Despite having more than 250 man-games lost this season due to injury, the Penguins have "kept pace with the NHL's best and remained in position to repeat as Stanley Cup champions with some help from biometric tracking technology," according to Bill West of the PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW. Myriad wearable tools "collect data on heart rates, sleeping patterns and other biological processes" for the team. That information "funnels into a software system known as CoachMePlus, which helps the Penguins dig deeper than ever to decipher how many of their players, whether fresh off of an injury or yet to miss a game, are ready to perform to their fullest potential." When asked about the monitoring program's role in the Penguins' decision-making, coach Mike Sullivan "claimed borderline ignorance." Sullivan: "I don't even know what biometric data is." However, players "acknowledge the tracking goes beyond heart rate measurements, and most welcome that thoroughness" (TRIBLIVE.com, 4/9).
A REAL JIM DANDY: In Pittsburgh, Jason Mackey writes Penguins GM Jim Rutherford is "at the epicenter of the Penguins’ innovative approach." He is "one of the longest-tenured general managers in the NHL" and has evolved by "trusting and empowering those who work under him." Penguins VP/Hockey Operations Jason Karmanos said, "There’s no denying the job of the general manager has changed pretty dramatically since Jim first got the job in Hartford in 1994. ... It’s a credit to him to stay up with the times." He added, "It’s not surprising when you look at how Jim deals with people. He’s a really good manager" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/11).
