Pens Flying Under Therrien
When the Pittsburgh Penguins fired Eddie Olczyk on December 15, 2005 and replaced him with Michel Therrien, no one was really sure what would result. Well, Therrien has brought his system, his expectations, his accountability and passion for winning to Pittsburgh. The players responded almost immediately.
Therrien skated the team hard during the first week of practice to improve conditioning that he felt was questionable, made a couple personnel moves that have a paid immediate dividends, and seems to have taught the team how to win. They have picked up points in 5 straight games, going 3-0-2 during that time. The team has transitioned from a group of underachieving veterans with a couple rookies, to a group of youngsters led by Sidney Crosby, and a couple vets filling niche roles.
There are currently 11 rookies in the line-up and they are mostly playing very important roles. We all know Sidney Crosby, but some of the bigger suprises have been guys like Michel Ouellet and Tomas Surovy. Ouellet was called up earlier in the season and used in a checking role that did not suit him well. Since his recall when Therrien was hired, he has been used in a power play, penalty killing and top 6 forward role, a role in which he has thrived. He is one of the highest scoring 1st year players during the last 10 games, right along side the likes of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Surovy has found a home on the top line playing with Ziggy Palffy and the aforementioned Sidney Crosby. Some others making an impact are: Maxime Talbot, Colby Armstrong, Shane Endicott, Eric Chritsensen, Ryan Whitney and goaltender Marc Andre Fleury.
These young players are being used in all situations and being given a chance to grow. This is a very important time in their development. The veteran leaders are still there to help the cause, but it is obvious that the torch has been passed.
Not only has the team gone a different direction with personel but they have started to play an up tempo game that revolves around trapping, clogging the neutral zone and creating turnovers. These turnovers are converted into odd man breaks and scoring opportunities. The Penguins seem to have shaken a lot of what was wrong with them earlier in the year and the players look like they are having fun again. They are playing as a team, scoring goals(an average of 3 a game under Therrien), and working together. The goaltending has been steady, with Marc Andre Fleury getting the bulk of the starts, but Jocelyn Thibault has been playing better and could start to play a little more.
Therrien even seems to have woken up a certain # 55 who has been lying dormant most of the season. Sergei Gonchar has been producing points and looks a lot more comfortable in the offensive zone. This can only help the team, even if it is to make him look more marketable in a trade.
The bottom line is that the playoffs may be a little to far a stretch, but this team is learning to win. Michel Therrien has made a big difference and his influence should help this team continue to have success this year and beyond!!
Therrien skated the team hard during the first week of practice to improve conditioning that he felt was questionable, made a couple personnel moves that have a paid immediate dividends, and seems to have taught the team how to win. They have picked up points in 5 straight games, going 3-0-2 during that time. The team has transitioned from a group of underachieving veterans with a couple rookies, to a group of youngsters led by Sidney Crosby, and a couple vets filling niche roles.
There are currently 11 rookies in the line-up and they are mostly playing very important roles. We all know Sidney Crosby, but some of the bigger suprises have been guys like Michel Ouellet and Tomas Surovy. Ouellet was called up earlier in the season and used in a checking role that did not suit him well. Since his recall when Therrien was hired, he has been used in a power play, penalty killing and top 6 forward role, a role in which he has thrived. He is one of the highest scoring 1st year players during the last 10 games, right along side the likes of Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin. Surovy has found a home on the top line playing with Ziggy Palffy and the aforementioned Sidney Crosby. Some others making an impact are: Maxime Talbot, Colby Armstrong, Shane Endicott, Eric Chritsensen, Ryan Whitney and goaltender Marc Andre Fleury.
These young players are being used in all situations and being given a chance to grow. This is a very important time in their development. The veteran leaders are still there to help the cause, but it is obvious that the torch has been passed.
Not only has the team gone a different direction with personel but they have started to play an up tempo game that revolves around trapping, clogging the neutral zone and creating turnovers. These turnovers are converted into odd man breaks and scoring opportunities. The Penguins seem to have shaken a lot of what was wrong with them earlier in the year and the players look like they are having fun again. They are playing as a team, scoring goals(an average of 3 a game under Therrien), and working together. The goaltending has been steady, with Marc Andre Fleury getting the bulk of the starts, but Jocelyn Thibault has been playing better and could start to play a little more.
Therrien even seems to have woken up a certain # 55 who has been lying dormant most of the season. Sergei Gonchar has been producing points and looks a lot more comfortable in the offensive zone. This can only help the team, even if it is to make him look more marketable in a trade.
The bottom line is that the playoffs may be a little to far a stretch, but this team is learning to win. Michel Therrien has made a big difference and his influence should help this team continue to have success this year and beyond!!
posted by Bmetzer66 at 3:00 PM
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