Teddy Blueger almost didn't believe it.
He was at lunch in Minneapolis on Tuesday afternoon enjoying the AHL All-Star break when he got a text from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton manager of team services Jay Spess.
"Hey, Billy wanted me to ask where you're at for All-Star break."
That reference was to Bill Guerin, the Penguins' assistant GM.
Blueger let Spess know he was in Minnesota, and went back to his lunch. Five minutes later, Spess texted back and asked Blueger if he had his gear with him.
"At that point, I'm not getting my hopes up, but I kind of figured it was an odd thing to ask," Blueger told me while sitting in the airport Tuesday evening, waiting for his flight to Pittsburgh.
A couple minutes later, Guerin called Blueger and broke the news: He earned a callup to Pittsburgh.
Finally.
This isn't Blueger's first callup, but it might be his NHL debut. He was previously recalled last winter, and spent 11 days traveling and practicing in Pittsburgh before being returned to Wilkes-Barre, never playing in a game.
Last season's disappointing stint in the NHL has Blueger cautiously optimistic about his latest call.
"I guess that helps me temper my expectations a bit and be more realistic," Blueger told me. "Obviously, I'm hoping to play, but at this point I'm just doing what I've been doing and controlling what I can control. I got called up, that's the first step. If I do play or don't play, whatever I do, I just have to do my best and, hopefully, eventually the opportunity will come sooner rather than later."
Blueger's callup is well overdue. The 24-year-old center is Wilkes-Barre's leading scorer with 21 goals and 39 points in 45 games to go along with a plus-20 rating. In 179 career AHL games, Blueger has 49 goals, 66 assists and 115 points and is a plus-58.
In Wilkes-Barre's final game before the All-Star break, Blueger scored the game-winning goal in overtime:
"I tried to stay patient and not think about (a potential callup), just worry about my game and stuff," Blueger said of his season so far. "That's kind of, I guess, why it was so unexpected. I don't know if it's a relief, but it's obviously exciting and hopefully I'll get an opportunity to play here and make the most of it."
If Blueger plays Wednesday, he'll be up against a tough challenge. The Penguins face the Lightning, the league's top team, at 8:10 p.m. at PPG Paints Arena. But for Blueger, it doesn't matter if he makes his debut against the league's best team or its worst team. He's just waiting for a chance.
"To be honest, at this point, it doesn't matter who the opponent is. I just want to play," he said. "You can't really get picky. That'll be a fun challenge, but any team in this league is a good team. It'll be a good challenge either way."
If that chance does come, Blueger hopes to bring his solid two-way play to the Penguins' lineup.
"Just energy," he said of his game. "Be responsible defensively, and I can hopefully chip in offensively too. For the most part, just be responsible, finish my checks, be solid and hard to play against."
The Penguins currently have four healthy centers on their roster in Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Derick Brassard and Matt Cullen -- and that’s not counting Riley Sheahan. With an abundance of centers, it's not yet clear where Blueger will be able to play.
Blueger has played almost exclusively center during his professional career, although he also played wing in college. When I've spoken to him in the past, he's expressed confidence in his ability to return to wing if that's where Pittsburgh needs him to play.
Blueger hopes to find out in the morning whether or not he will get to play against the Lightning. If he finally does get his shot, he'll be more than ready to go. It's been a long time coming.
