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PrintShelly Anderson's Penguins chat transcript
Monday, March 08, 2010
| Shelly Anderson: | You can post your questions now. We'll answer as many as we can starting at 2:30 p.m. |
| NovaScotiaSon: | Hi, I was very disappointed on how the Pittsburgh Fans treated Sidney Crosby during the opening of their game against The Sabers . I know he is from Canada and won The Gold Metal at The Olympics. But I was awful seeing The Goalie For Team USA get a better ovation that Sid The Kid. Sid plays for your team and doesn't get a bigger ovation from his home crowd . How pitiful is that. Just had to vent my disappointment. |
| Shelly Anderson: | It seemed that the boos were aimed specifically at the video clip of Sidney Crosby's overtime goal, not so much him, which would mean it was about the somewhat larger issue of Canada beating the U.S. in the Olympic gold-medal game. The ovation for Sabres/U.S. goalie Ryan Miller would seem to support the same patriotic notion. Don't worry; Crosby said he understands and even has some admiration for the support Pittsburgh fans have for the U.S. team. And seeing as how there probably won't be many springs when Crosby is free to play in the world championships, the chances for him to be a "traitor" for Canada will be few and far between. |
| SDWC: | Is Jay McKee now the new Martin Skoula, in other words will he be scratched unless an injury to the other 6 dictates that he dress? |
| Shelly Anderson: | No and possibly. Jay McKee might possibly be a healthy scratch as long as the other six defensemen are able to play and coach Dan Bylsma has no reason to dress seven defensemen. No, though, McKee is not on the level of Martin Skoula by the time Skoula was traded away last week. Skoula played well early in the season when there were injuries, but he had a bad stretch after that and fell way, way out of favor with the coaching staff. McKee is still regarded well; he's just the odd man out. If another defenseman begins to struggle, we could see Bylsma make a switch and play McKee. |
| Jason Maurer: | Shelly, when can expect to have the return services of Billy Guerin? |
| Shelly Anderson: | Bill Guerin participated with about half the team at an optional practice today. It was his first time practicing or playing in several days. Afterward, he said his physical problem -- back spasms -- weren't so much the problem anymore. It's not rounding back into shape. That means, barring a relapse or setback, he is probably a good bet to play Thursday at Carolina. |
| pensfande: | Shelly, thanks for the great work as ususal..has there been any word from the NHL on the Matt Cooke hit? Do you think he should be suspended? |
| Shelly Anderson: | As of a little earlier today, the NHL had not contacted the Penguins about a hearing for Matt Cooke. Here is how it works: The NHL undoubtedly will review the play where Cooke hit Boston's Marc Savard during the game Sunday. If it is considering a punishment, it will set up a hearing, most likely by phone, with Cooke, where he will give his thoughts. The NHL will then decide whether Cooke should be fined, suspended or face no sanctions. The league's only timetable is that it has to be done before the Penguins' next game, which is not until Thursday. We'll keep you posted. |
| DCPensFan: | So I'm sure there are about 30 questions like this already piled up... What's your take on Matt Cooke's hit yesterday? It was ugly, but is it really illegal under current NHL rules? Should it be (probably)? |
| Shelly Anderson: | It looked as if Marc Savard had his head down after just getting off a shot and never saw Cooke, who caught Savard on the right side of his head with his upper left arm. Savard was taken off on a stretcher but was not hospitalized. The Bruins said he had a concussion, but we don't know the severity. There seems to be some gray area about hits like that. The referees did not see a penalty such as charging or interference. The league's general managers are, coincidentally, holding their March meetings this week. Hits to the head and head injuries already were on the docket. Hits such as that deserve some sort of penalty/fine/suspension so that they are discouraged in the future, and retaliation is also discouraged -- and the punishment needs to be consistent. |
| James_Taiwan: | Do you think Crosby will ever reach the level of Mario Lemieux in terms of goal scoring? Lemieux had 70 goals in 77 games his four season in Pittsburgh. Of course if Crosby wins a few more cups who cares how many goals in scores. |
| Shelly Anderson: | Two different eras. Players just aren't getting the goals and points they did when Mario Lemieux nad Wayne Gretzky were in their prime. For one thing, the salary cap makes it tough to surround great players with equally great players for a number of years. That said, now that Sidney Crosby is focusing on shooting more and using the one-piece stick with more whip, he seems more than capable of contending for the scoring title on a regular basis. How he measures up against his contemporaries is a better measure. And, as you said, the number of Stanley Cups he helps the team win will be a pretty fair gauge, too. |
| King Moonracer: | What is the reaction of the players in the locker room towards Cooke following that hit? Whenever this type of hit occurs from a player on another team, they are outspoken against that player and those types of hits (see Richards). There has to be some level of disappointment in the players that one of their teammates is feeding into an element of the game that they want eliminated. |
| Shelly Anderson: | While none of the Penguins threw Matt Cooke under the bus, the Penguins expressed regret that Marc Savard got hurt. They acknowledged it's a tough situation and will continue to be until the NHL sets forth some ironclad rules and sticks to them when it comes to hits to the head. |
| BIG AL: | Any updates on the 2011 Winter Classic? Personally I think Heinz would be the better venue, but I really forsee the Steelers playing at home until the end of January, so PNC it is. Pens-Caps Book It 1/1/11 |
| Shelly Anderson: | Nothing concrete, but we're not going to see everything here at once. The Penguins already have requested the 2011 NHL All-Star Game for what will be their first season in the Consol Energy Center. It's doubtul they will get to premier events in the same season. If the outdoor Winter Classic comes to Pittsburgh, it would probably have to be at PNC Park rather than Heinz Field because the Steelers could always still be active around Jan. 1, and the NHL likes to have a couple of weeks to get the outdoor rink set up. |
| SDWC: | Who do you think is the best choice for Malkin's line? I feel that when Guerin returns it should be Sid-Guerin-Kunitz and Geno-Poni-DuPuis. That leaves Ruslan the odd man out. Of course if Cooke gets a suspension Ruslan could fill in nicely on the 3rd line on a temporary basis. |
| Shelly Anderson: | We won't know coach Dan Bylsma's thoughts on that until at least Wednesday. Only about half the team participated in an optional practice today, and the team is off tomorrow. We'll see what the lines look like at practice Wednesday. Another factor will be the availability of Matt Cooke for the next X number of games if he draws a suspension from the NHL. Agreed, Crosby seems to do well with Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz on his wings, although Pascal Dupuis has hardly looked out of place there recently. And don't forget that Evgeni Malkin and Max Talbot have a history of some good chemistry. There's no shortage of possible combinations -- and we could see several of them as the team sorts things out before the playoffs. For the short term, though, it's reasonable to think they will give a second line of Malkin centering Alexei Ponikarovsky and Ruslan Fedotenko a chance to jell. |
| BIG AL: | Can Pittsburgh now be called hockey town and put those words across center ice? How many sell outs now like 152. That is crazy. Pens Nation is as die hard as they come! |
| Shelly Anderson: | It's doubtful the Penguins would want to beg, borrow or steal a term already associated with another NHL city, Detroit. There are other clubs with longer sellout streaks, but given the fact the Penguins weren't selling out all the time during their Cup years in the 1990s, the packed houses night after night are a tribute to this generation of fans. |
| Guest: | It's been nice to see Fleury return back to his typical March form. Has there been any discussion about which games Fleury will start this week? Which games do you think he should start? |
| Shelly Anderson: | Coach Dan Bylsma was noncommittal today about how he will deploy Marc-Andre Fleury and backup Brent Johnson in the coming games. He could start Fleury against Carolina Thursday and, depending on how it goes, perhaps come back with him the next night at New Jersey. |
| Shelly Anderson: | Thanks, everyone. Until next week ... |
Penguins Plus, a blog by Dave Molinari and Shelly Anderson, is featured exclusively on PG+, a members-only web site from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.
First published on March 8, 2010 at 3:22 pm
