Penguins notebook: Olli Maatta earns high praise from teammates, rivals

Olli Maatta was in Penguins black and gold Tuesday night for the first of three home games he is scheduled to play this week before surgery to remove a potentially cancerous tumor on his thyroid gland.

His resolve has struck his teammates to the core.

“I think he’s as strong as they come,” said captain Sidney Crosby. “The way he’s handled this? [I] can’t imagine the thoughts that were going through his mind when they told him that. We’re here to support him. As a teammate, you want to be there for him, but it’s nice to see when someone handles it that way. It’s pretty incredible.”

Most of his teammates did not learn of the tumor and pending surgery until Monday when he shared the news, and Crosby said there was no indication that anything was wrong. Maatta was in the starting lineup Tuesday.

“I was out of the loop. … The way he approaches every game, the way he prepares, you couldn’t even tell something of that magnitude was happening or was within him,” said veteran winger Pascal Dupuis.

“Like you said, he’s a real pro, as a hockey player and even a stronger person.”

Defenseman Kris Letang, Maatta’s defensive partner, went through his own ordeal last winter after suffering a stroke at age 26.

“I feel terrible, obviously. It’s such a young guy. He’s 20 years old, and you learn you have a tumor,” Letang said. “It’s pretty tough, especially on him personally, but on his family and his friends, [too]. We’re going to try to support him as a team.

“The best advice is just to take time and make sure, mentally, he seeks the right advice. I know Olli is a true professional, so he’s going to come back stronger than ever.”

New Jersey Devils forward Tuomo Ruutu, Maatta’s Finnish countryman, was not surprised he will play all week.

“It obviously tells you something about the guy,” Ruutu said. “Even knowing before that something is going on and the way he’s been playing. I couldn’t do that, having something like that in the back of your mind. He’s a strong guy, and I think he’ll come through this.”

Bortuzzo’s return imminent

Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo might play by the end of this week, coach Mike Johnston said. Bortuzzo skated with the Penguins in the morning skate Tuesday and “is basically within a couple days of being ready to play. Probably over this next five, six days, he’ll be ready to play for sure,” Johnston said.

Bennett not far behind

Forward Beau Bennett skated with his teammates Tuesday morning and is likely to be cleared for contact next week, Johnston said, and could join the lineup by late next week.

“It’s different, though. When you haven’t been in practice and you’ve been skating on your own, all of a sudden you’re trying to keep up to the pace of practice and you’re making plays with other guys,” Johnston said. “So it’s probably going to take him three or four practices with the team, and then I would assume he’ll be cleared for contact at that time. And, really, as far as timelines for playing, were probably looking into later next week.”

Bennett has been out with a suspected knee injury since Sept. 26.