…the difficult beginning.’
Anyone who has read PenguinPoop I’ve known for a long time that this has been my mantra over the years. Partially rooted in my distant hockey past, when early Penguins teams during the goon squad era were routinely torn apart by the likes of Philly’s reckless Broad Street Bullies, Boston’s Big, Bad, Bruins and the Blues’ vicious Plager brothers.
Some of it is based on the cold, hard reality of hockey. The Panthers won back-to-back Stanley Cups and have made three straight trips to the Finals, in part because they were stronger and meaner than anyone. Before them, Lightning used a similar mix of skill and cleverness to capture multiple Cups.
All this time and much to my dismay, our pens of recent vintage have embraced a Milquetoast-esque approach.
Largely thanks to a recent overhaul by Kyle DubsI’m happy to report that our good nature is a thing of the past. In fact, our current batch of pens is the definition of hockey hard.
Following the hard example of our superstar core of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin And Kris Letangthis bunch fights and competes and digs for loose pucks with the intensity of Mike Lange’s miner.
It’s hard for me to think of a single player who isn’t willing to get his nose dirty. That also applies to the 18-year-old rookie Ben Kindelwho plays significantly bigger than his listed 6-foot-1, 182-pound frame, and Tommy Novakwho was known as a perimeter player when he first arrived.
Although not overtly physical, twin towers Justin Brazeau And Anthony Mantha add a muscular presence up front that is extremely difficult for enemies to deal with one-on-one. Our fourth line contains three pepper pots, Noel Acciari, Blake Lizotte And Connor Dewar (107 hits). The definition of cool players.
Even top performers Rickard Rakell And Bryan Rust get rid of the opposition.
According to our skill level? It’s a very difficult group to play against.
As for our defense?
Dubas has put together our most physical blue line corps in years. In particular, Parker Wotherspoon (a team-high 119 hits) will rock you just like that Connor Cliftonwho scored 107 goals in just 26 games. Before going on IR, Jack St Ivany showed a physical tendency. This also applies to newcomers Ilya Solovyov.
The net result (pun intended)? Opposing attackers can no longer camp in our fold without paying a price.
While the team doesn’t have a bona fide heavyweight, the need for one is probably not as great as it used to be. Because of the increased speed of the game, one-dimensional sluggers like Philly’s likes Nicolaas Deslauriers have all but been mothballed. With the exception of Caps Marauder who turned goalscorer, Tom Wilsonstill a loose cannon, and a downright brutal private war between the Lightning and Panthers, fighting and over-the-top physical play seems to be on the wane.
And the pens are not defenseless. A host of players, including Acciari, Dewar, Mantha and Wotherspoon, will defend the team’s honor if called upon. The same goes for Clifton, who recently and powerfully led the Sabres’ Peyton Krebs for having the guts to run the goalkeeper Arthur Silov.
When a heavyweight is needed? Robust Boko Imam remains just a phone call away in Wilkes.
Our new robust nature is in stark contrast to the last few seasons of the Mike Sullivan era, then string bean defender Marcus Petterssonbrave and playful as a butcher’s block, but often outwitted, fought (and lost) most of the team’s battles.
With Sully gone, Dubas has quickly added some much-needed underpinnings of grit.
For example, I am most satisfied with the results.
Let the Games begin
Superpowers Canada and the United States won their Olympic opening games with ease.
Led by captain Crosby (two assists), Team Canada eliminated the Czech Republic 5-0. Can you imagine facing a team with Sid for a second, Connor McDavid And Nathan Mackinnonnot to mention the rising superstar Macklin Celebrini? Talk about a stacked lineup!
Sully’s Team USA also defeated poor Latvia 5-1. Silovs scored the goal for the vanquished in the third period, conceding a goal after six shots.
Politics aside, it’s a shame that hockey’s third power, Russia, isn’t participating in the Games, even if it gives Geno’s ailing shoulder a chance to heal.
#Penguins #Update #tough..