from Matt Vensel of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette,

During his meandering pro career, Magnus Hellberg has stopped pucks in several countries passionate about hockey. His homeland of Sweden. The U.S. and Canada. A big international tournament in Finland. Three years in Russia.

He also played in China, a place that was, well, still learning about the game.

Sitting at his locker at UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex the other day, the outgoing and oversized goalie laughed while sharing a story from his time there.

Once, a public address announcer in China had to tell the crowd to stick around after the first period. Apparently, some fans watched the players head to the locker room and the Zamboni drive out, so they assumed the game was over....

Now, the 6-foot-6 goalie hopes to play for another — the Pittsburgh Penguins.

After battling his way back to the NHL and suiting up for three teams last season, Hellberg is competing with fellow newcomer Alex Nedeljkovic for their backup role. Nedeljkovic’s practice usage and his bigger contract strongly suggest that he has the inside track. But Hellberg is trying his best to push him.

“There’s a lot of good goalies [in camp]. Obviously, I want to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins. I know a lot of other goalies want to do that, as well,” he said. “So I’m just going to enjoy my time, work my ass off here and show what I can do. Then it’s up to management and coaches to make the decision.”

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