January 30, 2004

PITTSBURGH, United States (AFP) - The struggling Pittsburgh Penguins , unwilling to pay three million dollars in bonus money, returned rookie Marc-Andre Fleury to his junior team.

The top overall pick in last year's draft, the 19-year-old Canadian goaltender would have made an additional three million dollars if he played at least 20 minutes in 25 NHL games.

Tuesday's 6-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning was Fleury's 21st game, although he has logged 20 minutes in just 19 of them.

Fleury spent two weeks with Team Canada at the World Junior Championships, where he bounced a puck off his own player into his own net for the winning goal and Canada lost the gold medal game to the United States 4-3.

The Penguins traded up to select Fleury with the top pick last June after he starred at last year's World Junior tournament, earning top goalie honours after backstopping Canada to the silver medal with a 1.57 goals-against average and .928 save percentage.

Fleury was a lone bright spot early this season on the NHL's worst team, going 3-2-2 in his first seven decisions.

But he has lost 12 of his last 13, falling to 4-14-2 with one shutout, a 3.64 GAA and .896 save percentage.

With owner-captain Mario Lemieux out for the season following hip surgery, Pittsburgh is 11-32-5-3 for 30 points.

The struggling Pittsburgh Penguins, unwilling to pay three million dollars in bonus money, returned rookie Marc-Andre Fleury to his junior team.

Well, if you save 3 mil this day in age, it is a good move. He will be a great player, but no shot this year, wait until next.

If they did keep him in the NHL, they'd kill his confidence. He'd get lit up for playing with the Pens, and they have no firepower so he'd probably go soemthing like 3-17-4-2 with a 4.20 GAA.