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Shulskie speaks at Memorial Day ceremony

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Y Walk Wednesday hikes offer exercise, info in Wilkes-Barre

<p>Steve Oleksy made a promise a few years ago that came to fruition recently.</p><p>Oleksy doesn&#8217;t drink alcohol. People often ask him why he doesn&#8217;t drink, and when his friends raised the question a few years ago Oleksy told them the only way he would ever take a drink would be from the Stanley Cup.</p><p>Fast forward to June 12 as the Pittsburgh Penguins celebrated their Stanley Cup win in the locker room. That was when Oleksy, 30, lived up to his promise.</p><p>&#8220;Sid (Crosby) was dishing out champagne in the Cup to everyone and I was proud to do it,&#8221; Oleksy said of his first sip of alcohol. &#8220;It&#8217;s the only cup I&#8217;ll ever drink out of.&#8221;</p><p>Oleksy got his chance to drink out of the Stanley Cup thanks to a strong season as a veteran leader with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coupled with a stay in Pittsburgh as a black ace. He spent the NHL postseason practicing with the Pittsburgh regulars and, while Oleksy didn&#8217;t get into a game, he made sure to be a positive, encouraging presence in the locker room.</p><p>&#8220;I feel that was my responsibility &#8212; to work hard in practice and be a good locker room guy,&#8221; Oleksy said.</p><p>And the drink from the Cup marked a fitting end to Oleksy&#8217;s first season away from the Washington organization. Last summer Oleksy signed a two-way, one-year deal with Pittsburgh, a decision he said was based on the organization&#8217;s penchant for winning.</p><p>Prior to this season, Oleksy spent the last three years splitting time between Washington and Hershey and before that he was a journeyman defenseman bouncing between the ECHL and AHL.</p><p>And now Oleksy is a Stanley Cup champion.</p><p>&#8220;It means a lot to me to be made a part of it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;One of the coolest moments about it was on the ice after Game 6. I wasn&#8217;t sure how things were going to go, but Sully (Pittsburgh head coach Mike Sullivan) came over and shook my hand and told me I deserved to be a part of it.&#8221;</p><p>Despite being a veteran, Oleksy said he grew as a player just being with Pittsburgh during their Stanley Cup run. He watched the different approaches of the younger and older players prior to each game, and saw how their focus intensified as the team inched closer toward claiming the Stanley Cup.</p><p>Just like he did at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Oleksy formed bonds with his Pittsburgh teammates. The entire experience, coupled with the overwhelming amount of support he has received from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton fans, makes Oleksy hopeful for a return to the organization next season.</p><p>&#8220;Pittsburgh was an A-plus organization all the way around and it was awesome playing for Sully, Jay Leach and Clark Donatelli. My teammates at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Pittsburgh were the best group of guys I ever played with at any level,&#8221; Oleksy said. &#8220;That&#8217;s hard to leave. Hopefully we can work something out this summer.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Raise the banner</strong></p><p>(AP) &#8212; Pittsburgh will open the 2016-17 NHL season at home on Thursday, Oct. 13, against the Washington Capitals.</p><p>The Penguins will raise their fourth Cup banner to the rafters of Consol Energy Center against their rivals, who they beat in the second round of the playoffs. The Penguins have eliminated the rival Capitals in each of their championship runs.</p><p>Four games mark the start of the season on Wednesday, Oct. 12: the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Ottawa Senators, the St. Louis Blues at the Chicago Blackhawks, the Calgary Flames at the Edmonton Oilers and the Los Angeles Kings at the Western Conference-champion San Jose Sharks.</p><p>Edmonton&#8217;s opener will be the first regular-season game at its new arena, Rogers Place.</p><p>The Kings will host the Philadelphia Flyers on Oct. 14 as part of the NHL&#8217;s commemoration of the 1967 expansion. The Kings, Flyers, Penguins, Blues and Dallas Stars are all celebrating their 50th seasons.</p><p>The season starts later because of the return of the World Cup of Hockey, which takes place Sept. 17-Oct. 1 in Toronto. The schedule will be more compressed than usual because of the World Cup and the bye week each team will have.</p><p>The rest of the schedule will be released Tuesday. It includes outdoor games in Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Toronto and Winnipeg.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Steve Oleksy (right) provided veteran leadership on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton&#8217;s blue line this past season after signing as a free agent last summer. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_TTL030716Penguins3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Steve Oleksy (right) provided veteran leadership on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton&#8217;s blue line this past season after signing as a free agent last summer. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag file photo | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_Oleksy.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Penguins defenseman Steve Oleksy (left) hands the Stanley Cup to Mike Sullivan, who coached him in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the start of the season before being promoted to Pittsburgh. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/web1_Oleksy.jpg</photo1><caption1>Penguins defenseman Steve Oleksy (left) hands the Stanley Cup to Mike Sullivan, who coached him in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton at the start of the season before being promoted to Pittsburgh. </caption1><photoCredit1>Bruce Bennett | AP pool photo </photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Lifting Lord Stanley not the only first for WBS defenseman</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>

Penguins’ Oleksy completes Stanley Cup promise