Random
Remembrances
Musings
Questions
Fears--Edition 1

Remembrances

All right, so it's not my top ten list, or top twenty list, or season-in-review. At least not yet. But here are some things from the past year that make me eager for the start of the 2007-08 Pens' season.

Malkin's goal against the Devils. Yes, that one. That pass from Crosby. That goal. That celebration. That made Mario Lemieux, watching on TV, pause and go, Wow. Yeah. That one. That goal reminded me what it felt like when I watched Mario and Jagr as a kid. And now I get to watch kids all over again as an adult.

First NHL goals: No matter they sent Letang back to his junior team. That 6-5 win against the Rangers was so much fun. Letang got his first goal, showing glimpes of what I hope I'll get to see next season. And well, let's just say I hope there's something beautifully poignant, when it comes to the trajectory of Jordan Staal's career, about scoring his first goal, shorthanded, by breaking up a play between two future Hall of Fame players.

All-Star galore: Who cared that Malkin didn't get a point in the Young Stars game or that Crosby didn't get a point in the All-Star game? (Hmm, if I remember reading about that, surely someone did.) There were Penguins back at the All-Star game because they BELONGED THERE. And that was beautiful.

Hockey Night in Canada: Gotta love being 18 years old and scoring your first hat trick on HNIC. What I would have given to have seen Cherry kiss Staal. Still, beautiful.

Take your pick: Crosby scored so many ridiculous goals this season. I liked the one against Phoenix, of course, because he scored against Wayne Gretzky's team. (Always a beautiful thing for a Pittsburgh fan.) And perhaps due to Paul Steigerwald's call, "Here comes Sidney Crosby, 1 on 4, surrounded by Canadiens, shoots...scores!" Beautiful, lovely.

"Long Stick": For anyone who listened to Steigy and Errey all year long, they probably heard, multiple times per game, about the "long stick" of one Pens' rookie. Moreso than the long stick comments, however, Steigy and Errey, even when they didn't necessarily call the game to a perfect T, kept me in hysterics with such discussions of a "long stick" and other such phrases.
Amazing how little you care to fuss about announcing when the team on the ice mesmerizes you.


Musings and Questions

Crosby: How can Crosby get any better than he has this season? He should only be bigger, stronger, faster, and yes-healthy. Wow. Now could we pretty, pretty, please, find him a scoring winger?

Malkin: Will another year of adjustment help? Will he give an English interview? Will he be able to adapt more and more to the North American game?

Staal: Everything was so unexpected. I mean, 3 goals in 5 playoff games? 7 shorthanded goals? What planet did the 18-year-old killing penalties come from (and don't tell me Peterborough one more time, Bob Errey)? Can he keep that up--and get better? Can he add assists next year?

Kris Letang: Will he be the new wunderchild, a la Staal? Will he be able to play in the NHL right away? Will he be able to make an immediate impact on the power play? Will he make me remember Paul Coffey or Larry Murphy in a good way? And do I have unrealistically high expectations or what?

(Important Note to Self: Mario, Jagr, and the first three kids listed in this musings/questions post have spoiled me rotten. I fully admit that.)


Fears

Regression: What if one of our two Calder Trophy nominees endures a sophomore slump, as sometimes can happen? What if they don't play the way they played this season, and by that, I mean they regress instead of progress?

Injuries: The Pens were fortunate to endure only short-term injuries for most of the season. What about a longer term injury to a key player? Can the team overcome that?

Stumbling: What happens if the team so many people now expect to leap forward takes a step backward? What happens to chemistry? To player development? To making the playoffs--which, by the way, is no longer a pleasant step, but a bare-minimum preseason expectation.


* This is the first edition of Remembrances, Musings, Questions, and Fears. More editions shall be forthcoming throughout the summer months.*