The Pittsburgh Penguins have been blessed with some of the
most talented players to ever grace a slab of ice. Mario Lemieux, Sidney
Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jaromir Jagr highlight a rich history of Penguins’
skaters representing the best of their generations.
As fortunate as Pittsburgh has been on the ice, they have
been even more blessed to have a long line of fantastic individuals
choosing to take up residence in western Pennsylvania.
In the year 2018, it has never been easier to evaluate a
player with an educated, detailed analysis of their overall value to a
franchise. Technology such as DVR and television streaming services has given
fans the ability to review video in ways that would make many coaches envious.
Then there are advanced statistics: a valuable tool
that is unfortunately dismissed by a large portion of hockey fans. Shot
attempts—better known
as Corsi—and all of the supporting metrics give a fairly clear
picture of how a player performs on the ice, and how he impacts his teammates.
All of the wonderful tools available to us go a long way
toward making a far more educated fan base. But while this information brings a
lot of value to the sport, I fear the manner in which these statistics are
being used (and sometimes shoved down our throats) is taking away one of the
most basic, yet important aspects of the game: appreciating the people and
personalities surrounding their beloved franchises.
SKILL &
STATISTICS ALONE DO NOT ENDEAR PLAYERS TO FANS
Sidney Crosby is the face of
the Penguins, and if we are being honest, the entire league. He has
accomplished things during his career that a Hollywood scriptwriter would
consider too far-fetched to be believed. Hockey historians will remember Crosby
as one of the best to ever play the game, but let’s face it, Sid can be pretty boring.
You can bet at a media scrum, you will hear an abundance of stale, canned
answers. On top of that, we really don’t know much about him away from the
game, other than that he is from Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.
The inspiration for this article was a series of Tweets that
the Penguins posted featuring Matt Cullen and his children wearing Penguins
garb, watching baseball, and playing a game of hockey in their carpeted
basement. People are truly happy to see ‘Dad’
back in a Penguins’ uniform, and in most cases, their reasons have
nothing to do with statistics.
I can’t think of any particular instances that Cullen did
anything out of the ordinary to earn adoration, but he presents himself as a
man who loves the game of hockey and is a hard-working family man in a city
that appreciates those qualities.
Last season was not a banner year for the 41-year-old
center, and from a hockey standpoint, the decision to bring him back to the
organization is questionable at best. But much of the fan base is thrilled that
he is back, and who among us has the right to tell another how to enjoy the
game? Corsi numbers be damned; if watching Cullen wear black and gold brings
happiness to people, that’s alright by me.
PLAYERS ARE HUMAN,
NOT FICTIONAL CHARACTERS
The first live NHL game that I ever attended was the
Penguins versus the Flyers on April 1, 1995; I was 13 years old and in awe of
the situation. I had been obsessed with the video game NHL ’95,
collected hockey cards, and watched each game religiously on television. These
players were larger than life to me, yet there they were in the flesh.
Ron Francis, Jagr, Luc Robitaille, and the hated Eric
Lindros on the ‘Legion of Doom’ line. The battle between my childhood heroes
and villains playing out before me was truly surreal.
As I have grown and been around the game more in many
different capacities, the evidence has piled up that these players put their
pants on one leg at a time like the rest of us.
In recent years I have attended several Penguins prospect
development camps and witnessed the youthful excitement of a new crop of
players getting their first taste of NHL hockey. I have talked to family
members seeking any morsel of information regarding their young man’s
continuing journey. Years of hard work, sacrifice, and 4:00 a.m. trips to the
ice rink have led them to this point, and they wanted to relish every moment of
it.
I have seen Marc-Andre Fleury go out of his way to make fans
happy by signing autographs and taking pictures for an hour after practice had
ended. We have all watched Crosby show
up unannounced at a youth hockey camp or a children’s hospital.
These are just people making their way through life while making the most of
the opportunity that they have earned with sweat and tears.
A prime example springs to mind that shows a lack of
sympathy towards these athletes that put everything on the line for our
entertainment:
Jack Johnson, who was recently signed by the Penguins, has
received a fair amount of abuse over the years from social media and certain
corners of the internet. His reception in
Pittsburgh has been disappointing, to say the least. Criticize his
play, critique his advanced statistics, and even question the wisdom of his
contract length and value. But some took it too far, poking fun at the defender
for his financial woes regarding his parents. Even the reaction to his play
was a bit over the
top. Time will tell if general manager Jim Rutherford was wiser than
the rest of us and will reap the rewards of a good signing, but you can be sure
that Johnson will do his best on every shift to prove him right.
PERSONALITIES
FREQUENTLY CREATE HOCKEY FANS
I have friends that are die-hard hockey fans who think that
icing is something that they put on their Cinnabon. They watch the game for
certain players and their personalities. Fleury, Max Talbot, Pascal Dupuis, and
even Colby Armstrong have been cited as reasons that they fell in love with the
game.
There are many people in this world who follow the game for
similar reasons. I asked my followers on Twitter to share some of their
experiences with players that engaged them as fans to the greatest game on
earth. Here are a couple of examples:
Quite a few people have offered their stories of favorite
player moments over the years that they fondly remember to this day.
One person was inspired to play the game because of Joe
Mullen playing roller hockey as a youth in Hell’s Kitchen. He recalled that
when Mullen made a return to the Penguins later in his career, the
American-born forward could barely skate. But just seeing his favorite player
back on his favorite team was wonderful. In fact, a 2014 Bleacher
Report article quoted below agrees that Mullen is one of the
most beloved players in Penguins’ history...
Another fan loved the antics of Tyler Wright and is now a
Blue Jackets fan rather than a Penguins fan after Columbus selected him in the
expansion draft.
Surprisingly, several people have told me that a car
commercial on television featuring Malkin, Armstrong, Talbot, and Sergei
Gonchar helped turn them from casual fans into emotionally invested die-hards.
The one that I was impressed the most with was a person who
cited Lemieux as their reason for being a Penguins fan. Not because of his
skill on the ice, or even being the savior of the franchise multiple times, but
for beating cancer and being a
champion for others with that affliction.
Hockey truly is the greatest game on the planet, and it
deserves every opportunity to be enjoyed by the masses.
My Dad, who grew up in the 50s and 60s, told me stories of
listening to Pittsburgh Pirates games on the radio and keeping the box scores
in a notebook. The numbers are what drew him to baseball; I know many that do
similar things with hockey and love the statistical side of the game.
Some fans are the ‘jacks-of-all-trades’ who love the game,
the storylines, the skill of the players, and the personalities. They want to
get the full experience of loving the game for every reason that they can.
Then there are those who follow because Fleury and Chris
Kunitz took a picture with their infant child (that would be my wife).
Enjoy the game how you want to enjoy it. Don’t let anyone
tell you that you can’t root for a player because he has bad possession
numbers. If that’s your guy, stick up for him.
The Penguins have been lucky enough to feature some of the
best players, people, and personalities in hockey history. They made the
franchise one of champions.
The city of Pittsburgh is lucky to have you, the fans. In a
city with a sports foundation laid by Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, Terry
Bradshaw, and “Mean” Joe Greene; you made it “Hockey Tahn USA”.
Until next time.
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