The Pittsburgh Penguins returned to the United States Military Academy at West Point today to endure three days of training, army style.  For the next few days, the Penguins will be put through a series of unique and physically demanding scenarios.  Aside from the physical fitness aspects, the overaching goal of this unique training is to develop and foster an enduring sense of team, and teamwork.  The military has perfected this type of training as a way to show soldiers how a team can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles by working together.  Of course, this type of training has very tangible benefits within team sports like hockey.

Sidney Crosby, discussing the return to West Point, told Pittsburgh Penguins.com “It’s nice to kind of get away with just us and go through some team building things and get pushed to prepare for the season.  We had good chemistry last year, but going through the exercises at

West Point was something that really brought us together.”  For the second year in a row, the team returns to this hockey boot camp under the direction of former Army Ranger and current National Guardsmen, First Sergeant J.B. Spisso.

 Click HERE for the Pittsburgh Penguins PensTV feature coverage of the West Point trip.

The Penguins anticipate that the boot camp exercises will be different than they were last year, but just as demanding and fun.  It is a crash course in relying upon one another to accomplish a shared goal.  This is the first significant opportunity of the new season for the Penguins to bond and develop as a team.  This type of training can have a profound effect on the way the players support each other both on and off the ice, and is sure to pay dividends to the players and the Penguins organization. 

In addition to the demanding team-building and leadership exercises, the Penguins will also endure daily on-ice practices.  It is crunch time for training camp as the Penguins organization has pared down the team and nearly finalized its starting roster.  With the regular season less than two weeks away, the Penguins have the West Point experience and then two final pre-season games against the Buffalo Sabres this weekend to prepare.  They need to make the most of it so that they can come out of the blocks with a strong start, ever so important to setting the stage for a successful season and playoff-run.