The Swamp

Every season for every team is a soap opera, but the Penguins seem to turn their soap operas into mini-epics. There's something about this collection of players/coaches/management that inspires drama. They have two of the biggest stars in the world, they're one of the league's glamour teams, and they have as many detractors as fans. Throw in early playoff exits, and a lot of digital ink is spilled over these guys.

The drama this season has started early. They've lost their first three games in an uninspiring way, and the 'Fire Coach Johnston' talk has already started. (That wouldn't be unprecedented; Ivan Hlinka was fired four games into the 2001-02 season.) Fans and media are no longer afraid to rip Sidney Crosby. Evgeni Malkin has always taken a lot of abuse.

The sell-out streak is going to end soon, perhaps as early as tonight, the Home Opener.

And today, in a sure sign that autumn is here, the team announced the Beau Bennett is injured again. I would list all of Bennett's injuries over the years, but I'm only allowed 60,000 characters per post. Here's an example of Bennett's luck: Remember that big Mumps outbreak in the NHL? Bennett got sick even tho he was unable to play at the time because of a knee/ankle/shoulder/whatever injury.

But Phil Kessel scored his first Penguins goal last week, so they have that going for them.

If Kessel and Crosby stay together, I think they'll eventually figure each other out and take off.
I've heard people say Crosby has been driving to areas where he would normally be thinking shoot-first but has been instead looking to set up Kessel, which totally sounds like a Sid thing to do.
Whoever wins the cup this year is going to have a 3 game losing streak sometime during the season, so over-reacting in October (say firing the coach) is not a sign of a well-run organization.

travzilla wrote:...not a sign of a well-run organization.

Well, sometimes I have my doubts that this is a well-run organization. (The way they handled the Shero/Bylsma firings really soured me.) Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle are looking to sell the team, by the way. They're not very far along in the process, and this is an under-reported story so far, but the Penguins without Lemieux is going to be strange.

I'm watching tonight's game, and the Pens look very, very good. Controlled play thru-out the entire first period. David Perron, who has been one of the main whipping boys so far, had three great scoring chances. Kessel had a nice shot. This could easily be a blowout already, but Craig Anderson is keeping Ottawa in it. Fleury has made a couple of big saves for Pittsburgh. Scoreless thru 1. Pittsburgh leads in shots, 16-6.

huzzah

Sid finally scored.

Did some other cool stuff and didn't score:
https://vine.co/v/e9YOJUZ7XeJ

rass wrote:Sid finally scored.

A goal, 2 assists, and 9 shots. And he got into it with Jagr. Really wish I could have seen it, but some idiot forgot to turn the cable box on to record the game.

Daniel Sprong missed yesterday's game. Had to go back to Canada due to visa issues. Still not sure what's in his future. He's an 18-year-old rookie who has been playing very well, but Dupuis and Fehr will be joining the team soon, so there might not be enough room for Sprong beyond his nine-game look-see.

Since I started this thread, the Pens have won three straight games, so the panic has died down a little bit. Of course, there's still talk that 'they're not winning the right way,' or whatever.

Letang continues to do everything, piling up crazy minutes every game.

I listen to Pitt sports radio sometimes as I like to hear information on the local professional football team. They were crushing the Kid for a while yesterday. They even brought up that he was like 416th in total points (tied for everyone else with 0 points).

Jerloma wrote:I listen to Pitt sports radio sometimes as I like to hear information on the local professional football team. They were crushing the Kid for a while yesterday. They even brought up that he was like 416th in total points (tied for everyone else with 0 points).

Yeah, he got a free pass here for years, but that started to change a bit a couple of years ago, and it's been ramped up this season. Fans and media like to complain about stuff, and Sid is the most visible target, so I guess I can understand it. It is weird, tho. Maybe they'll lay off now that he's put up a few points.

Sid should get a free pass. People get used to a guy and they forget he is a generational talent.

Funny thing out here in the Bay Area, on a similar note. Towards the end of Joe Montana's tenure in San Francisco, the media and many fans were crucifying him regularly and baying for Steve Young to replace him. But, you'd never know it now that that is decades in the past. The reverence for him is palpable, and it is as if nobody ever, ever criticized him.

A_B wrote:

Everyone knows that a Kessel is a measure of effort, not effectiveness.

sancarlos wrote:Sid should get a free pass. People get used to a guy and they forget he is a generational talent.

From everything that I hear/read, Crosby has the same personality and work ethic now as he did when he came into the league 10 (!) years ago. I guess people want him to be different because he's The Captain. I love hearing fans complain that he's not a good locker-room leader. Like, how the eff would a fan know that?

bapo! wrote:

sancarlos wrote:Sid should get a free pass. People get used to a guy and they forget he is a generational talent.

From everything that I hear/read, Crosby has the same personality and work ethic now as he did when he came into the league 10 (!) years ago. I guess people want him to be different because he's The Captain. I love hearing fans complain that he's not a good locker-room leader. Like, how the eff would a fan know that?

Have they won since Billy G left the ice?

Case. Closed.

rass wrote:

bapo! wrote:

sancarlos wrote:Sid should get a free pass. People get used to a guy and they forget he is a generational talent.

From everything that I hear/read, Crosby has the same personality and work ethic now as he did when he came into the league 10 (!) years ago. I guess people want him to be different because he's The Captain. I love hearing fans complain that he's not a good locker-room leader. Like, how the eff would a fan know that?

Have they won since Billy G left the ice?

Case. Closed.

The Pirates haven't won a World Series since they got rid of Brian Bixler.

bapo! wrote:

rass wrote:

bapo! wrote:

sancarlos wrote:Sid should get a free pass. People get used to a guy and they forget he is a generational talent.

From everything that I hear/read, Crosby has the same personality and work ethic now as he did when he came into the league 10 (!) years ago. I guess people want him to be different because he's The Captain. I love hearing fans complain that he's not a good locker-room leader. Like, how the eff would a fan know that?

Have they won since Billy G left the ice?

Case. Closed.

The Pirates haven't won a World Series since they got rid of Brian Bixler.

I thought the Pirates had the curse of Johnnie Ray.

Pascal Dupuis will be in the line-up tonight, earlier than expected. He's barely played the past couple of years because of blood clots and a knee injury. Hugely popular with fans, media, and teammates. Can't wait to see him.

Daniel Sprong will not play tonight. He skated before practice this morning, but did not practice with the team. No word on any injury. Looks like a healthy scratch to make room for Dupuis, but who knows?

May as well use him all 82 then go with the backup when it counts.

I'll be at the Air Canada Centre for the Penguins-Leafs game on Saturday. My wife is hosting in the company's box, so no matter who wins, the game will be liquor-ific.

rass wrote:MAF finally gets a night off.

Nice to get a win when Fleury has the night off. I wish that they would let him rest more often. (They overplayed him last year, too, but he was still good in the playoffs.)

So, the Pens have won 6 out of 7, including road wins over Nashville and Washington, yet there's still a lot of grumbling about the team. But Crosby had a couple of assists last night, and the team scored a power-play goal, and those are two of the biggest concerns. Maybe everybody can chill the eff out for a couple of days.

Edit: Whoa, they gave up 53 shots on goal vs. Buffalo last night?! Yikes.

To follow-up on a couple of earlier posts:

It was reported a couple of days ago that Daniel Sprong would be staying up beyond his nine games. That could change, of course. His ninth game will be on Saturday. I'm sure that there's debate about what's better for his development: playing 20 minutes on the first line in the Quebec league, or 9 minutes on the bottom line in the NHL. But he can help the team now, so it's not all about his development. And his role could change as the year goes on.

I mentioned Beau Bennett's mysterious injury last week. It turns out that he injured his arm while celebrating a goal. Yeah. That's pretty much the most Beau Bennett thing ever. (He scored again vs. Washington on Wednesday.)

Pruitt wrote:I'll be at the Air Canada Centre for the Penguins-Leafs game on Saturday. My wife is hosting in the company's box, so no matter who wins, the game will be liquor-ific.

Any time the Pens play the Leafs, especially on a Saturday night, I feel like I'm sharing that experience with a lot of people I like: dozens/hundreds of hockey players who grew up in Ontario, The Kids in the Hall, Emily Haines/Metric/Broken Social Scene/Stars, The Rheostatics, The Tragically Hip, Jane Siberry, Loreena McKennit, Alice Munro, Lorne Michaels, Malcolm Gladwell, Pruitt, etc. (Not receiving votes: Justin Bieber.) It's a weird feeling, thinking that a forgettable October game that I happen to be watching means so much to some people.

bapo! wrote:Edit: Whoa, they gave up 53 shots on goal vs. Buffalo last night?! Yikes.

I was listening to the game on the radio for a bit last evening, and Bourque was just killing Letang. In a "he's a Norris candidate, he's better than this" kind of way, but still. I haven't been able to sit and watch an entire game yet (the couple of kid-less opportunities I had I fell asleep during the third period) so I don't have any sort of feel for the team yet. 81 looks great in highlights at least.

rass wrote:

bapo! wrote:Edit: Whoa, they gave up 53 shots on goal vs. Buffalo last night?! Yikes.

I was listening to the game on the radio for a bit last evening, and Bourque was just killing Letang. In a "he's a Norris candidate, he's better than this" kind of way, but still. I haven't been able to sit and watch an entire game yet (the couple of kid-less opportunities I had I fell asleep during the third period) so I don't have any sort of feel for the team yet. 81 looks great in highlights at least.

I'm watching the game now. As I was reading your post, I saw Letang look, um, ineffectual on a Buffalo goal.

Buffalo outshot Pittsburgh 24-4 in the third period, so maybe Johnston's tactics changed once the Pens had a two-goal lead. I don't know if giving up 24 shots in a period with your back-up goalie in net is the best strategy, but they got away with it.

bapo! wrote:

Pruitt wrote:I'll be at the Air Canada Centre for the Penguins-Leafs game on Saturday. My wife is hosting in the company's box, so no matter who wins, the game will be liquor-ific.

Any time the Pens play the Leafs, especially on a Saturday night, I feel like I'm sharing that experience with a lot of people I like: dozens/hundreds of hockey players who grew up in Ontario, The Kids in the Hall, Emily Haines/Metric/Broken Social Scene/Stars, The Rheostatics, The Tragically Hip, Jane Siberry, Loreena McKennit, Alice Munro, Lorne Michaels, Malcolm Gladwell, Pruitt, etc. (Not receiving votes: Justin Bieber.) It's a weird feeling, thinking that a forgettable October game that I happen to be watching means so much to some people.

Unpopular opinion alert: the new Bieber songs aren't awful.

Yes, I feel dirty for typing that.

bapo! wrote:

rass wrote:

bapo! wrote:Edit: Whoa, they gave up 53 shots on goal vs. Buffalo last night?! Yikes.

I was listening to the game on the radio for a bit last evening, and Bourque was just killing Letang. In a "he's a Norris candidate, he's better than this" kind of way, but still. I haven't been able to sit and watch an entire game yet (the couple of kid-less opportunities I had I fell asleep during the third period) so I don't have any sort of feel for the team yet. 81 looks great in highlights at least.

I'm watching the game now. As I was reading your post, I saw Letang look, um, ineffectual on a Buffalo goal.

Buffalo outshot Pittsburgh 24-4 in the third period, so maybe Johnston's tactics changed once the Pens had a two-goal lead. I don't know if giving up 24 shots in a period with your back-up goalie in net is the best strategy, but they got away with it.

Couldn't watch the game because I was at the Avs/Bolts snoozefest, but I expected more from Buffalo. Pittsburgh played the night before, had the backup goalie in, Bylsma returns, Buffalo on more rest, etc., yet the Sabres still shit the bed.

govmentchedda wrote:

bapo! wrote: Buffalo outshot Pittsburgh 24-4 in the third period, so maybe Johnston's tactics changed once the Pens had a two-goal lead. I don't know if giving up 24 shots in a period with your back-up goalie in net is the best strategy, but they got away with it.

Couldn't watch the game because I was at the Avs/Bolts snoozefest, but I expected more from Buffalo. Pittsburgh played the night before, had the backup goalie in, Bylsma returns, Buffalo on more rest, etc., yet the Sabres still shit the bed.

Like bapo! said, 24-4 in 3rd period shots. That's not shitting the bed. Sometimes it just isn't your night.

And funny about the Letang comments. That sounds exactly like a Brent Burns description out here in San Jose. Lots of offensive ability, but often forgets to play defense...

sancarlos wrote:

govmentchedda wrote:

bapo! wrote: Buffalo outshot Pittsburgh 24-4 in the third period, so maybe Johnston's tactics changed once the Pens had a two-goal lead. I don't know if giving up 24 shots in a period with your back-up goalie in net is the best strategy, but they got away with it.

Couldn't watch the game because I was at the Avs/Bolts snoozefest, but I expected more from Buffalo. Pittsburgh played the night before, had the backup goalie in, Bylsma returns, Buffalo on more rest, etc., yet the Sabres still shit the bed.

Like bapo! said, 24-4 in 3rd period shots. That's not shitting the bed. Sometimes it just isn't your night.

And funny about the Letang comments. That sounds exactly like a Brent Burns description out here in San Jose. Lots of offensive ability, but often forgets to play defense...

What I should have wrote was, "I had a small bet on those fuckers, and it didn't come in."

govmentchedda wrote:Unpopular opinion alert: the new Bieber songs aren't awful.

Hey, that's great, and it wouldn't surprise me. Still a douche.

You bet against the Penguins?! Teh Disrespect!!

MAF got called for a high sticking penalty.

bapo! wrote:

Pruitt wrote:I'll be at the Air Canada Centre for the Penguins-Leafs game on Saturday. My wife is hosting in the company's box, so no matter who wins, the game will be liquor-ific.

Any time the Pens play the Leafs, especially on a Saturday night, I feel like I'm sharing that experience with a lot of people I like: dozens/hundreds of hockey players who grew up in Ontario, The Kids in the Hall, Emily Haines/Metric/Broken Social Scene/Stars, The Rheostatics, The Tragically Hip, Jane Siberry, Loreena McKennit, Alice Munro, Lorne Michaels, Malcolm Gladwell, Pruitt, etc. (Not receiving votes: Justin Bieber.) It's a weird feeling, thinking that a forgettable October game that I happen to be watching means so much to some people.

A bit grandiose considering the level of play tonight! But man alive, the Leafs could dress six cats in uniforms and they'd still get 19,000 people into the ACC.

To paraphrase a quote - The Leafs couldn't score in a women's prison with a fistful of pardons.

Good God the Leafs are awful. Surprised to see that maybe 2-3,000 of the fans tonight were in Penguins paraphernalia.

I'd hate to upset his coach by possibly whining, but eff Dubinsky.

Malkin is playing ridiculous hockey right now, and I could have posted that statement before last night's game and highlight goal.

rass wrote:I'd hate to upset his coach by possibly whining, but eff Dubinsky.

Malkin is playing ridiculous hockey right now, and I could have posted that statement before last night's game and highlight goal.

Holy shit that goal last night....

BSF21 wrote:

rass wrote:I'd hate to upset his coach by possibly whining, but eff Dubinsky.

Malkin is playing ridiculous hockey right now, and I could have posted that statement before last night's game and highlight goal.

Holy shit that goal last night....

I was at the game last night. That might be the greatest hockey goal I've ever seen live.
And big props to Bapo! for coming out and hanging at Piper's Pub with me and my friend for a few hours. It was great to catch up again.

bapo! is definitely dabest.

rass wrote:bapo! is definitely dabest.

Awwww!

Man, where would the Penguins be without Malkin and Fleury? I mean, yeah, you could say that about every team and two of its stars, but these two are masking a lot of the Penguins' problems.

As for the Dubinsky hit -- it's hard to even get upset about this stuff anymore. It just keeps happening. This is what the league is.

Fleury's 31st birthday was on Saturday, by the way. If he were a bigger star than Chamillionaire, I would have started a thread for him. (Also, WWE part-timer Jon Stewart turned 53.)

Too bad none of you Pens fans will be out west this week. Going to the Penguin-Shark game on Tuesday.

sancarlos wrote:Too bad none of you Pens fans will be out west this week. Going to the Penguin-Shark game on Tuesday.

Malkin had another pretty nice goal last night.

Sabo wrote:Malkin had another pretty nice goal last night.

He scored that goal about two minutes after Joel Ward butt-ended him in the face. No penalty called, of course. I love the version of Malkin that converts anger into spectacular goals, rather than dumb penalties.

I've never been higher on Malkin than I am right now. He's a special player.

Yep, Malkin was the best player on the ice last night. And, the guy's strength is impressive. Guys just bounce off him when they try to hit him. Like a young, fit, Douglas Murray, but with, you know... talent!

On the other hand, Sid didn't seem like the Sid of old, at all.