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Pittsburgh Penguins Blogger •
First off, let me formally send thoughts and prayers out to Ek and his family. Here is hoping for a speedy recovery. I know that any situation dealing with the appendix is not a fun one, especially when the thing bursts. Hang in there big guy…we are all thinking of and missing you here around the house that you built.
I also want to take a quick opportunity to thank Capt. EO and the folks here at the Buzz for giving me the opportunity to step into the spotlight, at least for one night. It is much appreciated. That opportunity gives me a venue to discuss a controversial topic that has been bouncing around my head over here in Penguin Nation.
Have the Penguins made a mistake by hitching the wagon to Sidney Crosby? Have they erred by making such a huge commitment to number 87? Has it been a mistake to focus the team’s marketing and promotion around the new “Face of the National Hockey League?”
You are probably thinking that I have lost my mind in even broaching this subject, as he is one of, if not the finest player in the game and the Penguins have him locked up at a fairly pedestrian rate for most of the formative years of his career.
The dynamic Crosby has also won a Lester Pearson Award, an Art Ross Trophy and a Hart Trophy during his young career. Plus, as the team’s captain, had a big hand in leading the team to a berth in the Stanley Cup Final. All of this points to the fact that the Penguins are doing exactly what they should be doing with Crosby.
My questioning comes into play when you consider that he is skating alongside a player who is also considered by many to be one of the finest in this great game, Evgeni Malkin.
Malkin, a former Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie, showed last year that he is capable of carrying a team. He was in the scoring race until final days of the season and helped the team overcome numerous injuries as they clinched an Atlantic Division title.
Geno Machino has a deadly shot, his playmaking skills are outstanding, and he is very capable defensively. Number 71 can also play both special teams confidently and picked up his first career short handed goal this season.
Each player would no doubt be the number one center and focal point for just about any team in the league. It just so happens that both individuals currently dress in Black and Vegas Gold. Thus forcing the Penguins to someday make a very tough decision…one that I argue has already been made.
Though Malkin is skating in his third NHL season and is currently sitting atop the NHL scoring race, albeit with Sidney Crosby two points behind, it is still very obviously Crosby’s team.
He is featured in the advertising; he is paraded out as the face of the league and franchise on every opportunity, and does a phenomenal job in that role. You wonder how all of this could effect future negotiations with he and Malkin?
Sure, Malkin has done himself no favors throughout this process, as he until recently spoke little to no English publicly. That language barrier made him all but unmarketable, as he wasn’t able to appear in television or radio advertising. That is quickly changing and you are forced to wonder if he will soon be included in that process.
Though both players have proven that they are big producers in all facets of the game, Malkin has definitely narrowed the gap between he and his Captain. On any given night, he and not Crosby could be considered the best player on the ice, something that seems to drive each player.
Though the Penguins have locked their two superstars up through the 2012-13 season, the time is not far off where they are going to have to choose between two of the best players in franchise history. Sure, they have a bit of experience with the subject as they were forced to trade Jaromir Jagr, but this situation is going to be a bit different.
Malkin and Crosby will be 26 and 25 respectively, just entering their primes as players and probably coming off of at least four seasons of chasing each other in the scoring and MVP races. Will Malkin’s performance over next four years make any difference in the minds of Penguins management?
What if Malkin is ahead in Art Ross Trophies, or Hart Memorials? Would it cause any doubt when deciding that he is the one that will have to move on? I really don’t think that it would.
Crosby is the type of once in a lifetime talent that excels not only on the ice, but also off of it. He has done significant charitable work in and around the Pittsburgh area, he seems like the type of individual who will stay on board with a franchise in an off ice capacity and a person who may someday consider Pittsburgh his home…sound familiar? Well it should…he is very similar to another once in a lifetime talent in that regard, Mario Lemieux.
Unfortunately, Malkin seems destined to play the Jaromir Jagr role in this act, but it is going to be an amazing ride as we all watch history repeat itself.
I also want to take a quick opportunity to thank Capt. EO and the folks here at the Buzz for giving me the opportunity to step into the spotlight, at least for one night. It is much appreciated. That opportunity gives me a venue to discuss a controversial topic that has been bouncing around my head over here in Penguin Nation.
Have the Penguins made a mistake by hitching the wagon to Sidney Crosby? Have they erred by making such a huge commitment to number 87? Has it been a mistake to focus the team’s marketing and promotion around the new “Face of the National Hockey League?”
You are probably thinking that I have lost my mind in even broaching this subject, as he is one of, if not the finest player in the game and the Penguins have him locked up at a fairly pedestrian rate for most of the formative years of his career.
The dynamic Crosby has also won a Lester Pearson Award, an Art Ross Trophy and a Hart Trophy during his young career. Plus, as the team’s captain, had a big hand in leading the team to a berth in the Stanley Cup Final. All of this points to the fact that the Penguins are doing exactly what they should be doing with Crosby.
My questioning comes into play when you consider that he is skating alongside a player who is also considered by many to be one of the finest in this great game, Evgeni Malkin.
Malkin, a former Calder Trophy winner as the league’s top rookie, showed last year that he is capable of carrying a team. He was in the scoring race until final days of the season and helped the team overcome numerous injuries as they clinched an Atlantic Division title.
Geno Machino has a deadly shot, his playmaking skills are outstanding, and he is very capable defensively. Number 71 can also play both special teams confidently and picked up his first career short handed goal this season.
Each player would no doubt be the number one center and focal point for just about any team in the league. It just so happens that both individuals currently dress in Black and Vegas Gold. Thus forcing the Penguins to someday make a very tough decision…one that I argue has already been made.
Though Malkin is skating in his third NHL season and is currently sitting atop the NHL scoring race, albeit with Sidney Crosby two points behind, it is still very obviously Crosby’s team.
He is featured in the advertising; he is paraded out as the face of the league and franchise on every opportunity, and does a phenomenal job in that role. You wonder how all of this could effect future negotiations with he and Malkin?
Sure, Malkin has done himself no favors throughout this process, as he until recently spoke little to no English publicly. That language barrier made him all but unmarketable, as he wasn’t able to appear in television or radio advertising. That is quickly changing and you are forced to wonder if he will soon be included in that process.
Though both players have proven that they are big producers in all facets of the game, Malkin has definitely narrowed the gap between he and his Captain. On any given night, he and not Crosby could be considered the best player on the ice, something that seems to drive each player.
Though the Penguins have locked their two superstars up through the 2012-13 season, the time is not far off where they are going to have to choose between two of the best players in franchise history. Sure, they have a bit of experience with the subject as they were forced to trade Jaromir Jagr, but this situation is going to be a bit different.
Malkin and Crosby will be 26 and 25 respectively, just entering their primes as players and probably coming off of at least four seasons of chasing each other in the scoring and MVP races. Will Malkin’s performance over next four years make any difference in the minds of Penguins management?
What if Malkin is ahead in Art Ross Trophies, or Hart Memorials? Would it cause any doubt when deciding that he is the one that will have to move on? I really don’t think that it would.
Crosby is the type of once in a lifetime talent that excels not only on the ice, but also off of it. He has done significant charitable work in and around the Pittsburgh area, he seems like the type of individual who will stay on board with a franchise in an off ice capacity and a person who may someday consider Pittsburgh his home…sound familiar? Well it should…he is very similar to another once in a lifetime talent in that regard, Mario Lemieux.
Unfortunately, Malkin seems destined to play the Jaromir Jagr role in this act, but it is going to be an amazing ride as we all watch history repeat itself.
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