From the Lithuanian Citizens' Society Newsletter
Kasparaitis and Skudra: Names to Remember
The Lithuanian Citizens' Society Newsletter published these articles in their February 2000 newsletter. The Skudra/Kasparaitis article is based on information from Dalia Yucius and Ray Palket. Ray Palket edits the newsletter, and it is sponsored by the Lithuanian Citizens' Society in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. They can be contacted at 1725 Jane Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 or at http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/lithcitizenssociety.
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One of the most exciting games you can watch is hockey, and despite a poor year, the Penguins are drawing a big sports audience in Pittsburgh and in the National Hockey League. Top players include one Lithuanian and one Latvian: Darius Kaparaitis, defense, and Peter Skudra, goaltender.
Skudra sought out his post here while one of General Manager Craig Patrick’s twelve scouts brought Kasparaitis to Pittsburgh.
Kasparaitis, a fan favorite, is one of the top three defense men in the league and he won a two-year, three million-dollar contract in September, 1999.
He is 5' 11", 212 lbs. and was born in Elektrënai, Lithuania, October 16,1972. After being with the Russian League and playing in six games for the Russian Olympic Team, he came to the United States and is now reaching for his 500th game, having hit his 400th in 1997.
Mark Madden, of the Post Gazette, called Kasparaitis the lion-hearted Lithuanian. He said, "He is unique. He chatters like a jackhammer and body checks like a wrecking ball. He hits. He hurts. He makes the opposition hear footsteps and make hasty plays. There is not another player exactly like Kasparaitis in the NHL. His skills aren’t flashy, but he has solid fundamentals."
Ron Cook, of the Post Gazette, wrote, "Kasparaitis is as fearless as they come. It’s why he has survived for so long in the NHL with a fearless reckless style. It’s why he managed to play 48 games with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee last season."
Kasparaitis recently came from reconstructive knee surgery and a lengthy contract dispute – not to mention a two-game NHL mandated suspension. He says his knee is fine, and he wants more of chance to prove it.
For five years Kasparaitis was with the N.Y. Islanders and came to the Penguins November 17,1996. He was married in Lithuania, and he and his wife, Irena, have a daughter, Elizabeth. Kasparaitis lives during the 82 game-season in Pittsburgh and the balance of the year on Long Island.
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Peter Skudra, single, was signed by the Penguins as a free agent on September 25, 1997. Skudra was born in Riga, Latvia on April 24, 1973 and is 6' 1", weighing 185 lbs. He lives in Pittsburgh year-round. He came to this country in 1994 and spent three years as a free agent in the minor leagues at Greensboro, S.C., and Johnstown and Hamilton, Ontario. In his first season with the Penguins, he was named Penguin’s Rookie of The Year.
Despite injuries, which at times gave him intense physical pain in walking, he has carried on. He is quiet, friendly, and reserved.