I have made a strong effort this year to not focus on the Penguins. It is easy to fall into the local team trap and skew coverage. However, I can’t do it anymore, I need to address what has happened to my beloved team. The recent firing of head coach Michel Therrien has sparked intense debate over who is actually to blame. The coaching? The players? The GM? I place the blame squarely on the players, but most of all, their “leader”, Sidney Crosby.Not for one moment have I thought Therrien would be the coach that led them to a third championship, but he is a top 10-15 coach in the league. He is the type of coach that can rally the troops and motivate a player to skate through a wall. The Penguins biggest handicap is not the X’s and O’s, it is the lack of discipline and heart that champions never lack. Essentially, the problem is Penguins are being lead by a crybaby.
Sure, Sid is extremely talented and works extremely hard, but at the end of the day, he is a pampered crybaby. When that person is your leader, it rubs off on the rest of your team. I have always defended Sid against detractors, but I can’t do it anymore. They are right. He is a pampered whiner. Almost every shift I watch him say something to another player or ref when he is roughed up a little. Unfortunately, Sid’s better than thou attitude has spread like a plague amongst the whole team.
Ryan Whitney is still reading his press clippings from two years ago when he actually hustled. Ryan, here is an idea, how bout you keep your feet moving, perhaps you won’t be caught flat-footed and get burned or turn the puck over. Brooks, you sure can hit and you play smart defensively, but who are you to call out coaches. Last time I checked, your last name isn’t Orr, Bourque, Coffey, or Stevens. You don’t get to dictate anything until you earn it. I don’t mean to be overly critical of just Brook and Whit. Each Penguin could and should be called out for their performance, except one.
The only player I can’t place any blame on is Malkin. I have watched just about every game this year, and he is the only player that doesn’t take nights off. He plays every game like it is his last. It actually looks like he cares when he is out there. Perhaps all the whining has been lost in translation. I think Malkin is the one actually showing true maturity. It is unfortunate the Pens’ best leader may be the one who can’t speak English.
I have liked most of Shero’s decisions so I’m not ready to throw him under the bus, but he has let the inmates run the asylum. Adding Miro Satan to a roster whose leader may be even a bigger crybaby isn’t smart. Perhaps, Shero should have had the forethought to include a veteran presence in the locker room. Shero thought Sid was ready to lead this team, but it is abundantly clear he is not. That is Shero’s fault.
I am not jumping off Sid’s bandwagon forever. I recognize his great potential and hope he becomes the truly great player everyone thought he would become. However, he needs to grow up. He needs to understand that he is alienating himself with every glance and comment to officials. The really mind boggling thing is that as roommates with Lemieux for the last three years, Mario never fixed this. But you will never get me to criticize the G.O.A.T. This is something Sid, and only Sid, can fix.
Let me leave Pens fans with this. How comfortable are you knowing that with the current roster the Penguins are paying 14 players a combined 46 million next year? That leaves roughly ten million to sign about ten more players. This franchise may have financially bootstrapped itself for years to come. I get an eerie feeling I am going to wake up and realize we have become the Tampa Bay Lightning.
I would like to cover one fantasy situation before wrapping this up. Over the weekend Martin Brodeur said he expected to return to action in about 10-14 days. As you are reading this, Brodeur is about a week away from returning. Both Clemmensen owners and Brodeur owners must take note. If you have survived without Brodeur, do you need him now? Could you get more value in a trade than the value Brodeur would be able to give you? These are all team specific questions, but the answers will dictate your next move. Clemmensen owners, I wouldn’t drop him just yet, but once Brodeur is back for sure, about two or three more weeks, he is no longer worth owning. Keep an eye on InGoalMag.com for more details concerning Brodeur.
As with any SportsJudge.com article, feel free to post a comment or question. Until next week, The Puck Stops Here.
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