The Penguins, hockey and more, by Seth Rorabaugh.
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We actually linked to this article this morning but totally overlooked this little tidbit from Red Wings goaltender Chris Osgood (above). The Pensblog and Abel to Yzerman were a little bit more heads up and caught it.
While complaining about the All-Star Lame Game suspensions to teammates Pavel Datsyuk and Nicklas Lidstrom, Osgood kind of went off on the Penguins being the media darlings of the NHL:
"In the salary-cap era, the league is built for different teams to win every year, so it wouldn't be good if we won again, would it? You see a lot of commercials with us in it? Most of it is Pittsburgh scoring on us (in the Finals) and we're the team that won. I think we're the New York Yankees of the NHL. People dislike us. We have our fans, but there probably are a lot of people that love to see us lose and love to see us get guys suspended. We look at that as a nice challenge."
-This is the commercial Osgood is complaining about:
-The NHL wanted to use more clips of Osgood, but the only ones available were of him flopping like a fish. We think:
EN Says: The idea the NHL wouldn't benefit from the Red Wings having maximum exposure in any of the league's showcase events is clearly absurd. Detroit, poor attendance or not, is one of the league's best markets within the United States. The Penguins' presence wasn't the only reason the ratings for the Cup final were good by the NHL's standards. Detroit's involvement more than contributed to that success. And this season's Winter Classic generated big ratings as well due in large part to the Red Wings.
Osgood should maybe worry about reclaiming his starting job and quit being so paranoid.
(Photo: Dave Sandford/Getty Images)
I guess if I went from Stanley Cup starting goaltender to back-up as quickly as Osgood did, I'd be insecure too.
To top it off - where the * has Osgood been all these years, under a rock? Or sitting in the backup spot "again"?
I'm not a native of the east, and from my midwest background and travels around the US and Cananda, the DeadWings have been the Yankees of the NHL for 10-15 years now, at least! Everyone I have ever met either loves them, or absolutely hates them more than life itself!
The ill will towards the DeadWings runs as deep with everyone, no matter their favorite team (most all Western Conf mind you, but some Eastern in Canada), as the Pens fans feelings for the puppy drowners!
This has been going on longer than Osgood's insecurity, to borrow PenguinsExperience! ;)
BTW - I hope the use of the "*" was within standards... if not, my apologies up front!!!!
I can totally imagine the Red Wings being target for a lot of rivalry/hatred. Even if for no other reason than their tradition and success. That said, do you guys really think it's a Yankees-level thing?
I'm from Brazil, by the way, so I'm honestly curious about this.
Either way, Osgood's remarks are still funny. I wonder how many people buy that.
Luiz: I don't know how many players buy that line of thinking, but most of the fanbases believe it. I read a few of the big national blogs and any time a Crosby or Penguins story is the lead story, the Pens/Crosby bashers come out and complain. Some are tired of Sid, some are tired of the Penguins, and a few think their favorite player (i.e. Ovechkin, Zetterberg, etc.) are better and Sid is overrated...etc.
It's tough reading the comments on Kukla's Korner or Puck Daddy if you're a Pens fan.
Oh, and Osgood looked very average last night. Maybe he should worry about his and the Wings play of late.
I agree that the Pens and Sid are probably over-hyped. Players like Ovechikin, Zetterberg, Datysuk, etc definitely deserved to be mentioned in the same sentence as Crosby (Ovechkin may even be having a better year). The point is though, the NHL is a product which needs to be marketed in order to be sold, no different than a shiny new car or a cheeseburger. Sid is young, charasmatic, etc, so it's ovbious he would be picked as the "face" of the NHL. Is it fair? Absolutely not. Is it frustrating for other elite players? Probably. But I guess the old adage says "Life isn't fair".
I think what frustrates alot of diehard hockey types is the "bandwagon" effect in Pittsburgh. No one came out during the Rico Fata years, but now it's almost impossible to get tickets. That frustrated me for a little while. And you have to admit that Pens fans for the most part have a bias towards Crosby.
All that being said, it's simply human nature to like a team when they're doing well, for better or worse. I know that doesn't sit well with the die-hard fans like myself, but that's the way it is.
Also, I can't type or proofread. Apologies for that.
Penguins -Why exactly is Mike Yeo in charge of the power play ? -Former Penguins forward Mark Johnson
Central Division -Rick Nash had three goals including one in overtime and lifted the Blue Jackets to
Osgood = crybaby. You won the Cup, quit complaining!
Well let's give him his due. He outplayed Fleury in the Cup Finals. Fleury is the one with the megacontract. Pens could have signed Conklin for a measly 750K, yet they are in a state where they do not have a single reliable goalie and we are forced to pay Garon a prorated portion of his million dollar salary in addition to giving up a couple of players. Was it really shocking that they needed Conklin more than Sabourin last year? Fleury is a freaking veteran by now.
Detroit has been a lot smarter with their cap management. And Crosby is overhyped. The NHL did drop the ball in not giving more air time for the likes of Ovechkin. It was like the NBA nearly shooting themselves in the foot when they went on overhyping a couple of players to the detriment of marquee teams.
What a whiner. Hey Osgood, maybe the NHL should use scenes of the half empty arena in Detroit to promote the sport.
Agree wholeheartedly Bones and Shane, Osgood is an idiot, stop your whining.