- The Pens are all in trying to secure a third straight Stanley Cup. Jim Rutherford said even before the season began that he would get a third line center and he did in Ottawa’s Derick Brassard. It’s a gutsy move by Rutherford, and it didn’t come cheap. The Pens sent proven defenseman Ian Cole, goaltending prospect Filip Gustavsson and their first round pick to get Brassard. That’s a lot. If the Pens win another Cup, something that hasn’t been done for decades, it’s probably worth it. The only thing that concerns me with this deal and other previous ones by Rutherford is that he, like his predecessor Ray Shero, continues to trade away number one draft picks. The Pens have made a habit of doing that over the last several years. At some point it’s going to come back to hurt them, or so one would think. Then again, the Penguins probably feel that they only have a few more years in their window to win more cups with stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. They’re going for it. The Pirates should take notice.
- Speaking of giving up number one picks, the Pens did that to acquire Ryan Reaves from St. Louis last off-season. He’s now off to Vegas as part of the three team Brassard trade. Rutherford has made some great deals in time, but getting Reaves wasn’t one of them. He threw away a number one pick and then got rid of Reaves in less than one season. I never understood the deal in the first place. Now, I wonder what the heck he was thinking.
- The Pens saw their six game winning streak end in Florida over the weekend. While they lost, the Pens did show me something in rallying from three goals down to tie it up late. Evgeni Malkin continues to play like a man possessed. He’s been simply dominant this season. The Pens are going to be a tough out in the NHL playoffs.
- The IUP men and women open their post-season this coming week. This could be another special year for both teams. Both won the PSAC West and more than twenty games. Joe Lombardi and Tom McConnell have done their usual fabulous jobs in molding their teams and getting them ready for March Madness. It should be a fun couple of weeks ahead for both squads.
- I love the Olympics and admit I watched coverage of the games every single day. Still, it was hard to get really excited about the Olympics this year. I’m guessing I’m not alone in feeling that way. The time difference in Korea made it hard to catch many of the marque events. Plus, there was the disappointing performance by Team USA. Our kids didn’t have the Olympics many predicted in the medal race, plus many favorites didn’t come through in their signature events. The Olympics are great, but in 2018 our Olympic team was only average at best.
- Pitt’s athletic department has a tough decision to make. Do they can Kevin Stallings as basketball coach after only two years? Some media types are saying that the powers that be are already discussing a buyout. That wouldn’t surprise me given the winless season in the ACC and the dismal attendance at The Pete. And after Saturday’s debacle, which saw the Panthers score only one field goal in the entire first half, it’s hard to imagine Stallings surviving. I’ve always believed that a coach needs at least three to four years to establish his program. In this case, I would agree with Pitt if they did fire Stallings.
- I applaud the Pirates for going out and acquiring Corey Dickerson in a trade last week. Dickerson isn’t going to make a Buccos a contender, but he should help the rebuilding Pirates get better. The Pirates get a lot of criticism, most of it deserved. They deserve credit for making this deal.
- Pirates’ owner Bob Nutting spoke to his team as well as the media in Florida the other day. I was a little surprised that he said he actually agreed with some of the negative comments made recently by Pirates’ players. Good for him. I don’t buy the rest of what he is selling. The Pirates are not trying to bring a world championship to The Burgh. Not under this ownership.
- The Steelers will have only five picks in the upcoming NFL draft. They did not receive any compensatory picks by the NFL for the players they lost in free agency, which is quite surprising. Word is the team’s brass was completely caught off guard by this. With only five picks, the Steelers may be open to moving down in the draft. In fact, they may need to do that. They might also get serious about trading wide receiver Martavis Bryant, like some reports suggested. If the price is right I’d make a deal for him. But if it’s not a good return, there’s no way I deal him for a single low draft pick.
- We’ve all known for a long time that college basketball is corrupt. Now, we’re about to find out how bad it is. Sean Miller, who hails from Pa. and who played at Pitt, will probably get fired at Arizona after an ESPN report says he’s on an FBI wiretap discussing paying one hundred thousand dollars to a recruit. If that’s true, Miller is done at Arizona and probably won’t coach in college ever again. Don’t think for one second he’s the only coach who has been guilty of this sort of thing. This scandal will only get bigger. Where it ends is anyone’s guess.
THE PENS ARE GOING FOR IT AGAIN
Feb 25, 2018 | 2:19 PM
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