"It's a great day for hockey!"
That was a phrase uttered by late Penguin coach Bob Johnson. To
Penguin fans of the early 90's, it used to mean that there was a
sense of dominance. A feeling that their mighty Arctic Birds
were on the verge of a dynasty. A feeling that all was well in
the 'Burgh.
Well, guess what? That day has come and gone. The Penguins of
today are only a shell of what they used to be earlier in this
decade. Feelings of desperation and hopelessness, not dominance,
are what now plague the black and gold followers. The bandwagon
that was carrying all the fans through the early 90's has now
been reduced to a Radio Flyer with Dick Trickle at the helm.
"What does that mean?" you may be asking yourself... it means
they're gonna suck.
Ron is Gone: Ron Francis returned "home" this off-season.
The Penguin captain and leader signed a contract with the
Carolina Hurricanes for more money than the Pens were willing to
part with. Francis holds just about every scoring record in
Carolina's franchise history, recording 264 goals and 821 points
during his 10 seasons (1981-91) in Hartford.
The simple fact is that Francis undoubtedly deserved more than
Pens' owner Roger Marino wanted to pay him. Francis is a true
professional and it was a slap in the face that the Penguins made
no real effort to keep this guy. He will now sport the number 21
and lead the Canes to the playoffs for the first time in years.
Jagr Needs to Step Up: Will Jaromir Jagr be able to fill
the void left by Ron Francis? I doubt it. Jagr, who was elected
as the team's new captain, is not the same type of player that
Francis is. Sure, Jagr is the best one-on-one player in the
world, but he doesn't possess the same qualities to lead this
team the way Ronnie was able to. Jagr is the type of player that
wants the table set for him. With Lemieux and Francis on his
line, Jagr was able to really dominate the game the way only he
can. He is now going to have to be the player that sets up guys
like Stu Barnes and Martin Straka. He won't be able to be the
finisher all the time. This may hurt his ego. Jags claims that
he will step up and "know his role", but I think it's a temporary
solution. Jagr will grow tired of the situation, and will
probably ask to be traded. Don't expect to see Jagr in
Pittsburgh by season's end.
Barrasso: Friend or Foe?: As anyone who knows me will
tell you, Jerry is NOT a fan of Tom Barrasso. This may be the
case, but I must give Tommy his props. The veteran goaltender
returned to his old form last season. He made himself a true
contender for the Vezina. That was last season, this is a whole
new campaign.
I'm not saying that Barrasso can't play like he did last season.
Wait, I am saying that Barrasso can't play like he did last
season. Why? Because the Pens are gonna suck. Barrasso has no
help out there. The Pens will not score goals this season like
they have in the past, therefore it puts more pressure on Tommy
to hold opponents to one or two goals per game. That's a tall
order, my friend. And with Darius Kasparaitis on the shelf,
there's nobody to clear the crease and keep Barrasso from being a
shooter-tutor.
Although, I must say, I'm pulling for him this season, but only
because all the good goalies were gone in our fantasy hockey
draft.
Darius Not Done: While it was originally feared that he
could miss the entire season, Kasparaitis did not have surgery on
his injured knee. He is currently in rehabilitation and could be
back by the end of the month. Yeehaw!
Dear Roger: Roger Marino has been shopping this team
around the country even though the contract with the city of
Pittsburgh does not end until the year 2007. I think he wants
out. He has talked to Las Vegas and Oklahoma City about moving
the team there. Marino is not well liked around the Steel City
and is anxious to get out. Well, Rog, if you don't like it here
sell the team to someone who does. Someone that will keep the
club here and try to rebuild this franchise into a contender.
Remember this, it's not about you, it's about the fans.
Secondly, pull the trigger on a deal for Petr Nedved. I don't
care what it is we get for him, but get something. Nedved will
spend his second straight season playing hockey outside the NHL.
Roger needs to focus his attention on shopping Nedved around
rather than the team itself.
Big News: The Pittsburgh Penguins are undefeated and well
on their way to the Stanley Cup! Not really, but the Pens did
manage to win 4-3 over the New York Islanders to start off the
season as the team to beat. Will this trend continue? It's
unlikely because they're gonna suck.
Early Lines: Here's how the lines looked in the Islander
game:
OFFENSE
Stu Barnes - Martin Straka - Jaromir Jagr
German Titov - Robert Lang - Aleksey Morozov
Patrick Lebeau - Jan Hrdina - Rob Brown
Ian Moran, Tyler Wright
DEFENSE
Jeff Serowik - Victor Ignatjev
Kevin Hatcher - Brad Werenka
Jiri Slegr - Bobby Dollas
Chris Tamer
Notice that Morozov now spells his first name "Aleksey" and not
"Alexei." No real reason for the change. Although, sometimes I
spell my name with a G... and an I!
LCS Hockey will have more on some of those other unrecognizable
names next issue, once we get more of a chance to see 'em play.
