By his three demands to be traded. By his inability to lead by the standards of a team captain. By his refusal to follow a line change ordered by Coach Ivan Hlinka.
All of that left many of his teammates sour, and some of them now will state in no uncertain terms that the Penguins' locker room will be a significantly less stressful place to be this season.
"Anybody who's around here can tell it's a little brighter," defenseman Andrew Ference said. "I mean, he obviously was having a tough time, from stuff that was in the papers and things he said. It was never really internal conflicts, stuff with other players, but mostly stuff going on around him. It always seemed to be hanging around. That just wasn't the most positive thing, even into the playoffs."
"For me, it really isn't that big a deal, how much we'll miss him off the ice," left winger Kevin Stevens said. "On the ice, obviously, we're going to miss the kid because he's such a talent. He's a different type of kid, but he's got a big heart and he's a good kid. I've always gotten along with him and, I think, everybody's always gotten along with him. But he kind of goes to his own drum. When he wants to."
