At the Break (Not the Leg Kind)

The “official” midway break in the season is here and it’s time to look at what has happened to the Pittsburgh Penguins and what needs to happen. First a look at where the Pens stand in the league. With a home record of 11-11-2 and 12-10-2 away from the Mellon Arena, they sit at slightly above .500, just barely average. And that sums up how they have played. Average.
Out of the playoff picture in tenth place, it is way too easy to blame their lack of success to the injuries they have had to key players. There were fewer emergency runs to M.A.S.H’s medical tent during its total time on the air than what the Penguins have had to endure. But, that happens every season and although it is a factor, there a few more that can be controlled. Such as the special teams’ play. With the talent that is on the ice, a 22nd ranking and a 16.7% conversion rate on the PP is asinine. Combine that with a 23rd ranking on the PK, you can see why it is called “special”.
The other big factor is the goaltending which went from near the tops in the league to slightly better than having a kid with a stick in goal. Again, the talent here suggests the goalies should be able to steal a game or two. Marc-Andre Fleury has just begun to look like his pre-injury self so that good news may help in the second half. Mathieu Garon, a proven veteran backup, could help push Fleury to being a steadier player.
And now the injuries. With key players having the time to rest and recuperate, the second half should be more of what the Penguins thought the whole season would be like. Gonchar and Whitney on the points, Crosby, Malkin and Stall passing and shooting like they know how to. Yes, shooting. It’s become a dirty word again in the Steel City. Shooting is where the puck leaves a player’s stick and has a chance to hit the 4’ X 6’ area between the bright red pipes that are at either end of the ice, just a refresher course in case any Penguins read this. (And it’s NOT the shooting done by the former VP, better aim and away from friends is required.)
So, will Pittsburgh be in the playoffs at years’ end? Probably. Too much has gone wrong for it to continue the same way the rest of the year. They may not win the conference or the division, but they may be able to make some noise and play two or more series in the post season.

All-Star Stupidity

With the NHL all-star game being played this week, it is time to talk about all things techno and the all-star selections. Selecting the players who are thought to be the best in the league for the first part of the season, is a hard task in itself. But to leave it to the mindless masses that we are, and then toss in technology, and you have a system gone bonkers.
It was bad enough that in the baseball voting you used to be able to go ballparks, grab 100 paper ballots and poke out the “chad” of your choice and stuff the balloting with the players of your choice. At least this method took some work, patience and a fair amount of dedication or stupidity. You REALLY wanted to vote if you took the time to do that. But now we have the internet and the text messaging cell phones which allow you to vote until your little heart desires or you hit that “maximum of 100 text messages per phone” limit is reached.
Are we THAT impressed with numbers that we need to multiply our votes by 10, 20 or even 100 just to see bigger totals for our favorite players? Has “American Idol” taken over society so much that we need to mimic their every idea? And as for the text messaging, you didn’t even need to vote for a player, but you could vote for a team and all of that team’s players would receive a vote. Talk about laziness. And yes, I felt a little guilty voting “PENS” knowing there were two defensemen on the ballot that never even played a single game! Don't get me wrong, I love technology. But in the hands of fanatic voters, it's a nightmare.
And then there is the players selected by the masses. Of the 12 players starting the game, there are only four teams represented!! Are these four teams that dominate that the other players around the league “need not apply”? I’m tired of hearing “that’s who the fans want to see”. Most fans want to see the best, not the most popular. I’m sure the fans of the Red Wings, Sharks, Rangers, and Sabres are wondering how their teams are in first place without at least one starting all-star player among them.
Let’s leave the voting to the fans, but let’s take away the ability to vote numerous times, and for teams instead of players. We may still see some “home cooking” on the selections, but at least we won’t see more votes going to a player than there are people in the world.

But He's JUST the Coach!!

It has been a while since I've last posted, due to a variety of problems and things happening in my life. But I need to get back to what I like to do and that's talk hockey. So let's start with all this crap about the Penguins needing to change their coach to change their fortunes.
Stupidest idea I've heard in a long time!! Here's a guy, Michael Terrien, who takes a team that was not expected to go past the first round of last year's Stanley Cup Playoffs, to within two wins of taking home the silverware. Now that the team is struggling with poor play, injuries and a tough schedule, it's time to lop off the head. King Henry plays for the Rangers, and isn't working for the Penguins. Why is it when a team isn't performing up to it's standards, the first solution is remove the coach? Because it's the EASIEST thing to do. Not the BEST thing.
What the Penguins should have done in the preseason was to get titanium bodies fitted for each player so that there would be far fewer injuries. Or maybe they could have asked the Hockey God to give then an easy schedule, say play the Senators (sorry Dan), Islanders and the Thrashers 40 or so times this year.
What I see is an organization that years ago was criticized for not having a very good farm system, be able to call up far too many players, who have come in and kept a strong team, very solid. I see a coach who has to figure out, sometimes within games, how to juggle his lines because someone else gets hurt. I see a TEAM that is learning the hard way to stick together when the going gets tough.
What I really see is a good head coach, massaging his team's heart, making it stronger for the time when his team is intact and ready for the grueling playoffs. What I don't see is panic.

Thank God for that.