Saying Goodbye to the Sarge

Every once in awhile in sports, a free agent defection or trade really gets to me. Even when I know it’s inevitable.

I was pretty sure Sergei Gonchar’s days in the Burgh were numbered when the Pens announced a contract extension for Kris Letang last spring. My belief strengthened each time Ray Shero commented about impasse between the two sides and I was all but certain after the Pens ill fated, but harmless acquisition of Dan Hamhuis last week. And yet with all that in mind, I still felt a tug in my heart this afternoon when I read that Sergei was officially a Senator.

I can’t really explain this but over the last five years, Gonchar has become one of my favorite Penguins of all time. There is a quiet, simple professionalism about how he does his job that I really admire. Excepting one truly out of character moment in Minnesota last year, I truly can not remember an on or off ice outburst from him, even after absorbing a grossly negligent cheap shot from the Great 8 that nearly knocked him out of the 2009 playoffs.

What I do remember is a remarkable two way defensemen who never got enough credit for what he did at either end of the ice. I remember a guy who was known for his offense but was every bit as critical for his defense. I remember how Pittsburgh, in a fit of hockey naiveté and impatience almost ran out of town during the waning dark days of Patrick and Edzo in 2005. There in lies another bit of gratitude we owe the world’s angriest French Canadian who saved Gonchar’ career in the Burgh by installing of all things…a system.

I said this before and I’ll say it again. No Gonchar, no cup. It’s that simple.

To be clear, I fully endorsed signing Letang, who at a very young age has become a terrific two way defenseman. Moreover, I don’t think the Pens directly prioritized Letang over Gonchar. I think Sergei dictated the situation. At 36 years of age, he was not going to tank a year of guaranteed money or give a home town discount; no matter how much he enjoys playing with Sid and Geno.

I devoted two separate blogs last year to the Gonchar dilemma. I suggested that it might be the most difficult decision Ray Shero has faced as general manager of the Pens. I’ll take it a step further and say the next few days could go a long way towards determining whether the Penguins continue to compete for Stanley Cups during this four year window.

And I stand by this comment that I’ve written in multiple blog entries. Over the last four years, Sergei Gonchar was the most underrated player in the national hockey league.

The Pens were quite literally a different team without Gonchar in the line-up. Their overall record, goals for, goals against, and power play percentage were remarkably better with Gonchar in the line-up. We’re not talking about small margins here either, the numbers were astounding. The Pens were basically a 500 team without Gonchar and a Stanley Cup champion and two time finalist with him.

None of which erases the fact that Gonchar is 36 years old and showing initial signs of decline in his game. He’s had significant injury issues the last two years and his performance against Montreal in the playoffs was, to say the least, underwhelming (which leaves him in good company with about 18 other players). Gonchar could have a fabulous season this year in Ottawa but if he starts to decline the following year it’s a problem. The Senators either have enough cap space or are desperate enough to take that risk. The Penguins do not and are not.

Offensive defensemen tend to fade when they get above 35. Niklas Lidstrom is a freak of nature but most others simply can not maintain their game that long. Look no further than Scott Neidermyer who retired this year at 36 (robbing the NHL of perhaps its single greatest playoff beard). I can argue with conviction that Gonchar is critical to the Pens success and they will struggle to replace him. Alas the Gonchar they need may not exist anymore. Time waits for nobody in professional sports.

So I will concede that from a logical, intelligent, numbers driven position, the Penguins probably made the right move. Emphasis on probably. Still, I can’t help but think that a little bit of their heart and sole, not too mention a good bit of their transition game just skated north of the boarder.

Give Ray Shero credit for not getting left at the alter. He made an aggressive move first with Hamhuis and then to sign Zbynek Michalek. Even as I'm set to publish this, rumors are floating around about the Pens signing Paul Martin. Martin is a solid player and I’ll be writing a full blog on Michalek just as soon as Filoni tells me who he is. That being said, neither is likely to replace Gonchar’s offense.

That task will fall to Letang and/or Alex Whitneygoski. I continue to marvel at Letang’s offensive potential but I also question whether he will ever fully realize it. It’s not a crime if he continues to improve defensively but never becomes a Gonchar style power play QB, but the potential is clearly there. For better or for worse, the same is true for Gogo but as you may have guessed, he is already giving me intensely painful Ryan Whitney flashbacks. We need to see some significant improvement to buy off on him in Gonchar’s role.

That being said, it’s time for both players to sit at the grown-ups table. Gonchar’s presence in the line-up allowed each to dip their feet in the pool without diving in. Letang could get away with being a second point man and Goligoski could get away with turning the puck over 20 feet in front of MAF. Those days are now over. If the Pens want to get reacquainted with Lord Stanley’s Cup in the near future, one or both has to take a major step forward in their development. It should surprise nobody that my money is on Letang, or neither, over Gogo.

Taking the realities of the salary cap world out of the equation, the one and only good thing about losing Gonchar is that it's forcing the Pens to reshape their roster a bit. You do not overhaul a team that’s 12 months removed from back to back Stanley Cup finals but you also can’t stand pat forever. The defense clearly needed a rebuild after last year's mediocre performance and Shero seems fully intent on providing it. Good for him. As we learned in 1992, even championship teams have to keep evolving.

Alas, that's a discussion for another day.

For now, let's just take time to give the Sarge his due for five brilliant season's in a Penguin uniform. The Gonchar signing truly is the best move Craig Patrick made during his ten year, Penguin sponsored, on the job retirement (unless you count not tripping Sidney Crosby on the podium at the 2005 draft). For my money, his name belongs in the pantheon of Penguin greats, albeit one step below the legends (Lemieux, Jagr, Crosby, Malkin, Barrasso, etc).

Gonchar was this generation’s Larry Murphy. A guy who did so many things right on an off the ice and rarely got the credit he deserved. He was every bit as critical to this team’s success as Crosby, Malkin, Fleury, and Staal, maybe more so in some cases. I truly hope Penguin fans understand and respect that and give Gonchar a standing ovation when he makes his first trip to new energy barn. I beg of my fellow Penguin supporters, no Hossa treatment for the Sarge.

So for now, let’s take time out to say thanks to the Sarge. Thanks for being the one Penguin defenseman who could break a forecheck in the 2007 playoffs. Thanks for being Geno’s translator and NHL mentor. Thanks for logging 25 minutes a night, often against the other team’s top forwards, and yet always taking second fiddle to 87 and 71. Thanks for playing through injury in both the 2008 and 2009 playoffs including Ovie’s cheap shot. Thanks for staying calm and delivering key power play goals when we needed them.

To paraphrase the immortal Don Corleone, we wish you the best of luck in Ottawa Gonch, so long as your interests do not conflict with ours. The Penguins must now start the difficult task of replacing you in the line-up. The rest of us can focus on learning how to pronounce Zbynek.