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Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Mike Sullivan to focus on speed, creativity

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Community celebrates ground-breaking for Sidney and Pauline Friedman Center for Jewish Life in Kingston

<p>It&#8217;s a question that Tom Kostopoulos is faced with before the start of every season.</p><p>Will this one be the last?</p><p>And every year, Kostopoulos gives the same answer.</p><p>There&#8217;s a good chance, he says, but he also leaves the door open.</p><p>&#8220;We&#8217;ll see how the season goes,&#8221; Kostopoulos said.</p><p>If this season - Kostopoulos&#8217; 17th as a pro, is indeed his last, there likely won&#8217;t be a farewell tour across AHL hockey rinks. The 36-year-old Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins captain often prefers to wait until the grind of a season has ended and he and his family have time to reflect.</p><p>And decide.</p><p>That&#8217;s the approach Kostopoulos took when he made up his mind to sign another one-year AHL deal and return for the 2015-16 season.</p><p>&#8220;Going into last season I figured it would be my last, but as the season went on, and throughout playoffs, I was feeling good,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I thought I could do it again and my family enjoys it here and they were good with it.&#8221;</p><p>A look at his numbers over the last few seasons indicate Kostopoulos hasn&#8217;t declined. If anything, he&#8217;s remained remarkably consistent.</p><p>In 2013-14 he scored 22 goals and 47 points in 71 games with the Penguins. Last season, he appeared in 72 games and tallied 16 goals and 44 points.</p><p>Even in the playoffs, when most players feel the toll of a long season, Kostopoulos continued to produce with three goals in eight games in 2015.</p><p>Production and consistency have been the hallmarks of Kostopoulos&#8217; career. He&#8217;s the organization&#8217;s all-time leader in games played (478), goals (138), assists (206) and points (344). Kostopoulos is also first in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton&#8217;s postseason rankings with 18 goals and 35 assists for 53 points in 76 contests.</p><p>Since beginning his pro career in 1999-2000 as a member of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins inaugural team, Kostopoulos has played in 1,172 regular-season matches between the AHL (542) and National Hockey League (630). He&#8217;s one of seven players in hockey history to have appeared in at least 500 games in both leagues.</p><p>They are totals that Kostopoulos will continue to build on this season, while he also continues to serve as captain and veteran leader in the room.</p><p>&#8220;I still enjoy playing and I like being out there,&#8221; he said. &#8220;If I can help anyone in anyway I don&#8217;t mind doing that.</p><p>&#8220;The young guys are still teaching me things too. But it&#8217;s definitely a nice role I have here where I can help the younger guys.&#8221;</p><p>It&#8217;s a role that&#8217;s appreciated beyond the players as well. Head coach Mike Sullivan is well aware of what Kostopoulos can contribute as a player, and he&#8217;s just as appreciative of what he can provide as a leader.</p><p>&#8220;We believe Tom Kostopoulos is an extension of our coaching staff. He&#8217;s been around the game a long time and has a lot to offer these young kids,&#8221; Sullivan said. &#8220;He&#8217;s a quality person and that&#8217;s one of the reason he&#8217;s the captain of this hockey team.&#8221;</p><p>It&#8217;s a position that Kostopoulos didn&#8217;t imagine he&#8217;d ever be in when he turned pro in 1999 and joined the Penguins during their inaugural season. Now that his career will likely end - at some point, in the place where it began, Kostopoulos feels fortunate.</p><p>&#8220;You never know with hockey. It&#8217;s a small world,&#8221; he said. &#8220;(Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) took care of the players back then and they still do today. It&#8217;s a nice spot for me and my family to come back to.&#8221;</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Penguins wing Tom Kostopoulos chases the puck as it goes past the goal in period one ------------Fred Adams|for Times Leader5-9-15</div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_Kostopoulos-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Penguins wing Tom Kostopoulos chases the puck as it goes past the goal in period one ------------Fred Adams|for Times Leader5-9-15</caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_WBS-Penguins.jpg">
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<div class="neCaption">Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins center Tom Kostopoulos, right, battles Lehigh Valley right wing Derek Mathers in the corner in preseason AHL hockey at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Sept. 30. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/web1_Pens-LehighValley_1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins center Tom Kostopoulos, right, battles Lehigh Valley right wing Derek Mathers in the corner in preseason AHL hockey at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township on Sept. 30. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Veteran forward ready for 17th pro season</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TLTomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Love of the game, area keeps Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins captain Tom Kostopoulos coming back