Ben Roethlisberger on Altoona, his guys, and his ankle

By Finesse (follow me on Twitter)

While so-called media elites gathered in Washington, DC last night to roast the president, the real elites gathered at the Blair County Convention Center in Altoona for the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremony.  Among the inductees were revered legends such as former St. Francis basketball star Don Appleman, former Maryland football player Todd Benson, former minor league baseball player Harold "Bucky" Bush, former Duquesne University and WNBA player Candace Futrell, former Villanova basketball player Allen Griffith and Tyrone Area High School's PIAA championship football team of 1999.

And when you have that many legends in one room to celebrate Altoona, you break out the big guns.

Yep.  That's Hancock County, Ohio's own Big Ben Roethlisberger.

He was on hand to deliver the keynote address and Altoona Mirror reporter Buck Frank, who inexplicably wasn't invited to the White House Correspondent's Dinner, was there to cover it all.  Below are some of the nuggets that Frank uncovered from General Ben.  All of them are real.  Except one.

- Regarding his first talk with Steelers first-round draft pick David DeCastro.

"He was saying, 'Did you get those flight plans? Did you get those flight plans?''' ... Roethlisberger said after a few seconds, DeCastro realized who he was talking to. "I can't wait once we get started to get on him about that,'' Roethlisberger joked. 

Much more after the jump....

- Regarding the commitment to the offensive line.

"I'm excited,'' Roethlisberger said before Saturday's event. "You know, at least on paper, it looks awesome. But, you never know until you take the field and the bullets start flying. I'm really excited. We got some good guys on offense and defense to help add to a team that was good already. "I had an idea [about the picks]. They kept me in the loop a little bit. When DeCastro was there, you got to take him. Some are saying he's one of the best guards in college since Alan Faneca. We hope he can live up to the hype.'' 

- Regarding Rashard Mendenhall's uncertain return from ACL surgery.

"That's the big question, is how healthy Rashard's going to be,'' Roethlisberger said. "But Isaac Redman stepped up last year, and Baron Batch was injured last year but is a young guy we have high hopes for. And we got the new guy, and we have guys like Jonathan Dwyer. We'll see what happens, but I think we'll be good in that area.'' 

- Regarding discussions with new offensive coordinator Todd Haley.

"We'll be allowed to talk this week coming up, so I'm looking forward to it,'' Roethlisberger said. "I know it's going to be a lot different offense as far as the wording, the verbiage. It's a lot tougher. I don't want to say we're taking a step back, but we're starting over in learning the offense. You'll see differences in calling plays. But how much we'll run or pass, I don't know.'' 

- Regarding his guys, the wording, and the verbiage.

"Like I said, the wording, the verbiage will be different. But what won't change is that when we're in the trenches taking enemy fire, I'll be the first one to stand up, take a bullet to my chest, writhe in pain on the ground, limp slowly toward the locker room, pause briefly, look at God and have a personal discussion with him, return after halftime with 11 inches of tape around both my ankles and wrists, grab my helmet, lead my men back onto the field, and call a play from the cheat sheet on my wrist that I'm still wearing after 8 years in the league albeit with different wording and verbiage."

- Regarding losing some of his guys.

"That's the natural progression of our job,'' Roethlisberger said. "You're always losing guys. The locker room won't be the same. You can't replace guys like Aaron Smith, Hines and James Farrior, but it's time for other guys to step up, and my role will continue to grow.'' 

- Regarding the ankle.

 "The ankle is doing OK,'' he said. "It's going slower than I had hoped, but it's definitely healing. I feel like I'm getting into the prime of my career. I hope my play on the field shows that.'' 

- Regarding what this is all about.

"I couldn't tell you how close I am [for passing records],'' Roethlisberger said. "To me, it's about Super Bowl rings, and I'm two behind him still. To me, it's more about team stuff.''

Has no idea how close he is to passing records and stuff.

After the Final Goal: Chris Harrison sits down with Pens GM Ray Shero

By Finesse (follow me on Twitter)

Penguins' GM Ray Shero has given a lot of interviews over the past few days, but other than a few nuggets, no one has cracked him.  Enter Chris Harrison, host of ABC's The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, The Bachelor Pad, How I Met Your Bachelor, My Two Bachelors, Two Bachelors and a Pizza Place, and After The Final Rose.  He tears down walls for a living, and he doesn't even need to ask questions.

No wall too up. No rose too final.

Through back channels, GTOG has obtained an exclusive transcript of Harrison's recent sit-down with Ray Shero in which they recap the 2011-12 season and discuss the team's future.  Chris finds out what Ray is really thinking.

Harrison: A lot happened this season, Ray.

Shero: That's right, Chris. A lot did happen this season.  We started with a very odd press conference about Ferraris and revolving chairs and chiropractors.  We let our walls down as an organization into Sid's recovery, but it just seemed to invite more questions than answers.

Much more with Chris and Ray after the jump...

Harrison: And Canadian people were pretty upset by that.

Shero: With all due respect to the Canadian media, Chris, they can collectively put their lips on my ass.  They race to be the first ones to suggest that Sid's career is over and then criticize us for mishandling his recovery.  Well if his career is over, then there is no recovery to be had, am I right?

Harrison: Mmmhmm.

Shero: ...

Harrison: ...

Shero: ...

Harrison: Before we get to more about Sid, let's talk about the first half of the season.  There were a lot of games played during that half of the season.

Shero: There were a lot of games played.  And other than the 8 games when Sid came back, we were really carried by Geno and his linemates.  Our organization gets praised for having incredible depth, but the truth is that Geno's line was producing approximately 141% of our offense over the first 50 or so games of this season.

No journey too special. No heart too fragile.

Harrison: Some said you were a one line team.

Shero: I was exaggerating before.  There were some games when we were a one line team, but then there were others when that one line was so good that it obscured everything everybody else was doing.  That line was able to do whatever it wanted, including taking unlimited offensive zone penalties.

Harrison: Dan Bylsma is ok with offensive zone penalties.

Shero: I don't know if he's ok with them, but he appears unable to do anything about them.

Harrison: Let's talk about Sid's return in March.

Shero: ...ok...what about it?

Harrison: Go ahead.

Shero: Since you're not asking any questions, I'll interview myself.  Did we get full of ourselves when Sid came back in March?  How could we not?  We were on a ridiculous winning streak and we we're breathing down the Rangers' neck.  Add to that the best player in the league?  Of course we thought we were favorites.  We have -- excuse me, had -- the best team.

Harrison: Then you went repelling with Ashley.

Shero: Say what?

Harrison: I said, then other teams started complaining about the Pens being gutless whiners.

Shero: Right. I can't say that didn't bother us, even though it's unwarranted.  Look, we have the best players. We have a famous owner.  We win tons of games.  Basically we're the prettiest girl in the room.  We're Courtney, but without retracting lips.

Harrison: But it made you question your reasons.

Shero: I don't know what you're saying.  But yes, something about all that heat we were taking definitely affected us.  Did you see Game 3?

Harrison: Game 3 was a tough game for you.

Shero: Game 3 was an embarrassment in every sense of the word.  There was a time in the third period when I wanted to trade Crosby and Dan Bylsma for Bruce Boudreau and a pallet of K.C. Masterpiece.  But cooler heads ultimately prevailed, thank God, or my job would be even harder this summer.

Harrison: And then you won Game 4 and 5. And then you lost Game 6.

No episode too huge. No decision too tough.

Shero: Games 4 and 5 restored our honor, but we had dug ourselves way too deep of a hole.

Harrison: And there were certain guys who didn't pull their weight in Game 6.

Shero: I don't want to single anybody out.

Harrison: But there were.

Shero: I don't want to go there, Chris.

Harrison: ...

Shero: I'm not saying anything.

Harrison: ...

Shero: STOP

Harrison: This is hard for you.

Shero: FINE! IT WAS FLEURY! HE SUCKED! HE BLEW IT! I don't know what else I can say. I sat there in my news conference and I talked about the defense and the three-center model and Dan Bylsma, but the truth is that I could turn Tyler Kennedy into Steven Stamkos this summer and it won't matter if Fleury can't stop a 60 foot wrist shot from Erik Gustafsson.  If he keeps this shit up, we're screwed. I mean, did you see Brad Theissen this year?

Harrison: That feeling -- that feeling of vulnerability -- that's a tough feeling to feel.

Shero: I thought we were on the verge of a dynasty after 2009. Our core of Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, and Letang was unmatched. Those guys all had a Cup win under their belt, and they were all still babies, all in their early 20's. Can you imagine?

Harrison: I can.  Now, if I may say so, there has to be some thought about whether it is necessary to break up this core group.

No reason too right.  No emotion too raw.

Shero: I attracted a lot of attention when I said at my press conference that we have to think about whether the 3-center model we have works.  Obviously, it works.  We have a Stanley Cup to back that up.  The issue is whether something else would work better.

Harrison: It comes back to vulnerability and your walls.  To trade one of these guys would be opening yourself up to heartbreak. That's not an easy thing to do.

Shero: Walls have nothing to do with this. Let's take these guys one at a time.  If we were to move Jordan Staal, we could get a lot of pieces in return...

Harrison: I don't want to talk about details. I want to talk about the emotional impact of breaking up this core.

Shero: (tearing up) It's a hard thing to talk about.  Crosby, Malkin, Staal, and Fleury -- that's the Pittsburgh Penguins.  (sobbing)

Harrison: This isn't easy.

Shero: It's not easy. It's easy for fans and media to speculate about, but consider the position I'm in.  I know that what we have works.  Each of these guys is beloved.  To move one of them would take a big set of brass balls.

Harrison:  Mmhmm.  Big brass balls.  Especially with Sid.

No one-on-one date too crucial. No overnight card too creepy.

Shero: I hear the fans whispering that maybe we should move Sid.  We saw how taking a few big hits in the Flyers' series affected him.  But I want you, and the people listening, to think this through.  This is Sidney Crosby we're talking about.  This is a guy who has done everything we've expected him to do, and more.  He stepped into the shadow of Mario Lemieux, and stepped out of it carrying the Stanley Cup.  Little yinzer babies all over town are named Sidney.  Do you want him on the Maple Leafs?  Do you want him in LA?  Look, this is not Moneyball.  Creative statistics, scoring metrics, and salary cap space can't bring us equal value for Sidney Crosby.

Harrison: You're really feeling right now.

Shero: I am feeling.

Harrison: But you saw how Sid wasn't the same after he got run over by Malkin...

Shero: I did see that.

Harrison: And...

Shero: And...I just don't know.

No Blessing too big. No canceled cocktail party too shocking.

NFL Draft: Steelers hit homerun; draft angry South African Alan Faneca

By Artistry

The near-consensus among pundits is that the Steelers scored a major coup when Stanford guard David DeCastro fell to them at the 24th pick in the first round of Thursday night's NFL Draft. I have no idea. I've never heard of him. Here's what people say:

ESPN's Todd McShay:perfect pick for the Steelers. Wakes up angry. Goes to bed angry. Tough, powerful, experienced and durable. Upgrades pass pro and run gm

The Trib's Mark Kaboly: Colbert: Decastro was one guy who we would've traded up to get.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin:"Everything we would ask him to do we saw him do at Stanford [and things of that nature]."

KDKA's Bob Pompeani: He is a Stud....pulling guard...ready to play.....Steelers patience pays off...and get someone who was expected to be top 10 David DeCastro

Finesse: My only concern is that in college he played a lot of September, October, and November football and then jumped right into January football.  Can he play the Dee-cember football that the Steelers need him to play?  That remains to be seen.

The PPG's Ed Bouchette: I had DeCastro going No. 11

LevonUSC: Pittsburgh Steelers are amazing. They always draft at back end of Round 1 and get players. They're getting a 10-year starter in DeCastro

Artistry: I really have no comment, other than the Steelers need offensive linemen, and guards who are supposed to be great are usually great. With John Rienstra being the glaring exception. But Kevin Colbert didn't draft John Rienstra.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen: Steelers selected Stanford guard David DeCastro. Steelers fans will be reminded of All-Pro Alan Faneca. Evaluators talked about how he dominates physically and gets great movement in run game. Has sound technique. Multiple evaluators said he was the best offensive guard prospect in 10 years. Stanford head coach David Shaw said DeCastro reminds him of Steve Wisniewski, the eight-time Pro Bowl guard with the Raiders who is now an assistant line coach with Oakland. DeCastro is from the Seattle area but his parents are South African. His father and grandfather were rugby stars in that country. His mother, Jennifer DeCastro, said she is 6-1 and took partial credit for her son's height.

Greg Cosell: Not surprised DeCastro lasted this long. I saw him as good player but not special.

Was just told he's not special

GTOG readers weigh in on the Penguins' lost season

By GTOG Staff (follow Artistry and Finesse on Twitter)

We don't have the most readers on the internet but we definitely have some of the smartest and most dedicated.  There is a reason we solicit comments -- we get a lot of passion and insight into things that we've never thought about.  So in that spirit, here are some of the best comments and emails we've received since the disappointing end to the Pens' season, or as we like to call them, free labor.  Thanks to everyone for your support.

Randy! (With GTOG since the beginning)

Clearly this team is less than the sum of its parts. That's on Ray Shero. It's going to be a huge off-season for the organization as a whole.

Randy!

P.Co (Steady. Hardcore. Analysis)

Thanks for the podcast. Every time we're knocked out of the playoffs it feels like your girlfriend just broke up with you.  

P.Co?

I thought Fleury was totally out of gas coming into the playoffs. I wrote in a comment about a month ago that this is the first time we see his game slip in March instead of improve. Don't compare him to other goalies - he did play more games than in any other year. Worse, in some of these games he came in relief of Johnson, meaning he couldn't get his his scheduled rest. Maybe this is wishful thinking, but I want to believe that a fresh Fleury can carry this team in the playoffs next season.  

The horrible PK - I think it starts with Fleury, too. A shaky goalie kills the confidence of a defense. They don't challenge the d-men as much, they don't forecheck as deep as they are used to, because they're afraid, or rather know, that if the forwards get behind them, it's a sure goal.  

I'm just afraid the Pens now enter the Sharks-Canucks-Caps club, where the regular season doesn't matter anymore. You can get 60 wins during the season, but people will only be interested in whether and when you fail in the post-season, and everything short of an SCF, or even a Cup, is considered a failure. This mindset eventually destroyed these three teams. The only difference for the Pens is that they don't dominate their division as Vancouver does and Washington and SJ used to.  

Yeah, this was definitely a wasted opportunity. Last year was frustrating because you couldn't help thinking what might have been had everyone stayed healthy. This year everyone came back just in time and we were just waiting to get our due chance. And we botched it. No one to blame this time. October seems so far away....

More from @CouchPenguin, Brandy, P.Co again, and a guy who hates Paul Martin after the jump...

 @CouchPenguin (epic two-part comment)

Nice work on Twitter this season, and thanks for the podcasts. 

@CouchPenguin?

I'm sure there will be people who will point to this series -- and game 6 in particular -- as some sort of Crosby failure, but I wouldn't go too hard on him. That Malkin hit in game 5 looked like it hurt (so did ramming into the post), and let's not forget what 87's been dealing with since 1/1/11. Physically & emotionally, I can't see how he's as playoff-ready as he would have been with a full, healthy season behind him. We know he's a big moments kinda guy, and today, he couldn't muster that big moment. It may be a while yet before we see what Sidney Crosby play the way he should be playing as a 24/25-year-old superstar. He's still hockey's best -- let's give him time to settle back in. 

Malkin... I love Malkin. I love the big year he had, the big goals he scored, the big plays he made, and I love that he doesn't take any crap from his opponents. But he couldn't hit the net in the first half of the series, and he was too reckless too often. He took dumb penalties. He played too close to the edge of dirty, instead of playing the perfect, intense, dominating hockey we saw in the regular season and in the '09 playoffs. He's a big guy with a big heart, he has talent to spare, but he was mostly out-of-control for too long against Philly. I was disheartened to see him screaming at Neal in front of the cameras today. 

Neal needed to score some big goals, and a lot more of them. He did not look like a 40-goal man in this series. He had to be better and more effective than Briere or Jagr. 

Other forwards... Staal was great, but too late. And that game 1 OT gaffe is not what we should expect from him. Kunitz was not the grinding force he needed to be, and was largely ineffective. Sullivan did not play smart hockey often enough -- and that giveaway early in game 6 hurt badly. Cooke was in danger of being outplayed by Tangradi.

The point about Fleury being worked too hard through the regular season is a good one. Johnson was miserable this season, and the pressure that put on Fleury was immense. It might not fully explain 29's horrendous collapse, but there just might be something to it. This is a goalie who hadn't struggled since the beginning of the 2010-11 season. Suddenly, he caves as the playoffs approach. Coincidentally, he didn't seem the same to me after he got hammered by Paul Martin in that game against the Isles on March 27. Just another bit of bad Martin mojo... 

Speaking of him, he was the number one liability this team had this year, and through the first half of the series. Yeah, Fleury was bad, but Martin's nonsensical, ineffective pinches and general bad play were easy to exploit. Three years left on his $5-million-per deal, and he's the one guy I never want to see in a Pens uniform again. 

Michalek might not have been stellar (and yes, I really miss Scuderi & Gill too... never mind Talbot & Rupp), but he wasn't as miserable as Martin. The one guy who might have been as wretched as Martin was Lovejoy. He gave away game 2. This series might show why he's not NHL material. Engelland was decent, Orpik was Orpik, Niskanen was pretty brave & effective when he returned, and Despres & Strait did okay when thrust into a terrible situation. 

But let's finish by talking about Kris Letang. Brilliant defenseman. 

We know what he can do at both ends of the ice. Problem is, he sometimes suffers from inconsistent, sloppy play which can come across as cavalier. And if there's a word I would have used to describe what I saw from the Penguins when they had the leads in games 1 & 2, it's cavalier. They played Kris Letang hockey. 

He has to grow up, play every shift, and stop taking unnecessary risks. When Kris Letang plays smart, solid hockey, he's unstoppable. Same with the Penguins. 

Anyway. 

Learn. Adjust. Return. Win. 

I love my team. I want them to feel the sting of this one, though. Feel it burn, then turn it into something positive. Be hungry. Want it more than their opponents. 

A lot more.

Brandy (Every Brandy comment is like Ninety-Five Theses nailed to our inbox)

I always gave this team a pass for the Montreal series, with the assumption that the big boys were exhausted from two consecutive finals and an Olympics. This team has fought through so much the last couple of years, to watch all of its stars act more like petulant children (Letang, Sid, Geno, I'm looking at you) than hockey players is just sad. My thoughts: 

Brandy?

1) Hard to disagree about M&M. My sort-of reasonable dream for the defense is to unload their contracts for a 2-4th rounder, resign Nisky, bring up Despres for good, and throw your chips in for Ryan Suter (I could probably lengthen or improve this list if I had a better sense of whose contract was up). Nash has to keep Weber, and I don't know that they'll be willing to fork over the money for both. (We should also hope for this reason that Nash gets ousted shortly.) By the time Orpik and Tanger's contracts are up, hopefully Morrow and Harrington will be NHL-ready and on cheap contracts. 

2) How was the exact same defense as last year so much worse? Repeat question for M&M. 

3) Before we bash Shero for the M&M contracts, it should be at least noted that he was building a team for the new NHL, not the new dead-puck era we're playing in now. Officiating is to the point where an offsides call falls into the "let the boys play" category. And I really wish I was exaggerating. 

4) Ditto for Bylsma's system, although I do think he got significantly out-coached and has built systems to complicated to adapt when necessary. Obstruction has limited the speed and fore-checking the approach depends on. A lot will need to change systematically next year. 

5) I get your view on Kunie. But we have exactly 1 legitimate top 6 winger if we get rid of him. I also think we'd miss his physical presence. If you can replace it, fine. But you'd best be getting something similar in return - or in return for M&M. 

6) Speaking of physical presence - when did this team become allergic to hitting? I heard that they were told to limit hitting in the defense end, so that they didn't get out of position. Fat lot of good that did: they are so easy to play against. 

7) Is it time to trade a big boy? I get the hesitation, but still... The Bruins got two first rounders for fricking Phil Kessel. Imagine what we could get for Geno. Seriously, I can't even fathom. And the team would be so much more balanced. Sid was limited this series because he had nil help on his wing - while 3 of our 4 top 6 forwards got shut down by Sean Couturier (or more accurately, one got shut down trying to do a lot of fancy stuff and rendered his linemates useless). 

8) I'm not even saying we should trade one of the big 3 - BUT if it becomes necessary to stay under the cap, you let Geno restock your entire (empty) prospect pool and keep Staal. He's more mature than Geno and his skill set can't be replaced. And I still think (maybe unfairly) that Geno will go back home at some point significantly before retirement.

P.Co (never to be outdone by Brandy)

I usually agree with you guys (and gal) about almost everything, but not today. 

Still not over it.

1. Our chocolate covered peanut defensemen are both signed through 2015. On the flip-side, their cap hits are high by Penguins standards but not relative to other high-end d-men around the league (remember how much Gonchar was signed for by Ottawa in 2010). This means that a) they're going to be tough to move; b) what's out there is not that much better. 

2. Let's tease the two apart for a moment - Martin has been a failure, no question. He wasn't as bad this year as a lot of people say, but he didn't deliver what he was supposed to. He was brought in here as a versatile blue liner who can carry the puck and not be a defensive liability. He was a replacement for Gonchar, not to Gill. Everyone was talking about his offensive upside, being (I think) the top defensive scorer on the Devils "and just imagine what he will do in an offensive-minded system in Pittsburgh". What he did is go off the powerplay in a hurry and score like 4 goals in 2 years. And his defense was Gonchar-esque at best. Again, he wasn't a disaster, he did finish the regular season a plus after a terrible start, but he was bad enough to disappear from the lineup in the last three games of the playoffs. Bottom line - he was signed to deliver a certain type of game and failed to deliver it. 

3. Michalek just doesn't fit the Pens' system. He was signed as a puck magnet. Not overly physical, not lightning quick, just a pure shot blocker. It worked great for Tippett's Coyotes, but the Pens' have a pinch-in system where most of the chances against them come off the rush. This is why Letang has flourished under Bylsma, because he is arguably the best in the League in breaking a 2 on 1. Michalek is a great stand-up player who often gets lost in the up and down game this team plays. Last year with all the injuries, the Pens adopted a slower style which was perfect for him. This year, not so much. 

I wish we could replace both of these guys. But it won't be easy (unless some team emerges like Florida and Columbus did last summer and hands out inflated contracts. Maybe Dallas with its new ownership? The CBA situation makes this option very unlikely). 

4. What can Shero do in the off-season? I agree that Suter becomes an option if you can dump one M through an amnesty clause in the new CBA and trade the other one. I don't see anyone else, though. The Pens are rich in defensive prospects but none are both Gill-Scuderi types and NHL ready. And even then, there is still one more slot to fill. I hope Despres sticks around this time, but he's not the anchor in front of the net we (and half the league) are looking for. 

5. When we talk about pesky physical forward who can make life miserable for other teams, aren't we talking about Chris Kunitz? Why do we need to trade Hands for a guy exactly like him (sans hands)? The only reason I can think of is to shed his salary and get a cheaper player.

6. Trading for picks - Not gonna happen. We were bounced off in the first round, but we are still playing for now. The Pens will start trading roster players for prospects and draft picks after the current group will have finished its course and left town. 

7. That said, there's no way in hell 87 or 71 go anywhere, barring a toxic situation in the room. But someone reported that Staal is getting edgy about his limited role and that he could be a #1 center on most other teams in the league. Really? If this is true, then I say do it. If we can get for Staal what you would get for a #1 center then the Pens should go for it. Would you trade Staal for Patrick Kane? for Tuuka Rask and David Krejci? for TJ Oshie and Carlo Colaiacovo? I would. I don't want to Trade Staal, but I would trade my third-line center if people see him as a first-liner. 

Rant over. Back to work.

**I meant to say Rask and Krejci plus a player or a first rounder. But neither is going to happen, so never mind.**

Jesse, Artistry's friend who hates Paul Martin (via email)

I feel this is right on. btw you may recall i told you last summer from [a source] the two pieces they were trying to deal were martin and kunitz....the latter being the one with actual value. The issue then...and much more so now...is martin. the reason i've harped on the martin disaster for so long is simply about money. Certainly i don't blame shero for trying to get a good solid steady defenseman in free agency but whiffing that badly for that much money costs us in more ways than just on the ice. This isn't an i told you so by any means but it was plain to see FROM DAY ONE this guy on this team was disatrous. He looked intimidated playing with great players. Jersey was a totally different situation. In pittsburgh he didn't believe in his skills and frankly the level of energy he showed night in and night out made me want to slap him across the face. At least show us that you give a fuck. I dont' recall one game in two years that i said "good play paul martin". maybe the money fucked him up...really no way of knowing what happened. Point is I'm really not sure there is a place for him in this league. Thats how low i feel about him. If i was an nhl scout evaluating his play what could justify assuming that much cap space for that long? To me its wade redden, kablerle, souray, hamrlik all over again. Boy do i hope i'm wrong but i think they're fucked. Only thing i could say is perhaps there is another player who is equally as disappointing who makes a fair bit of money that a team would consider swapping out. Savings of 2mil perhaps and i'd still take that all day long. Like you wrote, a mean defensive forward who was overpaid? cant think off the top of my head who that might be but its a possiblitiy. Not a defensive centerman but ryan malone perhaps? At least he's tough to play against. 

Jesse, Artistry's friend who hates Paul Martin

Michalek certainly a disappointment but his contract and skill set make him more movable. again, he's a guy i chalk up to getting paid, buying a big house, and then all of a sudden beocmes the chek republic version of roger dorn. I'm not sure i ever saw him block a shot this year. i could actually live with him staying on the team...as average as he's been. Martin though isn't really an nhl player caliber player anymore. i'm being totally serious. Look at his skill set and tell me what he does? Decent skater but what else? I think the flyers salivated every time he was on the ice. Which is why eventually he wasn't on the ice anymore. 

The league is getting infused with good young players now more than ever. again, like you wrote, depres strait whoever would be a better subsitute for the money. But wyy would somone else be stupid enough to make a mistake like that? change of scenery....eh. we've seen guys with huge cap hits gets dealt before on that theory with virtually no success. The other issue is if i'm another gm why would i give the pens a reprieve? So they can get more cap space and add to already awesome team? fuck that. Shero has made some awesome awesome moves as gm (which is another reason why its harder to make a deal with him) but this miss is gonna continue to haunt us unfortunately for quite some time. hope i'm wrong. 

last thought. A guy they could move is orpik. He had a pretty down year ( hurt?) but still is looked at as a commodity. reasonable salary as well.

Thanks again for reading everyone.  Stay with us over the summer, and tell a friend or ten.

GTOPG: Lingering thoughts on Pens' wasted season

By GTOG Staff (follow Artistry and Finesse on Twitter)

As we continue to digest this distasteful end to a season of high expectations, we keep thinking of things we want to say.  We have no idea how many thoughts will trickle out over the next few days, but here's the first batch.  For full emotion and analysis, be sure to listen to our podcast recapping Pens-Flyers.

- Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby each had 8 points in 6 games (110 point pace over 82 games).  That's far from being "shut down", but unfortunately when you are so bad defensively that you require at least 5 goals to win every game, it looks like you're being "shut down" if you don't have 2 points per game.  This is not an excuse for those guys not producing yesterday -- it's the Pens fault that they became a team that not only couldn't win a low scoring game, but couldn't even play one.  But it does illustrate how rightfully high our expectations became for these guys...and how they didn't live up to them.

Why we shouldn't crown Claude Giroux, and much more, after the jump...

- Claude Giroux was easily the best player in this series and may prove to be the best player in the league by the end of the playoffs.  But let's slow down on the coronation for just a moment.  He just took advantage of a team with a porous defense and a goaltender -- much credit to him for doing it, but it's not like he was torching the '95 Devils out there.  If we were masochists and wanted to go back and watch the highlights, there's a decent chance we'd find that several of Giroux's points were the direct result of the Wilting Flower.  And while we're being bitter nitpickers, let's also not make his first shift yesterday out to be heroic.  He made a great hit on Crosby and a perfect shot past Fleury, but the shift is barely noteworthy without an all-time terrible unforced turnover by Steve Sullivan.

- After sleeping on it, we still believe what we told you on the post-game Raw Emotion Podcast: Martin, Michalek, Kunitz, and Sullivan are the most likely candidates to be out the door by August.  Let's take a quick look at how and why it makes sense to clear some $14 million in salary.

Martin and Michalek

There seems to be a total consensus on Martin, and probably the majority of observers agree on Michalek.  There is just no way Simon Despres and $3-$4 million veteran replacement don't represent an upgrade over what those two gave the Penguins this year.  If you can clear them out, you need to do it.  The only question becomes what you can get in return, but based on the potential cap savings (probably more than $5 million over the next three years), we're not particular. Draft picks, prospects, and/or a big young defensive forward with an angry disposition would be delightful.  The Penguins don't have anything resembling a Sean Couturier or even 2010 model Matt Cooke - someone who makes life miserable for the opposition's top forwards.  That needs to be a priority.

Far from alone in sucking.

Kunitz

From being a key component of hockey's "untouchable" trio to representing maybe the Penguins' best off-season trade chip?  Yep. He's 32-years-old and under contract through 2013-14 at $3.725 million per. That's plenty manageable for any team looking for grit, leadership, experience, and 25 goals a year.  If that sounds like something the Penguins shouldn't give up, take a closer look. He's right at the tail end of his prime, his offensive zone penalties have become his trademark, and he's one expendable piece that other teams will genuinely prize.  Combine his salary with that of Michalek, Martin, and the next guy on this list, and the team has some serious room to balance out a what is still hockey's best core of young veterans with some youthful energy and speed. Hands is like the mascot of this site, so don't think for a minute this is easy for us. We're just telling it like it is.

Not Handsy anymore?

Sullivan

We appreciate what the impending UFA brought to the power play, but at even strength, particularly in the playoffs, Sullivan was too often a liability.  We still don't understand why Dan Bylsma couldn't see what we thought was obvious:  the Flyers were happy to match up their top line against Crosby-Dupuis-Sullivan.  That line's quickness was too often overshadowed by an inability to defend against rangier lines like Giroux-Hartnell-Jagr.  We're pretty sure the last time Steve Sullivan put a body on somebody it didn't happen during a hockey game.  Find another point guy.  Or groom Despres or Niskanen for the role.  Clear Sully's $1.5 million from the books, and add someone who will get in Giroux's face next season.

GTOG Raw Emotion Podcast: Pens Eliminated by Flyers in Six Games

Tough way to end the season. Finish it out with GTOG as we discuss what went wrong, and what can be done to fix it.

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Correction: Nothing happening here; Pens Eliminated

There is a new formula for games in which the Pens get eliminated from the playoffs.  Give up an early goal, take bad penalties, don't pay attention to detail, give up some more weak goals, get underwhelming performances from your stars, have some flurries that make you think there's hope, have that hope slowly extinguished, go home.

So it was in 2010, so it was in 2012.  The Pens could have won this series having lost a game like this had some semblance of the team we knew this season shown up in Games 2 or 3.  But it wasn't meant to be.  The Flyers are a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup (it's critically important that doesn't happen), and they have a star who is definitely on the same level as the Pens top two, at least when he's playing against the Pens' defense and goalie.

We're biased, of course, so it's hard for us to admit that the Flyers deserved to win this series.  But it's not hard to admit that the Pens definitely didn't.

There will be lots of time to reflect on this series, on the team going forward, and what tweaks can and should be made.  Right now, we're just a little bitter about what a wasted opportunity this season turned out to be.

Thanks for riding with GTOG.

Go Pens.

GTOPG: Philadelphia clenching; Pens force Game 6 with 3-2 win

By GTOG Staff

We finally felt the full power of the long dormant Consol Energy Center on Friday.

But we never imagined what it would take to get that moment, when 18,000 fans screamed for the Penguins until their throats gave way.  If you go back 10 days to when the playoffs started, you'll recall that the Pens were close to overwhelming favorites to not only beat the Flyers, to not only get to the Cup Finals, but to win the Stanley Cup.  But a funny thing happened on the way to the parade.  The Pens backed off for 2+ periods in Game 1, got outclassed in Game 2, and melted down in Game 3.  It was rock bottom. It seemed like there was no hope for a comeback.  Even we felt the hope withering away.

Down three games to none and facing maybe the most hostile environment in the league, the Pens had become, of all things, the underdogs.  The Flyers, powered by unlimited goals, became the favorites.  They were celebrated in the media.  They taunted the Penguins and their fans.  The people of Philadelphia chanted "you can't beat us."   And they had every right to -- they were killing the Pens.  But heavy lies the head that wears the crown over a cesspool of orange hair.

Sometimes it's good to be the underdog, to have nowhere to go but up, to have no one believe in you.  Because when you're the underdogs, you have nothing to lose.  And when you have the mindset of an underdog with the talent of the overwhelming favorites, well, you're just deadly.

More on Game 5, the Penguins' secret weapon, and looking ahead to Sunday, after the jump...


- We told you Friday that we suspected Marc-Andre Fleury would need to steal Game 5, and he responded with a third period that elicited no fewer than six booming "Holy shit"s from Jim from "The Office," who was sitting just a few rows behind Artistry.

Or at least that's what he must have been thinking.  Despite his sunny disposition, no one is more competitive than Fleury. But his good humor has served him well this week. As everyone - everyone - turned on him to some extent, questioning and even dismissing his reputation as a money goaltender, he could have either folded or become embittered. It's not in his make-up.  Instead, he laughed.

"It felt good not to give up 26 goals in one period," he said after blanking the Flyers for the final two periods of Game 4.  

Then he turned around and played the 20 minutes of his life, 20 minutes the Penguins had to have to survive, in the 3rd period of Game 5.  To say nothing of the fact that he kept the Pens within a goal in the first, as the Flyers went for the kill shot on the power play.  Let's be clear: the Penguins still face a steep climb in this series, but the Flyers will have no better opportunity to win than they had on Friday.  They outshot and out-chanced  the Pens, and they blanked Crosby and Malkin.  But Fleury left them literally shaking their heads.  If he's not a money goalie, we don't want to be rich.

- Jordan Staal rightfully gets almost all the credit for the success of the Pens third line, but let's save a little for Tyler Kennedy.  No Pens fan thinks that TK is as good as TK thinks he is, but one thing you can't argue with is that TK has a sense of the moment.  He finished one of the prettiest goals in Pens playoff history in Game 4 in the '09 Finals against Detroit and had two points, including the game winning goal, in Game 6, when the Pens worked maybe the hardest they've ever had to work to win a game.  And last night's game winner was an absolute laser.  He may not be Jaromir Jagr.  But he can be pretty damn good.

Smiling like a butcher's dog.

- If we cared about what Flyers' fans thought, we would probably be able to find them lamenting the two posts they hit in the first period without much trouble.  But here's the thing about hitting the post: the nets are 4' x 6" for a reason.  If you don't want to hit the post, be more accurate.  (Having said that, thank God for the post.  Those are the kind of bounces a team needs to come back from 3-0).

- We defied conventional wisdom by saying Dan Bylsma should break them up.  (It's not too late, incidentally.)  But if the "untouchable" Geno-Neal-Kunitz line decides to show up for Game 6, the Pens are in great shape.  Right now Malkin is playing over the edge, like a wild stallion whose liable to kick you in the face out of sheer recklessness.

- We can't help but wonder how much of Sidney Crosby's off night had to do with his collision with Malkin.

- Now that he's in spending games in the press box, Paul Martin's poor play can no longer obscure Zbynek Michalek's poor play. Do the Pens dare scratch a combined $9 million?

- Steve Sullivan is having the same effect on this team as Bill Guerin did in 2009, minus the camera friendliness and relentless pranking of Dan Potash.

- If the City of Philadelphia were a giant sphincter, and it is, it would be sealed shut right about now.  How do the Penguins take advantage in Game 6?

1) Hit Timonen, Carle, and Coburn.  At every opportunity.  Because those are essentially the only defensemen playing for the Flyers.  How much does Peter Laviolette trust Pavel Kubina, Andres Lilja, and the rookie Gustafsson?  Those three averaged about 8 minutes of ice time.  The top 3 were all pushing 30 minutes.  No telling what the Flyers do if Game 6 goes to overtime.

2) Take abuse. Can everybody agree we don't want the Flyers on the power play? OK, great.

3) Get them thinking early.  The Penguins don't even need to take a first period lead.  Just weather the early storm, look the Flyers in the eye, and make them understand who they're playing against.  It's the Stanley Cup favorite Pittsburgh Penguins.

LGP. GTOG.

GTOG Instant Reaction: There's something happening here; Pens win 3-2

The Pens have a big mountain to climb.  But we've got our Sherpa back.

See you Sunday.

Go Pens.

More Countdown to Pens-Flyers Game 5: With all due respect, sir

Countdown to Pens-Flyers Game 5: Do you recognize this feeling?

By Artistry (follow me on Twitter)

The sun is out today, and downtown Pittsburgh is shaking. With anticipation, emotion, even outright glee.  If you're a hockey fan, there is really no better feeling than this: it's playoff time, you're completely invested, and your team is the best team. There is no objective test for this except for the playoff tournament that's just underway, but you know it. You can feel it.  Maybe you feel it today.

How can this be, you ask?  The Penguins are down 3-1, they just benched (let's just call it what it is) a $5 million a year defenseman in favor of two untested rookies, allowed 9 goals on 15 Flyer power plays (no, really, the Flyers are converting at 60% on the power play) and a bunch of shorties, and they're giving up nearly 6 goals a game.  Still, you may have this feeling.  Do yourself a favor.  Don't question it.  It may not make sense, but neither does this series. Not in any way.  Listen to this feeling. Embrace it. Climb on its back, and ride it. You might fall, and if you do, you will get hurt. But we've learned from the Bachelor that YOU CAN'T WIN UNLESS YOUR WALLS COME DOWN. You have to make yourself vulnerable, otherwise you will be strung along and when you're finally ready to commit, you will have missed the whole journey.  Up to you.  But know this: we're not ready for this to end.  We're giving ourselves to the Pittsburgh Penguins in the Fantasy Suite tonight.

Thoughts on Game 5 after the jump...

- It's hard to imagine how the Pens could deviate tonight from the power play unit that went 4 for 9 in game 4.  That means James Neal stays on the bench.  And if it doesn't work for the first few power plays then...hey! There's James Neal, let's give him a shot!

- That said, don't be surprised to see the officials do an about face and swallow their whistles in Game 5.  This series has to settle down at some point (doesn't it?), and if the Penguins can come close to duplicating their Game 4 even-strength play, they'll be in great shape.  Simon Despres and Brian Strait were a huge part of that. They kept it simple, but they brought energy.  And the energy left Paul Martin's body some time ago.

- The Flyers are going to come with a huge surge in the first.  You can be sure they're aware that a Pens win tonight changes everything.  This may be the game Marc-Andre Fleury has to steal.

- We're thrilled Zac Rinaldo is playing tonight.  

- Before Game 4 we said that all we wanted was another game.  Well, we either lied, or we're greedy.  Because we want another.

And we like our chances.

Go Pens.

GTOPG: Bryzbrovsky Island; Pens Demolish Flyers 10-3

By Finesse (follow me on Twitter)

You can catch most of our reaction to last night's season-saving romp by the Pens on our Raw Emotion Podcast but because so much happened, there is so much to say.  A few lingering thoughts:

- Ilya Bryzgalov and Sergei Bobrovsky each had bad games last night for the Flyers, but let's not get too excited about it and think that the Pens are dropping a 10-spot every night.  For the same reasons that Fleury's biggest supporters were standing by him after a horrific Game 2 and Game 3, the Flyers shouldn't abandon all hope in their goalies.

First is the cliche that is always true -- you are never as good or as bad as you think.  Bryz and Bob are not terrible goalies.  They may be mentally fragile, but so was (or maybe is) Fleury. Understanding the psyche of a goalie is hard enough as it is, let alone two Russian goalies, one of whom barely speaks English and another who isn't sure there is any place to hide from bears in the humongous big universe.

via @lindsapple

Second, the Flyers defense and discipline was terrible.  Just like the Pens in Games 2 and 3, the Flyers were the ones leaving guys wide open, giving up countless odd-man rushes, and taking stupid penalties.  If they knock that off -- like the Pens did last night -- it's a different story for Game 5.  It's a lot easier to play goalie when the people shooting at you are covered.  Ask Flower.

Third, the Penguins are really good offensively, just like the Flyers.  The 10 goals last night were not softies or just good bounces (other than Sid's).  The Pens were burying the puck.  This roster has broken goalies a lot better than Bryz and Bob.  But it's also been stymied by worse goalies or, at least in Consol, by Bobrovsky himself.

Didn't save the day. But still could.

More thoughts on the game and more complaining from Ted Leonsis after the jump...


- The talk of the town in Pittsburgh today is Marc-Andre Fleury.  I don't know whether my confidence in him is restored permanently, or just when the Pens have a 4+ goal lead.  But I do know that I feel a lot better about him today than I did yesterday.

- Dan Bylsma's timeout with the Pens up 9-3 (or maybe 10-3) needs a plaque in the Subtle F-You Hall of Fame.  What a timeout.  The Flyers were too busy fishing pucks out of their net to care.

- The Kris Letang that showed up in the first period last night deserved a spot on the bench.  The Kris Letang that showed up in the second and third periods may deserve a spot in the Hall of Fame one day.

- There is some hand-wringing going on about this hit from Evgeni Malkin on Nicklas Grossman.  We expect nothing to come of it, save for The Mounting of the High Horses on Twitter if Grossman is out for Friday's game.  Which, not to sound like bad guys or anything, we'd be cool with.

-

- Second only to Alex Rodriguez hitting a bunch of home runs, the surest sign of April has arrived: the Washington Capitals, led by their petty owner Ted Leonsis and now echoed by the "lamestream media," are crying conspiracy about the officiating.  There is no doubt that there are problems with the officiating in the playoffs.  In last night's Pens game, to cite just two examples, the Flyers got an interference penalty for playing hockey and Matt Cooke got ejected for existing.

Cooke might get a lifetime ban for this disgustingly dirty play he's making.

But contrary to Ted's assertion that the league somehow protects the Stanley Cup Champions, there is no conspiracy for or against anyone.  You cannot find a player, coach, or team that is ever happy with the officiating, and that either means the officials are doing a really good job, or a really terrible job that is at least terrible for everyone.  Do you think the Bruins are happy that Jason Chimera only got 2 minutes for "slashing" Brad Marchand in his privatest of parts?

We've said this a million times on this blog.  It's not about having bad calls against you.  Every team has bad calls against them.  It's how you respond to it.  Take the Penguins, for example.  In Game 1, Danny Briere was extraordinarily offsides on the Flyers first goal, but instead of just getting over it, the Pens stewed about it for a period and a half and lost in overtime.  Last night, on the other hand, after the Flyers drew three consecutive penalties with Streepian acting performances and then scored twice on the ensuing power plays, the Pens scored the next 8 goals.

Hockey is a tough sport.  It's a dangerous sport.  You're going to get gloves to the head and crosschecks to the back.  The only way to survive it is to stop making yourself a victim.  Kill a penalty when the refs make a bad call.  Bury it on the power play when you get the benefit of a bad call.  Adjust your game accordingly depending on whether the refs are calling tight or calling it loose.  And if the other team is taking liberties after the whistle, either take liberties back or ignore it.  The one thing you shouldn't do is crosscheck a guy in the head after the game is over and then cry victim.

GTOG Podcast: Pens give it to the Flyers 10-3; Are they back?

What a game. The Pens exploded to score 10 goals in Philadelphia (it could have been more) to avoid the sweep and maybe, hopefully, turn the tide of the series. We know this is just one game. But we're happy about it. It's the GTOG Podcast.

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GTOG Instant Reaction: A Heartbeat

By Finesse (follow me on Twitter)

All we wanted was another game.

via @stuhFAN

See you Friday.

Go Pens.

[Check out our Game 4 recap podcast here]