On the Youngsters

Lest anyone think my previous post was too harsh on Crosby, Malkin, et.al, I want to make absolutely clear that despite the current winless streak, I still love watching these Penguins. Sure—did I see (okay, hear about) our best young players, our young stars, not consistently performing as stars this week?

Was there really a game when Malkin failed to score on a breakaway?

Did Marc-Andre Fleury actually fail to "stand on his head" for a game and the game wasn’t nearly as close as Fleury’s been keeping many games?

Was Sidney Crosby really kept without shots and points?

Since I didn’t see the games, I am not even going to start commenting on Jordan Staal, Ryan Whitney, or Noah Welch (I’m sure a quick scanning of various message boards could clue me in, but I’ll abstain for the moment).

Here’s the thing. The Penguins' young players are talented, some more talented than others, some already stars, and I love to watch them play. I love to hear about how they played, and I love to read about how they played. And yet—they’re young. They’re not yet in their primes. They’re not yet as good as they’re going to be, and for as good as some of them are, they’re not yet all they will be.

So, lest one think I’m being too hard on the kids—I still love that they’re on my team. I still look forward to watching them become all that they one day will be. And sure, yes, I get mad when they fail to convert on a power play or they make a rookie mistake or whatever—

And yet I know. Someday, and someday not that far away, they’re going to bury that opportunity.

Now, of course, I want them to do it now—I’m like any fan in that. Yet I also have to take a long-term perspective and realize—they’re just kids. Seriously, they’re kids. And really, to have a chance to get that upset about what a teenager or young twentysomething failed to do—in all actuality, it’s a privilege.

Of course, this is all easy to say when the winless streak is only at five games and the team is still above .500. Even the patient, long-term perspective I’ve tried to adopt is going to be tried by a winless streak that lasts much longer and an overall record that dips under .500.

But for now—beat the Flyers and the Rangers this week, that would be nice and appreciated.

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