Penguins Q&A with Dejan Kovacevic

Friday, March 26, 2004

Click here to submit your question

Q: Jane! Stop this crazy thing!

Tim Campbell of Williamsburg, Pa.

KOVACEVIC: Madness it is, my friend. Sheer madness.

Call it the Curse of Hussey.

Or the Curse of Lasse.

Or, as some believe, an actual blessing.

Q: What would be more beneficial, learning to win as a team, especially after the season that the Penguins have had, or drafting No. 1? Who is to say that Alexander Ovechkin won't turn out to be an Eric Lindros?

Tony Puglia of Port Vue

KOVACEVIC: You would turn away an 18-year-old Lindros for a dozen meaningless victories by a team with three-quarters of its players in the final year of their contracts?

It is your right to feel that way, Tony. I just cannot understand it.

Look, I recognize and appreciate the joy and relief that many are feeling at the Penguins' amazing month. Really, I do. I especially understand that, when fans such as yourself buy tickets to watch the team at Mellon Arena, you are 100 percent behind the players on the ice. I know this is the case. I stood at the back of the C level for the entire overtime Sunday against the Rangers and, believe me, the sentiment -- and the celebration when Aleksey Morozov scored -- was 100 percent in favor of the Penguins winning.

I am not coming close to recommending that anyone cheer against the team. I never recommend that anyone cheers or boos anything.

What I find incredible is the overwhelming sentiment that came into the Q&A inbox this week suggesting that what the Penguins are doing now somehow approaches the significance of adding Ovechkin to the payroll.

That is crazy, plain and simple.

I have witnessed first-hand and up close the way this team has come together. I have seen young players learn how to hold their heads high. I have seen veterans such as Pirjeta, Landon Wilson, Jon Sim and Ric Jackman wide-eyed at the opportunity to resuscitate their careers. And, yes, I do believe that there will be a carryover effect from this next season, and that it will benefit the franchise.

But to compare the significance of that to the acquisition of the player whom general managers and scouts are calling the best prospect they have ever seen?

No.

Believe me: If the Penguins do not end up with Ovechkin because of this spurt, you will look back for years and rue the month of March 2004. You will remember Hussey and Lasse, and you will bristle at the mention of their names as if they were Nystrom and Volek.

Q: Hi, Dejan. I know there's been a lot of hand-wringing over the Penguins' recent surge, and I understand the potential ramifications of losing out on a talent like Ovechkin. But am I wrong for enjoying the way this team is playing right now anyway? After such a dismal year, it's great to see this team finally coming together and winning some games. Morozov's exuberant celebration after his first overtime winner was particularly cool. It made me proud of this team once again. I've decided to just enjoy what the team's doing and stop worrying about the whole Ovechkin thing.

Mike Bracken of Oakland, Calif.

KOVACEVIC: Healthiest approach I could imagine, Mike.

For all the agony Penguins fandom appears to be enduring about whether or not to cheer their team right now, take solace in this: The only place where it matters if you cheer or not is under the big steel dome, where the players can hear you. And it might not even matter much there at this point, given the way the team is winning just about anywhere it plays.

Oh, and I am glad that you mentioned the Morozov moment.

In the years I have been covering this team, that might have been the most intense, emotional and, above all, interactive goal celebration I have seen at Mellon Arena since Ian Moran's unforgettable skate to the far end of the ice after scoring against the Flyers in the 1997 playoffs. It was a spontaneous, genuine show of affection on Morozov's part for the team that employs him and for the people who support it. And to come from a person who does not exactly have the showboating personality made it that much more riveting, I thought.

Make no mistake here: Even though I am iron-clad convinced that losing would be better than winning right now, I have nothing but soaring admiration for what this group of players have done. Who could not? How many turnarounds this violent have there been in NHL history? To go from losing 18 games in a row to 10-3-2, and to have that run take the appearance of real respectability ... I have run out of adjectives to describe it.

I also respect the defiance these players have shown in the face of this mess. They know there are fans who want them to lose. More important, they know management wants them to lose. They even have cause to wonder about some of the on-ice decisions that are being made when they see a power play start without Dick Tarnstrom or Ric Jackman on the first unit, as happened twice Tuesday in New York. But the power play still scores two goals, and the team still wins. Because it wants to.

It is a strange, strange situation.

Q: Dejan, being from Wilkes-Barre and a season-ticket holder here, I have the privilege to see the future of the Pittsburgh Penguins on a yearly basis. All that I can say is that the big Penguins have a very bright future in store for them in the years to come. My question: There is much concern right now about being able to draft Ovechkin. Is this prospect really that good? Have you seen him play? Can you make and back the statement that he is best to come out in the draft since Mario Lemieux?

Kelly Stemmler of Wilkes-Barre

KOVACEVIC: I have not seen Ovechkin play. I never even have seen a sliver of videotaped footage. Far as I know, he might not even exist.

But that is the bane of speculating about the NHL Entry Draft for nearly everyone on this side of the planet. The Europeans play far enough away -- and almost never on U.S. television -- that the only people who get to see the whole global pool are general managers and scouts. It is not at all like college football or basketball, where we all get to watch a LaVar Arrington or LeBron James grow up and become famous well before their draft day. In hockey, it is a matter of getting as much information as possible from the people who actually watch the players.

It also is a matter of putting that information into context. Some scouts are prone to hyping too much. Some see nothing but shortcomings in every player they watch. And this is where the Ovechkin hype is exceptional.

There is no one with whom I have talked -- inside or outside the Penguins' organization -- who has anything less than ultra-superlative things to say about this player. Many of them, realizing they might sound like they're going overboard, will apologize for sounding like raving fans but still go on to rave, anyway.

Also, when many of the scouts cite common specific attributes that they like about Ovechkin, it lends further credibility to what they say. The one about Ovechkin that intrigues me most is the way scouts always seem to go out of their way to praise his relentless work ethic. So many of them, I guess, are so used to seeing the most talented teenagers also be among the laziest that they find it almost peculiar that this one is so tireless.

Can I make and back the statement that he is the best since Lemieux? No. But can I produce a list of people paid to critically assess hockey talent who can do that for you? Yes. A very long list.

Q: What a cruel irony it is that now the Capitals have been forced to sell all the players they bought from us and I can finally gloat ... and now I have to cheer for them to win.

Mathew Calland of Philadelphia

KOVACEVIC: Now here is a guy who can make a difference.

How far is the MCI Center from your home? Two hours?

Q: Dejan, assuming the Penguins don't get the first pick in the draft, is there anyone even close to the talent of Ovechkin that would help the Penguins next year?

Brad Bognar of Plum

KOVACEVIC: Look for one of those shiny green boxes on your street corner Sunday, Matt. I am planning to examine Plan B on the "In the Crease" page.

OK, a pledge: No more Ovechkin the rest of the way ...

Q: Hey, Dejan, when was the last time the Penguins had a month or streak like this? This is great for the city and for the team. Let's hope things continue to go this way on and off the ice!

Justin Johovich of McCandless

KOVACEVIC: The last time the Penguins had eight victories in a month was January 2001, just after Lemieux emerged from retirement. And, as colleague Dave Molinari researched for the Thursday Penguins Report, the team is only three victories shy of tying the franchise record for wins in a month set in March 1993.

I would argue, however, that the team already never has had a month like this. Not when weighed against what came immediately before it.

To back this, I looked at every month in Penguins history in which they won eight or more games, then the month just before that. The only other occasion for such a turnaround was early in Lemieux's rookie season, 1984-85. In November, the team was 1-8-3. In December, it went 8-5-1. And even that does not touch this one. These Penguins went from 2-9-0-1 in February to 8-2-2 this month, with three games to play.

More to the point, encompassing that span, they also have gone from 18 losses in a row to 10-3-2.

Good luck finding something comparable.

Q: Dejan, some people have suggested that the additions of Lasse Pirjeta, Jon Sim and Landon Wilson had more to do with filling roster spots to allow the young players to play at Wilkes-Barre. All three have played very well, and I would like to see them playing for the Penguins next season. Do you think they have a future here?

Jason Kustra of California, Pa.

KOVACEVIC: I would be surprised if the Penguins were not interested in discussing a new contract for Wilson, but Sim and Pirjeta might not be a priority simply because they almost have to be on the top two lines to contribute what they can do best. And, being realistic, if you draw up the top six forwards for what the 2004-05 Penguins should look like, you probably are not including either.

Wilson is different because he is more of a fourth-line type who brings other intangibles, not the least of which is an unfailingly positive and bright personality. Anyone who wants to roll their eyes at that is free to do so, but one needs only to see the near-reverence with which he already is treated in the locker room to know how important he has been to this surge. More than one player gives Wilson a large amount of credit for drastically improving its approach to the game and, consequently, its belief in itself. Some even refer to him as "Saint" in giving joking credit for salvaging their season.

He never is going to cost much, and he never is going to hurt the cause. Bringing him back and allowing him to become a long-term leader -- rather than having the role go to players 38 or older who clearly are at the end of the rope -- could make for a valuable ccontribution to the rebuilding process.

Ryan Metosky of Fox Chapel

Q: Hi, Dejan. The next time the Penguins get together for training camp, they will have, to my knowledge: Brooks Orpik, Dick Tarnstrom, Ric Jackman, Josef Melichar, Michal Rozsival, Dan Focht, Martin Strbak, Noah Welch, Ryan Whitney, Paul Bissonnette, Patrick Boileau, Rob Scuderi and Ross Lupaschuk battling for six or seven spots. They will have Milan Kraft, Konstantin Koltsov, Tom Kostopolous, Ryan Malone, Landon Wilson, Rico Fata, Kris Beech, Michal Sivek, Shane Endicott, Tomas Surovy, Toby Petersen, Colby Armstrong, Matt Murley, Ramzi Abid, Aleksey Morozov, Lasse Pirjeta and Lemieux battling for 12 spots, with guys like Stephen Dixon, Ben Eaves, Maxime Talbot and Michel Ouellet not far out of the picture. Goaltenders include Marc-Andre Fleury, Sebastien Caron and Andy Chiodo. My point is this: Although everyone can agree that drafting Ovechkin would be great, the Penguins will have a solid team regardless.

KOVACEVIC: Rather than break down the various issues of the many players you cited as they go into next season -- rest assured that many will not be back -- I will choose just to focus on the defensemen because it was something that crosssed my mind in watching the team practice yesterday at Southpointe.

I have been writing for more than a year now that the Penguins' defense would undergo the most rapid transformation of the three positions, and the acquisition of Jackman, along with the discovery of Scuderi, seems only to have accelerated that. If you take Tarnstrom, Jackman, Orpik, Melichar, Scuderi and Rozsival as locks -- yes, Scuderi, because the GM already promised -- you can see that management is in a very attractive spot in finding two moore to fill out the roster. It also gives the team the luxury of being able to sign Welch and Whitney and assign them to Wilkes-Barre rather than start them out in the NHL.

With goaltending also being solidified, at least at the No. 1 position, that leaves a gaping need for more skill at forward through the system. That is a drum I have been beating after each of the past two drafts, and be sure that the drum sticks are getting chalked up again in preparation for June.

Q: Hello again, Dejan. I'd like to focus on the hockey currently taking place, as it seems that these will be the last games we will see for quite a while. I'd like to focus on Aleksey Morozov. The Penguins are finally playing to his strength, which is burying loose pucks. He is by no means going to score many goals streaking down the boards and lashing slap shots, like he did in overtime in the Buffalo game. He is going to score from right in front of the net burying rebounds. Morozov has been most successful at this his entire career, yet it seemed that the Penguins were ignoring this strength. Next to Mario, he is no doubt the best finisher on the team. He should be tendered with a qualifying offer at the very least, don't you think?

Dan Greene of Canonsburg

KOVACEVIC: I think Morozov has worked his way into a situation where the Penguins really have no choice but to offer the 10 percent raise and sign him to $1.65 million for next season.

I agree with you that Morozov is a good finisher -- time will tell if he ranks ahead of Malone and Surovy on the team -- and that he is at his most effective when going to thee net. I will not agree, though, that the Penguins ignored this. Every coach Morozov has had, from Kevin Constantine on, has been handing him the same road map again and again. It just seems that the message is received in spurts, then fades, then needs to be reinforced.

Still, I have not seen Morozov as confident as he is now. He is not being asked about what it is like to finish Lemieux's passes. He is being asked about the plays he is creating himself or finishing with a superb touch.

Go back and look at the overtime goal against the Rangers. It was a terrific shot in a difficult situation and, what impressed me most from the vantage point behind the net down there, it did not come off the back foot. Anyone who has attempted a one-timer can attest that the easiest passes to blast accurately are those that come just slightly behind. He nailed this one without having the benefit to slide forward.

I agree that Morozov is an asset the organization cannot afford to give up, at least not until it has someone ready to take his place. It does not.

Q: Dejan, at my job, when someone makes a stupid mistake, the entire office is a bit more careful not to do the same. In the wake of the Todd Bertuzzi incident, I would think that hockey players would be a bit more conscious of their emotions and careful not to physically react to vent frustration. Additionally, I would hope that the NHL would punish a bit harsher for players making the same mistake as Bertuzzi. All that being said, isn't it a shame that one of the game's leaders spears a player with the intent to injure and sits out only two games?

Matthew Gehly of Newcomerstown, Ohio

KOVACEVIC: I believe, Matthew, that the NHL took into consideration Messier's specific set of circumstances when issuing that suspension. He had only seven games left in his career, and only three of those in New York. He was suspended for two of those in New York. That simply could not have been a coincidence.

Few might agree with me, but I find that fair under the circumstances, especially given that Messier does not exactly need to be taught a lesson at this stage of his career.

That said, I found his action -- as I do with most stick fouls -- to be abhorrent. And I have been satisfied with the way the NHL has handled a slew of other suspensions in the past week, notably the eight games Wade Belak received and the four games Marty Turco received, each for sticks to the head.

I have a feeling, Matthew, that this is more of the kind of reaction you are seeking from the NHL in the wake of the Bertuzzi attack.

As a side note, almost as egregious as Messier's spear was the shameless response of laughter on the part of Rangers coach Tom Renney when asked about the incident. He laughed to the point where it actually took him a moment to collect himself and answer the reporter's question.

Q: Hi, Dejan. With all of this recent good play by the Penguins as a whole, I think everyone has forgotten the one player on the team who has been consistent the entire season. Dick Tarnstrom is third in the league among scoring defensemen. Do you think Tarnstrom's name seems out of place talking about the Norris Trophy? To do what he's done, without Mario, Kovalev and the legendary power play of last year shows that he's no fluke.

Michael Zielinski of Chicago

KOVACEVIC: If I did not know better, Michael, I would think that you had stolen a sneak peek at my story in today's editions of the Post-Gazette.

Forget Tarnstrom?

Not in this space. Not in this life.

He is a special offensive talent, the best the Penguins have had, in my mind, since Sergei Zubov. And, what has to be even more exciting for management and players, he might already have a peer on the team in Jackman, who looks not one step below Tarnstrom in the attacking zone most of the time.

Q: Dejan, just a small correction from last week: To make up for an 11 percent decrease in prices, the Penguins actually would have to attract 12.359% more fans to make up for the loss, not simply 11 percent. Assuming all tickets cost $50 and 10,000 fans come to every game: $50 X 10,000 fans = $500,000 a game, $50 X .89 = $44.5 for the new price, $44.5 X N = $500,000, N = 11,236 fans, 11,236 / 10,000 = 1.12359 %. Always reading.

Andrew Rothey of Upper St. Clair

KOVACEVIC: You and the rest of the gotcha patrol was out in full force on this matter, Andrew.

Actually, the primary mistake that I made in that response was referring to what I described as "simple math." Truth is, your formula only works if all of the tickets cost the same price. Of course, they do not. On top of that, the Penguins' decreases varied from level to level, meaning they will need more fans in some sections than in others to make their decreases worth it. For example, a 45 percent reduction in parts of the C level means they need many more fans there than they will in the seats that went down by just $2.

And none of that is taking into account that more fans -- even at a cheaper rate -- means more money spent on parking, concessions and the like than what the Penguins are receiving now.

Suffice it to say that is not a simple matter and that the Penguins need more people showing up at games than are showing up now.

In closing this week ...

Another clarification from the previous Q&A is due the response regarding "pity" quotes from opposing coaches throughout the season.

It never was my intent to portray the coaches' quotes as being less than genuine, even if that might actually have been the case. Rather, I was pointing to the motivation for saying whatever they say.

A coach who genuinely feels that the Penguins are a really hard-working team is more inclined to offer such praise in public when he feels sorry for them. By contrast, if he loses to the Penguins more than once or in a convincing fashion, he might be annoyed enough about them to keep his thoughts about the Penguins' work ethic to himself, even if he really believes that they work hard.

There are more and more examples of this stuff every day now. On Sunday, for instance, Renney gave unsolicited praise for the Penguins' work ethic and special teams, two areas that are pretty hard for anyone to dispute this month. On Tuesday in New York, he never mentioned the Penguins at all, even though they gave a superior performance than they had two days earlier.

I got quite a bit of mail about this. I hope this clears up what I meant, if not necessarily what the coaches might have meant. Only they can know that.

Until next week ...

First published on March 26, 2004 at 12:00 am