As the Penguins’ brass prepares to embark on a retool in earnest, I hope they were paying attention to Thursday night’s rousing 4 Nations tilt between the United States and Finland.
The players who made the most impact (literally) for the victorious United States squad weren’t necessarily the high-skill guys like Auston Matthews and Jack Hughes. Rather, they were the Tkachuk brothers, Brady and Matthew, who combined for four goals, five points, a whopping 13 shots on goal and 10 hits!
“That’s their game,” teammate J.T. Miller said. “They play that old-school brand and they can do everything.”
Indeed, the rugged pair was virtually a two-man wrecking crew, crashing in on the forecheck and wreaking havoc around the Finns’ net and poor Juuse Saros. Brady (eight hits in 13:39 of ice time) was particularly forceful and disruptive.
“He was a beast,” Matthew said. “It was eight hits but it felt like 28 hits. He made his presence known, especially from the start. That’s the way we play. That’s one of the reasons why we’re on the team.”
Credit Team USA (and Pens) coach Mike Sullivan for moving Brady to his older sibling’s line alongside Jack Eichel after they started the game on separate units, in the process turning a 1-1 nail-biter into a 6-1 rout. In a way, following the blueprint established by the Panthers, who rode the crash-and-bang play of Matthew and Sam Bennett to a Cup last spring.
Obviously, Sully anticipated the spark the power trio might provide.
“They’re terrific players, they’re fierce competitors, and they bring a certain attitude that’s contagious,” he noted.
Hope Penguins POHO/GM Kyle Dubas and vice president of player personnel, Wes Clark, were paying attention.
When drafting, the Pens have consistently emphasized skill over grind and toughness throughout their history. Indeed, the black-and-gold has developed precious few power forwards over the years, the one very notable exception being Kevin Stevens.
While you could certainly argue that greats like Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and Evgeni Malkin had/have a power element in their game and Sidney Crosby is the king of skilled grinders, true slam-bang power forwards like the Tkachuks and Bennett are rarities in these parts.
Actually, they’re rarities these days, period. Which is part of the reason why they’re such a treasured and coveted breed.
There is some hope.
I was surprised to see Sullivan extoll the virtues of physical players when discussing his United States roster the other day (wish I could locate the quote). That, combined with the fact that he not only seems to be tolerating the presence of heavyweight forward Boko Imama on the Pens but has given him a role as well speaks to the fact that at long last Sully may be altering his stance on aggressive play and players.
Too, while calling the shots in Toronto, the Dubas & Clark combo selected emerging 227-pound power forward Matthew Knies in the second-round of the 2021 draft. Knies has 21 goals and 116 hits with the Leafs this season following a solid 15-goal rookie campaign.
Hopefully, they’ll be able to unearth the next Tkachuk/Knies for the black-and-gold. Although he isn’t quite cut from the same cloth, Rutger McGroarty was an early attempt.
The timing is good. There are several sizeable forwards eligible for this summer’s draft, including towering right-shot center Roger McQueen of the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL) and right wing Porter Martone of the Brampton Steelheads (OHL), both 18.
The rugged 6’3″ 208-pound Martone is particularly attractive. He’s tallied 27 goals and 79 points for the Steelheads, an NHLe (equivalent) of roughly 50 points.
Unfortunately, he’s projected to be a top-four pick, which figures to be out of our range. Perhaps Dubas can pull a rabbit out of his draft capital hat and move up a few notches when the time comes.
However things shake out, the Pens need to cultivate players who can bring some aggression and swagger to the mix. When it comes to high-stakes hockey, those are the guys you win with in today’s NHL.
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I disagree with the comment that Sully only has two rings because he inherited a team with pedigree. The commenter seems to fight that the same team Sully inherited, was out of the playoff picture until he took over. He led a great team to 2 cups.
The amount of revisionist history by the Sullivan-haters is astounding. When Sullivan took over he virtually revolutionized the way the NHL game was played. The 2016 champs was the most dominant NHL teams that NHL has ever seen. And it was due to Sullivan. Anyone who denies this simply is clueless about hockey.
Attempts to rationalize those cups as being win despite Sullivan just have an agenda, and reality isn't on it
The Penguins did win the Stanley Cup in 2015-2016, however, history shows that during that Cup run the Penguins only had the 7th best CORSI, the 4th best 5-on-5 GF%, 2nd Best 5-on-5 HDCF%, 8th Best 5-on-5 SH%, 10th Best 5-on-5 Sv%. It took them 7 games to put away the Bolts, and 6 games to put away the Rangers and the Sharks. Reality says that our Penguins did win but they were hardly dominant. Anyone calling someone quoting the actual records a revisionist historian isn't really being factual but showing a very rabid home town bias to the point of blinding themselves to the truth.
I think I cracked the code. Sullivan's team wins, it was the players. Sullivan's team loses, it was Sullivan. Do you even listen to yourself? You're not biased in the least the other rick.
I get it, no I don't iunderstand it, but I get it. You have been wrong for 7 years and you do nmot want to acknowledge that you were wrong, so you are angry. Since you have no support for your arguments, you choose to project your own issues on others.
Hello Another Outsider,
Thank you, so much for your very kind words and for reading the blog all these years. I apologize for any words that were written that may have come off as hurtful and demeaning.
I'm not always successful, but I do try to make the blog a place where folks can feel free to offer their thoughts and opinions. Unfortunately, I feel like we've failed in this instance.
Again, thank you for your readership and kind words...they really mean a lot. And I do hope you'll check back in on us from time to time.
Rick
Thank You Angry Outsider for letting me know - letting me know that you are a very angry outsider who doesn't like to be shown where they are wrong, letting me know that you prefer to try and bully people, letting me know that I have rent free room in your head.
I don't know you and I do not know what you are talking about being wrong for seven years.
I want to thank Rick Buker, for all years I have been reading this blog. Your latest book was fantastic. I'm sorry to say I have just dropped this blog from my read list. I will keep you as a saved author on Amazon and look forward to more books!
Hi Steve,
I know there are people out there that do still like Sullivan and that is your prerogative. However, before you erect a statue to Teflon Mike, understand that Mike Johnston Coached the team for 28 games, until Dec 11, 2015 of that season. When you go back and look at the league standings our Penguins had a record of 15 - 10 -3 for a 0.587% Pnts%. That record was good enough for 7th in the east and 12th in league. In other words, the black-and-gold were still well within playoff contention.
Furthermore, the team that Johnston Coached was bogged down by a 37 year old, worn out, Rob Scuderi, and David Perron who just didn't seem to be able to really get untracked that season. It wasn't until after Sullivan took over the team that JR swung the deals to bring in Trevor Daley and Carl Hagelin, 2 more high octane players that may not belong in the class of a Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Kessel, or Kunitz, but certainly are at least the equal to, if not better than the players my friend Rick B insists indicts Bowman as a Coach that always had a Ferrari , Berenson, Sabourin, St. Marsailles, Roberts, Picard and the Plager Brothers.
(Sorry my friend Rick for dragging you into this thread but 2nd tier players like Daley and Hagelin are more Apples to Apples discussion with your Blues players of our other discussion and they were only 2nd tier players on the team Sully was gifted.)
Furthermore Steve, I ma sorry but if Sully had any real contribution to those Cup teams, during the 2nd Cup run, the team would not have had the 2nd worst CORSI during that playoff run and therefore would never have needed that inhuman performance by Fleury to sneak past the Capitals or Murray's not quite as equal but still elite back-stopping of that porous Sully D over the final 2 series. Nor would several other still really good teams get bounced in the 1st round, swept by the Islanders, beaten by a 24th seed Canadiens, beaten by the Islanders again, victimized by a come front loss (up 3games to 1) to the Rangers and soon to be 3 straight misses of the playoffs.
If Sully was a anything but a glorified doorman during those Cup years, he should have at least been able to get past the Islanders twice, the Canadiens, and the Rangers to the second round and possibly even the conference finals, particularly when considering that Bowman took an expansion Blues team to the Cup finals three straight years with Red Berenson masquerading as his Sidney Crosby, Danny Sabourin his Evgeni Malkin, Barclay Plager as his Kris Letang,, Bob Plager as his Ben Lovejoy, and Noel Picard as his Trevor Daley or Justin Schultz.
Rick
Great article! I’m really hoping Dubas and the team are paying attention too. I think we’ll truly see if Sully is committed to a more physical style of play during the offseason when trades and free agency roll around. I've mentioned this before, but the Penguins need to make sure their lineup has all the necessary ingredients for a championship run. It’s no longer acceptable to take a player based solely on size or style and just throw him on the 3rd or 4th line because he can’t crack the top two. They need to be more strategic, and adding the proper dimensions is crucial. A quick analogy to
Basketball when assembling a team - You need a QB to run the team "Point guard", you need a knock down shooter
"Shooting Guard", You need a rebounder " PF/C", You need a Defensive stopper on the perimeter, you need a shot
blocker, you need an energy guy. etc.....etc....etc... Two different Sports but the concept is basically the same.
Hey Mike,
Excellent analogy to basketball. When it comes to building a sports team, variety truly is the spice of life. And, as you so aptly noted, it takes different players with different strengths and attributes who can fill different roles to make a winner.
In football, you wouldn't build a team with all wide receivers...or all offensive linemen. Again, it takes a blend.
I'm reminded of the late 1980s when the AFC would send offensively charged but defensively weak teams like Miami and Denver to the Super Bowl. They'd get annihilated by tough, balanced team like the Bears, Giants and Redskins.
Too, I think you make a very astute point when you mention the Pens need to be more purposeful when it comes to identifying players for specific roles. These past couple (few) years it feels a little like we (Ron Hextall and Kyle Dubas) have been throwing darts at a dartboard to see what sticks.
As we enter the rebuild, we definitely need a well-thought and executed plan. As the old saying goes, a failure to plan is a plan to fail.
Rick
Hey Rick,
While I agree that the Tkachuk Bros. were a force and would benefit this team, you give Sullivan far too much credit. Despite having perhaps the most talented roster in the tournament, our ersatz Coach's first inclination had this team in a nail biter against a roster with possibly the least talented roster (most/least is an interesting term at this elite level).
No my friend, random chance is more than likely the saving grace that sparked Smelly's "adjustment"; his hubris is far to grand for him to consider re-evaluating his biases.
The only reason Sully has Stanley Cup rings is because he was given a Ferrari. If the US wins the tournament, it will not be due to any contribution of Sully but despite his efforts. The win will be due to the incredible level of talent on that roster over-coming Sullivan's pathos.
Hey Other Rick,
Like you, I've suggested on many occasions that the Pens move on from Sullivan. I just feel it's time, especially given the fact that player development is going to take presidence over everything (even winning) in the very near future.
But I don't agree with your overall take on him. He didn't receive this appointment by accident, which is a clear indication of how highly regarded he is. If he was that bad of a coach, we would've long ago heard rumblings from our core that effect.
I personally think he's thoughtful, intelligent and an outstanding communicator who obviously knows the game and has a passion for winning. I think he's shown more of an ability and willingness to adjust this season and embrace new philosophies than at any time during his tenure and shown real growth.
No way he just lucked into that adjustment as you suggest. It was intentional and purposeful and it worked out beautifully.
I certainly don't agree with everything he does (as if I know any better). But I can also give credit where credit is due.
Rick
PS--As for being handed the keys to a Ferrari, you could rightfully argue that every Cup-winning coach is (ex: Dan Bylsma).
Scotty Bowman won nine Stanley Cups and is generally regarded as the greatest coach of all-time. However, he certainly had the horses. Indeed, his Cup-winning Canadiens dynasty of the '70s was an absolute juggernaut.
The one time he didn't have a loaded team, partially by his own hand, was in Buffalo. Following a 3-7-2 start in '86-87 he was fired in disgrace. Although in hindsight it's hard to believe, his reputation was badly tarnished until fate intervened and he led the Pens to a Cup in '92 to spark a personal revival.
Hey Rick,
Scotty Bowman also took the St. Louis Blues to 2 straight Stanley Cup Finals when they were an expansion team.
His record in his tenure with St Louis, with that expansion team was 110-83-45.
In Bowman's time in Buffalo, without Mario, Jagr, etc was 210-134-60.
Bowman won even without a Ferrari, something Smelly can't do.
I have said it many times, the vast majority of NHL coaches have been nothing more than glorified doormen. Their importance to a team's victories, in most cases is very limited. In Sully's case, all he can really claim is that he was in the right place at the right time.
The most important point I make is that Sully has shown that he makes the wrong decisions the bulk of the time and that means that when he makes the right move (putting the Tkachuks together) it was a random act, a coin flip on his part. There was no conscious thought put into that decision. It was just one more poke and hope in a series of pokes and hopes.
Hey Other Rick,
Again, I'm going to push back. The Blues weren't a bunch of stiffs, rather they were the cream of the expansion team crop, and not just by a little.
Red Berenson was the first expansion superstar...he once scored six goals in a game. Phil Goyette, former Pen Ab McDonald, Frank St. Marseille and Gary Sabourin were good to very good players and a cut above their expansion brethren.
Future Pens assistant Jimmy Roberts would go on to fill a valuable swingman role for Bowman's Canadiens. Barclay and Bob Plager, along with Noel Picard, formed the hub of a capable and very tough defense.
Backing them in goal were Hall-of-Famers Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante. The Blues were so good defensively, they allowed the fewest goals against in '68-69 and the second fewest the following season.
Those teams weren't great, but pretty darn solid.
Rick
Rick,
Red Berenson may have 6 Gs in one game but he only scored 261 Gs in 987 NHL GP and was a career -124, hardly an elite level player, particularly in comparison to a Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Kessel, or Kunitz. The Goalie Berenson scored those 6 Gs against was Doug Favell – again unimpressive.
Phil Goyette scored 207 Gs in 940 GP and was +10.
Ab McDonald scored 182 Gs in 762 GP and was +66
Gary Sabourin scored 169 Gs in 629 GP and was -2
Frank St. Marsaille scored 140Gs in 707 NHL GP and was +32
None of these skaters’ numbers qualify them as elite players. The St. Louis Blues teams that Bowman coached may not have been Yugos but they were far and away from being Ferraris. The success they had was due to their coach. Look at Goyette. He averaged only 18 Gs per 82 game season but scored 29 in his only season playing under Bowman. Bowman got the most out of what he was given.
As for the Plagers, they were not really hockey players. They were goons, as was Picard. And Jimmy Roberts, he may have ties to Pgh but he only managed 126 Gs in 1006 GPs. Moreover, like I mentioned above, 63 of those 126 Gs or half of them were scored under Bowman’s Blues while only playing 395 of those 1006 Games; another player that Bowman maximized.
The only names that you mention that top the charts are Glenn Hall and Jacques Plante. However, Glenn Hall was 36 -39 years old when he played with St. Louis, the end of his career. He was no longer a stud. Plante was 40 years old and had been out of hockey for several years. When you look at the fact that Ernie Wakely didn’t make it to the NHL until he was 29 years old and turned in a 0.930 Sv% and 2.11 GA while playing for Bowman is even more evidence that Bowman was a great coach, despite the limited talent he was given.
No Rick, you are the one comparing Apples to Oranges. Berneson, May have been the best of the expansion era but neither he, nor Sabourin, nor Roberts, nor, St. Marsailles, nor the Plagers or Picard were in any way shape or form comparable to Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Kessel, or Kunitz.
Your current attempt to justify your Apples to Oranges argument still fails.
1. Only Schinkel and MacDonald really played during that first 4-year span of seasons when Bowman Coached in St. Louis. Apps was a rookie the last season Bowman was in St. Louis.
2. Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Kessel, and Kunitz was only with respect to the fact that played for Sullivan. Apps, MacDonald, Polis, and Schinkel played for neither Coach. And you do not address your discussion of the Plagers or Picard as elite level players.
3. Apps, MacDonald, Polis, and Schinkel may have been comparable to your Berenson, St. Marsailles, Sabourin, Roberts but were in no way comparable to Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Kessel, and Kunitz. Okay maybe MacDonald can be compared to Kessel, but he is the only one. Crosby, Malkin, Letang, and Kunitz were named to 1st or 2nd team All Stars. Crosby and Malkin not only were named to 1st and 2nd team All Stars but have multiple trophies and are generational talents.
4. Invoking Apps, MacDonald, Polis, and Schinkel may be comparing Oranges to Oranges by you, but your comparison is Apples to Oranges when you try to compare them to Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Kessel, and Kunitz. If you want to find players comparable to Crosby, Malkin, Letang, Kessel, and Kunitz, you would have to invoke players like Phil Esposito, Bobby Hull, Bobby Orr, Yvon Cornouyer, and Frank Mahovlich – players with hardware and 1st or 2nd team All Star Appearances, players far and away above your Berenson, St. Marsailles, Roberts, Sabourin, and Plagers.
In the end, Bowman took a rag tag bunch of players with moderate talent to the finals in consecutive seasons. That is a feat. Your argument that Bowman was always blessed with elite talent is well below false.
Hey Other Rick,
You're comparing yesterday's apples to today's oranges. For expansion-era players, they were very solid. To illustrate my point, here are the career numbers of four Penguins of that era, each of whom played in at least one All-Star Game.
-- Syl Apps, 727 games, 183 goals, 606 points
-- Lowell MacDonald, 506 games, 180 goals, 390 points
-- Greg Polis, 615 games, 174 goals, 343 points
-- Ken Schinkel, 636 games, 127 goals, 325 points
FYI: Barclay Plager appeared in four all-star games and consistently produced between 25-35 points, very respectable totals for a defenseman of the day. Tough, but hardly a one-dimensional thug as you suggest.
Brother Bob, considered more of a heavy, tallied 33 points in '72-73 and was a plus-18 in '75-76. They could play.
Doug Favell posted a .903 save percentage of better in each of his first seven seasons, including .931 in '67-68, and was between .915 and .917 four years running. He was no Bernie Parent, but he wasn't a stiff, either.
While I don't necessarily agree with your assessments, I do agree those Blues teams were somewhere between Yugos and Ferraris.
In the old five-tier GM alignment, I'd rate them an Oldsmobile.
Rick
Rick
Just a quick note about Sullivan and coaching. I agree that the Penguins should likely move on from Sully, but I do want to point out that in every sport, there have been plenty of coaches who didn’t win, even though they had the talent to do so. From my own experience, it’s not always easy managing star players and their egos. It really takes a special coach to get them to put aside their personal goals for the benefit of the team. That’s just the reality of it.
Mike,
I am not going to argue that even great Coaches do not win the championships all the time, but they do find ways to maximize the talent they have on hand and stay above water. As I mention to Rick, Scotty Bowman still had +500 records in St. Louis and Buffalo when he wasn't gifted elite talent.
Nor am I going to argue that it isn't always easy managing egos. I have had to keep those egos focused on a common goal several times, in different arena's. Unfortunately, Sullivan has never learned to do that. He has ran afoul of many of his players of the years; Cole, Kessel, Sprong (with possibly good reason here), Reaves, Oleksiak, etc.
Tying these two themes together, winning without elite talent and managing egos is the hallmark of great Coaches. Since Sully hasn't shown the ability to do that, he is not a great Coach and has not earn any of the latitude his has wielded during his destruction of our Penguins.