icedog97

"Penguins Hockeybuzz Blog"

Pittsburgh, PA • United States • 48 Years Old • Male

To Be or Not To Be...

I'm laughing at myself as I type that title. How can I put a Shakespeare quote at the top of my hockey blog!!! It's not as if I quote him on a daily basis...or EVER...or that his world and the hockey world have much in common (hell, I had to look up the spelling of his name make sure it was correct!).

But it really is the only question that the Penguins need to answer right now. And clearly not with the deeper meanig that old Willie intended (to live or not to live). At least not in the literal sense...but rather how it applies to "life" in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Every player on the Pens roster needs to look in the mirror today and ask themselves that question. To a man, they were outplayed last night (the lone exception might be Fleury...Emery was never really tested, so we don't know who would have been the better goalie). If they want to be anything besides SWEPT in this series, they need to make a decision TODAY.

I believe this team has more character and resolve than what it showed last night.

The problem is, they are SO young. Sometimes age has a way of making it tougher to show that resolve. Sometimes that lack of experience leads way to frustration before resolve. Any person with character eventually finds resolve, but frustration is something that is hard to avoid along the way.

The Pens must take the frustration they felt last night and turn it into the energy they need to move forward. They must realize that Game 2 will start a lot like Game 1, with Ottawa taking it to them. That's when they can't get frustrated, because that's what the Sens are hoping and probably expect. That's when they need to show a little resolve. To battle harder. To believe more in eachother. To BE the team they know they can be.

Be patient Pens fans. Don't measure success in Game 2 by the final score...measure it by the improvement from Game 1. This is the ONLY way a young team learns what it takes to win in the playoffs. I am looking forward to Game 2! Let's see what these guys are made of!

GO PENS!!!

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