I Am a Spoiled Brat

(Note: If you're a Pittsburgh Penguins fan of a certain generation,
read to see if this statement applies to you.)

Last night, several moments coalesced to lead me to the conclusion that I am a spoiled brat--at least when it comes to the quality of hockey I have come to expect of my team, the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here is a brief summary of those moments:

• After the Penguins defeat the Bruins in a shootout (thank you, Evgeni Malkin), I check the updated standings on yahoo's NHL site and note that the Penguins--in spite of, in my opinion, playing rather atrocious (read: extremely mediocre) hockey, somehow have a managed a 4-2-1 record.

• I am mature/sane enough to recognize that complaining about winning games while playing bad (read: average at best) hockey is, generally, not really worth complaining about (I mean, if you can win when you're not playing your best hockey, that's some sign you're a decent or at least lucky team, right?). However, I do find myself complaining about the quality of the opposition . It is not exactly as though the Penguins have beaten quality opponents, I find myself saying. Let's wait until they play Montreal. Or even the Rangers. Or dare I say the Red Wings. Because right now, the way the Penguins are playing, well, to put it mildly, I am not going to be convinced until they can beat quality opponents (and they did a poor job of convincing me they could do that when squandering a 3-0 lead to the Washington Capitals).

• I am irritated and irate (yes, the words hold the same general meaning, and the emotions I feel warrant two adjectives describing my emotions) when the Penguins allow other Eastern Conference teams to pick up a point when a tied game goes to overtime. Especially when, let's be real: These are teams that the Penguins, if they want to purport themselves to be a great team, should be finishing off in regulation. The Versus announcers (note I was kind and didn't call them bozos; perhaps this is early season kindness but we shall see if it lasts) can tell me all they want about Phil Kessel scoring goals and the Bruins being a likely playoff team, and I don't care: The Penguins are supposed to beat the Bruins in regulation. Every time. There is no excuse for not doing so if you are an elite team.

• Speaking of being an elite team, at several moments during last night's game, I realized that there is no getting around the fact that I am accustomed to watching the game's best players do what only elite hockey players are capable of doing. This, of course, means that I am accustomed to watching the best tandem of offensive defensemen this side of Anaheim's duo and the league's best power play quarterback sans Lidstrom when Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney play the points on the Pittsburgh power play.
  I am accustomed to elite play from elite players--players who make the good play in their sleep, players capable of making the great play when being set up by two of the best centers in the world.

Being accustomed to elite play from kids who are barely able to drink legally in the States in Crosby and Malkin is a privilege, but it's also a drawback that can lead me to have unrealistic expectations for other players who will follow a more, er, normal developmental path. The young defensemen who have assumed many of Gonchar and Whitney's responsibilities are not yet elite players, and--gasp (snark warning)--they're not even going to be legitimate candidates for the All-Star team at this juncture of their careers! And the 20-year-old center who was drafted second overall and didn't come close to leading the NHL in scoring in his second full big-league season (as Crosby did and as Evgeni Malkin came tantalizingly close to doing) and who's struggling to find his offensive game--he doesn't look like a franchise player yet; he still looks like a kid who's trying to figure out aspects of the NHL game!

As a spoiled brat fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, as the girl who grew up watching Mario Lemieux in his prime, only to be supplanted by watching Jaromir Jagr in his prime, as the one who got "hooked on HOF hockey" while watching several Hall of Famers and/or future Hall of Famers work on the same power play in the early nineties, and as the adult fan who's now had the chance to recharge my addiction to HOF hockey while watching Crosby and Malkin perform their show--let's just reiterate the obvious. I am a spoiled brat. I grew up watching elite players play the elite hockey only players of a generous God-given talent set are able to play. After a few years of, um, watching mere mortals play hockey as mere mortals do (lots of losses), I again got to watch a new generation of all-world players perform at all-world level--so much so that the team tore through the Eastern Conference playoffs last year (really, probably, in the eyes of fans and managerial types who care to be candid, a year or two ahead of "schedule"). And, well, in October of the season following that oh-so-close and yet oh-so-far Stanley Cup Finals loss, I may say that I don't expect perfection...and fine, I don't expect perfection. Well, not exactly.
I just expect the Penguins to play like an elite team...never mind that some of their young players aren't yet at an elite level and thus aren't yet capable of consistently playing at an elite level. Never mind that the season is barely a few weeks old and that the quality of hockey, in general, is not yet what it will be once teams and players have had time to gel.

Here's the thing. In order for my team to be what I want them to be--they have to beat the Bruins in regulation. They can't squander three goal leads to the Capitals. Jordan Staal must learn how to find the net, and another winger must learn to find the net at even strength on a consistent basis. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin cannot remain on the same line indefinitely; the Penguins need multiple lines capable of scoring goals at even strength. And while the Pittsburgh power play (after a porous start) has shown improvement, Malkin and the two young offensive defensemen have to use the skills they already have to produce on the power play. There can't be talk about potential when it comes to a team expected to be elite, for one that should be a contender--there has to be production, and not merely production, but productive production, the type of production that results in a complete team that literally, as a matter of course, bulldozes its way to victory after victory after victory.

Does the rational side of my brain understand that Letang and Goligoski are kids learning to play a tough position and that it's unfair to expect a 20-year-old to play the two-way game Sergei Gonchar's only gotten really good at playing in the past few seasons? Can I understand that certain players need time to adjust to a new team, new linemates, and new expectations, and a team culture that demands victories? Could I even cut the elite players slight slack when they're taking risks to create something great and occasionally make boneheaded (or, at least, not the "smartest") decisions with the puck? Of course. And sometimes, I do. Or I tell myself that I should.

But here's the cold, harsh truth. I am a spoiled brat fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who possess two of the best players in all of hockey, and--I am hopeful--a goaltender who in many ways has grown up before our eyes into the elite goalie he was for the playoff run last spring. And being a spoiled brat fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins entails that as much as I will love watching my team, as much as I will understand that Letang and Goligoski aren't Whitney and Gonchar and that Crosby and Malkin are the exception, not the rule, when it comes to the developmental curve of most young players, I will still expect that my team finishes off teams who will finish fifth through eighth in a conference in regulation, and I will still expect that my team handily beat teams that will not participate in the postseason. I will still expect the young defensemen to perform at a level high enough to result in production that helps the team to win games. I will still expect that the coach and his team figure out how to get this group of players arranged in such a way that even-strength goal scoring becomes the norm.

Absurd expectations? Unfair expectations? Ludicrous? Outlandish? Difficult?
Hmm. Maybe. Slightly. A little. But you know what--I don't need to hear excuses. "But this, but that." It bores this spoiled brat fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins, who expects one thing: victories. Lots and lots of wins--and hopefully, at some point come the spring, a chance, once more not just to come close to capturing hockey's holy grail...but actually to cling to the Cup upon season's end.

In the meantime, however, I'll concern myself with the Penguins winning enough games to make the playoffs, and when I find myself frustrated by a shootout win against a conference opponent that gives that opponent a point in the standings, I will note, that, yes, indeed, being a fan of the contemporary Pittsburgh Penguins means that you are, in fact, a spoiled brat who tends to expect nothing less than perfection.

Wins Are Great
Superstars Are Great, Too
Don't Get Too Excited
And Other Thoughts

-Don't get me wrong, I love watching the Penguins win. I especially love watching the Penguins win on Hockey Night in Canada. But here's the thing. The Toronto Maple Leafs are not expected to be a good hockey team. The Toronto Maple Leafs are expected to "contend" for the top overall pick in the 2009 draft. As such, the Pittsburgh Penguins, the young, promising team that went to the Stanley Cup Finals last season, are supposed to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs. And to be perfectly blunt, the Pittsburgh Penguins--even sans their top two offensive defensemen in Sergei Gonchar and Ryan Whitney and even with the offseason losses of wingers Hossa and Malone--are supposed to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs handily--you know, by a substantial margin. So, while it was a wonderful night for statistical milestones in Pittsburgh, and while it's reassuring to know the Penguins can still score on the power play, may no one delude themselves into thinking that the Penguins did anything wonderful or great tonight. The Pittsburgh Penguins merely did what a team with two of the top players in the world should do: beat a much less talented hockey team. The Penguins are going to need to continue to beat inferior opponents, and while they're at it, they're going to apply any lessons learned thus far in order to beat clubs far more talented than the Toronto Maple Leafs.



-Speaking of applying lessons learned, watching the Penguins power play sans Gonchar and Whitney has been, um, interesting, thus far this season. In fact, just watching the Penguins defense without Gonchar and Whitney has been, er, equally interesting.

But first to the power play...watching tonight, I was struck by a few things. I think it's good for Crosby and Malkin both to know how to play the point on the power play. I think it'll eventually be a useful skill for both of them, and perhaps something they'll get very, very good at, that can be used at certain times (recall that Mario Lemieux' career did include playing the point on the power play with much success). Even though the Penguins' power play was solid tonight (against an inferior opponent, when it should have been solid), I was struck by the pucks that Malkin didn't keep in the zone that Gonchar (or yes, even Whitney) generally keep in the zone, and keep in the zone with ease. Even for the best players, there is a learning curve. Malkin and Crosby are already at the top of the NHL as forwards, and their skillsets can be applied to manning the point on the power play. But neither Crosby or Malkin, at least not initially, is going to provide the same level of all-world power play point-man play we see in defensemen like Lidstrom. Numbers 87 and 71, as their statistics show, have got the talent--but now it's a matter of applying that talent in new situations. Which is just a long-winded way of saying: Crosby and Malkin are great, world-class players, but don't be shocked if, early this season, it takes some time for their all-world skill to manifest itself at an all-world level when they're manning the point on the power play.

Having noted that even a kid who's accumulated over 200 points in 161 NHL games is going to have a learning curve while manning the point on the power play for the first time, why not note that young offensive defensemen Alex Goligoski and Kris Letang are going to experience an even larger learning curve? Just like Paul Coffey (remember the Doctor swooned over Letang when visiting the Pittsburgh broadcasting booth last season), I love Letang's potential and style. And in tonight's game against Toronto, I saw the glimpses we'll see from time to time this season. I saw Letang rushing the puck confidently, I saw him hold the puck in, and I saw him knock down a Maple Leaf with a solid check. All of which, of course, I hope will one day become par for the course. But as Letang's current plus-minus rating might indicate, he is not yet at the stage where he's going to give you 24 to 25 minutes of solid, mistake-free play on a game-in, game-out basis. There are going to be lapses, there are going to be errors, and there's going to be the learning curve that comes when an inexperienced defenseman is "thrown to the wolves," so to speak, to get the experience he needs in order to improve. Goligoski and Letang both played less than 20 minutes tonight, and Goligoski, the rookie, has been a bit more protected (ice-time wise) than Letang thus far this season, but the bottom line is that Pittsburgh fans are watching two young, inexperienced defensemen....which, of course, is another long-winded way of saying: Don't expect Letang and Goligoski to replace Gonchar and Whitney. Don't expect them to do what Gonchar does, or even what Whitney does, at least not initially. Not because they may not one day be able to, but because reality dictates that just as Gonchar and Whitney needed NHL games to learn, so, too, will Letang and Goligoski.



-Oh, and my other thought about tonight's game, and about the Penguins in general? When you have two players as good as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, well, you're just spoiled rotten, and you should expect to win games when you can dress two of the best players in all of hockey. I'm generally not a fan of Evgeni Malkin as Crosby's wing save for certain, special circumstances (Malkin, as last year proved, is a world-class center in his own right), and teams with only one line that is capable of generating scoring chances at even-strength may make the playoffs, but they generally are not built to advance in the playoffs. That said, the season is young, the Penguins in October (for better or worse, as the case may be) are not the same team they will be in January or in March--and the same goes for other NHL teams as well.
But just staring at the statistical milestones tonight, notating the points that two players have already put up, so quickly, is astonishing when you realize those two players play for your team and who, provided they stay healthy, are still at the nascent point of their careers. These players are going to score more goals, get more assists, learn how to play the point on the power play, and maybe Malkin's even going to get good at winning face-offs someday, too...but the point is, these players are already great. And as such, well, fretting about the state of the Pittsburgh Penguins seems a little overblown when both Crosby and Malkin are in the fold. Say what you will for the years of Mario Lemieux/Jaromir Jagr and what could have been/should have been, but those teams nearly always competed for division titles. The presence of world-class players in a lineup--especially two world-class players--means that talent can triumph against many opponents, and I'm looking forward to watching Crosby and Malkin do their shiny superstar thing this season.


-Oh, and while I already mentioned this in passing, it bears repeating, especially given that the playoff loss against the Red Wings probably still feels fresh. October hockey is not playoff hockey. Yes, a team needs to win the games and accumulate the points necessary to get into the postseason to compete for the Stanley Cup. But no hockey team in the autumn will be the same hockey team in the spring. For better or worse, injuries will occur, trades will happen, lines will be tweaked, etc., etc...the list is long.

Right now, it's interesting for me to ponder the blog post I wrote back in the spring of 2007, believing that sans a loss of Crosby, Malkin, or Fleury, the Penguins would be in the most trouble if Sergei Gonchar or Ryan Whitney were lost to injury. I find it interesting because both Gonchar and Whitney are out with injuries now, and no one can argue the Penguins don't miss those two players. The Penguins are a weaker team without Gonchar and Whitney--their power play is weaker, their power play options are weaker, ditto for the penalty kill, and while they still have depth on the NHL blueline, no one can argue that the defensemen who have assumed Gonchar and Whitney's minutes are as adept with outlet passes as are Gonchar and Whitney.

And yet what's interesting is what the Penguins know full well: They have to win games without Gonchar and Whitney. They have to rely on different players to win those games. And in order to win those games, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are going to take their turns at the point on the power plays on 5 on 3's, and we're going to wince more than a few times as Malkin gets comfortable at the point on the power play. We're going to wince way more often than that when we watch Goligoski and Letang get turned around or caught out of position or just not quite be able to do something that we've seen Gonchar do as a matter of course. And yet--the team in October won't be the same as the team in April.

Given last season, of course, I'm hopeful, but the season can go a ton of different ways, and the bottom line is the Penguins have to do what they did against Toronto tonight on a frequent basis against teams of a much higher caliber than the Maple Leafs. It should be a fun ride to see what they can do and how they do and who steps up to do it.


-Oh, and one last thought? Speaking of fun rides, the evolution of Marc-Andre Fleury from "kid with potential" to "goalie who makes the big save" and is congratulated on his postseason work by Martin Brodeur, that's just great. Here's to hoping Fleury continues his upward curve, and that a few of his teammates join him in creating upward curves of their own--to becoming peak players at their positions/within their roles, and in so doing, win lots of games...because, after all, winning is the name of the game. (And, yes, it's fun to beat any Canadian team on Hockey Night in Canada.)

Whitney, Letang, and Young Defensemen

As a recent news report made clear, Ryan Whitney was apparently dealing with a foot injury last season. I'd rather not debate the merits or particulars of Whitney playing while injured or the fact that he apparently did not share the details of said injury with the coaching staff. I don't even want to discuss the timing of his surgery (you can check lots of other Penguins sites for discussions/arguments/commentary about each of those issues). Rather, I'd like to discuss how Whitney performed and was treated last season, and then I'd like to turn my eyes upon Kris Letang, who may or may not be asked to step in and fill the void left by Whitney's absence.

First, let's talk about Whitney last season. He wasn't great by any stretch of the imagination. He didn't produce as much offensively as he had the previous season, he didn't play the body as much as is typically expected of a man his size, and he even got called out by Coach Therrien for costing the Penguins a regular season game. And yet Whitney still had a few of those moments that made you pause and see why he'd been given that 24 million dollar contract. His response to being called out by Coach Therrien, for example. Or that wonderful performance in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Finals--fifty minutes of high quality play to be expected from a top-pairing defenseman.

In contrast to Whitney's virtuoso Game 5 performance, Kris Letang, the other, young, offensive Pittsburgh defenseman, wasn't even dressed for that game. Letang had played solid defensively during the regular season, and he was a regular season shootout star. But the Red Wings took advantage of his inexperience and his youth, and Letang never regained his place in the lineup for the duration of the Cup Finals. And to be sure, it was Letang's first full season out of junior hockey; he's a few years younger than Whitney.

And yet the things Letang and Whitney share (despite how many parties want to dispute which player has more talent, and again, you can read these disagreements/discussions/arguments/conflicts elsewhere) include youth, inexperience, and talent. They're both young players. They're both still relatively inexperienced professionally (Letang, of course, being much greener than Whitney as this juncture of their careers). But the most important trait they share is talent. And the most important thing for the Pittsburgh organization to do is to develop and deploy that talent in a way that will be of the most short and long-term benefit both to the player and to the whole organization.

What does needing to develop Letang in a way that benefits him both now and in the future but also benefits the organization both now and in the future actually look like in reality? Especially given the reality of Whitney's injury? Well, it could mean that Letang gets all of Whitney's power play time. It could mean that Letang is entrusted with more ice time and more responsibilities. It could be that he is set free to roam, to play "his" offensive game, to pinch as needed, and to take risks. And this seems to be what most fans are anticipating. And given their love affair with the shiny Letang (one I shared, and one shared by the Doctor himself, Hockey HOF member Paul Coffey), they expect this to be a good thing.

And who knows. It very well could be a good thing for Letang to assume Whitney's minutes. It could be a great thing for his long-term benefit and development. But in the short-term, as Penguins fans who have watched Whitney throughout his career have to know, and as any fan who's had to watch a young defenseman learn the NHL game, please be aware that when Letang's playing that many minutes, suddenly unprotected, you're no longer going to love him every second. He's going to make mistakes. He's going to have to learn through experience. Hopefully he learns quickly. But no matter how talented he is--and I believe he's very talented--he's not going to have the poise about making the perfect play for that precise situation which he may one day possess.

And, then, when, to protect the team in the short-term, but also to protect Letang's long-term development, the team deploys Darryl Sydor, or someone else, to take some of Whitney's minutes, I'm probably going to have to remind myself to take a deep breath and not to shriek or scream or demand that Michel Therrien get a clue. Because, at some point, Letang may need to watch. The way Whitney needed to watch a penalty kill when he wasn't helping on the penalty kill. I am not saying it will be necessary with Letang, who's obviously a different player than Whitney, but it might be necessary.

It's wonderful, great, and grandiose to expect kids to perform at All-Star levels when they first arrive in the NHL, but truth is, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin are the exception, not the rule. And for offensive defensemen, honestly, it's twice as hard. They have to find the right mix of creating scoring chances for their own team without allowing the other team scoring chances. Even for kids who possess a skillset that makes Paul Coffey rave, it takes time and development.

So, I guess I want to counsel myself, and like-minded Penguins fans, to have some patience with Letang. To think about both short-term and long-term benefit to the organization and to the player.

Just kindly link to this post the first time I want to scream that Therrien needs to put Letang back at the point on the power play or the first time I want to scream at Letang when he's on the ice for three goals against in a game.

And be aware that many, many other times, will follow after I have my initial screaming/sighing (or more likely in my case blog ranting fit) about Therrien's refusal to use Letang as I feel he should or my frustration with the still-to-be-honed-and-harnessed areas of Letang's game.

In the meantime, enjoy that SCF Game 5 performance of Whitney's, and remember that it came after lots and lots of screaming/blog ranting about both Therrien and Whitney.

Sometimes it does all work out in the end--so hopefully that's the case for Therrien, Letang, and Whitney next season.

It Already Feels Different
It's a New Season

Empty Netters recently posted a video of Game 5 of the 2008 Stanley Cup Finals. If you're in the mood for a hockey fix, as I was, that high-quality video is definitely a potential cure.

That said, as I fast-forwarded just to key in on some beautiful moments from a Pittsburgh perspective, it occurred to me that watching this game already felt different. For one, I knew the outcome, and not just the outcome of the game. I knew the Red Wings would win Game 6 in Pittsburgh. More than that, though, I knew Marian Hossa would depart for the Red Wings in the offseason. And I knew, too, that players who were a key part of that team: Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, and the back-up goalie who played a huge role in the regular season if not the actual postseason games, would not be Penguins in the upcoming season.

And I didn't have the hours I made available to watch that game a couple months ago--when I didn't care about the three hours (barely, sort of) of sleep I got due to an early morning appointment but really didn't care about the four to five hours of sleep I missed by staying up until the beautiful end to that contest. Because, really, when you know the outcome--well, it's not the same as watching a 3OT playoff game the first time, that's all there really is to it.

Yet the video is still great, still grand, and yeah, not to be too over-the-top, but it's still got those glimpses of playoff glory. And yet watching, all I felt was, this is just a little too fresh. Too fresh because I can't expect this same team to materialize on the ice for training camp within a few weeks.

The same team won't be gathering for training camp. Oh, the stars are still there, all kids, all a year older, and all with the experience of having come to the very cusp of clasping the Cup, who now know what it takes to get to the Finals, even what it takes to win a triple overtime game in the Finals, but who haven't yet experienced the sheer magnificence of a Cup win in all its glorious grandeur. And basically what I felt as I stared at the video is only a little different than what I feel when I watch a video of that wonderful quadruple overtime win in 1996 or Game 1 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals. It was great. It was wonderful. But it is in the past. And to be blunt, it's history.

Last season is now in the history books. And watching Game 5 of the 2008 Cup Finals, it occurred to me, there will first be 82 regular season games for the Penguins, none of which will go beyond a 5 minute overtime and a shootout. And there will be a different team, different players...

And yet, the bittersweetness of that victory. The thrill of silencing the Red Wings faithful screaming they wanted the Cup--if only for a night. The wonder of that night. And the hope that next season will bring greater glimpses. And, perhaps, eventually, at season's end, celebration of a championship.

But it will be with a different team. With different players comprising that team.

In the meantime, we can enjoy that Game 5 video. So long as we don't expect to see Game 5 exactly replayed next season. Because it's now in the past, and yes, indeed, relegated to where the past belongs: history.

And very soon, the season begins anew.

Random Thoughts



--I haven't blogged in a LONG time (busy with work), but to get back in the flow, some bullet points seemed in order. Especially given the fun and excitement and energy the NHL trade deadline provides.

--In a few recent games, the Penguins have developed what might be charitably called "bad habits." I might call these habits "dangerous." I'd also call them deadly poison to any hopes of a long post season run. Among things a team that fancies itself a Cup contender shouldn't do in the playoffs:
-Relinquish two goal leads.
-Relinquish three goal leads.
-Rely on your goaltender to save 50 out of 52 shots (no, I don't care how bad the shots were, that's just way too many shots to make your goalie stop).
-Take careless penalties.
-Take mental breaks or vacations for periods of time throughout games.
The Penguins would be advised to stop these bad habits immediately in order to prepare for the postseason. I might like to swat them with a rolled up paper of last year's playoff box scores and say, "Don't!" But, whatever works. Just stop the bad habits and keep winning.

--Fans who read through the above list and take a peek at the standings will no doubt note that the Pens managed to earn points in every game in which they kept doing foolhardy things like falling asleep and relinquishing leads and experiencing mental lapses of varying severity. As much fun as it is to watch a team that's often good enough to win on talent alone, it's also scary. And yeah, sometimes it's scary good. But more often, it's scary bad...scary bad because...you're doing that now...but, in a 7 game series...well, really...Maybe one game you pull that off? But four in seven? You really think that's going to fly? Really?

--I have been spoiled for most of my life as a hockey fan. I was a kid when Mario Lemieux was in his prime. I was a teenager when Jaromir Jagr was in his prime. I got to watch the best player in the world, supplanted by the best player in the world...and now I get to watch 2 of the best players in the world on my same team, yet again? It's almost too good to be true (mind you, I am not asking the fairy tale aspects of my hockey team end any time soon, as I surely appreciate what I get to witness). But Evgeni Malkin has been phenomenal to watch...and how awesome is it that when one of the best players in the world is out of my team's lineup, my team has a replacement who can play at the same otherworldly level? (That's a rhetorical question, but wow....yeah, all I can say is, of course I'm spoiled, and I absolutely love being spoiled.)

--Reading over deadline day deals, it occurred to me that the "new" NHL has changed the landscape. A lot. Players have the opportunity to make a lot more money a lot more quickly than they did in the "old" NHL. While I'm sure this is a topic that will be worthy of further consideration (though preferably minus hand wringing over whatever my Penguins will do with "so much" young talent--I just plan to appreciate it for as long as my team has it, and I advise all hockey fans to do the same), right now I'm just wondering about it in terms of "going for the Cup." In the past, younger, more inexperienced players weren't necessarily expected to be the core players on Cup contenders, and if they were, they were typically extremely talented and supplanted by savvy veterans in significant supporting roles. And yet, with the structure of the new NHL, I'm wondering: How much faster are younger players going to be expected to be THE players? And how much does that have to do with how the game has changed to favor speed and skill? In any case, it's food for future thought. Or another blog post.

Is Chemistry a Concern?
Nope.
What About Reality?
Hmm...
Welcome to Reality

Among the most interesting reactions to the Hossa trade today was the concern for the "chemistry" of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Because, as Pittsburgh fans well know, Colby Armstrong is a hilarious guy, and Erik Christiansen seemed to be another well-liked member of the team. And, really, these guys were close-knit; how else do you explain them winning like crazy sans the league's reigning MVP and scoring champion (I'd contend they're winning due to having an "understudy" who can also play the game at the same rarefied scoring champ/MVP level, but that's a whole other tangent for another blog post, so I'll stop digressing for the moment)?

However, chemistry is not the issue. Not in the short-term and not in the long-term. You say, "Say what" Because, even those who love the trade and are excited about a genuine top flight winger for the first line can at least admit that chemistry, on some level, however minor or major, matters.

To which I say: Nope. Not for this group of Penguins. Chemistry isn't the issue. Reality, however, is, and reality, in this case, means growing up--but not in the ways we've come to think of players "maturing."

The young Penguins were hit smack-dab with reality today. With the reality of the NHL where your friends and teammates get traded, and it's part of the game...part of the business. Where a guy who helped you win games, with whom you hung out playing all kinds of crazy tricks, with whom you came up, is no longer part of your team's future. No longer someone who will be there when you (if you're lucky enough to) lift the Cup.

On some level, all hockey players get this aspect of the game, even relatively "young" ones--trades happen in the major junior leagues, and players leave teams at lower levels than the NHL. It happens.

Yet in the short and long-term, chemistry's just the wrong word for what concerns this group of still young, still otherworldly talented Penguins. Reality hit home today, and you could see the shell-shock of that reality check in much of the game against the Islanders (a game which the Penguins somehow won despite being outshot by a ridiculous margin, something which they need to stop making a habit of if they hope to advance in the postseason, and yet again, I'm going to have to stop digressing). The short-term shock of, "Oh, it's not a joke...friends and teammates and good players really do get traded, and it happens to OUR team." And while the Pens are all professionals, for some of the kids, it could be the first time they're experiencing such a feeling in the NHL.

Which brings me to a long-term concern about reality as it pertains to the kids who, as Shero's move today and ownership's approval of the move signifies, are no longer regarded as kids for whom the future is at some nebulous point in the distance but in the present. Today there was a lot of discussion about the salary cap and the business of resigning or not resigning Hossa, being able to sign our other young players as their entry level deals expire, if Hossa was a rental, etc.

But here's my reality question: I knew trades like today's would happen (though, of course, I was completely taken aback by this trade) eventually. Yet, I also know what happens when trades like these happen. Because I've seen it happen in the 20 plus years I've been a hockey fan. Young players learn the "rules of the game" and learn that the rules of the game are really the rules of the business. They learn to accept player trades as something that occurs, they learn no team stays together forever, and they learn--on an individual level--how to look out for themselves in the business.

My concern about future reality isn't to be cynical and jaded and to say that the current crop of young Pittsburgh hockey stars isn't going to want to remain in Pittsburgh. But it is to say that when reality crashes home, as the rules of the business are learned by the kids, the kids don't just grow up on the ice. They grow up off the ice, too. And some may be about the business of winning Stanley Cups, or of establishing them as a key cog on a Stanley Cup contender, or of making as much money as possible...(and I don't know who's about what, and I'm not trying to insinuate that I do, or make any erroneous assumptions about any player, and that's actually not a digression). But the bottom line is: For the youthful Penguins players, reality changed today. Reality changed in the form of a GM saying:
Your time is now...and, oh yes, in addition to your time being now, this form of reality (your friends and teammates being traded) is part of that reality.

Welcome to the grown-up world of reality, young Pittsburgh Penguins.

And as for us concerned fans? May as well just enjoy the whirlwind that comes from watching children grow up--and note that whirlwind will span the gamut from great to good to awful to bad to merely mediocre moments...but here's to enjoying reality. On what, hopefully, may become a long postseason run.

Memos after a 2-2 Record


Sergei Gonchar: It's October. It's hockey season. While I know your reputation as a traditional slow starter, I just thought I'd send a memo.

Ryan Whitney: Your split stats from last season were interesting. Despite my summertime speculation, I hope you, too, aren't going to get smacked with the label of "slow starter." Anyhow, anytime solid positional play, tape-to-tape breakout passes, and power play assists, want to happen would work out quite well for this fan and your team.

Toronto Maple Leafs: Seriously? You want to play run-and-gun with the Pittsburgh Penguins? You want to give the Pittsburgh Penguins fifty shots? I'd venture to say the Rangers and Senators, alone of Eastern Conference teams, should consider running-and-gunning with the Penguins. Seriously, if you're trying to win games, though, I'd suggest opting against shootouts with the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Maxime Talbot: Dude, I love you. While you're on pace for an insane amount of goals right now, if that scoring touch you had in junior materializes at the NHL level, let's just say that Maxime Talbot suddenly having a scoring touch makes an already potent offense much more potent.

Defensemen: Despite the NHL's obstruction crackdown, checking is still allowed, and so is body contact. While I realize a couple of you have had success as "finesse" and "offensive" d-men, applying some physical contact to prevent forwards from crowding the crease in front of your goaltender would be appreciated. Any day now would be fine.

Marc Andre Fleury: I know playing behind the Pens' defense (if it can be called defense) is frustrating. You've seen scoring chance after scoring chance rather than just shots that aren't high percentage scoring chances. Anyhow, this is just a reminder that you did win 40 games last season playing behind pretty much this same group. Just thought I would remind you of that.




A Special Memo for the Coaches:

The Power Play

Issue 1: Personnel.

Quick question: What do Jordan Staal, Gary Roberts, and Petr Sykora have in common?
Quick answer: They're not being used on the 1st team power play unit.
Quick answer 2: Each player would take up WAY MORE SPACE in front of the net than does Mark Recchi. If you are hoping for a puck deflection against a legitimate number 1 NHL goalie, you have a greater chance to get that if you can screen the goaltender. Common sense, coaches.

Issue 2: Strategy.
Quick question: Name the All-Star level players (offensive skill speaking) on your team's power play unit.
Quick answer: Well, we could have five potential All-Stars on our team's 1st team power play unit.
Quick question: How about allowing skilled and creative players to use their skill and creativity on the power play in such a way that opposing teams are dominated through sheer skill?

Seriously, if what it takes is the coaches turning the players loose and saying, "You figure this out" (and don't knock it, it's been known to work with some pretty talented players in the past, including the team's current owner), then do that. But there is no excuse for a team with the level of personnel the Penguins have to have such a putrid, uncreative power play. Fix it, and if you, the coaches, don't know how to fix it, ask your players for input. I have this inkling their skill level should let them intuit certain things that could result in actually converting power play opportunities into goals (and no, not shorthanded goals against, which, by the way, you have already given up far too high a number of those particular goals).


Issue 2: A Reminder for you, too, about last year

You want the team to know that last year was last year. They're not the only ones who need to know that. Here's the thing. Teams are gunning for you. That means they will match lines, Mr. Therrien, and you need to respond when they do match lines. (This is not just preparation for the playoffs; this is in order to ensure your team can still make the playoffs.)

This also means something else that the Ottawa playoff loss revealed an issue with: adjustments, or, more specifically, the lack thereof. Frankly speaking, despite wanting to blame a loss or two on the Penguins not playing a complete game or believing their hype too much, the harsh truth of the matter is that the teams weren't prepared, as necessary, for those games--and preparation doesn't merely fall upon the players. When a team with the offensive talent Pittsburgh boasts doesn't win, there is a problem--and it's not a problem with personnel that clearly has shown the ability to put the puck in the net. You have to know what to do with your personnel--meaning putting your players in a position to succeed, giving line combinations a chance to gel, and actually matching defensive pairings with the appropriate lines and yes, at times, even matching lines--because other teams are gunning for you, and you had dang well better respond if you want to continue to coach such a talented team.

Issue 3: Who'd you start on HNIC?

Um, seriously, if your number 1 goalie is your number 1 goalie, he plays every game, especially when you're playing a game every three or four days. Your number 1 goalie managed to win 40 games playing behind a defense that was pretty average (if not, at least if statistics are to be believed, below average) last season. Until the time comes for your number 1 goaltender to rest or (hopefully not this season) heal from an injury, he plays every game. There's a reason your number 1 goalie is your number 1 goalie: he's the guy who currently gives you the best chance to win your games. And I do believe that your team's won-loss record last year was one of the reasons you were nominated for the Jack Adams at the end of last season.

A Memo to the General Manager

Re: Shut-Down Defense

While I definitely understood your limitations when it came to budgeting (you overpay monetarily for Chris Pronger and very few other defensemen), you have to know that your team isn't equipped for success against certain teams (let alone playoff success, because you have to beat those certain teams just to make the playoffs) with your defensive pairings as porous as they currently are? You still need a shut-down defenseman, and your need for him is being revealed pretty starkly. At some point, you might want to exchange one type of defenseman for the kind of defenseman your team sorely lacks. I don't know when that "at some point" will present itself to be, but this is just a warning to you: be on the lookout. Please. Pretty, pretty please.

(Also, no one ever would have expected Paul Coffey to play shut down defense. It wasn't his game. Expecting an offensive defenseman, albeit one nowhere near Coffey's elite level, to play shut down defense is called not putting a player in a position to succeed. And if that's what you're expecting, well, you're setting yourself up for disappointment--and problems.)

P.S. It was only one game, but seriously--I'm still not comfortable with your back-up goaltender. I'm hoping he and you prove me wrong. If you don't, well, you might have some work to do in terms of finding another additional player (along with the shut down defenseman who's needed).


To Everyone

RE: Thank you

Complain as I might about various issues, some urgent (playing better defense), some not (certain players will definitely score this season), last night's game against the Maple Leafs reminded me just how much fun it is to watch all of you do your thing. You're still the best show in hockey, and you're my team, and when you win games playing your way, well, you're just so much fun to watch.

So keep the offensive fireworks coming, continue with the show, and as you keep playing your game, I'll look forward to you learning how to buckle down on defense as well.

Again, thanks for the wonderful entertainment and the best show on ice.


Random

RE: My Eyes Deceive Me?

Stealing from Sports Illustrated, this week's sign the Apocalypse is upon us: The New Jersey Devils won a 6-5 game. The New Jersey Devils. Can we expect another 6-5 game this Wednesday? (I can only dream.)

Brief Interjection

The good thing about groin injuries, most specifically Angelo Esposito's groin injury, is that this way Pittsburgh hockey fans are not psychoanalyzing the play of an 18-year-old kid in games against other kids.

Here are some samples of what I'm missing out on this week.

He made a bad pass! He's not NHL ready!

Wow, slick hands! I'm licking my lips imagining him on Crosby's wing this season.

He doesn't understand how to play defense. There is no way, with that lack of defensive awareness, at his age, that he will ever be a productive NHL player.

Phenomenal play! He'll be a star!

Sutter benched him! He's gotta be a prima donna with an attitude problem.

Invisible on the ice! He's got bust written all over him.

Much as I did want to get my first look at my team's most recent first round draft pick in actual game action, I'm actually rather relieved I'm not listening to Pittsburgh hockey fans, or really, the diehards who are so hard-up for hockey they play with proxies for hours in order to watch hockey in the middle of the summer (and yeah, I usually count myself as one of the diehards) over-analyze Esposito's every play (the way certain others have already started to do with the other player who free-fell in the draft, the Rangers' Cherepanov).

Truth told, I know it's the Super-Series. I know hockey players play to win games and that the Canadian players are fighting for a spot on this year world junior squad. That being said, however, these are hockey games played in August. (Warning for sarcasm impaired: Snark forthcoming.) Fans jumping to conclusions and making lifelong career projections should at least save that exercise until these prospects line up against mature NHL talent in training camps. As for me, so long as Esposito's groin heals by training camp, I'll view the injury as a blessing in disguise--saving me, like all the other fans watching their team's prospects with eager, hopeful eyes--from eying every tiny play intently, and thinking aloud, through incessantly blogging, which tiny plays proclaim "boom" or "bust."

Now, about those other two types of fans. My baseball team's sudden surge of apparent competency has confounded me to the point of not yet composing those posts that I expect to be rather lengthy but hopefully, also, at least slightly amusing (if only amusing to me). To whet your appetites, however, ask yourself: Am I a squeamish hedge-my-bets moderate who swings both ways and is best described as incredibly indecisive, or am I a hard-nosed, harsh, cold cynical realist who is best described as seeing the negative in everything and in a word accurately labeled as a doomsayer?

If you've read this blog, you can probably guess where I best fit among the two remaining fan types. But rest assured: rather than read previews, predictions, and rankings of the top players in the game (so many other people do that so much better than I ever could, excluding The Hockey News, but more on that if and when I deem it a worthy blogging topic), you'll instead be able to read how the indecisive/hedge-bets-always moderates who can't make up their minds about anything and the cynical, hardened realistic doomsayers view their teams' chances this year. Again, of course, from the perspective of my team's home division, the Atlantic.

In the meantime, however, maybe I'll use that proxy. And waste time analyzing every other team's prospects. But then again, how is time spent watching the most fabulous sport in the world* ever wasted when one gets to see real hockey games played in August?

(*Apologies aren't necessary to other sports, but I feel the need to point out something that should be very evident. In succession, I have watched Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, and Sidney Crosby star for my team. Each player, provided Crosby stays healthy, will be regarded as among the best of all-time, and as the best player of their respective generations. When one watches such talent play, the utter fabulousness of the sport of hockey shines above all else--and I can only hope the NHL's marketing department clues into this fact sometime soon, too. But I digress, as usual, and that's a post for another day. But hockey season is right around the corner, and that's, plainly and simply and absolutely, fabulously fantastic.)

Fan Typology
Fan Type Number One: Fanatical, Delusional, or Just Plain Crazy?


In the midst of the long, lazy summer sans NHL hockey (a continuing theme, I realize), I have arrived at a--wait for it--yes, indeed--a serious conclusion. The vast majority of fans are often pretty much delusional when it comes to discussing and defending their favorite team.

How did I reach this conclusion? you ask. Well, sans actual games to watch, I've been reading various Internet items. (Never a good idea. I realize that, but until the actual games arrive, I don't have a real remedy for that problem.) In the NHL world, it is amazing how many fans of teams (cough, in the Atlantic Division, cough) want to defend their favorite team's at best mediocre defense corps. In the world of other sports, I've been astounded by fans who see hope for the future in a AAA baseball player who's nearing thirty and by NFL fans who somehow see a chance for their obviously rebuilding/mostly talentless team to contend for a division title.
(To spare your sanity, I won't link to the sites that offer such deluded fan commentary, but suffice to say, if, like me, you fritter away too much of summer reading on the Internet, you're likely to have come upon much of this delusional commentary yourself.)

As I pondered fan bases that seem to be overly optimistic and in my humble estimation thus delusional, or charitably, fanatical, I came to realize that I stumble across the rantings/opinion/equivocations of three types of fans in my online reading. For your summer enjoyment, I present to you the first type of the three fan types.

Fan Type #1: The Delusional and Overly Optimistic and Overly Defensive Fanatic
Description: You know this type well; in fact, I'd venture to say that the Delusional Fanatic is the most common fan to post rantings (or writing, depending on your perspective) in defense of their team. This is the fan who makes it very clear that while his or her team is not perfect, his or her team is simply superior to most other teams. At times, you are baffled at the logic (or more often complete or seeming lack thereof)of this fan. But there is no denying the emotional power and pull of this fan's arguments in defense of his team.
Hockey Examples: In the spirit of a Pittsburgh Penguins fan, I'll use Atlantic Division examples, and I'll even use one per team, and just for kicks, I'll start with my own team.

The Pittsburgh Penguins: The Penguins have the best player in the world in Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal are so precocious and preciously unique that they will each add 30 points to their respective rookie scoring totals. Ryan Whitney will compete for the scoring lead among NHL defensemen, and so will Sergei Gonchar. Marc-Andre Fleury, despite what all the naysayers say, won 40 games last season, and he can surely do that again and probably win more games given his team's offense. And as for the team's much-maligned defense? Obviously, while not of the Pronger-Niedermayer variety, what other team has a defensemen scoring duo like Whitney and Gonchar? Also, Kris Letang and Darryl Sydor will look like Pronger and Niedermayer or at the very least two near-All Star level defensemen when compared to Joe Melichar and Rob Scuderi last year. The Pens will have so much puck possession that in-zone defensive coverage will rarely, if ever, be a problem. Oh, and expect Angelo Esposito, AHL All-Star Jonathan Filewich, and Petr Sykora to contribute at least 90 additional goals to the Penguins. Expect that just like last year, the Penguins will never suffer from any unfortunate injuries. And just to put the Penguins over the top, Gonchar's scoring prowess will so astound Mike Milbury, who ends his brief tenure with the NHL on NBC to become the new GM of the Anaheim Ducks after Brian Burke has a heart attack after sneaking a peek at Kevin Lowe's planned offer sheet to Ryan Getzlaf that Milbury will be glad to unhand Chris Pronger's salary to Pittsburgh in exchange for Sergei Gonchar and a 35-goal-scorer but now expendable fourth line center Erik Christiansen. (Yeah, okay, I made the part about Mike Milbury up, but the rest, including 35-goal-scorer and 4th line center Erik Christiansen, accurately sums up the beliefs of the delusional Pittsburgh fanatic.)

The New York Rangers: Do you know how good this team is? Let me tell you how good this team is. This team is led by two 600 goal future Hall of Fame wings who want nothing more than one last Cup victory. You have a team with Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan, and you just know that team is going to win. Jagr is going to beat Crosby and Thornton for the scoring title while remaining perfectly healthy for the entire season, and Shanahan will pot at least 40, but hopefully 50 goals. Chris Drury and Scott Gomez will fit in immediately and find chemistry with Jagr and Shanahan, respectively. Petr Prucha will return to his rookie season form and score 40 goals. King Henrik will finally win the Vezina he's so deserved. In addition to a phenomenal top six that will spend all their time in front of the opposing goaltender, the Rangers will have the league's best power play and the league's best goaltender. And for all the stupid Hockey News wants to talk about the Rangers' bottom six, the Rangers' bottom six are full of talent. While not playing as many minutes at the top 6, the bottom six forwards will contribute to the team by providing a timely goal at the right time--and lots of timely goals in addition to playing solid positional defense. The team will be well-coached by Tom Renney, who will have to make small adjustments for the various tiny, minor injuries that might hit any of the New York stars during the season. And as for the Rangers defense, well, it's not Niedermayer-Pronger, but again, who is? The Rangers are above average defensively even without their offensive prowess, and Hugh Jessiman's sudden ability to score at the NHL level will prompt Mike Milbury, the new GM of the Anaheim Ducks after Brian Burke falls into a coma after screening upcoming offer sheets, to accept Jessiman and 2 future first round picks in exchange for Chris Pronger at the trade deadline. (Author's Note: Hmm. Curious how Chris Pronger would be the cures for these "above-average" defenses that, admittedly, still lack a Chris Pronger. But the rest of the entry stands.)

New Jersey Devils: May I remind you who runs the Devils? That's right. Lou is a genius. No matter how many coaches he hires and fires, Lou is always a genius. No matter losing Brian Rafalski or Scott Gomez, the Devils will continue to do what the Devils have done for the past twelve years: The Devils will win, win, and win. The Devils will win because Martin Brodeur will break his own record for games won in a season despite the newfound presence of Kevin Weekes as his back-up goaltender. The Devils will win because Zach Parise will score all the key goals New Jersey needs at critical times. The Devils will win because they will be coached by an iron-fisted solid coach. In spite of the loss of key talent, the Devils will endure because of the system, Brodeur, and Lou--and that system is infallible. The Devils will take the division because the power of that trio--the system, Brodeur, and Lou--beats out any offensive firepower offered by other Atlantic teams.

The Philadelphia Flyers: Unlike their cross-state rivals, the Flyers will not wait to pile up once-in-a-generation draft picks to rebuild. No, the Flyers will be playoff contenders for certain and Cup contenders by season's end. The addition of Daniel Briere will be a boon as Briere will challenge for the league's scoring title. Additionally, Briere's presence will help Philly youngsters such as Carter, Lupul, and Harnell to score at least 120 total goals and to fulfill all their promising potential this season. Simon Gagne will capture the Rocket Richard trophy, and having endured injuries last season, the Flyers will not have to endure injuries or sophomore slumps this season. Additionally, Stevie Downie will be, surprisingly to non-Philly fans, one of the most formidable youngsters in the league. The Flyers, in their two summer blueline acquisitions, finally gained a legitimate number 1 pairing on defense, and as such, now have by far, the best defense in the conference, which is supplemented by the presence of Derian Hatcher, who excels at penalty killing. Goaltending, which has been a consistent Achilles heel in recent seasons will no longer be a problem due to the presence of trash-talking Martin Biron, who was stuck behind Ryan Miller in Buffalo but who will win the affection of the Philly fans for his ability to stop the puck as a number one NHL goaltender should. In sum, the Flyers have youth poised to break out, superstars in Briere and Gagne, legitimate number one defensemen, and a bonafide number 1 goalie. How can they not be considered superior to Pittsburgh, which still lacks number one defensemen and a reliable goaltender or to New York, who certainly doesn't have the defense necessary to contend? You've got to pencil in the Flyers for taking the Atlantic Division crown and then, at worst, advancing to the conference finals in the playoffs.

New York Islanders: Say these two names with me. Rick Dipietro. Ted Nolan. Rick Dipietro. Ted Nolan. Repeat. Repeat. That is all you need to know about why the Islanders can't be counted out of the Atlantic Division race, either. Rick Dipietro could be the best goaltender in the league, and the Islanders will be coached by Ted Nolan. And sure, other teams made "flashier" signings. But we made signings, too. We have Bill Guerin and Andy Sutton. We have reliable veterans who will be able to play the game the right way. And beyond that, our coach is going to ensure we play the game the right way. We will be pesky and win games you'd say we have no business winning because our coach knows how to coach and our goalie can stop the puck so much that we'll score just enough to be able to win a lot more games than we lose. So we don't have the flash-and-dash of the Pittsburgh or NYR's offense or the legendary Brodeur or a whole conglomeration of potential combustible elements that the Flyers do--we know what we have, a coach who knows how to win and a young goalie who's among the best. Expect the playoffs, at least, and from the playoffs, who knows what happens with a great coach and a hot goalie?

A Pause to Reflect on the Delusional Fanatic
Wow. That was an interesting exercise. If the delusional fanatics of Atlantic Division teams are to be believed:
1.) The Penguins and Rangers are both going to break team and potentially NHL scoring records.
2.) Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan are going to leapfrog still more people on the NHL all-time scoring list. Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Esposito, Whitney, and Letang are going to set record numbers of punditry tongues wagging about being this century's version of the 1980's Edmonton Oilers.
3.) All the Atlantic-Division starting goaltenders will win at least 40 games, and 40 games at bare minimum. Every Vezina Trophy nominee will come from the Atlantic Division.
4.) Speaking of awards, the Atlantic Division will sweep every major NHL award.
5.) The Atlantic Division will be known as the healthiest division in all of professional sports, where important players want to go to ensure they never suffer long-term or serious or even minor but aggravating injuries that hurt the team and impact performance.
6.) Every team in the Atlantic Division will make the playoffs, and Pierre McGuire will be absolutely correct when he predicts that the winner of the Stanley Cup will be an Atlantic Division team.


My Own Final Thoughts: In most rational moments (which, believe it or not, is most of the time when it comes to evaluating hockey, anyhow), I am clearly not a delusional fanatic. While I certainly believe that all teams will suffer from injuries, that the defensemen NYR fans so defend is the reason their team lost to Buffalo when Jagr had clearly shown exactly how Buffalo could be beat, that at some point in time the Devils' system will result in merely above average play rather than excellence, that the Islanders strike me, at best, as a team that will be an annoying pest simply because they're the team of Al Albour and David Volek (oh, painful history there), and that the Flyers are an interesting experiment that requires every element to combine (and I doubt they all will) to achieve excellence--it's probably best that I defend my claim that I am not a delusional fanatic with thoughts about my own team, which can easily be found by perusing the archives of my blog.

For example: I have stated Letang will make rookie mistakes, I have feared sophomore slumps for Malkin and/or Staal, I have feared long-term injuries to critical players, I have critiqued 2006-07 Jack Adams candidate Michel Therrien for his in-game strategy, and I have stated I think the Penguins could finish anywhere from atop the NHL to atop the Atlantic Division to home ice advantage to a low playoff seed to just out of the playoffs.

Thus, having said all that, am I the second type of fan or the third type of fan? Stay tuned.

ROSTER THOUGHTS AND TURNOVER

The roster of the Pittsburgh Penguins at the start of the 2006-07 season.

The roster of the Pittsburgh Penguins at the end of the 2006-07 season.

The roster of the 2007-08 Pittsburgh Penguins on August 8, 2007.

Notable Summer Additions to the 2006-07 roster: Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal,Mark Recchi, Jarko Ruutu, Nils Ekman, Dominic Moore, Ronald Petrovicky, Mark Eaton, Kristopher Letang, Michel Ouellet

Notable In Season Departures from the 2006-07 roster: Kristopher Letang (back to junior), John Leclair (retirement), Dominic Moore (traded)

Notable In-Season Changes to the 2006-07 roster: Max Talbot, Erik Christiansen (recalled from Wilkes-Barre), Gary Roberts, Georges Laraque (acquired via trade)

(Note: I didn't deem Chris Thorburn, Alain Nasreddine, or Joel Kwiatkowski, all that notable, nor is Noah Welch listed as "notable" for the mere fact that he wasn't on the big league roster at the start of the 2006-07 season.)

Now, for the 2007-08 season, what we know thus far:

Notable Summer Additions: Petr Sykora, Darryl Sydor (acquired via unrestricted free agency), Dany Sabourin, and (probably) Kris Letang

Notable Summer Subtractions: Michel Ouellet, Josef Melichar, Nils Ekman, Ronald Petrovicky, Jocelyn Thibeault

One guarantee comes with a NHL season, and that is this: The exact Pittsburgh Penguins team that begins the 2007-08 season will not be the same team that concludes the 2007-8 season. Player personnel will change.

So, for the moment, without offering my own commentary (there will be plenty of time for that later this summer), here are some questions for thought.**

1.) Will any players "surprise" in training camp and unexpectedly (a la Jordan Staal and Kris Letang) make the big league roster? Of those players, who will remain in the NHL the entire season? Who will be a contributing member to the team throughout the entire season?

2.) Which Wilkes-Barre players may not make the team out of training camp but will carve out permanent positions on the NHL team by season's end? How and when do you expect this player or players to find their way to Pittsburgh? Where will they find their niche?

3.) Will any veteran player, a la John Leclair, unexpectedly find themselves traded or out of the game entirely? How, when, and why will this occur?

4.) Which "piece of the future" (a la Noah Welch last season) may end up being sacrificed for the "present of the playoffs"? Who will be likely to go, and for what type of return?

5.) Who will be the most pleasant surprise (scoring-wise, e.g., think Staal's 29 goals of a year ago)? Who will fail to meet expectations (scoring wise, think Colby Armstrong's failure to score as he did when first alongside Crosby in 05-06)?


** In answering such questions, please accept that "no one" is an acceptable answer. Please also refrain from inane Malkin/Staal proposals (I know it's summertime, but really, it's nowhere time for such a trade at this point in the team's development). Likewise, please refrain from daydream trades (example: Gonchar + 2 tier-2 prospects=Shea Weber or Chris Pronger). Amuse yourselves merrily in the midst of summer.**

Oh, and one more *bonus* question, just for kicks:

The Penguins can obviously not afford to lose Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury for any length of time. After the league's MVP and the team's starting goaltender, who can the Penguins LEAST afford to lose to an injury for an extended period of time? (I think I tentatively say Ryan Whitney, but I'll continue to ponder that question as well as my rationale for my tentative response.)

THE NHL AND PERFORMANCE ENHANCING DRUGS

This article prompted a conversation with the ice hockey-playing sibling(henceforth known as IHPB). His insights into the matter are more beneficial than mine (snark: though, of course, as a blogger, don't doubt that I'll share my own thoughts as well).

IHPB clearly says, in hockey-player speech, as well as his own natural bluntness, that Dick Pound is a "know-nothing douchebag," or the very near equivalent. Yet rather than expound on Dick Pound, IHPB offers one reason why professional hockey players could choose to take performance-enhancing drugs.

Primary Reason: IHPB explains that performance-enhancing drugs aid in recovery time. "When you're playing four games in seven nights," he explains, "and you've been thrown into the boards countless times by six foot four 230/240 pound guys, your body gets abused." IHPB explains that certain types of performance-enhancing drugs aid the body in recovery time and allow players to work out the same muscle groups repeatedly to maintain the strength and muscle necessary to endure a long season. Not all steroids, IHPB says, fall into the same stereotype of making players adding too much weight, and IHPB says he doesn't doubt that a small minority of professional hockey players do use performance-enhancing drugs "but nowhere near the percentage in baseball" or certain other sports.

In addition to offering the explanation that hockey players could benefit from performance-enhancing drugs in order to aid the body's recovery time, IHPB also notes that it's likely a very specific type of hockey player who would be taking performance-enhancing drugs. IHPB is certain that professional superstars are not taking performance-enhancing drugs, and he is likewise sure that goalies (where flexibility is so important) have little to gain from performance-enhancing drugs and thus don't partake. IHPB sees "enforcer-types as well as borderline fourth line players" as those players most likely to be taking performance-enhancing drugs. Old-style power forwards (e.g. ones who couldn't skate), as well as enforcers who don't have much skill aside from fighting, and players who take the body but provide little else to the game, are seen by IHPB to be the "1 to 2 guys per team" who could, possibly, be using performance-enhancing drugs.

Given that perspective from someone who's been playing hockey for nearly as long as he's been alive, I must now add my own thoughts (snark: the thoughts of a mere blogger). I don't doubt that certain hockey players have used performance-enhancing drugs. Yet, like IHBP, I also believe that those hockey players who have abused performance-enhancing drugs to be a small minority of NHL hockey players. I also firmly believe that, due to changes to the game in the new NHL, that the NHL players who could benefit from performance-enhancing drugs are a dying breed.

IHPB pointed out that many current fourth line players (at least on good teams)do not fit the stereotypical mold of unable-to-skate and just-bang-the-body. In today's game, even fourth line NHL players must be able to skate and keep up with the play without resorting to old-NHL interference tactics that were once unenforced. Likewise, in today's game, even the mold of a power forward is changing. A power forward, in addition to being able to stand in front of the net and create space, must be able to skate and skate well. Even the old-school shutdown defenseman, who once merely had to take the body, must be able to skate and skate well in the new NHL. All of these changes to the overall NHL game necessarily make it less likely that NHL players would use performance-enhancing drugs--as the NHL players who once would have most benefited from such drugs are less and less likely to find a place in the new NHL.

On the whole, like IHPB, the NHLPA, the NHL, and unlike Dick Pound, I don't believe that performance-enhancing drugs are a major problem in the NHL or are ever likely to become a major problem in the NHL. Most hockey players are like IHBP in that they work out devotedly, use old-fashioned therapeutic devices such as Advil, ice, and Icy-Hots when healing their sore bodies, and watch their diets in order to ensure they maintain weight and muscle mass. Like IHPB, most professional hockey players are in great shape, but like IHPB, many also have body builds, when seen off the ice, that make it obvious, "There is no way he is juicing!" While professional hockey players, unlike still-amateur IHPB, have access to fancier therapeutic devices such as cortisone shots, etc., the fact of the matter remains that most hockey players do not need to use performance-enhancing drugs. Goaltenders don't need steroids, and neither, really, do hockey stars who eat right, train right, and have access to legal devices that help to aid recovery time.

To be frank and honest, I think it's more likely the NHL would have a problem with too many alcohol abusers than with too many player using performance enhancing drugs. (Caveat: As previously noted, so long as drinking doesn't negatively impact a player's on ice performance and so long as players never get behind the wheel of a car while impaired, I accept that hockey players can drink with the best of them.) E.g., alcohol abuse will become the NHL's main drug problem before steroids ever do, and reckless on-ice and off-ice behavior is probably of more danger than either steroids or alcohol. Whether Dick Pound likes it or not, that's the nature of the sport of ice hockey, as seen from those who, unlike Dick Pound, have some knowledge of the sport that is ice hockey.

Split Statistics and Conclusions

James Mirtle had a fascinating post up recently. Take a gander here and and here. Now onto the fun of analyzing these statistics, drawing conclusions about said statistics, and making predictions--coupled with warnings--about those predictions.


THE PITTSBURGH DEFENSEMEN ON THE SCORING LEADER LIST

Sergei Gonchar

Pre-All Star Game: 8th in scoring among d-men with a minus 8 plus/minus.

Post All Star Game: 1st in scoring among d-man with a minus 1 plus-minus

Analysis/Conclusions: Historically a slow starter, if only Gonchar's statistics are analyzed, his offensive production increased, as is typical for him, in the second half of the season. It should also be noted that as Gonchar's offensive production improved, and as his plus minus rose (still negative, however), so, too, was he playing for a team that was winning far, far more often than it lost. On a much improved team, Gonchar had better statistics.

Predictions: Expect Gonchar to be Gonchar. He will produce offensively while making you wish the Penguins had other defensemen who could play defense in such a way that Gonchar's average defense is not a liability. Gonchar is not in the same league as the elite defensemen in the league. He is primarily a power play quarterback who is adequate defensively when not asked to go out of his element and play a shutdown defensive role. Unfortunately, due to Pittsburgh's lack of shutdown defensemen, Gonchar is often forced into a role (e.g. killing penalties, number 1 minutes) that doesn't maximize the strength he would obviously have on a team where other defensemen could be relied upon to play shutdown defense.

Warnings: Gonchar is and always has been a slow starter, although last year's slow start was nowhere close to the slow start of 2005-06. Expect Gonchar to improve his offensive output to mirror the production of the team that surrounds him, and expect that output to improve later in the season. Also, expect Gonchar to be Gonchar: an elite power play quarterback but not, unfortunately, an elite two way defenseman who could realistically contend for the Norris Trophy.



Ryan Whitney

Pre-All Star Game: 15th in d-man scoring, plus 3

Post-All Star Game: 2nd in d-man scoring, plus 6

Analysis/Conclusions: Like Gonchar, Whitney improved his play as the season progressed. Like Gonchar, Whitney's improved play no doubt reflected the improvement of his entire team. Unlike Gonchar, however, Whitney was consistently a plus player despite seeing many of his minutes come on the power play. While it's probably not wise to leap to conclusions based on 1 full season's worth of statistics, Whitney's plus/minus would state that he is already better defensively than Gonchar. And given Whitney's size and how he did, on at least one occasion this past season, use that size to clear someone from the front of the net (much to the shock of a certain segment of the Pittsburgh fan base), Whitney may yet have the potential to evolve into an almost-elite two way defenseman, probably a notch below the elite talents of those like Lidstrom, Pronger, et. al, but more than just a mere power play specialist. Also, Whitney's statistics and age prompt a question: Is he a "slow starer," a la Gonchar, or was he just a young defenseman whose play naturally improvement as he gained more NHL playing experience?

Predictions: Expect Whitney still, on occasion, to have momentary lapses that remind you he's on the youthful end of that $24 million extension he signed summer. Expect those lapses to be far less frequent than they were in the 2006-07 season. Expect Whitney to play to his offensive strengths, and expect those offensive strengths to tower over occasional defensive miscues. If the rest of the Pittsburgh team performs at a first-place-in-Atlantic level, expect Whitney to be a plus player, an offensive stalwart, and a player whose two way skills will begin to evolve--and get noticed around the NHL.

Warnings: Whitney had wrist surgery this summer. While he should be fully healed by training camp, it might not be realistic to expect Whitney to start out 2007-08 the way he ended 2007. Then again, considering Whitney was racking up all those points when Pittsburgh personnel knew full well that his wrist wasn't fully healthy (like Crosby's deal with the broken foot, I suspect Whitney was told that playing with the injured wrist wouldn't risk more permanent damage), it's fun to imagine what a fully healthy Whitney might do. Bottom line, however, is this: Surrounded by a dynamic cast of players doing their scoring thing, Whitney is on the verge of being an All-Star offensive defenseman. In order for that cast of offensive stars to do their thing with aplomb, Whitney's outlet passes have to get them the puck



THE DYNAMIC DUO

Evgeni Malkin

Pre-All Star Game: 52 points, plus 4, 17th in overall scoring

Post-All Star Game: 33 points, out of top 20 in overall scoring, minus two

Analysis/Conclusions: At some point, something caught up to Malkin. Perhaps it was conditioning. Perhaps it was exhaustion. Perhaps (going far to into psycho-analysis) it was the fact that when other players stepped up (e.g. scoring began to be more evenly spread throughout the roster), Malkin didn't score as frequently as he initially had. I tend to side with conditioning having caught up to Malkin, though I do wonder if he--while clearly capable of being a dynamic superstar--might be one of those superstars who does, occasionally, need to be reminded that yes, indeed, he is a superstar and is expected to score as a superstar should.

Predictions: Expect Malkin's output to match his conditioning and preparation level. Secondarily, expect Malkin's output to coincide with his mental knowledge/physical acknowledgment of the fact that he has superstar talent and should score as a superstar should. More than anything else, Malkin probably needs strength and conditioning to get accustomed to the long, physical grind of the NHL season. I tend to believe that Malkin's scoring will take care of itself so long as he is in prime physical condition. However, Malkin must never "sit back" merely because the Penguins are Sidney Crosby's team. Pittsburgh fans who remember the 95-96 season remember how fun it was to watch two teammates compete for a scoring title--and Malkin must know that, soon enough, he will be expected to rank among the NHL scoring leaders and yes, to challenge Crosby for the scoring title.

Warning: Various Russian newspapers have spoken of the adventures young Mr. Malkin has had this summer. Since I took French in school, not Russian, I don't spend as much time scouring the Russian news media as I do the French-Canadian media. I also tend to distrust Russian tabloids a little more than I distrust, for example, major Quebec newspapers. That being said, however, if Malkin fails to be properly conditioned--whether at the start, middle, or end of the season--look out, Loretta, except in a negative way. More so than his head being screwed on straight, Malkin must be properly conditioned in order to perform well. (Though, of course, comes the caveat that if Malkin's head is screwed on straight, he will know the importance of proper conditioning.)


Sidney Crosby

Pre All-Star Game: 72 points, plus 13, 1st in overall scoring

Post All-Star Game: 48 points, minus 3, 2nd in overall scoring

Analysis/Conclusions: Crosby started the season incredibly well. He also took advantage of the Flyers on a few occasions to pad his beautiful scoring totals. (Many other elite players did the same thing against vastly inferior opponents but weren't able to score as many points as was Crosby. Crosby scoring many points against Philadelphia is praise for doing what the best player in the world should do rather than a dismissal of his feats). After the All-Star game, as checking tightened and teams were eager to make the playoffs, Crosby didn't score as frequently as he had prior to the All-Star game. Perhaps carrying Recchi and Malone on his wings for most of that time didn't exactly help his second-half scoring output (which was still 2nd overall in the entire league). Basically, however, I attribute Crosby scoring more in the first half than the second half to two basic things: 1.) Crosby didn't have the same caliber of linemates as did other superstars (take a gander at those ranked near him in scoring and I'm fairly certain there was at least 1 very good to great player flanking those other scoring leaders). 2.) Crosby played on a broken foot late in the season--and whether fans like it or not, injuries don't improve the productivity of most players, even once-in-a-generation superstars.

Predictions: If Crosby stays healthy throughout the season, even without a very good linemate, he should still likely win the scoring title (especially given his power play playmates). If Crosby stays healthy and gets one very good line mate, expect him to start gunning for 100 assists. If Crosby should suffer an unfortunate injury (e.g. one that lingers for three weeks or a month), one that he can't consistently play through, expect some of those other elite players to pass him in the NHL scoring race, especially since those players, more than likely, will be playing alongside very good players.

Warnings: Crosby is the best player in the league, but the NHL still boasts other elite players. Certain elite, far more experienced players, should rightfully be expected to challenge Crosby for the scoring title. If Crosby stays healthy and has one very good linemate, look out, Loretta, in a positively phenomenal way. If Crosby suffers an injury that lasts longer than three to four weeks, expect him to have more difficulty capturing individual honors--and expect his team, predicted by so be a "lock" for the playoffs, to find themselves closer to the outside of the playoff race than perched on top of the Eastern Conference standings.

So, wow--that was some fun statistical analysis. What do these statistics, pre and post All Star Game, reveal to you in terms of conclusions, predictions, and warnings? Why?

*Afterthought: Both Crosby and Malkin were minus players after the All-Star break in spite of the Penguins 14-0-2 unbeaten streak coming after the All-Star game. Thoughts as to why this was the case? (I also tend to the side that says, in this case, plus/minus for these two was moot point so long as the team was winning games and accumulating two points in the standings for each game played, but nevertheless, the statistic strikes me as curious.)*

French-Canadian Newspapers are Awesome


Granted, that headline might be a tad misleading. And it's not just French-Canadian newspapers that are wonderful. So, too, is the magic of google translation. Look at how I can keep informed as to what my Penguins are doing this summer:

Penguins, a question of chemistry


They were ten players of Penguins de Pittsburgh to have accepted the invitation of the trainer Michel Therrien to the Club of golf the Mirage, Thursday. Last summer, the day had especially gathered Québécois players. For this second edition, of the guy as Ryan Malone were added to the group with the suggestion of the captain Sidney Crosby.

Sidney Crosby believes that Penguins must maintain the chemistry which reigns within the team.

“For us, it is important, affirms Therrien. One really believes that there is a beautiful chemistry within our formation and this kind of chemistry, it should also be maintained.”

“It is a beautiful occasion to see the guy and to have pleasure. It is also important to meet the new players. It can only be good for the team," believes Crosby.

“That will give me the chance to meet the players before going to the camp and to be more at ease. That will make good,"is delighted Angelo Esposito, the choice of round first of the team last June.

The Penguins young people developed a team spirit which makes the desire of several clubs of the national League. Marc-Andre Fleury seemed particularly glad to find Dany Sabourin, which returns to Pittsburgh after one season to Vancouver.

“It was my choice to return with Penguins," launches Sabourin. "It was to play more matches and I will have some more than the year spent while playing here. Therefore, I crossed another stage in my career.”

Last year, Pittsburgh knew one season beyond all waitings. For 2007-08, Sidney Crosby with the Stanley cut in his test card.

“The good athletes will force the note to reach this kind of objective," notes Therrien."On the other hand, the first priority is to make the eliminatory series, which would be already a beautiful achievement. It is necessary to be realistic, we have a young formation, but we are more in confidence for camp of drive which approaches than on similar date last year. Confidence is the principal difference between this year and last year.”

“It is sure that environment will be different this year because we will have the pressure to gain and to finish first. It is a pleasant pressure," believes Maxime Talbot.

At its second season in the NHL, Crosby was dominating. One can even say that it eclipsed its rival Alexander Ovechkin.

“The comparisons will be always there between me and the other players. I must only remain concentrated on my play and to contribute to successes of my tea," was satisfied to say the principal interested one.

Crosby in is already with its second stay in less than one week in Quebec. The 87 also envisages to go to Rimouski by the end of the summer.

Thanks to the magic of google translation and the Internet and of course the French Canadian media that actually reports on hockey (or at the very least the rather Quebecois flavor of the Pittburgh team) throughout the summer, we learn some very interesting things from this article.

EDIT: To read a clean translation (not google) and to see video, too, check out the August 8th entry at the Sidney Crosby Show.

To summarize:

1.) The Penguins had good chemistry last season and want to maintain that chemistry.

Example: Look, even a few of the non French-Canadian players came to Therrien's golf event! The children clearly enjoy each other's company, which hopefully continues to bode well for team chemistry.

Opinion: Good chemistry generally lasts as long as a team wins. Losing too often tends to mar chemistry, though good chemistry, hopefully, can prevent a couple of losses from turning into a huge tailspin of a lengthy losing streak.



2.) Marc-Andre Fleury is happy to have Dany Sabourin as his back-up, and Sabourin is happy to be in Pittsburgh. (Incidentally, while googling, I discovered the fact that Jocelyn Thibeault was sad to leave to Pittsburgh.)

Opinion: The only thing I want Fleury and Sabourin to do is stop the puck enough to win games. Provided they do their jobs of stopping the puck well enough to win games, I'll be delighted they're both happy to be in Pittsburgh. If they don't do their jobs well enough to win games, I, along with many others whose opinion actually matters (snark: unlike a blogger's), will be far less than delighted, and I'm guessing, Fleury and Sabourin will be unhappy rather than happy.


3.) In addition to being concerned about team chemistry, Therrien apparently believes his team will be more confident next year.

Opinion: I agree with Therrien that is good to be realistic about having a young team. Confidence, while a nice thing to have, doesn't mean hogwash until confidence is backed up with on-ice performance, a fact with which Therrien and his players appear to concur.

4.) The Penguins, first and foremost, must make the playoffs next season (this is now an expectation). Beyond that, however, Talbot's comment is interesting. Talbot speaks of the "pleasant" pressure of being expected to "finish first" (which I presume to mean first place in the division rather than first place in the overall standings, although one never knows with these precocious Penguins).

Opinion: I'm glad Talbot speaks of the pressure of increased expectations as "pleasant" which is a comfort to me. But I wonder how "pleasant" those raised external and internal expectations will become during the times--and they will occur, although we don't know how often yet--when the team fails to meet those increased expectations.

Opinion Two: It's excellent and a realistic reminder to ensure that your first goal remains to make the playoffs. It's a step of progress when you can acknowledge that, in addition to obviously meeting the first goal, that you want to finish first in your division. When it comes to goal-setting, at the moment, I approve.


5.) While I still doubt Angelo Esposito makes the roster this season, he did get to hang out with those who may some day be his teammates.

Opinion: I'll leave it to others to psychoanalyze Pittsburgh's most recent first round draft pick, but suffice to say I think it is beneficial for young players to come to a team that has shown a recent history of placing young players in situations that are most conducive for their on-ice success.

And, of course, I could end my analysis with this article by analyzing Crosby's statement, but the fact of the matter is, whether speaking English or French, Crosby says the same thing in the same exact way. And that statement, while never rarely said in these exact words, is this: "I want to the best I can possibly be, and I want my team to be the best." And for a player who just turned twenty years old, that's a phenomenal attitude, and one for which Pittsburgh fans must never fail to be grateful.

As for me, well, remind me to read the French hockey media more often--it's tons of fun, and I'm guessing, in season, it could be just as fun to get the Quebecois perspective on the Penguins. For the remainder of summer, however, just expect me to link to articles such as this.
To whet your reading appetite, assistant coach Andre Savard's comments help to explain why I desire for Pittsburgh prospects to be in the organization's care full time sooner rather than later (and on a side note, it truly is wonderful to be able to make that previous statement).

For today, however, I will close with how I feel about the French hockey media in the midst of a far too lengthy offseason:

Je vous adore. Merci de l'information et des entrevues sur les joueurs d'hockey pendant les vacances d'été.