Another Window
5 Months to 28 Months
Trades--Realistically Speaking
I've already admitted to suffering through hockey withdrawal, and in an attempt to curing such withdrawal, I've read some absolute drivel on the Internet. (I know, really, who would have guessed that one could read utter nonsense on the World Wide Web? But I digress.) Such drivel is usually bandied about by bored fans when discussing which players could potentially be traded and for whom. In my mind, the most ridiculous claim in most of these-surely-will-never-actually-happen-potential-trades is the assumption that these trades should be made at the present moment in time. And to that, I say, no how, no way.
When it comes to "managing assets," and by this I speak of players who are "assets," not seventh defensemen, I see the Penguins' organization having a starting window of five months from now and a closing window of approximately twenty-eight months from now to make those "trades" that transform a young, promising team into a contender. Think, perhaps, of the trade that brought Paul Coffey to Pittsburgh in 1987, or of the more recent deadline deals in 1991 and 1992. In each of those trades, valuable assets, in all cases, All Star players, exchanged teams in order to meet the needs of a developing contender.
Frankly speaking, despite those Pittsburgh fans who want to play salary cap guru and general manager and despite those fans of opposing squads who wonder if they could snatch one of the Trifecta or our other young stars away, at bare minimum, it will take until November 2007 for Ray Shero to start trading assets for assets the team lacks. Honestly, I expect trades of assets for assets to occur further toward the end of the twenty-eight month time frame than the start of the time frame. E.g., rather than even seeing a deadline deal this season, I might expect to see a trade in November or December of 2008 or January of 2009.
The point which must be reiterated: Until you know what you have, you cannot trade what you realize you have. In terms of the youthful Pittsburgh core, we know how fabulously good Sidney Crosby is. We're still waiting to see how Malkin and Staal follow up rookie seasons. We're waiting to see how Fleury continues to develop. We're waiting to see how Whitney develops and what, exactly, Kris Letang, will become. In addition, there's now the fun of wondering if our potentially flashy 2007 first round pick, Angelo Esposito, will boom or bust.
But the point remains: it is downright insanity to give up a player still on an entry-level contract for an asset the team currently lacks. At this juncture in the development of the youthful Pittsburgh core, fans are just going to have to practice patience and wait. Because, until you are 98 percent certain you're making a deal that will seal the Cup for your team, it is horrible practice to hemorrhage youthful assets. (And in the event the 2 percent uncertainty prevails, you've screwed over your team for the future.)
So, for now, though I know it's an impossibility in the midst of summer, I'd beg people to stop proposing insane trades. My definition of an insane trade is this: Trading a potential franchise player or sure-fire All Star, trading someone who could definitely help you win the Cup eventually, just because that player may not be perfectly ready to help you win the Cup this season.
At the start of last season, I reminded myself that "patience is a virtue" when rooting for a young, talented team. A young, talented team coming off an unexpected 105 point season makes me, almost, want to scrap the maxim that "patience is a virtue."
Fortunately, so long as Ray Shero is the general manager of the Penguins, expect to see patience last for at least five more months. And, then, well, at just the right time, even if it's not this season, hopefully deals get made that make sense.
But until then, watch the kids time and again, and marvel at what, one day, may be.
Monday, July 23, 2007
That Window?
Previously, I stated that the Penguins would have the next five to eight years to win a championship. (Unlike other prognosticators, I'm going to temper my expectations by hoping for one championship before worrying about multiple championships and the potential for a modern-day dynasty.) Sidney Crosby's contract extension until the 2013 season reveals the window of time in which the Penguins have to capture the Cup.
Unlike others who immediately wished Crosby had signed for a longer duration, I believed Crosby's contract was reasonable and fair. Knowing as I do the superstitious natures of most hockey players, I had to laugh at the $8.7 million cap hit--a reasonable price for the best player in the game. (The Ottawa Senators organization, given upcoming negotiations with Jason Spezza, should send Crosby a note of appreciation.) And unlike Garth Snow, I'm not keen on wrapping up players, even franchise players, for fifteen years with one contract (though of course if Crosby had wanted a contract of that length, I probably would have rejoiced even as I would have encouraged an excellent financial insurance policy).
I view the duration of Crosby's contract through the lens of realism. Crosby, whatever ridiculous commentators say aside (no, I will not be linking to that ridiculous Sports Illustrated piece you may have read, so go search for it on your own if you want to read absolute drivel), is driven to win. The duration of his contract sets a time limit for the Pittsburgh Penguins: Management has until 2013, though, probably, realistically, until the spring of 2012, to capture the Cup and keep Crosby.
As a teenager, Crosby is content in Pittsburgh. He's happy with his teammates who want to win, with a team that has good chemistry, with an organization that treats him well, and with an organization that, by all appearances, is trying to assemble a team that can compete for the Cup year after year after year. Yet, if something would go wrong, the duration of Crosby's current contract will allow him other options when he is still in the prime of his career. If the organization cannot capture the Cup by 2012 or 2013 at latest, I expect to see Crosby sporting colors other than black-and-gold by 2014.
Now, as an ardent Pens fan, do I want the Pens to win the Cup? Of course. Given the history of the Pittsburgh hockey franchise, do I expect for everything to go right? Do I know the history of Michel Briere's death, of Mario Lemieux's many injuries, of Mario Lemieux's cancer, of a team that only won 2 Cups when, let's be honest, we all expected many more championships from that lineup, of a star player who we drafted and came to love and who many of us (not me) now boo when he appears on Igloo ice as the Rangers captain, of other great players we couldn't afford to keep over the years; well, of course I know that painful history. And in knowing that painful history, it's reason enough for me to temper my hopeful optimism that Crosby sports black-and-gold for life with the reality that the cliche of nothing is guaranteed being a constant in sports as in life.
In any case, at this point, the window of opportunity for capturing the Cup hasn't been drastically reduced. Crosby will be here until 2013, and Ryan Whitney was locked up long-term, too. Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin will only be playing their second season of entry-level contracts in the 2007-08 season. At this juncture, there is no need to hit the panic button and "go for broke" in terms of trades or pursuit of unrestricted free agents in order to capture the Cup by 2008 or even 2009.
Rest assured, however, that Crosby's contract sends a statement. And regardless of what buffoonish commentators think, that statement is twofold: Crosby wants to win, and he expects his organization to surround him with a team that will be able to capture the Cup and compete for championships every season.
So, for Penguins fans freaking out about the fact that you only have Crosby locked up until 2013, enjoy him while you have him. And, hopefully, as you enjoy him and the team his organization builds around him, that core of youthful talent develops into the core of a championship team and a perennial contender that Crosby could never imagine leaving.
But, for the moment, rather than worry about the future, let's enjoy the ride, all right?
Previously, I stated that the Penguins would have the next five to eight years to win a championship. (Unlike other prognosticators, I'm going to temper my expectations by hoping for one championship before worrying about multiple championships and the potential for a modern-day dynasty.) Sidney Crosby's contract extension until the 2013 season reveals the window of time in which the Penguins have to capture the Cup.
Unlike others who immediately wished Crosby had signed for a longer duration, I believed Crosby's contract was reasonable and fair. Knowing as I do the superstitious natures of most hockey players, I had to laugh at the $8.7 million cap hit--a reasonable price for the best player in the game. (The Ottawa Senators organization, given upcoming negotiations with Jason Spezza, should send Crosby a note of appreciation.) And unlike Garth Snow, I'm not keen on wrapping up players, even franchise players, for fifteen years with one contract (though of course if Crosby had wanted a contract of that length, I probably would have rejoiced even as I would have encouraged an excellent financial insurance policy).
I view the duration of Crosby's contract through the lens of realism. Crosby, whatever ridiculous commentators say aside (no, I will not be linking to that ridiculous Sports Illustrated piece you may have read, so go search for it on your own if you want to read absolute drivel), is driven to win. The duration of his contract sets a time limit for the Pittsburgh Penguins: Management has until 2013, though, probably, realistically, until the spring of 2012, to capture the Cup and keep Crosby.
As a teenager, Crosby is content in Pittsburgh. He's happy with his teammates who want to win, with a team that has good chemistry, with an organization that treats him well, and with an organization that, by all appearances, is trying to assemble a team that can compete for the Cup year after year after year. Yet, if something would go wrong, the duration of Crosby's current contract will allow him other options when he is still in the prime of his career. If the organization cannot capture the Cup by 2012 or 2013 at latest, I expect to see Crosby sporting colors other than black-and-gold by 2014.
Now, as an ardent Pens fan, do I want the Pens to win the Cup? Of course. Given the history of the Pittsburgh hockey franchise, do I expect for everything to go right? Do I know the history of Michel Briere's death, of Mario Lemieux's many injuries, of Mario Lemieux's cancer, of a team that only won 2 Cups when, let's be honest, we all expected many more championships from that lineup, of a star player who we drafted and came to love and who many of us (not me) now boo when he appears on Igloo ice as the Rangers captain, of other great players we couldn't afford to keep over the years; well, of course I know that painful history. And in knowing that painful history, it's reason enough for me to temper my hopeful optimism that Crosby sports black-and-gold for life with the reality that the cliche of nothing is guaranteed being a constant in sports as in life.
In any case, at this point, the window of opportunity for capturing the Cup hasn't been drastically reduced. Crosby will be here until 2013, and Ryan Whitney was locked up long-term, too. Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin will only be playing their second season of entry-level contracts in the 2007-08 season. At this juncture, there is no need to hit the panic button and "go for broke" in terms of trades or pursuit of unrestricted free agents in order to capture the Cup by 2008 or even 2009.
Rest assured, however, that Crosby's contract sends a statement. And regardless of what buffoonish commentators think, that statement is twofold: Crosby wants to win, and he expects his organization to surround him with a team that will be able to capture the Cup and compete for championships every season.
So, for Penguins fans freaking out about the fact that you only have Crosby locked up until 2013, enjoy him while you have him. And, hopefully, as you enjoy him and the team his organization builds around him, that core of youthful talent develops into the core of a championship team and a perennial contender that Crosby could never imagine leaving.
But, for the moment, rather than worry about the future, let's enjoy the ride, all right?
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Part Two*
Potential Solutions to the NHL's American Marketing Problem
In Part One of this post, I identified two problems the NHL faces when trying to market the NHL product in the United States. In Part Two, I'd like to explore some possible solutions to those problems and suggest some solutions that could be reasonably implemented.
Summary of Problem Number Number One: There is a general lack of scandal surrounding NHL players that, quite honestly, bores American sports fans who are accustomed to headline-grabbing scandal rife with conflict.
What's Great About This and Shouldn't Be Changed: Hockey players drink protein shakes religiously rather than bulk up on steroids. The vast majority of NHL players aren't engaging in even the minor stupidities of bar fights and resisting arrest. In general, hockey players do their jobs, and any shenanigans in which they indulge off the ice (e.g. the hard-drinking culture of hockey) rarely involve breaking the law.
What's Problematic About This: Far too often, the average American dismisses hockey players as "boring," and not just boring, but dull. Perhaps part of this can be blamed on American provincialism: Americans are generally too lazy to listen to someone with an accent that's not easily identifiable. If you have to listen to a player speaking with a French accent or a Slovak accent, that requires effort. Not to mention that player hails from a culture, typically, very different than that of most Americans. Yet it's not just American provincialism that causes the problem: Hockey players can compound the problem by giving interviews in which they spew constant cliches and, whatever the reason, never reveal the dynamic personalities so often seen during in-game action.
Simple Solutions: Put microphones on the bench, the penalty box, the referee and linesmen, and on more than just a select player. And keep the microphones on for more than just 30 seconds or even just a few minutes. Truth told, the personalities of star players like Sidney Crosby and Jaromir Jagr are far more easily seen in on-ice performance than in most anything that occurs off the ice. Part of on-ice performance is the way a player interacts with others verbally--and let's be honest. Heat-of-the-moment drama is common in the midst of a hockey game, and sports fans can get the high drama they desire as part of in-game action. And for the family friendly crowd that might wince at some of the utterances of the hockey players, modern technology has invented a bleep-out device; plus, as far as I know, even children are experts at lip-reading, sound or no sound.
Going along with this simple solution, the NHL itself needs to allow the players to be themselves. Local broadcasters often do this best; it's why players with charming personalities, a la Max Talbot, or pranksters, a la Colby Armstrong, are beloved by Pittsburgh fans. When the NHL has a national broadcast in the States, it would be far better for the league, rather than encouraging players to say nothing controversial, to encourage players to be true to who they are--whether that's serious and focused or loose and comical. Honestly, NHL, nothing earth-shattering will really come from allowing an on-ice broadcast to reveal that a certain star player, in addition to being a star, is also extremely emotional. In fact, the NHL, while doing nothing to change the game at all, might begin to catch the imagination of American fans due to the high drama inherent in the matches themselves.
Summary of Problem Two: On-ice displays of Neanderthal behavior turn off the average American sports fan, while off-ice "minor" scandals don't grab the headlines of the public but remain an image problem for the NHL.
What's Great About This: While I'd like to say that it's good that, for example, bar fights involving NHL players don't typically make major headlines in the United States, I'd almost prefer that a royal fuss would be thrown any time a NHL player broke the law off the ice. Because that kind of uproar in grabbing the headlines would at least be proof that the NHL is relevant in the States. Unfortunately, I have to go with the fact that there's nothing great about problem two.
What's Problematic About This: When hockey players get in trouble, alcohol is usually involved. In the worst cases, drunk driving is involved. Besides the fact that drunk driving is irresponsible, dangerous, and far too often deadly, drunk driving arrests present a "just like the rest of them" image problem for the NHL. So-called "boring" NHL players show themselves to be no different than their peers in other professional sports when the police ledger reveals that players were driving cars with blood alcohol levels over the legal limit.
And I think it's enough to state the obvious problem inherent when a player wields his hockey stick to an opposing player's neck in the same way one would chop down a tree.
Simple Solutions: While I'm fairly certain the NHL tries to get the "no drinking and driving" thing through the heads of players, it's certainly fair to say that more can and should be done. E.g., most hockey players drink. Fine and dandy. Teach those players to drink responsibly. Teach those players to find someone in the team's organization to give them a ride when they've indulged themselves. Ream it through their minds, hearts, and souls, in every way possible, how to recognize when they've had too much to drink (e.g. this much is too much), how to err on the side of caution rather than the side of risk (difficult for hockey players), and how, their athletic prowess aside, they never have any business being behind the wheel of a car after a night of indulgence.
While getting the no drinking and driving mentality to take hold in the hearts, minds, and souls of professional hockey players, it is necessary for the hearts, minds, and souls of the powers that be in the NHL front office to realize that they must eradicate any resemblance to Neanderthal behavior from the game of hockey. As someone who grew up watching the sport, I understand the inherent "code." Beyond that "code," which has limitations, the NHL has to stomp down, swiftly and harshly, on stick work. There is no room in the NHL for Chris Simon swinging his stick the way he did this past season. Even if such stick work is "accidental" or a result of mere "carelessness," it must be punished, and punished harshly. And despite the "code," there is no room for deliberately attempting to injure another player.* Any incidents where a player deliberately attempts to injure an opponent should be immediately followed by the harshest of consequences, and if the rulebook needs to be amended for this change to occur, the rulebook needs to be amended immediately. Repeat offenders should receive a lifetime ban. Harsh? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
Yet even as I ponder potential solutions to the NHL's American marketing problem, I return to the last question I asked in the first post where I introduced what I believed to be the NHL's two main difficulties in marketing the NHL game to the American sports fan. That question, once again: Given the average American's lust for conflict-rife scandal, should the NHL even desire to start marketing the game to the average American sports fan?
My current answer: So long as the integrity of the game of hockey isn't compromised, absolutely.
Honestly, will putting microphones on players, all of whom will easily get consumed by in game action, really compromise the integrity of the game?
Would creating commercials that focus on conflict inherent in the game, for example, a disagreement between two opposing coaches or two opposing players, compromise the integrity of the game?
Would altering the rulebook to ensure that deliberate attempts to injure opponents are immediately followed by swift and harsh reprisal really alter the integrity of the game?
In answer to all those questions, the answer comes: Of course not. As much as "old-school" hockey types bemoan any type of change, the Stanley Cup finals were still the Stanley Cup finals, this in spite of Pierre McGuire now peppering players and coaches with questions throughout the in-game action. The reaction to Chris Simon's insanity was probably not harsh enough. In no way, however, did a lengthy suspension or a reporter with a microphone in the faces of players and coaches throughout the game itself drastically change hockey from what it is.
As an adult who got hooked on hockey as a young child, so long as the simple solutions to the NHL's American marketing problem do not change the very essence of what makes hockey hockey, why not try those simple solutions, at least a little--just to see if more people, perhaps, can be let in on the great secret that is the game of hockey?
*As I understand "the code," when an opponent takes an unnecessary/cheap shot at my team's star player, my team's "enforcer" (our guy who fights) looks for an opportunity to fight the player who took the cheap shot. That being said, however, when such a "code" evolves not into merely winning a fight, but into trying to injure the player who took the cheap shot, a line has been crossed that should not be crossed. (See Todd Bertuzzi trying to avenge Markus Naslund and what happened to Steve Moore.) Of course, idealistically, the best way to deal with "cheap shots" is not for an enforcer to "even the score" but for a team to punish the opponents on the scoreboard by scoring on the power play that should ensue following a cheap shot. Likewise, of course, the best way to eliminate the unnecessary/cheap shots and need for reprisal from the team is for the officials to enforce the rulebook consistently. And, of course, if the rulebook needs to be strengthened (as in the case of attempts to injure), the rulebook needs to be altered so that officials can enforce it. (Further discussions of "the code," changes to the rulebook, and issues in officiating will probably make good blogging fodder for the remainder of this seemingly interminable summer.)
Potential Solutions to the NHL's American Marketing Problem
In Part One of this post, I identified two problems the NHL faces when trying to market the NHL product in the United States. In Part Two, I'd like to explore some possible solutions to those problems and suggest some solutions that could be reasonably implemented.
Summary of Problem Number Number One: There is a general lack of scandal surrounding NHL players that, quite honestly, bores American sports fans who are accustomed to headline-grabbing scandal rife with conflict.
What's Great About This and Shouldn't Be Changed: Hockey players drink protein shakes religiously rather than bulk up on steroids. The vast majority of NHL players aren't engaging in even the minor stupidities of bar fights and resisting arrest. In general, hockey players do their jobs, and any shenanigans in which they indulge off the ice (e.g. the hard-drinking culture of hockey) rarely involve breaking the law.
What's Problematic About This: Far too often, the average American dismisses hockey players as "boring," and not just boring, but dull. Perhaps part of this can be blamed on American provincialism: Americans are generally too lazy to listen to someone with an accent that's not easily identifiable. If you have to listen to a player speaking with a French accent or a Slovak accent, that requires effort. Not to mention that player hails from a culture, typically, very different than that of most Americans. Yet it's not just American provincialism that causes the problem: Hockey players can compound the problem by giving interviews in which they spew constant cliches and, whatever the reason, never reveal the dynamic personalities so often seen during in-game action.
Simple Solutions: Put microphones on the bench, the penalty box, the referee and linesmen, and on more than just a select player. And keep the microphones on for more than just 30 seconds or even just a few minutes. Truth told, the personalities of star players like Sidney Crosby and Jaromir Jagr are far more easily seen in on-ice performance than in most anything that occurs off the ice. Part of on-ice performance is the way a player interacts with others verbally--and let's be honest. Heat-of-the-moment drama is common in the midst of a hockey game, and sports fans can get the high drama they desire as part of in-game action. And for the family friendly crowd that might wince at some of the utterances of the hockey players, modern technology has invented a bleep-out device; plus, as far as I know, even children are experts at lip-reading, sound or no sound.
Going along with this simple solution, the NHL itself needs to allow the players to be themselves. Local broadcasters often do this best; it's why players with charming personalities, a la Max Talbot, or pranksters, a la Colby Armstrong, are beloved by Pittsburgh fans. When the NHL has a national broadcast in the States, it would be far better for the league, rather than encouraging players to say nothing controversial, to encourage players to be true to who they are--whether that's serious and focused or loose and comical. Honestly, NHL, nothing earth-shattering will really come from allowing an on-ice broadcast to reveal that a certain star player, in addition to being a star, is also extremely emotional. In fact, the NHL, while doing nothing to change the game at all, might begin to catch the imagination of American fans due to the high drama inherent in the matches themselves.
Summary of Problem Two: On-ice displays of Neanderthal behavior turn off the average American sports fan, while off-ice "minor" scandals don't grab the headlines of the public but remain an image problem for the NHL.
What's Great About This: While I'd like to say that it's good that, for example, bar fights involving NHL players don't typically make major headlines in the United States, I'd almost prefer that a royal fuss would be thrown any time a NHL player broke the law off the ice. Because that kind of uproar in grabbing the headlines would at least be proof that the NHL is relevant in the States. Unfortunately, I have to go with the fact that there's nothing great about problem two.
What's Problematic About This: When hockey players get in trouble, alcohol is usually involved. In the worst cases, drunk driving is involved. Besides the fact that drunk driving is irresponsible, dangerous, and far too often deadly, drunk driving arrests present a "just like the rest of them" image problem for the NHL. So-called "boring" NHL players show themselves to be no different than their peers in other professional sports when the police ledger reveals that players were driving cars with blood alcohol levels over the legal limit.
And I think it's enough to state the obvious problem inherent when a player wields his hockey stick to an opposing player's neck in the same way one would chop down a tree.
Simple Solutions: While I'm fairly certain the NHL tries to get the "no drinking and driving" thing through the heads of players, it's certainly fair to say that more can and should be done. E.g., most hockey players drink. Fine and dandy. Teach those players to drink responsibly. Teach those players to find someone in the team's organization to give them a ride when they've indulged themselves. Ream it through their minds, hearts, and souls, in every way possible, how to recognize when they've had too much to drink (e.g. this much is too much), how to err on the side of caution rather than the side of risk (difficult for hockey players), and how, their athletic prowess aside, they never have any business being behind the wheel of a car after a night of indulgence.
While getting the no drinking and driving mentality to take hold in the hearts, minds, and souls of professional hockey players, it is necessary for the hearts, minds, and souls of the powers that be in the NHL front office to realize that they must eradicate any resemblance to Neanderthal behavior from the game of hockey. As someone who grew up watching the sport, I understand the inherent "code." Beyond that "code," which has limitations, the NHL has to stomp down, swiftly and harshly, on stick work. There is no room in the NHL for Chris Simon swinging his stick the way he did this past season. Even if such stick work is "accidental" or a result of mere "carelessness," it must be punished, and punished harshly. And despite the "code," there is no room for deliberately attempting to injure another player.* Any incidents where a player deliberately attempts to injure an opponent should be immediately followed by the harshest of consequences, and if the rulebook needs to be amended for this change to occur, the rulebook needs to be amended immediately. Repeat offenders should receive a lifetime ban. Harsh? Yes. Necessary? Absolutely.
Yet even as I ponder potential solutions to the NHL's American marketing problem, I return to the last question I asked in the first post where I introduced what I believed to be the NHL's two main difficulties in marketing the NHL game to the American sports fan. That question, once again: Given the average American's lust for conflict-rife scandal, should the NHL even desire to start marketing the game to the average American sports fan?
My current answer: So long as the integrity of the game of hockey isn't compromised, absolutely.
Honestly, will putting microphones on players, all of whom will easily get consumed by in game action, really compromise the integrity of the game?
Would creating commercials that focus on conflict inherent in the game, for example, a disagreement between two opposing coaches or two opposing players, compromise the integrity of the game?
Would altering the rulebook to ensure that deliberate attempts to injure opponents are immediately followed by swift and harsh reprisal really alter the integrity of the game?
In answer to all those questions, the answer comes: Of course not. As much as "old-school" hockey types bemoan any type of change, the Stanley Cup finals were still the Stanley Cup finals, this in spite of Pierre McGuire now peppering players and coaches with questions throughout the in-game action. The reaction to Chris Simon's insanity was probably not harsh enough. In no way, however, did a lengthy suspension or a reporter with a microphone in the faces of players and coaches throughout the game itself drastically change hockey from what it is.
As an adult who got hooked on hockey as a young child, so long as the simple solutions to the NHL's American marketing problem do not change the very essence of what makes hockey hockey, why not try those simple solutions, at least a little--just to see if more people, perhaps, can be let in on the great secret that is the game of hockey?
*As I understand "the code," when an opponent takes an unnecessary/cheap shot at my team's star player, my team's "enforcer" (our guy who fights) looks for an opportunity to fight the player who took the cheap shot. That being said, however, when such a "code" evolves not into merely winning a fight, but into trying to injure the player who took the cheap shot, a line has been crossed that should not be crossed. (See Todd Bertuzzi trying to avenge Markus Naslund and what happened to Steve Moore.) Of course, idealistically, the best way to deal with "cheap shots" is not for an enforcer to "even the score" but for a team to punish the opponents on the scoreboard by scoring on the power play that should ensue following a cheap shot. Likewise, of course, the best way to eliminate the unnecessary/cheap shots and need for reprisal from the team is for the officials to enforce the rulebook consistently. And, of course, if the rulebook needs to be strengthened (as in the case of attempts to injure), the rulebook needs to be altered so that officials can enforce it. (Further discussions of "the code," changes to the rulebook, and issues in officiating will probably make good blogging fodder for the remainder of this seemingly interminable summer.)
Part One*
The NHL's American Marketing Problem
In the NFL, we have scandal.
In the NBA, we have potentially game-related scandal.
In MLB, we have the the almost certainly tarnished* home run record scandal.
Meanwhile, in the NHL, we have the game's best player celebrating his new contract in style .
Oh, sure, it's really, really nice that the youngest professional scoring champion in the history of any of the major sports spends his offseason working out diligently in preparation for the upcoming season. It's also so, so sweet that the youngest captain in the history of his professional sports league prefers to spend his summer evenings in the company of his family.
Truthfully, however, Sidney Crosby's summer is far too dull for the tastes of the majority of American sports fans. Say what you will for Americans, but we live for scandal. Witness how many of us tuned into follow the saga of the OJ Simpson trial. Witness how many Americans watch the NFL in spite of the shenanigans of a segment of the NFLPA best represented by the
Cincinatti Bengals. Like it or not, Americans love conflict and drama, and scandals promise loads of conflict-filled drama.
Thus, problem number one for the NHL is the general lack of scandal surrounding their players and game. (Really, one drug policy violation? This despite protestations/perhaps proof of innocence?). Of late, anyhow, on and off the ice, the NHLPA has busied itself more with finding a new director than with making news by headlining the kind of scandals that American "journalists" report because that's what sells the papers and gets the ratings.
Unfortunately for the NHL, in addition to lacking the type of scandals that will grab immediate hold of the American public, the NHL has a history of too many of the wrong kinds of scandals.
Incidents like the this infamous one give the NHL a black eye in the estimation of American fans who don't expect that kind of violence to extend to the actual game itself. Worse still for the NHL, when one of their players does something stupid and/or reckless off the ice, the incidents don't typically end in jail time but in tragedy. When a hockey player finds himself in a scandal, it's usually for acting like a Neanderthal on the ice or some comparatively "minor" form of equally reckless behavior off the ice. (Bar fights, even repeated bar fights obviously pale in comparison to "murder for hire" scandals.) The scandals in which NHL players have previously found themselves are not the type of scandals that will typically grab the attention of the American public enough for "journalists" to "headline" these stories.
So, then, the NHL has twin problems when it comes to marketing the NHL product to the average American sports fan. Problem number one is that hockey players, on the whole, just don't appear to do enough off the ice to capture the attention of an American public that--ratings don't lie--lives for scandal or at least, drama rife with conflict. Problem number two is that when NHL players do indeed grab the headlines, they grab the headlines for off-ice issues that are so minor as to be boring to Americans accustomed to Grade-A scandals. Problem number two is compounded by the fact that some prior on-ice, in-game issues scream for the justice of prosecution and judicial punishment far more than do most of the silly shenanigans in which a small segment of NHL players engage off the ice.
So, then, two questions must be asked. First, how does the NHL, given these two identified problems, begin to market the game to appeal to the average American sports fan? Second, and this question is far more important, given the average American's lust for conflict-rife scandal, should the NHL even desire to start marketing the game to the average American sports fan?
*In the follow-up to this post, possible solutions to this marketing problem will be explored.*
The NHL's American Marketing Problem
In the NFL, we have scandal.
In the NBA, we have potentially game-related scandal.
In MLB, we have the the almost certainly tarnished* home run record scandal.
Meanwhile, in the NHL, we have the game's best player celebrating his new contract in style .
Oh, sure, it's really, really nice that the youngest professional scoring champion in the history of any of the major sports spends his offseason working out diligently in preparation for the upcoming season. It's also so, so sweet that the youngest captain in the history of his professional sports league prefers to spend his summer evenings in the company of his family.
Truthfully, however, Sidney Crosby's summer is far too dull for the tastes of the majority of American sports fans. Say what you will for Americans, but we live for scandal. Witness how many of us tuned into follow the saga of the OJ Simpson trial. Witness how many Americans watch the NFL in spite of the shenanigans of a segment of the NFLPA best represented by the
Cincinatti Bengals. Like it or not, Americans love conflict and drama, and scandals promise loads of conflict-filled drama.
Thus, problem number one for the NHL is the general lack of scandal surrounding their players and game. (Really, one drug policy violation? This despite protestations/perhaps proof of innocence?). Of late, anyhow, on and off the ice, the NHLPA has busied itself more with finding a new director than with making news by headlining the kind of scandals that American "journalists" report because that's what sells the papers and gets the ratings.
Unfortunately for the NHL, in addition to lacking the type of scandals that will grab immediate hold of the American public, the NHL has a history of too many of the wrong kinds of scandals.
Incidents like the this infamous one give the NHL a black eye in the estimation of American fans who don't expect that kind of violence to extend to the actual game itself. Worse still for the NHL, when one of their players does something stupid and/or reckless off the ice, the incidents don't typically end in jail time but in tragedy. When a hockey player finds himself in a scandal, it's usually for acting like a Neanderthal on the ice or some comparatively "minor" form of equally reckless behavior off the ice. (Bar fights, even repeated bar fights obviously pale in comparison to "murder for hire" scandals.) The scandals in which NHL players have previously found themselves are not the type of scandals that will typically grab the attention of the American public enough for "journalists" to "headline" these stories.
So, then, the NHL has twin problems when it comes to marketing the NHL product to the average American sports fan. Problem number one is that hockey players, on the whole, just don't appear to do enough off the ice to capture the attention of an American public that--ratings don't lie--lives for scandal or at least, drama rife with conflict. Problem number two is that when NHL players do indeed grab the headlines, they grab the headlines for off-ice issues that are so minor as to be boring to Americans accustomed to Grade-A scandals. Problem number two is compounded by the fact that some prior on-ice, in-game issues scream for the justice of prosecution and judicial punishment far more than do most of the silly shenanigans in which a small segment of NHL players engage off the ice.
So, then, two questions must be asked. First, how does the NHL, given these two identified problems, begin to market the game to appeal to the average American sports fan? Second, and this question is far more important, given the average American's lust for conflict-rife scandal, should the NHL even desire to start marketing the game to the average American sports fan?
*In the follow-up to this post, possible solutions to this marketing problem will be explored.*
Withdrawal Quick Fix?
Ugh. Late July. The whirlwind that is unrestricted free agency is for the most part over. And in terms of hockey withdrawal, one is stuck reading inane trade proposals, rumors that range from the merely ridiculous to utterly and absolutely outlandish. One could also be stuck debating which second or third-tier prospect might somehow be ready for regular NHL duty in the fall with, of course, no actual tangible proof in the form of competing against NHL players to back up these at best silly and at worst patently absurd musings.
So in the midst of withdrawal that spawns insane rantings, what is one to do? Look no further than google video. Credit the NHL for this, at least: The NHL knows more people need to enjoy the on-ice product, and thus the preponderance of game-action videos on you tube and google video.
The best classic withdrawal cure I've found so far is this gem. Beautiful.
Still the greatest comeback win of all time, in my opinion, with the historical caveat that I was nine years old at the time of that win, so my historical perspective, indeed, is limited.
For those in need of more recent comeback hopes, try this one.
Hopefully next year we get to enjoy more than just one when it matters most.
Ugh. Late July. The whirlwind that is unrestricted free agency is for the most part over. And in terms of hockey withdrawal, one is stuck reading inane trade proposals, rumors that range from the merely ridiculous to utterly and absolutely outlandish. One could also be stuck debating which second or third-tier prospect might somehow be ready for regular NHL duty in the fall with, of course, no actual tangible proof in the form of competing against NHL players to back up these at best silly and at worst patently absurd musings.
So in the midst of withdrawal that spawns insane rantings, what is one to do? Look no further than google video. Credit the NHL for this, at least: The NHL knows more people need to enjoy the on-ice product, and thus the preponderance of game-action videos on you tube and google video.
The best classic withdrawal cure I've found so far is this gem. Beautiful.
Still the greatest comeback win of all time, in my opinion, with the historical caveat that I was nine years old at the time of that win, so my historical perspective, indeed, is limited.
For those in need of more recent comeback hopes, try this one.
Hopefully next year we get to enjoy more than just one when it matters most.
Monday, July 02, 2007
Petr Sykora and Darryl Sydor
So I leave the hockey websites to blog about the Penguins still needing a goal scoring wing and a defenseman to play with Letang, and what do I find?
The Penguins have signed Darryl Sydor and Petr Sykora.
Initial Impressions:
1.) Sydor is not the shut-down defenseman that would put the Pens' over-the-top in terms of being a Cup contender. As a 3rd pairing guy, however, he can be a veteran to play with Letang. He fills a need.
2.) Sykora isn't as consistent as I would like, and he's not what I'd call a "bull." But he has played with Malkin before, and hopefully playing with skilled players his skating and shooting will be used for good. If nothing else, he can take the spot vacated by Michel Ouellet, and in my estimation, that's a good thing.
Initial Conclusions:
Cup winning experience, baby! Get players who have won the Cup in with kids who want to win the Cup. Beautiful. The more Cup winners you can get who fill a need, will help the kids progress rather than retard their growth, and who want to come and play with the kids, the better. I'm just glad the team's getting an infusion of more Cup-winning experience.
Neither of these players catapult the Pens from a "good, young promising" team to a "legitimate contender." Basically, these signings fill obvious holes for Pittsburgh. How well these signings fill those roles, and cost/effectiveness efficiency rating, have yet to be determined.
In summary: I'm glad those obvious holes were filled by veteran players who have won, and I'm glad the contracts (haven't yet read details) appear to be short-term.
So I leave the hockey websites to blog about the Penguins still needing a goal scoring wing and a defenseman to play with Letang, and what do I find?
The Penguins have signed Darryl Sydor and Petr Sykora.
Initial Impressions:
1.) Sydor is not the shut-down defenseman that would put the Pens' over-the-top in terms of being a Cup contender. As a 3rd pairing guy, however, he can be a veteran to play with Letang. He fills a need.
2.) Sykora isn't as consistent as I would like, and he's not what I'd call a "bull." But he has played with Malkin before, and hopefully playing with skilled players his skating and shooting will be used for good. If nothing else, he can take the spot vacated by Michel Ouellet, and in my estimation, that's a good thing.
Initial Conclusions:
Cup winning experience, baby! Get players who have won the Cup in with kids who want to win the Cup. Beautiful. The more Cup winners you can get who fill a need, will help the kids progress rather than retard their growth, and who want to come and play with the kids, the better. I'm just glad the team's getting an infusion of more Cup-winning experience.
Neither of these players catapult the Pens from a "good, young promising" team to a "legitimate contender." Basically, these signings fill obvious holes for Pittsburgh. How well these signings fill those roles, and cost/effectiveness efficiency rating, have yet to be determined.
In summary: I'm glad those obvious holes were filled by veteran players who have won, and I'm glad the contracts (haven't yet read details) appear to be short-term.
Sacrificing What You Have For What You Lack
Given the previous post on team chemistry, I must note that team chemistry with a group of young kids is different than that of an older, mostly veteran squad more accustomed to the "ways of the world" in terms of how even good and great players depart squads for various reasons. But more importantly than destroying any chemistry and cohesion that might develop among the young Pittsburgh nucleus is the fact that before you decide to make a trade, it is best to know exactly who you are losing.
Various ideas are currently bandied about the Internet; some are reasonable, and some are not. People wonder which of the Pittsburgh children might be turned into a player that could immediately put the team "over the top" as one ready to contend, now, for a championship. And yet, as Ray Shero appears to know, now is not the time for those wonderings or decisions. Now is the time to watch and learn what you have.
If the Penguins discover, as I suspect they will, sometime not next season but in the 2008-09 season, that they have too much of one particular skillset and that giving up some of that skillset will ready them for a championship run, then, well, let's be obvious. A highly skilled "artist" might have to be flipped for an equally skilled "bull." A young player who will develop into a good player, if not a star, might have to be sacrificed in order to gain the veteran defenseman who is just what the team needs to win effectively in the postseason.
But before you can give up what you discover you have too much of, you'd darn well better know exactly what you have. And this season, the Penguins won't know exactly what they have in many of their young players. They'll have a better clue the season after that. In the midst of watching and enjoying the skill of the children, the organization must be consistently and constantly evaluating and studying--so that when the time comes, and hear me, impatient fans, it's probably at least a year and a half away, minimally--they know exactly what they are prepared and willing to sacrifice to gain those pieces that will enable them to win a championship.
Given the previous post on team chemistry, I must note that team chemistry with a group of young kids is different than that of an older, mostly veteran squad more accustomed to the "ways of the world" in terms of how even good and great players depart squads for various reasons. But more importantly than destroying any chemistry and cohesion that might develop among the young Pittsburgh nucleus is the fact that before you decide to make a trade, it is best to know exactly who you are losing.
Various ideas are currently bandied about the Internet; some are reasonable, and some are not. People wonder which of the Pittsburgh children might be turned into a player that could immediately put the team "over the top" as one ready to contend, now, for a championship. And yet, as Ray Shero appears to know, now is not the time for those wonderings or decisions. Now is the time to watch and learn what you have.
If the Penguins discover, as I suspect they will, sometime not next season but in the 2008-09 season, that they have too much of one particular skillset and that giving up some of that skillset will ready them for a championship run, then, well, let's be obvious. A highly skilled "artist" might have to be flipped for an equally skilled "bull." A young player who will develop into a good player, if not a star, might have to be sacrificed in order to gain the veteran defenseman who is just what the team needs to win effectively in the postseason.
But before you can give up what you discover you have too much of, you'd darn well better know exactly what you have. And this season, the Penguins won't know exactly what they have in many of their young players. They'll have a better clue the season after that. In the midst of watching and enjoying the skill of the children, the organization must be consistently and constantly evaluating and studying--so that when the time comes, and hear me, impatient fans, it's probably at least a year and a half away, minimally--they know exactly what they are prepared and willing to sacrifice to gain those pieces that will enable them to win a championship.
Chemistry is a Delicate Thing
Throughout the offseason, Ray Shero has been very careful about not wanting to tamper with his team's chemistry too much. He recognizes that his team's cohesive chemistry was a strong force that helped the team to the fourth best regular season turnaround in NHL history last season, and he doesn't want to tamper with the chemistry too much.
Except here's the thing about chemistry. I don't know that chemistry causes winning so much as winning causes chemistry. There is definitely some correlation between winning and good chemistry. But for all Shero's concerns about tampering with the chemistry of his squad, if he doesn't take steps to shore up weaknesses that opposing teams that have improved themselves are now designed to exploit, all of last season's chemistry will die a bitter, poisonous death--and it's not going to be pretty.
I'm already leery of the high expectations of the Pittsburgh fans, some of whom are ready to start acting like spoiled Steelers fans and think, if not say, "Cup or bust" (I don't think that's the case next season). While I am thrilled the players have such high expectations for next season--desiring to be an "elite" team in Whitney's words--it's not just on the players to become an "elite" team.
The players have to play their roles and do their jobs to the very best of their abilities; that's a given. But the general manager must give his coach the right personnel to help the players excel. The coach must put his players in the position to excel. All of these conditions go into making an "elite" team.
While I'm not someone who wants to see team chemistry radically altered, if Shero sees Pittsburgh weaknesses exploited early in the season and fails to make moves to correct those weaknesses, his sole focus must not be on chemistry.
1991 and 1992 Pittsburgh players were upset to lose players like John Cullen and Mark Recchi, but the players got over the loss of chemistry when they sipped champagne from the Cup later those springs. At some point in time, winning must take precedence over chemistry, and the amazing thing about players who will heal a team's weaknesses and thus help a team win: Those winning teams tend to have some pretty amazing chemistry.
Just a thought for our general manager to keep in mind.
Throughout the offseason, Ray Shero has been very careful about not wanting to tamper with his team's chemistry too much. He recognizes that his team's cohesive chemistry was a strong force that helped the team to the fourth best regular season turnaround in NHL history last season, and he doesn't want to tamper with the chemistry too much.
Except here's the thing about chemistry. I don't know that chemistry causes winning so much as winning causes chemistry. There is definitely some correlation between winning and good chemistry. But for all Shero's concerns about tampering with the chemistry of his squad, if he doesn't take steps to shore up weaknesses that opposing teams that have improved themselves are now designed to exploit, all of last season's chemistry will die a bitter, poisonous death--and it's not going to be pretty.
I'm already leery of the high expectations of the Pittsburgh fans, some of whom are ready to start acting like spoiled Steelers fans and think, if not say, "Cup or bust" (I don't think that's the case next season). While I am thrilled the players have such high expectations for next season--desiring to be an "elite" team in Whitney's words--it's not just on the players to become an "elite" team.
The players have to play their roles and do their jobs to the very best of their abilities; that's a given. But the general manager must give his coach the right personnel to help the players excel. The coach must put his players in the position to excel. All of these conditions go into making an "elite" team.
While I'm not someone who wants to see team chemistry radically altered, if Shero sees Pittsburgh weaknesses exploited early in the season and fails to make moves to correct those weaknesses, his sole focus must not be on chemistry.
1991 and 1992 Pittsburgh players were upset to lose players like John Cullen and Mark Recchi, but the players got over the loss of chemistry when they sipped champagne from the Cup later those springs. At some point in time, winning must take precedence over chemistry, and the amazing thing about players who will heal a team's weaknesses and thus help a team win: Those winning teams tend to have some pretty amazing chemistry.
Just a thought for our general manager to keep in mind.
2007-08: The Window Starts
In the next five to eight years, the Penguins have a particular window available. It's the window for winning championships, and it begins next season.
At this stage in their still nascent careers, the Pittsburgh players like each other and like the organization. They seem to realize they have a chance to win together and that they have a chance to be part of something very special. And yet, in sports, as in life, there are no guarantees.
Ryan Whitney signed an incredibly reasonable contract today for 6 years and 24 million dollars. I thought the contract was a bargain. Whitney's comments to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette were revealing. He said that even if he had received an offer sheet, that didn't mean he would have signed it. He also mentioned that he thought the contract was fair to him and fair to the organization with the other players the Pens will have to ink to contracts in coming seasons.
Reading between the lines of Whitney's comments, I drew two conclusions. First, and primarily, Whitney wants to be a part of what the young Penguins have the chance to become. He wants to win, and at this stage of his life, while he wants to be compensated well, he'll settle for slightly less to achieve that lifelong dream of capturing the Cup. Terrific. If all the Pens' players follow his example, well, that would be...awesome. Yet in the midst of appreciating Whitney's present day comments and candor, I drew another conclusion from the very silly season of NHL unrestricted free agency. Hopefully by the time Whitney becomes an unrestricted free agent, he has won a Cup or two or more and played a crucial role on a championship team. And, at that point in time, later in life, Whitney will be able to "cash in" if--and he probably will--so desire on the bonanza that is unrestricted NHL free agency.
Like it or not, the children are going to grow up, because that's what kids do. Players who don't yet have wives or children are likely to acquire one or both by the time they reach unrestricted NHL free agency. And then, particularly at that point, well, if they've already won their championships, sometimes talented players want to embark on different challenges. To see if they can not be "one of the guys who helped" but the "key guy." And prior to losing a player to unrestricted free agency, the Pens might have to trade a player who, hopefully, was a key contributor to a championship or two. And players who, by that point, may have seen friends traded while learning the hard lesson that the sport is also a business will begin to see hockey not just as a game but as a business not just for the organization but for themselves as well.
Granted, all of the scenarios mentioned in the previous paragraph are taking an extremely "long-term" look at the organization, hardly the look that a fan wants to take when the kids are still kids and have yet to sign even their second NHL contracts. And fans don't necessarily need to take that long look when there's so much to revel in at the present moment in time.
But what fans should know, and what the Pens players know, as Whitney revealed today when he mentioned expecting to be an "elite" team next season, is that the time frame window of five to eight years to capture the Cup begins next season. The time window has just begun, granted--but it has begun, and that's something the organization, the players, and the fans, must know even as they continue to cheer for the kids who, blessedly enough, this season, will remain children.
In the next five to eight years, the Penguins have a particular window available. It's the window for winning championships, and it begins next season.
At this stage in their still nascent careers, the Pittsburgh players like each other and like the organization. They seem to realize they have a chance to win together and that they have a chance to be part of something very special. And yet, in sports, as in life, there are no guarantees.
Ryan Whitney signed an incredibly reasonable contract today for 6 years and 24 million dollars. I thought the contract was a bargain. Whitney's comments to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette were revealing. He said that even if he had received an offer sheet, that didn't mean he would have signed it. He also mentioned that he thought the contract was fair to him and fair to the organization with the other players the Pens will have to ink to contracts in coming seasons.
Reading between the lines of Whitney's comments, I drew two conclusions. First, and primarily, Whitney wants to be a part of what the young Penguins have the chance to become. He wants to win, and at this stage of his life, while he wants to be compensated well, he'll settle for slightly less to achieve that lifelong dream of capturing the Cup. Terrific. If all the Pens' players follow his example, well, that would be...awesome. Yet in the midst of appreciating Whitney's present day comments and candor, I drew another conclusion from the very silly season of NHL unrestricted free agency. Hopefully by the time Whitney becomes an unrestricted free agent, he has won a Cup or two or more and played a crucial role on a championship team. And, at that point in time, later in life, Whitney will be able to "cash in" if--and he probably will--so desire on the bonanza that is unrestricted NHL free agency.
Like it or not, the children are going to grow up, because that's what kids do. Players who don't yet have wives or children are likely to acquire one or both by the time they reach unrestricted NHL free agency. And then, particularly at that point, well, if they've already won their championships, sometimes talented players want to embark on different challenges. To see if they can not be "one of the guys who helped" but the "key guy." And prior to losing a player to unrestricted free agency, the Pens might have to trade a player who, hopefully, was a key contributor to a championship or two. And players who, by that point, may have seen friends traded while learning the hard lesson that the sport is also a business will begin to see hockey not just as a game but as a business not just for the organization but for themselves as well.
Granted, all of the scenarios mentioned in the previous paragraph are taking an extremely "long-term" look at the organization, hardly the look that a fan wants to take when the kids are still kids and have yet to sign even their second NHL contracts. And fans don't necessarily need to take that long look when there's so much to revel in at the present moment in time.
But what fans should know, and what the Pens players know, as Whitney revealed today when he mentioned expecting to be an "elite" team next season, is that the time frame window of five to eight years to capture the Cup begins next season. The time window has just begun, granted--but it has begun, and that's something the organization, the players, and the fans, must know even as they continue to cheer for the kids who, blessedly enough, this season, will remain children.
I'd Rather Have a Reliable Veteran
Heroics as a stand-in for Roberto Luongo in a playoff game aside, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of an inexperienced backup goaltender backing up a young goaltender. Granted, in this cap era, perhaps my naive expectations of a veteran backup are bygones of a previous era. And yet, well...
I don't want the Penguins signing Eddie Belfour or temperamental, psychotic back ups (and no, not all goalies are temperamental and psychotic). But I like the presence of a veteran netminder. Veteran netminders know how to prepare themselves. They know how to come in cold. They've been in the Show, and even when they come in cold, they're not intimidated. They're easy to trust, and in particular easier to trust if your starting goalie would unfortunately suffer an injury that would force him to miss a few matches.
I don't know the Pens' budget for next season. I don't know if it's realistic to expect the team to be able to carry a quality veteran netminder, financially speaking, as an insurance policy in case their starting goaltender would get injured. I just know I'd feel a lot more secure about my team's chances of securing a playoff berth, if Fleury should suffer an injury, if a quality, experienced veteran netminder was Fleury's primary back-up for at least one more season (particularly given the fact that the Pens, in all likelihood, will not have a "perfect" defense this season).
Heroics as a stand-in for Roberto Luongo in a playoff game aside, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with the idea of an inexperienced backup goaltender backing up a young goaltender. Granted, in this cap era, perhaps my naive expectations of a veteran backup are bygones of a previous era. And yet, well...
I don't want the Penguins signing Eddie Belfour or temperamental, psychotic back ups (and no, not all goalies are temperamental and psychotic). But I like the presence of a veteran netminder. Veteran netminders know how to prepare themselves. They know how to come in cold. They've been in the Show, and even when they come in cold, they're not intimidated. They're easy to trust, and in particular easier to trust if your starting goalie would unfortunately suffer an injury that would force him to miss a few matches.
I don't know the Pens' budget for next season. I don't know if it's realistic to expect the team to be able to carry a quality veteran netminder, financially speaking, as an insurance policy in case their starting goaltender would get injured. I just know I'd feel a lot more secure about my team's chances of securing a playoff berth, if Fleury should suffer an injury, if a quality, experienced veteran netminder was Fleury's primary back-up for at least one more season (particularly given the fact that the Pens, in all likelihood, will not have a "perfect" defense this season).
Defense
Perhaps the transaction that most irked me today was seeing Oilers' captain Jason Smith get traded to Philadelphia. Given the improvements Philly made to their forwards, prior to that trade, they were still going to be returning most of the same defensemen that helped them earn the #2 overall draft pick this past season. And well, selfishly and pragmatically, I rather enjoyed watching the Trifecta, and in particular Sidney Crosby, tear apart the Flyer's d-men last season. 'Twas most enjoyable.
Anyhow, I wasn't just irritated by the fact that the filthy Flyers got Smith; I was irked that the Penguins didn't obtain a defenseman like Smith. Putting a defenseman like Smith on the back line of the Pens' defense, to make an understatement, would have been a very good thing, perhaps a good enough thing that would have helped the Pens jump from "young and promising" to "contender." Still, I think Kevin Lowe wanted a young offensive defenseman in return for Smith and Lupul, and it's not time yet to turn either Ryan Whitney or Kris Letang into bargaining chips. Sorry, until the Pens really know what they have in Letang and Whitney, until everything else is in place for being a bonafide contender, it's not the time to trade youth with outlandish upside just for the solid skills of a very good, but not great, veteran. (More on when that time will come a little later.)
Yet the bottom line remains the Penguins' defense needs to be improved. News that the Pens have supposedly resigned Rob Scuderi doesn't provide assurance to a fan who wants a veteran defenseman, preferably better than Scuderi, to partner with Letang. I'm fine with Scuderi as a seventh defenseman, but, well--
I understand why the Pens haven't yet spent outrageous sums on the defensemen on the open market. I'd only understand throwing money like that at players of the ilk of Lidstrom, Pronger, and Niedermayer--players, once again, who could put a team like Pittsburgh over the top. But those players are hardly readily available, and cheaper upgrades will have to come, but I'm not sure they come via free agency. I'm not sure they even necessarily come until much closer to the start of the season or until early in the season.
Curiously enough, for as maligned as the Pens' defense was last year, and for as much as their weak spots were thoroughly exploited by the eventual Eastern Conference champions, the Pens still managed to win regular season games with/despite that defense. Granted, it's not enough to win in the playoffs, and other teams will work to exploit what the Senators showed could be exploited....
Yet, to start the season, anyhow, I'd be thrilled if the Pens could find stay-at-home, reliable defenseman to pair with Whitney, Letang, and Gonchar. Those three can make outlet passes, during the regular season, anyhow, and well, improvements to a team do not just need to be made during the off season. Trades can also happen during the season, just as a reminder.
I don't like the defense as it now is. But until the Pens know what they have and what they're ready to part with, and until the time comes to trade what they have too much of for what they don't have enough of, and until they're aware of exactly what they're giving up to gain what they need, I guess I'd just beg Shero, pretty, pretty please to at least work to find a reliable veteran to play with Letang, and then, well, in-season improvements can be made from that starting point.
Perhaps the transaction that most irked me today was seeing Oilers' captain Jason Smith get traded to Philadelphia. Given the improvements Philly made to their forwards, prior to that trade, they were still going to be returning most of the same defensemen that helped them earn the #2 overall draft pick this past season. And well, selfishly and pragmatically, I rather enjoyed watching the Trifecta, and in particular Sidney Crosby, tear apart the Flyer's d-men last season. 'Twas most enjoyable.
Anyhow, I wasn't just irritated by the fact that the filthy Flyers got Smith; I was irked that the Penguins didn't obtain a defenseman like Smith. Putting a defenseman like Smith on the back line of the Pens' defense, to make an understatement, would have been a very good thing, perhaps a good enough thing that would have helped the Pens jump from "young and promising" to "contender." Still, I think Kevin Lowe wanted a young offensive defenseman in return for Smith and Lupul, and it's not time yet to turn either Ryan Whitney or Kris Letang into bargaining chips. Sorry, until the Pens really know what they have in Letang and Whitney, until everything else is in place for being a bonafide contender, it's not the time to trade youth with outlandish upside just for the solid skills of a very good, but not great, veteran. (More on when that time will come a little later.)
Yet the bottom line remains the Penguins' defense needs to be improved. News that the Pens have supposedly resigned Rob Scuderi doesn't provide assurance to a fan who wants a veteran defenseman, preferably better than Scuderi, to partner with Letang. I'm fine with Scuderi as a seventh defenseman, but, well--
I understand why the Pens haven't yet spent outrageous sums on the defensemen on the open market. I'd only understand throwing money like that at players of the ilk of Lidstrom, Pronger, and Niedermayer--players, once again, who could put a team like Pittsburgh over the top. But those players are hardly readily available, and cheaper upgrades will have to come, but I'm not sure they come via free agency. I'm not sure they even necessarily come until much closer to the start of the season or until early in the season.
Curiously enough, for as maligned as the Pens' defense was last year, and for as much as their weak spots were thoroughly exploited by the eventual Eastern Conference champions, the Pens still managed to win regular season games with/despite that defense. Granted, it's not enough to win in the playoffs, and other teams will work to exploit what the Senators showed could be exploited....
Yet, to start the season, anyhow, I'd be thrilled if the Pens could find stay-at-home, reliable defenseman to pair with Whitney, Letang, and Gonchar. Those three can make outlet passes, during the regular season, anyhow, and well, improvements to a team do not just need to be made during the off season. Trades can also happen during the season, just as a reminder.
I don't like the defense as it now is. But until the Pens know what they have and what they're ready to part with, and until the time comes to trade what they have too much of for what they don't have enough of, and until they're aware of exactly what they're giving up to gain what they need, I guess I'd just beg Shero, pretty, pretty please to at least work to find a reliable veteran to play with Letang, and then, well, in-season improvements can be made from that starting point.
An Admission
For as excited as I was about the possibility of a marquee player such as Paul Kariya coming to Pittsburgh to play alongside Sidney Crosby, here's an admission: As much as I liked the idea of Crosby having a legitimate top line playmate, I didn't think Kariya would necessarily have been a perfect addition for the Penguins.
Here is the thing about Kariya. The Penguins already have players who play a little like him. The Penguins already have artists. In fact, the Trifecta are basically pure artists. They are hockey players who compete and compete hard, but they are otherworldly skilled. While a team can never have enough skill, a team can have too much of the same kind of skill. (See why the '92 Pens traded Paul Coffey and Mark Recchi for toughness and grit in Rick Tocchet and Kjell Samuelsson, and yes, I'm aware Ken Wregget was involved in that deal as well.) For as wonderful as it would have been for Crosby to have a wing not named Malone or Recchi, idealistically, I would prefer another type of winger, in a different mold.
My admission: I wanted Brendan Shanahan to play with Crosby. Even at his advanced age, Shanny is still a power forward. Shanahan is a natural wing. And more importantly than that, Shanny brings a different skill set to the table than that of the skillful artistry of a player like Paul Kariya. Shanahan brings checks and banging and dirty rebound goals and a proven ability to play in the playoffs. Shanahan would bring the presence of a scoring winger in the power forward mold, and he would bring a different skillset sorely needed by a young Pens team led by the Trifecta and Ryan Whitney--wondrously skilled, but all, at this point of their careers, primarily artists. (Gretzky, Mario, and Bobby Orr are also all players I would classify as artists. I don't mean soft by the term "artists," but rather a specific style of skilled play.)
Now, of course, I already know how ridiculous, outlandish, etc, it is to hope for Shanahan to sign in Pittsburgh. Shanahan has already said he won't play for a team other than the Rangers. And even if Shanahan could be persuaded to change his mind (unlikely), he would cost money. And yet the idea of a cap hit for a year or two, well, when it comes to Brendan Shanahan, let me say that money spent would be a far better use of cap space than would have been a longer term deal with a player like Paul Kariya, who would only bring more of the same style of skillset the Pens already have in abundance.
Given that I know that Shanahan is unlikely to sign in Pittsburgh, well, I'd rather Ray Shero scour the free agent market for players in the mold of Shanahan--players who, perhaps playing with Crosby, could net 30 goals in a season. A "poor man's" power forward for today's game, so to speak. (Saying a "poor man's" Brendan Shanahan just should, frankly, never be uttered.)
And for fans distraught about losing out on Kariya--a part of me wonders if the Pens have an internal option in their most recent first round draft pick. While I highly doubt Esposito can stick next year, if we're talking about the style of skilled artists, Esposito fits that mold, and, on an entry-level contract, at a far cheaper price than Kariya. (Caveat: Please. I'm not saying an unproven junior player and a proven NHL commodity are equal; that's hardly the case. I am saying that the smaller size--for Kariya, height, for Esposito, weight--and speed--are just "traits" those two share at this particular juncture.) Still, expecting Esposito to play on Crosby's wing next season is way too much of an unrealistic stretch for me for next season, and even if Esposito might stick on the team, I still must conclude...
One of the hurdles the Pens must clear to jump from "young and promising" to "serious contender" is a legitimate goal scoring winger. As the Pens seek to develop or find, by trade or free agency, that goal scoring winger, they'd be advised to seek a player who is more of a bull than an artist. A goal-scoring bull, mind you. But we have have enough artists. Bring me a bull who will crash, bang, and put the puck in the net, and you know, perhaps, on the power play or on the first line, skate alongside two artists in a dizzying display of diverse and effective talent wielding its' power over the opposition.
For as excited as I was about the possibility of a marquee player such as Paul Kariya coming to Pittsburgh to play alongside Sidney Crosby, here's an admission: As much as I liked the idea of Crosby having a legitimate top line playmate, I didn't think Kariya would necessarily have been a perfect addition for the Penguins.
Here is the thing about Kariya. The Penguins already have players who play a little like him. The Penguins already have artists. In fact, the Trifecta are basically pure artists. They are hockey players who compete and compete hard, but they are otherworldly skilled. While a team can never have enough skill, a team can have too much of the same kind of skill. (See why the '92 Pens traded Paul Coffey and Mark Recchi for toughness and grit in Rick Tocchet and Kjell Samuelsson, and yes, I'm aware Ken Wregget was involved in that deal as well.) For as wonderful as it would have been for Crosby to have a wing not named Malone or Recchi, idealistically, I would prefer another type of winger, in a different mold.
My admission: I wanted Brendan Shanahan to play with Crosby. Even at his advanced age, Shanny is still a power forward. Shanahan is a natural wing. And more importantly than that, Shanny brings a different skill set to the table than that of the skillful artistry of a player like Paul Kariya. Shanahan brings checks and banging and dirty rebound goals and a proven ability to play in the playoffs. Shanahan would bring the presence of a scoring winger in the power forward mold, and he would bring a different skillset sorely needed by a young Pens team led by the Trifecta and Ryan Whitney--wondrously skilled, but all, at this point of their careers, primarily artists. (Gretzky, Mario, and Bobby Orr are also all players I would classify as artists. I don't mean soft by the term "artists," but rather a specific style of skilled play.)
Now, of course, I already know how ridiculous, outlandish, etc, it is to hope for Shanahan to sign in Pittsburgh. Shanahan has already said he won't play for a team other than the Rangers. And even if Shanahan could be persuaded to change his mind (unlikely), he would cost money. And yet the idea of a cap hit for a year or two, well, when it comes to Brendan Shanahan, let me say that money spent would be a far better use of cap space than would have been a longer term deal with a player like Paul Kariya, who would only bring more of the same style of skillset the Pens already have in abundance.
Given that I know that Shanahan is unlikely to sign in Pittsburgh, well, I'd rather Ray Shero scour the free agent market for players in the mold of Shanahan--players who, perhaps playing with Crosby, could net 30 goals in a season. A "poor man's" power forward for today's game, so to speak. (Saying a "poor man's" Brendan Shanahan just should, frankly, never be uttered.)
And for fans distraught about losing out on Kariya--a part of me wonders if the Pens have an internal option in their most recent first round draft pick. While I highly doubt Esposito can stick next year, if we're talking about the style of skilled artists, Esposito fits that mold, and, on an entry-level contract, at a far cheaper price than Kariya. (Caveat: Please. I'm not saying an unproven junior player and a proven NHL commodity are equal; that's hardly the case. I am saying that the smaller size--for Kariya, height, for Esposito, weight--and speed--are just "traits" those two share at this particular juncture.) Still, expecting Esposito to play on Crosby's wing next season is way too much of an unrealistic stretch for me for next season, and even if Esposito might stick on the team, I still must conclude...
One of the hurdles the Pens must clear to jump from "young and promising" to "serious contender" is a legitimate goal scoring winger. As the Pens seek to develop or find, by trade or free agency, that goal scoring winger, they'd be advised to seek a player who is more of a bull than an artist. A goal-scoring bull, mind you. But we have have enough artists. Bring me a bull who will crash, bang, and put the puck in the net, and you know, perhaps, on the power play or on the first line, skate alongside two artists in a dizzying display of diverse and effective talent wielding its' power over the opposition.
Silly Season
The blogger Atrios (yeah, I read political blogs, too) has a name for the political primary season. Atrios refers to the political primary season as "the silliest season" or the "very silly season." As a hockey blogger, in the post-lockout era NHL, I refer to the first day of unrestricted free agency as the "very silly season" or as the "silliest of seasons."
Honestly, looking at the contracts that were handed out today: Are these teams serious? You are committing millions of dollars over several years to players who are very good players, All-Star players, but not franchise players? The Rangers are seriously paying Scott Gomez 50 million dollars? Really? Teams are signing merely above-average defensemen at a rate of over 4 million dollars a year? Why? Are they that desperate, or do they just enjoy spending their team's entire budget?
Granted, I speak as a Pittsburgh Penguins fan. My team's youthful nucleus is probably unparalleled in the entire NHL. As such, as a Pens fan, knowing the big budget raises our children will be due in ensuing seasons, the Pens can't and shouldn't blow their entire budget now on long-term contracts for players who might catapult them from "exceptionally promising young team" to "hands-on favorite to capture the Cup."
And that's the thing that most "gets" me about these ludicrous free agent signings. I can understand the concept of going "for broke," literally and figuratively, if in going for broke, you have positioned your team as one of the top five teams in the league, a team that could be legitimately and realistically picked by prognasticators to go all the way. But I fail to understand "going for broke" when all you're doing is helping your team take a step from below average to mediocre or from mediocre to above-average. What is the point of "going for broke," so to speak? And for players playing on such teams, aside from lifetime financial security (a point not to be lightly dismissed), the point is clearly not, "I'm ready to play on a contender." To the free agents who went for broke today, just, please, spare me how you believe your new team has the best chance to win. Please be honest and please be real.
In being honest and real, it's easy to see that general managers who have permission and the ability to spend up to the cap will do just that. It's also easy to see why general managers will ink players to see these "go for broke" deals--they want to keep their jobs, and in order to keep their jobs, they have to improve their teams from year to year. Likewise, in being honest and real, I will not begrudge an athlete any salary a team wants to offer to pay him. Athletes won't play forever, and most aren't trained to do anything else, so they may as well get as much financial compensation as they can for as long as they can--that's how business in a free-market economy usually works.
But none of my understanding about players securing their financial futures and general managers securing their own jobs will alter my opinion that unrestricted NHL free agency, particularly the first day, is the most ridiculous season. In terms of the long-term health for the league, I fail to see how paying star players, but not superstars, exorbitant salaries, ensures the financial solvency and competitive balance of the NHL. I also fail to see how such salaries can be supported by a league that still lacks the television contract of three other major sports. And granted, those are my concerns as a fan. They're not the concerns of players who want to get all they're worth in a situation they deem best for them, and they're not the concern of general managers who have to do what they have to do to keep their jobs. But still--it's absolutely silly season.
Silly season makes me think Sidney Crosby, the best player in the game, would be perfectly justified to walk into Ray Shero's office tomorrow and demand 10 million dollars per year for as long as possible. I mean, really, if we're paying 7 and 8 million to players whose stats can't even compare to Crosby's? Silly season also makes me grateful that Pittsburgh defenseman Ryan Whitney was merely a restricted free agent and not yet an unrestricted free agent. Seeing what other defensemen received on the open market as UFA's, I can easily see some team yearning for an offensive defenseman offering Whitney close to 6 million per season. And, well, for as talented as he is, those kind of salaries are just ludicrous, ridiculous, and outlandish--and not so much for Whitney, a youngster with a huge upside--as for merely above-average players who will be out of the prime of their careers by the time their gargantuan contracts end.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing for the Pittsburgh fans who yearned for Penguins General Manager Ray Shero to make a first day free agent splash is the knowledge of just how talented our young players are. Our kids need more experience and will only get better by gaining more experience, but nothing is stopping our kids, here and now, from being the nucleus of a bonafide Cup contender. And for Pittsburgh fans, there's this feeling, perhaps right, that landing a player (particularly a player like Drury who even the dreamiest among us knew we'd never be able to land) could be the "one"--the player that puts this young team over the top, right here, right now, this season. And the frustrating thing for Pens fans is that, if unrestricted free agency were not the silliest of seasons, perhaps our team could have snatched that one player that would have helped to catapult our squad from young and promising to odds-on favorite to capture the Cup.
But unrestricted free agency is the silliest of seasons, and as such, it's best not to overpay long-term for players that your team isn't going to need long-term. Acknowledging that unrestricted free agency is the silliest of seasons, however, doesn't take away the minor sting that comes when you realize how much promise your team has already shown--and with the acknowledgement that even though it's better not to overpay with money you don't yet have (no new arena yet nor wanting a repeat of previous bankruptcies), still, too comes the frustrating knowledge of just how great your team might be if only NHL unrestricted free agency were not, absolutely, always, a very, very silly season.
The blogger Atrios (yeah, I read political blogs, too) has a name for the political primary season. Atrios refers to the political primary season as "the silliest season" or the "very silly season." As a hockey blogger, in the post-lockout era NHL, I refer to the first day of unrestricted free agency as the "very silly season" or as the "silliest of seasons."
Honestly, looking at the contracts that were handed out today: Are these teams serious? You are committing millions of dollars over several years to players who are very good players, All-Star players, but not franchise players? The Rangers are seriously paying Scott Gomez 50 million dollars? Really? Teams are signing merely above-average defensemen at a rate of over 4 million dollars a year? Why? Are they that desperate, or do they just enjoy spending their team's entire budget?
Granted, I speak as a Pittsburgh Penguins fan. My team's youthful nucleus is probably unparalleled in the entire NHL. As such, as a Pens fan, knowing the big budget raises our children will be due in ensuing seasons, the Pens can't and shouldn't blow their entire budget now on long-term contracts for players who might catapult them from "exceptionally promising young team" to "hands-on favorite to capture the Cup."
And that's the thing that most "gets" me about these ludicrous free agent signings. I can understand the concept of going "for broke," literally and figuratively, if in going for broke, you have positioned your team as one of the top five teams in the league, a team that could be legitimately and realistically picked by prognasticators to go all the way. But I fail to understand "going for broke" when all you're doing is helping your team take a step from below average to mediocre or from mediocre to above-average. What is the point of "going for broke," so to speak? And for players playing on such teams, aside from lifetime financial security (a point not to be lightly dismissed), the point is clearly not, "I'm ready to play on a contender." To the free agents who went for broke today, just, please, spare me how you believe your new team has the best chance to win. Please be honest and please be real.
In being honest and real, it's easy to see that general managers who have permission and the ability to spend up to the cap will do just that. It's also easy to see why general managers will ink players to see these "go for broke" deals--they want to keep their jobs, and in order to keep their jobs, they have to improve their teams from year to year. Likewise, in being honest and real, I will not begrudge an athlete any salary a team wants to offer to pay him. Athletes won't play forever, and most aren't trained to do anything else, so they may as well get as much financial compensation as they can for as long as they can--that's how business in a free-market economy usually works.
But none of my understanding about players securing their financial futures and general managers securing their own jobs will alter my opinion that unrestricted NHL free agency, particularly the first day, is the most ridiculous season. In terms of the long-term health for the league, I fail to see how paying star players, but not superstars, exorbitant salaries, ensures the financial solvency and competitive balance of the NHL. I also fail to see how such salaries can be supported by a league that still lacks the television contract of three other major sports. And granted, those are my concerns as a fan. They're not the concerns of players who want to get all they're worth in a situation they deem best for them, and they're not the concern of general managers who have to do what they have to do to keep their jobs. But still--it's absolutely silly season.
Silly season makes me think Sidney Crosby, the best player in the game, would be perfectly justified to walk into Ray Shero's office tomorrow and demand 10 million dollars per year for as long as possible. I mean, really, if we're paying 7 and 8 million to players whose stats can't even compare to Crosby's? Silly season also makes me grateful that Pittsburgh defenseman Ryan Whitney was merely a restricted free agent and not yet an unrestricted free agent. Seeing what other defensemen received on the open market as UFA's, I can easily see some team yearning for an offensive defenseman offering Whitney close to 6 million per season. And, well, for as talented as he is, those kind of salaries are just ludicrous, ridiculous, and outlandish--and not so much for Whitney, a youngster with a huge upside--as for merely above-average players who will be out of the prime of their careers by the time their gargantuan contracts end.
Perhaps the most frustrating thing for the Pittsburgh fans who yearned for Penguins General Manager Ray Shero to make a first day free agent splash is the knowledge of just how talented our young players are. Our kids need more experience and will only get better by gaining more experience, but nothing is stopping our kids, here and now, from being the nucleus of a bonafide Cup contender. And for Pittsburgh fans, there's this feeling, perhaps right, that landing a player (particularly a player like Drury who even the dreamiest among us knew we'd never be able to land) could be the "one"--the player that puts this young team over the top, right here, right now, this season. And the frustrating thing for Pens fans is that, if unrestricted free agency were not the silliest of seasons, perhaps our team could have snatched that one player that would have helped to catapult our squad from young and promising to odds-on favorite to capture the Cup.
But unrestricted free agency is the silliest of seasons, and as such, it's best not to overpay long-term for players that your team isn't going to need long-term. Acknowledging that unrestricted free agency is the silliest of seasons, however, doesn't take away the minor sting that comes when you realize how much promise your team has already shown--and with the acknowledgement that even though it's better not to overpay with money you don't yet have (no new arena yet nor wanting a repeat of previous bankruptcies), still, too comes the frustrating knowledge of just how great your team might be if only NHL unrestricted free agency were not, absolutely, always, a very, very silly season.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Until Rookie Camp & Training Camp....
This post will be about Angelo Esposito (and also about Kris Letang, Filewich, Stone, and Kennedy). This post will also be the last one about these particular subjects until rookie camp or training camp--and by that, I mean, until there are ACTUAL EVENTS to be written about and discussed.
At this point, however, it's summer, and prior to the start of free agency tomorrow*, fans are already wondering which of the team's prospects are ready for the jump to the Crosby Show next season. And given the recent rookie success of Crosby, Malkin, and Staal, fans are no doubt wondering: Can any of these prospects play a key role on the team next season? If so, how key of a role? Will they be able to step in and play mistake-free hockey? Will their development be helped or hindered by time with the big club, more seasoning in the AHL, or in Esposito's case, a return to junior?
KRIS LETANG
Let's look at the case of Kris Letang first (because, in my opinion, Letang is the easiest). Letang's already scored goals in the NHL. After being returned to his junior team, he destroyed the junior level competition. In between starring for his QMJHL junior team, Letang captained Canada's entry at the World Junior tournament to gold while being honored as one of the tournament's best defenseman. He's worked to improve his weaknesses (which he still admitted this week to being playing sound positional defense), and he was named the top defenseman in the Q this past season. If all accounts are to be believed, Letang learned from his time in the Show last season and allowed that to catapult him to the further development and improvement of his overall game.
All that said, I expect Letang to stick in the NHL next season (given general manager Ray Shero has already basically said as much), barring incredibly unforeseen circumstances. That being said, Letang is primarly an offensive defenseman. And young defenseman who are learning how to play defense in the NHL take longer to learn how to play defense than forwards usually do to play their positions. That's just how it is. Letang will need a responsible, reliable defensive parter to play with at even strength. And, in terms of easing him into his role, it's probably best, a not excessive amount of even strength minutes, no penalty killing, and the second team power play unit--that is, until Letang shows he is capable and prepared to handle more duties. (Say what one will of Therrien, but he eased Staal in last year, and while I wish he would've given Staal more responsiblity--e.g. time in front of the net on the power play--later in the year, I can't argue with giving a player more responsibilites as his play progresses.)
When it comes to Letang, Pittsburgh fans are best forewarned. He's a talented offensive defenseman. I believe he's the closest to NHL ready of all the Pens' prospects. But for young defensemen learning how to play NHL defense for the first time, there will be bumps in the road. There will be giveaways or out-of-position plays, and while those plays can hopefully be minimized, they will happen, at least occasionally. As long as Letang is proving to be more helpful than detrimental to the team's chances to win, I expect him to stick with the big club. And with Letang, at some point, that huge "upside" has to be allowed to develop in the Show--it's just that with most defenseman, the development comes in the Show.
Which basically boils down to: don't expect Letang to make the drastic difference that Crosby, Malkin, and Staal did in each of their rookie seasons. Letang will be making a difference provided he makes outlet passes well, settles into a role on a power play unit, and learns how to play consistently solid defense at even-strength throughout the 2007-08 season.
(And, of course, if Letang does make a drastic difference or is a Calder Trophy nominee, be pleasantly surprised rather than making the error of assuming he should be a Calder Trophy nominee and being sorely disappointed when he isn't.)
ANGELO ESPOSITO
Oh, good grief. What can be said about Angelo Esposito that hasn't been said? He was once a consensus first overall pick for his draft year. He fell to the Pens at 20th overall. There are reasons he fell. Depending on who you are talking to, Esposito is either the next coming of Daigle and a sure-fire bust or a player who is going to win next season's Calder Trophy winner playing on Crosby's wing. While my opinion will likely disappoint the opinionated extremists on both sides of the "boom or bust" Esposito debate, I think the truth is likely somewhere between the two extremes.
Positives about Esposito: He has skill, lots and lots of skill. He has speed, which one would think would (eventually) make him tailor-made for the new NHL. He can issue pinpoint passes, and he can score goals. He has shown he can play well with talented linemates (Alexander Radulov was his linemate for much of his rookie year in the QMJHL), and the Penguins have lots of gifted potential playmates for Esposito. Basically, the positive, which can't be stated strongly enough, especially when you pick at 20th overall as the Pens did, this kid has the talent, potentially, to become a star.
Negatives about Esposito: Oh, where does one begin? For whatever reason, Esposito has appeared to "tail off" at the end of seasons (at least if statistics are examined). This season, his second-half scoring slump dropped him from #1 overall to #8 overal in the rankings for North American draft-eligible skaters. His rookie season, he didn't score nearly as much in the playoffs as he had during the regular season (contrast to Jordan Staal, who scored 10 goals in 19 playoff games and whose first NHL playoff appearance showed that there was perhaps something to that junior performance). Whether Esposito's scoring slumps are a matter of a lack of strength and endurance not yet built up (something that can be fixed over time), it's still a matter of concern. And, obviously, of course, is the fact that Esposito's still skinny for his height (180 pounds, and six one). Esposito needs more muscle mass, particularly upper-body muscle mass. In order to play more successfully, whether in juniors or the NHL, Esposito will have to learn how to play through physical play and still create and finish plays when the checking gets harder, tighter, and tougher. Esposito also has an injury history that puts up a couple of red flags: he's had 2 concussions and rumors about a sore back.
Curiosities about Esposito (These "curiosities" cannot yet be labeled as positive or negative traits, necessarily, nor are they "proven." They're more "thinking aloud" based on various information): Esposito speaks three languages fluently. He once wanted to be a doctor, and he completed two years of high school in one year. Speaking in purely academic terms, the kid is obviously academically intelligent. That being said, many observers questioned Esposito's head. Hockey intelligence and academic intelligence are rarely equivalent, and while some hockey intelligence can be taught (this is the simple play to make here; this is appropriate positioning), some things, like hockey intuition, are much more difficult to teach. Other concerns about Esposito, interestingly enough, also involve his head, and would have been much more of a concern for a team that drafted him higher than did Pittsburgh. Given how Esposito responded to the pressure of his draft year (his scoring totals dipped), does the kid have what it takes to handle pressure situations? Coming to Pittsburgh, where he'll likely be counted on to be a supplementary "star" if he ever reaches that point rather than the focal point, how much does his response to his second junior season reflect character traits that will always follow him?
My Conundrum/Analysis: Without having seen Esposito play in rookie camp or training camp, I can't say my opinion is anything but conjecture at this point. Nevertheless, Esposito has not yet shown he can handle the physical rigors of playing in the NHL. He has not yet shown an otherworldly sixth sense for defense (there was a reason Jordan Staal got fawned over last year, and it had at least as much to do with precocious defensive play as it did with his last name) or even a consistent otherworldly offensive sense that would enable him to overcome his still not-yet-developed stature. In terms of pure physical strength, count me on the side of the skeptics that says Angelo Esposito needs at least another year playing in juniors to gain the strength to play against men.
That being said, however, I see Pittsburgh, rather than the Patrick Roy-coached Quebec Ramparts, as the ideal place for Esposito to develop into the player he is supposed to be. If you want to teach him how to play wing, have Yeo work with him the way he worked with Staal last year. If you want to teach him strength and conditioning and to add muscle, let him spend some time around Gary Roberts and professional strength and conditioning coaches. And, honestly speaking, I'd rather have Michel Therrien, who's proven his worth as a developmental coach, around Esposito than Roy. Roy has not yet proven he can develop and mold and teach young players. I'm not convinced Esposito, under Roy's tutelage, would gain any more "hockey sense" or learn how to play effectively on a wing. And granted, Roy's job is to win games for the Quebec Ramparts, not to teach Esposito every skill the Pens would want him to have. Still, a huge part of me screams that Esposito's development could happen, far more fruitfully, in Pittsburgh, under the watchful eye of those who have, thus far, shown themselves to be effective at developing young talent.
Still, my conundrum exists. Because Staal, just like Esposito, didn't play on the Canadian World Junior team his draft year. And yet Staal was physically ready to play in the NHL against men, and well, physically speaking, if Esposito's not ready to play against men, it's detrimental to his development to put him in a position for which he is not yet prepared.
Tentative Conclusion: When it comes to Esposito, strengths, weaknesses, question marks, etc., one thing seems to stand out: He's not a sure thing. That's why he fell to 20. Sure, maybe some future day we know he's a sure thing to one extreme or the other. But unlike Crosby, Malkin, and Staal (who showed this defensively in his 1st season), he's not a sure thing. And at pick twenty, I'd rather take the upside of a player who could someday be Crosby's regular wing rather than a relatively sure fire third line grinder or second pairing defenseman. But it's just with the players who aren't sure things, you have to be "careful" with them. So much depends on development, on things clicking, on--so many factors can inhibit those players who aren't sure things in stark contrast to the way that all those factors roll off the back of those players who are "sure things."
So what do I think? I think it's likely Esposito sticks around for most of training camp, and provided he's healthy and not totally incapable of dealing with the physical play, a few games. And then, unfortunately, I think it's back to juniors. I see Esposito as being a player who might take longer to get to the place where he can score goals on a line with Crosby--and that depends on staying healthy and continuing to gain strength. E.g., I have an easier time seeing a 20-year-old Esposito challenge for a Calder Trophy than an 18-year-old Esposito remaining with the Pens all season. But I still believe the sooner Esposito is in the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization full time, the better.
But, you know, at least it's one more potential thing to look forward to, and another promising prospect to watch with eager eyes.
The Baby Penguins-- Filewich, Stone, and Kennedy
All three of the above players, perhaps Filewich the most, have shown they can handle the rigors of the AHL. Unlike the Trifecta, these players wouldn't be expected to make an immediate, obvious impact in the form of loads of points or stunning artistry. They'd be expected to play roles, supporting and supplementary roles, well.
Yet as the Pens' recent graduates from the AHL to the NHL showed, there is a time period when a player is above the AHL and yet still not quite ready for a full time job in the NHL (particularly not a full-time job on a contending team). Players like Erik Christiansen and Max Talbot had times when they'd clearly surpassed the AHL, but weren't yet full-time NHL regulars. In short, these are the players who might not stick full time in the NHL at the season's start, but could definitely be regulars on the Pittsburgh roster by the season's end.
And in every case...
When it comes to Letang, Esposito, Filewich, Kennedy, and Stone, we've only seen Letang play in the NHL, and that was last season, before another year of seasoning in junior. We don't yet know how these players are going to perform in rookie camp, in NHL preseason games, or at training camp. We can certainly make great guesses as to how the players will perform, what they'll excel at or struggle with, but the point remains-- We don't know.
And until rookie camp comes, until training camp comes, and until the NHL preseason games start, how will we know if Esposito can handle physical play? How will we know how Filewich looks on the second or third line? How will we be able to measure how much Kris Letang's positional defense has improved?
Lest we think training camp or preseason games matter tremendously, let's not forget that Jordan Staal had some rough moments in camp and in preseason games. And while (repeat until you get through your heads, spoiled Pens fans) none of these players are Jordan Staal, it's worth remembering that one preseason game or a session or two at training camp are not anything to get too worked up about--either way. But until the time comes to have something tangible to get worked up about, how about not getting worked up at all?
And next year, with these kids, all of whom it's too soon to label as "wasted pick" or "wow, simply astounding," how about just seeing what happens and enjoying the fun, exciting, but roller coaster ride that often comes with the development of skilled young hockey players?
*It should be noted that, obviously, if the Pens should happen to sign a top 6 wing over the free agency period, that the chances of "giving one of the kids" a chance at wing is, quite obviously, reduced.*
This post will be about Angelo Esposito (and also about Kris Letang, Filewich, Stone, and Kennedy). This post will also be the last one about these particular subjects until rookie camp or training camp--and by that, I mean, until there are ACTUAL EVENTS to be written about and discussed.
At this point, however, it's summer, and prior to the start of free agency tomorrow*, fans are already wondering which of the team's prospects are ready for the jump to the Crosby Show next season. And given the recent rookie success of Crosby, Malkin, and Staal, fans are no doubt wondering: Can any of these prospects play a key role on the team next season? If so, how key of a role? Will they be able to step in and play mistake-free hockey? Will their development be helped or hindered by time with the big club, more seasoning in the AHL, or in Esposito's case, a return to junior?
KRIS LETANG
Let's look at the case of Kris Letang first (because, in my opinion, Letang is the easiest). Letang's already scored goals in the NHL. After being returned to his junior team, he destroyed the junior level competition. In between starring for his QMJHL junior team, Letang captained Canada's entry at the World Junior tournament to gold while being honored as one of the tournament's best defenseman. He's worked to improve his weaknesses (which he still admitted this week to being playing sound positional defense), and he was named the top defenseman in the Q this past season. If all accounts are to be believed, Letang learned from his time in the Show last season and allowed that to catapult him to the further development and improvement of his overall game.
All that said, I expect Letang to stick in the NHL next season (given general manager Ray Shero has already basically said as much), barring incredibly unforeseen circumstances. That being said, Letang is primarly an offensive defenseman. And young defenseman who are learning how to play defense in the NHL take longer to learn how to play defense than forwards usually do to play their positions. That's just how it is. Letang will need a responsible, reliable defensive parter to play with at even strength. And, in terms of easing him into his role, it's probably best, a not excessive amount of even strength minutes, no penalty killing, and the second team power play unit--that is, until Letang shows he is capable and prepared to handle more duties. (Say what one will of Therrien, but he eased Staal in last year, and while I wish he would've given Staal more responsiblity--e.g. time in front of the net on the power play--later in the year, I can't argue with giving a player more responsibilites as his play progresses.)
When it comes to Letang, Pittsburgh fans are best forewarned. He's a talented offensive defenseman. I believe he's the closest to NHL ready of all the Pens' prospects. But for young defensemen learning how to play NHL defense for the first time, there will be bumps in the road. There will be giveaways or out-of-position plays, and while those plays can hopefully be minimized, they will happen, at least occasionally. As long as Letang is proving to be more helpful than detrimental to the team's chances to win, I expect him to stick with the big club. And with Letang, at some point, that huge "upside" has to be allowed to develop in the Show--it's just that with most defenseman, the development comes in the Show.
Which basically boils down to: don't expect Letang to make the drastic difference that Crosby, Malkin, and Staal did in each of their rookie seasons. Letang will be making a difference provided he makes outlet passes well, settles into a role on a power play unit, and learns how to play consistently solid defense at even-strength throughout the 2007-08 season.
(And, of course, if Letang does make a drastic difference or is a Calder Trophy nominee, be pleasantly surprised rather than making the error of assuming he should be a Calder Trophy nominee and being sorely disappointed when he isn't.)
ANGELO ESPOSITO
Oh, good grief. What can be said about Angelo Esposito that hasn't been said? He was once a consensus first overall pick for his draft year. He fell to the Pens at 20th overall. There are reasons he fell. Depending on who you are talking to, Esposito is either the next coming of Daigle and a sure-fire bust or a player who is going to win next season's Calder Trophy winner playing on Crosby's wing. While my opinion will likely disappoint the opinionated extremists on both sides of the "boom or bust" Esposito debate, I think the truth is likely somewhere between the two extremes.
Positives about Esposito: He has skill, lots and lots of skill. He has speed, which one would think would (eventually) make him tailor-made for the new NHL. He can issue pinpoint passes, and he can score goals. He has shown he can play well with talented linemates (Alexander Radulov was his linemate for much of his rookie year in the QMJHL), and the Penguins have lots of gifted potential playmates for Esposito. Basically, the positive, which can't be stated strongly enough, especially when you pick at 20th overall as the Pens did, this kid has the talent, potentially, to become a star.
Negatives about Esposito: Oh, where does one begin? For whatever reason, Esposito has appeared to "tail off" at the end of seasons (at least if statistics are examined). This season, his second-half scoring slump dropped him from #1 overall to #8 overal in the rankings for North American draft-eligible skaters. His rookie season, he didn't score nearly as much in the playoffs as he had during the regular season (contrast to Jordan Staal, who scored 10 goals in 19 playoff games and whose first NHL playoff appearance showed that there was perhaps something to that junior performance). Whether Esposito's scoring slumps are a matter of a lack of strength and endurance not yet built up (something that can be fixed over time), it's still a matter of concern. And, obviously, of course, is the fact that Esposito's still skinny for his height (180 pounds, and six one). Esposito needs more muscle mass, particularly upper-body muscle mass. In order to play more successfully, whether in juniors or the NHL, Esposito will have to learn how to play through physical play and still create and finish plays when the checking gets harder, tighter, and tougher. Esposito also has an injury history that puts up a couple of red flags: he's had 2 concussions and rumors about a sore back.
Curiosities about Esposito (These "curiosities" cannot yet be labeled as positive or negative traits, necessarily, nor are they "proven." They're more "thinking aloud" based on various information): Esposito speaks three languages fluently. He once wanted to be a doctor, and he completed two years of high school in one year. Speaking in purely academic terms, the kid is obviously academically intelligent. That being said, many observers questioned Esposito's head. Hockey intelligence and academic intelligence are rarely equivalent, and while some hockey intelligence can be taught (this is the simple play to make here; this is appropriate positioning), some things, like hockey intuition, are much more difficult to teach. Other concerns about Esposito, interestingly enough, also involve his head, and would have been much more of a concern for a team that drafted him higher than did Pittsburgh. Given how Esposito responded to the pressure of his draft year (his scoring totals dipped), does the kid have what it takes to handle pressure situations? Coming to Pittsburgh, where he'll likely be counted on to be a supplementary "star" if he ever reaches that point rather than the focal point, how much does his response to his second junior season reflect character traits that will always follow him?
My Conundrum/Analysis: Without having seen Esposito play in rookie camp or training camp, I can't say my opinion is anything but conjecture at this point. Nevertheless, Esposito has not yet shown he can handle the physical rigors of playing in the NHL. He has not yet shown an otherworldly sixth sense for defense (there was a reason Jordan Staal got fawned over last year, and it had at least as much to do with precocious defensive play as it did with his last name) or even a consistent otherworldly offensive sense that would enable him to overcome his still not-yet-developed stature. In terms of pure physical strength, count me on the side of the skeptics that says Angelo Esposito needs at least another year playing in juniors to gain the strength to play against men.
That being said, however, I see Pittsburgh, rather than the Patrick Roy-coached Quebec Ramparts, as the ideal place for Esposito to develop into the player he is supposed to be. If you want to teach him how to play wing, have Yeo work with him the way he worked with Staal last year. If you want to teach him strength and conditioning and to add muscle, let him spend some time around Gary Roberts and professional strength and conditioning coaches. And, honestly speaking, I'd rather have Michel Therrien, who's proven his worth as a developmental coach, around Esposito than Roy. Roy has not yet proven he can develop and mold and teach young players. I'm not convinced Esposito, under Roy's tutelage, would gain any more "hockey sense" or learn how to play effectively on a wing. And granted, Roy's job is to win games for the Quebec Ramparts, not to teach Esposito every skill the Pens would want him to have. Still, a huge part of me screams that Esposito's development could happen, far more fruitfully, in Pittsburgh, under the watchful eye of those who have, thus far, shown themselves to be effective at developing young talent.
Still, my conundrum exists. Because Staal, just like Esposito, didn't play on the Canadian World Junior team his draft year. And yet Staal was physically ready to play in the NHL against men, and well, physically speaking, if Esposito's not ready to play against men, it's detrimental to his development to put him in a position for which he is not yet prepared.
Tentative Conclusion: When it comes to Esposito, strengths, weaknesses, question marks, etc., one thing seems to stand out: He's not a sure thing. That's why he fell to 20. Sure, maybe some future day we know he's a sure thing to one extreme or the other. But unlike Crosby, Malkin, and Staal (who showed this defensively in his 1st season), he's not a sure thing. And at pick twenty, I'd rather take the upside of a player who could someday be Crosby's regular wing rather than a relatively sure fire third line grinder or second pairing defenseman. But it's just with the players who aren't sure things, you have to be "careful" with them. So much depends on development, on things clicking, on--so many factors can inhibit those players who aren't sure things in stark contrast to the way that all those factors roll off the back of those players who are "sure things."
So what do I think? I think it's likely Esposito sticks around for most of training camp, and provided he's healthy and not totally incapable of dealing with the physical play, a few games. And then, unfortunately, I think it's back to juniors. I see Esposito as being a player who might take longer to get to the place where he can score goals on a line with Crosby--and that depends on staying healthy and continuing to gain strength. E.g., I have an easier time seeing a 20-year-old Esposito challenge for a Calder Trophy than an 18-year-old Esposito remaining with the Pens all season. But I still believe the sooner Esposito is in the hands of the Pittsburgh Penguins organization full time, the better.
But, you know, at least it's one more potential thing to look forward to, and another promising prospect to watch with eager eyes.
The Baby Penguins-- Filewich, Stone, and Kennedy
All three of the above players, perhaps Filewich the most, have shown they can handle the rigors of the AHL. Unlike the Trifecta, these players wouldn't be expected to make an immediate, obvious impact in the form of loads of points or stunning artistry. They'd be expected to play roles, supporting and supplementary roles, well.
Yet as the Pens' recent graduates from the AHL to the NHL showed, there is a time period when a player is above the AHL and yet still not quite ready for a full time job in the NHL (particularly not a full-time job on a contending team). Players like Erik Christiansen and Max Talbot had times when they'd clearly surpassed the AHL, but weren't yet full-time NHL regulars. In short, these are the players who might not stick full time in the NHL at the season's start, but could definitely be regulars on the Pittsburgh roster by the season's end.
And in every case...
When it comes to Letang, Esposito, Filewich, Kennedy, and Stone, we've only seen Letang play in the NHL, and that was last season, before another year of seasoning in junior. We don't yet know how these players are going to perform in rookie camp, in NHL preseason games, or at training camp. We can certainly make great guesses as to how the players will perform, what they'll excel at or struggle with, but the point remains-- We don't know.
And until rookie camp comes, until training camp comes, and until the NHL preseason games start, how will we know if Esposito can handle physical play? How will we know how Filewich looks on the second or third line? How will we be able to measure how much Kris Letang's positional defense has improved?
Lest we think training camp or preseason games matter tremendously, let's not forget that Jordan Staal had some rough moments in camp and in preseason games. And while (repeat until you get through your heads, spoiled Pens fans) none of these players are Jordan Staal, it's worth remembering that one preseason game or a session or two at training camp are not anything to get too worked up about--either way. But until the time comes to have something tangible to get worked up about, how about not getting worked up at all?
And next year, with these kids, all of whom it's too soon to label as "wasted pick" or "wow, simply astounding," how about just seeing what happens and enjoying the fun, exciting, but roller coaster ride that often comes with the development of skilled young hockey players?
*It should be noted that, obviously, if the Pens should happen to sign a top 6 wing over the free agency period, that the chances of "giving one of the kids" a chance at wing is, quite obviously, reduced.*
Politics and Growling
I hate politics. All right, let me be fair. I don't hate all politics. I hate arena politics. I hate the fact that the arena financing isn't yet completely secure. I hate the fact that the arena might be delayed. I hate politics being played in the media; I hate that both political parties in Pennsylvania seem more keen on playing political football and scoring points than actually governing. I hate the media's hype and overhype that makes it difficult to distinguish what's serious and what's not. The only thing, apparently, that I don't hate is ranting.
Because that above paragraph was a rant, which should basically be encapsulated as saying, "Get it done! Just get it done! Pass the bill! Yes, of course, pass your budget, and pass what's necessary to be passed! But stop adding stuff or subtracting stuff and using the Pens as a way to your own way (whatever way it might be). Just, please, pretty, pretty, pretty, please, get that financing in place so that arena can get built. Like, seriously. Just do it. Yesterday. But if not yesterday, you know. Now. Right now. And hurry. There isn't time to waste."
Fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins are currently the envy of many fans of other NHL teams. The Penguins' incredible and young talent screams that great things should happen, and soon--and that youthful talent also yells that it is going to be a fun, entertaining ride to climb, once again, to the top of the mountain.
You have Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world, who's only 19. You have an all-world talent in Malkin who is the first-line center for most other teams in the NHL, and he's only 20. You have a six foot four monster man-child in a teenager who scored goals and played shut down defense as though he'd already played 10 NHL seasons. You have a young goaltender who just completed his first 40 win NHL season. You have a defenseman in his early twenties who's already finished among the offensive scoring leaders at his position. You have "role" players with character and heart, who make players laugh, hit hard, and compete every shift (Colby Armstrong and Max Talbot spring to mind the most here). If that's not enough, you have a kid who captained the Canadian World Junior team to a gold medal who looks like he's ready to start using his right-handed shot on the Pittsburgh power play next season. And, in years ahead, you've somehow just managed to draft a player, 20th overall, who has definite star potential (even if that potential may not be immediately realized) to complement your other young stars. You have a really, really, good thing, a thing so good that it caused the team's front office to start a waiting list for season ticket sales. You have something really, really special.
And you're going to screw it up over petty politics? Please. No pretty please anymore. Just don't. Just don't. Because hockey fans know, and Penguins fans surely know, what a special thing this team could become. One of the best hockey players of all time, Mario Lemieux, surely has an inkling of what all this youthful talent could become. And it's good. Really good. So good it's best not to imagine it right now and just enjoy the ride.
But how about letting us actually enjoy the ride? The players did their jobs fabulously this past season and have given no indication they plan to slack off and stop.
So to the governor, the politicians, everyone involved in getting the bill passed: Do your jobs. Do the deal. Pass the bill.
And if you want a clue about how to achieve something, perhaps you ought to pop in a tape of one of the many comeback victories of the 2006-07 Pittsburgh Penguins. Though some of those kids couldn't even legally drink, they sure knew how to take action to do the jobs they were being paid a salary to do.
How about, if it's too much of a stretch to work as hard as the kids did, at least imitate the kids and pass the bill? And how about learning from the kids who finished with 105 points, the fourth best turnaround in league history, before anybody really expected them to do it?
C'mon. I'm not asking the politicians to meet unreasonable, outlandish, otherworldly, and premature expectations. I'm asking the ostensibly adult politicians to grow up, act their ages, and do their jobs--and governing should mean action, not petty squabbling.
Enough ranting. But the Penguins need funding for a new arena, and the kids need to stay here. Otherwise from whom will the politicians learn about how it is possible to excel at one's job?
I hate politics. All right, let me be fair. I don't hate all politics. I hate arena politics. I hate the fact that the arena financing isn't yet completely secure. I hate the fact that the arena might be delayed. I hate politics being played in the media; I hate that both political parties in Pennsylvania seem more keen on playing political football and scoring points than actually governing. I hate the media's hype and overhype that makes it difficult to distinguish what's serious and what's not. The only thing, apparently, that I don't hate is ranting.
Because that above paragraph was a rant, which should basically be encapsulated as saying, "Get it done! Just get it done! Pass the bill! Yes, of course, pass your budget, and pass what's necessary to be passed! But stop adding stuff or subtracting stuff and using the Pens as a way to your own way (whatever way it might be). Just, please, pretty, pretty, pretty, please, get that financing in place so that arena can get built. Like, seriously. Just do it. Yesterday. But if not yesterday, you know. Now. Right now. And hurry. There isn't time to waste."
Fans of the Pittsburgh Penguins are currently the envy of many fans of other NHL teams. The Penguins' incredible and young talent screams that great things should happen, and soon--and that youthful talent also yells that it is going to be a fun, entertaining ride to climb, once again, to the top of the mountain.
You have Sidney Crosby, the best player in the world, who's only 19. You have an all-world talent in Malkin who is the first-line center for most other teams in the NHL, and he's only 20. You have a six foot four monster man-child in a teenager who scored goals and played shut down defense as though he'd already played 10 NHL seasons. You have a young goaltender who just completed his first 40 win NHL season. You have a defenseman in his early twenties who's already finished among the offensive scoring leaders at his position. You have "role" players with character and heart, who make players laugh, hit hard, and compete every shift (Colby Armstrong and Max Talbot spring to mind the most here). If that's not enough, you have a kid who captained the Canadian World Junior team to a gold medal who looks like he's ready to start using his right-handed shot on the Pittsburgh power play next season. And, in years ahead, you've somehow just managed to draft a player, 20th overall, who has definite star potential (even if that potential may not be immediately realized) to complement your other young stars. You have a really, really, good thing, a thing so good that it caused the team's front office to start a waiting list for season ticket sales. You have something really, really special.
And you're going to screw it up over petty politics? Please. No pretty please anymore. Just don't. Just don't. Because hockey fans know, and Penguins fans surely know, what a special thing this team could become. One of the best hockey players of all time, Mario Lemieux, surely has an inkling of what all this youthful talent could become. And it's good. Really good. So good it's best not to imagine it right now and just enjoy the ride.
But how about letting us actually enjoy the ride? The players did their jobs fabulously this past season and have given no indication they plan to slack off and stop.
So to the governor, the politicians, everyone involved in getting the bill passed: Do your jobs. Do the deal. Pass the bill.
And if you want a clue about how to achieve something, perhaps you ought to pop in a tape of one of the many comeback victories of the 2006-07 Pittsburgh Penguins. Though some of those kids couldn't even legally drink, they sure knew how to take action to do the jobs they were being paid a salary to do.
How about, if it's too much of a stretch to work as hard as the kids did, at least imitate the kids and pass the bill? And how about learning from the kids who finished with 105 points, the fourth best turnaround in league history, before anybody really expected them to do it?
C'mon. I'm not asking the politicians to meet unreasonable, outlandish, otherworldly, and premature expectations. I'm asking the ostensibly adult politicians to grow up, act their ages, and do their jobs--and governing should mean action, not petty squabbling.
Enough ranting. But the Penguins need funding for a new arena, and the kids need to stay here. Otherwise from whom will the politicians learn about how it is possible to excel at one's job?
Ronnie's Home
Ron Francis is now a 1st ballot Hockey Hall of Famer, an honor richly deserved. All of Francis's nicknames over the years, e.g., Ronnie Franchise, St. Ron, etc., exemplify how fans, media, and everyone in the NHL, loved Ron Francis. Francis seemed the rare player who was consistently beloved.
On the official website of the Pittsburgh Penguins, there is currently a picture of Francis wearing the captain's C on his Pittsburgh jersey. Francis left Pittsburgh many years ago, and he was honest about the reason he left. Yet Francis was always cheered when he returned to Pittsburgh. Fans who loved Francis when he was a Penguin still cheered the same classy player and person when he returned to the Igloo as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Today, years after Francis's retirement, seeing that picture of Ronnie wearing a Penguins uniform and the captain's C still brings an automatic smile to my face. My smile is involuntary; it's not something I can help or withhold. I smile when I see Ron Francis.
Francis is well known for his exemplary work on and off the ice, but perhaps what I most remember about Francis's days in Pittsburgh (particularly after the Cups were won) are things that don't get spoken of as frequently. For years, in addition to winning faceoffs, scoring goals, and playing a complete game pretty much flawlessly, Francis was one of the key leaders of a Pittsburgh team that needed leaders. Later in his tenure with the Penguins, Francis did something he's never gotten enough credit for: he helped to ensure Jaromir Jagr was both a sane and productive player. One of my favorite Francis stories happened when Francis explained that Jagr couldn't do the thing he'd done that night (the thing had something to do with giving up, quitting on the bench, late in the game, in frustration). At the end of Ronnie's chat with Jags, Jagr thanked Francis for dressing him down--yes, seriously, Jagr thanked Francis for trying to help him to become a better player. But Ronnie Francis got reactions like that, from everybody, because that's who Ronnie Francis is.
For me, a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan, saying the name "Ron Francis" will always bring a wave of good feelings, and a smile, to my face. Francis's statistics alone would have been enough to earn him induction to the Hall on his first try, but it's that positive reaction that everyone had to Francis that would have put him over the top on my ballot (if I had one; they don't--not yet--give bloggers ballots). Because Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, former teammates of Francis's, as well as his former opponents, as well as his coaches, as well as any media members, and plain old fans like me--our reaction to Ron Francis is the same. A smile and a feeling of gratitude that a man like Francis graced NHL rinks so successfully for so many seasons.
So to Ron Francis, St. Ron, Ronnie Franchise, to the former captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, to the player who was the heart and soul of the Hartford/Carolina franchise, congratulations on an honor richly deserved. And for anyone who has the chance to visit Ronnie in his new home at Hockey's Hall of Fame in Toronto, here's to hoping you share in the smiles that spring to the faces of all those who had the privilege of enjoying Ron Francis's presence in the NHL for so many seasons.
Ron Francis is now a 1st ballot Hockey Hall of Famer, an honor richly deserved. All of Francis's nicknames over the years, e.g., Ronnie Franchise, St. Ron, etc., exemplify how fans, media, and everyone in the NHL, loved Ron Francis. Francis seemed the rare player who was consistently beloved.
On the official website of the Pittsburgh Penguins, there is currently a picture of Francis wearing the captain's C on his Pittsburgh jersey. Francis left Pittsburgh many years ago, and he was honest about the reason he left. Yet Francis was always cheered when he returned to Pittsburgh. Fans who loved Francis when he was a Penguin still cheered the same classy player and person when he returned to the Igloo as a member of the Carolina Hurricanes.
Today, years after Francis's retirement, seeing that picture of Ronnie wearing a Penguins uniform and the captain's C still brings an automatic smile to my face. My smile is involuntary; it's not something I can help or withhold. I smile when I see Ron Francis.
Francis is well known for his exemplary work on and off the ice, but perhaps what I most remember about Francis's days in Pittsburgh (particularly after the Cups were won) are things that don't get spoken of as frequently. For years, in addition to winning faceoffs, scoring goals, and playing a complete game pretty much flawlessly, Francis was one of the key leaders of a Pittsburgh team that needed leaders. Later in his tenure with the Penguins, Francis did something he's never gotten enough credit for: he helped to ensure Jaromir Jagr was both a sane and productive player. One of my favorite Francis stories happened when Francis explained that Jagr couldn't do the thing he'd done that night (the thing had something to do with giving up, quitting on the bench, late in the game, in frustration). At the end of Ronnie's chat with Jags, Jagr thanked Francis for dressing him down--yes, seriously, Jagr thanked Francis for trying to help him to become a better player. But Ronnie Francis got reactions like that, from everybody, because that's who Ronnie Francis is.
For me, a lifelong Pittsburgh Penguins fan, saying the name "Ron Francis" will always bring a wave of good feelings, and a smile, to my face. Francis's statistics alone would have been enough to earn him induction to the Hall on his first try, but it's that positive reaction that everyone had to Francis that would have put him over the top on my ballot (if I had one; they don't--not yet--give bloggers ballots). Because Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, former teammates of Francis's, as well as his former opponents, as well as his coaches, as well as any media members, and plain old fans like me--our reaction to Ron Francis is the same. A smile and a feeling of gratitude that a man like Francis graced NHL rinks so successfully for so many seasons.
So to Ron Francis, St. Ron, Ronnie Franchise, to the former captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, to the player who was the heart and soul of the Hartford/Carolina franchise, congratulations on an honor richly deserved. And for anyone who has the chance to visit Ronnie in his new home at Hockey's Hall of Fame in Toronto, here's to hoping you share in the smiles that spring to the faces of all those who had the privilege of enjoying Ron Francis's presence in the NHL for so many seasons.
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Really, Gary?
Soaring Expectations*
And a Multiple-Choice Question
Gary Roberts likes the Pittsburgh Penguins. Roberts is happy with the way he has been treated by the organization, and he enjoyed his time playing with the Penguins' children. In fact, he enjoyed the kids so much that he signed up for another tour of duty with the Pens' kids. And in doing so, Roberts only confirmed, aloud, a pervasive feeling that is beginning to reach most parts of the NHL.
When Roberts signed a $2.5 million 1-year contract with the Pens, he let slip that he believed the Pens were closer than Ottawa to winning the Stanley Cup. He said he believed it would be difficult for Ottawa to return to the Cup finals, and that, after seeing how Ottawa played against other teams (presumably New Jersey and Buffalo), that he believed perhaps all the Pens needed was "experience." While it's not a huge deal to be considered closer to the Cup than the Maple Leafs, a team that missed the playoffs, it's hardly a small thing for a returning veteran to say that he believes his own team is closer to winning a Cup than are the defending Eastern Conference champions. In fact, what Roberts said was huge in that Roberts verbalized what the Pittsburgh organization, and others around the league, are coming to believe.
The sentiment around the NHL is a dangerous one, and it's one seen as not if but when this group of Pens captures the organization's third Cup. And after last year's turnaround, expectations have soared. The youth and veterans who comprise the Penguins aren't going to be happy merely to make the playoffs this year. At some point, and very soon, this team is not going to be satisfied with anything less than a Cup. Which is all well and good, really, and it's what should be expected when you boast the kind of talent the Pens do. But let's allow ourselves a moment of reflective honesty: it's darn scary, too.
When you become the kind of team the Pens are on the verge of becoming, you are the team that every team in the league guns for because they want to stop you. At some point, all this gunning at is ridiculous (see the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins, during the regular season, anyhow). However, this young hockey team is not yet at the mature point where their players are in their primes and are easily equipped to dance around and laugh at all the fancy attempts made by opposing coaches and players to stop them. The Penguins aren't going to surprise anyone next season. Teams will be studying videotape and matching lines, and they will be doing this during the regular season. Teams will be doing whatever they can to stop the Pens' offense, and while that's easier said than done, particularly in regards to Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Staal, their precocious oodles of talent aside, still have lots of developing to do. To have to develop, as they will, with other teams suddenly emphasizing not just stopping Crosby but stopping Malkin and Staal, too, well--
It's just enough to make this Pens fan pause and appreciate how much she loved the 2006-07 season. Having no expectations, aside from a bit of improvement and growth from the kids, the team exceeded my wildest dreams in the regular season. And even in the playoffs, Crosby and Staal gave me tremendous hope for the future. Yet this multiple-choice question has been floating in my mind for awhile:
In the 2007-08 season, it is most likely:
A. The Penguins compete for the President's Trophy and win the Atlantic Division and earn home ice advantage for the playoffs and win many postseason games.
B. The Penguins suffer through injuries and periods of sophomore slumps and make the playoffs as a fifth, sixth, or seventh seed, but manage to advance to the second or third round of the playoffs this time.
C. The Penguins' regular season isn't quite as successful as the 2006-07 season, and the team is once again ousted from the playoffs in the first round.
D. Various problems, e.g., injuries to key players, sophomore slumps, inconsistent play and coaching, lead the Pens to miss the playoffs by a narrow margin.
The thing that frightens me about the above multiple-choice question is that I can see "E," as in "any" of the above being possibilities for next season. While I see no reason for Staal and Malkin to regress rather than progress, they wouldn't be the first players to struggle more as sophomores than as rookies. I wonder what happens if an injury befalls a key player at a critical time (something the Pens were very fortunate with in the 2006-07 season). And yet I see the same thing that everyone else in the NHL sees, which is why "A" cannot be eliminated from consideration as an outlandish pipe dream, the way we assumed it would have been just a year ago.
At some point in time, though, and it will happen: The players are going to have acknowledge the raised external and internal expectations. It's what happens the first time the team fails to meet those soaring expectations, I think, that will ultimately determine whether answer choice A, B, C, or D, proves most true in the 2007-08 season.
*Probably the first of many posts about the seriously high expectations that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be expected to meet, and will expect themselves to meet, in future seasons.*
Soaring Expectations*
And a Multiple-Choice Question
Gary Roberts likes the Pittsburgh Penguins. Roberts is happy with the way he has been treated by the organization, and he enjoyed his time playing with the Penguins' children. In fact, he enjoyed the kids so much that he signed up for another tour of duty with the Pens' kids. And in doing so, Roberts only confirmed, aloud, a pervasive feeling that is beginning to reach most parts of the NHL.
When Roberts signed a $2.5 million 1-year contract with the Pens, he let slip that he believed the Pens were closer than Ottawa to winning the Stanley Cup. He said he believed it would be difficult for Ottawa to return to the Cup finals, and that, after seeing how Ottawa played against other teams (presumably New Jersey and Buffalo), that he believed perhaps all the Pens needed was "experience." While it's not a huge deal to be considered closer to the Cup than the Maple Leafs, a team that missed the playoffs, it's hardly a small thing for a returning veteran to say that he believes his own team is closer to winning a Cup than are the defending Eastern Conference champions. In fact, what Roberts said was huge in that Roberts verbalized what the Pittsburgh organization, and others around the league, are coming to believe.
The sentiment around the NHL is a dangerous one, and it's one seen as not if but when this group of Pens captures the organization's third Cup. And after last year's turnaround, expectations have soared. The youth and veterans who comprise the Penguins aren't going to be happy merely to make the playoffs this year. At some point, and very soon, this team is not going to be satisfied with anything less than a Cup. Which is all well and good, really, and it's what should be expected when you boast the kind of talent the Pens do. But let's allow ourselves a moment of reflective honesty: it's darn scary, too.
When you become the kind of team the Pens are on the verge of becoming, you are the team that every team in the league guns for because they want to stop you. At some point, all this gunning at is ridiculous (see the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins, during the regular season, anyhow). However, this young hockey team is not yet at the mature point where their players are in their primes and are easily equipped to dance around and laugh at all the fancy attempts made by opposing coaches and players to stop them. The Penguins aren't going to surprise anyone next season. Teams will be studying videotape and matching lines, and they will be doing this during the regular season. Teams will be doing whatever they can to stop the Pens' offense, and while that's easier said than done, particularly in regards to Sidney Crosby, Malkin and Staal, their precocious oodles of talent aside, still have lots of developing to do. To have to develop, as they will, with other teams suddenly emphasizing not just stopping Crosby but stopping Malkin and Staal, too, well--
It's just enough to make this Pens fan pause and appreciate how much she loved the 2006-07 season. Having no expectations, aside from a bit of improvement and growth from the kids, the team exceeded my wildest dreams in the regular season. And even in the playoffs, Crosby and Staal gave me tremendous hope for the future. Yet this multiple-choice question has been floating in my mind for awhile:
In the 2007-08 season, it is most likely:
A. The Penguins compete for the President's Trophy and win the Atlantic Division and earn home ice advantage for the playoffs and win many postseason games.
B. The Penguins suffer through injuries and periods of sophomore slumps and make the playoffs as a fifth, sixth, or seventh seed, but manage to advance to the second or third round of the playoffs this time.
C. The Penguins' regular season isn't quite as successful as the 2006-07 season, and the team is once again ousted from the playoffs in the first round.
D. Various problems, e.g., injuries to key players, sophomore slumps, inconsistent play and coaching, lead the Pens to miss the playoffs by a narrow margin.
The thing that frightens me about the above multiple-choice question is that I can see "E," as in "any" of the above being possibilities for next season. While I see no reason for Staal and Malkin to regress rather than progress, they wouldn't be the first players to struggle more as sophomores than as rookies. I wonder what happens if an injury befalls a key player at a critical time (something the Pens were very fortunate with in the 2006-07 season). And yet I see the same thing that everyone else in the NHL sees, which is why "A" cannot be eliminated from consideration as an outlandish pipe dream, the way we assumed it would have been just a year ago.
At some point in time, though, and it will happen: The players are going to have acknowledge the raised external and internal expectations. It's what happens the first time the team fails to meet those soaring expectations, I think, that will ultimately determine whether answer choice A, B, C, or D, proves most true in the 2007-08 season.
*Probably the first of many posts about the seriously high expectations that the Pittsburgh Penguins will be expected to meet, and will expect themselves to meet, in future seasons.*
Roberts and Recchi
Excellent, but....
Both off and on the ice, Ray Shero delivered excellent news when he announced that he had resigned veterans Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi to one-year contracts. Neither contract is outlandish, and more importantly than just monetary factors, Roberts and Recchi provide a veteran presence sorely necessary, both on and off the ice, for a very young team.
What Recchi and Roberts bring off the ice is not disputed. Even as Pens' fans joke about Mark Recchi's usefulness as Jordan Staal's landlord, the fans understand that it's necessary for younger players to have a few older players around off the ice. And not just because some of the youngest Penguins literally need a billet house with an older teammate (which will be even more true next year if Kris Letang and, though it's unlikely, Angelo Esposito, make the team). Rather, Roberts and Recchi bring a wealth of experience to such things as travel, conditioning, eating properly, etc., to the team. Roberts and Recchi have won Cups, and say what you will, but most teams don't win Cups until they have players who have helped to teach them what it takes to win a Cup. Off the ice, Roberts and Recchi bring stability and experience to a young, talented team that could tremendously benefit from stable, experienced veteran leadership.
Roberts and Recchi aren't just useful as the "veterans in the locker room," but are likewise tremendously valuable on the ice--but not for the reasons one might at first assume. Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi are both valuable on the ice because, at this juncture of their careers, they are both no-maintenance players. By no-maintenance, I do not mean that they can play 30 minutes a game without problem, but that in the minutes they do play within a game, they are going to know what to do and how to do it. Fans already love Gary Roberts and know that he knows when to dish a thundering check that changes the momentum of a shift and a game. While fans are more likely to complain about Recchi, Recchi's "no maintenance" value is probably best seen in Game 4 of the Pittsburgh-Ottawa first round series. No coach had to tell Recchi to use those old legs and race back to keep the puck from going into the empty net; no coach had to tell him how to do it. In small plays that win and lose games, in the simple plays that talented kids sometimes haven't yet been forced to master, Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts both exemplify what it means to be a "no-maintenance" hockey player. And, in demonstrating what it means to be a "no maintenance" player, Recchi and Roberts will help the Pens' obscenely talented youth begin to develop, also, into players who wear the label "no-maintenance."
For all the on and off-ice good that Roberts and Recchi bring, I must return to a post that I wrote late in the 2006-07 season (called "The Veteran Myth"). The "veteran myth" states that players like Roberts and Recchi, because they have always fulfilled certain roles quite well, must continue to be relied upon to fill those same roles based upon their experience in said capacity. My current opinion remains the same one I held when I first typed out "The Veteran Myth." And that opinion is that Coach Michel Therrien and his coaching staff must not allow veteran players who have "always done that" to continue to do a job that could be better performed by a younger but more inexperienced player.
The power play unit for next season would provide an easy example of "The Veteran Myth." Sticking both Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts on the first team power play unit would be a mistake of monumental proportions. Not allowing all six feet four inches of Jordan Staal to have some time in front of the crease on the power play due to the "experience" of Roberts and Recchi is not just incredibly shortsighted, but fundamentally wrong. Young players need the chance to master a specific skill set, and young players can do this while still helping their teams to win games. The challenge for the coaching staff will be to monitor the playing time of the Pens' graybeards, to use them wisely, but not to overuse them--and not just to prevent injury and burnout, but to allow the kids, the kids who have to play starring roles when it comes to time to compete for the Cup, to begin the process of assuming such starring roles.
For the wealth of on-ice and off-ice experience and leadership that Roberts and Recchi bring to the Pens, for the fact that both wanted to remain with the kids, I welcome them back with open arms, clapping hands, and lots of loud cheers. However, Penguins' general manager Ray Shero needs to work in conjunction with Michel Therrien and his coaching staff to ensure that the veterans and the kids are utilized properly--and that might mean, perhaps more far more frequently than in the 2006-07 season--that a few of the kids start to do some of the things, such as, for example, stand in front of the net on the power play, a little more often than do the veterans.
Excellent, but....
Both off and on the ice, Ray Shero delivered excellent news when he announced that he had resigned veterans Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi to one-year contracts. Neither contract is outlandish, and more importantly than just monetary factors, Roberts and Recchi provide a veteran presence sorely necessary, both on and off the ice, for a very young team.
What Recchi and Roberts bring off the ice is not disputed. Even as Pens' fans joke about Mark Recchi's usefulness as Jordan Staal's landlord, the fans understand that it's necessary for younger players to have a few older players around off the ice. And not just because some of the youngest Penguins literally need a billet house with an older teammate (which will be even more true next year if Kris Letang and, though it's unlikely, Angelo Esposito, make the team). Rather, Roberts and Recchi bring a wealth of experience to such things as travel, conditioning, eating properly, etc., to the team. Roberts and Recchi have won Cups, and say what you will, but most teams don't win Cups until they have players who have helped to teach them what it takes to win a Cup. Off the ice, Roberts and Recchi bring stability and experience to a young, talented team that could tremendously benefit from stable, experienced veteran leadership.
Roberts and Recchi aren't just useful as the "veterans in the locker room," but are likewise tremendously valuable on the ice--but not for the reasons one might at first assume. Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi are both valuable on the ice because, at this juncture of their careers, they are both no-maintenance players. By no-maintenance, I do not mean that they can play 30 minutes a game without problem, but that in the minutes they do play within a game, they are going to know what to do and how to do it. Fans already love Gary Roberts and know that he knows when to dish a thundering check that changes the momentum of a shift and a game. While fans are more likely to complain about Recchi, Recchi's "no maintenance" value is probably best seen in Game 4 of the Pittsburgh-Ottawa first round series. No coach had to tell Recchi to use those old legs and race back to keep the puck from going into the empty net; no coach had to tell him how to do it. In small plays that win and lose games, in the simple plays that talented kids sometimes haven't yet been forced to master, Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts both exemplify what it means to be a "no-maintenance" hockey player. And, in demonstrating what it means to be a "no maintenance" player, Recchi and Roberts will help the Pens' obscenely talented youth begin to develop, also, into players who wear the label "no-maintenance."
For all the on and off-ice good that Roberts and Recchi bring, I must return to a post that I wrote late in the 2006-07 season (called "The Veteran Myth"). The "veteran myth" states that players like Roberts and Recchi, because they have always fulfilled certain roles quite well, must continue to be relied upon to fill those same roles based upon their experience in said capacity. My current opinion remains the same one I held when I first typed out "The Veteran Myth." And that opinion is that Coach Michel Therrien and his coaching staff must not allow veteran players who have "always done that" to continue to do a job that could be better performed by a younger but more inexperienced player.
The power play unit for next season would provide an easy example of "The Veteran Myth." Sticking both Mark Recchi and Gary Roberts on the first team power play unit would be a mistake of monumental proportions. Not allowing all six feet four inches of Jordan Staal to have some time in front of the crease on the power play due to the "experience" of Roberts and Recchi is not just incredibly shortsighted, but fundamentally wrong. Young players need the chance to master a specific skill set, and young players can do this while still helping their teams to win games. The challenge for the coaching staff will be to monitor the playing time of the Pens' graybeards, to use them wisely, but not to overuse them--and not just to prevent injury and burnout, but to allow the kids, the kids who have to play starring roles when it comes to time to compete for the Cup, to begin the process of assuming such starring roles.
For the wealth of on-ice and off-ice experience and leadership that Roberts and Recchi bring to the Pens, for the fact that both wanted to remain with the kids, I welcome them back with open arms, clapping hands, and lots of loud cheers. However, Penguins' general manager Ray Shero needs to work in conjunction with Michel Therrien and his coaching staff to ensure that the veterans and the kids are utilized properly--and that might mean, perhaps more far more frequently than in the 2006-07 season--that a few of the kids start to do some of the things, such as, for example, stand in front of the net on the power play, a little more often than do the veterans.
Angelo Esposito is Not Jordan Staal But....
Okay. I'll admit it. It was nice to go back to rooting for my Pens. And by this, of course, I mean, rooting for the precipitious falls of 2 talented teenage prospects, both of whom, for a variety of reasons, were ultimately drafted lower than where they were projected to be drafted.
Had I been live-blogging the draft, my in-the-moment thoughts would have been something like, "Drop, drop, drop, drop, drop," and "Please don't pick the players they keep showing on the TV." While I had a feeling the Rangers wouldn't let a talented Russian scare them off, I was still hoping that a natural wing, and a goal scorer, to boot, would be available for my Pens to snatch at 20. Alas, Cherepanov is now property of the New York Rangers, may have the chance to play on the same team as his idol, and Penguins' fans are spared another Evgeni-Malkinesque escape-from-Russia saga. (Not that I would have objected to the saga considering the talent of the player in question.)
To resume the thoughts of my live-blogging that wasn't, after the Rangers snagged Cherepanov, it was just countdown until number twenty. Since the TSN cameras would not leave Angelo Esposito alone, well, neither could I. At least not in my mind. My absolutely articulate thoughts of "Drop, drop, drop!" continued even as I watched other players get picked, even as I knew that Esposito was not a Brian Burke-type player. And then the announcers who asked, "Could he be lucky enough to have Pittsburgh take him?" And, of course, what I later read about how the team searched frantically for nameplate but didn't have one. But who really cared about a nameplate when your team gets a player at 20 that they had expected to go much higher? Really, I was too delighted to care. I had rooted for something to happen, for my team to "win," so to speak, the chance to draft Esposito, and they had. That was nice.
After my excitement at snagging a player whose talent had him ranked as the consensus #1 overall pick just a year ago, I began to wonder about Esposito. How had he fallen from a consensus first overall pick to being available for the Penguins to grab in the 20th spot? And more than just wondering about Esposito's "freefall," I wondered what it might be reasonable to expect of him. And thus began the googling, which led to a few conclusions, which are summarized by the title of this post.
Angelo Esposito is not Jordan Staal. Angelo Esposito is not Jordan Staal. Repeat. Nor is Angelo Esposito Evgeni Malkin. Angelo Esposito is certainly not Sidney Crosby, a player to whom he was once, ridiculously, ludicrously, outlandishly, and too early compared. No. Angelo Esposito is Angelo Esposito, and that means, well--what does that mean?
Before dealing with Esposito, let's deal with the people who heaped unrealistic and some would say absurd expectations upon the kid. He spent his rookie year in the Q playing with another player who starred in the Q. He was the Q's Rookie of the Year and won the Memorial Cup as a rookie. Not too shabby a debut. And at this point, the hoopla started. Ridiculous hoopla. Esposito this, Esposito that. He was a talented kid, a year (ONE year) removed from playing high school prep hockey, but suddenly he was supposed to be the second coming of Sidney Crosby (a once-in-a-GENERATION-talent). And not only that, he was supposed to be the best player on the defending Memorial Cup champions, a team that was supposed to stay great no matter the loss of talented players to the ranks of the NHL teams that drafted them. Worse than that, probably, this kid played on a team coached by Patrick Roy. While Roy is one of the best goalies in NHL history, to say that he is fiery and eccentric would be a vast understatement. Playing under Roy is going to be a challenge any day of the week, no matter his legitimately great NHL playing experience.
And then came this season. And the scouts poked holes wherever they could find holes. It wasn't like Esposito wasn't helping them out--he got cut from Canada's World Junior team. He didn't put up the stats he'd put up in his rookie season. He couldn't carry his team on his own. And his team got booted in the first round of the playoffs. And those "questions" surrounded him. Was he too soft? Could he carry a team on his own? Was he too selfish? Did he use his linemates well enough?
Before going into more detail about what might be reasonably expected of Esposito, let's talk about reasonable expectations for the team, media, and fans. Let's not make the same mistake everyone did a year ago when they began to heap ridiculous, absurd expectations upon Esposito. Let's make sure not to make that mistake. And let's consider what some of our unreasonable expectations might be.
Unreasonable Expectation/Comparison 1:Sidney Crosby played and starred in the NHL at age eighteen. So if Sidney could do it....
Counterpoint: No, no, and can I say a very emphatic NO just one more time? Sidney Crosby also broke Mario Lemieux's rookie points scoring record. Esposito is surely not going to do that.
Unreasonable Expectation/Comparison 2: While Esposito might not be ready now, he might be ready to do in two years something like what Malkin did this year.
Counterpoint: No, no, and no. Malkin spent time playing in the Russian Elite League against men. Sure, Malkin had (and still must continue) to adjust his game and learn the English language. But the Russian Elite League could very well be the second best hockey league in the entire world. Being trained while playing against men is very different than playing against boys in the QMJHL.
Unreasonable Expectation/Comparison 3: Nobody really expected Jordan Staal to do what he did last year. And while Staal wasn't Crosby, or even as offensively flashy as Malkin, he still stepped in as an eighteen-year-old and took a regular shift. Why couldn't we expect Esposito to "surprise" us and do something similar?
Counterpoint: Jordan Staal was already six foot four and two hundred twenty pounds. Despite his age, Staal's precocious physical development was definitely a factor that enabled him to transition easily to the NHL game. Likewise, Staal had been utilized the previous year by Peterborough Petes' coach Dick Todd primarily in a defensive role--in other words, part of the reason Staal had such a phenomenal rookie season was due to his on-ice defensive awareness.
Of all the unreasonable expectations that could be foisted upon on Esposito by the organization, the media, and the fans, it's perhaps the comparison to Staal that concerns me the most. The organization surely knows how exceptional Crosby is and how Malkin is still a world-class talent. The media and fans, when they're minding their manners and using common sense, likewise seem aware that Crosby is unique and Malkin is slightly less special than Crosby. The most dangerous viewpoint, for the organization, fans, and media, seems to be expecting that Esposito could be able to transition the way Staal did.
Two things about Esposito must be noted, neither of which, necessarily, are anything that time and development can't heal. Esposito is six foot one and a hundred and eighty pounds. In other words, weight-wise, he's small for the NHL at the moment. He needs to fill out and add muscle mass, hardly an incurable problem, but not one necessarily solved in a summer's time. Secondly, Jordan Staal played for the Peterborough Petes under legendary coach Dick Todd. Dick Todd knew how to coach and develop junior players. Patrick Roy has proved he is one of the finest NHL goalies in NHL history, but he has yet to prove anything in terms of DEVELOPING (not just coaching) junior players. Staal had the benefit of excellent and experienced junior coaching and precocious physical development, and both benefits were major factors as to why Staal was able to end the 2006-07 season as a Rookie-of-the-Year candidate. Let me repeat, once again, that Angelo Esposito is NOT Jordan Staal. Esposito had the chance to play under a NHL Hall-of-Famer, but not an expert and seasoned junior coach. And as far as physical development goes, Esposito's weight has yet to fill out to match his height, at least by NHL standards--and Jordan Staal was already among the biggest men in the league last season.
Perhaps because of the heavy expectations and labels that burdened Esposito for the past year, I am leery of expecting him to stick for the 2007-08 season. I am leery that the Pens' organization might erreneously believe that another talented 18-year-old with the potential to be a star one day could step right in and skate a regular shift at age 18. Though for the most part I trust Ray Shero (until he proves he should not deserve my trust), I'm more frightened still for the expectations that might be heaped upon Esposito by the media and the Pittsburgh fanbase. If the Pens' think they just found Sidney Crosby a winger, and Esposito sticks but scores 11 goals and 15 assists while playing on the third and fourth lines, well, how is he going to compare to the rookie sensations fans and the media have grown accustomed to over the past couple of seasons?
Now, of course, Shero is right when he says that coming to Pittsburgh might be the perfect place for Esposito. He can skate like the wind, play with lots of young, talented players, and never have to be "the guy" on his team. And, to some degree, if the team is successful, and Esposito shows development as a player, well, the fact that he's probably not going to be another Pittsburgh Calder Trophy nominee will just have to be something fans and the media get over.
So, to summarize a lengthy, rambling post: Esposito should not be expected to make the team next season. At this juncture, provided he's not ridiculously out of his league, I see no harm in a few-game NHL cup of coffee, at the start of the season, provided he will help the team win games (which must be a consideration with a team now expected to make the playoffs). I agree with fans who've stated that they'd like to see Esposito spend as much time as possible with Crosby, Roberts, et. al to adjust whatever real or imagined "issues" he may have. Frankly speaking, I'd rather have him spend as much time as possible with Coach Michel Therrien rather than Coach Patrick Roy (but that's another post for another time, perhaps to be expanded upon later in the long, summer months). But if Esposito comes to camp and isn't ready, well, don't freak out. He's eighteen, a kid, and eighteen-year-olds, save for ones not named Crosby, Jordan Staal, and Jaromir Jagr, tend to need a few more years before they're NHL-ready.
But the thing that had Ray Shero, other fans, and me, screaming in our heads such inarticulate nonsense as "Drop, drop, drop, to us, please!" is that Esposito, like Crosby, Malkin, and Staal before him, shares the trait that you look for when you draft. It's called "upside." Had the Pens been picking closer to the top of the draft, they would have had more than "one short" interview with Esposito. They might have learned what caused other teams to back off, or they might have learned about his upside. And, drafting at 20, you have to go with upside.
And that's the exciting thing. A part of me seriously hopes Esposito can stick in the NHL next year because it's always fun when scary young talent gets joined by still younger talent (and also because I'd rather have Esposito a part of the Pens' team than spend another year with his QMJHL team and coach, but again, another topic for another time). Another part of me hopes that if the kid, as is true of most-eighteen-year-olds, just isn't ready, that the organization does what's best for him. I hope the organization can wait a few years before, perhaps, he can play a supporting role on a team that, by then, should be a legitimate Cup contender.
But let's cut the kid a break, and ourselves a break, too. He's not Crosby. He's not Malkin. He's not Staal. And we don't want him to be. We've already got Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. What Pens should want is for Angelo Esposito to be Angelo Esposito....and let's wait and see what his "upside" ultimately becomes without ridiculously comparing him to the three out-of-this-world rookies we've been blessed to watch in the span of the past two years.
And if Esposito shocks me, the way Jordan Staal shocked most of us last season, well and good, fair and square, who's going to complain? Only the teams who passed on drafting him.
But, in the more likely scenario that when we watch Esposito, we see flaws or traits that caused him to drop in his draft year (almost a reverse of how Jordan Staal ascended in his draft class), let's just enjoy continuing to watch a Calder Trophy winner and 2 Calder Trophy nominees (one of whom, not incidentally, now has a Hart, Art Ross, and Pearson) without freaking out if our 20th overall pick isn't yet ready to be a Calder Trophy nominee at age 18, 19, or even 20. Let Angelo Esposito be Angelo Esposito, and let's see what happens.
Okay. I'll admit it. It was nice to go back to rooting for my Pens. And by this, of course, I mean, rooting for the precipitious falls of 2 talented teenage prospects, both of whom, for a variety of reasons, were ultimately drafted lower than where they were projected to be drafted.
Had I been live-blogging the draft, my in-the-moment thoughts would have been something like, "Drop, drop, drop, drop, drop," and "Please don't pick the players they keep showing on the TV." While I had a feeling the Rangers wouldn't let a talented Russian scare them off, I was still hoping that a natural wing, and a goal scorer, to boot, would be available for my Pens to snatch at 20. Alas, Cherepanov is now property of the New York Rangers, may have the chance to play on the same team as his idol, and Penguins' fans are spared another Evgeni-Malkinesque escape-from-Russia saga. (Not that I would have objected to the saga considering the talent of the player in question.)
To resume the thoughts of my live-blogging that wasn't, after the Rangers snagged Cherepanov, it was just countdown until number twenty. Since the TSN cameras would not leave Angelo Esposito alone, well, neither could I. At least not in my mind. My absolutely articulate thoughts of "Drop, drop, drop!" continued even as I watched other players get picked, even as I knew that Esposito was not a Brian Burke-type player. And then the announcers who asked, "Could he be lucky enough to have Pittsburgh take him?" And, of course, what I later read about how the team searched frantically for nameplate but didn't have one. But who really cared about a nameplate when your team gets a player at 20 that they had expected to go much higher? Really, I was too delighted to care. I had rooted for something to happen, for my team to "win," so to speak, the chance to draft Esposito, and they had. That was nice.
After my excitement at snagging a player whose talent had him ranked as the consensus #1 overall pick just a year ago, I began to wonder about Esposito. How had he fallen from a consensus first overall pick to being available for the Penguins to grab in the 20th spot? And more than just wondering about Esposito's "freefall," I wondered what it might be reasonable to expect of him. And thus began the googling, which led to a few conclusions, which are summarized by the title of this post.
Angelo Esposito is not Jordan Staal. Angelo Esposito is not Jordan Staal. Repeat. Nor is Angelo Esposito Evgeni Malkin. Angelo Esposito is certainly not Sidney Crosby, a player to whom he was once, ridiculously, ludicrously, outlandishly, and too early compared. No. Angelo Esposito is Angelo Esposito, and that means, well--what does that mean?
Before dealing with Esposito, let's deal with the people who heaped unrealistic and some would say absurd expectations upon the kid. He spent his rookie year in the Q playing with another player who starred in the Q. He was the Q's Rookie of the Year and won the Memorial Cup as a rookie. Not too shabby a debut. And at this point, the hoopla started. Ridiculous hoopla. Esposito this, Esposito that. He was a talented kid, a year (ONE year) removed from playing high school prep hockey, but suddenly he was supposed to be the second coming of Sidney Crosby (a once-in-a-GENERATION-talent). And not only that, he was supposed to be the best player on the defending Memorial Cup champions, a team that was supposed to stay great no matter the loss of talented players to the ranks of the NHL teams that drafted them. Worse than that, probably, this kid played on a team coached by Patrick Roy. While Roy is one of the best goalies in NHL history, to say that he is fiery and eccentric would be a vast understatement. Playing under Roy is going to be a challenge any day of the week, no matter his legitimately great NHL playing experience.
And then came this season. And the scouts poked holes wherever they could find holes. It wasn't like Esposito wasn't helping them out--he got cut from Canada's World Junior team. He didn't put up the stats he'd put up in his rookie season. He couldn't carry his team on his own. And his team got booted in the first round of the playoffs. And those "questions" surrounded him. Was he too soft? Could he carry a team on his own? Was he too selfish? Did he use his linemates well enough?
Before going into more detail about what might be reasonably expected of Esposito, let's talk about reasonable expectations for the team, media, and fans. Let's not make the same mistake everyone did a year ago when they began to heap ridiculous, absurd expectations upon Esposito. Let's make sure not to make that mistake. And let's consider what some of our unreasonable expectations might be.
Unreasonable Expectation/Comparison 1:Sidney Crosby played and starred in the NHL at age eighteen. So if Sidney could do it....
Counterpoint: No, no, and can I say a very emphatic NO just one more time? Sidney Crosby also broke Mario Lemieux's rookie points scoring record. Esposito is surely not going to do that.
Unreasonable Expectation/Comparison 2: While Esposito might not be ready now, he might be ready to do in two years something like what Malkin did this year.
Counterpoint: No, no, and no. Malkin spent time playing in the Russian Elite League against men. Sure, Malkin had (and still must continue) to adjust his game and learn the English language. But the Russian Elite League could very well be the second best hockey league in the entire world. Being trained while playing against men is very different than playing against boys in the QMJHL.
Unreasonable Expectation/Comparison 3: Nobody really expected Jordan Staal to do what he did last year. And while Staal wasn't Crosby, or even as offensively flashy as Malkin, he still stepped in as an eighteen-year-old and took a regular shift. Why couldn't we expect Esposito to "surprise" us and do something similar?
Counterpoint: Jordan Staal was already six foot four and two hundred twenty pounds. Despite his age, Staal's precocious physical development was definitely a factor that enabled him to transition easily to the NHL game. Likewise, Staal had been utilized the previous year by Peterborough Petes' coach Dick Todd primarily in a defensive role--in other words, part of the reason Staal had such a phenomenal rookie season was due to his on-ice defensive awareness.
Of all the unreasonable expectations that could be foisted upon on Esposito by the organization, the media, and the fans, it's perhaps the comparison to Staal that concerns me the most. The organization surely knows how exceptional Crosby is and how Malkin is still a world-class talent. The media and fans, when they're minding their manners and using common sense, likewise seem aware that Crosby is unique and Malkin is slightly less special than Crosby. The most dangerous viewpoint, for the organization, fans, and media, seems to be expecting that Esposito could be able to transition the way Staal did.
Two things about Esposito must be noted, neither of which, necessarily, are anything that time and development can't heal. Esposito is six foot one and a hundred and eighty pounds. In other words, weight-wise, he's small for the NHL at the moment. He needs to fill out and add muscle mass, hardly an incurable problem, but not one necessarily solved in a summer's time. Secondly, Jordan Staal played for the Peterborough Petes under legendary coach Dick Todd. Dick Todd knew how to coach and develop junior players. Patrick Roy has proved he is one of the finest NHL goalies in NHL history, but he has yet to prove anything in terms of DEVELOPING (not just coaching) junior players. Staal had the benefit of excellent and experienced junior coaching and precocious physical development, and both benefits were major factors as to why Staal was able to end the 2006-07 season as a Rookie-of-the-Year candidate. Let me repeat, once again, that Angelo Esposito is NOT Jordan Staal. Esposito had the chance to play under a NHL Hall-of-Famer, but not an expert and seasoned junior coach. And as far as physical development goes, Esposito's weight has yet to fill out to match his height, at least by NHL standards--and Jordan Staal was already among the biggest men in the league last season.
Perhaps because of the heavy expectations and labels that burdened Esposito for the past year, I am leery of expecting him to stick for the 2007-08 season. I am leery that the Pens' organization might erreneously believe that another talented 18-year-old with the potential to be a star one day could step right in and skate a regular shift at age 18. Though for the most part I trust Ray Shero (until he proves he should not deserve my trust), I'm more frightened still for the expectations that might be heaped upon Esposito by the media and the Pittsburgh fanbase. If the Pens' think they just found Sidney Crosby a winger, and Esposito sticks but scores 11 goals and 15 assists while playing on the third and fourth lines, well, how is he going to compare to the rookie sensations fans and the media have grown accustomed to over the past couple of seasons?
Now, of course, Shero is right when he says that coming to Pittsburgh might be the perfect place for Esposito. He can skate like the wind, play with lots of young, talented players, and never have to be "the guy" on his team. And, to some degree, if the team is successful, and Esposito shows development as a player, well, the fact that he's probably not going to be another Pittsburgh Calder Trophy nominee will just have to be something fans and the media get over.
So, to summarize a lengthy, rambling post: Esposito should not be expected to make the team next season. At this juncture, provided he's not ridiculously out of his league, I see no harm in a few-game NHL cup of coffee, at the start of the season, provided he will help the team win games (which must be a consideration with a team now expected to make the playoffs). I agree with fans who've stated that they'd like to see Esposito spend as much time as possible with Crosby, Roberts, et. al to adjust whatever real or imagined "issues" he may have. Frankly speaking, I'd rather have him spend as much time as possible with Coach Michel Therrien rather than Coach Patrick Roy (but that's another post for another time, perhaps to be expanded upon later in the long, summer months). But if Esposito comes to camp and isn't ready, well, don't freak out. He's eighteen, a kid, and eighteen-year-olds, save for ones not named Crosby, Jordan Staal, and Jaromir Jagr, tend to need a few more years before they're NHL-ready.
But the thing that had Ray Shero, other fans, and me, screaming in our heads such inarticulate nonsense as "Drop, drop, drop, to us, please!" is that Esposito, like Crosby, Malkin, and Staal before him, shares the trait that you look for when you draft. It's called "upside." Had the Pens been picking closer to the top of the draft, they would have had more than "one short" interview with Esposito. They might have learned what caused other teams to back off, or they might have learned about his upside. And, drafting at 20, you have to go with upside.
And that's the exciting thing. A part of me seriously hopes Esposito can stick in the NHL next year because it's always fun when scary young talent gets joined by still younger talent (and also because I'd rather have Esposito a part of the Pens' team than spend another year with his QMJHL team and coach, but again, another topic for another time). Another part of me hopes that if the kid, as is true of most-eighteen-year-olds, just isn't ready, that the organization does what's best for him. I hope the organization can wait a few years before, perhaps, he can play a supporting role on a team that, by then, should be a legitimate Cup contender.
But let's cut the kid a break, and ourselves a break, too. He's not Crosby. He's not Malkin. He's not Staal. And we don't want him to be. We've already got Crosby, Malkin, and Staal. What Pens should want is for Angelo Esposito to be Angelo Esposito....and let's wait and see what his "upside" ultimately becomes without ridiculously comparing him to the three out-of-this-world rookies we've been blessed to watch in the span of the past two years.
And if Esposito shocks me, the way Jordan Staal shocked most of us last season, well and good, fair and square, who's going to complain? Only the teams who passed on drafting him.
But, in the more likely scenario that when we watch Esposito, we see flaws or traits that caused him to drop in his draft year (almost a reverse of how Jordan Staal ascended in his draft class), let's just enjoy continuing to watch a Calder Trophy winner and 2 Calder Trophy nominees (one of whom, not incidentally, now has a Hart, Art Ross, and Pearson) without freaking out if our 20th overall pick isn't yet ready to be a Calder Trophy nominee at age 18, 19, or even 20. Let Angelo Esposito be Angelo Esposito, and let's see what happens.
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