How Did The Pens Get Here?

[ColePens]

Yeah. Just for ***** and giggles I looked up the Bylsma thread made right after the Cup and there are some pretty interesting posts throughout. One thing that stuck out is that a handful of us have legitimately been complaining or campaigning against Bylsma for 5 years.

Are you talking about the one in 2010 where we started to see DB's system? That one, I believe, was recently bumped. I don't remember one RIGHT after the Cup, but the guy won us a freaking Cup. He deserved a job. But once I saw the system I found myself baffled by what he was trying to do. Zone concept defense in the new era NHL is crazy if you have people standing still occupying a zone. At least have them move...

My perspective was he should have been fired immediately after the Flyers series. That is where accountability needed to be set in stone.

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

Are you talking about the one in 2010 where we started to see DB's system? That one, I believe, was recently bumped. I don't remember one RIGHT after the Cup, but the guy won us a freaking Cup. He deserved a job. But once I saw the system I found myself baffled by what he was trying to do. Zone concept defense in the new era NHL is crazy if you have people standing still occupying a zone. At least have them move...

My perspective was he should have been fired immediately after the Flyers series. That is where accountability needed to be set in stone.

Yep. Right at the beginning of the next season season, I think. It was something like "Yeah, well, we just won the Cup, but..."

He should have been told to have his bags packed as soon as Giroux scored at the beginning of that game 6 against Philly in 2012. There is no way I could possibly begin to rationalize the mindset of this organization in keeping him.

 

[ColePens]

Man oh man it's one question I'd love to sit down and talk with Lemieux about. Mario is a guy I think extremely high of, but that organizational decision at that moment set us for failure. There was almost no accountability for one of the most embarrassing losses of all time. I could not believe it. I will never believe it.

Also the ultimate question for DB... "Why the flying **** did you never go back to the system that won you the cup?" I.need.to.know...

 

[DeadPuckEra]

Team needs a larger than life coach. I know it's the popular choice, but Babcock really fits that bill. His ego is exactly what this group needs. With this team failing to do anything significant in so long, they have no room to challenge him. He is the type of guy who will look Crosby in the eye and tell him to **** off if need be.

 

[Pancakes]

I really think people who talk about accountability and culture are just missing the boat entirely. Yes we could improve on that but bottom line is we have a horrifically bad team aside from four or five guys.

When Sid and Geno and Letang are on the ice, we're good. When they're off the ice, we're as bad as Buffalo.

The problem isn't effort. Our guys try plenty hard most of the time (Kunitz excluded) but they just don't get anywhere because they suck as players. Effort can only make up so much for lack of talent. When you have a team constructed like this what happens is the half the game that Sid/Geno are on you're good, and the half that they're off you're real bad. So what does that mean? We have half a good team.

If you look at the Rangers, and even Columbus today - they both have 4 lines that can play. Their top lines aren't what ours are but when their bottom guys get out they don't get pinned in their own end all night an they occasionally chip in goals. When our bottom six goes out they do nothing and they get dominated.

It's hard to consistently win games when half your roster is AHL quality and even when we're fully healthy our bottom six is still that bad.

 

[KIRK]

I really think people who talk about accountability and culture are just missing the boat entirely. Yes we could improve on that but bottom line is we have a horrifically bad team aside from four or five guys.

When Sid and Geno and Letang are on the ice, we're good. When they're off the ice, we're as bad as Buffalo.

The problem isn't effort. Our guys try plenty hard most of the time (Kunitz excluded) but they just don't get anywhere because they suck as players. Effort can only make up so much for lack of talent. When you have a team constructed like this what happens is the half the game that Sid/Geno are on you're good, and the half that they're off you're real bad. So what does that mean? We have half a good team.

If you look at the Rangers, and even Columbus today - they both have 4 lines that can play. Their top lines aren't what ours are but when their bottom guys get out they don't get pinned in their own end all night an they occasionally chip in goals. When our bottom six goes out they do nothing and they get dominated.

It's hard to consistently win games when half your roster is AHL quality and even when we're fully healthy our bottom six is still that bad.

You're not wrong in your assessment of the roster.

Respectfully, however, you're wrong in terms of the role accountability and culture play. They matter, like coaching matters, in the sense that they further expose the inherent flaws of this roster and undermine the extent to which Sid and Geno could be band aids for said flaws.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

Perron. All Perron's fault.

 

[AquaticBirdman]

Man oh man it's one question I'd love to sit down and talk with Lemieux about. Mario is a guy I think extremely high of, but that organizational decision at that moment set us for failure. There was almost no accountability for one of the most embarrassing losses of all time. I could not believe it. I will never believe it.

Also the ultimate question for DB... "Why the flying **** did you never go back to the system that won you the cup?" I.need.to.know...

Because it wasn't his system to begin with.

 

[KIRK]

Because it wasn't his system to begin with.

And when faced between choosing what worked and what satisfied his ego . . .