What took so long to put Crosby, Hornquist and Perron together? (Previously, I had been starting to think of Crosby’s line as really the number three line which had been mis-numbered). Hornquist’s last two goals were ones that Kunitz would not have scored in the same position. A week ago, Muir from SI was calling for a major shake-up of the Pens, which is one thing that seems to have gotten their attention. The infuriating thing is that one would think that the wholesale departures after last year, including over a third of the player roster as well as the firings of the GM and HC would have shaken up the team already—not to mention the players added since the season began. Any greater shake-up over a twelve month period would appear on the Richter scale.

There are some cultural issues that never seem to change, which are indicated by the many, many coaches who the players pushed out the door for decades. Some deserved to go but others clearly did not. Recall the year that head coach Scotty Bowman was not allowed to attend practices, for example, apparently because he spoke firmly and made the fellas sob a little. The next year Bowman was gone and he won some more, elsewhere.

The one eternal constant has been that the inmates are running the asylum. Crosby had a snit when Iginla was acquired. The word on the street this year has been that Crosby did not want to play with Hornquist. It should not have taken HCMJ most of the season to coax Crosby and sooth his feelings about playing with Hornquist. I have been a fan since attending my first game in 1971, but even I am now occasionally calling the guy ‘Cindy’. (If I see one more Crosby drop pass to nobody which leads to a turnover, I will throw a shoe through my TV. Why can’t Crosby be coached out of his overuse of extremely low percentage passes?) The Penguins ever-hidden difficulties with the coaching of so-called star player-divas seem eternal. The result is that it is the fans who are “dying inside” to use Jagr’s old phrasing. In retrospect, the hiring of Rutherford was a very smart move if for no other reason than he has too much experience and too little need for the job to be bullied by star players.
The Pens made some messes tonight, but it sure was fun to watch Ovechkin leave the ice at the end of the game in a very bad mood. Nonetheless, it was just a week ago that some Caps fans were saying that Crosby and Sutter looked like they were playing to get the HC fired. It will take me more than two or three wins to see if the Pens are starting to pay attention and are getting around to fully exerting themselves in the game of hockey.

2. The play of Geno was awesome. The lifting of the D’s stick on the one play was simple but so damn smart.

3. They needed this game and got it. Still much to work on but if they lost Geez.

4. Which forward sits? I bet Bennett before Adams.

5. GMJR has made some great moves, the talent is there. Let’s see if they can do it.