Thanks to, thanks for....just remember to appreciate what you have, right?
John Curry: Thanks for winning your first NHL game the other night. It's always exciting when goalies get their first wins, and really, we don't get to see enough shaving cream pies in the face. Always fun.
Hal Gill: Did you know you have a long stick? Did you know you have a really, really, really, incredibly, awesomely long stick that Bob Errey loves to talk about? In any case, I appreciate those times when your long stick is used to prevent the opposition from scoring when you're killing penalties, so thanks for putting that long stick to use.
Rob Scuderi: Thanks for blocking so many shots and for just, in general, being a solid defenseman. Thank you also for having improved so much from those horror years (for Pittsburgh fans) earlier this decade. Thanks for the reminder that it takes awhile for defensemen to reach their prime and for the fact that hopefully watching your solid play can remind Pittsburgh fans to have a little patience with our current young defensemen.
Mark Eaton: Thanks for being everyone's whipping boy this season. No, on a serious note, thanks for the reminder that the Penguins' defense is deep enough that a legitimate NHL defenseman has to fight for a spot in the line-up. Thanks for fighting for the spot in the line-up. The fact that we're calling you a "depth" defenseman says a lot about our defense in general.
Pascal Dupuis: Thanks for being a speed demon and for killing penalties and for playing wherever it is you play that day--first line to the fourth line, you're still fast and you still kill penalties, plus you always seem so cheerful. Thanks for being grateful and excited every day to play for the Penguins; we like this attitude.
Jordan Staal: Thanks for the hat-trick against the Red Wings. Thanks for reminding everyone you're 20 years old, still figuring things out, and thanks for playing feisty on the "Sesame Street" line. Really, really, that Detroit game was awesome...a few more games like that this season would make us even more grateful.
Alex Goligoski: Thank you for causing debates among Penguins' fans about the team's defensive depth and for creating lots of discussion about which defensemen could "go" if the team "needs" or "wants" a top-flight winger. Okay, all jokes aside, thanks for stepping up, shooting the puck, and scoring goals while manning the point on the number one power play unit. Thanks for learning on the job, and while the power play goals are nice, we're just as excited by a couple of those highlight reel defensive plays we've seen this season. Thanks, too, for the awesome reminder that at age 23, and as a rookie, you're still going to improve by leaps-and-bounds; it's exciting to look forward to watching you after you've gained some more experience.
Michael Zigomanis: Thank you for winning faceoffs at the rate you win faceoffs. Thank you that your work in the faceoff circle has helped the Penguins climb closer to the top, rather than remain mired at the very bottom, in the statistical category of "faceoff wins." Thank you, too, for playing fourth line minutes, killing penalties, and doing your job well.
Petr Sykora: Okay, it happened last season, but seriously, thank you for that game 5 overtime winner. Thanks for calling your shot and scoring the game-winning goal and silencing Pierre McGuire for an evening. As for this season, thanks for being there for the shootout, thanks for being there, as we know you are, to score goals when it matters the most (as you did last season).
Tangential Aside Prompted by Thankfulness for Petr Sykora: Another load of thanks to Jordan Staal for shutting up Pierre McGuire on the night of that 7-6 defeat of the Wings. At the point in the game when the Penguins were down, McGuire said, "It's like the Finals all over again; men against boys." Jordan, thanks for showing McGuire he needs to stop referring to your team as boys. Oh, and speaking of that game, special thanks to the 2 young defensemen who played, er, not exactly well early in the game, only to be playing well, and playing a lot, as their team came back from a 5-2 deficit. Thanks for growing up before Pierre's eyes--and for shutting him up for an evening.
Ryan Whitney: You haven't played a game yet this season, but we thank you for taking the time to have surgery, to get yourself healthy, and for wanting to work hard to come back and win games. We thank you for your sense of humor and wit, which are always appreciated in interviews and which we have missed this season. We thank you, too, not for being hurt, but for trusting the two young guys to fill in for you and Gonchar and not trying to do something stupid and play through a serious injury...oh, and we thank you for the fact that your injury, as much as it sucks, has the chance to ensure the Pens' defense will be better in this season's playoffs due to the experience Letang and Goligoski have gotten thus far this season. But, really, we're thankful you'll likely be back soon!
Matt Cooke: Thank you for making us forget the dearly departed and beloved Jarko Ruutu. Thanks for gelling so well on your "Sesame Street" line. Thanks for chipping in with a timely goal, being our very own agitator/professional pest, and thanks for (most of the time) ensuring the opposition is in box while you skate off scot-free. Thanks for being our Cookie Monster.
Max Talbot: What can you not be thanked for? Seriously? Thank you for blocking shots. Thank you for playing your best every night, whether you're playing with Sidney Crosby or on the third or fourth line. Thank you for being there at the right time. Thank you for being a Penguin. Thank you, too, for those ridiculous, but wonderful, commercials that make us smile.
Ruslan Fedotenko: You're new, and we don't know you very well yet, but man, you scored the game winning goal against the Red Wings. Thanks for that goal.
Eric Godard: Thank you for doing your job. You're always there to stand up for the kids, and no matter what the refs think, we appreciate that you know your role and that you stand up for our superstars and stars and young players...and, of course, if you'd like to give more shaving-cream-pie-in-the-faces, well, those are always something to be thankful for.
Marc-Andre Fleury: Thank you for being sensational in the early going this season. Thank you for keeping the Penguins in games they had no business winning back when they were having a difficult time manufacturing goals at the start of this season. Thank you for doing that and for reminding us that while you're young, we can trust you to be an elite goaltender.
Dany Sabourin: Sabu, thanks for playing well enough to post really, really good--actually gaudy--statistics. Thank you for doing what we ask and want our number two goalie to do when the number one goalie goes down: give your team a chance to win each and every night. Thanks, too, for the reminder that while it can take awhile to get where you want to go (many years ago you played in the ECHL) that it is possible to get where you want to go (counted upon in the NHL).
Philippe Boucher: Thanks for being a right-handed shot and beloved by Michel Therrien. On a serious note, we are grateful for your experience, for your potential to provide two-way play, and for your excitement at becoming a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Hearing something like, "I haven't laughed so hard in a long time," as you said after an evening or dinner or something thereof with the kids, makes us feel good and hopeful and happy about our team, on and off the ice.
Brooks Orpik: Wow, Free Candy. Thanks for leading the NHL in hits for much of this season. Thanks for being a steady defensive partner for a 21-year-old sophomore defenseman. But, just like Scuderi, you must be thanked for what you've shown us about defensemen "arriving" and "establishing" themselves. Brooks Orpik circa 2008 is a different defenseman than Brooks Orpik circa 2003-5, and 2008 Brooks Orpik is counted upon--as he should be--to play lots of shutdown minutes and kill penalties. Thanks for doing all that well and for maintaining a no-nonsense attitude about making sure the job gets done.
Tyler Kennedy: Well, you could be thanked for all the lovely nicknames Steiggy tries to bestow upon you, but really, thanks for being the "plug of energy" or the jolt that gets the team moving. Thanks for scoring early in the season when others weren't scoring, thanks for providing solid play night in and night out, and thanks for constantly working to improve. In addition, thanks for the kid-like joy, still evident, when you play. You're always working hard and having fun; we should all be so fortunate to have your attitude in life and work.
Sergei Gonchar: Just like Ryan Whitney, you haven't played a game this season, so you're wondering why you are being thanked? Well, seriously, thank you for reminding us all that elite power play quarterbacks do not grow on trees and that we were very fortunate to have you running our power play the past few seasons. Thank you for reminding us how elite you are. Oh, and while we winced when you were injured and still want you back, as soon as possible, at 100% health, we're actually grateful, at least a little, for this "adversity" that's forced big-time minutes upon Kris Letang and Alex Goligoski. Goligoski is learning the ins and outs of what it takes to man the point on the first unit of an NHL power play in his rookie season, and the 21-year-old Letang is playing many of the minutes you played and maturing into a complete, 2-way defenseman faster than anyone dared to expect or anticipate. We're eagerly awaiting the day when you will return to quarterback the power play, when Ryan Whitney will also be healthy, and when you and Whitney will be supplemented by young defensemen who learned a lot while you and Whitney were injured. Once again, thanks for reminding us what elite truly means.
Kris Letang: Thanks for asking all kinds of questions (it makes most of us fans smile) while leading all Pittsburgh defensemen in average time on ice for most of the season. We all smile when you play solid hockey, night-in and night-out, for 21 and 22 minutes a night, and we thank you for learning and growing. Our smiles grow so much wider when we imagine just how much all this experience will benefit you and when we imagine that if you can play 21 and 22 minutes a night at age 21, we'll be really, really excited to watch your potential continue to develop over the next few seasons. Right now, we thank you for potential translating to actual performance in the form of playing top-pairing minutes with Brooks Orpik and making nice outlet passes to our world-class forwards and for being a solid defensive defenseman.
Evgeni Malkin: Thanks for being at the forefront of the debate of who is the best hockey player in the world. Thanks for your wonderful English interviews and your willingness to give English interviews this season. Thanks for scoring goals and setting up goals; thanks for killing penalties, and thanks for releasing your booming slapshot from the point on the number 1 power play unit. Thank you for being humble, giving credit to your teammates, and thank you for caring enough to expect the best from your teammates and yourself. Thanks for doing something, each and every night, even when a goal isn't scored, to make us drool, roll our eyes, and be very, very glad you signed a deal to play in Pittsburgh for the next several seasons.
Miroslav Satan: Thanks for scoring power play goals. Thanks for being there when goals are needed to "snipe" one home, and thanks that we have your "goal scorer" hands on our side and available to us in the shootout.
Sidney Crosby: Thanks for still being at the forefront of who is the best player in hockey debate. Thanks for being stand-up, all the time; thanks for not tolerating poor play from yourself or others. Thanks for the high expectations you maintain for yourself, and thanks for the high expectations others maintain for you. Thanks for fighting through whatever you've been fighting through this season and still remaining close to the top of the league in scoring. Thank you, too, that just like Malkin, you do something on the ice, each time, that makes us drool, or roll our eyes, and be grateful that we get to watch you play hockey for our team for the next several seasons. And really, thank you for being who you are and saying things like, "I don't think it's acceptable to play well 2 out of 3 games or 3 out of 4 games because people don't get to show up for work three days out of seven." Are you sure you're only 21 years old? Thank you for being mature and focused on what matters.
Other Players:
Darryl Sydor: Thanks for being a pro's pro and thanks for teaching the kids how they should behave, if they were ever to find themselves in your predicament, in 10 or 15 years. Thanks for being such a stalwart in Dallas that they wanted you back and were willing to give a defenseman who could provide some more depth.
Jeff Taffe: Thanks for not pouting upon your return to Wilkes-Barre but for producing. Producing over pouting is huge.
Paul Bissonnette: Thanks for your great attitude and appreciation for being in the NHL. Thanks for reminding us that drastic turnarounds and huge change remain possibilities.
Janne Pesonen: Thanks for being the potential "next big thing!" whom we can all discuss. No, seriously, thanks for coming over here and playing well in the minor leagues while adjusting to North America. We're glad you're here.
The Coaching Staff:
Michel Therrien: You know the deal if you're an NHL coach. Your team wins, it's because of the players; your team loses, it's your fault. In all seriousness, though, you do some things that make us all crazy, but we can't dispute the fact that the team wins. We also can't dispute that your staff's handling of certain players this season has impressed us. You give Letang and Goligoski big minutes, you work with them, and when they make mistakes, you do what you have to within the game--but you're still letting them learn while the team wins. This impresses us. Knowing when to change goalies, and the fact that your team can and does mount comebacks, well, we'll admit it, we can't argue with your team's winning record. So thank you for the fact that you initially demanded accountability and have now created a team that, most of the time, holds itself accountable. We appreciate that your players expect the best of themselves and that you demand and expect their best.
Andre Savard: Seriously, you're in charge of the defense? In charge of a defense that's missing two top-tier offensive defensemen and has two inexperienced players playing huge minutes and well--people don't think of "defense" and "Pittsburgh" and roll their eyes anymore? It hasn't been said, really, but we must commend you for doing an outstanding job, especially with whatever you're doing (or even not doing in terms of just letting the kids play) with the two youngsters on the blue line.
Mike Yeo: You've gotta know, right, that a lot of people don't want to thank you? That our power play, even missing an elite PP quarterback, is supposed to be top five in the league given that we have two of the best players in the world on our power play? I want to thank you, in all seriousness, for being willing, recently, to adjust and to adapt to get better results.
Gilles Meloche: Thanks for being there for the goalies. Thanks for doing whatever it is that you do, whether work on positioning or make sure goalies are in the right mental place to stop pucks.
Training Staff: Thanks for being there to help with the countless injuries, the ones we know of, the ones we don't know of, and thanks for taking such good care of our team.
Equipment Staff: Thanks for making sure our guys have skates and sticks and everything else that enables them to be their best.
Ray Shero: Thanks for not panicking and making rash decisions. Thanks for having patience with the kids and for giving them a real chance to play and to show what they can do. Thanks for believing in them.
Mario Lemieux: Thanks for working with the people you worked with to keep the team here and to build a new arena. It is going to be so much fun watching these kids for the next few seasons.
General thanksgiving:
13-5-2: Seriously, we are thankful for a team that is winning hockey games.
7-4 when trailing after 2 periods of play. We are thankful that (even against the reigning Stanley Cup champions) a three goal deficit never feels like a deep hole that cannot be escaped.
Crosby-Malkin "debate": We are thankful Pittsburgh fans can "debate" as to whether Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin is the better player. We are thankful that such a debate is moot point as they are both barely able to drink legally in the States, and they are both already elite, world-class superstar centers. They are both property of our organization for the next several seasons, and we are grateful we can enjoy watching them dominate.
Luck: We are thankful for luck and "fortuitous" bounces and good fortune--Crosby and Malkin have been healthy; other key defensemen have not been injured, and when one players stumbles or is hurt, another player is there to step in and fill the void.
The announcing teams: We are grateful for the fact that Steiggy loves what he does, that Bob Errey makes us laugh, each and every night, that Mike Lange still calls the games with his wonderful sayings, and that the old 29er contributes his insights.
Oh, and yes, of course we are concerned. Concerned about our team's power play. Concerned about needing more scoring from the wings. Wondering when our team will learn how to hold a lead or to get a lead rather than play from behind all the time. Worried about what will happen if a losing streak occurs when a few or some of these things we're thankful for disappear (whatever the reason) for a game or two or seven.
But on this day after Thanksgiving, it is not a day for concern but for gratitude, appreciation, and yes--thanksgiving--for our hockey team.
So we're thankful that the Penguins are our team and that we root for you to win...and we're thankful that the Pens play competitive hockey, exciting hockey, and that the Pens win...and that the Pens remind us why we love HOF hockey.
