The Kids Are Alright
http://www.atomicsportsmedia.com/articles/711/1/The-Kids-Are-Alright/The-Kids-Are-Alright.html
Justin Culver
By Justin Culver
Published on 02/14/2007
With three highly touted youngsters leading the way, it wasn't easy to see the future looked bright in Pittsburgh. But as Atomic Sports columnist Justin Culver writes, it's hard to believe the future has come this soon for the red-hot Penguins.
With three highly touted youngsters leading the way, it wasn't easy to see the future looked bright in Pittsburgh. But as Atomic Sports columnist Justin Culver writes, it's hard to believe the future has come this soon for the red-hot Penguins.
The Kids Are Alright
The Pittsburgh Penguins have one of the youngest rosters in the NHL. They boast a coach who spent part of last season coaching their AHL affiliate, the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins. They came into the season with a goalie that could have been sent back to the AHL after a series of poor performances in the preseason. They lost a veteran presence in the locker room after only 21 games due to his poor performance. They have two rookies who are playing out of position on a consistent basis. And on top of this, they were not expected to be competitive for at least another year at earliest.
Eighteen, nineteen and twenty: The ages of the Penguins top three goal scorers.
Twenty-two: the age of their goalie.
Zero: the number of rational hockey fans who could have predicted the Penguins would be this good, this soon.
All of those numbers usually translate into a long season of rebuilding and learning. However, the 18-year-old Jordan Staal has 23 goals after notching his first career hat trick against Toronto on Feb. 10. The 19-year-old Sydney Crosby leads the NHL in assists and points and is on pace to have the highest point total in the past five years. The 20-year-old Evgeni Malkin is transitioning from his natural position of center to play beside Staal and 24-year-old right-winger Michel Ouellet to form one of the most dangerous second lines in hockey. The 22-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury has more wins this season – 27 – than he has the past two seasons combined.
Lead by the NHL’s leading scorer, Crosby, the Penguins are not only being competitive with their young and widely inexperienced roster, they are the hottest team in the league since the All Star break. For that, you need to put the blame on the kids of the roster and the one elder statesman who helps guide them along. Crosby, even though he leads the league in scoring, is not the only reason this team is succeeding. Club senior citizen Mark Recchi plays along side Crosby and has contributed 53 points in 55 games. With rookies Staal and Malkin scoring at will and goalie Fleury doing his best Martin Brodeur impression, the Penguins have surged from fourth place in the Atlantic Division up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The entire ascent from perennial basement dweller to near the top of the standings cannot rest solely on the shoulders of the three teammates who can’t even legally drink yet. Coach Michel Therrien has implemented a system that puts emphasis on speed and puck control and the young team has bought into it completely.
It also helps that the Penguins have found four balanced lines that Therrien hasn’t hesitated to give ice time to. This leads to less pressure on the both of the top scoring lines and will potentially contribute to everyone being fresh for the Penguins first playoff appearance since the return of Mario Lemieux.
One thing is for sure, no matter their ages, these kids can play.
Eighteen, nineteen and twenty: The ages of the Penguins top three goal scorers.
Twenty-two: the age of their goalie.
Zero: the number of rational hockey fans who could have predicted the Penguins would be this good, this soon.
All of those numbers usually translate into a long season of rebuilding and learning. However, the 18-year-old Jordan Staal has 23 goals after notching his first career hat trick against Toronto on Feb. 10. The 19-year-old Sydney Crosby leads the NHL in assists and points and is on pace to have the highest point total in the past five years. The 20-year-old Evgeni Malkin is transitioning from his natural position of center to play beside Staal and 24-year-old right-winger Michel Ouellet to form one of the most dangerous second lines in hockey. The 22-year-old Marc-Andre Fleury has more wins this season – 27 – than he has the past two seasons combined.
Lead by the NHL’s leading scorer, Crosby, the Penguins are not only being competitive with their young and widely inexperienced roster, they are the hottest team in the league since the All Star break. For that, you need to put the blame on the kids of the roster and the one elder statesman who helps guide them along. Crosby, even though he leads the league in scoring, is not the only reason this team is succeeding. Club senior citizen Mark Recchi plays along side Crosby and has contributed 53 points in 55 games. With rookies Staal and Malkin scoring at will and goalie Fleury doing his best Martin Brodeur impression, the Penguins have surged from fourth place in the Atlantic Division up to fourth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
The entire ascent from perennial basement dweller to near the top of the standings cannot rest solely on the shoulders of the three teammates who can’t even legally drink yet. Coach Michel Therrien has implemented a system that puts emphasis on speed and puck control and the young team has bought into it completely.
It also helps that the Penguins have found four balanced lines that Therrien hasn’t hesitated to give ice time to. This leads to less pressure on the both of the top scoring lines and will potentially contribute to everyone being fresh for the Penguins first playoff appearance since the return of Mario Lemieux.
One thing is for sure, no matter their ages, these kids can play.