Odds and ends, 3/30
by Hooks Orpik on Mar 30, 2010 6:00 AM EDT
Email
PrintA little bit of this and a little bit of that after the jump...
-Crosby vs. Ovechkin for goals, who's got the edge?
-Pens faceoff woes
-New arena goodies
-Baby Pens playoff push
-Visor debate stirs up again
All for you and more, after the jump...
Peerless looks at Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin as they go down the stretch for the Richard Trophy -- what no love for Steven Stamkos? AO has one more game, but Crosby has current the one goal lead. Tend to agree with TPP (which is usually a good idea, btw), that the head-to-head matchup on April 6th could be the key. Ovechkin always seems to have goal scoring success against the Pens, but if they can shut him down -- and Crosby can net one or two -- that might be the difference when we get to the end of the regular season on April 11th. Of course, it could swing the ther way based off of that game, but who really wants to think about that scenario?
***
If you've watched the Penguins for any length of time this isn't news, but it's startling to see the data just the same: since the lockout no team has been worse in the faceoff circle than the Pittsburgh Penguins. Of course, they've used Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Jordan Staal to take a majority of the draws and they've thrown all three in, basically, since they've been 18 years old. Crosby's improved to one of the league's best, Malkin and Staal haven't gotten to the 50% mark. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio Mike Zigomanis?
***
Wanna see what the Pens videoboard, currently in Japan, looks like? Of course you do. BackTeching is a must for the scoop behind all the new bells and whistles of the new arena We'll all miss the old barn, but stepping from Mellon to Consol is going to be like going from a horse-and-buggy to a brand new Ferrari. Or like watching Hal Gill skate compared to Evgeni Malkin. Your pick.
***
Congrats to Baby Pens goalie Brad Thiessen for earning AHL player of the week honors. Stopping 94 of 97 shots deserves a little recognition. The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Pens are in the hunt of the playoff chase, they were 1 point out of a playoff spot before Thessien's stellar three games, they're currently three points above the bubble. Thessien's basically taken over the #1 goalie job down there from John Curry, Thissen's started seven of the last ten games as the Baby Pens have made their push.
***
Still with the minor leagues with some players of interest to Pittsburgh fans: Eric Tangradi has 3 goals (but no assists) in 5 games back from returning from a concussion. Dustin Jeffrey has 5 assists (but no goals) in the last 5 games. Nick Johnson has 4 goals (but no assists) in the last 7 games. Mark Letestu has 4 assists (but no goals) in the last 7 games. Chris Conner breaks this trend of one but not the other, Conner has 2g, 6a in the last eight games.
***
Justin Bourne, who's opinion is surely in the know, makes his case for visors being manditory. On one hand, it seems inevitable: from the AHL down to juniors and below players are forced to wear visors (or more). At the recent Olympics they were grandfathered in and only players 35+ could go visor-less, if they so chose. Like it or not, everyone wearing visors is the way the world is moving on this issue.
Some will whine and fight it; but 30 or so years ago that same type of argument was made for players not wearing helmets at all. Nowadays would be foolish to consider not wearing a bucket at all when competing at the game's highest level.
Still, visors alone don't prevent all injuries or offer full protection from errant sticks and pucks to the face, so if we're gonna make a case for half visors for player protection, why not bite the whole bullet and talk full shields? Players won't like it and it'll be tougher to see faces and market the game, but if we're going for safety, there's no reason to half-ass it. Full cages are the only way to fully protect. Visors are a step in the right direction for safety, but it's not completing the journey, if that's the way the world is moving.
(For what it's worth, the previous three paragraphs were written by a low level bone-head who, when not forced to in college, didn't wear any visor/shield and got split open a handful of times to the point requiring glue or stitches.)
Let's use this thread as the day goes on for any more Penguins news or interesting topics you guys want to discuss in the comments...
32 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Excellent collection of topics
On Crosby vs Ovechkin for the Richard…of the Pens’ 6 remaining games, 3 will be against teams that played the day before (3/31, 4/6 and 4/10). Washington has 1 opponent remaining that played the day before (4/11). Both teams have 1 back-to-back’er left on their schedules, though for Washington the 2nd game of their back-to-back is against the Pens.
I am far too lazy to research how these scenarios have impacted goal scoring for Sid and Ovie.
On the visor subject…I think mandatory visors are inevitable. Seems like most top players wear them anyway, so it shouldn’t be a big deal. I think requiring full face shields would be going too far. Player safety must be balanced with player comfort and marketing of the game, and covering up everyone’s faces is not the way to make the stars more recognizable. These are professional athletes and a certain amount of risk is part of the job. If we go all out to protect the face, then why stop there. Other body parts can be injured. Do we want this to be the hockey uniform of the future?
.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 30, 2010 9:24 AM EDT reply actions
Nice angle on the back-to-back side of things. That could mean Pittsburgh could see increased backup goalies. On top of that, neither NYI nor ATL are really stout defensively and Crosby has four games against those two teams that he traditionally piles up points against.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
On the other hand, I’ve seen teams play their starter against the better team and play the backup against the worse team, even if it means that the backup gets to go first. (BUF did this just after the Olympic break I believe, playing Miller against who they saw as better I suppose in Washington and went with the backup against PIT). Probably then, PIT gets the better goalies, or at least the better efforts in each back-to-back.
Cидни Kросби: Александр Oвечкин, он твой папа теперь
Capitals Coming: for Capitals fans no more intelligent than myself
by red army line on Mar 30, 2010 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions
Pens sign Letang to 4-year extension!
Financial terms not disclosed.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 30, 2010 9:55 AM EDT reply actions
Nice, it’s on the main page. I don’t think my odds and ends are going to get much attention today, it’s probably gonna be all Kris all the time.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
by Hooks Orpik on Mar 30, 2010 10:08 AM EDT up reply actions
No kidding. I wasn’t expecting this at all (the timing of it).
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 30, 2010 10:14 AM EDT up reply actions
Me neither. I figured summer for sure. Oh well.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
by Hooks Orpik on Mar 30, 2010 10:35 AM EDT up reply actions
Crosby’s improved to one of the league’s best, Malkin and Staal haven’t gotten to the 50% mark. Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio Mike Zigomanis?
Heck, where have you gone, Jan Hrdina?
(Yes, I know, Sweden. Thank you Wikipedia.)
by RuthenianCowboy on Mar 30, 2010 10:47 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
There should be a rule that a commenter must mention on a daily basis either Jan Hrdina, Martin Straka or Jiri Slegr in a positive way.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
by Hooks Orpik on Mar 30, 2010 10:51 AM EDT up reply actions
I disagree with your visor post though. It’s understandable to want to protect everybody, but it’s their decision, and they know the risks. These are big boys out there, not 6th graders. They know what could happen if they don’t wear a shield, so leave it at that. Don’t force the full cage or shield on them, because that would just be bad.
"Half the game is mental, the other half is being mental." - Jim McKenny
Curious?
Do you think Connor will ever make the jump to the NHL? I thought he looked good in the couple games I saw him this year. (Of course, it certainly helped that he scored a couple goals.)
I think his size has hurt him, he’s getting older and he doesn’t really have the consistent production to be a full-time NHL’er.
I’d love to be wrong, but I doubt it.
Then again, I never thought Tom Kostopolous and especially Toby Petersen could claw out decent NHL careers, so who knows.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
Visors
I don’t like full cages but do like clear visors. I think it’s a good compromise. You can’t repair your eye if you lose it, you can fix a broken jaw. Plus, it keeps more tradition in. You can rip off a helmet with a visor to fight, you can’t easily rip off a cage. You can also more easily see facial expressions and the like on players with visors vs cages.
Visors are there to stop irreparable damage. Cages protect from damage better than visors, but they don’t protect from irreparable damage any better than visors do.
I agree totally about the stupidity of the average person. Horrifyingly, nearly 50% of people are even stupider!
Good point. When I played I favored the age, my eyes adjusted to it. The visor I had more issues with fogging/scratching so I didn’t like it as much. But I’m sure they could fix it and come to a compromise somehow.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
you needed some No Foggin’ Way. That stuffs amazing
by genomachine-O on Mar 31, 2010 11:46 AM EDT up reply actions
I just drooled all over my keyboard looking at the new video screens
I was just thinking the other day how much I’ll miss the old barn as I was walking up the broken escalator on my way to wash my hands in the ice cold water in the men’s room
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 30, 2010 2:16 PM EDT reply actions
Stamkos
He may win the goal scoring title becaue the team has nothing else to play for so they can feed him the puck, and he has St Louis to get him th epuck
been watching most of the games of WBS Penguins this season and I’m really impressed with Thiessen’s play. He’s really developed rapidly as the season went…
On the flip side it’s been a very unimpressive year for Curry in his development. He seems further away from a NHL job than he was last year.
You have to see it for yourself...
This is me putting on a pyschologists cap (dangerous) but maybe Curry’s moxy and confidence took a big hit when the defense hung him out to dry in the NHL back in November. Goalies can be a different kind of cat and maybe something like that has knocked off his whole outlook.
Curry’s under contract next year, he’s gonna be back with at least Wilkes-Barre, maybe a summer off is what he needs.
I’m not going to close the book on him just yet but he’s definitely in danger.
Wayne Gretzky had it wrong: 100% of the shots Gary Roberts doesn't take DO go in.
Curry always seems to look very small in the net. I’m sure hes probably not any smaller than a lot of other NHL goalies, but he looks tiny. That alone could be a problem.
by genomachine-O on Mar 31, 2010 11:48 AM EDT up reply actions
He is small. That’s always been one of the things that he’s had to battle against: people tell him he’s too small, and he goes out and shows them he can do it anyway.
I hope that he figures it out and gets back into form, but I don’t know if we’ll see him full time in the NHL. I hope so, but I’m not sure whether to expect so …
Leafs fan living large in the Pitt and pretending like the drought is over. Go Pens!
Hooks,
A sure fire way to get Sid the scoring title would be to hang a banner behind the goal that says,“Pretend it’s a dryer!”
Might even get Talbot going! LOL!
At least Ovie is cooperating so far. 3 caps goals tonight, none by #8.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 30, 2010 8:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Since Hooks said use this thread for interesting topics
Well, interesting to me, at least. Someone just sent me this pic, picked up by Reuters, with a nice shot of my signage looking over a stunned Flyers bench. I’m not sure why the Pens fan looks so sad.
.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 30, 2010 8:50 PM EDT reply actions
Devils lose their game in hand
Boston beat Jersey 1-0 in OT tonight, leaving the Devils and Pens each with 6 games remaining and Pittsburgh up by 1 point in the Atlantic Division race.
by PensAreYourDaddy on Mar 30, 2010 9:26 PM EDT reply actions
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Latest Puck Daddy - NHL from Yahoo! Sports
- Monday’s Three Stars: Staal leads Hurricanes; Pavelski’s four-point night
- Capitals’ Holtby rocked from the red line, juggles shot into own net (Video)
- Report: Rick Nash on the trading block; are the Rangers ready to pounce?
- Flyers’ Zac Rinaldo suspended two games for high hit, being Zac Rinaldo
- Puck Previews: Canadiens, Coyotes, look to defend win streaks; Sharks at Capitals
Certain photos copyright © 2012 by Associated Press or Getty Images. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of Associated Press and Getty Images is strictly prohibited.
