It's funny how deliberately he's avoiding answering the question about why he wants to be here instead of Winnipeg.
Must really have not wanted to live there. Or didn't think he could crack their roster any time soon. Or both I suppose.
Salary Cap: Pens Summer Salary Thread: Dull days of August... Oooo! A trade!
- Thread starter Zirakzigil
- Start date
It's funny how deliberately he's avoiding answering the question about why he wants to be here instead of Winnipeg.
Must really have not wanted to live there. Or didn't think he could crack their roster any time soon. Or both I suppose.
Turin
Erik Karlsson is good
- Feb 27, 2018
- 23,648
- 27,795
Maybe his agent/family saw how Winnipeg handled Perfetti and Ehlers and figured it wasn’t worth potentially getting hamstrung for years there.
Again, I’m from Winnipeg and I moved away. I wouldn’t want to live there either if I weren’t born there. It keeps getting worse - it would be one thing if it was a nice pleasant city that just happened to have long winters.
AuroraBorealis
Back-to-back hater
Yeah it's a different workload. Obvious different level of investment, and definitely a better negotiator with other GMs. People are very quick to dismiss someone after a year, especially when the last 5 trades or something are solid and rational, directed towards things we need.
When people close their minds and stick to their guns they had from years back, that's when you know you need to stop talking to them about it. They're not even deliberating on new information...
AuroraBorealis
Back-to-back hater
It genuinely sucks there. The winters are grim and they got mosquito swarms in the summer.
It was rated the worst city to play in by an anonymous survey of NHL'ers. No one's taking a discount to stay in Winnipeg.
ThosePuckingPenguins
Registered User
Not exactly uncommon for Americans to not want to play in Canada for one reason or another. Especially certain cities like Winnipeg.
OnMyOwn
Worlds Apart
- Sep 7, 2005
- 19,130
- 4,770
This is what I was thinking. Depending on your upbringing and interests, I’m sure there are reasons you’d rather stay in the states if you’re from here. Especially if you’re in the position to choose like he was.
BlindWillyMcHurt
ti kallisti
- May 31, 2004
- 35,383
- 29,975
I think it's almost certainly that he simply doesn't want to be in Winnipeg. I'm not judging... I live in the Ohio Valley FFS. Hopefully it's not related to PT or what league he starts in. But I sort of doubt it... I think he's just being too polite to say "yeah no... I'm not living in Winnipeg."
CheckingLineCenter
Registered User
- Aug 10, 2018
- 9,064
- 9,820
Part of me wonders if the Pens will have similar struggles in terms of retaining talent to WPG or CBJ once they don’t have a Mario or Crosby on the team.
Honestly players should 100% wield their power the way Rutger did here. These kids owe the organizations that drafted them nothing. Every NHL org is run by greedy miserly owners who would gladly dime out any player for an extra dollar or two. These players should 100% take every opportunity to maximize their own earnings, enjoyment, and living situation.
If a guy would rather live in Pittsburgh than Winnipeg I don't begrudge them that at all. And if I were a Winnipeg fan I'd be happy that McGroarty is gone because I wouldn't want someone on the team that doesn't want to live there. That's a disaster waiting to happen down the line contractually.
Turin
Erik Karlsson is good
- Feb 27, 2018
- 23,648
- 27,795
Summers are genuinely nice in Manitoba. It’s warm, usually not super wet and there’s not that many bugs in general, just a couple weeks of bad mosquitos until the dragonflies come out - and lots of lakes and decent beaches if you’re into that.
But the city itself is turning into a hole. There’s been a massive amount of fraudulent migrants (federal gov literally just exposed yesterday for fraudulent immigration vetting) since 2021 and the crime has been getting absurd the last 5ish years. That’s why when I had my first child my wife and I moved out.
Around when the Jets came back there was an optimistic feeling of turning stuff around, especially downtown, and it never really materialized and then got way worse because our economy and dollar has tanked again and crime once again spiked.
ThosePuckingPenguins
Registered User
Maybe. Only thing I’ll say is that it does seem like a good amount of players genuinely enjoy playing and living in Pittsburgh. I’ve listened to some player interviews on Chiclets and guys who used to play here have talked about how much they enjoyed it. Plus we’ve had legends who have wanted to stay here forever.
DesertPenguin
Registered User
- Apr 22, 2015
- 3,251
- 1,757
Am I still a bandwagon fan if I jumped on the bandwagon as a 6 year old watching the 91/92 cups?
BlindWillyMcHurt
ti kallisti
- May 31, 2004
- 35,383
- 29,975
I am going to come down on the player's side more or less 9.5/10 times.
I guess I'd just say that it WOULD rub me a little the wrong way if a draftee simply refused to play for the team that drafted him due to not wanting to go through the typical developmental path. Because in reality most NHL draftees DO need time to adjust to the pro game and the AHL essentially exists for that very reason. But I do not think that is the case, here.
We get on this region but Winnipeg really does strike me as a difficult place to live particularly if you are young and have some expendable income. Then again I'm talking from a place of ignorance as I have never actually... you know... been there.
Turin
Erik Karlsson is good
- Feb 27, 2018
- 23,648
- 27,795
I put Pittsburgh and Columbus in the same category. They’re both nice cities, probably still underrated, that if a culture is there and the ability to win is there will attract players. Like even with Columbus I feel like there are so many worse towns in America to play, they just don’t have the pedigree as a franchise. Winnipeg is a different category.
BlindWillyMcHurt
ti kallisti
- May 31, 2004
- 35,383
- 29,975
Columbus has actually come a long way the last ~15 years.
Seems a lot more vibrant and interesting in recent years. I still prefer Pittsburgh but it's a lot closer, now.
Seems a lot more vibrant and interesting in recent years. I still prefer Pittsburgh but it's a lot closer, now.
The city maybe. The team is the same garbage heap it has always been
KrisLetAngry
MrJukeBoy
BlindWillyMcHurt
ti kallisti
- May 31, 2004
- 35,383
- 29,975
The city maybe. The team is the same garbage heap it has always been
Oh... my assessment is based SOLELY on the city itself haha. The Jackets are garbo (for now).
mrzeigler
.. but I'm not wrong
Calgary had soured on Mullen because of his age and his drop in production from 88-89 (51 goals, 110 points) to 89-90 (36 goals, 69 points).
Looking back at that Calgary 1989-90 roster, RW Sergei Makarov (himself over 30) put up 86 points and young RW Theo Fleury was just behind Mullen with 66 points. (Fleury would put up 104 points the following year.)
Coastal Kev
There will be "I told you so's" Bet on it
mephisto1812
Registered User
- Mar 28, 2013
- 289
- 190
I mean... I don't have a pic of me with Pens gear on, but the fact that I have these in my basement counts for something.
Attachments
Not if you have a picture of yourself in full Penguins regalia apparently..lol
AuroraBorealis
Back-to-back hater
No, not unless you jumped from one wagon into another.
That's the whole point of the term, which people don't seem to understand. It's about betraying your former interest for greener pastures.
You can't betray a former interest if it never existed to begin with.
It's like in Indiana Jones Temple of Doom, with the fight on the tracks with the carts. You want to be in the right cart with the right group, or you die.
Last edited:
BlindWillyMcHurt
ti kallisti
- May 31, 2004
- 35,383
- 29,975
I don't have any pictures of myself in Pens gear as a kid. I might still have my old Koho Jagr stick around here somewhere, though. And I still wear my 93 Patrick Division Champs shirt sometimes even though it is verifiably cursed.
