Pens Frequent No-Shows, Injury Bugs Puzzling...
Posted 9:47 AM ET | Comments 1
As the season draws into its home stretch, I am once again struggling to come to grips with how the Penguins continue to lead the league in injuries on a yearly basis. While all teams go through a stretch of injuries, the Penguins run borders on the insane, given that they have had not just one but several important players out since the Winter Classic in 2011 when Crosby had his first concussion.
Is there something in regards to the training or sports medicine or orthopedics that the Penguins need to change? Leading the league in man games lost to injury each year is getting old. How is it that teams like Boston or some of the Western Conference teams who play insanely physical hockey can survive without the level of repeated grievous injuries that plague the Pens?
In regards to the no-shows.... Again, I get it. No team can be constantly "UP" for every game every year. But what troubles me is that the Penguins have developed a penchant for no-showing the teams' most important games over the last few years. Starting with Game 5 of the '09 Cup final vs Detroit in which they were absolutely manhandled, and continuing for several years now, the Pens just pick the worst possible times to lay an egg. An abbreviated list: Game 7 '10 vs Montreal, 4 of the 6 games vs Philadelphia in the '12 playoffs, the ENTIRE series against Boston last spring....Now this year since returning from Sochi break, they have failed to show-up against Chicago (Outdoors), San Jose, and now 2 games against the hated, evil Philly Flyers. It's one thing to lose--everyone loses from time to time.... It is another thing entirely to get demolished because of a pathetic effort in what should be your biggest and most important games in the regular season, time in time out. That is the state of the Penguins. There is no shame in losing to Chicago or San Jose... But when you surrender almost 50 shots and get outshot 14-3 in individual periods, something is terribly wrong. Until the Penguins fix this vexing problem, I cant seem them ever advancing past the East Finals. Where is your leadership, Sid? Seems Toews is much more of a leader.....
Is there something in regards to the training or sports medicine or orthopedics that the Penguins need to change? Leading the league in man games lost to injury each year is getting old. How is it that teams like Boston or some of the Western Conference teams who play insanely physical hockey can survive without the level of repeated grievous injuries that plague the Pens?
In regards to the no-shows.... Again, I get it. No team can be constantly "UP" for every game every year. But what troubles me is that the Penguins have developed a penchant for no-showing the teams' most important games over the last few years. Starting with Game 5 of the '09 Cup final vs Detroit in which they were absolutely manhandled, and continuing for several years now, the Pens just pick the worst possible times to lay an egg. An abbreviated list: Game 7 '10 vs Montreal, 4 of the 6 games vs Philadelphia in the '12 playoffs, the ENTIRE series against Boston last spring....Now this year since returning from Sochi break, they have failed to show-up against Chicago (Outdoors), San Jose, and now 2 games against the hated, evil Philly Flyers. It's one thing to lose--everyone loses from time to time.... It is another thing entirely to get demolished because of a pathetic effort in what should be your biggest and most important games in the regular season, time in time out. That is the state of the Penguins. There is no shame in losing to Chicago or San Jose... But when you surrender almost 50 shots and get outshot 14-3 in individual periods, something is terribly wrong. Until the Penguins fix this vexing problem, I cant seem them ever advancing past the East Finals. Where is your leadership, Sid? Seems Toews is much more of a leader.....
time to tank...another once in a generation player like Lemieux and Crosby will be available in 2015...would not want to pass that up, would you?