Thoughts on Don Cherry\'s Game 4 Rant

[Ned Flanders]

So Don Cherry blasted Malkin again after Game 4 of the Cup Final..........and rightfully so. Malkin really was brutal last night. I noticed (like I\'m sure everyone did) that Malkin absolutely refused to make the easy pass; instead, he kept taking the puck (often along the boards) into traffic and turning it over, especially on the PP.

In the neutral zone he, again, would play with the puck too long and finally when pressured would give a short pass into traffic to a teammate, who of course would have no chance since there\'d be two Wings on them before they even received the pass.

Quite simply, this might have been Malkin\'s worst game of the season (and he had some bad ones in the first half of the regular season).

But, is Malkin a \"dog\" as Don Cherry said last night?
I say absolutely not. If he hadn\'t been totally dominant while Crosby was out with the ankle injury Pittsburgh might not have even made the playoffs. Similarly, let\'s not forget that Malkin was probably the Conn Smyth favourite after Round 2 of the playoffs. He\'s had a poor series, but come on, it has more to do with Detroit being incredibly good defensively and Malkin being unable to adapt. He may be playing bad, but he\'s no dog.

Issue #2: Cherry thinks Roberts should be on the first powerplay unit

I know Roberts has played pretty well and is a \"playoff guy\" and all, but who would he replace on the powerplay?

Cherry said Roberts should replace Malkin, but we all know that can\'t happen, since Malkin plays the point. And your point man can\'t be there standing in front of the net.

So, who\'d Roberts be taking over for? Ryan Malone (16 points in 18 games and was responsible for screening the goalie on almost every Pittsburgh PP goal throughout the playoffs).

Dumb idea. Malone is one of the best in the business at playing that role (Franzen and Holmstrom are there too of course). And with a defensive unit as good as Detroit\'s you need to have players to get the puck to the net....If you have Malone to stand in front on the first PP, Roberts can play the second. (If you want to put Malkin on the second unit to send a message, you put Whitney or even Sykora up on the first, since they can play the perimeter).

Hey Don, maybe the Pens should get Steve Thomas to suit up in case Crosby has a bad shift, too.

Issue #3 (and this one has nothing to do with Cherry!!): Hossa was awesome in Game #4

This once again disproves the theory that Hossa is a \"soft\" playoff performer (think back to the Ottawa-Toronto playoff series\' of the Cujo years)........Hossa\'s performance this spring is perfect evidence that the team you play for affects your playoff success a lot.

[Zorro]

I would agree that MALKIN had his worst game of the playoffs, he has seemed to get worse and worse each Stanley Cup game. He is obviously tired. This has been a really long season for the young Russian. He just doesn\'t seem to have that last gear yet, in due time..

I don\'t agree with Roberts being on the top unit, I think he is junk along the wall. He is good down around the net and deep in the corner, but when it comes to the puck coming around the boards to him he is terrible.

With Orpik, Gill, and Scuderi, this gives the Pens three shut down guys on the back-end. This is good but it hurts when they have the PP.

This would be my selection for the 2 PP\'s

Hossa-Crosby-Talbot
Gonchar-Sykora

Malone-Staal-Malkin
Whitney-Sydor

[PrairieFire]

It could be so many different things...but then that\'s what these boards are for right...speculation?

It could be he\'s tired...done...never played this many games in one season...

It could be after he was levelled by Kronwall...that he is injured...or terrified of getting hit again...

There could be tension between him and Crosby...it wouldn\'t be the first time two superstars clashed in the dressing room...

It could be that he\'s another European/Russian that\'s decided to disappear in the playoffs...although the first three rounds he seemed fine...

Yes I realize generalizing like that will give me heat...but even Detoit\'s great Datsyuk has disappeared previously...not this year though...and no...I just don\'t see Alex being able to turn off his fire...but I stand by my comment...

Any thoughts?

[mister_mcgoo]

I think alot of it is selfish play on the Pens behalf...like in b-ball, when its the playoffs and you\'re down 5 pts with a minute left, you want to put the ball in your best player\'s hands and just let him drive to the net, or take the shot...its the smart thing to do and guys like Jordon and Kobe literally won games for their teams in those situations.

But that shit doesn\'t fly in the Stanley cup finals. The minute you get into the \'I\'m gonna win this for my team\' mentality you\'ve already lost. What I\'ve seen from the Pens in this series is exactly that, too many guys trying to do it all themselves and against a disciplined defensive team like Detroit that will never work.

[PrairieFire]

Don\'t tell that to Mark Messier :P

[pudge]

Malkin is finding out how good Detroit is... and he doesn\'t like being shut down... think back to his gold medal world junior game when Canada shut him down. I think in a couple years he will learn to battle through this.

One thing I do think about the Pittsburgh PP is that it should be focused on getting Crosby the puck. Last night Syd stood beside the net and waited for tap ins the whole time they were on the PP. He had 0 puck possesion time and did a job that Gary Roberts could\'ve easily done.

[Ned Flanders]

I agree about Crosby, Pudge..... I\'ve wondered throughout the season why they don\'t try Crosby on the point with Gonchar. I\'m sure they\'ve thought about it, but it just makes sense to have your best play-maker in a position to pass the puck and set things up. Of course, Sid is a physical player down low and has great hands, but it\'d be nice to see him at the point some time for comparison.

The other thing I\'ve noticed throughout the 07-08 regular season is that Malkin (often) just isn\'t the same player when Sid is on the ice (aside from Malin\'s brilliant stretch late in the season and into the early playoffs). It seems like they are often less than the sum of their parts when together (Though this generally was not the case in the first three Rounds -- the Pittsburgh powerplay has at times been lethal).

[Chuk]

But, is Malkin a \"dog\" as Don Cherry said last night?

Malkin has been horrible. Not only invisible for long stretches but making selfish idiotic plays when he actually does have the puck. Missing the wide open man and then the net on their 5on3 is not what a superstar should ever do.

The fact that people keep referring to the Kronwall hit as a potential turning point is key. If he is injured, then there is a logical factor, if he is not injured, well there is a major red flag. Every team in the league will be lining him up knowing that 1 good check takes him out of the game. Even if they can not do it in th eregular season, it sure does not bode well for the playoff, where hits are more common and more ferocious.

It is way too early to consider Malkin anything other than one of the best young players in the game, so let\'s hope he learns from this and becomes better because of the lesson.

Issue #2: Cherry thinks Roberts should be on the first powerplay unit

Look Cherry is always going to favor the tough guys and the veterans, hell he would play Bobby Orr now if he could, but he does bring up some very relevant points.

1- Malkin was a dog, so give someone else a chance. Maybe not Roberts but put Stall out there.
2- Coaches have to recognize the hot hands. Hossa was hot for sure, but his goal should largely be creditted to Roberts for occupying the other d-man in front and distracting Osgoode.
\"If it ain\'t broke don\'t fix it\", comes to mind. You just scored on the PP with Roberts in front so, here you go, try it again.
Standard lines are irrelevant, it is the Stanley cup finals, coaches should not be concerned with anything but winning.
3- On a 5 on 3, you can afford to plant a tough, \"less talented\" screen in front so that the likes of Crosby, Malkin, Gonchar and Hossa can tie the damn game for you.

Issue #3 (and this one has nothing to do with Cherry!!): Hossa was awesome in Game #4

Totally agree, really impressed, the guy has been pretty solid and seems to have shed the playoff curse.

[hockeylifer]

Personally, I thoroughly enjoy Cherry. I find him refreshing. You might not like what he says or how he says it but you will know what he thinks. Same attributes that I like about Burke and Quinn, albeit that has no relevance in this thread.

I don\'t always approve of the manner in which Cherry presents his point of view but they are usually insightful.

I think Cherry is right when he says that Pittsburgh has been outcoached by Detroit. I also wonder if there is room for Crosby and Malkin, on the same team. Malkin clearly enjoyed carrying the team when Crosby was out.

I am very impressed that Pittsburgh has done as well as they have with their young team. You are going to see the other teams in the NHL giving their young guns more opportunity. I appreciate that the salary cap dictates that but they can also see the results that have been enjoyed by teams like Pittsburgh and Philadelphia.

Crosby and Malkin are getting alot of attention from Detroit. It is clearly frustrating both of them. They don\'t have much room to do \'their thing\'. These guys will benefit from the experience.

I hope that Cherry continues with \'his act\'. His personality would be missed.

[Dutch Touch]

I think Cherry meant that Malkin has been a dog in the playoffs, not overall because like you mentioned, Malkin carried the team for 5 weeks.

I think Cherry wants Roberts on the PP because he sees how well the physical force has worked for Detroit. If Laraque was playing well, Cherry would want him on the PP.

I find Cherry more of a \"in the present\" preacher than talking too much of the past, unless its Bobby Orr