WWGRD? Retire. Maybe.

Don’t look now but the man who inspired Pens Nation, the indestructible man, Pittsburgh’s Chuck Norris might be about to call it quits. But that line does come with a warning — it is a bit of speculation. He hasn’t said anything concrete on the matter but if you read between the lines, well, tonight may be his swan song.

Gary Roberts is 42-years old right now. By anyone’s standards — save for Chris Chelios and Dominik Hasek — he shouldn’t be in the NHL. He shouldn’t be beating up his body every night, even though some nights it seems like his opponents get the worst of it. He shouldn’t be destroying Andy Sutton and Ben Eager.

But, nonetheless, there he is even with time running short.

“Deep down, I know this is probably the last time for me,” Roberts said.

[…]

“It really has been a great thing for me here,” he said. “The fans have treated me great, and I’ve enjoyed playing here.

“[The adulation] is flattering. A little embarrassing at times, because I haven’t been as a big a part of it this year as I would have liked to have been. I get a few jabs from my teammates, but it’s all in fun.”

So if tonight turns out to be the end of the SC Finals and if tonight is Gary Roberts’ last game, make sure you try and enjoy it. Soon, our favorite Iron Man may soon be no more (what on Earth will Pensblog do for content?). Soon, yelling “WWGRD?” in Pittsburgh won’t be answered with “hit somebody!” It will be answered with “take the kids to school” and “play golf in the afternoons.”

Enjoy it while you can, folks. Enjoy it while you can.

That’s two posts in a row on the Post-Gazette. I’m going to quit them cold turkey. And if you’ve read all the way to the bottom, make sure you stop by FanHouse‘s live blog of the game tonight. Drive safe, all.
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