Coming to Grips with Conflicting Penguin Emotions

Watching the Penguins brilliant 3 to 2 victory in Boston on Saturday night I was overcome by the emotion of two conflicting thoughts. One is that this was yet another inspirational effort from a team overcoming an unprecedented run of critical injuries. The other was that not withstanding this, the Pens as currently constituted have little chance to win the Stanley Cup.

I started to come to grips with this when the Penguins played a tremendous game against the Craps a few weeks back and lost 1-0. The contest was in every way a playoff caliber. And it came down to Washington’s elite superstar scoring the only goal; while our stars continued their rehab. At that moment, I had shocking clarity in to what the post season could be like for the Pens.

The Pens are going to make the playoffs. The team accumulated enough points in November and December to assure that. They are going to battle when they get there. The team’s character, backbone, and strong coaching staff assures that. And they are likely going to finish without hoisting Lord Stanley’s Cup. The injuries to Crosby and Malkin dictate that.

I know we would all like to believe the Pens can pull this off without Crosby. On some level, I would like to think that Dustin Jeffrey will morph in to Jonathan Toews, James Neal in to Kevin Stevens and Alexie Kovalev in to…Alexie Kovalev. I know we would like to believe that a well coached team with grit, character, an all world goaltender and the best front four defense group in its history can overcome the loss of its two marquee superstars.

There is nothing wrong with believing that right to the last moment. That’s what true fans do. I assure you that’s what I will do. I will not give up on the Penguins under any circumstances. When the playoffs start, I will convince myself that the Penguins can win every series; even if the NHL somehow resurrects the 1984 Edmonton Oilers as their opponent.

Just understand that unless Sidney Crosby miraculously returns to health, there will likely be no Stanley Cup parade in the Burgh this year. And for the record, at this point I’m not sure it’s the best thing for Sid to come back this season, even if he can.

You may ask why I feel the need to say this before it even happens. Why throw cold water on an already difficult situation? Why not sit back and just see what happens? I am after all the person who said after the 2005 and 2008 football seasons that I would never give up on a Pittsburgh team again.

Because the cruel reality of the Pens situation is crystallizing for me. A team that was perfectly situated to win a Stanley Cup has been stripped to its core by critical injuries. I’m trying to reconcile the “successes” of a short handed team that plays its heart out every night with the harsh truth of what it takes to win a championship. And its creating a vicious internal conflict for me. Not too mention a fair degree of sadness.

The fact is, it’s not always a failure when a team does not win a championship. Sometimes getting to the playoffs and winning a series or two can be considered a huge success. Do you think that Montreal fans considered last season a failure because they lost in the conference finals?

If you look at the Penguins sans Sid and Geno, is there any doubt that duplicating Montreal’s conference final run would be a credible success? And such a run is possible, even without our two marquee stars.

That said, when a team is legitimately of championship caliber and falls short for whatever reason, it is profoundly disappointing. Championship opportunities are rare and precious. You simply do not know when or if they will come around. And there is a simple reason for that. There is a cavernous difference between a GREAT team and a CHAMPIONSHIP team.

Sports history is replete with great teams that were not championship caliber. The Penguins as currently constructed may be a great team; but it’s Sid and Geno that make them elite. For an apt comparison, think of the Steelers from 1992 through 2003. They had no fewer than six “great” teams in the era but no championship teams; thanks to the Kordell O’Donnell quarterback fiasco.

It takes an unbelievable mix of scouting, drafting, player development, coaching, talent, grit, heart, and luck just to create a championship window. If you doubt me on that luck part, remind yourself that Sidney Crosby wears a Penguin uniform solely based on the fortuitous bounce of a ping pong ball in 2005. Would the Pens have won the cup in 2009 with Bobby Ryan instead of Sid?

That is why you can never overstate the significance of a championship opportunity lost. You just do not know when or if the next one will come. Injuries, age, salary caps, and other factors often conspire to crash a championship window, faster than anyone would ever expect.

To this day I lament the Pens loss to Florida in the 1996 conference finals (even though I continue to deny it occurred). That said, it bothers me less on some level than the 1993 loss to the Islanders for this simple reason. The 1996 team Pens were a great team; but they were not a championship team. They simply did not have the depth on defense or at forward to beat Colorado in the finals. By contrast, the 1993 Pens were far and away the best team in hockey and should have steamrolled to a third consecutive cup.

The disappointment of the 1996 Pens was only to the extent that they lost one round earlier than they should have (and also that they were clutched and grabbed in to submission by a beer league expansion team). The tragedy of the 1993 Pens (strictly from a sports perspective) was a legitimate championship opportunity lost. Or worse, given away.

We have a ton of experience in Pittsburgh with great teams that in retrospect were not championship caliber. And we had some brilliant and wonderful rides with those clubs that I would not trade for anything. Last night I watched a clip of the Pens game 6 win over New Jersey in 1999; the game where Jagr scored late in the third and in overtime. It’s one of the greatest wins in Penguins’ history; leading to maybe the greatest upset in Penguins’ history. Great moments do not by definition have to occur on the way to championships.

There will be no shame if the Pens lose in early in the playoffs this year. Not with their roster in tatters. As long as they battle with every ounce of heart and guts they have available, I will be proud of the result. Everything I’ve seen from the Pens this year, especially since the injury run started tells me they will do just that. This team has inspired me on the same level as the 2009 Pens in games 6 and 7 against Detroit.

The sad reality though is that without Sid and Geno they struggle to score goals. And its hard to win 16 playoff games when you can’t consistently light the lamp. We love the great stories of grit and overachievement that occur in the playoffs. We love the Talbots, Cookes and Craig Adams of the world raising their game and playing with the heart of a champion. They are a big part of what playoff hockey is about.

You absolutely have to have those guys to win, but it’s the truly elite superstars that elevate a team to the next level. Championships are possible when the best of the best; Sid and Geno, Kane and Toews, Datsyuk and Zetterberg, raise their game to a level that goes beyond just hard work and grit.

Herein lies the heart of my conflict. I have never been more proud of the Pens than I am right now. I have no doubt they will continue to do us proud in the post season. And yet I can not get past the reality that a legitimate championship opportunity may have been stolen by cruel twists of fate. It’s frighteningly reminiscent of that brilliant ‘93 team that I’ve still never quite gotten over. It matters not that the current concerns are driven by factors beyond their control while the ’93 Pens simply failed to play their best hockey. Disappointment does not distinguish rationale, it deals only in results. Opportunity lost is opportunity lost.

I hope beyond hope to be wrong. I will be there to the very end rooting for a true Stanley Cup miracle. That’s what fans do. I will be proud of this never give up Penguin team until the final whistle. I just can’t help fearing that whistle will blow too soon.