Pittsburgh Media Thread - Still the Worst

[Shady Machine]

And he thought that Malkin didn't want to play 2nd fiddle behind Crosby, and that his cap hit was depriving Crosby of wingers that could accentuate his production.

Even the guys that have inside knowledge of the Pens don't have much knowledge of the league as a whole. They think there are numerous Kessel-like players in Kessel-like situations that can be swapped. Like the people that thought there'd be infinite destinations for Fleury but couldn't name them.

I’ll never forget Madden saying that USAs D were more mobile than Canada’s. Dude doesn’t have a clue about players outside of Pittsburgh if that was a serious assessment.

 

[DesertedPenguin]

From reading this thread I wonder, is there anyone in the Pittsburgh market worth reading?

Jason Mackey is good in the PG for news and a little analysis. He gets Rutherford to talk regularly and seems to be fairly tapped in.

Josh Yohe is valuable in the Athletic because other people in the organization besides Rutherford talk to him, though not often on the record. You can kind of get a sense of what the overall franchise - not just Rutherford - thinks of a player or of how the team is playing.

Jesse Marshall on the Athletic is great for breaking down systems and looking at advanced stats.

And that's it. Jonathan Bombulie is in over his head at the Trib, though he doesn't have any support or help. The PGH Hockey Now folks like Shelly Anderson and Matt Gajtka are basically stenographers. I think it was Gatjka who kept pushing the Sprong may replace Kessel in the lineup stuff in the Caps series that never happened.

No one in this town is a good columnist. Madden knows hockey and the organization but plays favorites too much and that leads to too many stupid takes.

 

[bathroomSTAAL]

Sean Gentille at the PG is great. No one seems to ever talk about him here but that's probably he's an eminently reasonable and smart guy that it would be pretty hard to object to. He's not an insider or anything but he's a good writer/columnist.

 

[Gurglesons]

Sean Gentille at the PG is great. No one seems to ever talk about him here but that's probably he's an eminently reasonable and smart guy that it would be pretty hard to object to. He's not an insider or anything but he's a good writer/columnist.

Yeah, he is cut from that Wyshinski cloth.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I don’t read twitter so I guess I don’t see all the **** he’s talking about but the generalization of the fan base drives me nuts and that dude is an arrogant nobody that thinks he’s Gods greatest gift to sports journalism.

He's terrible for sure, I actually think he just has a valid point. A broken clock is right twice a day and such. Guys like Benz and Cook are just pure trash, but they also don't deserve to be attacked for saying that the Penguins may be looking to trade Kessel. People are getting overly defensive about it and are just accusing the media of trying to run Kessel out of town because they're mad at him over the end of season interview snub, hell, that's happening here too.

Most Pittsburgh writers/journalists/radio personalities are awful, but this is a fight where they're actually on the right side and fans aren't. The issue here is that this went from the media being pissed at Kessel for snubbing exit interviews right to "the Penguins may trade Kessel", so it's understandable why some fans don't buy it.

 

[Clare2904]

Sean Gentille at the PG is great. No one seems to ever talk about him here but that's probably he's an eminently reasonable and smart guy that it would be pretty hard to object to. He's not an insider or anything but he's a good writer/columnist.

He was actually on my local radio station last week. They occasionally go to different teams and have a chat. This was to do with those f***faces Craps reaching the final. Another regular they have is Angie Carducci

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

I don’t read twitter so I guess I don’t see all the **** he’s talking about but the generalization of the fan base drives me nuts and that dude is an arrogant nobody that thinks he’s Gods greatest gift to sports journalism.

The crazy thing is you could use this description for pretty much every one of the yahoos who cover the Pens.

 

[FlightlessBird]

He's terrible for sure, I actually think he just has a valid point. A broken clock is right twice a day and such. Guys like Benz and Cook are just pure trash, but they also don't deserve to be attacked for saying that the Penguins may be looking to trade Kessel. People are getting overly defensive about it and are just accusing the media of trying to run Kessel out of town because they're mad at him over the end of season interview snub, hell, that's happening here too.

Most Pittsburgh writers/journalists/radio personalities are awful, but this is a fight where they're actually on the right side and fans aren't. The issue here is that this went from the media being pissed at Kessel for snubbing exit interviews right to "the Penguins may trade Kessel", so it's understandable why some fans don't buy it.

I agree with you overall, that they don’t deserve to be “attacked” over saying that about Kessel (or anything they write). But in this case, Tim is doing the exact thing he’s accusing the fans of. They’re both throwing tantrums.

The main takeaway for me is the media in this town is so damn sensitive. Dunlap is another one.

 

[Shady Machine]

He's terrible for sure, I actually think he just has a valid point. A broken clock is right twice a day and such. Guys like Benz and Cook are just pure trash, but they also don't deserve to be attacked for saying that the Penguins may be looking to trade Kessel. People are getting overly defensive about it and are just accusing the media of trying to run Kessel out of town because they're mad at him over the end of season interview snub, hell, that's happening here too.

Most Pittsburgh writers/journalists/radio personalities are awful, but this is a fight where they're actually on the right side and fans aren't. The issue here is that this went from the media being pissed at Kessel for snubbing exit interviews right to "the Penguins may trade Kessel", so it's understandable why some fans don't buy it.

Like I said, I have no idea who all of these fans are that are attacking them because it’s not me.

 

[billybudd]

I’ll never forget Madden saying that USAs D were more mobile than Canada’s. Dude doesn’t have a clue about players outside of Pittsburgh if that was a serious assessment.

He didn't just say that. He said Canada's D was immobile. Just as a general matter, not in comparison to another team. That team was, like, prime Keith, Doughty, Bouwmeester, Subban, Pietrangelo. I guess Weber and Seabrook were there, but Weber wasn't exactly Derian Hatcher when it came to being stuck in cement. And in any event, each guy was paired with a player who could really, really skate.

 

[The Greatest 101]

This article is really hard to read.

Kingerski: Kessel Beware, These Are Mike Sullivan’s Penguins

 

[Honour Over Glory]

This article is really hard to read.

Kingerski: Kessel Beware, These Are Mike Sullivan’s Penguins

Sullivan helped, pushed and ultimately transformed the Penguins from an emotionally sensitive, perhaps immature team into a professional juggernaut. His “Just Play” mantra was the antithesis of years of dumb retaliation penalties and being distracted by physical play. The Sullivan led Penguins became hardened veterans immune to the unnerving attempts of opponents.

Kingerski: Kessel Beware, These Are Mike Sullivan’s Penguins

Lol, did he not watch the past season at all?

He does mention the Torts thing, which is pretty accurate and also alarming if you know how Torts' teams end up being split and players are usually alienated. Yeah Dubinsky is a turd, but Torts rubs his entire team the wrong way, others are great at tuning him out but most just finally grow tired and either leave when they can or he gets fired.

Sullivan has really been the most arrogant stubborn person on the team last season, where at times, would flex his "coaching muscle" as if to say "this is my team, I will do what I want, even if it's insanely wrong and stupid" with his line-up.

They didn't "Just Play" they got out played regularly for most of the season and then in the playoffs for a lot of it. Is that "his team" or his style, really? I don't think Kessel requires star treatment, I think Phil just likes to vent on the fly and Sullivan doesn't like it, but it was perfectly fine when Tocchet was dealing with it but without that buffer, I think Sully was rubbing a lot of the players the wrong way.

A lot of line juggling, sometimes being insanely counter productive to what had worked, minute usage was terrible, goalie usage was suspect at best, etc.

We basically had a less verbally annoying Torts last season.

Let's not have that.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

I think the most annoying thing for me is the Bylsma-ism of it all. I remember after 2009, everyone was loving Bylsma and his "grind'em down" attitude and then after a few years of it, they finally grew tired. I think Sullivan winning back 2 back has earned him some weird carte blanche here, I don't see it that way. I don't care if he won 5 in a row, the moment you see some troubling coaching behavior from a coach, you take a hard look at it because you don't want to trade away a talent and regret that for the rest of your career when you can fire the wrong person and hire the right one and keep that talent too.

I don't think the team should just fire him off the bat like that, I think the worst thing they can do this off season is keep that entire coaching staff intact, meaning, his assistants.

Honestly, if I see the same start as last year next season, Sullivan is on my shit list and fire watch. Being complacent with a coach for past success is not something I care for.

 

[Joejosh999]

Does Kessel even have a history of refusing to play if he doesn't like his line mates? I don't recall that ...?

 

[Pete Gas]

I think the most annoying thing for me is the Bylsma-ism of it all. I remember after 2009, everyone was loving Bylsma and his "grind'em down" attitude and then after a few years of it, they finally grew tired. I think Sullivan winning back 2 back has earned him some weird carte blanche here, I don't see it that way. I don't care if he won 5 in a row, the moment you see some troubling coaching behavior from a coach, you take a hard look at it because you don't want to trade away a talent and regret that for the rest of your career when you can fire the wrong person and hire the right one and keep that talent too.

I don't think the team should just fire him off the bat like that, I think the worst thing they can do this off season is keep that entire coaching staff intact, meaning, his assistants.

Honestly, if I see the same start as last year next season, Sullivan is on my **** list and fire watch. Being complacent with a coach for past success is not something I care for.

And whom would be a better replacement for Sullivan? He helped orchestrate back to back cups that’s something that hasn’t been done in 20 years

You must be impossible to please

 

[SouthGeorge]

I think the most annoying thing for me is the Bylsma-ism of it all. I remember after 2009, everyone was loving Bylsma and his "grind'em down" attitude and then after a few years of it, they finally grew tired. I think Sullivan winning back 2 back has earned him some weird carte blanche here, I don't see it that way. I don't care if he won 5 in a row, the moment you see some troubling coaching behavior from a coach, you take a hard look at it because you don't want to trade away a talent and regret that for the rest of your career when you can fire the wrong person and hire the right one and keep that talent too.

I don't think the team should just fire him off the bat like that, I think the worst thing they can do this off season is keep that entire coaching staff intact, meaning, his assistants.

Honestly, if I see the same start as last year next season, Sullivan is on my **** list and fire watch. Being complacent with a coach for past success is not something I care for.

It's the Boston in him. He will go after Phil but nothing about the little Boston boy Sheary.

 

[Pete Gas]

It's the Boston in him. He will go after Phil but nothing about the little Boston boy Sheary.

Because Sheary doesn’t have a history of problem with coaches like Kessel?

 

[SouthGeorge]

Because Sheary doesn’t have a history of problem with coaches like Kessel?

Just a history of bad hockey.

 

[cheesedanish87]

The narrative from the fans that i don't understand is that the media is trying to run Phil out of town.

Does anybody actually believe that Madden and Cook have the ability to get Phil traded?

 

[Joejosh999]

Does Kessel even have a history of refusing to play if he doesn't like his line mates? I don't recall that ...?

I saw one article where Ron Wilson criticized him, and this, which doesn't say much, plus we know Johnston was clueless.
It does seem he doesn't always mesh w line mates I guess....but that's true of any player.
Ranking the Top 'Coach Killers' in the NHL Today

 

[Pete Gas]

Just a history of bad hockey.

But that has nothing to do with attitude

 

[Honour Over Glory]

And whom would be a better replacement for Sullivan? He helped orchestrate back to back cups that’s something that hasn’t been done in 20 years

You must be impossible to please

And you must have a problem with reading.

1. I didn't say fire him right now.
2. I said his behaviors last year were troubling with his argument with player(s).
3. I said past success shouldn't give you carte blanche for problems that will arise.

That's how you get into a Bylsma situation all over again. I don't give a flying f*** if he won back 2 back. Next year if the same shit repeats itself, will you fire off that same excuse? By then, it'll be 2yrs ago we won back 2 back and 2 years squandered with the same mistakes.

Edit: I am just curious, right now the media narrative is that Sullivan and Kessel don't get along, what happens if Kessel is moved and suddenly it's Sullivan and Guentzel don't get along and then Guentzel asks to be traded.

Will it then be...

"Good riddance, we don't need a whiner like Guentzel!" - Usual speak in these cases.
When it should be...
"Holy crap, we already lost Kessel to this, now Guentzel?"

 

[Pete Gas]

And you must have a problem with reading.

1. I didn't say fire him right now.
2. I said his behaviors last year were troubling with his argument with player(s).
3. I said past success shouldn't give you carte blanche for problems that will arise.

That's how you get into a Bylsma situation all over again. I don't give a flying **** if he won back 2 back. Next year if the same **** repeats itself, will you fire off that same excuse? By then, it'll be 2yrs ago we won back 2 back and 2 years squandered with the same mistakes.

Edit: I am just curious, right now the media narrative is that Sullivan and Kessel don't get along, what happens if Kessel is moved and suddenly it's Sullivan and Guentzel don't get along and then Guentzel asks to be traded.

Will it then be...

"Good riddance, we don't need a whiner like Guentzel!" - Usual speak in these cases.
When it should be...
"Holy crap, we already lost Kessel to this, now Guentzel?"

Guentzel will ask to be traded lol maybe the whole team will ask for a trade next!

Other franchise would kill for one cup let alone back to back.

 

[MtlPenFan]

Kingerski: Kessel Beware, These Are Mike Sullivan’s Penguins

Lol, did he not watch the past season at all?

He does mention the Torts thing, which is pretty accurate and also alarming if you know how Torts' teams end up being split and players are usually alienated. Yeah Dubinsky is a turd, but Torts rubs his entire team the wrong way, others are great at tuning him out but most just finally grow tired and either leave when they can or he gets fired.

Sullivan has really been the most arrogant stubborn person on the team last season, where at times, would flex his "coaching muscle" as if to say "this is my team, I will do what I want, even if it's insanely wrong and stupid" with his line-up.

They didn't "Just Play" they got out played regularly for most of the season and then in the playoffs for a lot of it. Is that "his team" or his style, really? I don't think Kessel requires star treatment, I think Phil just likes to vent on the fly and Sullivan doesn't like it, but it was perfectly fine when Tocchet was dealing with it but without that buffer, I think Sully was rubbing a lot of the players the wrong way.

A lot of line juggling, sometimes being insanely counter productive to what had worked, minute usage was terrible, goalie usage was suspect at best, etc.

We basically had a less verbally annoying Torts last season.

Let's not have that.

From now on you should copy/paste the same post over and over again since you never say anything different ever.

You're the type that sucks the fun out of sports. You're like a fun vampire.

 

[Honour Over Glory]

From now on you should copy/paste the same post over and over again since you never say anything different ever.

You're the type that sucks the fun out of sports. You're like a fun vampire.