Penguins/Steelers
*Well, if you are going to be wrong, be wrong BIG! I was one of the many who was shocked at the way the Penguins came out and performed in their deciding game seven of the Eastern Conference semi-finals. 10 seconds in, Sidney Crosby takes a boarding call that I question. I have seen much worse not called as a penalty. 30 seconds after that penalty was called, the Canadiens scored a power play goal and the route was on.
Too much hockey over the last three years? Players paid a lot of money to perform? Complacency due to the fact they won the Cup last year? The operative word was disappointment across the board. Yes, expectations are high, as they should be. But this team is not going to make is as far as the Final every year. The core is still very young, to be sure, but there is more involved than just having a talented team.
The Penguins lacked some toughness this season. Losing defensemen Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi last summer hurt the team. You need defensive defensemen who are willing to stay at home and do the dirty work in order for your team to win. Of course, this was a salary cap issue. The Penguins could not afford to keep everyone and those two moved onto bigger contracts, which were well deserved. They helped the Pens win a Stanley Cup.
General Manager Ray Shero will now have to go back to the drawing board. He has several free agents he has to deal with. He is going to have to find a way to shore up the defense and find some toughness that his team lacked this season. He also needs to find some productive wingers, primarily for Crosby, so there are some plays that can be finished next season.
It’s interesting how fast everyone wants to play the blame game. Fingers get pointed when things go wrong, after a team has been to the playoffs four years in a row, to the Final twice, and won a Cup. Crosby scores 51 goals during the regular season, gets bottled up against Montreal, only scores one goal, and some want to say he underperformed. What?! Excuse me? He continues to round out his game, is the captain and face of the franchise, and people want to blame him? Please!
Okay, Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t have his best playoff and he will be the first one to admit to that. Head Coach Dan Bylsma called out both Fleury and Evgeni Malkin. Both had subpar seasons. There is even speculation Shero may deal Malkin to relieve some cap room, and get a bunch back in return to continue to build around Crosby and the rest of the team. That may disappoint a lot of people around here, but don’t be surprised if it happens.
After the year that was in 2009, with the City of Champions being revived, this year will go without any kind of celebration or parades. We got spoiled in a hurry, and now we will have to deal with a painful offseason. It is going to be interesting and adventurous. Now that Mellon Arena is officially closed for hockey, and the team moves across the street to Consol Energy Center, this offseason will provide some very interesting moves. Owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle want a winner in the new building and the chance to hang more banners. They have given their blessing to spend up close to the cap. A second round exit won’t cut the mustard every year.
Nothing will start happening until July 8, so there is still some time before the fireworks start. What Shero comes up with initially will be very interesting. No question, this will likely be a different looking team come fall and the start of the 2010-11 season. As things progress we will analyze the moves.
*Now that hockey season is over in Pittsburgh, there are two offseasons. The Steelers are now in full offseason mode, yet training camp will open in just a little over two months, if you can believe it. There will be minicamps before that time comes. This will be an offseason unlike any other for the Steelers organization, for obvious reasons. The Roethlisberger situation has shed a new, unwanted light on the Rooney family business and damage control is the order of the day.
I freely, and fully, admit that it is tough for me to look at my Steelers garb and want to wear it. There is a stain on this organization that may not lift, no matter how much it is treated and how much they try to wash it. There is a common feeling that had Roethlisberger not led this team to two Super Bowl titles that he might already be gone. That is the price of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. He had disgraced himself and his team, but he is the franchise quarterback this team hasn’t had since Terry Bradshaw retired after the 1983 season.
I am a football junkie. I have stated that in the past. I am looking forward to football season, yet not necessarily Steeler season. College football Saturdays strike my fancy more than do pro football (NFL) Sundays. Friday night lights, high school football, is also in my blood and is on par with football Saturdays. The behavior of some of these pro athletes has lessened my enthusiasm because of their attitudes. But football is still a game that I love and will continue to watch.
Going just a little bit deeper, the Steeler quarterback situation is what is going to make this offseason, and regular season, very interesting. Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch, and Dennis Dixon are battling for the starting position and each one has qualities to merit the job. For at least the first quarter of the season (four games) and perhaps all six, one of these three men is going to lead the Steelers into battle. How this plays out will be most entertaining. What happens if one of these three plays lights out when Roethlisberger returns? An interesting dilemma, to be sure.
Perhaps my attitude may change as training camp draws closer, as will the beginning of the regular season. I would like to think it will. I have always looked forward to training camp, college and pro, and the beginning of football season. Steelers training camp has always been like a religion around these parts and it will be interesting when the faithful start showing up to camp practices and their reaction to Ben when he is visible. This is a tough crowd that expects more out of its players. Hiding will not be an option.
While the Pirates continue to try and dig out of their rut, the Steelers and Penguins will both continue their offseasons. Sports Beat will continue to monitor any moves made and offer its analysis of what happened and why. In the interim, we will also keep track of other events in the sports world, as the Indianapolis 500 will be Sunday May 30, the U.S. Open will be contested in June and the British Open in July. There are a lot of sports going on outside of the borders of Pittsburgh and we will address them and monitor them as they occur. Each week will bring us one week closer to the trek to Latrobe. Let’s hope the Steelers get it right.
*Stanley Cup playoff predictions: Eastern Conference, Montreal in seven games over Philadelphia; Chicago in six games over San Jose. 2010 Stanley Cup Champions, Chicago Blackhawks.
Too much hockey over the last three years? Players paid a lot of money to perform? Complacency due to the fact they won the Cup last year? The operative word was disappointment across the board. Yes, expectations are high, as they should be. But this team is not going to make is as far as the Final every year. The core is still very young, to be sure, but there is more involved than just having a talented team.
The Penguins lacked some toughness this season. Losing defensemen Hal Gill and Rob Scuderi last summer hurt the team. You need defensive defensemen who are willing to stay at home and do the dirty work in order for your team to win. Of course, this was a salary cap issue. The Penguins could not afford to keep everyone and those two moved onto bigger contracts, which were well deserved. They helped the Pens win a Stanley Cup.
General Manager Ray Shero will now have to go back to the drawing board. He has several free agents he has to deal with. He is going to have to find a way to shore up the defense and find some toughness that his team lacked this season. He also needs to find some productive wingers, primarily for Crosby, so there are some plays that can be finished next season.
It’s interesting how fast everyone wants to play the blame game. Fingers get pointed when things go wrong, after a team has been to the playoffs four years in a row, to the Final twice, and won a Cup. Crosby scores 51 goals during the regular season, gets bottled up against Montreal, only scores one goal, and some want to say he underperformed. What?! Excuse me? He continues to round out his game, is the captain and face of the franchise, and people want to blame him? Please!
Okay, Marc-Andre Fleury didn’t have his best playoff and he will be the first one to admit to that. Head Coach Dan Bylsma called out both Fleury and Evgeni Malkin. Both had subpar seasons. There is even speculation Shero may deal Malkin to relieve some cap room, and get a bunch back in return to continue to build around Crosby and the rest of the team. That may disappoint a lot of people around here, but don’t be surprised if it happens.
After the year that was in 2009, with the City of Champions being revived, this year will go without any kind of celebration or parades. We got spoiled in a hurry, and now we will have to deal with a painful offseason. It is going to be interesting and adventurous. Now that Mellon Arena is officially closed for hockey, and the team moves across the street to Consol Energy Center, this offseason will provide some very interesting moves. Owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle want a winner in the new building and the chance to hang more banners. They have given their blessing to spend up close to the cap. A second round exit won’t cut the mustard every year.
Nothing will start happening until July 8, so there is still some time before the fireworks start. What Shero comes up with initially will be very interesting. No question, this will likely be a different looking team come fall and the start of the 2010-11 season. As things progress we will analyze the moves.
*Now that hockey season is over in Pittsburgh, there are two offseasons. The Steelers are now in full offseason mode, yet training camp will open in just a little over two months, if you can believe it. There will be minicamps before that time comes. This will be an offseason unlike any other for the Steelers organization, for obvious reasons. The Roethlisberger situation has shed a new, unwanted light on the Rooney family business and damage control is the order of the day.
I freely, and fully, admit that it is tough for me to look at my Steelers garb and want to wear it. There is a stain on this organization that may not lift, no matter how much it is treated and how much they try to wash it. There is a common feeling that had Roethlisberger not led this team to two Super Bowl titles that he might already be gone. That is the price of being stuck between a rock and a hard place. He had disgraced himself and his team, but he is the franchise quarterback this team hasn’t had since Terry Bradshaw retired after the 1983 season.
I am a football junkie. I have stated that in the past. I am looking forward to football season, yet not necessarily Steeler season. College football Saturdays strike my fancy more than do pro football (NFL) Sundays. Friday night lights, high school football, is also in my blood and is on par with football Saturdays. The behavior of some of these pro athletes has lessened my enthusiasm because of their attitudes. But football is still a game that I love and will continue to watch.
Going just a little bit deeper, the Steeler quarterback situation is what is going to make this offseason, and regular season, very interesting. Byron Leftwich, Charlie Batch, and Dennis Dixon are battling for the starting position and each one has qualities to merit the job. For at least the first quarter of the season (four games) and perhaps all six, one of these three men is going to lead the Steelers into battle. How this plays out will be most entertaining. What happens if one of these three plays lights out when Roethlisberger returns? An interesting dilemma, to be sure.
Perhaps my attitude may change as training camp draws closer, as will the beginning of the regular season. I would like to think it will. I have always looked forward to training camp, college and pro, and the beginning of football season. Steelers training camp has always been like a religion around these parts and it will be interesting when the faithful start showing up to camp practices and their reaction to Ben when he is visible. This is a tough crowd that expects more out of its players. Hiding will not be an option.
While the Pirates continue to try and dig out of their rut, the Steelers and Penguins will both continue their offseasons. Sports Beat will continue to monitor any moves made and offer its analysis of what happened and why. In the interim, we will also keep track of other events in the sports world, as the Indianapolis 500 will be Sunday May 30, the U.S. Open will be contested in June and the British Open in July. There are a lot of sports going on outside of the borders of Pittsburgh and we will address them and monitor them as they occur. Each week will bring us one week closer to the trek to Latrobe. Let’s hope the Steelers get it right.
*Stanley Cup playoff predictions: Eastern Conference, Montreal in seven games over Philadelphia; Chicago in six games over San Jose. 2010 Stanley Cup Champions, Chicago Blackhawks.
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