Pens are puzzled how Caps learned about Gonchar

 
Penguins Q&A with Dave Molinari, May 12 ,2009 "Why the secrecy on Gonchar?":

Indeed, the Gonchar situation provides a good example of how opponents get news on injured players even when teams try to deny it to the public. When Capitals coach Bruce Boudreau met with reporters at his team's game-day skate last Saturday, he mentioned that Gonchar had accompanied the Penguins to Washington the previous night, something that no media member except the broadcasters who travel with the Penguins could have known at that point.

Where Boudreau got his information isn't known -- it could have come from someone who worked on the Penguins' flight to Washington, a guy who unloaded or transported their equipment or a hotel worker, among other possibilities -- but the point is that he knew something the Penguins had not made public.

Before the game 6 I've posted the quote from "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu, 6th century BC:

24. Soldiers when in desperate straits lose the sense of fear. If there is no place of refuge, they will stand firm. If they are in hostile country, they will show a stubborn front. If there is no help for it, they will fight hard.

The Caps stood firm in game 6. They showed the stubborn front and they fought hard. Obviously in game 7 it would be Pens in hostile country, but Caps have the momentum. I haven't found yet what Sun Tzu says about the momentum or Simeon Varlamov, if I will, I'll post it.

Here's more about of the use of spies that really irked Pens from Sun Tzu:

XIII. THE USE OF SPIES
...
7. Hence the use of spies, of whom there are five classes:
(1) Local spies; (2) inward spies; (3) converted spies;
(4) doomed spies; (5) surviving spies.
...

13. Surviving spies, finally, are those who bring
back news from the enemy's camp.

I think "broadcasters who travel with the Penguins" should be qualified as surviving spies. : -) What do you think? Actually I believe I've read on some of the Pens sites about Gonchar traveling with Pens, but I don't remember where. Maybe we should ask Bruce? :-)



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