LCS Hockey - Problems in Pittsburgh

Problems in Pittsburgh
by Michael Dell, Editor-in-Chief

Yes, it's true. The Pittsburgh Penguins have filed for bankruptcy. But don't let the business problems fool you. The Penguins are bankrupt on the ice, too.

Focusing on the business end of things first, the Pittsburgh front office situation is a complete mess. Co-owners Howard Baldwin and Roger Marino are at each other's throats. About the only thing they've agreed on is the decision to file for Chapter 11, which will protect them from creditors. And, oh Jackson, are there a lot of creditors. The team has lost a reported $37 million dollars the past four years.

While most fans around Pittsburgh see Marino as public enemy number one for his refusal to pay Mario Lemieux the $30 million he's still owed by the club, the current financial state of the franchise is not Marino's fault. That blood is on Baldwin's hands.

Now I'm not an electrician or some other fancy boy in a suit, so I don't know much about no high-falootin' business deals. Although, word on the street is that Baldwin doesn't, either. He's apparently done some things that would make even a first- year business major laugh like a chimp.

Not only did Baldwin take beatings on disastrous investments such as the Russian Penguins, the Pittsburgh Phantoms roller hockey team, and an equally short-lived indoor soccer franchise, he also lacked the cash necessary when he first purchased the Penguins and agreed to a few concessions with the SMG Corporation - the entity that runs the Civic Arena - in order to make up the difference. Those concessions are part of the reason why the Pens have been losing $10 million a season and the SMG Corp. continues to average $3 million in annual profits from the arena.

The team really had no other choice but to file for bankruptcy. It was the only real way to keep the franchise in the Steel City. However, unless something gets worked out with the Civic Arena and SMG, the team's future would seem to have moving vans in it.

Baldwin and Marino appear to be using the bankruptcy filing as a scare tactic to get the city to heft the bill for a new arena. Partial agreements were made with two of the team's most significant creditors - Lemieux and Fox Sports TV - in the days before the decision to go broke. That meant the arena situation was the only other significant matter left unresolved. The Burgh recently approved proposals to build new stadiums for the Steelers and Pirates, now the Penguins want a piece of that action.

The only problem is that when the citizens voted on the stadium plan several months ago, both Baldwin and Marino were mute. Neither one asked that the Penguins be tacked on to the end of the motion. Now they're attempting to hit the city with a guilt trip to try and gauge a new arena. The ploy likely won't work. After all, it was only a couple years ago that Baldwin went to the city and asked for $12 million to renovate the Igloo. Baldwin assured everyone involved that the $12 million would be enough to make the Civic Arena competitive in the modern day NHL. The wish was granted and improvements made. It wasn't enough.

To come back only two years later and complain about the arena again makes Baldwin and Marino seem more than a little ungrateful. The Penguin brass, tho', does have two things in its favor.

First, once Maple Leaf Gardens closes later in the season, the Igloo will be the oldest barn in the NHL.

Second, any proposed new arena would be much more versatile than the new football and baseball parks. Aside from hockey, the Civic Arena is also a popular venue for music concerts, puppet shows, and the like. All things combined, the arena is busy well over 100 dates a year. That's quite the little revenue maker for the city, especially compared to the limited work schedules of the football and baseball stadiums. That alone could be enough to sway support. But don't count on it.

At the moment, Pittsburgh City Council is considering revoking the Penguins' amusement permit because of back taxes owed. The Pens are arguing that bankruptcy should protect them from such action, but if successful, the council could bar the Guins from playing at the Civic Arena. That would certainly complicate matters. But it's highly unlikely, considering all the tax- paying ticket-holders that would be screwed by such an occurrence.

At this point, there really hasn't been too much serious talk about the team leaving town. Marino was seen meeting with officials in Kansas City and Houston, but he says that it was completely unrelated to the Penguins. Whatever. It's doubtful that the league would allow the team to split, but who knows what will happen if a new arena doesn't get built? No one thought Kate Jackson would leave the cast of "Charlie's Angels", either, but it happened. Of course, her demands for a new arena were a bit excessive.

The one thing that every mouthpiece of the Penguin organization keeps saying is that all these off-ice concerns will not affect the team on the ice. So far that promise seems on target, since the Birds opened up the season with a 3-2-1 record. Unfortunately, there isn't much of a "team" to affect.

Along with losing money, the Penguins have also been hemorrhaging talent. Jaromir Jagr and Tom Barrasso are the only two remaining members from the Stanley Cup days. Pittsburgh's current roster would do Fred Sanford proud.

The top line is anchored in the middle by Marty Straka and features Jagr and Stu Barnes on the wings. Straka has incredible speed and is really a nifty little player, but a top line center? Let me think for a... no.

Barnes is a great finisher around the cage. Too bad that's the only place he can finish. Unless he's parked at the left post for a tap-in, Barnes won't score many goals.

That leaves Jagr. Despite losing linemates the caliber of Lemieux and Ron Francis in consecutive seasons, the Czech Wonder Kid just keeps on truckin'. He leads the league in points-per- game average, piling up a pair of goals and 11 points in his first six games.

Even with Jagr's production, Pittsburgh's best line has been the second unit of Robert Lang, German Titov, and Aleksey Morozov. The trio has created scoring chances on a regular basis, combining for six goals in the first six games.

Aleksey Morozov

Aleksey Morozov
by Meredith Martini

Morozov could be a breakthrough player this season if Kevin Constantine ever takes the binders off him. Never used in special teams situations, Morozov often plays as little as nine minutes a night. Tough to become a superstar without decent ice time. The kid just needs to play more. There's no excuse for him not working the power play. He usually watches from the bench while the likes of Kip Miller and Robby Brown steal his time on the man-advantage.

And what would be so terrible about using Morozov to kill penalties? The best way to get a young player to learn to play defense is to use him on the kill. Who cares if he costs the club a power-play goal or two? Over the long haul, the experience gained will be worth any momentary setbacks. The Penguins need Morozov to develop into a complete player, not just a pure skill threat. Jagr wouldn't be the player he is today if he didn't learn to kill penalties. It's time Morozov receives more responsibilities. Turn him loose.

Pittsburgh's third and fourth lines are made up of strictly bush leaguers, including Miller, Brown, Patrick Lebeau, Jan Hrdina, Dan Kesa, Ian Moran, and Tyler Wright. Hey, LCS loves itself some Tyler Wright, but he doesn't even get to play most nights. That's jive.

The picture on defense isn't much better. With Darius Kasparaitis still on the mend, Pittsburgh's top defensive pair has been Jeff Serowik and Victor Ignatjev. If you've never heard of them, don't worry. No one has. Serowik, 31, and Ignatjev, 29, are career minor-leaguers that are getting their first serious cracks at the big show. Both are known for powerful slap shots, but have done little in the early going to distinguish themselves even though they are serving as the pointmen on the top power-play unit. Yes, the same points that were once manned by Paul Coffey and Larry Murphy are now in the hands of Serowik and Ignatjev. Oh boy.

Kevin Hatcher and Brad Werenka are the second pair. This begs the obvious question, why is Hatcher still on the team? It's hard to believe, especially considering the bankruptcy and whatnot, but Hatcher, who pulls down $2.8 million a year, still calls Pittsburgh home. He should have been traded yesterday. The only reason he's still in town could be that no one else wants him. But that might change. Lately there have been rumors that Anaheim, San Jose, and even the Rangers are showing some interest.

Bobby Dollas has been pretty solid as the number five guy. The six spot hasn't been nearly as reliable. Jiri Slegr, Chris Tamer, and Neil Wilkinson have all taken turns in the lineup.

Slegr obviously has the most talent, but he's been in the doghouse for taking stupid penalties. Slegr's main problem is that, like most skill guys, he has to play a lot to play his best. He was All-World at the Olympics as a lead blueliner for the Czech Republic. It just seems that he makes a mistake with the Pens and never gets a chance to redeem himself. And speaking of guys that should be playing the power play, there's no doubt in my mind that Slegr can outperform Serowik, Ignatjev, and Werenka in that role. He's just never given the chance.

Tamer is in kind of a similar bind as Slegr. He's just not getting the ice time to be effective. Remember when Tamer was paired with Sergei Zubov in 1995-96? Remember that? That was awesome. Tamer seemed to be that oh so rare commodity in the NHL of a big, physical defender that can play 20+ minutes. Since that time, injuries have hampered his game. The departure of Zubov has also made Tamer's average skating ability all the more glaring since the pimp smooth Russian is no longer around to watch his back and race down any mistakes.

Darius Kasparaitis

Darius Kasparaitis
by Meredith Martini

The news will only get worse for Slegr and Tamer once Kasparaitis returns from his knee injury, which could happen in the next few days. Darius will step in and grab a huge chunk of ice time. He'll also add an element of coolness to the club since he is, without doubt, the coolest player in the NHL. Darius makes every game entertaining. You just never know when he might render a member of the opposition useless. And hey, if things go as planned, Kasparaitis should be back in the lineup in time for Pittsburgh's first meeting with Eric Lindros and the Philadelphia Flyers. Eric, keep your head up. Seriously, don't look down. Like, even when you're just stepping outside to get the morning paper... safety first. Kaspar could strike at any moment.

Outside of Jagr's sheer offensive brilliance and Kasparaitis' unbridled coolness, the other main thing the Penguins have going for them is the goaltending of Tom Barrasso. No doubt, Barrasso's good. He's the only reason they bagged wins over the Islanders and Devils this season. It's just too bad he's as fragile as he is great. Barrasso is currently out of action with a groin injury. And I think we all know how painful that can be.

Without Barrasso, the goaltending chores fall to Peter Skudra and Jean-Sebastian Aubin. Doh! Skudra has exceptional reflexes and quickness but lacks the basic fundamentals of a true NHL goaltender. Aubin, well, Aubin is just there to fill out a roster spot. Needless to say, the Birds are beat if Barrasso goes out for any extended period of time.

And even though he could use some help selecting his power play, Constantine is a heck of a coach. He also has a wonderful support system in assistants Mike Eaves, Don Jackson, and Troy Ward. They get the most out of their players. Hell, they have to, otherwise the club would never win a game.

It seems like only yesterday that the Birds were celebrating back-to-back championships. Yet those days are solid gone. Names like Lemieux, Francis, Murphy, Coffey, Kevin Stevens, Mark Recchi, Rick Tocchet, Joey Mullen, and Ulf Samuelsson have been replaced by Straka, Barnes, Brown, Lang, Serowik, Ignatjev, and Werenka. Time can be cruel.

But the real sad thing is that this Penguin team can actually be competitive in today's NHL. Back in the day, this squad would get whacked Goodfellas style every night. Aw, I miss those days... little bit, little bit. Where did I put that damn 1991- 92 highlight tape, anyway?