To respond or not to respond. That is the question. Is it better to turn the other cheek and count on the protection of NHL referees? Or should the Penguins recall Tom Sestito from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the express purpose of pummeling Washington bad boy Tom Wilson?
I’m paraphrasing Shakespeare. But it’s a real issue. One our Penguins need to address.
To back up a step, we all know the Pens are hockey tough. No team competes as hard between the whistles as the black and gold. To quote hockey analyst and former NHL scrapper Keith Jones, “the Penguins can take a punch.”
Problem is, they’ve been absorbing way too many blows. Like last night, when Wilson wiped out Conor Sheary with a vicious and by all appearances–deliberate–knee-on-knee hit.
It’s an old Broad Street Bullies’ tactic. Long before other teams joined the arms race, the Flyers terrorized the NHL. Dave “the Hammer” Schultz, Andre “Moose” Dupont, Bob “Hound” Kelly, and Don “Big Bird” Saleski abused opposing stars and dared foes like the Pens to respond. Back in the day when teams carried one–maybe two–policemen, few could neutralize Philadelphia’s menagerie of thugs.
Intimidating. Emasculating. Brutally effective.
Wilson’s borrowed from Freddie’s Philistines. The Caps’ marauder–who was fined but not suspended for his despicable hit–takes liberties with our players, secure in the knowledge that he’s practically immune to retribution.
Sure, the locals could summon Sestito. But who would we sit? Which brings me to my point.
One of the present Pens needs to stand up.
A likely candidate? Eric Fehr, who jostled with Wilson on several occasions last night.
Fehr’s a big guy. Plays an honest, straight-forward game. Doesn’t shy from contact. He’s not a fighter. Never has been. Not even in junior, when he was lighting it up as a big-time goal scorer.
On a team shorn of protectors, there are few other options. Evgeni Malkin’s arguably the Pens’ best fighter. You don’t want “Geno” busting a knuckle–or worse–on Wilson’s granite-hard helmet or visor.
Perhaps Fehr will challenge Wilson when the time is right. Just as he did back on December 21, when he took on Brandon Dubinsky of Columbus in the first fight of his 11-year NHL career.
The Manitoba native didn’t win the battle. He did win the war. Not to mention the undying respect of his teammates.
The Pens trailed 1-0 when Fehr and Dubinsky dropped the gloves. They won the game 5-2. Beat the Blue Jackets the next meeting, too. Fehr’s courageous, team-first actions signaled a turning point.
Defenseman Ian Cole’s another option. Although not in Wilson’s class, the 219-pounder handles his dukes fairly well.
Again, to quote the late Blues battler Barclay Plager, “It’s not who wins the fight that’s important, it’s being willing to fight.”
For all his bluster, Wilson isn’t the second coming of Attila the Hun. He got beaten–rather handily–by Philly’s Wayne Simmonds in the opening round. But make no mistake. He’s big and nasty. The definition of a bully. Tougher, certainly, than anyone on our present roster.
I’m not saying it wouldn’t hurt. But taking on Wilson–and taking one for the team–might be worth it in the long run. Might even help decide the series.
Why not respond the Crosby penguins rule applies where there are no calls against the pens Letang the dirtiest player in the league gets away with everything
Wilson’s hit on Sheary was one of the most vile, gutless acts I’ve ever witnessed. And I’ve been watching hockey since the early ’70s.
I take it you’re a Caps fan. Must be proud of your 6’4″ 215-pound enforcer trying to maim a guy who’s 5’8″ 170 soaking wet.
I concur bc its only going to get more physical down the road!!
Hey Rick,
You, I, and half dozen other contributors to your blog have been saying all year that the Pen’s needed to be bigger,stronger, nastier in order to succeed in the new NHL.To my surprise,they succeeded in not only making the Play offs, but by a pretty wide margin as well. No goons.No fights. Just solid team defense and a run and gun offense.Out score the other guys and use your speed to keep them off balance.( plus a great PK and a decent PP helps).
If we were to inject some “bigger and less skilled players” into our line up,I am afraid it would disrupt this teams ability to score goals on all four lines and that to me is the key to beating the Cap’s. Malkin and Crosby will be covered and it will be the play of Bonino and Cullen’s lines plus a couple of d men other than Letang that will give us the edge to beat the Cap’s.( Sid and Geno will score or set up 2 or 3 goals a game,but Ovi, Backstrom, Oshi and the other Russian center,K…… will also get 2 or 3 goals to cancel them out.)
So in closing,we have to ride the horse that got us here and tough it out. One thing for sure is our PK can match their PP….and that is good news.
Lets go Pen’s.
JIM
Hey Jim,
Great observations, as always.
If you haven’t been able to tell, I have a terrible time watching our Pens absorb a physical beating. It stems from seeing Bugsy Watson and Bryan Hextall get annihilated by the Blues in a preseason game in Brantford all those years ago. Not to mention the regular hidings we used to receive at the hands of hit squads like the Flyers and Bruins.
Guess it’s no surprise that the 2007-08 Pens team is my all-time favorite. Big Georges Laraque, Scary Gary Roberts, Bugsy Malone and Jarkko Ruutu. The 2010-11 team featuring Eric Godard, Mike Rupp, Deryk Engelland and Arron Asham runs a close second.
God, what I wouldn’t give for two of those guys (in their prime, of course). But you’re right. We’ve got to stick with the style that got us here.
Hey Rick,… me too !
Hal Gill ? 6’7 250+ pounds. Did not skate to well but defended real well. Oshie would not have got by him or someone of like size with speed either. Unfortunately for us,we have the smallest team remaining in the hunt for the Cup,( Tampa,New York, and Washington are all bigger and all have their own super stars as well ), and the only way we win is the 4 line scoring model,a top penalty kill and great goal tending !!
To me as I have posted earlier, this series is not about Crosby verses Ovi or Geno verses Backstrom….It is all about whether the other 18 Penguins can outplay and out score the other 18 Capitals.
I believe we can !
Final point. Tonight this game will be more intense and it will be DIRTY ! The Cap’s will step it up a notch and guys like Rust,Tommy K.,Connor S.,Maatta better be ready. Every game will be the same from here to the final game of this series. Physical !! Tough !!
It is war and you better be ready to do what ever it takes to win !!
It is play off Hockey Rick….Do not blame the Refs. This is the way the game is played this time of year. It will never change.
A lot of my friends only watch the NHL playoffs because to them this is real Hockey. Fast, Physical,and some great individual efforts.
Lets go pen’s !
Hey Rick and Jim,
If you guys don’t mind, I would like to put my 2-cents in.
I love physical hockey. Hockey is not tiddlywinks. It is not a kitty cat petting contest. I never failed to take the body when the opportunity presented itself and I always taught the teams I coached the same approach to hockey.
However, physical hockey is not deliberate attempts to injure. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there that try obfuscate criminal activity behind the veil of tough, physical hockey, implying a lack of manhood if someone, anyone tries to question their thug-gee behavior. To further obscure the truth they use terms like “Character Player” in Orwellian double speech to describe these goons relying on the euphemism to prevent closer scrutiny of a player that has no business in the NHL.
Attempting to deliberately injure a player is not only criminal but an acknowledgement by the offending players that they are not good enough players or teams to compete in legitimate terms.
There is a big difference between players that win at all costs within the roles, by rising above adversity, adding glory and meaning to their victory and thise thug-gees that have to win by deliberately injuring and removing the other teams stars, detracting and making hollow a victory over the other teams second string or worse, minor league squad.
Washington has some great players on their squad, had a great season and earned their odds on favorite status, but if they beat the Pens because of garbage players, like Wilson, emboldened by cement-head referees to deliberately injure players, they should be embarrassed by their victory.
Well said Coach !
We won.Great job guys.Game 2 shows that we can outplay these guys.Keep it up Pens.
Not to spoil the mood….but what a cheap shot on Maatta !!
Should be suspended for 3 games.
Cheers
Hey Jim,
Agreed, the Pens can beat this team but this team can also beat the Pens. This match-up, inspite of some of the dirtier players on the Caps team, is the best most exciting match-up of the this play-off year. It is just unfortunate that this is a divisional final and not a Cup final. I fear that after this series, everything else will seem anticlimactic.
Also, I agree Orpik earned a suspension. It will be interesting to see if the suits in NY do what is right or opt to condone deliberate attempts to injure and thereby be just as guilty as Orpik.
This incarnation of the Penguins is the most exciting to watch in a long, long time.