Comments on: What Does the Penguins’ Win of the Stanley Cup Mean for Us?

By: PensWin

PensWin — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 07:50:48 +0000

If you watched NHL hockey this year and did not believe Malkin was the best player in the league, you are seriously biased.
Ovie may have been more valuable to his team, but Malkin was just flat out better. I guess only time will tell career-wise.

By: Ulf

Ulf — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 15:30:47 +0000

@nathalie

How on earth WOULD you define “best team this year” other than the one holding Lord Stanley’s Cup? Maybe you’d prefer to celebrate individual award nominees or video game cover spots? Let’s throw a victory parade for Ovie appearing on the NHL 2K10 cover!

By: pearl

pearl — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 01:34:19 +0000

Things seemed to be arranged?
So the Pens performance this year was arranged?

10th place and 5 points out of the playoffs in February. Arranged?

Firing the coach midseason? arranged?

Losing Gonchar. Arranged?

The power play struggling. Arranged?

By: Greggy

Greggy — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 16:43:51 +0000

Hey Keys, your a joke bro, do you even watch the games or check the box scores and cry when your boys in red fail to put the puck in the net. Also Defense, your team should learn some of that and not worry about what men in stripes are upto okay? You know your finished when you start complaining about the refs, i guess that’s why you don’t get very far. Guess what, complaing about the refs doesn’t get you more calls it gets you less cause it seems like your trying to embarrass them. Have fun

By: nathalie

nathalie — Thu, 18 Jun 2009 14:10:55 +0000

@Dragnet
I didn’t say anything about the Caps at all, or furnish any opinion as to their performance this year, or who they would or would not have beaten this year. I only expressed my thoughts on the performance of the Penguins this year, nothing more.

By: Ulf

Ulf — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:24:44 +0000

The real take away lesson from the Pen’s victory — skill counts, but determination and sacrifice count a lot too. Playoff hockey isn’t always pretty and the Pens passed the ultimate gut check. The Caps could learn from the Pens’ workmanlike performance in games 6 & 7. Many observers discounted their chances without big contributions from Crosby & Malkin, but all 4 of their goals in those games came at even strength from the 3rd line down, and Malking/Crosby combined for 1 assist with Crosby missing much of game 7.

You guys are getting warmer, but you’re not there yet. We’ll send you a postcard from the City of Champions (and the Pirates too).

By: Dragnet

Dragnet — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 18:07:55 +0000

@ Andrew: So, Ovechkin’s knee-to-knee on Gonchar that partially tore his MCL (and went undiscliplined) was something that went the Penguins’ way, too?

@ Nathalie: That is absurd. The Caps wouldn’t have beaten the Flyers this year, even with Varly’s outstanding play in the net.

You both need to stop making excuses for a team that doesn’t backcheck, support the puck, or play as a team. The Caps quit on you. When you have a group of men that are committed to playing together and paying the price to win the battles, there will be a Stanley Cup in D.C..

@ Ted: I applaud your willingness to be accessable via your blog and your honesty with the discussions. However, I doubt that you can stand behind your fans who assert that there’s a conspiracy theory one way or another. You have a lot of positive things going your way with the young stars and the farm seems to be rich with talent.

By: Bulldog

Bulldog — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:46:18 +0000

For 2009-2010 I agree the Caps need to promote Alzner who from my point of view is a superior defenseman to Jeff Schultz already. Morrisonn should be allowed to depart in free agency. Disagree with all the grumbling about goaltending - Simeon Varlamov emerged one year earlier than expected, why is that a bad thing, fans?

In free agency the team has to be careful. While the draft and trades have brought in some great players and prospects, free agency has netted us two players in Theodore and Michael Nylander that have not met expectations. Nylander was an 83 point center his last year with the Rangers and if he was even remotely the same player at 36 he was at 33 that might have been enough extra offense to get the Caps over the hump against Pittsburgh.

I agree that the team needs whether from internal callup or trade or FA, a power forward to convert in front of the net. Laich and Bradley are game but are smallish and don’t have the skill of guys like Tkachuk or Tocchet that made a living in the playoffs scoring from in close.

By: Andrew K.

Andrew K. — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:30:47 +0000

Ted: Your prediction before the Stanley Cup Finals started that the Penguins would win because “it is their time” seems chilling. I don’t think the so-called “conspiracy theorists” about how the “fix was in” for Pittsburgh are all that off the mark. Everything went their way in the playoffs - not a single thing went against them. I guess Bettman told all the owners before the playoffs began that the Penguins would win…and the refs would kick the puck in the net if they had to in an effort to ensure that outcome. I didn’t watch a single minute of the finals because the outcome was predetermined for the Penguins. Hopefully, Bettman gives everyone an equal shot next year.

By: Dragnet

Dragnet — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 18:18:33 +0000

Maybe you should start with asking your premier player to play defence once in a while if you want to look for answers as to why your team has yet to reach its potential.