Yet, Concern….

In the midst of my eagerly looking forward to the Penguins upcoming season, two palpable clouds hang over my anticipation of the coming season. Even as I know I’ll get to watch my Penguins play in Pittsburgh this season, doubts abound.

The first doubt, the one that I want resolved quickly, is assurance that Malkin will actually be legally permitted to play for the Pittsburgh Penguins this season. I know I’m going to have to wait for that decision to come down—but until that decision comes down, I’m certainly not going to feel confident that the Penguins are good to go with 2 legitimate NHL centers to man the team’s top two lines. I can’t do anything but wait for the Malkin saga/situation/drama/legal issues to be resolved. But in the midst of eagerly hearing Mom’s scouting report, well, let’s just say I want that issue resolved, presto, pronto, in favor of my Penguins, of course.

Yet the other issue that’s lurking is really a much larger issue. My parents have already bought tickets for a Penguins-Rangers game a weekend when I’ll be in Pittsburgh, so I’m already looking forward to that game. However, recent news that a Canadian is now the front-runner to buy my franchise is making me, well, leery. Because this Canadian has deep ties to the area where he’s currently living, and because he’s previously been known to want to relocate the team, well, sigh. Plus, there’s also the fact that no ground has yet been broken on a new facility in Pittsburgh and the Penguins lease is up at the end of the year. And while I have fond memories of Mellon Arena (then the Civic Arena) from the days when Lemieux, Jagr, et. al put on nightly displays of firewagon hockey at its best, the fact is that the arena is aging. Aging is a polite way to put falling into a state of disrepair. Aging is a polite way to say that the team and the city need a new arena with 21st century amenities in order to do business in the current century. But the slots license deal is still a mess ( I agree with one local Pittsburgh sports broadcaster who claims the slots license deal "reeks to high heaven"), and the end result is the Penguins don’t have to stay in Pittsburgh next season.

So sure, I want to see Crosby and Malkin star. I want to see what will happen as Fleury and Jordan Staal develop, too. I want to see how GM Ray Shero plans to build a contender.

But over all that excitement and anticipation, come the doubts, and the doubts aren’t fleeting. Because I’m a grown-up and I know that if the new owner doesn’t get what he needs when he needs it, my team—the Pittsburgh Penguins—is no more. And then, well, when I’m counseling patience with our young, talented team throughout this winter because of what will one day come to fruition, well, am I really counseling patience for the future of my Pittsburgh Penguins?