Pittsburgh Sports Media Gibberish - Part IX

[ProgOg]

Well it's the media thread. As for constantly, I think this might be the 2nd one I've posted.

The discussion point was whether this was a moral victory, which is valid (though I disagree ).
Don't really care how many clicks he gets, if you do, try this: DON'T CLICK.

That's fair. I just checked your recent post history and saw a few, so I wondered what's up with that.

 

[UnderratedBrooks44]

Finally...some ENERGY on The Fan morning show!
After 4 years of Mr Corporate vanilla radio hosting that show we finally get someone with a damn pulse

This morning Colin Dunlap was fired up over the Rinaldo hit and the game in general, he was ranting about the Pens needed to get tougher, ranting about guys like Craig Adams not standing up...

WOOOAAH...here comes Jim Colony, raising his voice to defend Craig Adams "Don't say that about Adams!! he is a great teammate, that is uncalled for!!"

Wow, finally some life, some energy on that show.
And all it took was some one calling out Craig Adams.
Thanks Craig.

Oooh Dunlap was fired up. I'm riveted. Please don't listen to The Fan

 

[Stad]

Orchestrated at a steakhouse

 

[ProgOg]

Tocchet on the 4th line:

Rick Tocchet is looking for more from the fourth line

“In spurts this year, we’ve gotten some good stuff from them,” said assistant coach Rick Tocchet, who oversees the forwards. “And there are some [times] when we’ve let the best players on the [other] team off the hook.

“The [hypothetical] situation is a faceoff in their end. Their best players are there, and we have our fourth line out there. We need some sustained attack time.”

The New York Islanders’ No. 4 line of Casey Cizikas between Matt Martin and Cal Clutterbuck is widely regarded as this season’s gold standard for players in that role.

“I don’t even know if they’re really a fourth line, per se,” Tocchet said. “They play 13, 14 minutes, and [coach Jack] Capuano isn’t scared to play them against any players in the league.”

Cizikas and his linemates have combined for 14 goals, 13 assists and 494 hits in 130 man-games. Goc, Adams and Sill have totaled four goals, eight assists and 247 hits in 115 man-games.

The Martin-Cizikas-Clutterbuck line carries a heavier workload than most fourth units, with all three members averaging about 11 minutes of even-strength ice time per game. For the Penguins’ fourth-liners, even-strength ice time ranges from Adams’ 6:51 to Goc’s 8:51.

“You want your fourth line to play 10 to 12 minutes, optimally, if you can, and be able to get in on the forecheck and hold the puck, keep the puck,” Tocchet said.

(On their performance against the Blackhawks): “If those guys can grind it out like they did and give us secondary scoring, it’s going to be a big plus,” Johnston said.

“Your fourth line is a major part of winning a Stanley Cup or going far in the playoffs,” Tocchet said. “That’s no secret.”

So, they do want a 4th line that can play more than 10min.

I'm not sure what is more frustrating - Bylsma and Co never saying anything like this, and doing it wrong, or Johnston and Co saying the right things and apparently seeing the same things as fans do... but still doing it wrong.

 

[WayneSid9987]

Okayyyy Rick.

What about the 40-some odd other games where they didn't amount to jack *** in a hockey game?

Look, i get it. Sill is liked for some odd reason. He's good/fun around the other guys. He's from the same place the head coach and the captain is from. But all of that should never excuse icing a player that has terrible advanced stats and has stuck up for his teammates a grand total of 2 times(that i can remember) in 50-some games this season.

I also get that when/if the roster is fully healthy Sill is probably the 13th fwd here but 1 little injury and it's back to a 3 line hockey team.
Yep, Rick, your 4th line right now may look good against the smaller teams in the league(Chi., Mtl.) but they've looked terrible against everyone else. If Sill and Adams are on the ice, you'll be defending 99% of the time.

Best the 4th line has ever looked this season was when Farnham and Rust were on it. Guys that can actually bring something to the table. Stick any C inbetween them and they'll still give you more than anything with Sill/Adams combined.

Dig your head out of your ***. Look at the game tapes. Look at the stats and stop putting out Adams late in tie or winning by one-goal games cuz you deserve to lose if you do.

 

[ProgOg]

Okayyyy Rick.

What about the 40-some odd other games where they didn't amount to jack *** in a hockey game?

Look, i get it. Sill is liked for some odd reason. He's good/fun around the other guys. He's from the same place the head coach and the captain is from. But all of that should never excuse icing a player that has terrible advanced stats and has stuck up for his teammates a grand total of 2 times(that i can remember) in 50-some games this season.

I also get that when/if the roster is fully healthy Sill is probably the 13th fwd here but 1 little injury and it's back to a 3 line hockey team.
Yep, Rick, your 4th line right now may look good against the smaller teams in the league(Chi., Mtl.) but they've looked terrible against everyone else. If Sill and Adams are on the ice, you'll be defending 99% of the time.

Best the 4th line has ever looked this season was when Farnham and Rust were on it. Guys that can actually bring something to the table. Stick any C inbetween them and they'll still give you more than anything with Sill/Adams combined.

Dig your head out of your ***. Look at the game tapes. Look at the stats and stop putting out Adams late in tie or winning by one-goal games cuz you deserve to lose if you do.

From what I understood from the article is that they are aware the 4th line's performance against the Blackhawks was an anomaly, and that they are aware that the 4th line is mostly caught in in their own zone.

As you said - everything that he is asking from a 4th line - a good forecheck, having the puck and being able to get some time in the offensive zone - this one hasn't managed. I don't get why they see the problem, but don't want to solve it.

 

[MrBurghundy]

Or they don't know how, which is worse.

The only thing I can think of is the PK. They don't want to play our top players there a lot, and they don't trust any of the callups enough.

 

[Shady Machine]

All of that sounds great Tocchet, but they can't maintain that type of game. They just aren't good enough.

Also, I didn't watch the game but didn't Goc play on the 3rd line some?

 

[Darth Vitale]

Hey did anyone ever give Rossi a wedgie and Facebook the photo?

 

[ProgOg]

All of that sounds great Tocchet, but they can't maintain that type of game. They just aren't good enough.

Also, I didn't watch the game but didn't Goc play on the 3rd line some?

Yeah, IIRC the 4th line was Adams, Sill and Ebbett. They mostly played against Shaw, Teravainen, Bickell and comparatively did probably quite well, I guess.

 

[billybudd]

I'm not sure what is more frustrating - Bylsma and Co never saying anything like this, and doing it wrong, or Johnston and Co saying the right things and apparently seeing the same things as fans do... but still doing it wrong.

Nice way to put it.

That said, maybe they think Sill's salvageable. It's not completely out of the question with enough brainwashing, he could be turned into a guy that contributes on the ice. Maybe not offense, but something.

Not holding my breath waiting for it to happen, but enterprising persons have turned garbage into fuel before. And Sill has been good, relatively speaking, in the last couple. I thought the Hawks game was his best in our uniform even without the goal.

 

[Valarukar]

Hey did anyone ever give Rossi a wedgie and Facebook the photo?

Can't say I've had the fortune of doing that. I did work with someone who used to date his sister though. She said he's bat **** crazy, not just pertaining to hockey.

 

[Captain Hook]

The Pens always let one good game here and there by Adams, Sill etc. go to their head. They talk about what a plus it is to get secondary scoring from that line but wouldn't it be nice if they actually iced a line that could do such a thing more consistently instead of a line that has a couple of guys that consistently go stretches of about 50 games or so without scoring any goals.

 

[Shady Machine]

The Pens always let one good game here and there by Adams, Sill etc. go to their head. They talk about what a plus it is to get secondary scoring from that line but wouldn't it be nice if they actually iced a line that could do such a thing more consistently instead of a line that has a couple of guys that consistently go stretches of about 50 games or so without scoring any goals.

So does the media. The 4th line goes 20 games without a goal and we don't hear a peep. Sill scores a goal and an article is written about how great they are. It's a joke.

 

[Dipsy Doodle]

So does the media. The 4th line goes 20 games without a goal and we don't hear a peep. Sill scores a goal and an article is written about how great they are. It's a joke.

I'm not sure what is more frustrating - Bylsma and Co never saying anything like this, and doing it wrong, or Johnston and Co saying the right things and apparently seeing the same things as fans do... but still doing it wrong.

Yep. The media's a lapdog and the staff isn't putting its money where its mouth is.

The former's never gonna change, we'll see if the latter has the cojones to do it before the end of the season.

 

[TNT87]

I'm not sure what is more frustrating - Bylsma and Co never saying anything like this, and doing it wrong, or Johnston and Co saying the right things and apparently seeing the same things as fans do... but still doing it wrong.

That's such a good question. It's mindboggling what the coaches see at times when it comes to the fourth line. Now that Sill scored his first goal he might never leave the lineup. Joy.

 

[BillyOcean]

I miss when Rupp/Asham/Adams was a thing

 

[WayneSid9987]

For me, i believe it's about trying to force a square peg in a round hole.
The coaching staff really likes Sill. They have tried to build him up, telling him he'll have key PK time and that he'll be counted on with the injuries we still have. They also know he'll be the 13th forward with a healthy roster or sent down if more trades are made. So, it's more of they want to see him do well but realize he's not all that important here.

JR just needs to make another trade, no matter how small, to rectify the situation himself.

 

[BigEezyE22]

I miss when Rupp/Asham/Adams was a thing

I agree. Farnham is a nice add on to the 4th line, but if he's your most physical player, you're in trouble. He plays with tenacity. Pens need guys who play with authority.

 

[Lionel Hutz]

I miss when Rupp/Asham/Adams was a thing

Agreed. Rupp took a lot of flak but I always liked him in his role, Ash was great. And there was a point when adams was useful.

 

[Kristopher Letang]

Lol, remember Asham's crazy playoff performance (2011)? Maybe Adams can do that

 

[ColePens]

Lol, remember Asham's crazy playoff performance (2011)? Maybe Adams can do that

Throw this as another addition to the Craig Adams story. How does the guy do it? He's had 5 years to show us something and he still hasn't... yet he's a mainstay.

You can't make this **** up. It will forever blow my mind.

 

[Til the End of Time]

Adams persistence in the lineup is just a very visible and obvious example of the incompetence of this organization. If they can't get rid of Adams or at least sit him, how on earth could they make the tough calls that this organization needs, ie move on from fleury, trade Kunitz, maybe move letting, etc.

When was the last time this team made a tough call and traded a guy off the team that didn't clearly need to be moved?

 

[madinsomniac]

I like sill over adams... I don't like Sill and Adams together. I said it last year, you cannot play two black holes on a line.... real dangerous 4th lines in this league don't just score, they put consistent pressure by creating scoring chances or grinding for extended periods in the other team's zone. having a line once in ablue moon score a goal or have a good shift doesn't make them a good line....

 

[BrunoPuntzJones]

Adams persistence in the lineup is just a very visible and obvious example of the incompetence of this organization. If they can't get rid of Adams or at least sit him, how on earth could they make the tough calls that this organization needs, ie move on from fleury, trade Kunitz, maybe move letting, etc.

When was the last time this team made a tough call and traded a guy off the team that didn't clearly need to be moved?

Like six months ago.