Pittsburgh Sports Media Gibberish - Part X (Rossi explains it all)

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

News flash; this team does stink. We see it whenever Sid or Geno are both out for long stretches. The only reason we're even a playoff team and not vying for McDavid is because of those two.

But hey, let's all be happy with regular season success as another short and embarrassing playoff run looms for this team... One that was gifted two generational talents and future Hall of Famers.

 

[Shady Machine]

Oh dear LOL, DKs been reading too much HF....

...
Not talking about you here, just in general, but the state of Penguins fandom has reached the point of hyper-hyperbolic with pretty much every little thing that goes awry. And I’m going to be totally candid here: It was nice being away from it for a few days while focusing on baseball in Bradenton.

I was speaking with a friend up in Winnipeg yesterday, and he was telling me all about the sheer joy happening up there with the Jets pursuing their first playoff appearance in 19 years. Every day, every night is a thrill for everyone involved. The MTS Centre is exploding with enthusiasm. The players are being supported unlike any others, win or lose, in the entire NHL.

And in Pittsburgh, we’re pouting over 40 wins, another two potential scoring champs, a Vezina candidate, a Norris candidate and a possible Executive of the Year.

Man, that’s stale. Maybe this team needs to really stink for some semblance of reality to take hold.

What an ass. We aren't cynical for the hell of it. The expectations between the Jets and Penguins SHOULD be different and he knows it. He is just saying this **** for the clicks.

We will see if he is singing a different tune when the Pens get smoked in the playoffs.

 

[IcedCapp]

Yeah, too bad the Penguins have never "stunk", so we have no basis for reality.

And a cap team with Sid and Geno should have the same expectations as a team that hasn't made the playoffs in years

Dejan Kovacevic, where thinking goes to die

 

[Joejosh999]

News flash; this team does stink. We see it whenever Sid or Geno are both out for long stretches. The only reason we're even a playoff team and not vying for McDavid is because of those two.

But hey, let's all be happy with regular season success as another short and embarrassing playoff run looms for this team... One that was gifted two generational talents and future Hall of Famers.

Respectfully I'd put MAF even above Malkin and Crosby this year for keeping us a playoff team.
Even with just good goaltending, I doubt we're in the playoffs.
It's had to be great goaltending, very consistently, or we are looking up at the lowest seed.....

 

[IcedCapp]

On the other hand, we sure have plenty of perspective on what bad journalism looks like...

 

[xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

What an ass. We aren't cynical for the hell of it. The expectations between the Jets and Penguins SHOULD be different and he knows it. He is just saying this **** for the clicks.

We will see if he is singing a different tune when the Pens get smoked in the playoffs.

He'll be reading off of the Penguins-provided official cue cardsâ„¢. Now with more excuses!

 

[cheesedanish87]

Oh dear LOL, DKs been reading too much HF....

...
Not talking about you here, just in general, but the state of Penguins fandom has reached the point of hyper-hyperbolic with pretty much every little thing that goes awry. And I’m going to be totally candid here: It was nice being away from it for a few days while focusing on baseball in Bradenton.

I was speaking with a friend up in Winnipeg yesterday, and he was telling me all about the sheer joy happening up there with the Jets pursuing their first playoff appearance in 19 years. Every day, every night is a thrill for everyone involved. The MTS Centre is exploding with enthusiasm. The players are being supported unlike any others, win or lose, in the entire NHL.

And in Pittsburgh, we’re pouting over 40 wins, another two potential scoring champs, a Vezina candidate, a Norris candidate and a possible Executive of the Year.

Man, that’s stale. Maybe this team needs to really stink for some semblance of reality to take hold.

I don't agree with DK on much of anything, but i kind of agree with him here.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

The thing too is that it's not like fan bases of other good teams aren't the same way. Now if you want to be worried we're turning into Yankee fans that's certainly a viable cause for concern, but otherwise sorry if I expect more. I'll go to a Pirate game and "enjoy the ball park" if I want to just screw around while there's a game of some sort in the background, not really caring what happens.

 

[Night Shift]

It's not as much about what is going well or going wrong this year as it is about the Despres trade, prospect development, and what direction the team is heading with the roster beyond this year is what fans are upset about right now.

 

[cassius]

Dejan is in Moorehouse's backpocket - I lost all respect for the guy.

Used to think he was an intelligent guy with insightful analysis, now he belongs in the same category as Rossi / Mark Madden. Just shock value stuff in an attempt to get clicks.

 

[Penguins23]

Respectfully I'd put MAF even above Malkin and Crosby this year for keeping us a playoff team.
Even with just good goaltending, I doubt we're in the playoffs.
It's had to be great goaltending, very consistently, or we are looking up at the lowest seed.....

Agreed.


We're in the playoffs by 6 points right now. Fleury has stolen well more than 6 points for us this year.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Yeah, too bad the Penguins have never "stunk", so we have no basis for reality.

And a cap team with Sid and Geno should have the same expectations as a team that hasn't made the playoffs in years

Dejan Kovacevic, where thinking goes to die

Yeah, man. How dare fans of Chicago or Los Angeles be upset if their team loses in the first round. Fans of Florida or Calgary would be ecstatic just for their team to even make the playoffs!

 

[Freeptop]

Oh dear LOL, DKs been reading too much HF....

...
Not talking about you here, just in general, but the state of Penguins fandom has reached the point of hyper-hyperbolic with pretty much every little thing that goes awry. And I’m going to be totally candid here: It was nice being away from it for a few days while focusing on baseball in Bradenton.

I was speaking with a friend up in Winnipeg yesterday, and he was telling me all about the sheer joy happening up there with the Jets pursuing their first playoff appearance in 19 years. Every day, every night is a thrill for everyone involved. The MTS Centre is exploding with enthusiasm. The players are being supported unlike any others, win or lose, in the entire NHL.

And in Pittsburgh, we’re pouting over 40 wins, another two potential scoring champs, a Vezina candidate, a Norris candidate and a possible Executive of the Year.

Man, that’s stale. Maybe this team needs to really stink for some semblance of reality to take hold.

That's the difference that expectations make. You achieve more, and more is expected.

Of course we have more expectations for the Penguins now than we did in 05/06. The fact is, there are a lot of disturbing trends in the way the Pens are playing. If that wasn't true, we could just sit back and enjoy the winning ways while they last. Instead, we're watching a window close and wondering what could have been. It's only natural.

I can only imagine what DK's reaction will be when he discovers that Pirates fans are no longer just happy to make it to the playoffs...

 

[Wes C Addle]

Clicked on his Q&A, here's another gem

MikeyC: Now that Simon Despres is a healthy scratch, what will happen to his statue? Will it find its way to the secret State College hideout?

DK: I made up my mind at the height of the Penn State scandal that I’d never draw parallels to it, funny or otherwise, and I’ll stick by that.

That said, yes, Despres was scratched for the Ducks’ … um, 7-2 loss at the Garden on Sunday night. So maybe the Despres statue remains standing and proud?

No, really, it’s one game and Bruce Boudreau has his defensemen rotating in and out before the playoffs. You’re going to see Mike Johnston doing likewise with the Penguins here soon, or at least if Christian Ehrhoff gets healthy. It’s not the blackest of black marks against Despres.

But sure, it doesn’t look good. Never does.

So it's only one game and guys are rotating BUT, it's kind of a black mark and doesn't look good.



What a clown

 

[Shady Machine]

I don't agree with DK on much of anything, but i kind of agree with him here.

Here's the deal though. The organization has basically told us it's Cup or bust. Both Shero and Rutherford have gone "all in" on this team winning the Cup and the team has consistently fell short of expectations and in embarrassing fashion in the playoffs.

If Shero had actually skipped the deadline deals and built for the future for a year or two, most of us around here would have understood and have been in favor with it. He didn't do that and they missed expectations. Now we are left with a solid D prospect pool (with an unwillingness to actually play the youth) and a piss poor winger pool with little to no chance of developing one top 6 winger (hell, even a top 9 winger) before Sid and Geno are 30.

Plus we are seeing similar signs of this team sucking down the stretch so we are naturally skeptical. If this team didn't have Crosby and Malkin, we would be happy with their position in the standings and understanding of a 1st or 2nd round exit. Obviously we need to give this team a chance in the playoffs this year, but we have every right to by cynical and skeptical.

 

[Waffle Fries]

Clicked on his Q&A, here's another gem



So it's only one game and guys are rotating BUT, it's kind of a black mark and doesn't look good.



What a clown

Someone should ask him if it's a black mark against Fowler.

 

[cheesedanish87]

Here's the deal though. The organization has basically told us it's Cup or bust. Both Shero and Rutherford have gone "all in" on this team winning the Cup and the team has consistently fell short of expectations and in embarrassing fashion in the playoffs.

If Shero had actually skipped the deadline deals and built for the future for a year or two, most of us around here would have understood and have been in favor with it. He didn't do that and they missed expectations. Now we are left with a solid D prospect pool (with an unwillingness to actually play the youth) and a piss poor winger pool with little to no chance of developing one top 6 winger (hell, even a top 9 winger) before Sid and Geno are 30.

Plus we are seeing similar signs of this team sucking down the stretch so we are naturally skeptical. If this team didn't have Crosby and Malkin, we would be happy with their position in the standings and understanding of a 1st or 2nd round exit. Obviously we need to give this team a chance in the playoffs this year, but we have every right to by cynical and skeptical.

I don't feel like the pens went all in this year, they traded away 2 def that they weren't crazy about, and they traded a 2nd round pick for Winnik. I consider the year Shero traded for Iginla and Morrow going all in, or the NYR trading for Yandle this year.

There is so much parity in the league right now, there are so many teams who have a chance to win it, i think all you can hope for as a fan is that your one of the teams that have a chance to win it all, which the pens do.

As far as the pens not looking good now, they had a great road trip in California when they were mostly healthy, when you take Geno Horny and DP out of the lineup nobody should be surprised that they are having a hard time without them, they aren't a good team without them.

 

[plaidchuck]

Didn't take long for the pirates to boot the penguins to the by far number three spot in the city.

 

[Shady Machine]

I don't feel like the pens went all in this year, they traded away 2 def that they weren't crazy about, and they traded a 2nd round pick for Winnik. I consider the year Shero traded for Iginla and Morrow going all in, or the NYR trading for Yandle this year.

There is so much parity in the league right now, there are so many teams who have a chance to win it, i think all you can hope for as a fan is that your one of the teams that have a chance to win it all, which the pens do.

As far as the pens not looking good now, they had a great road trip in California when they were mostly healthy, when you take Geno Horny and DP out of the lineup nobody should be surprised that they are having a hard time without them, they aren't a good team without them.

Okay you didn't address my larger point, but I didn't suspect you would. Should fans of the Penguins have higher expectations, in terms of playoff results, of their team than fans of the Jets?

 

[cheesedanish87]

Okay you didn't address my larger point, but I didn't suspect you would. Should fans of the Penguins have higher expectations, in terms of playoff results, of their team than fans of the Jets?

Jets fans are probably just happy making the playoffs, so i guess you would have to say pens should have higher expectation IF HEALTHY.

But I don't think pens fans expectations should be that high either, they got a good team, they got a chance, but there are 7 other good teams in the east, the east is a crap shoot.

I definitly don't view this team as a cup or bust type team.

 

[IcedCapp]

Let me blow your mind:

Dejan does a mental fistpump of approval when he hits post

 

[Gurglesons]

Okay you didn't address my larger point, but I didn't suspect you would. Should fans of the Penguins have higher expectations, in terms of playoff results, of their team than fans of the Jets?

I don't have any expectations. The NHL this year has basically been the Ducks and Rangers and nobody else. Every team has gone through embarrassing stretches. Ottawa, Calgary and Vancouver have a high chance of making the playoffs. Los Angeles and Boston have a high chance of missing the playoffs.

This is a strange year. The Penguins could easily make it to an ECF, the Penguins could also easily get swept in round one.

 

[MtlPenFan]

Mark Madden's breadth of hockey knowledge:

Guest: I think the Rangers have the best D-Core in the League
Madden: Yeah, but they don't have LETANG!!!

Guest: Jason Spezza (a career PPG Center who is actually currently playing the the NHL) says that scoring is harder these days because even 4th liners now can skate and keep up. In the past, that wasn't the case and he and his ilk would feast on 4th lines in the past.

Madden: Well he's wrong. The League has no talent. If Spezza was as good as people claim, how come Dallas isn't in the playoffs!!!

What a silly pig person.

 

[Joejosh999]

On the rare occasions I listen to MM I usually feel a little sad. He does have knowledge but he's just a lazy SOB more interested in tweeting porn than actually watching games outside the East such that he might have an actually informed opinion.

In the wasteland of Pgh hockey media, he is one that could be so much better.
And DK lately makes me sad as well. Another one who has some knowledge, but since he went Indy, he's totally gotten out the knee pads for site-clicks.
Very sad.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

The talent is there but it's diluted as all hell. Look no further than our team, and we're a pretty good team relatively speaking. Every year in recent memory, we've dressed more than one guy for stretches along the way who literally have not one NHL quality aspect of their game. In a way that's they the game has gone the way it's gone. The emphasis is on simply playing hard, playing a system to a T, and generally getting in the way of the opposing team as opposed to creativity and talent.