Sheary Ready for Summer Hockey

The last time Conor Sheary played hockey in June, the Stanley Cup was on the line.

Now, however, "summer hockey" has a completely different pace and feel, as the Penguins and other NHL teams take part in Phase 2 of the league's Return to Play plan, with more formal training camps targeted for July 10.

"It's definitely different," Sheary said on a video conference call Tuesday with local media. "I don't think you ever expected to be playing this time of year. But I think the consensus around the league is … we just want to play and we want to finish the season and award the Stanley Cup, and I think no matter what it takes, we're willing to do that. It's just a little different walking outside. Maybe it's like playing in Florida year-round. But it's kind of nice at the same time."

Sheary, who turned 28 on June 9, is one of a number of Penguins players skating several days a week in informal small group workouts at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex. After being reacquired in a trade with Buffalo in late February, he had a chance to play only eight games with Pittsburgh before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the season on March 12. So getting back on the ice last week for the first time in three months was a welcome change.

"It was important to get back on the ice," the Winchester, MA native said. "I was able to have access to a home gym back home, so as far as my strength and conditioning, I was able to keep that up. But timing and (other) things on the ice … you can't get that in the gym. For myself and a lot of guys who came back for these (workouts), it was just to have access. I think it will really be beneficial for us that we're able to skate together.

"Last week we weren't allowed to have any coaches. We were allowed to have our trainer in the gym, so he was leading us through workouts. It's all voluntary, so it's just a guideline they're giving us. This week on the ice we were allowed to have our skating coach, so he was able to take us through drills. Last week it was just a group effort, following along on drills given to us, but going at our own pace."

A 5-foot-8, 179-pound winger from UMass-Amherst, the undrafted Sheary was signed by the Penguins as a free agent out of college and got 90 games of seasoning at Wilkes-Barre Scranton before breaking into the NHL in the 2015-16. He played a key support role in the Penguins' Stanley Cup drive that season and scored the overtime game-winner in Game 2 of the Cup Finals against San Jose.

He also was a key contributor on the 2017 Cup team and put up 41 goals and 83 points in 140 regular season games from 2016-18.

Sheary was traded to Buffalo in the summer of 2018 and spent parts of two seasons with the Sabres before being reacquired, along with Evan Rodrigues, in a trade for Dominik Kahun in February. The transition in returning to Pittsburgh, he said, was "fairly easy.

"There was a lot of turnover in terms of players, but the core group of guys was still there. Most of the coaching staff was the same. They obviously interchanged players over the years, but a lot of guys I was with my last year were still here, a lot of my friends, so I was able to come back to that. As far as the system and culture, not much has changed."

But no one expected the wide-sweeping impact of a pandemic, shaking the country and shutting down the sports world. Now, Sheary and others can only follow the safety procedures set in place by the NHL and the CDC as they work their way back into game condition, and a playoff mentality. That includes going through COVID-19 testing.

"It's not the most fun test to take," he said. "They kind of just stick a Q-tip up your nostril and it feels like it's in the back of your brain. Other than that, it's just the social distancing … wearing a mask when you can't keep that distance, telling us to wash our hands. I think it's most of the things you guys probably hear." Sheary said he had no reservations about returning to play "as long as they have the right safety precautions. Health is the main concern."

When Sheary returned to Pittsburgh in the February, high-scoring winger Jake Guentzel was expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season and most of the playoffs after significant shoulder surgery. Now, however, because of the long pause, Guentzel is back on the ice and aiming for a comeback, and the possibility remains that the two wingers could be reunited on a line with Sidney Crosby, given a chance to recreate their earlier magic.

"It would be nice if we were able to do that again," Sheary said. "We had a good run together while I was here last time. I don't think much has changed in any of our games … and it would be a smooth transition to growing that chemistry. If we do get that opportunity, I think we can really contribute offensively. I think we can be excited for the fact that that might happen."