web1_120166862-ae3c73d64bb746178edf644b5abe0a86.jpg

Trump, China escalate trade dispute as markets tumble

web1_Spudis.cmyk-1-.jpg

Spudis to face homicide trial in slaying of Nanticoke woman, 97

<p>WILKES-BARRE TWP. &#8212; At the end of each of the last four seasons, Tom Kostopoulos wavered on his future.</p><p>After each playoff exit, Kostopoulos&#8217; decision to retire or return to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins was the only unanswered question.</p><p>This season, however, there&#8217;s no uncertainty. Kostopoulos announced on Wednesday that the 2017-18 campaign will be his last.</p><p>And his mind was made up some time ago.</p><p>&#8220;Just the way the season went with injuries, I&#8217;ve known for a while this would be my last season,&#8221; Kostopoulos said after Thursday&#8217;s practice at the Mohegan Sun Arena &#8212; the place where his career began nearly 20 years ago.</p><p>Kostopoulos, 39, said he decided to make the announcement now in order to get it out of the way before the postseason. He&#8217;ll enjoy two more regular season games at home &#8212; Friday and Saturday &#8212; and ultimately wrap things up in Hershey against the Bears on April 15 before the playoffs begin.</p><p>During Thursday&#8217;s practice, Kostopoulos appeared at ease with the decision. He skated hard in drills, like always, joked with teammates and blended hard work with fun.</p><p>Afterward, he reflected back to his first season in 1999 and the irony of the situation. In those early years in Wilkes-Barre, Kostopoulos said, he constantly tried to leave the city to reach the NHL, yet at the end of his career after 11 years in the NHL, he cherished a return.</p><p>Aside from a back injury that limited Kostopoulos to 26 games this season, there were other factors behind his decision to retire.</p><p>Family tops the list.</p><p>&#8220;You can&#8217;t play for as long as I have without a great wife and great kids that are supporting you. They allowed me to play a game until I&#8217;m 39,&#8221; Kostopoulos said. &#8220;My wife has taken them to soccer, basketball and all the activities while I&#8217;m having a pre-game nap. It&#8217;s time I did some of that.&#8221;</p><p>His performance was also a consideration. Kostopoulos has four goals and 17 points in 26 games, but has been held off the scoresheet in the last five contests.</p><p>It&#8217;s time for the younger players to take over his ice time and it&#8217;s time for someone else to lead the team, he said.</p><p>&#8220;I think that&#8217;s happening, which is good,&#8221; Kostopoulos said.</p><p>Still, some of the factors that convinced Kostopoulos to return each year still motivate him as the season winds down. He wants to win the Calder Cup as much for himself as for the fans.</p><p>&#8220;I appreciate the fans so much. I think (Wilkes-Barre) is still the best place to play in the AHL because of our fans. They&#8217;re a big reason why I came back to play here the last five years,&#8221; Kostopoulos said.</p><p>Last year was Kostopoulos&#8217;s most productive season in over a decade, as he led Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in goals (24), points (54) and games played (74). His goals and points were the most he had recorded since 2004-05, and he became just the 10th player in AHL history to have a 20-goal season at age 38 or older.</p><p>Currently in his seventh season as captain of the AHL Penguins, Kostopoulos has appeared in a total of 717 regular-season AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (1999-2004, 2012-18) and the Manchester Monarchs (2004-05), totaling 210 goals and 328 assists for 538 points.</p><p>He has 185 goals, 282 assists and 467 points in a Wilkes-Barre uniform, and his 653 games as a member of the Penguins are tied for 10th-most in AHL history by any player with one team.</p><p>Now, all that&#8217;s left for Kostopoulos is to soak up every last second and prolong his career as much as possible with a lengthy playoff run.</p><p>&#8220;The way the playoffs go you don&#8217;t know when you&#8217;re last game is going to be,&#8221; he said. &#8220;These last two (regular season) games at home will be special for me.&#8221;</p><p><strong>NOTES</strong></p><p>&#8226; The Penguins need one point to clinch a playoff spot and can accomplish the task with a win against Bridgeport at home on Friday.</p><p>&#8226; Productive college forward Anthony Angello will be joining the team soon. Pittsburgh announced Thursday evening that the Cornell University junior had signed a two-year, entry-level contract that will begin in the 2018-19 season.</p><p>For now, he will report to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on an amateur tryout contract for the rest of the season.</p><p>A fifth-round draft pick (145th overall) in 2014, Angello was Cornell&#8217;s leading scorer, recording 13 goals and 26 points in 33 games. The 22-year-old native of Albany, N.Y., finished his college career with 70 points (36 goals, 34 assists) and a plus-31 rating in 102 games.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_Kostopoulos-Tom-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kostopoulos </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_Kostopoulos-Tom-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Kostopoulos </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_pens_lv1_faa-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kostopoulos celebrates a goal during a game in the 2014-15 season. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_pens_lv1_faa-5.jpg</photo1><caption1>Kostopoulos celebrates a goal during a game in the 2014-15 season. </caption1><photoCredit1>Fred Adams|for Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_TTL051916PensTomK1-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Penguins captain Tom Kostopoulos answers questions from the media at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season. For the last four years Kostopoulos pondered retirement, but he made the decision official on Wednesday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_TTL051916PensTomK1-5.jpg</photo2><caption2>Penguins captain Tom Kostopoulos answers questions from the media at the conclusion of the 2015-16 season. For the last four years Kostopoulos pondered retirement, but he made the decision official on Wednesday. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_Kostopoulos-USECMYK-5.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tom Kostopoulos, with his wife Lisa and children Lily and Luc. Kostopoulos said spending more time with his family was a big reason behind his decision to retire from pro hockey. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_Kostopoulos-USECMYK-5.jpg</photo3><caption3>Tom Kostopoulos, with his wife Lisa and children Lily and Luc. Kostopoulos said spending more time with his family was a big reason behind his decision to retire from pro hockey. </caption3><photoCredit3>Submitted photo </photoCredit3></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_pens_hb2_faa-1-1-3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Tom Kostopoulos announced his retirement on Wednesday, nearly 20 after his first pro season in 1999 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo4>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/web1_pens_hb2_faa-1-1-3.jpg</photo4><caption4>Tom Kostopoulos announced his retirement on Wednesday, nearly 20 after his first pro season in 1999 with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. </caption4><photoCredit4>Fred Adams|for Times Leader </photoCredit4></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>WBS Pens captain was a member of the team&#8217;s inaugural 1999-00 season</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Tom Venesky</p><p>tvenesky@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta><p><strong>TALKING ABOUT TK</strong></p><p>Past and present teammates and coaches talk about Tom Kostopoulos</p><p><strong>Dennis Bonvie (played with Kostopoulos from 1999-2002):</strong> &#8220;It&#8217;s bittersweet. Tom is a real good person and he worked harder than anybody. His work spoke volumes on the ice. This will give the team an extra push in the playoffs. Every guy who goes out wants to in his last game.&#8221;</p><p><strong>John Hynes, New Jersey Devils head coach (coached Kostopoulos with WBS from 2013-2015):</strong> &#8220;It was an honor to coach him. His passion for the game was unmatched. He was a true professional, a great leader and made everyone around him better. He made me a better coach and was a tremendous leader to young players.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Bobby Farnham, Springfield Thunderbirds forward (played with Kostopoulos from 2013-2015):</strong> &#8220;TK is truly a legend of the game. A natural leader and a consummate professional, he is the epitome of what it means to be a professional hockey player. He will leave an imprint on the game that can&#8217;t be put into words. I am honored to have shared the ice with him and I know that all the guys he&#8217;s played with feel the same way. Thank you TK!&#8221;</p><p><strong>Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond (Played with Kostopoulos from 2013-2015):</strong> &#8220;TK has been great for so long and he&#8217;s played with three generations of players. A hard, honest player who had a calm, comforting presence on his teammates. He&#8217;s more than a hockey mentor. He had a positive impact on people&#8217;s lives.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Tom Sestito:</strong> &#8220;He&#8217;s the best captain I played for. He&#8217;s a mentor to both younger and older guys and he helped me out tremendously over the last three years.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Jean-Sebastien Dea:</strong> &#8220;I remember watching him in Montreal and it was special to me when I got here to play with him. I wish he could keep playing. The last four years we wanted to win for him. This one will be a little more special.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Garrett Wilson:</strong> &#8220;I&#8217;m honored to have played with him the last couple of years. I know last year he was thinking about it and getting our reaction. We all wanted him back. Hopefully we can have a good run for him to finish off his career.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Daniel Sprong: </strong>&#8220;He&#8217;s been really good to us, especially me. I don&#8217;t think there&#8217;s one word to describe it. He&#8217;s done so much for the town and the team. We want to win it for him and that gives us extra motivation.</p><p><strong>Patrick McGrath: </strong>&#8220;I&#8217;ve watched him play a long time and I&#8217;m so thankful I got the chance to play with him. He showed me how to be a pro on the ice and a great person off the ice. I&#8217;m forever thankful for everything he&#8217;s done.&#8221;</p><p><strong>Michael Leighton (Teammates with Kostopoulos on the Carolina Hurricanes, 2009-10):</strong> &#8220;He always did the right things. He takes care of himself, works hard on the ice and does his job. He&#8217;s very positive in the locker room and guys respect that.&#8221;</p></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Tom Venesky at 570-991-6395 or on Twitter @TomVenesky</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Tom Kostopoulos hopes to wrap up career with championship