Daily Clips – 12/26/11
Penguins defense's depth charge blows away rivals
Monday, December 26, 2011
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Penguins' image and identity have been forged, in large part, by their high-profile forwards.
And understandably so.
After all, during his eight-game cameo in late November and early December, Sidney Crosby
reminded everyone of the exceptional impact he can have.
Evgeni Malkin, making a serious run at his second NHL scoring championship, has reclaimed his
place among the game's elite talents.
James Neal is maturing into a big-time goal-scorer, with 20 -- just one off the league lead -- as
the NHL comes out of its holiday break.
But the performance -- and, more to the point, the depth -- of the Penguins' defense corps has
been a critical factor in a 20-11-4 record they will take into their game against Carolina at 7:08
p.m. Tuesday at Consol Energy Center.
The conventional wisdom in the NHL is that teams, in a best-case scenario, have 10 defensemen
under contract who could fill in capably, at least for a short time, in the NHL if a manpower
crisis develops on the blue line. That is a worthy objective, given the hazards of playing that
position, but it is not one every club is able to realize. Fact is, that's a lot of competent
defensemen to have on hand, especially in the salary-cap era.
Likely seems that way to many franchises, anyway.
Not the Penguins.
For, while they might have been hoping to have 10 NHL-caliber defensemen available when the
2011-12 season began, they already have dressed 12, the most of any NHL team. A few months
ago, management was concerned that some of its top defensive prospects might have their
development stunted by a lack of quality minutes in the American Hockey League. The front
office isn't fretting about that much these days.
"We were talking at the start of the year about how we were going to get enough ice time [in
the AHL] for a young player like [Philip] Samuelsson, or even a guy like Simon Despres,"
assistant general manager Jason Botterill said. "It's turned out to be the exact opposite.
"Thankfully, we've had so many players in our system who could step in, whether it's a young
player who's new to our system like Simon Despres or more of a veteran our pro [scouts] have
found, someone like Alex Picard."
Picard is a veteran signed as a free agent after last season, but much of the Penguins' defensive
talent, especially among players who did not begin the season in the NHL, was acquired via the
draft.
Four of their five selections in Rounds 1 and 2 of the past three entry drafts have been
defensemen.
That group includes Despres, Samuelsson, Joseph Morrow and Scott Harrington; the lone
exception is winger Beau Bennett.
Botterill, however, insists that drafting so many defensemen early was strictly a coincidence
and reflects only the players still on the board when it was the Penguins' turn to choose.
"We have not put an emphasis on it," he said. "We tell our scouts: '[Identify] the best player
available.'
"You get into problems when you start looking at, 'Oh, we should be drafting forwards, or we
should be drafting goaltenders or defensemen,' just because things can change so quickly.
"Maybe it doesn't look like we have room for a defenseman right now, but a lot of these kids
are projected for three, four, five or six years down the road. Who knows how our team could
change through free agency during that time?"
Because of all the injuries on defense the past few months, just about everyone from their
Wilkes-Barre AHL team has gotten at least some NHL work.
And, while the shortage of healthy bodies at the NHL level might lead to someone getting a
short-term promotion by default, most recalls are based on performance, not pedigree.
"We, as an organization, stress earning the call-up, being ready, not just giving somebody a free
pass," said assistant to the general manager Tom Fitzgerald.
"Every player who has come up in our organization has earned that. I think you get the most
out of a player when they can see that their efforts are being rewarded with a call-up, and it
sends a message to everybody else down there.
"When they go back down -- if they go back down -- they're going to try to earn another callup."
Especially when, with the way things have gone this season, there almost certainly will be one.
Penguins are happy for upcoming new year
By Josh Yohe
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 26, 2011
The Penguins could have headed for cover at any point during the past year, and no one would
have blamed them.
Dealing with adversity is part of sports, part of life, but the Penguins have been through more
than their fair share. Yet they march on.
"We aren't shorthanded," winger James Neal said after a recent victory. "We have people who
are hurt, but we aren't shorthanded. We still have 20 guys here who are playing."
Neal hasn't known any other way. He was acquired in February after the Penguins already had
lost their two best players for the balance of last season.
Things haven't gotten much better. The Penguins fought admirably only to lose at home in a
Game 7 for a second consecutive postseason. Their summer was dominated by talk that former
great Jaromir Jagr would return, only to see the superstar sign with the Flyers, the Penguins'
most bitter rival.
Then came this season.
Evgeni Malkin has continued to struggle with a knee injury, Sidney Crosby dramatically returned
from a concussion, only to endure another bout of concussion-symptoms and be lost
indefinitely, center Jordan Staal has struggled with an assortment of injuries, four more players
have sustained concussions, and every defenseman has missed at least one game with an
injury.
How much bad luck can one organization withstand?
"That's the great thing about this bunch of guys," said defenseman Ben Lovejoy, a recent victim
of a broken wrist. "We truly are a team. We have stuck together no matter what."
Dan Bylsma, last season's Jack Adams Award as NHL's premier coach, deserves more credit than
anyone, Lovejoy said. Bylsma rarely has been given a healthy lineup.
"I'd say he has an awful lot to do with all the success we've had," Lovejoy said. "What a job he's
done."
The Penguins say they have never felt sorry for themselves.
"That hasn't been the case at all," defenseman Deryk Engelland said. "I don't like seeing people
get hurt, but for a guy like me, it was actually an opportunity to prove myself."
Engelland might be on to something.
No organization has been as devastated as the Penguins in 2011. But no group seems to have
been better equipped to handle the hard times, as players like Engelland have transformed
themselves from career minor-leaguers into legitimate NHL players.
"I think it's a total credit to every person in this organization," Lovejoy said. "We haven't put our
heads down. Hopefully we get healthy. We want Sid to get back. We want everyone to be
healthy. But we'll keep playing hard no matter what."
Bombarded with adversity
Here's a look at all the Penguins had to overcome in 2011.
Jan. 6: Center Sidney Crosby leaves Montreal after suffering headaches and is diagnosed with a
concussion later that day.
Feb. 4: Center Evgeni Malkin tears his ACL and MCL against the Buffalo Sabres and is lost for the
season.
April 27: Penguins fall, 1-0, in Game 7 of first-round series against Tampa Bay after leading the
series 3-1.
July 1: Jaromir Jagr surprises many, including the Penguins, by spurning their offer and signing
with the Flyers. Folk hero Max Talbot joins Jagr about an hour later.
Oct. 6: The Penguins begin the season with Crosby still out of the lineup.
Nov. 26: Defensemen Kris Letang and Zbynek Michalek sustain concussions in Montreal.
Dec. 7: The Penguins announce that Crosby's concussion-like symptoms have returned.
Kovacevic: Cross-checking an unused list
By Dejan Kovacevic
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Monday, December 26, 2011
If today is the day to save receipts and send gifts back, then this also might be a fine time to
offer my collection of unsolicited, in some cases thoroughly unwelcome gifts for the local sports
community ...
For Sidney Crosby, Kris Letang, Zbynek Michalek, Tyler Kennedy, Robert Bortuzzo and all
future concussed Penguins: An NHL that cares more about safety than the damaged feelings of
dinosaur general managers and various other Sutters and Murrays.
For Evgeni Malkin: The genuine desire to be the franchise star. That might not be optional
anymore.
For James Neal: 50. OK, 40.
For Jaromir Jagr: Earplugs. Expedited shipping by Thursday, please.
For Dan Bylsma: A non-green, non-reindeer sweater. But only after the winning streak ends.
For Carl Sneep: Another promotion for the defenseman from Wilkes-Barre. Because it's fun to
say "Carl Sneep."
For Root Sports: Live goal-cams on their website. You know, just in case the TV broadcast cuts
to a commercial.
For Ray Shero: Long-overdue recognition as a shrewd trader. Four of the Penguins' top
performers this season — Neal, Pascal Dupuis, Chris Kunitz and Matt Niskanen — came in
lopsided deals.
For Kevin Colbert: Long-overdue recognition — period. He's the Steelers' general manager, by
the way.
For Mike Tomlin: A mantel for all his unused timeouts.
For James Harrison: The utter and complete vanquishing of the NFL, all the people who run it
and every rule implemented since 1970. Or whatever other fantasy he has in mind.
For Ben Roethlisberger: At least an occasional mention for MVP. There are three quarterbacks
ahead of him — Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees and Tom Brady — but who handled the most
adversity?
For Roethlisberger's linemen: Dinner at the swanky steakhouse of their choice, for somehow
keeping him alive against Cleveland and San Francisco.
For Max Starks: The prime cut.
For Hines Ward: That 1,000th catch — five more to go — but not at the expense of Jerricho
Cotchery or Emmanuel Sanders.
For Marcus Gilbert: A get-out-of-the-doghouse-free pass. He's been too good to sit for long.
For the Bengals: Name it; it's yours.
For Bob Nutting: A framed copy of that "I love Bob Nutting!" sign that fan famously hoisted at
PNC Park when the Pirates were in first place. Winning cures all.
For Neal Huntington: A near-total housecleaning of his scouts responsible for major league
player evaluations ... oh, wait, that just happened last month, though few noticed.
For Clint Hurdle: More ex-Rockies!
For the Mets: More ex-Pirates!
For Pedro Alvarez: To prove me wrong for doubting him. He's off to a good start by showing up
at PirateFest in exemplary shape.
For Jerry Meals: Lasik surgery.
For Derrek Lee: See Bengals above.
For Paul Chryst: The ability to overcome being a football coach hired by Steve Pederson. He
certainly deserves the clean slate.
For Todd Graham: A soul.
For Arizona State: A clue.
For Tino Sunseri: A transfer to a school that better suits his talent. Meaning down in division.
For Khem Birch: Joyeux Noel up there in Montreal, and good riddance if you couldn't handle life
in an elite basketball program under an elite coach.
For Jamie Dixon: A deep breath. No Pitt team in recent memory has been so lax with defense
and turnovers, but his players always somehow ace that as the season goes along.
For the Clairton Bears: Lifelong success for all involved with the greatest high school football
team we'll ever see in these parts.
For Ron Everhart: Relevance for the long-lost concept of Duquesne basketball. Only the names
change. (Unless Rick Suder is still there?)
For Suzie McConnell-Serio and Agnus Berenato: A DVD of the UConn-Baylor 1-vs.-2 clash last
weekend to illustrate what big-time women's basketball could look like around here if
Duquesne or Pitt ever breaks through. The Dukes' recent eight-game winning streak was a step.
For Derek Schooley: Another upset of an NCAA hockey power Friday night when Robert Morris
faces No. 4 Ohio State at Consol Energy Center. Maybe this one puts the Colonials and their
terrific coach on the local radar.
For Joe Paterno: The most accurate accounting possible of his role in the Penn State scandal.
Even if isn't overly relevant to court proceedings — Paterno isn't charged — it's important for
history.
For Tom Bradley: A real chance to keep the job for which he was born. There remains zero
evidence that he knew anything.
For Jerry Sandusky: Justice.
For our readers: A blessed holiday season. It's the best time of year, in the best place in the
world.
Madden: Mixed emotions about Jagr, Talbot
Posted: Sunday, December 25, 2011 11:15 pm
Mark Madden Times Sports Correspondent | 0 comments
On Thursday, Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr visit Pittsburgh for the first time as members of the
(shock, horror) Philadelphia Flyers.
Give them a pass. Cheer them, even.
That's not going to happen. Odds are that Consol Energy Center will salute Talbot, but boo Jagr
every time he touches the puck. Ironic, since both went to Philadelphia for the same mercenary
reason.
I also realize my advice is markedly different from my initial reaction.
I called Jagr "Judas" when he signed with Philadelphia, complaining that he committed the
cardinal sin of using his past with Mario Lemieux to up the ante elsewhere.
I wasn't real happy with Talbot, either. No Penguin besides Sidney Crosby has ever personified
the disdain of the franchise and city for the Flyers better than Talbot. Remember Talbot
shushing Philadelphia's fans during the 2009 playoffs? Priceless.
Jagr and Talbot deserved better from me. They deserve better from you, too.
I still hate the Flyers, and hate even more that Jagr and Talbot play for the Flyers. You shouldn't
play here, then ever play for Philadelphia. There are 28 other teams to pick from.
But sometimes financial reality dictates. Philadelphia gave Talbot $9 million over five years. I
was taken aback when I heard that, especially given Talbot's recent injury history. Talbot simply
wasn't going to get that sort of money or length elsewhere. He took it. I hate it. But I don't
blame him.
Talbot, as he is wont to do, made a grand entrance: Nine goals already.
As for Jagr, who knows why he does what he does? I can't believe he needed the meager extra
dough he got from the Flyers. But I can't believe he hits 13 against a 5 showing, either.
Jagr loves drama. We all know that. What could be more dramatic than coming back to the NHL
with hockey's version of organized crime?
It's sometimes hard for players to understand the hatred fans have, even more so when that
hatred is as deep-seated as hatred for the Flyers is here in Pittsburgh.
The Flyers are the kings of the push from behind, the odd-numbered brawl, the cheap shot
followed by a smirk. They have a winner's arrogance even though they haven't won anything
since 1975. The Flyers beat the Penguins senseless for decades and, more often than not,
rubbed it in. That logo might as well be a swastika. If that's an exaggeration, it's an emotionally
justified one.
Besides winning three Stanley Cups - one more than Philadelphia - my three top moments in
club history are Feb. 2, 1989, when the Penguins won 5-3 at Philadelphia to end their 42-game
winless streak there, and the two occasions (2008, ‘09) when the black and gold dismissed the
orange and black from the playoffs. "That's the handshake line I've waited my whole life for," I
told Crosby in '08.
But Jagr is, for now, the second-best player in Penguins history. Two Stanley Cups. Five scoring
titles. One MVP. Olympic gold. 657 career goals. 1,628 career points.
Jagr made our lives very exciting for many years. He's a good guy. Quirky. Moody. Forever a
stranger in a strange land. But funny. Quotable. I had a great working relationship with Jagr,
one I enjoyed.
Talbot scored two goals in Detroit that won a Stanley Cup. If that doesn't earn total forgiveness,
it comes close. I co-hosted a radio show with Talbot. Great guy. Never big-times. Visible in the
community. Still a Steelers fan. Talbot loved playing and living in Pittsburgh.
There's nobody better than Talbot - except for that damned winged "P" on his chest.
As always, you'll do what you want. My emotions are mixed, too.
But if Jagr and/or Talbot are introduced as part of the Flyers' starting lineup, or if a tribute video
plays on the Jumbotron, applaud. They deserve that.
When the game starts, boo the hell out of them. They deserve that, too. They're Flyers now.
Canes back to work vs. Devils
By CHIP ALEXANDER –
Why of course there's Christmas in Finland, Jussi Jokinen was saying.
"Santa Claus is from Finland," the Carolina Hurricanes forward said Friday.
Told that some Canadians probably are convinced the North Pole is located just a few klicks
from, say, Edmonton, Jokinen smiled.
"Everyone knows Santa is from the Arctic Circle, north Finland," he said. "Ask anybody."
Having solved that historical point, and with the two-day Christmas break over, Jokinen and the
Canes will go back to work today. The New Jersey Devils will be at the RBC Center, with the
Hurricanes looking to build on their 2-1 overtime win Friday against the Ottawa Senators.
Jokinen's Christmas-and-Santa talk after Friday's morning skate was part of the light banter in
the Canes' locker room. As it turned out for a team that has been way too tight in too many
close games, that looseness paid off Friday night with the win against Ottawa.
Jokinen did not score a goal against the Senators. He has not scored in 15 games, one of his
longest goal-less stretches since coming to the Canes in February 2009.
But Jokinen was integral in the victory. He centered the line with Tuomo Ruutu and Alexei
Ponikarovsky that pushed the pace and often kept the puck in the Senators' end. In overtime,
he carried the puck into the Ottawa zone and dropped it off for Jay Harrison, who unloaded a
shot from the top of the left circle.
Ruutu, positioned in front of goalie Craig Anderson, tipped the puck in for the winner. Jokinen
picked up his team-best 17th assist of the season, increasing his total to six assists in the past
nine games.
"That line had a great game," Canes coach Kirk Muller said.
Jokinen has had scoring chances. In a 5-on-3 power play Friday, he had a tip in front that
Anderson stopped.
"Obviously you hope to help the team more offensively and score more goals," Jokinen said.
"But especially when I play center, I like to take care of my end first. That always affects my
points a little bit.
"It's something that I take pride in, being a good two-way player, when I'm in the middle. And I
think I do a pretty good job of that, keeping the puck out of our zone."
Jokinen's last goal came Nov. 20 in a 3-2 win against the Toronto Maple Leafs. In his first season
with Carolina, he went his final 18 games of the regular season without a goal but then had
seven in 18 playoff games.
"At center, I look to pass more," Jokinen said. "At winger, I'm more of a shooter. If you look at
our team, we don't have a lot of pass-first guys. We have lots of shooters.
"I think that's more of my role, as a playmaker on the power play and five-on-five, too. At the
same time, I have to be able to score more. But I don't rate my game just on goals."
Jokinen, like his teammates, has had to make adjustments under Muller, who has made
systematic changes and wants a more up-tempo style of play. Jokinen, Ruutu and Jeff Skinner
also had been a productive line, but Skinner is out indefinitely as he recovers from a
concussion. So is defenseman Joni Pitkanen, one of Jokinen's closest friends.
"They are a really big part of our team," Jokinen said. "It's tough when your top players are out,
but that's happened to pretty much every team this season.
"There was really good chemistry with Jeff and 'Ruuty,' and (Ponikarovsky) has played some
good games with us, although he and Jeff are two totally different players. 'Poni' is a big guy
who goes to the forecheck and can create some space. With 'Skinny' it's more like those little
plays and different hockey."
The line has produced four goals and seven assists in the past five games, and Ruutu has goals
in three of the past four.
"Personally, and the team, too, I think we're going in the right direction," Jokinen said. "Now,
we have to finish off games and be mentally strong and find ways to get those wins."