Penguins Update: Punchless in Pittsburgh

Time for a little hockey quiz. What do Zach Bogosian, Blake Coleman, Pat Maroon and Luke Schenn have in common?

Well, let’s see. They’re all physical players. Oh, and they all played for Tampa Bay and hoisted the Stanley Cup this year.

Very good. Now quick. Name their Penguins counterparts.

Well, there’s…uh… And then there’s…uh… Uhhhhh…

You see where I’m going. Yes, it’s my annual (okay, monthly) rant about the Penguins’ lack of toughness. Courtesy of head coach Mike Sullivan, with an assist to GM Jim Rutherford.

Hard to believe that once upon a time in the not-too-distant past the Pens were one of the toughest teams in the league. Indeed, for a seven-season stretch between 2007 and 2014 the black-and-gold boasted such rugged performers as Arron Asham, Deryk Engelland, Eric Godard, heavyweight champ “Big” Georges Laraque, Ryan “Bugsy” Malone, “Scary” Gary Roberts, Mike Rupp and Chris Thorburn. Aided and abetted by second-tier toughies like Craig Adams, Matt Cooke, Hal Gill, Tyler Kennedy, Brooks Orpik, Jarkko Ruutu and “Mad Max” Talbot. Even backup goalie Brent Johnson could throw ‘em.

A virtual roll call of the toughest players ever to don the black and gold.

If I seem a bit wistful, I am. What I wouldn’t give to have even a couple of those guys skating for our present-day Pens.

Needless to say, we weren’t a whole lot of fun to play against back then. We could beat you with supreme skill or beat you in the alley. Think Montreal would’ve said that about the current crop they dusted in the qualifying round of the recent postseason?

In hindsight, winning the Cup the way we did in 2016 may have been the worst thing that happened to us. We keep trying to recreate that dynamic. Given that the last three Cup winners, Washington, St. Louis and the Lightning, all embraced a more balanced approach that melded high-end skill with a physical bent, the Pens’ triumph in ’16 looks like an anomaly. Even our ’17 squad won with more of a hybrid style.

Putting it another way, the “kill ‘em with skill” approach may work well on a Thursday night in January against Minnesota. But in the cauldron of the Stanley Cup playoffs…not so well.

Why Don’t the Penguins Value Toughness?

That’s a good question. One I really can’t answer. Some of the more successful teams in franchise history, from the 1969-70 “Pesky Pens” to the star-crossed ’74-75 squad and on through the first three Stanley Cup champions could hold their own when the going got tough.

Indeed, the fortunes of the early 70’s teams turned dramatically with the acquisition of rugged types like Bryan Hextall, Tracy Pratt, Glen Sather and Bryan Watson…and a few years later Steve Durbano, Bob “Battleship” Kelly and Bob Paradise.

In 1991, the in-your-face hitting of Robocop defenseman Ulf Samuelsson provided a bedrock foundation for the Pens’ first Cup winner. The following season it was the inspirational play of tough-as-nails winger Rick Tocchet, who battled his way through the playoffs with a fractured jaw and tallied his share of points to boot. Both were late-season acquisitions.

In 2009, Talbot’s spirited albeit losing tussle with former Pens farmhand Daniel Carcillo (in Philly no less) was arguably the turning point of the playoffs. Unless it was Orpik’s four hits in 15 seconds during Game Three against Detroit.

Then came the “Fight Night” brawl with the Islanders on February 11, 2011, when the teams combined for 15 fighting majors, 21 game misconducts and a total of 346 penalty minutes. Shortly thereafter, the Pens’ organizational philosophy began to shift. Suddenly, dropping the gloves seemed taboo.

Too, the game was evolving. Teams began accenting speed and skill over size and brawn, a transformation driven in part by the Penguins’ success. Fighting began to wane.

Still, a willingness to battle and compete in the dirty areas is as important as ever, whether it’s being hard on the puck on the forecheck or along the boards or clearing an opposing forward from the slot.

As I noted in previous articles, the teams that went to the conference finals this year…Dallas, the Islanders, Vegas and Cup winner Tampa Bay…employ a style that blends talent and skill with a physical element. And when push comes to shove, it’s still necessary to have a player or two who can stick their nose in and protect their mates from the likes of DC marauder Tom Wilson.

We Need a Tough Guy…No We Don’t

During recent seasons, the Pens have displayed a knee-jerk approach to employing tough guys. Usually driven by a specific incident or series of events.

Tom Sestito was in the lineup for the 2016-17 season opener against Washington for the express purpose of fighting Wilson, who blatantly took out Conor Sheary’s leg during the previous postseason.

Ryan Reaves was acquired in the summer of 2017 as a direct response to the rough treatment Sidney Crosby and the other black-and-gold stars received during the ’17 Cup run.

Erik Gudbranson arrived on the scene shortly after our No. 1 defense pairing of Brian Dumoulin and Kris Letang was wiped out by the Flyers during a 2019 Stadium Series matchup.

However, once the immediate need passes? Or more to the point, when Sullivan finds a way to weed them out of the lineup? Pfft…these guys are gone.

Out of curiosity, I took a gander at the length of stay for our tough guys during the Rutherford era. It ain’t too long.

Player	Years	Regular Season Games	Reg. Season ATOI	Playoff Games	Playoff ATOI
Robert Bortuzzo	2011-15	113	14:56	8	13:14
Zach Sill	2013-15	62	9:06	NA	NA
Steve Downie	2014-15	72	12:26	5	10:40
Bobby Farnham	2014-15	14	7:04	NA	NA
Tom Sestito	2016-17	17	5:36	NA	NA
Steve Oleksy	2016-17	11	13:42	NA	NA
Ryan Reaves	2017-18	58	6:45	NA	NA
Jamie Oleksiak	2017-19	83	16:44	12	13:43
Garrett Wilson	2018-19	50	7:37	4	8:03
Erik Gudbranson	2019	26	17:56	4	16:14

By contrast, Wilson has played 522 games…all with Washington…over the course of his seven-year NHL career. Sixteen more than the aforementioned Pens tough guys combined.

There’s something to be said for continuity…and packing a punch.

If only the Pens’ braintrust agreed.