Bill Clement

The Penguins didn’t have the injured Gary Roberts for the last two games of their four-game, first-round sweep of Ottawa or three of their five games in a second-round romp of the New York Rangers. But while they didn’t need the longtime left winger on the ice, make no mistake they need his presence — even out of uniform — to help them try and win the Stanley Cup.

Whatever the rest of the postseason holds for Roberts health-wise, his importance to Pittsburgh’s success won’t diminish. The Penguins have rising young superstars in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal, but none of the three yet knows a lot about playoff hockey. Roberts does — having played in well over 100 postseason games in his two-plus decades in the league.

The gritty Roberts is the perfect example of how an older player can be way past his performance prime and still be of great value to a team.

Leading by example
Roberts played in only 38 games this season, losing a chunk of time (43 games) due to a broken leg. But his impact on the Penguins, who will face the Flyers in the Eastern Conference finals, is not dependent on whether he is suiting up for games (a groin injury kept him out of half the series against the Senators after he became the oldest player in NHL history to record a mulit-goal game in the playoffs in Game 1). When he is sidelined his influence on those he plays with may not be as great as it is when he’s on the ice, but it’s still powerful enough to make a difference.

Where Roberts most makes his presence felt with Pittsburgh is in having the team’s younger players observe him. They witness what it takes to be a true professional in the NHL – both on and off the ice. The younger Penguins see how Roberts carries himself, his dedication to conditioning, how he handles people and how he deals with different situations. He is an unbelievable role model for those with limited NHL experience.

One of the greatest forms of leadership is simply modeling for other players. It doesn’t matter what a veteran says to those who are half his age nearly as much as it matters what he does in leading by example. The younger Penguins have stood in amazement watching Roberts push through his conditioning. If he makes any concession to age, it is one made in a most begrudging manner.

Go back over the years in the NHL and look at players such as Brian Skrudland, Mike Keane, Scott Mellanby and Joe Nieuwendyk (a former teammate of Roberts on three different teams). All four were players with outstanding character and they stood for the right things. They didn’t have to go searching for ways to get younger teammates to look up to them. It happened naturally because of whom they were and what they represented. Same is the case with Roberts. He stands for the right things.

Invaluable words and actions
Roberts, who turned 42 on Friday, is old enough to be the father of some of the NHL’s freshest faces, including a trio of his teammates: Crosby, Malkin and Staal. But that doesn’t mean he’s challenged or phased at all by the difference in ages. He’s not. And he won’t at all hesitate to have a conversation with any of the team’s younger players if such conversations need to be had. Some of these talks can be tough ones, but he’ll go at them with a purpose and a mission that will have him taking nothing less than a full verbal slap shot at getting his message across.

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Roberts is a very confident and strong person, one who is willing to act and not wait around for someone else to do so. He’s not about doing nothing if the ship begins to take on water or if one of his teammates is in danger of falling overboard. He’ll get involved in sticky situations not for some sort of badge of honor if he happens to save the day, but for the sake of his team. Put him down to be there when it counts – that’s not a variable with Roberts, it’s a given.

Another given is that his longevity in the game has come about because he is ultra competitive and because he understands he is still someone who is of value to a team. That value no longer comes from his scoring or minutes played, but rather through the intangibles he provides to those wearing the same uniform. Coaches trust and confide in Roberts. At times they ask him for advice. Despite his limited play, there’s been no reason for him to doubt how important his role is to the Penguins, and he gets satisfaction in helping develop such a talented group of younger players.