Penguins Perspective: A View from Afar…It’s a New Day

I never thought I’d write again. Many things to share. But first I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to Rick Buker, Phil Krundle and of course Other Rick, whom I affectionately nicknamed “Coach” many years ago for his vast knowledge of the game. You gentlemen inspired me to be able to do some difficult things in battling my illnesses these past three years. Words cannot express my gratitude. Now with the blessing of the good Lord, I will attempt to write that final article that I promised you all so long ago.

A view from afar… to the new readers of this wonderful site, I want to say that I’m not from Pittsburgh…nor even the United States. My home is in Atlantic Canada, Nova Scotia to be precise, yet I still bleed black and gold as you all do. Fans forever. I envy all of you that you can see my Penguins play live. You are all so lucky.

I was born and raised in a country where at one time hockey was more than a sport…it was a proud way of life. So, my perspective sometimes may seem a little different. That’s why the affection for Sidney Crosby…he works in Pittsburgh but he lives in Atlantic Canada. We are all very proud of what he has become. A national treasure!

But I digress. For the past two years the Pens were not the team of choice to be shown on Canadian TV. For over a decade the “update” game (the second game the media covered along with the main event) was almost always Crosby and the Penguins. Since the Pens have faltered in the playoffs over the past few seasons, interest in watching them nationally has waned.

I think a lot of that is driven by the advertisers. The CBC bends to their pressure. As I’ve often said, when you watch a hockey game at the NHL level you’re really witnessing two games at once. The one on the ice and the one being played out in the back rooms and away from the rink. In my opinion that’s where you need to win to be successful.

I’ll get to the point. We have no cap space to work with. Our farm system is talent poor compared with the top 20 teams in the league. Some experts have ranked us dead last. We have no draft picks to get elite talent. That’s critical.

The game played off the ice. Are we winning??? Think about it…

But yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus! It’s a new day!!!

There’s an old saying…“You need to be good to be lucky and you need to be lucky to be good.” No truer words were ever spoken.

Last month owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle got really lucky. According to reports in Canada, the Pens were sold to Fenway Sports Group (FSG) for $875 to $900 million USD. This is great news for all concerned. Congratulations Mario and Ron…well deserved gentlemen! But the real winner in this sale is us, the fans.

Why?

Three reasons from my perspective.

First. Money. FSG is valued at over $7.5 billion and their assets include real estate. Real value. You can never have enough money when operating major league sports franchises. Plus, they are diversified. MLB, NASCAR, British Football League, and now the NHL.

I cannot stress enough how much better off we are with them as the majority owners.

Two. It isn’t working, folks. The last three years have been a failure. From my perspective we’re losing the off-ice battle, especially when compared to the competition. Many lesser franchises have now surpassed our team. Without new ownership in the back room, we would continue on the downward path. Fortunately, regardless how the media spins it, nobody spends $900 million on a losing team. FSG will indeed put their mark on their team some time in 2022. Change is good for everyone and as fans we’ll benefit from it. For the first time in a long while I’m excited about the future of the franchise!

Three. Long term, a youth movement is the only way to go. There’s been plenty of speculation recently about new contracts for pending UFAs Kris Letang, Evgeni Malkin and Bryan Rust or more to the point…the lack of. Now that Mario and Ron have their payday maybe now the much needed rebuild will start. This is good news for the franchise long term.

Indeed, it’s a new day in Pittsburgh and that’s great news for all of us my friends.

Thanks for reading! From my family to all of you, Merry Christmas and Season’s greetings to all! Cheers!

PS: Rick Buker (my twin brother) and I share the same birthday. We are exactly the same age. How many people can say that?