February 2, 2012 - Last Word On Sports

Special Guest Interview: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Seth Rorabaugh on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Ben Kerr

I recently had the opportuntity to interview Seth Rorabaugh from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Seth is a writer at the Gazette who follows the Penguins closely. I want to thank Seth for being extremely gracious and accomodating with his time, and if you like the interview we highly recommend you check out his blog at http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/empty-netters and you follow him on twitter at @emptynetters.

Here is the interview.

B.Kerr: There has been a lot of confusion about the exact nature of Sidney Crosby’s latest injury, maybe you can clarify some things for us. Is this purely a soft tissue issue in his neck? Or did he suffer both a neck injury and a concussion?

Seth Rorabaugh: Based on what the team reported Tuesday, he has suffered at least one of each. Regarding the neck, there is no way of knowing when it happened. It could have happened when he was a 10-year-old kid, or Jan. 1, 2011 or Jan. 1, 2012. No one seems to know for sure.

Regardless of the reason, he is still suffering from some sort of concussion-like symptoms. That said, he seems to be doing better as he’s engaging in on ice work with other injured players.

BK: Sidney Crosby’s contract is up after next season. How do you think what has gone on over the last year will effect his negotiations on a new deal.

S.R: The biggest issue is the pending new CBA. It’s going to impact every potential free agent. You could have a completely different financial landscape potentially. Additionally, with regards the Penguins, they have to worry about pending free agencies of other players such as James Neal this summer, Jordan Staal in 2013 as well as Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang in 2014. Even if you disregard all those factors, the Penguins and Crosby are committed to keeping their marriage for the long term. Maybe there will be some specific provisions within any new contract with regards to his health, but this doesn’t lessen the Penguins’ desire to keep Crosby in a Penguins jersey for the long term.

BK: There has been some talk in the Canadian media (http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20120202/nhl-concussions-insurance-120202/20120202/?hub=OttawaHome) about the NHL’s insurance underwriters wanting exclusions for concussions and other head injuries. Is this an issue with the Penguins, and with Crosby specifically? How would the inability to insure a contract for Crosby effect the negotiation of a new deal?

SR: No. Again, the team and the player are dedicated to keeping this marriage for the long term. Like I said earlier, perhaps there might be some specific wording regarding this type of injury, but both parties are legitimately interested in remaining partners.

BK: I think most analysts agree that Evgeni Malkin is currently the best hockey player in the world. If Crosby were to be forced to retire, or left Pittsburgh for any reason, would there be a drop off in sponsorship, ticket sales, and revenues surrounding the team? Or can he fill the role Sidney Crosby plays in the Pens marketting plans?

SR: As splendid of a talent Malkin is, he’s just not Sidney Crosby from a marketing standpoint. Crosby has been hype in one way or another for nearly 10 years. Until recently, Malkin has been a fairly introverted person. Crosby has been on The Tonight Show. He’s the one in Gatorade and Tim Hortons commercials. I don’t think the team would be in trouble by any means in terms of ticket sales, but you would probably see a few less Penguins games on national television in the United States.

BK: We are less than a month from the NHL trading deadline, what is the Penguins biggest need heading into the deadline?

SR: Until last night’s effort by Brent Johnson, I would say back up goaltender. Johnson has not had a very good season and Marc-Andre Fleury has had to pick up a lot of work. The Penguins want to limit him to approximately 60 games in the regular season and currently (as of Feb. 2), he’s on pace for 69 games. If they don’t have faith in Johnson, they need to get another back up to share the load, particularly on back-to-back nights.

Away from net, they probably could stand to add a veteran defensive defenseman. Last year’s shutdown pairing of Zbynek Michalek and Paul Martin has not been sharp this season. Additionally, all of their top seven defenseman in the organization have all been out of the lineup for various reasons this season. Adding a No. 3-4-5 defenseman with a physical edge would help out.

Again I’d like to thank Seth Rorabaugh for helping us out with this today, and I highly recommend that you all check him out on his blog and on twitter.

…. And thats the Last Word

A Comprehensive Look at the NHL: Purgatory (Part 4/5)

Posted on February 2, 2012 by Grant Alexander

Welcome to purgatory, and the fourth part in “A Comprehensive Look at the NHL”!

Purgatory

This is where teams end up when they just miss the playoffs, but finished with too many points to get a decent pick. The Toronto Maple Leafs come to mind when thinking of this category. Here are the teams currently “stuck in purgatory”:

Winnipeg

Just playing hockey this year is considered a win in Winnipeg. But they actually have been winning, and especially at home. Not enough to find themselves in a playoff spot, but maybe a little more than people expected. The only problem now is that if they don’t step their game up and grab one of the spots, they will be losing out on a top draft pick that they so desperately need. Personally I don’t see them sneaking in this year, especially with Kane out of the lineup. Vegas odds of winning the Stanley Cup are 67 to 1.

Tampa Bay Tampa is hard to figure out. They go from losing a tight 7-game Conference final to the current Stanley Cup champs, to being 10 points out of a playoff spot this year. They have the best scorer in the league, with a pretty good supporting cast on offense. Their D is solid, despite a few injuries. And on their back-end, oh, well maybe they aren’t so hard to figure out. Tampa has given up the most goals in the NHL, and that’s even with the 1-3-1 formation. So lets take a look at the keepers. I think last year was Rolly’s swan song, as I don’t think there is anything left in the tank. Time to send the 42-year-old out to pasture. Career backup, and 34-year-old Garon isn’t the answer either. Tampa needs a complete overhaul in the goaltending department before they can contend again. My advice would be to take a draft pick, and fix it in the offseason. But the way they are playing lately they could sneak up into a spot, especially if they could nab one of the few disgruntled tenders around the league before trade deadline. Vegas odds of winning the Stanley Cup are 56 to 1.

Montreal

Montreal is another proud team that doesn’t want to hear the words “rebuild”. And why would they after making the playoffs 4 years in a row, and also taking the Bruins to a 7th game last season. But in all honesty the talent isn’t there. Cinderella runs, and riding good goaltending into a playoff spot, won’t yield a cup anytime soon. They do however have a few bright spots on the team in which to lay a foundation, Carey Price being one of them. And now is the perfect time to start accumulating prospects and bring this storied franchise back to greatness. Vegas odds of winning the Stanley Cup are 67 to 1.

Dallas

Jamie Benn has stepped up nicely this year, but it still doesn’t fill the void of Brad Richards. And that’s really the difference between the Stars being a bubble team, and a playoff team. They are only a few points back of a spot, and have the talent to close the gap, but I don’t think they will make any noise without bolstering their lineup down the stretch. If they don’t, their almost better off getting a decent pick because they do have a good nucleus to build on. Vegas odds of winning the Stanley Cup are 51 to 1.

Calgary

Calgary is no stranger to purgatory. They have finished in 10th place in the west two years in a row, and are right on pace to make it a third. That would make 3 years of no playoffs, and no top draft picks. Something has to give. I keep hearing Iginla’s name in the trade rumour mill, and quite frankly it’s not a bad idea. I know he’s their franchise player, and a great guy on and off the ice, but they need to admit that they failed with him, and start again. First, move Iginla. Second, buyout or move some of those other big contracts. Third, get more involved in the draft. Well, either that or keep over-paying on trade deadline day and finish 10th again. Vegas odds of winning the Stanley Cup are 51 to 1.

Phoenix

After years of struggling, the Coyotes finally found some success the last few seasons by qualifying for the playoffs. This year, it looks like their back to their usual losing ways. I don’t want to say that it’s all goaltending (losing Bryzgalov), but it is definitely a major factor. The other big thing in Phoenix seems to be poor scouting, and lack of player development. All those years near the basement should have had them looking like the Blackhawks, or the new Oilers, but instead there headed back down there with nothing to show for it. Of the last five draft years they have given up on and traded two of their top three picks. That’s just unacceptable in a market that can barely sustain a team when they are winning. Vegas odds of winning the Stanley Cup are 56 to 1.

Okay, ladies and gentlemen, there is the list of those teams who are just not good enough to make the playoffs, and are also not horrible enough to get a top pick in the draft – in other words, hockey purgatory. Check back tomorrow for the final installment, as we look at the teams who are utterly hopeless.

…and that is the last word.

Follow me on Twitter – @LastWordGrant

Burke Sours On Grapes: The Brian Burke – Don Cherry Feud Heating Up!

Posted on February 2, 2012November 4, 2021 by Carl Mostacci

Toronto Maple Leafs General Manager filed a formal complaint to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation regarding their employee, Don Cherry. Cherry, who co-hosts the very popular 1st intermission segment Coach’s Corner on Hockey Night In Canada, upset Burke with his comments criticizing the Leafs. Burke claimed the comments were vicious and needed to stop.

What’s wrong Burke? Are you like Tom Cruise in A Few Good Men and “Can’t Handle the Truth?” Now I’m a diehard Leafs fan, but I’m also a realistically loyal Leafs fan. The Leafs have not made the playoffs since 2004 (And I know one year has to be subtracted due to the 2005 NHL lockout that forced the cancellation of the season). The team has slightly improved since Burke’s arrival to Toronto a little over three years ago. But even though the Leafs have completely overhauled their roster during that time, they currently sit eighth in the Eastern Conference at 25-19-6 with 56 points and are still fighting for their playoff lives (They would have a .500 record if it weren’t for the stupid overtime/shootout loss column – but that is a debate for another day). Plus they keep blowing games, like Tuesday night’s 3-goal lead against the Pittsburgh Penguins with 12 minutes remaining in the third. The Penguins won in a shootout 5-4. And Burke thinks I’m supposed to be happy with this so-called “improvement”? I will tell you, I’m not. Excellent teams like the Detroit Red Wings don’t worry about making the playoffs. They just do it! Mediocre teams like the Leafs are continually fighting for their playoff lives and hope they can survive to make it in.

Burke obviously has a short-term memory and doesn’t know his Leafs history like I do. But back in 1993, 94 and 1999-2003 when the Leafs not only made the playoffs, but were Stanley Cup contenders, Don Cherry, whose nickname is Grapes (maybe “Gripes” is more fitting?), publicly supported the team on national television. Just ask Ottawa Senators fans who criticized Cherry during the 2004 playoffs for showing favouritism to the Leafs on Hockey Night In Canada Broadcasts, which are supposed to be impartial. The Leafs are the loyal Cherry’s second favourite NHL team, behind the team that drafted him, allowed him to play one game, and gave him the opportunity to coach in the NHL, the Boston Bruins. This is a guy that praised the excellent playoff performances and efforts of former Leafs, Doug Gilmour, Wendel Clark, Gary Roberts and even Swedish-born Mats Sundin. Cherry has been known to favour Canadian NHL players, but occasionally makes exceptions for excellent players born outside of Canada.

Want to get Cherry to praise the Leafs Burke? Here is what you have to do; Shut your trap and win (the trap on your face, not the ice). Have the Leafs do their talking on the ice, and quit doing all the talking for the players. Then you will get Cherry, along with myself and many other Leaf fans, praising your team instead of rightfully criticizing them.

What do you think?

…and that is the last word.

Sports. Honestly. Since 2011

Day: February 2, 2012

Special Guest Interview: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Seth Rorabaugh on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins

A Comprehensive Look at the NHL: Purgatory (Part 4/5)

Burke Sours On Grapes: The Brian Burke – Don Cherry Feud Heating Up!