By Brian Metzer
It feels like I walked through the doors of the Civic Arena to cover my first NHL game yesterday. Yet here I am 20 years later ready to kick off season 21.
The crazy thing about it is that when I started writing about the NHL and the Pittsburgh Penguins I never dreamed I’d be able to cover a single game, let alone what has got to be well over 1200 today.
Since it all started in 2006 I have worked five Stanley Cup Finals, an All-Star Game, eight NHL Drafts, been interviewed on radio around the globe, hosted my own show for three years, been a co-host of a show for 14 years, filled in for Mark Madden many times, worked as a beat reporter and penned hundreds of stories that were printed in the Beaver County Times, wrote stories for the Florida Sun Sentinel, wrote hundreds of stories for the NHL’s website, become a member of the Professional Hockey Writers Association, the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and voted on the NHL’s individual awards multiple times.
I got the chance to call the opening faceoff of a NHL game on the radio, do play-by-play for Mario Lemieux’s fantasy camp multiple times and to rub shoulders with so many of my boyhood heroes (both media and players) that I sometimes have to remind myself that it’s all really happened.
That reminder is important on days when it all really stops feeling like I’m “livin’ the dream.”
My long-time followers may know it but I am guessing many do not – I have very demanding, full-time job as a senior manager at a local non-profit and have juggled that while providing my coverage from the start.
I start work at 5:30AM three days per week, 7AM two day per week and need to be in Bridgeville for my weekly radio show by 8AM on Saturdays, all while working every game along the way.
Sleep is a back burner item. Friends, family, loved ones, responsibilities? I’ll try my damnedest, but a lot of things fall by the wayside until April. That gets frustrating for me and all others involved. I won’t lie – it’s very hard – but my season begins tomorrow night with a healthy dose of cross-state hate.
The Penguins stopped utilizing me for the preseason during the Covid days, so my coverage year officially kicks off with Game 1 of the regular season. Of course I have been busy preparing all along with everyone else. Following training camp, roster decisions, injuries and everything else and am ready to roll.
However – Game 1 is day 1.
Season 21 is a go and while my body is already sore, my mood is somewhere in the middle and I’m exhausted from a summer that brought some challenges I was not expecting, I am excited to get back behind the mic for my intermission reports, my postgame show and PenguinsLive Weekly alongside Paul Steigerwald and yes, lots of writing here.
It’s gonna be a grind but it’s one that I have been mastering for two decades and it’ sone that I will again tackle with aplomb! I hope you’ll be along for the ride.
With that – here are a few quick thoughts on the Penguins ahead of opening night:
- Sidney Crosby’s contract isn’t something I am worried about. He seems poised and ready to roll for the season, and he seems excited to get things rolling. The guy is a unicorn and is the closest thing to Tom Brady we’ve ever seen in the NHL. He lives and breathes hockey. He approaches life with a hockey first mentality which has him in top shape, well-conditioned and ready to rip off another point per game season to extend his own NHL record. The business side will take care of itself as he finishes his career on a year-by-year basis. All of the above might have us in line for plenty more year-by-years though, if you know what I’m saying!
- Penguins’ fans and probably the Penguins were clamoring for Jason Robertson throughout the summer. Unfortunately, that didn’t work out, but they still got themselves a Robertson – Jason’s brother, Nick. He’s two years younger than JRob and will likely never match his brother’s offensive output, but that won’t be a problem if he plays the way he did during the preseason. He skates well, has a great shot and even showed off some outstanding one-on-one skills as he scored a beautiful shorthanded goal. His ability to kill penalties should be beneficial and his blue-collar approach to game should come in handy as he starts the season on Crosby’s left flank. His approach is reminiscent of Crosby linemates past such as Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz. I’m not for a moment saying that he’ll be as productive as those two were, but he just might work there. Now, as I say that, I won’t be shocked to see Sid back with Rust and Rakell as soon as everyone is healthy enough to do that! HA!
- The Penguins goaltending is bound to be a bit of a wildcard this season. Sergei Murashov is a true rookie and Artie Silvos – for all his experience – isn’t far behind him in terms of experience. They both had their ups and downs during the preseason but they acquitted themselves well. There could be bumps but there could be amazing moments. They’re both smart, cerebral and don’t seem to allow the bad goals or rough moments to linger. Goalies who shower well tend to be successful and both guys fit that bill.
- The Penguins have way too many forwards and were significantly helped by injuries when it came time to set their opening roster. They didn’t have to worry about passing players through waivers and more importantly they’re going to get a look at some who might not have gotten a chance to start the season with them. It stinks seeing names injured but it’s also good to get a peek at what you have in the cupboard.
- The Penguins got a lot younger. That’s a good thing. They managed to do so while keeping the big three and or four if you count Erik Karlsson in that mix. They may even be tougher, which is an even better thing. I am not one to push for knuckle dragging hockey and that’s not what they have, but they did add a couple guys, namely Declan Carlile. He’s not an enforcer but he is physical, high-energy player, who is willing to mix it up. He picked up 51 hits in 42 games last season. He was running around a bit during preseason tilts and looks like he could add a dynamic that wasn’t available during the Pens’ series with the Flyers.
- Kyle Dubas seemed frustrated to get a question about Evgeni Malkin’s future before a single game of the new season had even been played. Many took that soundbite and assumed it was frustration with Geno. All media in attendance at the presser pretty much agreed that it was frustration with the question and not the player. I agree with that take and wonder why it had to be asked to begin with. Yes, Geno has speculated – AGAIN – that he might not be done because he’s feeling great etc. but let’s let things play out a bit before we start stirring the pot, eh? The guy is and always been a lightning rod and it stinks seeing him involved in another tug of way between media and fans before things have even gotten under way.
That’s all for now – as I said – stay tuned for a lot more as we move through the season. We’ll be talking pucks, music, life and a lot more… I appreciate the click!
I’ll talk to you all from Bridgeville Wednesday night!
