Penguins, Fans Play a Waiting Game

I don’t know about you. But as a die-hard Penguins fan and professed hockey nut, there’s something about this time of year that keeps my adrenalin pumping and senses tingling. With the NHL trade deadline just around the corner, I’m constantly scanning news wires and websites for updates.

Right now, I’m poised on the edge of my seat. I blame Jim Rutherford.

Shortly after announcing yesterday morning that he’d acquired defenseman Ron Hainsey from his old team, the Carolina Hurricanes, the Pens’ GM stated he’d make a decision on adding another defenseman “in the next 24 hours.”

With his typical candor, JR hinted that he wouldn’t shy away from making other deals if he thought it would help the team.

I’ve been glued to my computer screen ever since.

Kind of reminds me of those old Miss Clairol commercials on TV from back in the day. Does she…or doesn’t she (color her hair)?

Will he…or won’t he (make another trade)?

To digress, last season was a perfect storm for the Pens in so many ways. The flurry of trades, starting with the Phil Kessel blockbuster. A new coach with a fresh approach. The free agents and call-ups from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Veterans and kids and alike trying to establish themselves and forge a new identity. Keeping the emotional pot stirred just enough, while coalescing in time for a magical Stanley Cup run.

It’s not quite the same this year. Much to his credit, Rutherford kept the team virtually intact while sprinkling in spirited newcomers like rookie forward Jake Guentzel. His bargain-basement signing of Justin Schultz…sheer genius.

Yet something’s missing. A certain spark. An indefinable something you can’t feel or touch, but notice when it’s not there.

What’s that old saying? Familiarity breeds contempt? While the Pens are hardly simmering with contention, you get my drift.

Injuries, especially to the defense and dual dynamos Bryan Rust and Conor Sheary, certainly have taken a toll. So has an exceedingly long grind, stretching back some 16 months. World Cup participants like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin have barely gotten any rest.

Then again, repeating (as Cup champs) ain’t for sissies.

Trek back in time, if you will, to the 1991-92 season. The Pens had won their first Stanley Cup the previous spring. Led by the incomparable Mario Lemieux, the black-and-gold boasted no fewer than six Hall-of-Famers, along with then-rising stars Jaromir Jagr and Mark Recchi. Not to mention burly 50-goal scorer Kevin Stevens and the dean of mean on defense, Ulf Samuelsson.

Talk about stacked. Yet something was missing from that squad, too. On February 19, the Pens’ record stood at 27-24-7. Unthinkable given the extraordinary talent on hand.

GM Craig Patrick moved boldly. He parted with perennial All-Star Paul Coffey, the second-highest scoring defenseman in NHL history, not to mention future 500-goal man Recchi, in a three-team deal that reaped power forward (and present Pens coach) Rick Tocchet, hulking defenseman Kjell Samuelsson and 1-A goalie Ken Wregget.

The key to the swap was Tocchet. A ferocious bordering on feral competitor, he’d played on good-to-outstanding teams in Philadelphia for seven years, but never won a Cup.

“He said all he wanted was a chance to win,” said Coffey, ironically a good friend. “He has a heart the size of a building. He’ll do what it takes to win.”

A heart on full display a short time later. During a tilt with Chicago on March 15, Tocchet was struck by an errant shot, which fractured his jaw. After leaving the ice for repairs, he returned in the third period wearing a makeshift shield. Blood stains spattered on the front of his jersey, he scored two huge goals (in heavy traffic, no less) to ignite a comeback victory.

The Pens went on to capture a second-straight Cup. Tocchet has often been cited by his teammates as the driving force behind the triumph.

Okay…back to the present.

Judging by the team’s recent efforts, I think the current Penguins need a spark, too. Perhaps a player (or players) who are aching to win it all, just as Tocchet was all those years ago. Hainsey, a character guy who labored 14 years in the NHL trenches without experiencing a whiff of playoff competition, might provide some hunger.

I don’t know if he’s enough.

In culinary terms, a little more seasoning may be required to make a perfect stew.