Blaming Mario Lemieux, his buddy Rick Tocchet for Penguins’ mess
Who gets the blame for the current state of the Pittsburgh Penguins?
GM Jim Rutherford apparently blamed coach Mike Johnston, firing him on Saturday. Although Rutherford was the guy that hired him, and some have blamed Rutherford for his decisions since taking over the gig. But he took over from GM Ray Shero, whom fans blame for the current construction of this team.
Then there’s the team itself, and the players haven’t exactly escaped this unscathed either. (Lack of effort, diminishing returns and all of that.)
But Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review took aim at the men he blames for the Penguins’ problems: Team owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle.
There is no evidence Burkle or Lemieux know the first thing about running a championship franchise. Their failures to build a champion before — or rebuild something resembling even a contender after — Ray Shero’s tenure as GM stand as indisputable proof.
But this isn’t about the shortsighted, reactionary and still-looks-personal firing of Shero on May 16, 2014. That’s over and done. This is about the need for new ownership Burkle and Lemieux aren’t getting the job done. Not sure they ever did.
It should be said that Shero’s firing was at least justifiable, given the state of the team’s bottom six forwards and some of the questionable deadline moves for the team. Dan Bylsma’s fate was, in some ways, sealed by that poor construction.
Perhaps the most interesting accusation from Rossi regarding ownership is about assistant coach Rick Tocchet, who inexplicably escaped Saturday’s coach purge despite being responsible for a power play that’s at the heart of the Penguins’ offensive issues.
Why is Tocchet still there? Because he’s Mario’s boy, according to Rossi:
The guess here is it’s not Tocchet’s communication skills but with whom Tocchet can communicate. Tocchet’s advantage for keeping his job is obvious: He’s a “Friend of Mario.”
That’s probably why players don’t listen to him, just like they once again won’t take anything Jacques Martin says seriously. They sniffed Martin out as the ownership plant the last time the Penguins tried to involve him in the coaching mix. Players aren’t stupid. They know when they’re being played.
Good thing that’s never led to a rift between the team’s star player and its co-owner.
The Penguins are reportedly for sale, which means Rossi’s long national nightmare might be over eventually.
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Greg Wyshynski is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at [email protected] or find him on Twitter. His book, TAKE YOUR EYE OFF THE PUCK, is available on Amazon and wherever books are sold.
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