In the late 1960s and early ‘70s heavyweight champion Joe Frazier was a formidable fighting machine, laying waste to anyone who had the temerity to challenge him. His calling cards…relentless pressure and a sledgehammer left hook.
However, by the time “Smokin’ Joe” defended his title against strapping George Foreman in January 1973, he was in decline. The young challenger did the unthinkable, destroying the previously indestructible Frazier inside of two rounds.
A scribe who covered the fight described Frazier’s once-vaunted left hook as a “dying fish flopping on the shore.” Foreman concurred. “You mean that thing was his left hook?”
Watching the Penguins bow rather meekly to the Oilers last night at PPG Paints Arena, I felt like I was witnessing the last vestige of our once-proud champions being swept away. Kind of like watching Frazier go down six times under Foreman’s thundering punches. Or that dying fish writhing on the shore.
It was painful to watch.
I felt sad. Sad for Sidney Crosby, whose desire for another Cup still burns white-hot. Sad for Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang, whose long and glorious black-and-gold careers may be coming to a close sooner than anyone wants to think. Sad for the players. Sad for the fans. Sad for Mario.
The Pens simply can’t hang with the best teams in the league. Going back to March 25, we’re 3-8 against clubs positioned for a playoff berth. Too many nights of playing high-energy hockey in November and December have left our aging team worn and depleted. While other clubs are stepping up the intensity for the postseason, we’re fading out.
It reminds me of the end of the 2014-15 season under Mike Johnston when we barely qualified for the playoffs on the last day. As much as you wanted to hold out hope that we’d make a miraculous turnaround in the postseason, you knew it wasn’t gonna’ happen.
It didn’t. We lost to the Rangers in five games.
Although I do plan to write a playoff preview, I can tell you right now this team will be lucky to win a game, let alone a series. Way (way) too many passengers. Way too little swagger and passion.
I’ll point a finger at coach Mike Sullivan. His insistence on stripping big personalities (and big players) out of the lineup has created a team that far too often resembles a cadre of 9-to-5ers taking the T to work. There’s no one to light a fire or provide a spark when the goin’ gets tough and the puck’s not going in.
Business-like might work in the corporate world. It won’t cut it in the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Good coach and better human being that he is, I don’t want Sullivan’s blueprint on this team going forward. It isn’t 2016 anymore. We aren’t going to speed anyone to death.
It’s time for a new voice and a new vision. Perhaps a more balanced style and approach to team building, rather than Sully’s eggs-in-one-basket scheme.
It’s time for a new era.
Puckpourri
Evan Bouchard, Evander Kane, Zach Hyman, Connor McDavid and Zack Kassian (empty net) scored for the Oilers. McDavid tallied four points to earn top-star honors.
Jeff Carter scored the lone Pens goal. Mike Matheson and Kasperi Kapanen assisted.
The Oilers held the high ground in shot attempts (64-59) and shots on goal (42-34). The Pens had an edge in scoring chances (29-23) and high-danger chances (19-15). Our power play continues to shrivel. We were 0-for-4 last night…the Oilers 2-for-4.
Sullivan juggled his forward lines. He bumped slumping Bryan Rust to Crosby’s line and teamed Rickard Rakell with Malkin and Jason Zucker. The latter skated only five shifts before departing with what appeared to be a lower-body issue. Brock McGinn plugged the gap.
While I fully understand the need to get Rusty going, he and Malkin form an effective pair with nine goals for and seven against 5v5. Rakell and Geno do not (three goals for, eight against 5v5).
Only the little-used McGinn-Teddy Blueger–Evan Rodrigues line had more shots on goal than shots allowed 5v5. Sid’s line in particular was heavily under water (five shots for, 11 against 5v5).
Speaking of E-Rod, he seems to epitomize our plight. In his first 33 games he scored 15 goals and 30 points. Since then? A paltry three goals and 12 points in 48.
Casey DeSmith did what he could, stopping 37 of 41 shots.
Despite the loss, the Pens (45-25-11, 101 points) still cling to third place in the Metro, courtesy of the Capitals’ 4-1 loss to the Islanders. We finish the season Friday night at home against the Blue Jackets. The Caps play the Islanders and Rangers away in back-to-back games on Thursday and Friday night.
Hey Rick,
I see President and top dog David Morehouse has resigned today and Brian Burke and the CFO will fulfill his duties.
You all knew this was coming !! Fenway Group will clean house and start over. Just wait and see.
JIM
Hey all,
Just wanted to point out what I think is a very good article by Mark Madden over on the Trib titled, “Penguins can’t be fixed before playoffs, but here are some ideas anyway.”
There’s a good piece by Tim Benz, too… “For Penguins, water is finding its level as playoffs approach.”
Rick
Rick
I hope after watching the Oilers beat us to every loose puck – win every one on one battle on the boards that
anyone who thinks the Pen’s are fast and tough got a much needed wake up call. It was a depressing game
to watch to say the least – does anybody on the team have the ability to take a pass cleanly “LORD”.
Below are a few observations from yesterday’s game.
1) DeSmith – this loss wasn’t even close to being his fault but if he keeps allowing rebound after rebound and
not controlling the pucks on less than difficult shots its going to be a short playoff.
2) Malkin’s back to being Malkin – he was chasing the puck all night in our own end. We should use Malkin like
they do a DH in Baseball and just bring him out on our Power Plays. I’m so tired of watching fly by’s.
3) Nothing against Ruhwedel but Friedman needs to be in the lineup.
4) E-Rod needs to be on the bench.
5) Boyle needs to be in the lineup.
6) Like or dislike Zucker theirs no denying our lineup looks a lot more dangerous with him playing. I realize he
hasn’t been able to stay healthy but when he left the game our lines look average at best.
7) Matheson looked like the only Pen’s player that could keep pace with the Oilers.
I have nothing against Sullivan but his ego is getting the best of him – we’re not good enough to impose our
will on opposing teams – he has to make adjustments accordingly.
Hey Rick,
What a great analogy using Joe Fraiser and George Foreman to high light the current situation with our Pen’s and the upstart Oilers. A Very well presented article buddy and you certainly did not mix words.5 goals, 2 more called back due to reviews, pretty much says it all.Mc David is only 25 and his German side kick is 24. They are still learning the game. They are only going to improve the next few years and that is scary.It reminds me of us 10 years ago and that would have been a young Sid and Geno.( History does repeat itself Rick). This was a hallelujah moment for many of the local die hard Pen’s fans because many never get to see other teams from the Western Conference play that often and last year’s foolish all Canadian/Covid division was bullshit.So the Oilers could not travel to Pittsburgh.So I am glad we all got to see last nights comparison to see how far we have fallen from the leaders of the league.
I want to leave you with 2 points.
The first is, Calgary, Colorado when healthy,Panthers,Carolina, Tampa and their are a few others that can beat the Oiler in a 7 game series.They are NOT the best team in the league right now, and I realize anything can happen in the play offs with Injuries that can up set any predictions.
Secondly, Sidney Crosby! As one who has followed him locally since the age of about 10,with a family member who played with him in Inter provincial and national tournaments,I hold him in the highest regard. So I say this not as a criticism but as a clarification. When the Coaches were selecting the ill fated Canadian Men’s Olympic Hockey team for 2022, Sidney was rated as the 4th best Center in Canada on the team and was scheduled to Center the third line. It was at that point I realized that yes Sid is still a great player and no one can say differently, but he is not the best any more.
Last night was just proof that the Olympic/Hockey Canada brain trust knew what they were doing.
I for one will enjoy these last 5 or 6 games that this group will play as a unit together and I hope the NEW OWNERS realize they can not resign the same group in 2023. We need to get some high draft picks and fast.
Thanks again Rick
Jim
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Thank you, my friend, for the compliments. And I agree wholeheartedly with your sentiments. I, too, am going to at least try and savor the last handful of games numbers 87, 71 and 58 are likely to play together…at least as members of the black and gold.
It’s been one magnificent ride. So many timeless memories. But if this is the best we can do, then it’s indeed time to break up the gang as you’ve insisted on many occasions.
Perhaps we dial down our expectations and enjoy this last little run with our Two-Headed Monster (plus one) while we can.
Rick
Hey Rick,
No one can fix something that is broken, until they acknowledge that it is broken. The bolts loosen on the Wheels of this cart in the summer after the 2nd Cup and fell off at the following trade deadline, and the frame bent in the accident that was the ensuing playoffs, but no one wanted to acknowledge it. No one wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings. The Coach’s mark was indelibly etched into this team. Arrogantly he contradicted his GM, asserting that his favorite whipping boy at the time, Phil Kessel did not play injured in the Playoffs that year.
Like the Captain of the Titanic, welled with pride, he has steered the course of this ship right into the iceberg. The Coaches arrogance has prevented him from adjusting to the ever changing landscape of the NHL. This team isn’t physically all that slow, there are several bonified speed merchants on this team. This team only appears slow due to the massive ego of the coach refusing to change his breakouts or other schemes. Opponents know how to defend him. They appear faster because they don’t have to think, they can just race to the scene of where the puck is inevitably being pushed.
Sullivan may be a charismatic personality, but he certainly is not a good coach. A team that has a good coach progresses not regresses over the course of a season. They come together, not fall apart. Preparation and psyche level are the purview of the coach. This team is rarely ready to play and either comes out flat or too tense.
To all things comes an end but this end didn’t have to come so fast and we fans were denied at east 1 more Cup appearance because of this Coach.
Hey Other Rick,
Clever illustrations and very astute observations. For once I’m in agreement with pretty much everything you wrote. At least tactically…lol.
Rick
That article was painful to read. Mainly because it is all true. It is going to be very hard, if not impossible for this group to hit the switch. I don’t believe they know where it is. I think Sullivan is still trying to preach his message. However no one is listening. Bad decisions, bad passing, turnovers, and an appearance of playing without emotion is very troubling. I hope they all have a mild flu. And that is the reason for the lethargy. Otherwise another short playoff run is on the horizon. I agree that DeSmith did what he could. That’s a good way to put it, because that is all the better that he is. He is not an NHL quality goaltender. Lets hope for the best, but if not, it has been a fun 16 years.
Hello Horse,
We sure have been blessed with some wonderful hockey, haven’t we? I think that’s what makes this so difficult to watch. It’s like the team’s dissolving right before our very eyes and no one seems to have any answers. I agree 100 percent with your assertion that I don’t think we’ll find the ‘on’ switch. I’m not even sure at this stage there’s an on-switch to find…
I wish so badly we had a stronger team because Sid is doing everything in his power to drag us along. But everyone can’t play on his line. The minute we pull someone off his line (Rust) they turn stone cold. About the only other guy to step up in my eyes is Matheson with an occasional burst from Guentzel and Letang and Rakell. Everyone else seems to be treading water or sinking.
Rick