Bylsma's Boys

The Revival of Paul Martin

by Teddy Krzywiecki

Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Paul Martin. Equivelant to a swearword on the tongue of yinzers throughout the 2011-2012 season of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Why all the hate?

Paul Martin was ultimately the scapegoat of the sorry excuse of the season the Pittsburgh Penguins put together last year. Teasing fans with Stanley cup lore, the Penguins became the San Jose Sharks of the 2012 playoffs. Widespread panic among fans hinted at the notion that the Penguins were incapable of putting together a legitimate blueline to lockdown the star power of other Eastern Conference teams. 

Penguins fans may call to mind the constant giveaways and mishandling of the puck by Martin last year, but there may have been a larger issue behind their Penguins failures. The 2012 Penguins had much greater problems than the miscues of Paul Martin, but that my friends is another story. Fans, analysts, and coaches alike agreed that Martin had an abysmal year. This blueliner was signed for a whoppping $25 million (5 years) as a free agent, a salary that Kris Letang wasn't even worth at the time. 

In the 2010 offseason, Martin was one of the most coveted free agents on the market...Ray Shero understood this. By signing Martin, the Penguins were getting a solid defenseman with great puckhandling ability. 

In the 2012 offseason, fans were calling for Martin's head on a platter. "Trade Paul Martin" was the consensus among fans, and they were not alone in their thinking. Ray Shero asked Paul Martin if he wanted out of Pittsburgh...Martin declined. When asked in a radio interview Martin said, "I’d rather have a great season here than get traded and have a good one somewhere else.  For me, it was an easy decision.  I came here for my reasons and to win a cup with the team that we have in here.”  Martin wanted another chance. He wanted to prove his worth to fans. He needed a revival.

Now...I don't want to say I'm right, but I was right. 

I had a feeling that Paul Martin was going to redeem himself, and at least so far...he's done it.

He and Brooks Orpik have been a shutdown defensive pairing up to this point, giving a sense stability to the Penguins blueline. 

Paul Martin is beginning to once again look like the player that Ray Shero signed two years ago. 

This is not a matter of chance. Martin has always been a smooth skater, clean puck handler, and technical defensemen. Pittsburgh fans were blind to this fact last season because of the lack of discipline throughout the lineup. 

Martin wanted another chance. He got it. 

Paul Martin stayed in Pittsburgh because he wanted to win a Stanley Cup. In his mind, this team had the best chance to accomplish such a feat. 

Credit: cbssports.com

As a consistent + player on the ice, Martin has continued to regain the trust of Penguin fans with his performances this season. Since his addition to the Penguins power play, the Pens have finally found a rythm. Martin even notched the game winner in Sunday's 3-2 win against Buffalo. 

The revival of Paul Martin has been crucial to the Penguins strong start to the season. If this blue-liner continues his consistent play, the Penguins may finally be able to fill the gap on the defensive end. 

You have to love an underdog, especially one who was notorious among Pens fans last season. 

This guy is fighting for the hearts of Pens fans... he has mine.

Hail to Pitt

Is This Their Year?

By Dan Brady

credit: AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

Trevor Huffman. Dwyane Wade. Tony Allen. Scotty Reynolds. The list goes on…All adding up to two words that describe the Ben Howland/Jamie Dixon era of Pitt Men’s Basketball frustration and heartbreak. Over the last couple of years the Panthers have taken a new approach to building a team, bringing in high profile recruits like McDonald’s All-Americans Dante Taylor and Khem Birch. Throw in promising 2012 ESPN Top 50 recruits DeMatha standout winner James Robinson and New Zealand product Steven Adams into the mix and you have a Final Four team, right? To quote the great Lee Corso, “not so fast my friend.” Taylor has never quite developed into a dominant front line player. Birch left Pitt in his first semester for rumored reasons that, quite frankly, would turn this post into a TV-MA rating equivalent. Both Robinson and Adams have showed signs of brilliance but still need some polish.

Time to hit the rewind button and go back to 2002. The Panthers, coming off what this writer remembers to be an incredible run to the Big East Tournament Championship Game in the previous season, started the season unranked. No one saw this program's string of excellence  coming. The teams were comprised of tough, hard-nosed players by Pitt fan definition and, for lack of a better term, “thugs”, by opposing fans. To put it into perspective for those who are struggling to get a mental image: these were guys that you would go out of your way, to walk on the other side of the street of, in South Oakland, at any time of day. Don’t believe it? Watch this.

The identity taken on by the teams of the 2000s was all well and good until the plane left New York City after several deep runs at Madison Square Garden. Legend has it that Big East conference games tend to be  more loosely officiated than in the rest of NCAA D-1 Men’s Basketball conferences. Blend that with the list of names mentioned above and you have got a kid who did not get to celebrate his birthday (March 26^th) by cheering for Pitt in the NCAA Tournament until he turned 18, muah. Thanks for the pain Scotty Reynolds.

credit: Espn

That was hardly a brief interlude, but a necessary background about the progression of Pitt basketball. Going back to the composition of Pitt’s current roster, there are seven other players that deserve some love:

credit: US Presswire

·         Travon Woodall- battle tested RS SR. Point Guard that has been around the program in its brightest and darkest hours. Kid can shoot the rock, is the team’s leading scorer (10.9 PPG) and has welcomed a role change in his last hurrah.

·         Talib Zanna- the “Nigerian Nightmare,” proclaimed by yours truly—Christian Okoye’s people, I am not claiming rights. The RS JR. F is one of the most efficient players in the Big East. He has disappeared at times in conference play, but is certainly a key contributor as the team’s second leading scorer at 10.6 PPG.

      Lamar Patterson- the RS JR. swing man is responsible for the majority of the hair I have pulled out this year but also for some of the exciting moments.  If not Woodall, this guy is establishing himself as Pitt’s go-to man.

        J.J. Moore- A very diverse energy man off the bench. Had he redshirted, Gilbert Brown would be the minimal comparison. J.J. is athletic enough to guard SFs and strong enough to play in the post.

      Trey Zeigler- An interesting story: a transfer from Central Michigan where he was the team’s leading scorer and was granted a waiver by the NCAA to play right away, after his father was fired as head coach of the Chippewas. At the beginning of the season, it appeared he would be no more than a Chase Adams type, and things got worse when he picked up a DUI. He has since persevered and turned into a valuable weapon off the bench.

      Don’t Sleep On- Cameron Wright and Durand Johnson. Both players have come off the bench as sparkplugs on both the offensive and defensive ends.

credit: Associated Press

I am going to give my dear friend Joe Lunardi, who does not know we are friends yet, the benefit of the doubt with the NCAA Tournament picture as of 2/12/13 only because he went a mere 67 for 68 predicting teams in the field last year. Right now Joe has the beloved Panthers as the (5 seed) in the Midwest region squaring off against the Belmont Bruins (12 seed) out of the Ohio Valley Conference in their first game—for complete bracket details go here. If I’m a betting man, who I most certainly am, I would lay the mortgage on the fact that this will not be the matchup we see on opening weekend come mid-March; however, for the purposes of this post, we will assume so. Belmont shoots the lights out and I will not sleep until game day if that matchup is set in tone, just ask Duke. 

It just so happens, I don't sleep much to begin with, and I do not think the Panthers will fall victim to an early upset courtesy of the dreaded Bruins. This year’s squad is deep and they will find a way to rally late. 

credit: Drew Hallowell/Getty Images

The next round matchup would be against the winner of Kansas State and Lehigh. 99 times out of 100 I would have more knowledge on a Power 6 school than a Mid-Major. However because Pitt beat Lehigh early on in the year, quite convincingly might I add, I know a little more about them than K-State. Based on what I saw, whether C.J. McCollum returns to the Mountain Hawks or not, I see Coach Weber getting the W for the Cats. *Lehigh Fan voice* “Dude, we beat Duke last year!” Bruce Weber has done some good things this year for K-State but by no means has he reached Wizard of Oz (Bill Snyder) status yet in the “Little Apple”. I will be a prisoner of the moment by picking the Panthers in a tight one based on what I saw in Lawrence, KS this week. If IU can get by SWAC titan Southern/NEC upstart Bryant University and VCU/BBN, then that will result in a huge showdown in Indy.

I have to leave it up to you to decide from there, as I am sure it has been a waste of time putting this much stock into a mid-February Bracketology. Tonight, I will drool over the thought of a road trip to Indianapolis and the Panthers taking on the role of the Hickory Huskers, just bear in mind that this is a different Pitt team this year. A team that has NBA talent, size, depth, guard play, and tenacity. A team that is peaking at the right time by winning seven of eight contests heading into Saturday afternoon’s rematch against Marquette at the Bradley Center. A team that can singlehandedly make four years of frustration and heartbreak go away for my fellow seniors and I with one run from mid-March into April. A team of destiny. 

The Strip

Today:

Gene J. Puskar/AP

• Riverhounds sign 3 new players: Felix Matagalvan, Michael Seamon, and Ryan Kinne --- Read here
• Matt Cooke informed there will be no disciplinary action from last nights hit with Erik  Karlsson. Karlsson is out for the season with surgery on his Achilles tendon. 
• Eric Tangradi was traded to the Winnipeg Jets for a 7th round draft pick. The Tangradi experiment is finally over. This trade was probably better for both parties as ET was running out of chances to prove himself here. 
• Beau Bennett was called up from WBS for the Pens. Theres a lot of people with high hopes for this kid, he definitely has the tools. 
• The Buccos are at it down in Bradenton. Their first full workout is scheduled for tomorrow.

Credit: post-gazette.com

Hounds Announce 3 New Signings

Today the Riverhounds announced the signing of three players: Felix 'Alfonso' Motagalvan, Michael Seamon, and Ryan Kinne. A little bit about each: 

Credit: ussf.demosphere.com

Felix 'Alfonso' Motagalvan: Midfielder, Age 26,  Santa Rosa, CA  

• Played 4 years at UC Santa Barbera, helped them to a Division 1 title in 2006
• Played with Chivas USA reserve squad in '08 and '09, however wasn't drafted
• Played with Rochester Rhinos in '10-'11
• Played 1 season with Ft. Lauderdale Strikers in 2012

Don't expect a lot of goals from Motagalvan, however he is creative and very comfortable on the ball. He will look to pick apart opposing teams with his vision. 

Michael Seamon: Midfielder, Age 24, Rahway, NJ

Credit: soundersfc.com

• Played 4 years at Villanova, Philadelphia Soccer Seven Player of the Year (So.), Second team All-Big East (Jr.)
• Drafted 27th Overall by Seattle Sounders in 2010 MLS SuperDraft 
• Helped Sounders to 2010, 2011 U.S. Open cup

Seamon will give the Hounds some strength in the central areas. At 6'1 look for  Seamon to add some physical, blue collar play with an ability to influence the attack.

Credit: gomuhawks.com

Ryan Kinne: Forward/AMF, Age 23, Waterbury, CT 

• 4 Years Monmouth University, All-American, 35 goals in 77 career games
• Drafted in third round (42 overall) of the 2011 MLS  Superdraft by the New England Revolution, however only made 1  appearance
• Played in 2012 with CT Cruz Azul, scoring 8 goals in 15 games

Look for Kinne to add some dynamic play to the Hounds attack. Kinne is small, but is very clever and has pace. He could be a factor this season in the final third. 

Bylsma's Boys

Can the Pens Win the Cup?
By Teddy Krzywiecki

Photo credit: motherofpearl.edublogs.org

Las Vegas says that the Pens have a 6/1 odds of winning the Stanley Cup in 2013, they may be convinced, but I'm not. Ok so I'm a die hard Penguins fan, but I'm also a realist. I will never forget watching Sid the kid raise the cup in 2009 with his sorry excuse for a playoff beard (stash), but I'm not so sure that the Pens will be able to get it done in 2013. Am I wrong? I hope so. But here are a few things the Pens are lacking this year that the Stanley Cup winning 2009 team had.

• A Shutdown D-pairing: Everyone remembers the series of a lifetime with the Washington Capitals in 2009. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin lit the lamp constantly, and everytime Ovi touched the puck it made me uncomfortable. But who kept Ovechkin under raps for parts of the series (namely game 7) cue Rob Scuderi and Hal Gill. These two gentlemen were the heart and soul of the Penguins defense, and frankly were the reason that Ovi didn't singlehandedly eliminate the Pens. There are however, early season claims that Paul Martin and Brooks Orpik are the Pens shutdown pairing. Although Paul Martin's play through the first 8 games is promising, it remains to be seen if they have the ability to shutdown the top weapons of cup contenders.



Photo Credit: Socialblackandgold.com

• A Veteran Presence: In the 2008-2009 season Ray Shero ingeniously brought Bill Guerin and Ruslan Fedotenko into the Pens organization. Pens fans remember the fireworks of Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby but forget about the veteran voices in the locker room for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Sure, these guys didn't lead the penguins in points or scoring in the 2009 playoffs, however they brought Stanley cup rings to the table. Ruslan Fedotenko scored the game winning goal for Tampa Bay in 2004 against the Calgary Flames (Game 7) to win his first Stanley cup. Bill Guerin won the Stanley cup with the New Jersey Devils in 1995 and in 2009 was on the last legs of his playing career. You also can't forget about guys like Sergei Gonchar, Miroslav Satan, and Petr Sykora. I know what your thinking. "There are still guys on the Penguins that have won a Stanley cup" . True. But keep in mind these guys understood where they were in their careers, and that this could be their last chance at winning a championship. They brought a composure into the Penguins locker room. A composure that the Penguins severely lacked last year in their meltdown against the Flyers. 
• Third/Fourth Line Magic: Let me start this off by saying that Brandon Sutter is a great player. But is he capable of the same magic that Jordan Staal brought to the 2009 playoffs? It may be too early to tell. Draw from the memory bank Jordan Staal's shorthanded goal in game 4 of the finals. Before you call me an idiot, keep in mind that the respective third and fourth lines of the '09 Penguins generated a total of at least 20+ goals and 25+ assists during the course of the 09 playoffs. Can you see the combination of Kennedy-Sutter-Cooke and Glass-Adams-Vitale producing the same output. I don't.

In all reality there is plenty of time to prove me wrong, and frankly I hope I am wrong. I would love nothing more than to watch the Pens hoist their fourth Stanley cup in 2013, but I'm not convinced that it is very likely. Call me a pessimist, I actually consider myself an optimist. Ultimately if the Penguins can sustain an injury free year in a shortened season (doubtful) and they can play sound two way hockey I'm not sure there is anyone in the league that can touch them. When you possess two world class talents like Sid and Geno, you are a cup contender every year. Do they have all the pieces in place to make another run at the cup? I guess Ray Shero will decide. 

Unleash the Hounds

Credit: NYtimes.com

Unleashed 
By Teddy Krzywiecki

The time has finally come. After 13 long seasons of searching, Pittsburgh's only professional soccer team has finally found its home. And let me tell you...it is a beauty.
Located in Pittsburgh's southside, Highmark Stadium sits on the opposite side of the Mon River in Pittburgh with a fantastic view of the city. After recently merging with the USL Pro, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds provide professional players with the opportunity to play in a developing soccer market, with a brand new stadium, in a highly competitive league. This option is appeasing for players on their way up to the top ranks, along with players who may have fallen out of favor with teams at the upper level. So what exactly is the deal with the Hounds, and what can we expect in 2013? Here's a few things to consider:

credit: Riverhounds.com

• After an abysmal season in 2012, the Riverhounds are looking to rebound with improvements to the squad under the reign of head coach Justin Evans. Evans, head coach since 2010, brings playing experience from the highest level of soccer in the United States having a playing stint at the San Jose Earthquakes (MLS). 
• It is unclear what players will be staying or going, as rosters won't be finalized till spring 2013...so it could be difficult for the Hounds to build team chemistry as they move into their new home on the southside. 
• With the new stadium capacity being roughly 3,500, it will be interesting to see what sort of numbers turn up to the Hounds games  when the season kicks off on Saturday April 6th. Personally I anticipate a packed house, with ravenous fans. Wishful thinking? Maybe. Attendance averages over the past year have been close to 1,000. However the Hounds have been doing an impressive job in their marketing efforts throughout the city so attendance for their inaugural year at Highmark Stadium shouldn't be an issue. Team performance however, may be. 

Regardless, I'm excited about the upcoming hounds season...you should be too. How often is it that a new stadium is built in Pittsburgh? Unleash.

Credit: thecup.us