentioned. We’ve never looked at it like that. A lot of experience."

How long did it take for you guys to develop chemistry?

"Not long. The way we want to approach every game as a team is similar. Certainly there are tendencies as individuals we have which click with certain guys at times. But we can’t play an east-west high-risk hockey. It’s pretty black and white what we have to do in order to be successful."

What does Sullivan bring?

"‘Sully’s’ a guy who has obviously has good skating ability, good vision. What he does on the power play speaks for itself. He’s great at carrying the puck up ice. He’s got a lot of experience, played a lot of games and been around."

What does Cooke bring?

"Matt’s another experience guy who obviously has a lot of ‘sandpaper’ to his game and I think he’s one of the best forecheckers in the game. He wears his heart on his sleeve."

Matt Cooke, LW
(33 years old, 5-foot-11)

Is it foreign to be the "young" guy on a line?

"Yeah, I guess so. Especially on this team."

What's different with this line compared to the third line you have worked on with Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal?

"It’s just different. You look at the stature first of all. Having ‘Staalsy’ is such a big man. We obviously don’t spend as much in the offensive zone. We’ve got to go out and be responsible like the other line."

Is skating a strength for this line?

"We have a quick line for sure. Darting in and out of holes. We found some rhythm on the Florida trip. We want to be buzzing around, creating havoc, cycling the puck and making plays."

What does Park offer?

"He’s great on faceoffs. He battles hard. He’s willing to put the body on the line. Block shots. Take a hit to make a play. He definitely has a calming affect on the line."

What does Sullivan offer?

"Quick. In and out of holes. Really gifted offensively with the puck. Just look to him for wisdom and knowledge on how we want to approach different plays."

Is it fair to say this is the shortest third line in the NHL?

"Probably. Really close. I think I’m the tallest which might be a first."

(Photos: Cooke first and second-Jamie Sabau/Getty Images; Sullivan-Paul Bereswill/Getty Images; Park-Marianne Helm/Getty Images)