Seriously Now

For all I could ho-hum the Penguins victories until the cows come home to roost (which will never happen, as cows do not roost, so that means into perpetuity), the fact of the matter is that the Penguins players have come to expect what I have come to expect.

Penguins players expect to win games. They even expect to win games when they spot teams multiple-goal leads or relinquish leads in games. Lately, despite the team’s propensity for giving their opponents a multiple-goal lead or allowing their opponent to climb back into a game, the Penguins have typically pulled at least 1 point, most often 2, even when "playing with fire."

Because, as everyone knows, the Penguins just can’t continue to do this. At some point, spotting teams multiple goal leads has to catch up with you. At some point, sitting on a lead has to catch up with you. You just can’t keep getting away with what the Penguins have somehow been able to continue to get away with doing in recent games. Honestly, you can’t.

Except, well, anecdotal and recent evidence points that the contrary statement is true. For the most part, the Penguins have gotten away with this nonsense of allowing their talent to sprout up or kick on or reboot or whatever you want to term it, at crucial moments in games. And for the most part, the Penguins have come away with at least a point in those games.

Coaches, of course, as well as experts and even the players, will tell you that teams can’t keep doing what the Penguins are doing. Yet the actions of the Penguins’ team itself demonstrates differently. To be clear: Sometimes, against inferior opponents, and perhaps even more often than just sometimes, you can do what the Penguins are doing and still win games. In the end, talent wins out, and when a superior team is playing an inferior team, sometimes talent matters matter more than spotting the other team a two-goal lead or relinquishing a lead.

The issue, of course, becomes clearer when the Penguins are the inferior team to that particular opposing team, or even when the Penguins are close to equal with a team. Then, unless Lady Luck is really on your side, you surely can’t get away with what the Penguins have made a habit of doing successfully. And, as the race for the playoffs get tighter, and assuming the Penguins can make the playoffs, what the Penguins have been getting away with doing, yes, will, catch up to them.

But let me be clear. The reason the Penguins are winning games while playing only a certain percentage of the sixty minutes going full-bore is because, in those games, the Penguins are the superior team. They should win games against inferior opponents.

Do I believe it’s to Pittsburgh’s benefit to continue their practice of letting other teams jump out to leads and/or relinquishing leads? Of course not—because, when the Penguins face off against teams like Buffalo and New Jersey and even against still more desperate teams such as Carolina, the New York teams, etc, in coming weeks—the Penguins are going to have the intensity of their opposition. They can’t be outworked when the other team is playing with desperation or when a team—for the moment—is a superior team to them.

So, much as I knew the Penguins weren’t out of yesterday’s game even after appearing comatose (I believe that was how Dave Molinari’s PG recap put it today) for the first forty minutes of play, there will come a time when the Penguins aren’t going to be able to manufacture those three goals in a span of a little over twenty minutes. Try that against Buffalo, try that against Jersey—it will not happen. May as well work to overcome those bad habits—and yes, of course, be glad you sneaked away with two points. But acknowledge, honestly, that you sneaked away with two points that you shouldn’t have had to sneak away with—they should have been guaranteed if you’d worked to your fullest capacity for the entire sixty minutes of the hockey game.

Ho-Hum

The Penguins spot yet another (and in this case, inferior) opponent a multiple goal lead. Ho-hum.

Pittsburgh’s power play appears comatose for two straight periods. Malkin, Gonchar, Whitney, Crosby, Recchi, Roberts, and whoever else they’re putting on the ice, even for a 5-on-3, just don’t seem that interested in capitalizing on the man advantage. Ho-hum.

While the Penguins fail to capitalize on several opportunities with the man advantage, their opponents don’t make much use of their man-advantage time, either. The Penguins kill a few penalties, and Marc-Andre Fleury ensures the deficit remains at merely two goals entering the final period of play.

Malkin shoots the puck (gasp) and scores. Ho-hum. 2-1.

Another power play. Time for a contribution from another star. Welcome back to goal scoring, Sidney Crosby. 2-2. Ho-hum.

Overtime. For whatever reason, Crosby and Malkin are both in need of skate repairs. No matter. We’ve had our contributions from the stars for this game. It’s someone else’s turn to shine. How about a goal from one of our "role" players? Colby Armstrong scores in overtime.Ho-hum.

3-2 Penguins win. Ho-hum.

Another come-from-behind victory. Ho-hum.

The power play scored twice in the final period, finishing 2 for 11 for 19%. Ho-hum.

The Penguins got another 2 points in the standings, despite playing, as the Post-Gazette’s recap noted, less than 60 full minutes.

Ho-hum, ho-hum, ho-hum.›

"Penguins Hockey"

For the rest of the regular season, well, I don’t know what will happen. All I know is that I expect and anticipate being thoroughly entertained by this Penguins team.

Of course I hope that winning will occur, and winning is always fun. (Ask New Jersey. Even though the Devils bore me to tears, the players have got to enjoy winning.)

But I know this much, and this much is why I am eagerly looking forward to the remainder of the season: These Penguins know how to play "Penguins hockey," as Colby Armstrong termed it in one of this morning’s newspaper articles, and Penguins hockey, at present, is skating and scoring and winning.

I want the winning to continue along with the skating and scoring—but I know this much, Penguins hockey is most definitely entertaining, pleasurable, and when important victories come—sheer bliss for this ardent fan.

Jordan Staal

I mentioned the team’s new second line that has been working wonders lately, but I also feel the need to mention that man, I feel like I share Bob Errey and Paul Steigerwald’s obvious affection for the 18-year-old rookie.

The kid is defensively reliable, kills penalties, cleans up his own end, and now, even more wonderfully, is allowed to play on the second line and deposit the puck in the goal on a regular basis. Even better, he’s only 18 years old, he sometimes blushes when he talks, he’s humble about what he does, and he consistently makes smart plays. Who knows what happens after this season (sophomore slump, please, flee far away), but at this early juncture of his career, I’m hearing fellow fans throw out phrases like future Lady Byng, future Selke Trophy candidate, future 40 goal scorer. And, too, I’m hearing the so-called experts call Staal another franchise player.

All I know is there is no way the Pens are in their current position in the standings without many of their players performing as they have this season—and Staal is one of those players who are a crucial component of this team.

Yeah, I’m really, really glad Ray Shero has kept him in the NHL all season. Juniors? The world juniors? No, seriously—how about the Stanley Cup playoffs?

Seriously. I love Staal. Just had to say that. It’s been awhile since I’ve felt this endearment towards one particular player, but my daydream musings about what arc Staal’s career might take are also pleasant—as is, of course, reading the message boards that mention how obscenely pleasurable it is that one can compare and contrast Staal’s goal totals with those of his older brother and one Jaromir Jagr.

Yeah, it’s been a nice rookie season for the second best rookie on the team. Very nice indeed.

The Hype
To Be Believed?
To Be Embraced?
To Be Avoided?

In the midst of the Pens’ current hot streak, praise has been heaped on the team from various corners—from journalists and opposing players and coaches. And as much as fun as the hype is to read, sometimes I wonder, well—isn’t this, well, just, hype? And even if some of the hype is legitimate, should the team—or its’ fans—embrace the hype?

Here’s a sampling of some hype:

∑ Toronto coach Paul Maurice didn’t just say the Penguins were the hottest team in the NHL. Paul Maurice said the team was currently the best team in the NHL and that he was happy his team got a point against a team that was currently the best in the league. Umm, wait a second. When did the Eastern Conference’s youngest team morph into the best team in the entire NHL?

∑ I just listened to NHL on NBC broadcasters, former players all, say that the Penguins are the "best watch" in the NHL. Journalists say the team is easily the most entertaining team in the NHL even if they are, as one NBC broadcaster just commented, a "bit of a high wire act" from time to time.

∑ Who can ignore the newspaper articles that compare the young Penguins squad to the Edmonton Oilers’ dynasty for the 1980’s? Sure, those Oilers won multiple Stanley Cups and have multiple players in the Hockey Hall of Fame, but you know what, these young Penguins—they could be the new Oilers. Really.

∑ The comparisons of young players to legends, or minimally, to Hockey Hall of Fame talent. Wondering if Crosby will break Gretzky’s records. Marveling at how Malkin plays like Jagr. And even my eager eyes on Jordan Staal, wondering if he will one day, perhaps, be his generation’s version of the great two-way center Ron Francis was.

When it comes to the hype, the thing that hits—hard—especially in the middle of
the team’s current unbeaten streak, is that some of the hype is legitimate. I can’t help but marvel at Crosby, Malkin, and Staal, and wonder what they will have achieved by the time they retire. I can’t help but see the enormous potential and possibility on the team’s current roster. The standings tell me that the 2006-07 Penguins are far from the league’s best overall team, and yet the team is so, so close to getting to that point.

In the midst of all the hype that I love to read and offers tantalizing hope for the future, a part of me wonders if the players, coaches, and especially fans should take the hype with a large grain of salt. Meaning, yes, the comparisons are great. The comparisons are probably even legitimate in many cases.

But at this point—for fans, how about forgetting the hype and just rooting for the team currently on the ice? For the team, which doesn’t yet seem to be a problem, how about having the confidence that comes from believing you can win but no cocky arrogance that your talent means you don’t have to put forth effort to earn victories?

The hype is fun, don’t get me wrong. But the hype doesn’t matter, all the quotes about the team being the hottest, best, and brightest in the league—doesn’t matter until the team shows it matters. First by earning a playoff berth, and then by doing something with that playoff berth.

And until then, for fans like myself—well, read the hype, enjoy the hype—but don’t believe the hype until the team shows you, on the ice, in victories that lead to the playoffs and in actual wins come the postseason—that all the hype was absolutely accurate.
1

If Reality Crashes, How Will Reality Crash?

Looking at everything that is good, well, it seems obvious that if one of these things turns sour, then the team might, potentially, have trouble.

So in my imagination—balancing out the ridiculously positive sunny side daydreaming of Stanley Cups and taking aim at the NHL record books—I have also pondered what might prevent the Pens from fulfilling their potential—either to get to the postseason or to win come playoff time.

Injuries to Key Players: Like it or not, injuries are a part of any sport. This year, the Penguins have been fortunate in terms of key injuries. The three main cogs—Fleury, Crosby, and Malkin—have not been lost for significant amounts of time. If and when injuries to key players occur, the Penguins, as presently constructed, do not yet appear to have the depth to compensate for what might happen if Malkin or Crosby or Fleury are lost for any significant amount of time.

(Please remember that the Pens played two series in 1991 without Paul Coffey and had to rely on other players stepping in for an injured Mario Lemieux to defeat the Rangers in 1992.)


The X-Factor of Youth and Inexperience: Most of the Pens’ players have played on winning teams throughout youth and junior hockey. But the NHL playoffs are a different story, and with every game currently a jostle for positioning just to earn a place in the postseason, points are precious. No one yet knows how Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, and the rest of the kids on the roster will respond to increased pressure—meaning tighter checking, more prepared game plans, etc. Do the kids actually need time to learn how to win before they win? Or can they learn how to win as they win games?

The Opposition and Videotape: Let’s be real. NHL teams can study videotape. They can look at things that work. Granted, against healthy superstars, there is not always a whole lot that does work (legally) to stop such superstars. And yet, still, an eighteen-year-old rookie in Staal (granted, a special rookie) was able to break up a pass between two 600 NHL goal scorers because he’d watched videotape of the New York Rangers power play. When it comes to videotape, what happens when opponents aim for rebounds at Marc Andre Fleury in a specific way? What happens when opponents start to exploit the fact that Staal, for as strong as he is, is not yet as strong as he one day will be? What happens when other coaches find a way to use their roster to stop, or if not to stop completely, to make sure the Penguins don’t score as prolifically as they are accustomed to doing? Will the Pens’ coaches be able to respond, and will the players learn to make adjustments on their own? Will the players know how to adjust to changed tactics—and if they don’t know how to react, will they learn how to react?

Cold Streaks and Bounces: One reason the team has been hot lately is because, well, much of the team has been hot. Specifically, at least one star a game has put on a show that befits a star. What happens when a cold streak hits two or more players at the same time? What happens when Jordan Staal’s shooting percentage dips beneath the obscenely high 28% at which it currently stands? What happens when players hit posts instead of the net, or when Fleury might lose his game for a period or bounces go against the Penguins? What happens when the bounces don’t go their way, and players who were on the "hot" fantasy lists suddenly appear on the "cold" fantasy lists?

These are just some things I’ve considered when it comes to reasons why the Penguins could (I surely hope not) fail to qualify for the postseason or be "one and done" come playoff time. Being realistic, is the team currently equipped to deal with long-term injuries to a star player? Even if the team remains fortunate injury-wise, what about the other things that happen as part of the course of a season?

None of this is to say that I believe the Pens will fail to qualify for the postseason or fail to make noise in the postseason come playoff time. It is to say that in addition to fantasies about the team winning the Cup and/or breaking NHL records before anyone thought possible, that perhaps fans like me should temper those daydreams, which may no longer be delusional, with a dose of harsh reality.
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What’s Working

In the mist of the Penguins hot streak, it seems important to note everything that has been working. In fact, noting everything that has been working throughout the hot streak will also help me to catch up with those mid-year, All-Star game summaries that I never bothered to do earlier this season.

The Power Play—When your power play climbs to the top 5 in the league while clicking at a rate of 30%+, something important is working. With the offensive talent the Penguins can ice, it seemed a matter of time until the power play clicked as it should. Jordan Staal’s presence in front of the net during 5 on 3’s is something that is working.

Sidney Crosby—Although Crosby has cooled off in his most recent games, he was on fire at the beginning of the streak. Crosby looked as though he were going to run away with the NHL scoring title (and he still very well might). He was the best player on the ice, the best player on his team, the best player in the league, and the best player in the world. And when the best player in the world is on your side, good things tend to happen.

The Second Line—Say what you will of Michel Ouellet (I have often bemoaned his skating stride, for one), but the second line has been clicking lately. Malkin is free to play his natural position as center, and Staal’s shooting percentage is obscene. With Malkin passing pucks and Staal and Ouellet’s ability to finish plays, well, good things tend to happen when two lines can score.

The Energy Lines—The third and fourth lines have the ability to cycle and control the play with an aggressive forecheck. Therrien is not afraid to put these lines on the ice and regularly rolls four lines. These are the players who come to the defense of teammates, provide checks and body checks or a timely goal at just the right moment, and they make the Penguins a complete team.

Mark Eaton—Eaton’s return to the lineup, his play alongside Sergei Gonchar, let’s just say that it is nice to have a steady, solid defenseman who can log the same minutes as Gonchar and is consistent and steady.

Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney—Say what you will for both of these players, because they’re easy to criticize when things go bad, as things tend to go bad when it comes to great risk, great reward offensive defensemen like these two. I said at the beginning of the season that Gonchar’s primary job this season was Malkin and anything on the ice I would take as an added bonus. Well, Gonchar’s play on the power play, his chemistry on the ice with Malkin, and of course, Malkin’s terrific overall play, mean that I don’t have many complaints about Gonchar this season. And as for Whitney, well, sure he might still make a pinch that goes bad every once in awhile. On the whole, though, when I see Whitney, I see a young defenseman who is already an elite offensive talent and who is morphing into a defenseman who knows more about playing defense than he once did. Gonchar and Whitney’s offensive contributions to the Pens’ recent run cannot be overlooked.

Goaltending, goaltending, goaltending—Marc-Andre Fleury has been hot lately. He has kept the team in games until the offense kicks in, and at moments when a defensive play or a save went awry, his teammates have helped to even the score. Fleury is now able to keep his team in games and give his team a chance to win every game, and during the hot streak, he’s provided the crucial save at the critical moment. And for a team with explosive offensive talent like that of the Pens, they need a goaltender who can play the way Fleury has during the hot streak.

Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry—There are specific players I haven’t mentioned by name. They have names like Ruutu, Talbot, Armstrong, and yes, even names like Scuderi and Orpik. They are players who have played their roles to perfection. In the case of the defense that I bemoaned last year for being AHL-caliber, they have not strayed beyond the limit of their abilities. In the team’s chemistry, in third and fourth liners who can chip in a goal as necessary, in defensemen who can play decent defense without committing game-altering errors, in everyone on the team striving to improve, the Penguins have a really, really good thing going. They have young players and an old man (Mark Recchi in hockey terms), all of whom genuinely believe their team has a legitimate shot. And chemistry—the way the team may squander a lead and still come back, the way the team never quits or gives up and comes to the defense of each other—is invaluable come playoff time. And of course, good chemistry fuels winning, and winning fuels good chemistry. It’s a win-win.

Mark Recchi—Say what you will for the team’s oldest player, who actually does things the other players don’t like take off optional game day skates, but his experience has to help at this time of year. So, too, does the fact that he’s contributing on the scoresheet and knows where to be when Sidney Crosby is passing the puck.

The development of the young players—Frankly, it has been pure, plain, pleasure to watch Jordan Staal morph into a second-line offensive threat in addition to his steady defensive presence and penalty killing. Watching Evgeni Malkin strong arm defenders a la Jaromir Jagr is likewise enjoyable. Even watching the Penguins’ youngsters, those who ply their trade on the third and fourth lines, is fun because I am watching kids, for the most part, become legitimate NHL players. No longer is the most of the Penguins roster, save for elite stars, composed of borderline NHL/AHL players. It is fun to watch the development of kids who will not be superstars but may yet carve out 10 year careers as reliable, blue collar NHL players.

Winning, winning, winning. In case I haven’t mentioned this yet, winning is really, really fun. I like reading about wins in the newspaper. I love the feeling I get when the Pens win. I can only imagine that the players, by breed and training, fierce competitors, likewise embrace winning as much as I do.
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When Does Reality Hit?
And How Hard?

So I haven’t blogged in months, and the title of my first post (in a long time) hints that this wonderful unbeaten streak is soon going to come to an end, or at least—at some point—will end.

But first things first. As much as any other fan, I have thoroughly enjoyed this unbeaten streak. I have been excited to see the Penguins catapult from just outside the playoff picture to being ensconced (if only for today) into a share of fourth place in the Eastern Conference playoff race. And in the midst of this unbeaten streak, my mind has wandered to places I never thought it would even dare to daydream of this season.

A sampling:

∑ If any team has to break the 1992-93 Pittsburgh Penguins record 17-game winning streak, I want that team to be another Pittsburgh Penguins team. And while a shootout or overtime loss quickly brought me back to earth on the day I was envisioning these Penguins running off 17 straight victories, I couldn’t help thinking, seriously, that the 2006-07 Penguins are not very far away from being able to put together a near-record winning streak.

∑ That’s the other thing. In the midst of this wonderful, wonderful streak of earning at least a point in every game, I am beginning to dream of the team not merely making the playoffs, but making noise in the playoffs. When the Penguins have been "on," they have beaten some of the best teams in the league (Nashville and Buffalo come to mind), and they have "beaten down" (Toronto defenseman McCabe’s words, not mine) those opponents who have fewer points than do they. I’m not yet at the point where Kevin Stevens was back in the early nineties, when he stated that he couldn’t believe there were any teams that could beat his Penguins in a seven game series. There are still too many variables on this Penguins team for me to make a statement similar to that of Stevens, and yet, well, sometimes, in my brain or my heart or somewhere, I’m wondering. If the team plays as it recently has, really—in a seven game series, which teams are best equipped to beat the Penguins? How many of those teams exist? In any case, the point is, I have begun to dream of Cinderella runs to the Stanley Cup finals, or something thereof—and really, at the start of the season, I never expected such daydreams to be even remotely realistic.

All right, just so you know, I have daydreamed—and I considered these to be daydreams to be at least somewhat rooted in the reality that comes when a team reels off a double-digit unbeaten streak—of breaking the NHL record for consecutive wins in a season and of winning the Stanley Cup not in future seasons but this season. As much as any other fan, I’m what I term "high on hope," intoxicated by the potential and possibility these Penguins have shown in this unbeaten streak.

And yet, still I wonder. The race for the Eastern Conference playoffs is tight. And for as much as the Penguins have grown to have longer winning streaks, the team has been streaky all season in terms of wins and losses. A few losses in a row, at an inconvenient time, and suddenly you’re no longer the NHL’s hottest team and no longer assumed to have a playoff berth.

That’s the thing. Reality will hit. Even the Penguins, who believe they can win every game, know that they will probably not win every game for the rest of the way. I read that Ryan Whitney viewing 18-10 as, perhaps, a decent goal for the remaining 28 games of the season.
How the Penguins lose—and believe me, as much as anyone else, I really don’t want them to lose—and how they respond to that loss will determine what becomes of the remainder of their season—regular season, and hopefully, the playoffs and even more hopefully, more than just a handful and "taste" of playoff games.

The Bottom Line

I mention the struggles of two of hockey’s best veteran players to make the point that our talented young kids are going to struggle, too. The bottom line when it comes to us, though, is that when all of our kids produce, we win games, and when all of our kids don’t produce, we lose.*

A tough burden for the kids to bear? Sure. But definitely a lesson they need to learn when the time comes to be in the top 5 of the league standings and a perennial contender for the Cup. Some nights, Crosby might have to pick up for Malkin; some nights, Malkin might have to pick up for Crosby. (I don't refer to effort, which should be assumed, but to escaping the checking or defensive pair of an opponent.) But to go anywhere, really, Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Whitney, Fleury, players like Armstrong and Moore, they all have to produce.

*(Caveat: Of course sometimes our kids will produce wonders and still another team might produce more depth, or even better stars, to beat our kids—but those are going to be the league’s elite teams, the ones that are considered Cup contenders. As for the rest of the league, perhaps 20 other teams, when every single one of our kids produces, this team wins far more frequently than it loses.)
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Scanning Around the League

It continues to amaze and astound me how evenly the Penguins and Rangers are matched. Their scorers against our scorers; their depth against our depth. Generally speaking, too, the teams both like to, um, how shall I put this kindly, play the style of hockey that I so enjoy (time spent in the offensive zone). In any case, the Pens and Rangers are fairly evenly matched, and our kids have to learn how to win games against a team that boasts experienced future Hall of Fame players Brendan Shanahan and Jaromir Jagr. When the Pens are evenly matched with a team, they have to win those games if they want to make the playoffs.

Jaromir Jagr is not good in shootouts, or hasn’t been good (something like 2 for 12). At last glance, he was still leading the league in scoring. Sometimes things don’t make logical sense.

Chris Pronger was minus 2 in a game against Tampa Bay. Talk about a crazy unusual night—crazier things have happened, but really? Chris Pronger, a minus 2? (Again, no direct comparison should be inferred, but Ryan Whitney "haters," "bashers," etc, please note--no one would have raised their eyebrows at a minus 2 game from Pronger his first three seasons in the NHL.)

Shoot-Outs
A confession. During the regular season, I like four-on-four overtime. I’m not a huge fan of the shootout, but I’ll deal with it (if it’s good enough for the Olympics, I’ll cope in the NHL regular season). As a fan who grew up watching an offensive juggernaut, I like to watch teams play to win (instead of not to lose), and when teams go all out for the win in overtime, well, I appreciate that aspect of the game.

However, looking at the Pens’ record right now, I might venture to say that it might be shootout losses that cause the team to miss the playoffs this year (granted, there would be a myriad of other reasons why the team might miss the playoffs as well). Seriously, how many more points would the Pens have if they had won those games (particularly against division rivals) that ended in a shootout?

My brother said last year that he didn’t understand how the Pens were so bad in shootouts—Fleury was a goaltender who could stop the puck, and well, we had players who should be able to put the puck in the net.

Anyhow, I’m not sure that I know of any quick fix. Shootouts may continue to be a problem for the Pens, a problem that doesn’t appear to make logical sense. (The nerves of young players might make some sense, but not enough to me.) What really needs to happen is that the Pens don’t get to the point where they have to go to shootouts; they learn how to win games in regulation and overtime so they don’t have to bemoan those missed points from shootout losses.

But, of course, for the team to get that point, well, what’s that saying I’m going to have to keep repeating?

Oh, yes. Patience is a virtue.


5

Staal

Shero decided not to let Staal play in the World Juniors. I haven’t seen the kid play enough to make real judgments. I think the things I worry and wonder about are possibly the same things that might give Shero nightmares.

If Staal is twenty years old, and it’s two years later and he’s had more development time, is he shining the way Malkin is now (although he is a very different player than is Malkin)?

What is best for the kid’s development to be a phenomenal two-way NHL center, in the mode, perhaps, dare I dream, of a Ron Francis?

In any case, Shero is the Pens’ GM. From not letting Staal play in the World Junior, I’m concluding he’s made the decision that 1). The NHL will help Staal to develop far more than the World Juniors ever could. 2). Staal is too important a piece to the Pens to lose in the middle of the season.

If Shero and Therrien, along with others, have correctly decided that the NHL is where Staal’s development can best occur, bravo.

As a fan, believe me, I understand the secondary consideration. Yet, as much it sucks, that consideration has to remain secondary. The Pens aren’t winning the Cup this year. How is Jordan Staal best going to be prepared to help them win the Cup when the Pens’ time does come? That’s the question that has to be answered, and it has to continue to be answered throughout the year.

Malkin

While I referenced Malkin previously, I did have to agree with Therrien’s assessment that Malkin’s thing had been to let Sid do his thing lately. I don’t really think Malkin intended any harm by what he was doing—after all, Crosby is already the undisputed leader and heart of this Pens’ team.

However, Therrien was right when he challenged Malkin (I don’t want to use the term "call out") to do the same thing Crosby does. Because, frankly, though Crosby and Malkin are different players, they’re both obscenely talented. Both kids who can’t yet legally drink (in the US, anyhow), are already capable of dominating NHL games.

For the first years of his career, as he was still adapting to the NHL, Jaromir Jagr wasn’t yet a superstar as was Mario Lemieux. The Pens were Mario’s team, and Jagr was a supporting cast member. When Mario returned for the 1995-96 season, the Pens’ team suddenly had the two best players in the world on it—two superstars, two players capable of dictating the tempo of the games, of dominating the opponent, of just willing their team to victory.

Crosby’s already shown the capability to take over games as did Mario and Jags, and so, too (when Crosby was out injured) has Malkin. I still believe that we’re going to witness more growing pains with Malkin—the kid has to adjust to the North American game and ice surface, learn to keep his head up, and of course, learn to speak English—but like Jagr was as a youngster who couldn’t speak or understand English, Malkin GETS hockey.

Malkin can dominate games, and Therrien is right. Malkin needs to dominate games. Malkin and Crosby need to be "on" at the same time.

One of my favorite memories as a child was the night Mario and Jagr made a bet as to who would reach fifty goals first. By that point, Jagr could speak English, and there was good-natured competition as to who would win the scoring title that Lemieux ultimately won.

Right now, Malkin’s still the kid who doesn’t speak English and who doesn’t yet have the ability to crack jokes with the media (a trick Jagr’s long since developed). Malkin, probably partially due to his lack of familiarity with the language and culture, isn’t yet ready for a leadership role off the ice.

But on the ice, well, Malkin’s talent has to be on, and it has to be on at the same level as Crosby’s. Because when it is, wow; I’ll be able to add adult memories to my childhood memories of watching two of the best players in the world play for my team and both show themselves to be the best in the sport.

More on the Right Approach

Glancing at the way the Pens have handled a couple of young players this year, well, at least on the surface it seems like there is better communication than used to exist in recent years.

Example A: Jordan Staal was made a healthy scratch and the coach explained to the press why—and told the kid why, too. You’d think a one-on-one meeting with a young player where honest communication occurs should be par for the course, but I don’t think it always has been in recent years. Open communication bodes well for the development of the kids.

Example B: Despite the fact that English is neither Therrien nor Malkin’s first language, the coach and a player had their first meeting. If Malkin’s performance in last night’s game against the Thrashers is examined, well, it appeared the message got through, despite any language problems. According to reports, Therrien told Malkin that he could be a dominant player every game and he wanted him to be that player every game. Malkin played like a dominant player last night.

Such open communication with the kids has to help. Telling the kids what’s expected of them has to help. Also, telling the kids these things in such a way that isn’t demeaning but that points to the fact that what is happening is for their benefit, to help to accelerate their development and to help their team win games—that has to help, too.

Further examples of this apparently open communication abound. The Pens told Noah Welch why they were returning him to the minor leagues and told him exactly what they wanted him to do in the minor leagues. And while the last example involves a veteran nearly old enough to have fathered some of the kids, open communication still exists.

When it’s come to handling veteran forward John Leclair, Ray Shero opened lines of communication with Leclair to ask what he wanted. By the general manager, anyhow, Leclair’s situation, at least to this point, has been handled with professionalism, class, and tact.

In the past, people worried about Therrien’s approach with players (rough on them, etc, not necessarily communicating with them). While the Pens’ sending Fleury to and from the minors probably had far more to do with money and salary than with what was best for the team or the kid, communication lines haven’t seemed this open in awhile.

And one thing about young players, and really any organization—communication needs to be open, at least within the organization itself. And young players, especially, who are just learning how to navigate the highest level of professional hockey, need to know clearly exactly what is expected of them.

Clear and open communication can only help development. As a fan, I appreciate Therrien’s candor when it comes to sharing a little of what he’s told the players. But even if Therrien didn’t necessarily share all of that with the media, I’m still glad he and Shero are having these one-on-one meetings with the players. I’m glad the kids know what’s expected and what they’re being asked to do. Seriously—until the kids know that—they can’t really do it purposefully, can they?

Keep the lines of communication open, even when things get rough, perhaps rougher than they have been—and seriously, I really do believe good things will happen.
In most cases, open, honest, and frank communication that’s intended to make a player better benefits and accelerates the development of young players.

(Aside: I realize some players respond to screaming tirades like those of "Iron" Mike Keenan. However, I will still state firmly that even for those players who respond best to screaming tirades, the coach still has to be clear about exactly what he expects from a player in the midst of that screaming tirade in order for the verbal beat down to make any real, tangible difference in the play of a particular player.)

(Another aside: I am of the same generation as most of the Pens’ young players. Most of the players and I share generational values. Honestly speaking, being screamed at and yelled at—the old-school way of doing things—might work with a few of us, but the majority of my generation just doesn’t respond. The world in which we were raised—and I’m not just talking about the U.S. but the globe—wasn’t one in which we learned to respond to those kind of methods. We were raised in a different era, and in dealing with today’s young players, you have to acknowledge that young players today often rightfully anticipate open, honest, and direct lines of communication.)

Remembering That Patience is a Virtue
And
The Right Approach

Prior to the start of the 2006-07 season, I stated that patience would be a necessary virtue for Penguins fans. While the Pens started the year quite well (well above .500) and raised expectations, reality has hit home lately. As reality has sunk in, as the team has experienced stretches of losing far more frequently than winning, I find myself repeating the refrain that patience is a virtue.

The past week and a half was not really been a great time for me as a Pens fan. The kids I love to watch are experiencing growing pains. Eighteen-year-old Jordan Staal was a healthy scratch for the first time this season, and twenty-year-old rookie sensation Malkin wasn’t exactly performing up to his usual level. Additionally, the Pens returned young, promising defenseman Noah Welch to the minors, and well, there have been games where Marc-Andre Fleury hasn’t been perfect. Even though it’s already been made very clear that I like and appreciate Ryan Whitney as a player, he, too, has experienced the growing pains that come with every young defenseman.

In any case, as the kids have experienced some trials, the Pens have lost games. Frankly speaking, I far prefer to see my team win than lose. I want to see the kids do their thing—be really, really good and win games.

Except, as you knew it would, here comes the caveat. Honestly speaking, coach Therrien and GM Shero are taking the right approach with their young, talented team. Shero will not be trading away young talent (who haven’t yet shown what they’re worth) for immediate help. Therrien’s lines about coaching this young, talented team are hysterical. When it comes to taking too many penalties, Therrien’s referred to his youngsters as "like telling a baby not to touch a hot stove, but you know, sometimes they have to learn by touching the stove." In today’s Post-Gazette, Therrien is quoted as saying that a team doesn’t go from 29th in the standings to the top 5 the next season. Therrien is also quoted as saying that you have to learn how to walk before you can run—there’s a process, and even if you want to skip learning how to walk, well, guess what, you really can’t skip learning how to walk before you learn to run.

Here’s the thing that sucks for Penguins fans and yes, also, for the players who I’m sure want to win every game they play. Therrien’s right. He has a young, talented team that (from his quotes) I can infer that he loves to coach a great deal and that will also, occasionally, drive him batty or at least add more gray hairs to his head. And while Therrien loves his team, he also knows that his core players are still kids learning what it takes to win in the NHL. And sometimes, well, that means his young team, as it has done recently, is going to lose close games, not going to know how to hold onto leads against more experienced opponents, etc. And the thing is, experience is really the best teacher. Therrien can talk until the cows come home to roost (a favorite, absurd phrase of mine that deliberately makes no logical sense)—forever—but it’s not going to make a difference until the young Penguins see. Oh, that’s what I have to do on the PK. Oh, that’s how we have to play to maintain our 2-goal lead. Oh, I have to make that save, or that clear, or take that shot there. And really, the only way the kids are going to learn is by playing.

And for fans, and for the coach and GM who are still in the midst of evaluating talent to see what they have and what they might eventually trade away for what they need, it’s what we as Pens fans have to accept. We have to accept that trading away for immediate help isn’t going to happen if we’re trading away an unknown commodity (e.g. a young player) who could someday be a key component of a perennial contender. Likewise, we have to accept—seriously—that all our young players are not yet who they are going to be. Even our young stars aren’t who they’re going to be (and for those who’d forget, Jaromir Jagr, year 1, Jaromir Jagr, 6 years later, not the same player; ditto for Chris Pronger and so many other current elite NHL players).

So what’s it mean for Pens fans and for Pens players and for the organization? For the organization, it means to keep doing what they’re doing. Because the organization’s approach, despite the fact that I’d love for the kids to make the playoffs this year, is the right one, even if the team does miss the playoffs this year. The organization needs to find out who players are, how players gel together, etc.

As for the players, well, they just have to play. Some of them might still need more (hopefully temporary) minor league seasoning. Others, like Malkin, like Whitney, like Fleury, guess what? They have to learn what it takes to be elite NHL players, and they only way they’re going to learn how to play at a consistently (consistent: every game) elite level in the NHL is to play in the NHL and learn what it takes. The kids have to put in the effort and learn from their mistakes, and the coaching staff has to work with the kids to accelerate their development.

And what about me, the Pens fan who grew up watching a perennial contender as a child throughout most of the nineties? As the Pens fan who yearns for her team again to be a perennial contender and sees so much hope and promise for the future in her team’s current roster? What about fans like me, who really, really want to see playoff games this year?

Much as it sucks, patience is a virtue. And the reason patience is a virtue is because patience later bears fruit, sometimes and often abundant fruit that never would have resulted without patient endurance.

So I’m going to cheer for the kids to win—and also cheer for them to learn from their mistakes. I’m going to be patient and know that the lessons learned this year—even if it means, in Therrien’s words, that the kids have to learn by touching that hot stove—will bear fruit in future seasons.

M

The Simple Play and the Kids Showing Off

Frequently speaking, the Pens’ young players do not make the simple play. Perhaps this syndrome is nowhere more evident than on the Pens’ power play. The Pens seem to try to set up the perfect play on the power play, and on the night I visited the arena, several fans frequently screamed, "Shoot!"

Usually I ignore the fans who scream "Shoot!" the puck. I remember Pens’ teams, eons ago (a decade ago and a decade and a half ago) who screamed "Shoot!" at one of the best producing power plays in the NHL. I really did believe that future HHOF players knew better than fans when to shoot the puck, and I still firmly believe that players know far better than fans when it’s appropriate to shoot the puck.

That being said, the Pens’ youngsters do have a problem, and it’s not what my mother termed their problem. Mom basically said, "They’re a bunch of kids showing off." If you’ve watched Crosby and Malkin try and fail to split the D this year, or if you’ve seen a Ryan Whitney pinch gone bad (c’mon, Whitney bashers!), you might be tempted to agree with my mother. You and Mom would also be wrong.

Granted, Crosby and Malkin have all-world skills. They’re trying to figure out how their all-world skills will manifest themselves at the NHL level. And sometimes it looks like they’re kids showing off—although Malkin’s goal against New Jersey gave Mario Lemieux pause when he saw it on TV, so it’s not like the coaching staff needs to start reigning in the kids’ all-world talents.

Still, the Pens’ coaching staff does need to make sure their youngsters—even the most gifted ones—learn how to make the simple play. There are times, for example, when splitting the D is not going to work, and there are times when that risky pinch-in is just a free 4 on 2 give away to the other team. And there are times on the power play, when, for example, the defenseman needs to shoot the puck at the open lane and Crosby or Malkin will need to score a goal that won’t be aesthetically pleasing.

Right now, I’d venture to say that one of the Pens’ biggest issues—when it comes to their power play—is learning when to take the risk to set up the play that only the best players can make and when to avoid the risk and go for the simple play that can also produce surefire rewards. Frankly, I don’t believe putting a lasso on Crosby and Malkin and telling them not to pass to set up a surefire scoring chance is a good idea. Crosby and Malkin might be kids, but they’re already elite players. Oftentimes their passes are going to result in an awesome scoring chance that very few other players could produce. Yet even as I say that the coaching staff has to be careful not to lasso Crosby and Malkin, every youngster on the Pens still needs to learn about simple plays.

What do I mean when I talk about simple plays? Watch a tape of Jaromir Jagr his first season in the NHL. Seriously, look at the goals he scored. They’re great goals. Also notice how often Jagr makes things more difficult for himself—he’ll try to beat the same player three times. Sometimes he was so good that young that he was successful anyway; other times he didn’t succeed.

Watch a tape of Jagr now; watch a tape of Jagr in the years when he was winning scoring championships. You’ll still see a player who can produce some of those gorgeous, aesthetically pleasing highlight reel goals. You’ll also see a player who learned to make the simple play. Who learned when to take a simple shot, who learned how to dish the puck off to a teammate and get it back—you’ll see a player who dominates not just because he can do things no one else can do but because he learned how to apply his talents to making the plays that helped him to pile up more goals and assists than anyone else in the NHL for the past sixteen years.

Interestingly enough, Rangers’ fans still scream at players like Jagr and Straka to shoot the puck and get frustrated when they don’t. And still, Jagr and Straka know far better than do Rangers’ partisans as to when the puck should be shot. And when Jagr and other players on the New York power play use their skills to do two things—things only the best players can do, and the simple play executed by all-world players—the Rangers power play works. (An aside: The Rangers power play was scary at a moment when Shanahan and Jagr were controlling play from the points. While that might be scary if anyone got an odd-man break the other way, the way Jagr and Shanahan were controlling things, for a few seconds, from the points, was scary—scary good even if I wondered if that had been planned.)

The Pens’ superstars and superstars-to-be are still kids learning what the simple play even is. Sometimes, I seriously feel like the players—who’ve always been able to do things their opponents couldn’t do—still have to learn what the simple play is and how to make it. They also need to have the freedom not to make the simple play. Sure, it’s a fine line to walk—make the simple play or take the risk and try to do something only a player like you can do.

And yeah, we might want to scream, "Shoot!" But I recommend the coaching staff, rather than following the lead of fans, teach the players what the simple play is and tell them when to make it—while also giving future and current superstars the option and freedom to try for something greater, learn from their miscues, and learn how to make that great play—or opt for a simpler one—the next time.

Sure, it might drive us crazy. Yet I still remember Jagr as a rookie, the way he "doesn’t finish all the chances he creates for himself," as Mike Lange said. And now—well—look at the result.

Teach the kids the simple play, have patience while they learn how and when to use their skills to complete the simpler play or to, well, you know, start piling up the goals that might someday land them, too, in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Looking Forward

Sidney Crosby didn’t play the game I got to see last weekend. Fans booed when it was announced he wasn’t playing; the only boos I understood the whole evening. I wanted Crosby to play, too.

Watching Malkin was special and fun. I’m grown now, but watching Malkin skate all over the ice and make magic, it takes me back to how I felt when Jagr was a kid.

Watching these kids for the rest of the year—even if losses do eventually pile up and inexperience/fatigue wield ugly heads—promises a fun future, one I’m eagerly awaiting.

Oh, the Booing and the Cheering


Before the game, I’d said that I was going to cheer for Jagr instead of boo him. Well, Jagr scoring the game-winning goal didn’t make me feel like cheering for him, but I didn’t boo him—and neither did any of the people sitting around me (though I still heard boo’s from places throughout the arena). Not that the boos mattered. Jagr was "on" when he needed to be on, and what I’ve learned from watching Jagr over the years it that Jagr is only the one who can stop himself. (Seriously, Rangers fans. If Jagr thinks he’s hurt and can’t do something, he’s not going to do it. If he’s just feeling like he can’t do something, not necessarily due to injury, he’s not going to perform as you feel he should. The best thing to do for Jagr is to keep him as sane as possible and as mentally healthy as possible. Ron Francis’ skill at keeping Jagr’s head in check was probably among his most underrated skill. For Rangers’ fans, here’s hoping a player like Brendan Shanahan can do, at least a little, for Jags, what Francis did so successfully for many years.)

In any case, the fans surrounding me were polite and respectful of Jagr. The Jumbotron splashed a display congratulating Jagr on his six hundredth goal, and while he didn’t get tons of applause, people clapped politely (a few idiots booed, but there’s a reason I don’t mince words when I call them idiots). The fans around me, all of whom appeared to know hockey, cheered and stood for Gonchar’s 500th point in the NHL. Because, see, as much as we fuss about Gonchar, he’s ours now. And as much as we cheered for Jagr, he’s not ours anymore.

But really—I guess I have so many good memories, mostly from childhood, of Jagr that the idea of booing him just totally repulses me.

Yet I was among the many who stood and cheered for Gonchar (much as I winced every time he was on the ice against Jagr). I wasn’t standing and cheering for Jagr because, well, he’s not on my team anymore. (Granted, if the Rangers had been playing the Flyers in Madison Square Garden, you can bet I would have been cheering for Jagr—but just not against my team.)

In any case, the boos and cheers were what they were. And I was relieved not to be near any idiots who thought it appropriate to boo the achievement of 600 NHL career goals. (Sure, Pittsburgh fans know hockey, but there are always a few…..)

The Atmosphere

Yeah, I know, Mellon Arena is old. The lights have gone out this season. The building needs to be replaced.

And yet, last Saturday, can I tell you how much I just didn’t care? Can I tell you how much fun it was to be in that old building? How much fun it was to be around fans who knew hockey? Who clapped and cheered loudly when penalties were killed? Who knew how to applaud simple, good plays? Who cheered for saves and initiated cheers on their own?

Pittsburgh fans know hockey. Fans of my generation learned hockey from watching Mario Lemieux, Paul Coffey, Larry Murphy, Ron Francis, and Jaromir Jagr, and what those players will one day share is HHOF membership. We know hockey, and we love lockey.

So, to the politicians and everyone else—please, get a new arena built. Because hockey is too much fun not to have around, because the banners that now hang from the Mellon Arena ceiling mean that our team has a history—a history that I really don’t want to see transported to any other city.

Oh, them Rangers

Watching the Rangers game was pure fun. However, I really think Glen Sather should be aware of the limitations his team has. As presently constructed, the Rangers are not ready for a Cup run. The Rangers, on the surface, appear to have similar problems to the Penguins in terms of the fact that it is only a few players who can be counted on to produce the majority of New York’s goals.

While Jagr, Straka, Shanahan have the experience of wily NHL veterans (and thus inexperience isn’t an issue for them as it is for the Pens’ kids), the Rangers’ overall lack of scoring depth is going to pose a problem, as is their lack of consistently solid NHL defensemen. When it comes to watching Rangers and Pens games, I know I’m going to enjoy watching the games because the teams are going to play offensive games, and the superstars are going to have the chance to do their thing. Yet I also know I’m going to enjoy watching the games because right now, the Pens and Rangers are fairly evenly matched, and that makes for a good test.

However, knowing that his Rangers match up well with Shero’s young Penguins should scare Glen Sather if his ultimate goal is a Cup run this year or in the near future. Straka and Jagr are in their mid-thirties, and while Jagr, at least at the moment, doesn’t appear any worse for wear, the fact is the Rangers have a more finite amount of time in which they can legitimately contend for a Cup. In four or five years’ time, Shanahan, Jagr, and Straka are probably out of their prime playing days. In four or five years’ time, hassles of the NHL’s new CBA momentarily disregarded for the moment, Malkin, Crosby, Fleury, Whitney, Staal—are young men in the prime of their careers.

Which is to say that right now, it’s okay for the Pens not to have defensive depth or scoring depth. (Which is not to say that the lack of depth is any easy thing for the current team to overcome.) The Pens, at the current moment, aren’t yet on the verge of making a run at the Cup. Their core players haven’t yet reached the point where they’re ready to be the cogs that take the team on a run to the Cup. And for Pittsburgh, now isn’t the time to be trading a young player who could potentially net far more in two to three years time, when the team isn’t poised to make a Cup run.

For the Rangers, however—if they’re really trying to go for it with Jagr, Straka, and Shanahan—well, they need defenseman, at least one elite defenseman, and they need more scoring depth. An overall system to employ against certain teams probably wouldn’t hurt, either (though I haven’t seen enough of the Rangers to know if they lack the system or just the willinginess/ability to apply the system consistently). And the Rangers need that now, and need it soon.

The Pens, honestly, have time to wait. That’s what happens when your core players are all under 20 and your supporting core players are under 25. There’s time, not as much as we think, but there’s time.

And as someone who loved Straka and Jagr as a kid, as someone who’s always liked Shanahan, well—while I’m waiting for my kids to be ready to contend—it would be very nice if King Sather would position his Rangers, and those kids I watched who are now seasoned vets—to make a run at the Cup. Seriously.

Thoughts on Players—The Ex-Pens who are now Rangers


As has already been stated on this blog, Jaromir Jagr is my all-time favorite hockey player. I grew up watching Jags play, watch him become the best player in the world, and—save for Pens versus Rangers games—I still root for Jags.

Watching Jagr, Straka, and Rozsival, it occurred to me that what I read somewhere (online) is probably right. When it comes to the way Pens fans boo players, really, Rozsival deserves to be booed more than Jagr. Jagr, when a Penguin, won two Stanley Cups, 5 league scoring titles, the Pearson Trophy and Hart Trophy. I mean, seriously, Jagr, in Pittsburgh, for the most part, was a phenomenal player. While Rozsival is hardly a phenomenon, he does appear to have blossomed into a legitimate NHL defenseman (on some nights, that is) in New York. Rozy didn’t typically look the part of legitimate NHL defenseman when a Penguin, so really, if we’re actually booing about performance, well, it makes more sense to boo Rozy.

Rozy aside, however, what struck me about Straka and Jagr was how they were still Straka and Jagr. As a teenager, I rooted for Straka and Jagr quite a bit. I know their schemes, know how they feed off each other, and know how they set up on the power play. I know how well they know each other, know they know each other’s timing—and well, despite the fact they’re both in their mid-thirties, they’re still really, really, really good. And Jagr’s still among the top players in the league and certainly looked the part Saturday night.

Anyhow, dare I say that I knew something bad was going to happen to the Pens when Straka and Jagr were deep in the Pens zone and Gonchar and Melichar were on the ice. Staal had just missed a penalty shot, and it was Jagr and Straka on the ice against two defenseman who, let’s face facts, are not exactly defensive stalwarts. And presto, bam, bam, Jagr scores the game-winning goal. How often had I rooted for that to happen for so many years? How weird was it to be unhappy when one of the game’s best players performed the way you expect one of the game’s best players to perform?

And the thing was, in all honesty, I couldn’t be that unhappy. Sure, would I have preferred that Staal end the game by converting his penalty shot? Or that Malkin would not have hit the post? Of course. And yet, having loved Straka and Jagr for so many years, the end result of losing the game upset me, of course, but somehow the fact that it was two former first round draft picks of the Pens, still playing productively in the NHL more than a decade after they’d been drafted, well—

The Penguins’ day—Staal, Malkin, Crosby—is coming. For one night, I said after the game, "their superstars were better than ours." Granted, with Crosby out, Malkin was the only superstar on the ice for us (Staal’s not close yet), and our guy had the misfortune of hitting the post.

I wanted to say that inexperience lost us the game, but it wasn’t inexperience that made the Pens lose. If Crosby had played, I venture to say the Pens could probably have won that game. The Pens lost because the Rangers had a superstar who played like a superstar when it mattered the most.

The Pens have several of those superstars in waiting, and I’m looking forward to watching them. And even as I left the arena, not happy because the Pens lost, I still felt grateful to Straka and Jagr—not for beating my team now—but for the fact that they had played that same way for my team for so many years.

Thoughts On Players—Jordan Staal

At the beginning of the year, I was in the camp that thought it was fine to give Staal a taste of the Show, but that he needed to learn how to dominate in junior. Staal’s work on the penalty kill, among other things, early in the year convinced me that the child needed to stay—at least for awhile.

In any case, Staal understandably played limited minutes (Coach Therrien, likewise understandably, is cautious with his 18-year-old). Yet some of the things the child did, seriously—wow—and wow in a good way. In particular, there was the play, on the penalty kill, probably a 5 on 3, if I recall correctly, where Staal just cleared the puck with the poise of a veteran. I applauded along with the rest of the crowd—it was a play that exemplified why the Pens made the choice to keep Staal in the NHL this season.

Yet there were other moments during the game when I saw Staal’s age. He could create something along the boards, and the mere fact that he could create something was great. Yet the ability to see the play through wasn’t yet there—it was close to being there, but not fully present.

And then, of course, there was the overtime penalty shot. Pens fans know how to root for our team. The arena was standing and loud, and dare I say, there was tension. Not quite like playoff tension, but still tension. I knew Staal had the experience of playing games in similar settings in juniors, but still, at the NHL level, it can be a little different, and definitely new. What ran through my sympathetic mind was that he was eighteen—eighteen! And yet, wow, I was really rooting for the kid to score.

Staal ultimately didn’t score, and the Pens ultimately lost the game. I figured I could trust Staal not to pull an Aleksey Morozov (years ago, in a playoff series against Montreal, Morozov missed a penalty shot, and his play in the series—and dare I say, thereafter—was never the same). Missing one penalty shot wasn’t going to kill the kid’s confidence or make him distraught for too terribly long, I figured, and at least it would be a learning experience.

Overall, watching Staal played made me feel like I understood what Coach Therrien had said earlier to assembled New York media, "Eventually he’ll be a better play, but he’s eighteen years old." Therrien had explained the team didn’t want to give Staal more than he could handle.

There are two ways to look at how the Pens are handling Staal. One is that it’s fine for them to ease him into playing in the NHL. He can do what he already intuitively knows (penalty killing, which is obscene for an 18-year-old to be able to master), learn NHL systems, and learn what doesn’t work at things that—for this moment—aren’t quite as easy (finishing the plays he’s able to create).

There’s another way to look at things, too. As an old copy of The Hockey News mentioned, Staal hadn’t dominated at the junior level yet—perhaps, the thought goes, could it hurt to let the kid learn to dominate in every facet of his game at the junior level?

I understand both perspectives. Right now I’m curious to see if the Pens will release Staal and let him play in the World Juniors or not. I’m likewise curious to see what will happen as game number forty approaches. Whatever GM Shero and the organization decide to do, I’m glad I don’t have to make the kind of decisions they have to make. I understand the perspectives of those who would support more time in juniors and playing in the World Juniors; I understand those who would support the World Juniors but not a return to juniors, and I understand those who’d say "No" to anything with the word "junior" in it.

The question concerning the 18-year-old isn’t that different from the one that had to be answered at the start of the season. Does keeping him help or hinder his long-term development (and does anyone really know for sure)? All the other questions—how much does he help the team this year, and does it matter how much he helps the team this year—have to be secondary to that question as to what is in the best interests of the kid’s development.

And at this point, I know that I love watching him play in the NHL. I loved rooting for him to score that penalty shot. And yet I wonder, will he, in two years' time, be able to do what Malkin is doing this year in terms of scoring? Will playing in juniors help him do that, or will keeping him here help him do that?

But I want what’s best for the kid to have a long-term, distinguished NHL career. And if that means time at the World Juniors or time back in juniors, much as I’d miss him this year, I’d welcome him back gladly when the time comes.

@

Observations of Players—Ryan Whitney

Ryan Whitney has been criticized (and that’s putting it mildly) on various message boards I’ve scanned this year. Some insane fans have taken to turning Whitney’s name into a girl’s name. And watching the game I watched I against the Rangers, and watching the games I’ve seen this year—I do not get it.

Against the Rangers, Whitney never made me nearly as nervous as did Joe Melichar and Sergei Gonchar. (Seriously, the fact that Joe Melichar matched up well against Jagr one night had far more to do with Jagr having one of those "off" nights. When Jagr has an off night, as he admitted in his autobiography, even the worst defenseman can stop him.) Now granted, Melichar and Gonchar were on the ice against Jaromir Jagr, and Jagr still makes me nervous when he’s playing my team. (Every other night I still root for Jags, but more on that a little later.) All I noticed about Whitney, seriously, is that the boy could make long outlet passes easily, that he pinched in, usually at appropriate times, and that he certainly had the skating speed and size to compensate for those occasions when he did pinch.

At the current moment, Whitney is not an All-Star defenseman (despite the OLN guy who mentioned that he felt that Whitney, perhaps, should be). But Whitney is already a solid NHL defenseman—yes, Pens fans, I’m talking to you. He can already skate as well or better than most defenders, and he knows how to make outlet passes that I haven’t seen Pens blueliners makes in years. Is there room for improvement? Sure, from what I could observe in my limited viewing experience and from what I’ve read, Whitney definitely needs to unleash his shot far more frequently. And yes, he probably needs more experience just to get used to when he’s playing offense and when he’s playing defense.

Sometimes I wonder if one of the reasons people dislike Whitney is because he’s six foot four, huge, and not at all physical. The attitude seems to be that Whitney needs to crunch people. To be honest and to be fair, let’s look at the top three defensemen in the league right now. How often do you see Lidstrom and Niedermayer making bone rattling checks? Instead, don’t you usually sees the respective captains of the Red Wings and Ducks making smooth outlet passes, unleashing their cannons of shots, and playing solid positional defense? Even taking Chris Pronger, who can still dish out checks, well, Pronger’s game has adapted to the new NHL. Just like Lidstrom and Niedermayer, Pronger plays solid positional defense, rushes the puck or makes an outlet pass, and wields his cannon of a shot appropriately while playing with an edge.

Right now, let me be very clear that I am not comparing a YOUNG defenseman—let me repeat, a YOUNG defenseman—to perennial Norris Trophy contenders and defensive stalwarts. At the moment, Whitney is not at, or even close to, the elite level of Pronger, Lidstrom, and Niedermayer—who can control the tempo of an entire game when they’re at their best. Yet do you know what I see in Ryan Whitney? I see a defenseman who, with proper development and coaching, actually has the chance to become a defenseman like Niedermayer or Lidstrom. A defenseman who has the skill to be able to control the tempo of a game, a defenseman who has the size and stamina to play long minutes, and a defenseman whose skating ability alone means that he might match up well against league superstars.

In a few years’ time, though Jagr may be retired, Whitney, a defenseman who by that point has hopefully learned positional defense, with his speed and skill, might be the defenseman who not only mans the number one unit on your power play but kills penalties and matches up well against the opponent’s best skating stars.

I know Pens fans who would scoff at that, and frankly, Whitney may turn out to be more one-dimensional that I would prefer. (Again, no direct comparison should be made here, but I loved Paul Coffey dearly, and Coff did break up that 2 on 1 in the 87 Canada Cup, lest you accuse Coffey of constant defensive deficiency.) Yet when I watch the YOUNG, YOUNG defenseman—I see a kid who’s a good player who still has a lot to learn. (Watch tapes of Pronger when he first played in the league; he had a lot to learn, too. Watch him today and learn the ultimate reward of time, patience, and effective coaching and development.)

And yet, Whitney is already a good player who has much to learn. He has the skill set already; it’s such a matter of learning how to apply the skill set, and that comes with experience, coaching, and development—and it doesn’t happen overnight. But in Whitney, I see potential, and not just potential to be good, but potential to be great—so how about laying off the kid for not yet being what he’s going to be and instead eagerly expecting him to become what it’s clear he can be—hopefully, eventually, some form of an elite, or at least, an All-Star, defenseman?
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Last Weekend, Pens versus Rangers

Last weekend, I had the chance to watch the Pens play the Rangers in person. What follow are several thoughts about the game.

It Was Just Plain Fun

Before the game, I had joked about what a regular season tilt between the Pens and Rangers might resemble. Given the offensive superstars on each team, I was hoping for something like a score of 6-5, with a shootout. I wanted the chance to see stars shine as stars, and I wanted to be entertained.

While I didn’t get the 6-5 score or shootout, I got to see an awesome regular season hockey game that reminded me of hockey the way hockey is supposed to be. (Remember that I grew up watching HHOF players play on the same power play unit.) Very little of the game was played in the neutral zone. The Pens were either in front of "Henrik the Great," or the Rangers were in front of Marc-Andre Fleury. Both teams were on the attack frequently. The goaltending from both young goaltenders was phenomenal. The superstars on the ice—Malkin and Jagr—did their thing with skill.

Oh, and on the whole special teams battle? First, I have to note that I’m biased in favor of the new NHL rules, even when it seems like a power play parade. And thus, when Mark Recchi was upset at the beginning of the game about a hook that he clearly felt shouldn’t have been called, I didn’t disagree with the call. Recchi had been hooking the guy—I’d seen him do it twice. (Now Recchi complaining about inconsistency of officiating, and what is a penalty one night not being a penalty the next night, that’s a complaint I can understand and that NHL headquarters needs to rectify ASAP.) Anyhow, the Pens spent much of the first period on the penalty kill—and they were successful. Later in the game, as I figured they would, the Pens got their own chances on the power play. Special teams, at least in terms of opportunities, got pretty much evenly distributed over the course of the game.

The bottom line of the entire game—superstars on the ice, no playing not to lose with clutching and grabbing in the neutral zone, special teams play—was that the game was fun. I mean that, the game—even though my team lost in OT—was just plain fun. It was hockey as hockey is supposed to be, and I could only imagine how much more fun it might have been had Sidney Crosby’s groin healed by that Saturday.
J

Recent Losses

Fortunately or unfortunately, I didn’t have the chance to see the two recent losses of my hockey team. Friday night’s loss I chalked up to the goalie imploding—seriously, every goalie, even those of All-Star caliber, have those so-called "off" nights throughout a season. Unfortunately, the Penguins aren’t yet a team that can afford—when it comes to the standings and the playoff picture—for their goaltender to have one of those nights where it seems like he couldn’t stop a beach ball. (Harsh, I know.) However, just like Pens’ players, I was very aware of the games that Marc-Andre Fleury has won for the team thus far this year. And one game, really, where things are off, by the end of November? If someone had told me that at the start of the season, I would have taken it.

Now, of course, Fleury can’t continue to have games like that—meaning those games cannot come with frequency. The Pens need their starting netminder to find a groove and to find a groove fast and to shake off the loss and go back to doing what he had been doing for most of the rest of the season. Once again, as the team is presently constructed, the Pens simply don’t have room for error when it comes to goaltending. In order to be in contention for a playoff spot, Pittsburgh is going to need consistent and high-quality goaltending throughout the season.

While my team losing of course irritates me (I speak of mild irritation that comes because I don’t have the temporary emotional boost that sometimes come with a string of victories—because, yes, I probably smile slightly more easily the morning after a win), I think these are the losses that—honestly—are the ones that make the Pens a borderline playoff team. Because, when it comes right down to it, the Pens can play pretty even with teams in their division. And while others would beg to differ with me, I’m not yet convinced with the Rangers, Devils, or Islanders, as presently constructed, are as TEAMS vastly—or even just a little—superior to the Pens. (Caveat: Partisans of each team could debate their team’s superiority until the cows come home—but take a look at each team’s current record. What do you see? Teams with similar number of points. Now, if still so inclined, debate away about the quality of each Atlantic team.) However, the Pens can play evenly with these teams, and these teams can play evenly with them. And on some nights, one team prevails, and on some nights, the other team prevails. That’s usually what happens with parity.

As much as I enjoyed the Pens’ best-in-the-league division winning record through their first 10 division games, there probably was too much parity in the Atlantic Division for the young Pittsburgh team to maintain that division record. Nonetheless, if the Pens want to be a playoff team, they’re going to have to find a way to win those close games that come against their Atlantic Division rivals. Yes, games against the Devils, Rangers, and Islanders fall into those category of games that aren’t necessarily against "clearly superior" or "clearly inferior" opponents. But the Pens have to start winning those games once again if they want to make the playoffs.

And as for the two recent losses? Well, here’s hoping what one always hopes when cheering for a young team. Hopefully mistakes were learned from and will not be repeated—and hopefully losing leaves a bad enough taste in the mouths of the youngsters so that they’re determined not to repeat the same mistakes in their next bout with a divisional rival. (Of course, being young players, there’s always a possibility of still more, yet uncommitted errors—but for now, I hold to the side of hope. After all, it is the holiday season.)

Shots Against

I don’t have the ability (or the time, to be perfectly honest) to watch every Penguins game. And yet scanning the box scores, something stands out that has to change for the team to win.

To put it mildly—the Pens give up way, way, way, too many shots. Seriously—you expect to get outshot by a 2-1 margin or 3-2 margin and still win games? The mere fact that the Penguins have stayed in so many games is a testament to the great goaltending they’ve received thus far at this early juncture in the season.

Now I understand some of the reasons why the Pens give up so many shots. Really, one doesn’t want to lasso the creativity of players like Crosby or Malkin. Seriously, years ago, I cared mostly that Jaromir Jagr was scoring goals and not so much about whether or not he was strictly adhering to the defensive system that then-coach Kevin Constantine had installed. Likewise, I also get that the Pens are a young team, with a young defense, and that they get caught—far too often—in their own zone.

I also know that these Penguins have done some good things. They’ve been able to kill penalties (lots of penalties) with aggressive penalty killing and sharp goaltending. They’ve been able and willing to block shots. Theoretically—if not yet practically—they appear to understand that it’s important to prevent the opposition from scoring more goals than you do.

However, the Pens cannot keep giving up the number of shots they are giving up and expect to maintain an above .500 record. Sure, their young players—even their young stars—have to learn to sustain pressure even against the best opponents the league has to offer. Sure, their young defensemen have to learn how to get the puck out of the zone and how to prevent opposing players from taking shots. And it would certainly help the whole team a great deal if they would stop what seemed like a constant parade to the penalty box at various times this past week.

I still think this is both a coaching and execution thing, and it’s also not something that I expect to get fixed magically and overnight. But, honestly—if the Pens truly want to sneak into the playoffs this year, and I still think the team has the talent to do that—they have to stop giving up so many shots to their opponents every night.


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On the Youngsters

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

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

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

Was Sidney Crosby really kept without shots and points?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

#

Spreading Around the Scoring

As I scanned the box scores this week, it was nice to see some names that hadn’t made frequent appearances on the score sheet. Seriously, when Moore and Ekman start scoring goals, well, that can only be a good thing for the Pens, right?

Except—except—yes, the Penguins need scoring depth. They need contributions from their role players. They need contributions from their third and fourth lines, and sure, it would be great if the wingers on the top two lines would make their mark on the score sheet with far greater frequency. Yet dare I say—even with scoring depth—that more scoring depth isn’t going to help if the Pens’ stars don’t play like stars.

Yes, every star has games where they get shut down. It happened to Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr, and it’s going to happen to Crosby and Malkin, too. Yet here’s the thing—right now—honestly—the Penguins do not have enough scoring depth to compensate for when an opposing defense figures out how to smother Crosby and Malkin just has an off day. (Yes, stars have off days, too, and in particular, rookies who are playing their first season in a foreign country might occasionally have a day when they look more like a rookie than a star.) When Crosby and Malkin don’t find their names on the scoresheet, I’m going to venture a wild guess (sarcasm should be duly noted) that the Penguins lose far more frequently than they win.

The Penguins need their stars to be stars. And yes, they absolutely need scoring depth to compensate for those times when opponents figure out how to prevent stars from performing as stars. Yet the Pens—and Crosby and Malkin—need to reach the point where, perhaps, a superior opponent limits their opportunities but can’t fully contain them. Even if it’s a harsh night, somehow, whether that’s on the power play or a productive shift—Crosby and Malkin have to find the openings and perform as stars when given an opening. Because, at least as the team is currently constructed, if Crosby and Malkin fail to produce, the Penguins—a very, very high majority of the time—fail to win.

Eaton

I’ve previously noted that the Penguins are not a deep team. If and when injuries to key players occur, this team, as currently comprised, simply does not have the depth to cope with such injuries.

Since Chris Pronger was on the trade market this summer (yes, yes, I understand all the very legitimate, logical, and good reasons why my Pens didn’t trade for him), I wasn’t necessarily jumping up and down in joy when the Pens got defenseman Eaton this summer. Okay, he was reputed to be a veteran, legitimate NHL defenseman (but Sergei Gonchar had come with more of a pedigree last season and didn’t play up to that pedigree for much of the 2005-06 season). In any case, watching (okay, hearing and reading about) Pittsburgh losing games this week, it occurred to me that Eaton has made an impact on the defense.

Frankly, Eaton can help to stabilize the defense. It is way better to pair one of the Pens’ young defensemen with a veteran, steady player like Eaton. And when Eaton is missing—as he was after he was injured in the game against San Jose—the entire Pens team suffers. The Pens might have been closer than they were (closer than close) to sneaking away 2 points from a couple of games this week if Eaton had played.

In any case, here’s hoping Eaton gets better soon. And here’s hoping that the young Penguins defensemen don’t just learn from mistakes—but learn enough from mistakes not to repeat the same mistakes.

Sigh….
(But Not a Long Sigh)

The past week was one of those weeks I’d anticipated the Pens would have prior to the start of the 2006-07 season. However, with the team’s fast start, and the whole winning more than losing thing seeming to become habitual, this week stung more than it probably should have.

Over the course of the past week, the Penguins played several teams that I would classify as "superior" opponents. Frankly, these are games that the Penguins should lose, at least if you’re talking to the coach of the opposing team. Why? Because from top to bottom, the Penguins played teams that were—take a deep breath now—better than they currently are. Whether we’re talking special teams units, or scoring depth, or experienced and savvy NHL defensemen, or superstars in their primes instead of the infancy of their careers, the Penguins got beat by better teams this week.

Fortunately for Pittsburgh fans, the Penguins players—despite their curiously lackadaisical effort against Ottawa Friday night—do not like losing. Even better for the future of Pittsburgh’s franchise, the players on the Penguins appear to expect to win now. The players’ collective distaste for losing, in addition to their play this week, is the reason why I titled this post "Sigh" instead of "A Long Sigh."

Here’s the thing that was so frustrating this week if you were a Penguins fan. Despite the fact that the Pens were clearly outplayed in several of the games—none of the games were blowouts. The Penguins had a chance to win a game against the team with one of the best records in the NHL. And even when the Penguins found ways to shoot themselves in the foot (taking penalties repeatedly, for example), they still stayed close in several of the games they played. And, yes, in comparison to last season—staying close to some of the league’s best teams has to be considered an encouraging sign.

Yet, of course, the frustration that prompted my sigh, is, of course, that frustration that comes when a team is on a 5 game winless streak. Losing makes me sigh; losing leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And losing is particularly frustrating because these Penguins, really, were close to being able to win a couple of those games. Sure, a couple of those games, aside from sharp goaltending, could easily have turned into blowouts. Yet a few less penalties, a couple of different bounces—and the young Pens might have won a couple of games this week.

Young. That’s the thing. These Penguins, on the whole, are a young team, which is why I expected weeks like this prior to the start of the season. I expected and anticipated winless streaks, particularly when my young team faced off against deeper, more experienced, and frankly, teams that are currently more talented than is Pittsburgh. And while this winless streak is no fun (and I want it to end Monday when the Pens play the Flyers), it’s not a wholly bad thing.

Why isn’t this winless streak bad? Because the players are going to learn from the mistakes they made this week. Because losing is going to leave a bad taste in the mouths of the youngsters and make them want to improve their play and not repeat the same mistakes. Because, even if it doesn’t happen next year, perhaps in two years, these mistakes—and yes, these losses and winless streaks—will bear fruit. Because the players will have learned the hard lessons of what it takes to play with the best teams in the NHL. Because the players will have developed their skills, hopefully, to the point, that they play on one of the best teams in the NHL and know how to use the experience they gained this year to beat more inexperienced teams.

None of the assurances of future fruit, of course, which I firmly believe to be absolutely the case, will ever make a five game winless streak enjoyable for players or fans. Which is to say—please beat the Flyers.

Oh, But….

While I say that Crosby and Malkin will probably be impossible to shut down one day, I recall that the Florida Panthers managed to do just that to Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr in 1996—the year (aside from 1993) that leaves the worst taste in my mouth from all the Pens’ playoff losses in the nineties.

Yet the new NHL, the way the rulebook is actually enforced, the way Jaromir Jagr now thinks teams will seek to emulate the speed and skill of the Buffalo Sabres rather than the 10-year-old trap of the New Jersey Devils, I think the new NHL will make it that much harder to shut down Malkin and Crosby.

Kind of makes the nostalgic part of me wonder what might have been if this NHL has existed back when Jagr and Mario were still in their primes and playing for the Pens? But at least the future of the Penguins looks incredibly promising.

Speaking of What Will Be

In two years’ time, the Penguins will win the game they lost to the Sharks last night. Why? Because Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, I expect and anticipate, will have figured out what to do when other teams adjust to them. I also expect and anticipate that perhaps the Penguins will have more of a core around Crosby and Malkin at that time, that Staal will be able to contribute more than he already is, and that the Penguins will be able to beat the Sharks in a close game instead of losing to the Sharks in a close game.

Frankly speaking, Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau are in their mid-twenties. Whenever Crosby and Malkin hit their early twenties—let alone the mid-twenties—the Penguins will be scary good, and shutting down Crosby and Malkin will be near impossible. The kinds of "adjustments" that work against the Penguins now will not work in a couple of years’ time.

Of course, all that is said with the caveat of the salary cap, assuming the Penguins can keep their young star players and develop an even better core around those players. Yet in that close loss to San Jose (I have yet to see the game, so I speak from what I heard), the Penguins were able to play with San Jose. Last season, the team would have been blown out, no question. This year, the Penguins can skate and compete with a team that was one of the best in the West last year. In all honesty, even though the Penguins lost the game, I take the loss as an encouraging, hopeful sign—and I’m even more encouraged and hopeful because I believe the Pens’ young players have begun to develop a disdain for losing. And I believe that disdain for losing will only prompt those young players to work harder to figure out what they have to adjust so they can beat a team like San Jose the next time around.

Still, for all I talk about "encouraging losses," losses are still losses, and I don’t want the Penguins to lose. I’m really curious to see what happens—for good or bad—when Crosby and Malkin have to face Pronger and Niedermayer. The best youngsters against the game’s most elite and experienced defensemen. It should be interesting. Yet I don’t really want another "encouraging loss." Because close games, sure, they’re encouraging signs—but the team is still losing.

And frankly, I’ve really enjoyed watching these Penguins win thus far this season. Yet as the part of the schedule unfolds where the Penguins face some of those I deemed "superior" opponents—well, I’ll just have to watch and see what happens.

But can we please see if we can continue the whole winning more than we lose and make it a habit? I like that habit. I think it’s a good habit, and it’s a habit I want to see continue for a long, long time.

Whitney, Welch, Letang

While I admitted to liking Letang’s style of play, young defensemen need to be playing a regular shift in all circumstances. Since Letang wasn’t going to do that in Pittsburgh this season, it was better to send him back to Val D’or. Fine. I’m okay with that, and I actually think Welch is more NHL ready at the moment anyway.

But here’s the thing when it comes to Whitney, Welch, and Letang. Letang is back in juniors now, but what I said of him still applies to Welch and Whitney. Sure, Welch and Whitney played 4 years of college hockey. Sure, they’re older than Letang. It doesn’t matter. They’re still young defensemen. Young defensemen are going to drive you crazy throughout a season and even throughout a game. They are learning how to play a position in a league that’s been transformed.

I am not saying that idiotic and juvenile mistakes should be continually tolerated. I am saying, however, that one should ask Mike Keenan how Chris Pronger looked that first season in St. Louis. (Caveat: If Welch or Whitney ever turn out to be 2/3 or 3/4 the player Pronger is, I will be floating on cloud nine, so I am not making a direct comparison.) Pronger didn’t look like Pronger does today, and while he didn’t look like a lost, clueless kid all the time, he resembled an average defenseman more than a Norris Trophy winner.

Thus, when it comes to Welch and Whitney this season, have some patience—as the coaching staff works with them in practice, as they get more experience—just have some patience. They are not yet who they will be, and really, we don’t know who they will be yet. Give them a chance. And when Letang returns next season or after a season of seasoning in Wilkes Barre in 2 years time (how I wish he could get that seasoning in Wilkes Barre now), he’ll be only 20 or 21 years old—still a kid. Have some patience with him, too.

And appreciate what you’ve got. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are already superstars. Defensemen, even the greatest, are not usually superstars or stars their first 2 seasons. Please, patience—and the way the coaches handle the young defensemen will tell you a lot about how long you should keep your patience.

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Effective Coaching

Dare I utter the phrase "good coaching"? Since one never knows how quickly a team can dive into a tailspin, I’m going to go with "effective coaching" right now. But know that no matter my word choice, effective coaching/good coaching, all I’m really saying is that Michel Therrien has done a good job thus far this season.

Sure, the players have to execute the game plan. Sure, the players have to be prepared to execute the game plan. Yet the coach has to be able to come up with a game plan, and he has to know how to prepare the players to execute the game plan. Of course it helps Therrien that his number 1 goalie has thus far played the way a number 1 goalie should play. The addition of Malkin has automatically made Therrien a much smarter coach (amazing how adding great players can make coaches smarter).

Yet what Therrien has done—allowing stars to be stars, working to find the right fits for players on the third and fourth lines, and even just having the penalty killing and power play units functioning at an above-average level—has helped the Penguins to make huge improvements( at least as compared to last year’s wretched start).

Granted, Therrien is not a genius by any means. The Penguins still give up way too many shots on goal on a nightly basis. And while I grew up adoring and cheering for players who "passed and passed and passed" the puck, at times, the Penguins’ gifted youngsters are going to need to shoot the puck. (I’m not a "shoot the puck" freak by any means, but occasionally, the players are going to need to take shots they haven’t yet been taking.) There remains room for improvement across-the-board, perhaps no more evidenced by the average number of shots against the Pens concede.

Yet look at the team’s record at the moment. I’m pleasantly surprised, and I want to continue to be pleasantly surprised. As long as Therrien keeps "making adjustments" to find what works and then doing what works, as long as the players keep buying into it, well, the new NHL hasn’t changed that much.

Effective coaching still can make an average team a good team and a good team a very good team. For obvious reasons, I’d like to see effective coaching throughout the remainder of the 2006-07 hockey season.
∏

Staal Stays


I spent most of Monday hoping the Penguins would keep Jordan Staal, and when word came that Pittsburgh had indeed decided to keep the NHL’s lone eighteen-year-old, I was glad.

At the start of the season, I really expected to be advocating for Staal to dominate at the junior level—you know, let the kid learn every aspect of the game playing against boys, etc. Save for the fact that Jordan Staal showed me—and more importantly, showed the powers-that-be in the Penguins organization—that he was more than capable of being an effective NHL player this season.

While Staal remains 18 years old, he doesn’t have the body of an eighteen-year-old kid, and the size and strength he already has will benefit him tremendously at the NHL level. Even more importantly, I now believe playing in the NHL this season accelerates Staal’s development. The kid is already a crucial member of the Pens’ penalty-killing unit, and I was pleased with the games he played in a second line role. Staal gets to learn the NHL game, but he isn’t going to be pressured to play top line minutes right away, and meanwhile, the Penguins already have an incredibly effective penalty killer who, right now, I am dreaming may one day become what Ron Francis was to Mario Lemieux.

Staal has shown the ability to put the puck in the net and to play effective defense and to work to improve his game, and frankly, if the Penguins had chosen to send him back to juniors on Monday, I would have been disappointed. Disappointed not just because the Penguins would have immediately become a weaker team (they certainly would have) but disappointed because I wouldn’t have the chance to watch a young star learn how to play at such a level in the NHL.

In any case, Staal is here to stick for the moment, and I, for one, am really glad Staal is staying.