No ovechkin just doesn't have the ability to make plays. Just shoot. Overhyped kovalchuk
Right, he just got all those assists randomly distributed him to him as a consequence of playing with his amazing wingers, and it has nothing to do with him actually being a great playmaker and going to corners to win puck battles instead of waiting for one-timers.
The opportunity for everybody to get those secondary assists is there if you're willing and able to go get them. If you're not getting them, there's a reason, and it's got nothing to do with luck or leeching off linemates or WHATEVER reason it is that Ovechkin fan seem to think.
It goes both ways. I've seen a lot of Pens fans say they have the best 2 players in the world. Like its unanimous.You know what's funny? The Penguins only have these "generational players" when it fits their argument. I've seen plenty of people say they aren't even generational, that they're not even the best, McDavid is better than Sid, Ovechkin is better than Sid, Peter Forsberg is better than Sid, Lindros is better than Sid, everyone is better than Sid and Malkin is LUCKY to be considered a top 10 forward.
However, since they haven't won a Cup in 6 years "of course they're a disappointment, they're two generational talents, Pens suck"
Never change, HF
No ovechkin just doesn't have the ability to make plays. Just shoot. Overhyped kovalchuk
All the Penguins had to do, was acquire a reliable goalie. MA Fleury has been horrible since they won the Cup in 2009. He wasn't even that great for their Stanley Cup year. I guarantee if Pittsburgh got rid of Fleury, and replaced him with a good netminder, the Penguins would have 2 or possibly 3 Stanley Cups in the last 6 years.
Considering Crosby has played with Kunitz and Dupuis most of his career, can you really see them winning many Stanley Cups? Like someone said above....i think that 1 cup win makes up for it all. Still shocked that they didn't win 2 years ago when they brought Iginla and Morrow in at the deadline. Team was beyond STACKED. Then they got swept by the bruins. Couldn't believe it.
Team was beyond STACKED. Then they got swept by the bruins. Couldn't believe it.
Honestly I've always felt like that was the major turning point with for Pens (and Crosby, to an extant). Prior to that series they were the favorite in the East and many predicted them to win the Cup on a yearly basis. After that series, something changed. The Bruins edged the Pens as the dominant team in the East and that really seemed to screw things up in Pittsburgh. Of course both teams are facing issues right now but I do think that playoff series hit them pretty hard... comparable to last year's Montreal-Boston series for Boston.
You know what's funny? The Penguins only have these "generational players" when it fits their argument. I've seen plenty of people say they aren't even generational, that they're not even the best, McDavid is better than Sid, Ovechkin is better than Sid, Peter Forsberg is better than Sid, Lindros is better than Sid, everyone is better than Sid and Malkin is LUCKY to be considered a top 10 forward.
However, since they haven't won a Cup in 6 years "of course they're a disappointment, they're two generational talents, Pens suck"
Never change, HF
Again, the Pens aren't a disappointment overall but the Flyers and the Bruins ruined them.
They're not a top contender anymore, and likely won't be again with JR and Johnston.
Total disappointment. Anyone who say otherwise has either low standards or is lying to themselves.
I think if you asked any Pens fan after they won in 09 if they'd be happy if that was the last time they'd even come close to a Cup they would have said you were crazy. I think we could go back and look at some old posts where there was a consensus that the Pens would the dominant eastern team for a long. Them not being able to make it back over the last 6 years is a colossal disappointment.
yes, you have 2 generational talents and an elite offensive d-man and can't build around them to win more than 1 cup? Yikes
Couldn't the same be said for Kessel, Bozak and Phaneuf? Seriously, no Cups?
Change "likely won't" to "might not" because YOU NEVER KNOW! Pens were 22-6-4 with a PP clicking at an great percentage before injuries struck. Again, I know injuries happen in hockey but we are always hit hard with them, we're not talking "day to day" stuff, key players have been out for weeks at a time with injury. You absolutely cannot judge the job Johnston has done after one season with the lineup he had. If the Pens stay healthy and add more quality to the team like another top 6 winger, we might be having a different conversation next year. People call it an "injury excuse" no it's a fact and a reason to have a down year, 5th in the league in Man games lost, no team in the league survives the injures we had, none of them, not Chicago, not the Rangers, no team at all.
The Pens have a bright future with some quality youth to look forward to at the moment, Pouliot, Maatta, Harrington, Dumoulin, Sundqvist, Kapanen, Murray, Jarry, and I'm sorry but other than the Simon Despres-Ben Lovejoy gamble, I have 0 complaints about the job Rutherford has done. He really did improve this team more than Shero did, and I wish more people would realize that.
People forget Shero thought a bottom 6 of Glass, Sutter, Kobasew, D'Agostini, Vitale, and Adams was acceptable. Rutherford thought Spaling, Sutter, Downie, Winnik, Lapierre, and Comeau was a little better, I would agree, wouldn't anyone else? Hornqvist played awesome and filled a need, sure we lost James Neal but it was worth it, Hornqvist is a heart and soul player who covers every part of the ice. When Dupuis went down, we replaced him in the top 6 with a more skilled guy and better player in David Perron, sure it costed us a 1st but I think we have enough youth that the pick was expendable, considering we NEEDED a top 6 winger and we just drafted Kapanen, it seems like a no brainer. Also, Bortuzzo for Cole? Do people realize we turned a 6/7 defenseman into a potential top 4 defenseman?
The Despres for Lovejoy trade was stupid in every sense of the word, Rutherford said he wanted an experienced right handed defenseman, but most Pens fans believe that wasn't JR's call, it could have been one of his AGM's who know Lovejoy like Botterill or Fitzgerald. With that said, that's the only move I'm unhappy with, and it's not even a big deal with Ian Cole here, as well as the names on defense that I mentioned above.
People can trash Rutherford and Johnston all they want, fans of the Pens, other team's fans, it doesn't matter what anybody thinks, hell it doesn't matter what I think but I am confident that they can get the job done, I think Johnston is a better coach than Bylsma by a mile, and I think Rutherford has done a pretty good job from the time he was hired to now, people can mention Carolina all they want, he's not being asked to do the same thing here as he was in Carolina, he doesn't have to build a core, he has that with Crosby, Malkin, Letang and Fleury, he's asked to mentor Botterill, Fitzgerald and Guerin (like he did Francis) and build around the core which he has done in Carolina and he is doing here.
People forget Shero thought a bottom 6 of Glass, Sutter, Kobasew, D'Agostini, Vitale, and Adams was acceptable. Rutherford thought Spaling, Sutter, Downie, Winnik, Lapierre, and Comeau was a little better, I would agree, wouldn't anyone else?