Hope for a better day?? Morehouse speaks

[Jaded-Fan]

no. i am saying that mario created a country club environment in the nineties that placed a higher priority on croneyism and familiarity than merit which resulted in under achieving. now that he is the owner, he has instituted an organizational mindset that prioritizes who you know over what you actually bring to the table. that permeates all levels of the organization, from the roster, to the coaching staff, to the scouting staff, to draft picks, to the medical staff. the results similarly the underachievement that we have witnessed the past six years.

I think you go too far. I doubt that he is involved enough day to day to create any kind of environment.

However, his hires and the hiring of friends rather than based on merit is a legitimate line of inquiry.

 

[mpp9]

Maybe true, maybe not. If true, I would think Burkle will get fed up sooner or later.

Yeah I'm really hoping Burkle tells everyone what's up. This is a business. There have been **** results. Either change the way this team is run or he's going to blow his billions elsewhere.

 

[Terrapin]

I really don't have any evidence one way or the other on Lemieux and neither does anyone else. We know that Lemieux is loyal and relies on the insights of people close to him to make decisions. Is he letting his loyalty cloud his judgment with this organization? Possibly, maybe even probably but I really doubt he is very involved in the day to day operations of this team. So Lemieux could be part of the overall cultural problem of the team, but he is not a driving force behind bad trades, cap management, etc.

Well then that really begs the question, who the hell is in charge here?? Shero had 'complete control', but was overridden on the Letang trade. JR is supposedly in charge, but took a back seat to the 'Pittsburgh 9'. Morehouse is president, but nobody knows for sure what the hell he does. Mario seems to be involved when it comes to writing letters to the league and giving that groundbreaking interview last year, but how involved is he? Were one of these guys the 2nd shooter on the grassy knoll? Seriously, this organization is warped.

 

[Til the End of Time]

I am curious about how much Burkle cares about the penguins. Does he go to many games, anyone know?

 

[Hophog]

After watching a fair few of the St Louis games the last couple of months - Robert Bortuzzo is gaining god like status over there with his physical play on the blue line and his ability to stand up for his team mates , oh and another player who has seemingly flourished elseware after leaving the Pens - Zbynek Michalek, is this all just coincidence? Looks like the only hope players have of a betetr day is after they get traded

Is poor Klinkhammer the only one traded that ended up in a scenario worse than being on the Pens this season?

and is Winnik the only one who benefited by being traded to the Pens?

 

[SEALBound]

I am curious about how much Burkle cares about the penguins. Does he go to many games, anyone know?

I'm sure he cares. I don't believe he likes to see the money he invests being wasted. That's not how he got to where he is today.

Does he care about the Cup? Sure. Big honor for the team you own to win a Cup. Ultimately, that's a lot of TV exposure and lots of $$$$$. Is he heart broken the way the players are if they lose, probably not.

However, the second he believes the money he is spending is not a good investment...there will be questions asked.

 

[mpp9]

I am curious about how much Burkle cares about the penguins. Does he go to many games, anyone know?

That'd probably work to our advantage. The family atmosphere doesn't mean **** to him. If they're not willing to get rid of the dead weight in the organization, I doubt he has much of a problem cashing out with the team out of their contending window.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

The horizontal bar represents Pens' wins and the vertical bar represents the diminishing return on Burkle nailing a super model after the Pens achieve a certain degree of success.

I grabbed this directly from Burkle's computer when he was not looking.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

I doubt he is a driving force behind failure, but I have no doubt that he has a voice in major roster decisions. Let's take the hypothetical Letang trade from two years ago. Say Shero wanted to do the trade from a pure hockey perspective, then Morehouse jumps in and says "yeah but Letang jersey sales are x%, the fans love him, I think we need to consider the dollar impact to our franchise by moving Letang". I don't even know if those things shouldn't be considered. I'm just saying that as CEO, Morehouse certainly does have some say in hockey ops.

I still don't think Morehouse has any say in personnel decisions. Maybe he'd chime in with the financial impact a move might have or something, but I do not believe that he strongarms his way into swaying the outcome of moves one way or another.

I really don't have any evidence one way or the other on Lemieux and neither does anyone else. We know that Lemieux is loyal and relies on the insights of people close to him to make decisions. Is he letting his loyalty cloud his judgment with this organization? Possibly, maybe even probably but I really doubt he is very involved in the day to day operations of this team. So Lemieux could be part of the overall cultural problem of the team, but he is not a driving force behind bad trades, cap management, etc.

It's sort of like Shero's relationship with Bylsma. Shero was responsible for what Bylsma did because he was his boss, just like Mario's ultimately responsible for everything that's happened over the past decade as well. Maybe not directly responsible, but at some point the owner of a team has to take responsibility when he's allowed the organization to be driven into the ground and left a flaming pile of wreckage.

 

[cassius]

Pens getting political again.

The Penguins announced on Monday that they would not hold playoff watch parties because of construction on the former Civic Arena site before Mayor Bill Peduto stepped in.

Then 48 hours later.. they announce that the games will be televised in market square / PPG.

“We appreciate Mayor Peduto and the city stepping forward to create this opportunity for the Penguins and our fans,” said David Morehouse, CEO and President of the Penguins. “It's a great way to continue the tradition of the big screen and Penguins playoff hockey.”

Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/penguins/8184963-74/penguins-fans-game#ixzz3XTkFfL1y
Follow us: @triblive on Twitter | triblive on Facebook

I'm sure this wasn't a calculated PR ploy..

 

[PensBandwagonerNo272*]

Franchise is a ****ing joke

"We have two generational talents, a top 5 defensemen in the league, an a goalie with elite skills seemingly reaching his mental peak. We also just barely made the playoffs and everyone believes we are the weakest team in the post-season.

I don't see anything wrong here."

Holy ****

 

[Jaded-Fan]

I believe the big screen television will be in an extra room at the Blush Gentleman's Club downtown to accommodate the tens of fans who will care to come out in hopes of seeing the Pens not get swept. If the inevitable happens they will them have alternate means of entertainment. Mark Madden will serve as MC for the event.

 

[Jag68Sid87]

Mario needs to get involved. Not day-to-day operations, of course. But he needs to find ONE man to take over as President of Hockey ops. Someone he trusts. Someone with major clout around the league.

Mario has this type of power around the NHL. He can lure a strong candidate to Pittsburgh. He has friends all over the league.

Once that is established, the upper-level folks can steer clear of everything hockey, this new President can weed out the terrible management team we have, clear out the scouting staff and start fresh.

This is not a hope, it's a MUST.

 

[Mr. T]

Pens getting political again.



Then 48 hours later.. they announce that the games will be televised in market square / PPG.



I'm sure this wasn't a calculated PR ploy..

What do the Pens have to gain by cancelling the outdoor viewings and then announcing them to be shown elsewhere?

If there's a PR ploy, it's from Peduto, not the Pens. They're the "bad guy" for cancelling the viewing parties and he's the "hero" that swooped in to save the day by getting a place show the games.

There's a lot to dislike about the Pens right now, but this seems like a reach.

 

[DegenX]

So, how may of y'all added their two cents in the comments? Because if they didn't come from us, then it reads like the average fan soured on Morehouse rather quickly.

 

[gordie]

Franchise is a ****ing joke

"We have two generational talents, a top 5 defensemen in the league, an a goalie with elite skills seemingly reaching his mental peak. We also just barely made the playoffs and everyone believes we are the weakest team in the post-season.

I don't see anything wrong here."

Holy ****

Five years of Shero & Bylsma not to mention being a soft injury-prone team will do that. Morehouse hasn't clue just like the rest of them where the problems are.

 

[td_ice]

So, how may of y'all added their two cents in the comments? Because if they didn't come from us, then it reads like the average fan soured on Morehouse rather quickly.

Reminds me that yesterday I was out and about for a few hours in several neighborhoods, I saw only one household dispalying any sort of Penguins signage.

I have one of those banners in you stick the ground from Dick's up in the front yard. So I was anxious to keep an eye out for other such signs of support. Saw only one.

 

[gordie]

Reminds me that yesterday I was out and about for a few hours in several neighborhoods, I saw only one household dispalying any sort of Penguins signage.

I have one of those banners in you stick the ground from Dick's up in the front yard. So I was anxious to keep an eye out for other such signs of support. Saw only one.

They haven't exactly made anyone believers. I'm sure I will be turning it off after the first period. If they were opening at Consol I probably wouldn't even watch at all. My faith in any kind of positive outcomes has reached a real low point with these particular group of players.

 

[billybudd]

So, how may of y'all added their two cents in the comments? Because if they didn't come from us, then it reads like the average fan soured on Morehouse rather quickly.

From the peanut gallery

Seriously why is Morehouse working for the team, much less answering questions? Haven't seen someone so in over their head this bad since either any Cleveland Brown hire or when Bonaparte went to Moscow in winter.

None of these people are me, though I'd bet "Eric Lennert" posts here.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

After watching a fair few of the St Louis games the last couple of months - Robert Bortuzzo is gaining god like status over there with his physical play on the blue line and his ability to stand up for his team mates , oh and another player who has seemingly flourished elseware after leaving the Pens - Zbynek Michalek, is this all just coincidence? Looks like the only hope players have of a betetr day is after they get traded

I'm not gonna harp much on the Bortuzzo trade as Cole's turned out to be a better overall d-man who's played some fantastic hockey for us. Good move in my opinion.

Michalek however was definitely a circumstance of terrible asset management. The guy was already a legit top pairing d-man when we signed him, turned to crap under DB, but then magically regained his form once he was moved.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

I am curious about how much Burkle cares about the penguins. Does he go to many games, anyone know?

Burkle cares about making money, and that's about it. Once the team is no longer profitable he'll simply look to sell his share and move on.

 

[Jaded-Fan]

Burkle cares about making money, and that's about it. Once the team is no longer profitable he'll simply look to sell his share and move on.

There are better ways to make money.

None of which gets you some of this like owning a sports team:

 

[plaidchuck]

He's got his hands in so many things so like most owners owning a team is probably just a fun little diversion for him. IIRC he tried to buy the sac. kings as well.

 

[Ugene Magic]

Burkle cares about making money, and that's about it. Once the team is no longer profitable he'll simply look to sell his share and move on.

If they plan for the future right that won't be necessary. Look at it as a challenge to rebuild.

 

[gordie]

Burkle cares about making money, and that's about it. Once the team is no longer profitable he'll simply look to sell his share and move on.

Maybe not. Supposedly his son his a huge fan of this team.