PensUniverse Podcast 4.25/.12

In the final podcast (*tear) of the year we talk about what went wrong but try not to rehash too many of the same opinions of the last few days.  We take a brief look at the off season with some hopeful moves and some more realistic in nature.  We talk about what remains of the NHL and include the usual chit chat about us.

We would like to thank those of you that read our blog and listen to the podcast.  We cannot show how much we appreciate it and love our digital connection over Penguins hockey.  We would like to keep the podcast going and are open to your ideas.  Would you like a live show?  Should we include a reader question every week?  Let us know.  Once again.  Thank you.

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PensUniverse Podcast 3.7.2012

Corey and Doug discuss Mario Lemieux's statue and his day as the Pens beat the Maple Leafs 3-2 (3X2=6).  We address the apparent imminent return of Sidney Crosby and the importance of Kris Letang.  Is his return more important than Crosby's?

We also take a glance at the playoff race in both the Eastern and Western conference and close the show with some observations from the CEC during Monday's game.

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Judging a Book By Its Cover

Last night following the 5-1 Penguins victory over the Colorado Avalanche, Adrian Dater wrote his initial post game reaction for The Denver Post.  Dater has been with the paper since 1991 and has written a book on the Red Wings and Avalanche rivalry.  However, he decided to take the fact that plenty of Penguins' fans showed up to the Pepsi Center to give attitude about celebrating and showing pride in one team.  Obviously many fans of the Penguins are using the term "snarky" to describe the article.

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PensUniverse Podcast 2.22.12

Damian, Corey, and Doug reunite to discuss Penguins hockey with a brief look back at the last month and a look ahead to the upcoming trade deadline.  WIll the Penguins be active?  After Damian catches Doug is a sports Freudian Slip, they also look around the league and talk playoffs.
The discussion ends with a look at the impact of Marc-Andre Fleury.

Questions/Comments/Concerns - email us at podcast@pensuniverse.com or find us on twitter and Facebook.

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My Goodbye to the Igloo - Game 2

My last game ever at the Igloo is something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. However I can't wait to see what is in store at the Consol Energy Arena next year. I fell in love with Pittsburgh and the Penguins as any western Pennsylvania kid would. I challenge anyone to deny how beautiful the Pittsburgh skyline is, especially at night. My hockey night in Pittsburgh began as it always does with my wife Jen. Having a true hockey fan in a wife ranks up there as greatest things ever in my mind. The best part is my soon-to-be-here daughter Charlotte heard everything the Mellon had to offer on Friday.

The Mellon was completely on fire and the passion was unbelievable. Then the first goal by Ottawa, was, well, simply put, STUNNED. I completely fit the description. A few moments later I hear the mock cheer for MAF...are you kidding me? Not here. Fleury has been to back to back Stanley Cups and you mock? Nay, you cheer him, you encourage him But I digress. The good thing was Kunitz got a nice shot off and Sid the SUP87MAN finds the rebound, 1-1. Mellon on fire. Total redemption. Amazing how quickly the crowd turns around.

Then something I felt something I never thought I would feel during a hockey game. I wanted blood. Sutton's hit on Leopold wasn't cheap, real cheap. I don't think he should be suspended, but it was cheap nonetheless. I do think a fine should be in order, and for his sake he should be glad the period ended quickly after the hit. The fans, including myself, wanted payback...pure hatred from 17,132 people. My mind went straight to Adam Graves the way people were yelling at Sutton. Rupp and Talbot tried to get some payback but not what we all wanted.

Sid's save and subsequent dance around the crease was epic and the place went crazy for Letangs goal, so loud, so awesome. The game ended and then I knew it was time to say good-bye. I tried to fight the tears, but couldn't. As my wife and I walked outside a fan from Chicago asked if we could take his pic, we did, and he then took on of us.

My amazing night was over, time to say goodbye to Pittsburgh and the Igloo. I'll be back to the city I love but will miss the building that brought me hockey.

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10 Reasons Jagr Should Return to Pittsburgh...

10. The NHL: You went to the KHL for some big money, so I don't blame you there. But I've read your interviews, you still want to play in the NHL, its your league. You're definitely going to use the Olympics to show the world you still can play. Oh, and by the way, you won the scoring title 5 times in the NHL, all as a Penguin I might add

9. Edmonton Oilers: You have seen their record this year haven't you? At this point are you in it for the money or the glory? When's the last time you raised the Cup? 18 years ago? Just saying...


8. Winger: Not Winger. The Pens need a top 6 winger. I don't see why this wouldn't work. I dream of what a line consisting of Geno, Staal and yourself would look like.

7. Russia: Its just too cold there. Not as cold as the D, but cold enough to make Pittsburgh look warm. And I hear the cost of living is fairly reasonable and the housing market fairly stable. Sid might move out of Mario's this summer too, there's a vacant room.

6. Console Energy Center: The first year in the newest and brightest arena in the league filled with anticipation and wonder. What it would be like to have one of the greatest historical figures in all of Penguins hockey grace the ice for 1, maybe 2 years.

5. Crosby and Malkin: Two of the best reasons a hockey player could ever have. World Domination. You don't really need to be the captain anymore, do you? Sid will do that for you. You've skated along side some of the greatest players, if not one of the best players ever to lace up. A chance to take your skill and experience and mesh it with two of the best young players in this league would be supernatural, nay, majestic.

4. Retire a Penguin: ...and they retire your number. Penguin fans see 2 numbers hanging up there and constantly debate whether number 68 should be up there too. If I had it my way, you know it would be. Don't you want to see the number you wear in honor of the Prague Spring rebellion and your grandfather hung in there too? I think you do...

3. Pittsburgh Redemption: You need to put this whole 'dying alive' thing behind you, we will. Pens fans love you. They see your name hanging high in the rafters night after night and think to themselves, what if? To see you reunite with the fans that loved you more than any city or country would be the ultimate class act.

2. Magical Mullet: I'm not 100% on this but I'm pretty sure the last time you sported a championship mullet was your days with Pittsburgh. I've seen the pictures of you now Jags, you're growing it back. Is that because you have some future plans to go back to your roots?

1. Mario Lemieux: Self-explanatory, though I'll say this: You said last year you owe your entire career to Mario and would play under him for the league minimum, and penguin fans (particularly myself) started to get giddy. We didn't know you felt this way, at least I didn't. A reunion like this would be...wow....You have his number, right?

Sincerely and Unapologetically,

Damian Romano, aka: @Jagrmeister

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Chatting with Ben Lovejoy

Pens Universe recently got the chance to interview one of the Pens up and coming blueliners Ben Lovejoy. Ben has played in several NHL games with the Pens filling in for an injured Brooks Orpik.

I would like to thank all of our readers who submitted questions for Mr. Lovejoy and also a BIG thanks to Ms. Siena Slusser, whom without, this interview would have not happened.


Enjoy!


PU: Did you have a hockey idol growing up? Did he influence your style of play, if so why?
And if not, what player or players do you most likely compare your style to?

BL: Ray Bourque. As a defenseman growing up in New England my favorite player was definitely Ray Bourque. He was so good for so long for the Bruins and it killed me that he never was able to win the cup in Boston. As a younger player he definitely influenced my game. I tried to get up the ice and be as good offensively as he was. Unfortunately as I got older I realized that my game would be a more defensive role - so I don't really compare my style to his anymore.


PU: Do you have any pre-game rituals or superstitions, if so do they differ from being in Pittsburgh or Wilkes Barre?

BL: Lots. Yes.


PU: What were some of the thoughts running through your head when you first got the call you were making the trip to Pittsburgh?

BL: My phone eventually died on the five hour car ride to Pittsburgh. It was so much fun to be getting calls from everyone congratulating you on finally making it. It was the quickest 5 hour ride of my life.


PU: What is the biggest adjustment going from the AHL to NHL?

BL: Filling a different role. Most of the time when you get called up you play a different role. When I am in the AHL I play in every situation and I am constantly on the ice. In the NHL I play less and can go through stretches where I don't see the ice very much. I need to stay mentally in the game and be ready for my next shift no matter how long its been since I last skated.


PU: During your recent call up, was there any current Pittsburgh veteran that helped you adjust to the NHL game?

BL: I really enjoyed playing with Jay McKee. He was very supportive on the ice, on the bench, and in the lockerroom. I really liked playing with him.



PU: Is it frustrating getting sent back to Wilkes-Barre, knowing that you have the skills to play at the NHL level, or are you more of a 'patient guy' knowing that your chance is coming?

BL: Playing with Pittsburgh is a lot of fun. They are the defending champions and obviously a very talented team. Hopefully someday I will crack their line-up full time, but right now I am focused on playing my best in Wilkes-Barre and continuing to improve all areas of my game.



PU: How is it like having one of you college teammates, Nick Johnson, playing in Wilkes Barre with you?

BL: It's good. He's a great guy and a really skilled hockey player. It's been nice having him in Wilkes, but I am really happy he's in Pittsburgh now.


PU: Who would you say is your closest friend in the Penguins organization?

BL: Tux.


PU: What has been your most memorable moment both as a member of WBS and the Pittsburgh Penguins thus far?

BL: The most memorable was definitely the Calder Cup run my first year. It was such a great run to the finals and we really came close to completing a comeback against Chicago.

Playing my first game in Pittsburgh was really cool. I was so nervous and excited. By the end of the game I was so exhausted and so glad that I was able to do it. I spent 24 years of my life working for that night, and to accomplish a lifelong goal was an unbelievable feeling.

A huge thanks to Mr. Ben Lovejoy for taking the time out for Pens Universe!

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Two Week Roundup - 12/19 to 1/5

Two week roundup is a season long look at the Penguins performance over the previous two week period. It will highlight what the team is doing right and what they are doing wrong. It will track individual and team performance for that period and for the season to that point.

Overall Record – 27-16-1 / Last two weeks - 3-6-0

- Overview -

Okay, okay, so this is going to be a three week round-up again, but it was Christmas Mr. Scrooge. It’s only once a year and we were making quite merry. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the Penguins over the last nine games. It would seem they decided to take a vacation for the holidays as well. They were shut out twice, both times by Martin Brodeur, and scored one goal twice. That is a total of two goals in four of the nine games. Yikes! The Pens were only able to win three of the nine games and one of those was a shoot out victory. It was probably the worst stretch of hockey the Pens have played all year.
Of course, it is only January and losing streaks in January are always preferable to ones in April, and I guarantee that the Penguins will recover. They are still handily in second place in the division and fourth place in the conference so take a deep breath and relax, the best part of the season is still in front of us.

- Team Stats -

Just when it looked like the power play was on the comeback, it flat lined again over the last three weeks. The Pens scored only five goals in 35 PP chances over the last nine games for a 14.3% success rate. Maybe the worst part, though, is that three of those five goals were in one game. For the season, the Pens PP dropped to 14.7% which lands them dead last in the NHL. Ouch!
On the flip side, the penalty kill continues to be one of the best in the league. The Penguins killed off a staggering 33 of 36 penalties for a 91.7% success rate. That moves them up to 84.3% for the season, and 7th in the NHL. The PK is almost single handedly keeping this team in contention right now. With such an impotent power play, an average PK would make the Pens an average team. There are still a lot of good things about this team, but the penalty kill is easily the best.

Everyone has been complaining the Pens are not shooting enough, but the actual problem seems to be that they are giving up more shots. Over these nine games, the Penguins are averaging 33.3 shots/game and the opponents averaged 33.1 shots/game. The basic dead heat is a big change from the previous seven games when the Pens were out shooting the opponents by 10 shots per game. For the season, they are still 4th in the league in shots, but have dropped three spots to 6th in shots against. Still really good, but trending in the wrong direction.

One of the keys to the Penguins success so far has been their shot blocking. But these numbers are slowly going down and the Pens need to get back to blocking shots. The Pens averaged 14.3 blocked shots per game over the last nine games and are currently 6th in the NHL with 672 for the season. Again, these numbers are still good, but they have been going down over the last two months.
The Penguins are getting back to winning face-offs again, which is always good news. They won 50.6% of the face-offs over the last nine games and overall, they are back up to 18th in the league at 49.2%. And Sidney Crosby continues to be an animal at the dot. Sid took nearly 40% of all the face-offs over the last nine games and won 61.6% of them. He is currently 7th at the league in winning face-offs.
One of the more underappreciated aspects of the Penguins games is how much hitting they do. They are a tam known more for their talent then their checking, but currently the Pens are tied for 3rd in the NHL in hits. And leading the way in the physical attack is Brooks Orpik who is currently 5th in the league in hits. That should be interesting in the Olympics.

____________The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly___________

(Good)

* Jordan Staal– What ever has gotten into Jordan Staal lately, the Penguins need to bottle it and feed it to the rest of the team. He has been the best player on the ice recently and he has the numbers to back it up. Eight points in the last nine games was the best on the team, and he is always a threat when the Pens are shorthanded. Staal is currently tied with Guerin for 3rd on the team with 29 points and leads the team in +/- with a +11.

* The Penalty Kill – This seems to be getting repetitive, but the Pen’s PK has been the best part of the team’s play all season. But over the last nine games, it has been extraordinary. The Penguins had to kill 36 penalties over the last three weeks, and the succeeded 33 times. That is a 91.7% success rate. Even more impressive, the Pens PK went 8 for 8 in the 12/19 game against Buffalo, and 6 for 6 in the 12/23 game against Florida. They had to kill at least four penalties in six of the nine games and also successfully killed all penalties in six of the nine games. Not bad at all.

* Sid’s face-offs – Sid’s scoring settled down somewhat over the last nine games, but his success at the face-off circle has been nothing short of amazing. Nearly half of all the Penguin’s face-off wins were won by Sid. He won 61.6% of his face-offs over the last three weeks. That included 73% against New Jersey on 12/21, 72% against Florida on 12/2, and 76% against Florida on 1/3. It doesn’t matter what else he does on the ice, if he keeps winning nearly 2/3 of his face-offs, then he is making the team better.

(Bad)

* Penalties – One side effect of having such a good PK is that the Penguins are taking way too many penalties. They had 94 PIMS over the last nine games for an average of 10.4 per game. That also breaks down to five power play opportunities for opponents every game. And what’s worse, that is up from the season average. For the season, the Pens are averaging 13.8 PIMS per game, or just short of seven PP opportunities per game. The PK has been amazing, but it will be extremely difficult to keep this up as the playoffs approach. Also, spending all of this time shorthanded means fewer chances to attack and score.

* Everyone else’s Face-offs – The Penguins overall face-off success has gone up recently, but that is all due to Crosby stepping up at the dot. The rest of the team seems to be barely trying. Without Sid in the equation, the Pens are only at 43% at the face-off circle which would leave them in the basement in the NHL. There are three other primary face-off guys. Staal is winning 47% of the time, Adams is at 43%, and Malkin is only at 37% for the season. Staal’s is the only one that is respectable and Geno really needs to put in some extra time here.

(Ugly)

*Power Play – It looked like the PP was on the road to recovery after a 3 for 8 performance against the Florida Panthers, but then the bottom fell out. The Pens scored only two goals over the next 17 power play opportunities. The Penguins power play woes are well documented above, but if they want any chance of getting back to the Stanley Cup finals this spring, they will need to figure pout what is wrong with the PP and fix it.

Three Stars

#3 – Sidney Crosby – 2G, one of them a PPG, and 5 A in the last nine games. Sid has dominated face-offs, he is shooting more, and has even been racking up some hits. He is leading this team on the ice.
#2 – Bill Guerin – 4G, 2 of them PPG, and 3A in his last nine games and he should have had more. Whenever there is a loose puck or rebound, you can bet Guerin will be there to try and bury it.
#1 – Jordan Staal– 3G and 5A over the last nine games and getting better. Staal is hitting his stride at just the right time.

Injuries

Chris Kunitz will be out 4-6 weeks with a torn abdominal muscle. He had successful surgery to repair, but the recovery time will keep him out until probably mid February.

Additional Thoughts

* Luca Caputi looked food in his first game this season and even netted a goal.
* Brent Johnson got an assist in the Thrashers game and gave up only three goals in three appearances. Just the best back up goalie in the NHL.
* Geno hasn’t taken a penalty in five games. Yeah!

Up Next

It’s a new year and another long road trip coming up.
• 1/7 – vs. Philadelphia Flyers
• 1/9 – @ Toronto Maple Leafs
• 1/11 - @ Minnesota Wild
• 1/13 – @ Calgary Flames
• 1/14 – @. Edmonton Oilers
• 1/16 – @ Vancouver Canucks

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Two Week Roundup 11/14-11/30

Two week roundup is a season long look at the Penguins performance over the previous two week period. It will highlight what the team is doing right and what they are doing wrong. It will track individual and team performance for that period and for the season to that point.

Overall Record – 19-9-0 / Last two weeks - 7-2-0

- Overview -

Okay, so this will be more like a three week roundup. Too much turkey made reaching the keyboard a little difficult last week, but the Pens are winning so who cares. The return of many of the key players from injury means a return to winning for the defending champs, and they are once again looking the part. Now that most of the starting defensemen are back in the lineup, the Pens are looking solid again. There are still a few important guys out of the lineup, but they should be returning soon. But most importantly, please give a big round of applause to the Baby Pens who filled in while the hospital ward was full. Guys like Deryk Engelland and Ben Lovejoy filled in admirably during this time and, even with half of the team on the shelf, were able to play well enough to keep the Pens competitive and near the top of the standings. And it hasn’t taken long to get back to the top of the conference.

- Team Stats -

Holy crap, the Penguins finally found their power play. After missing for several weeks, it was found alive and well by Bill Guerin during the Ducks game. Apparently it was missed because the Penguins went on to score PP goals in four straight games and five of the next eight. It still is not a good thing that the PP was at 14.6% over the last nine games and that was an improvement. Overall, though, the Pens are down to 14% for the season, good enough for 27th in the league.

The penalty kill continues to be the best part of the Pens game. They killed off an incredible 24 of 27 for an 88.9% success rate. They are now at 83.6% for the season, up to 8th in the league. Staal even netted a shorthanded goal against the Ducks and nearly had another against the Rangers.


Another sign that the Pens are back to their old selves again is that they are again consistently out shooting their opponents. In fact, they out shot the other team in six of the last nine games. Over these nine games, they averaged 31.3 shots/game compared to 28.3 /game for the opponents. For the season, they are 7th in the league in shots and tied for 4th in shots against. Hey, if you’re shooting more, you should be winning more.


The Pens were not blocking as many shots as usual over this nine game stretch, but I blame that on the absence of Jay “Kevlar” Mckee. He was out several games and the BS totals dropped as a result. Don’t get me wrong, they are still impressively averaging 13.9 BS per game, but this is an integral part of their defense and the Pens need to keep at it.

Maybe most importantly, the Pens have improved remarkably at the face-off circle over these nine games. They won at a 51.3% rate, which is 5 percentage points better then the last roundup. Overall, they are up to 17th in the league at 49.4%. Most of this success is due to Crosby, who is one of the best in the league at the dot, but Jordan Staal has been extremely impressive at face-offs as well and this has really helped on the PK and occasionally leads to goals. Just ask Mike Rupp.

_________The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly_________

(Good)

* Sidney Crosby & Evgeni Malkin – It is pretty safe to say that no one missed Geno while he was injured more then Sid. There is an ongoing debate about who is the leader of the team, but the reality is that they are two halves a hockey monster. In the last nine games they had 27 points between them. Sid had an astounding 8 goals and 8 assists in the nine games with 5G & 3A in the last two. Geno racked up 4 goals and 7 assists over the stretch and had at least one point in seven of the nine games. Look out everyone, the two-headed monster is hungry and on the prowl.


* Goaltending – While the rest of the team was banged up, the Penguins goalies were healthy, focused, and stood on their head to make the saves that kept the Pens in some games they had no right to be. Marc-Andre Fleury continues to be one of the premiere goal tenders in the NHL and is currently tied for the league lead in wins. He is not getting the league wide respect he deserves yet, but he gets a little more every day. And Brent Johnson has already surpassed the expectations. There was some worried Pens fans out there when he became the back up, but he has proven himself and then some.


* Penalty Kill – By far, the PK has become the best part of the Penguins game. Not only are the almost always assured to kill the penalty, but they are a constant threat to score shorthanded. The penalty kill has served as a rally point for the team when they are having a bad game, and can single-handedly turn a game back in the Pens favor. The PK is currently ranked 8th in the NHL and is rising quickly.

(Bad)

* Power Play – While seeing the Penguins power play succeed again is a huge relief, the hard truth is the PP is still struggling tremendously and turning it around needs to be the focus of this team. The power play was 6 for 41 over this nine game stretch and looked uncoordinated almost every time. There is little sustained pressure in the offensive zone, passing is sloppy, and there are not enough quality shots. The Pens are still enjoying success in the win column, but will need to get the PP on track if they want to still be playing in June


* Chris Bourque – Now, singling out a third line winger as a problem on the team is, in part, a good thing. This team is heading to the next level and everyone seems ready to follow…except one. That being said, Bourque is a hard worker. He is definitely giving his best out there, but that is the whole problem. His best does not seem to be enough. Bourque is still young and has time to improve, but if he is going to play with one of the best teams in the NHL, he has to improve faster.

(Ugly)

* Discipline – With the team winning as much as they are right now, it is difficult to criticize their play, but all to often during the games in this stretch, basic team discipline seems to fade. Luckily, more often then not, the Pens have been able to recoup in time to win the game. But there were a few examples where this didn’t happen and the results in a disappointing loss like the one against the Islanders. The main reason this is a problem is because sooner or later this will start to catch up to the Pens when more teams identify this weakness and take advantage of it

Three Stars

#3 – Jordan Staal – He is quietly becoming a power on this team. 2 goals and six assists in nine games, one shorthanded goal and a monster at the face-off dot.
#2 – Martin Skoula – Skoula continues to be the most complete defenseman on the team. 3 goals and 3 assist over this stretch. The Pens must find a spot for him when everyone is healthy again.
#1 – Sidney Crosby – From goat at Halloween to hero on Thanksgiving, Sid has looked the part of captain of the Stanley Cup Champs. 8 goals and 8 assists in nine games and winning more face-offs then he loses.

Injuries

The sick bay is finally nearly empty for the Penguins. Alex Gologoski remains day-to-day with a lingering groin injury, and Chris Kunitz will hopefully be back any day now from a lower body injury.

Additional Thoughts

* Sidney Crosby is tied for 8th in the league in face-off wins at 57.1%.

* Mike Rupp had 4 goals in nine games including a hat trick. That’s usually a season for him. Amazing what playing with Sid can do.

* Matt Cooke is serving a two game suspension for an open ice hit against the Rangers. Six points and a suspension in the last nine games. Nice job Cookie! Next time save it for the Flyers.

* After this offensive output, Sidney Crosby is now 3rd in the league in points and 5th in goals.

* The Penguins took five penalties or less in eight of the nine games.

Up Next

The Penguins get to enjoy some home games coming up.

• 12/3 – vs. Colorado Avalanche
• 12/5 – vs. Chicago Blackhawks
• 12/7 - vs. Carolina Hurricanes
• 12/10 - @ Montreal Canadiens
• 12/12 – vs. Florida Panthers
• 12/15 – vs. Philadelphia Flyers

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This 'n' That

• Penguins Prospect Camp is coming up, starting on July 20th and running through the 26th. PensUniverse will be there to give you updates on the action.

• Chris Minard signed a contract with the Edmonton Oilers yesterday. Terms of the contract were not disclosed. Signed by the Penguins on July 12th of 2007, the 27-year-old center played in 20 games for the Penguins last season and registered a goal and two assists. He played the rest of the season in Wilkes-Barre, where he had team-high 34 goals to go along with 23 assists. After averaging almost a point per game in his two seasons with the Baby Pens, we hope that he is able to succeed in garnering significant playing time with the Oilers. With the influx of young talent to the Penguins, it was clear that his opportunities were going to be limited in Pittsburgh. Good luck Chris!

• Official News Release from the Baby Pens Today
  

‘WILKES-BARRE, PA – The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have signed center Zack Sill to an American Hockey League contract, it was announced on Tuesday.Sill, 21, appeared in 58 games for the Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) last season, posting 24 points (9+15) and 78 penalty minutes. The native of Truro, Nova Scotia posted 50 points (27+23) and 173 penalty minutes in 124 career games with the Wildcats.’

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Team Composition – Penguin Style

If you had to put together a full team under the salary cap, how would you do it? Would you focus more on offense or defense? How much would you allot for the goaltending? How much would you pay for your stars, and how much differential would you have between your stars and your ‘depth’ players?

Evaluate the Nashville Predators, where Mr. Shero, before he came to the Penguins as GM, was able to cut his teeth as an Assistant GM under David Poile. None of the forwards get paid over 4.5 million. As a matter of fact, Jason Arnott, Martin Erat, and David Legwand all get paid that very amount. The next two forwards get paid 4 million and 3.75 per annum, J.P. Dumont and Steve Sullivan respectively.

The Pred’s highest paid defensemen is Shea Weber at 4.5 million per annum. Ryan Suter is next at 3.5 million, and the rest are all 2.5 million and below. There is no superstar on the team. Just good solid defensemen. Plain and simple.

So one can see the basic tenet of that organization. Nashville has always been known as a solid dependable team, but no stars (they tried to make a splash with Forsberg years ago, but where did that get them?). The Predators cannot spend to the highest cap level, so they value consistency across the board. Mr. Poile looks for every player to pull their share, and look for success with a total ‘team’ concept. As it stands now, the Predators will probably go into the season with a payroll around 43 or 44 million, a full 13 million below the Penguins.

So think for a second if Ray Shero had the same thoughts on building a team when he came to the Pittsburgh Penguins? Was he the type of GM to stay the course and not make a splash before he got here?

I would say that Shero ultimately believed in a Nashville type system before he came to Pittsburgh, and that the fact that the bulk of salaries devoted to the forwards on the Penguins roster is coincidental. The Penguins were simply forced to draft Crosby and Malkin, and as management you clearly have no choice but in paying them exorbitant salaries. While he loves the Chris Kunitz’s of the world, Mr. Shero just happened to get lucky when he came to the Penguins. The cupboard was already stocked on the front end, and there’s no way any sane GM could trade all of that away.

So in having 17.4 million in salary cap devoted to 2 players, you have already accounted for 30% of the total 56.8 million dollar roster allowed under the cap system. The Penguins also have 21.4 million dedicated to the centers of the top three lines, certainly not a mistake. Mr. Shero still is all about depth. Further analyzing the numbers, the Penguins will enter the season (as it stands now) devoting almost 35.5 million to salaries of forwards, or 63% of the their total salary to forwards, the total salary and highest percentage in the league. Defense gets 27% of the pie, and the goalies will get about 10%.

Long term, this trend will continue for Pittsburgh. With the NHL team and minors stocked with young defensemen, the Penguins will more than likely keep this ratio of spending in tact. Going out and spending a lot of money on a high priced defenseman has never been the modus operandi of the Penguins organization, whether under Ray Shero or the latter years of Craig Patrick. With Gonchar supposedly negotiating a new extension at a discounted rate, he will still be the highest paid defenseman even if it comes in at 4 million per year. Many teams have at least one, if not two, defensemen signed above that level. From an excitement perspective, high-octane offense never hurt anything. The Penguins will be top heavy for quite some time.

In the short term, Mr. Shero will more than likely rest until the end of free agency period and not make any aggressive moves. He’s not in a desperate place right now (essentially playing with house money after winning the cup this past year), and he’s smart enough to know that you pay out the nose for talent on or around July 1st. He signed veterans (Guerin, McKee, Fedotenko, and Adams) at a discount, moves that put the Penguins in a great position to start the season. He’ll more than likely sign Ben Lovejoy and a veteran backup goalie and then call it a summer, unless he smells a trade that really strikes his fancy. He already has a strong team that needs only to be tweaked. And we already know from years past that he’ll make a move (and good ones at that) near the trading deadline to put the final piece(s) in place.

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It's All About The 'Burgh!

By William R. Eller

I've started this post about 15 to 20 times in my head, each time I stop because much like Damian I can’t seem to find the words to accurately describe my feelings. Back in the early 90’s I made the mistake of not taking in everything that I could, I used to sit and try to remember how this town celebrated those cups. I vaguely remember the celebration at Point State Park, I do remember Trottier playing slip n slide with the cup at three rivers, but I have no memories of the party at the airport.

This time has been different. I have replayed those final seconds in my head at least every half hour. I also tear up every time I hear Mike Lange’s victory call on the radio. The celebration at my house that night was great, my car alarm on for minutes, fire works above my house on the hill, and everyone screaming at the top of their lungs. The parade today, which I missed, was awesome to listening to on the radio and seeing the DVR version this afternoon. All the pictures from the parade are even cooler, seeing Max, Jordan, and the guys giving the crowd high fives makes me realize how lucky Pittsburgh is with their sports teams. Do other cities have this close of a relationship with their sports players? Doubt it.

I was born in 1980; I missed everything about the City of Champions years of the 70’s. The Steel Curtain and We are Family were things I just read about and heard stories from my father and uncles. The Penguins of the nineties were my team, I loved them more then I have ever loved the Steelers. But with both teams winning in the same year I feel that passion and love for Pittsburgh. I have never been prouder as I have become this weekend for this city.

That said, here are my favorite moments.

My Stanley Cup favorite moments:

1. Beating Philadelphia.
2. Outlasting Ovechkin, and doing it as a team. (Does he ever pass?)
3. Making Bill Cowher realize he’s done in this city.
4. Showing Hossa who the better team really is!

My Stanley Cup favorite plays:

1. Malkin’s backhand goal vs. Carolina
2. Talbot’s two goals vs. the Wings
3. MAF’s save vs. Ovechkin
4. Talbot telling Philly to be quiet
5. MAF’s last save vs. the Wings to win it all.

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Jump if you must, just don’t get back on...

By William R. Eller

It is amazing how the bounce of a 1-inch-thick 3-inch-wide puck can do to a fan base. All day I listen to various radio stations in the morning making my rounds at work, three stations to be exact. WDVE Pittsburgh’s best morning show, WXDX the Penguins radio network, and 1250ESPN radio are the stations I listen to. Now the morning shift on ESPN radio Mike and Mike in the Morning have no clue what hockey actually is, let alone actually watch it. Whatever I can deal with that, but to constantly say the Red Wings dominated the Penguins in game 2 is appalling. Meanwhile on WDVE and WXDX I listened to countless callers talking about the Pens plight now in the Stanley Cup finals. So here it begins with the offload of Bandwagon jumpers on the Penguins freight train.

Quote 1)

“Marc Andre Fleury sucks because of the goals he is letting in.”

Response 1) My only gripe with MAF is he should have been ready for the live boards; blame that on him or the coaching staff. Outside of the boards I’ll give the Wings credit for two goals, goals 2 and 3 in game 2. One from the point off a clean face off win (interference also) also MAF was screened. The other goal could have been defended better by the defense.

Quote 2)

“Dan Bylsma is being out coached this series.”

Response 2) The Pens have lost 2 games in a best of seven series, if Bylsma doesn’t adjust to the refs not calling any penalties and possibly change the breakout from behind MAF then I’ll question Bylsma at best.

Quote 3)

“Ray Shero should be blamed for putting this team together.”

Response 3) Dear God when you get the chance to run a hockey franchise then talk to me, how can you question anything thing this guy has done in 2 years. You are in the freaking Stanley Cup Finals back-to-back years!!!!!


Now I could go on and also mention how people are calling out Sid and Malkin because they aren’t scoring. I could talk about people complaining about Dupois dressing over Sykora. I actually heard someone talk about pulling MAF today; I almost pulled over in disgust. Here is my take on the situation…

I have never in my life witnessed one team get every bounce of the puck, 2 goals off MAF’s butt for one. The third goal on Saturday night hits off the side of the net right to the guy who put it home. Sunday the final goal was defended by Gill and Scuds and still comes back to the guy who scores. That stuff just happens you deal with it and you have to move on. The referees have changed the way they are calling the game, or 'not' calling the game rather. This goes for both sides, and Detroit has picked up on this and are attacking the Pens. Detroit’s second goal shows this best, Marion Hossa hooks Dupuis and then slashes his stick in half, automatic penalty in the regular season let alone previous rounds of the playoffs, nothing called. The Penguins must adjust to this, Detroit’s third goal could have been prevented had the Pens adjusted. Scuds could have hooked the guy or tackled him at least in order to prevent the goal. The Pens must adjust!!!

My fellow Penguins faithful, at the very least don’t listen to the complainers, the all-of-a-sudden hockey geniuses, and "hockey historians" that give you over hyped stats. You have waited all year for this moment and don’t fall into the trap of wasting time worrying about the series. Get your lucky socks ready, get that favorite meal cooking, and watch a little Youtube of your Pens. Watch some Mario, a little Jagr, maybe even a touch of Petr Nedved to calm you down. It’s a race to four and after all they aren’t there just yet!!!

LET’S GO PENS!!!

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