At The Mike
Penguins Must Accept New Philosophy
By Mike Prisuta

The headline issues confronting the Penguins at present are finances and personnel. Without a new arena to generate more revenue, the Pens continually find themselves forced to either let their prime assets walk away via free agency, or forced to sell their top talents once their services are longer cost efficient; Alexei Kovalev being auctioned off to the New York Rangers being the latest example.

A less publicized but every bit as critical question also plaguing the Penguins at present is one of philosophy.

Their long-standing approach—a steadfast belief in skating and creating—has effectively been legislated out of the game by an NHL that refuses to remove its head from the sand. Too much expansion, too much obstruction, too much clutching and grabbing and not nearly enough teams willing to rely on skill over systems, have conspired to put what used to be known as "Penguins Hockey" on the endangered list, if it isn't extinct already.

Which is why the Pens need an attitude adjustment as much as they need a new arena.

In assessing the four relatively obscure warm bodies he was able to obtain from the Rangers for Kovalev—along with four million George Washington portraits—GM Craig Patrick maintained the return would be greater than it appeared on the surface because of the track record of players flourishing as a result of the environment the Penguins had long ago created. Previous coming-out-parties had been enjoyed by the likes of Martin Straka and Robert Lang, among others, Patrick maintained. Why couldn't a Rico Fata, a Mikael Samuelsson, a Joel Bouchard or a Richard Lintner follow suit?

There was a time when such foresight and projections made sense, but, alas, that time has passed.

The Penguins can no longer look for diamond-in-the-rough projects and anticipate that they'll eventually prosper in an environment that promotes the fullest development of their instincts and abilities.

The Penguins need to comprise themselves mostly of what-you-see-is-what-you-get foot soldiers, start mucking and grinding, and above all, adhering to a system just like everybody else.

Patrick needs to sell himself on this previously unthinkable concept.

So does Mario Lemieux.

The harsh reality that he might have to supervise a youth movement from center ice weighed heavily on Lemieux in the wake of Kovalev's departure. The thought that he may have to roll up his sleeves, play dump and chase, and perhaps even trap can't appeal to Mario this late in his career.

Lemieux didn't come back to be average.

He also didn't come back to take part in another massive rebuilding project.

His initial response was to publicly hint at retirement.

The Big Guy needs to shake all of that off and sell himself on this stuff, as well.

He and Patrick must buy into it before they can begin selling it to the general public. Any franchise that must be run as a business must believe in its product to succeed.

The early returns were encouraging, relatively speaking. The Kovalev "trade" brought a much-needed injection of enthusiasm, Tomas Surovy came up and restored a little faith in the Pens' beleaguered developmental system, and the fans expressed far more patience than outrage.

The Penguins were even reminded, or perhaps discovered for the first time, that a defensive-oriented forecheck can also generate offense when properly executed.

And Lemieux even found a way to enjoy the game again on occasion.

The Pens' fourth game without Kovalev, a thrilling, aggressively played, 4-3 overtime victory over Edmonton, provided a glimpse of what the Pens' immediate future can include when all the planets align just right.

The Big Guy got the game winner after what can only be described as yet another Mario Moment—the type of majesty that can only be described as worth the price of admission regardless of the actual ticket cost.

Such moments recurring from time to time might be the best anyone can hope for, at least until some competitive balance can be restored among NHL teams, and maybe a new arena can be built.

And while that might not quite constitute a silver lining, it's at least something to cling to amid all the tumult.

This might not be as tough a sell as initially anticipated, for all concerned.

Mike Prisuta is a columnist for the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and the sports director of WDVE-FM1.