Bradford: More to hockey than just Penguins, NHL

By Chris Bradford

Jul 22, 2018 • 12:00 am

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In talking -- OK, golfing -- the other day with Robert Morris hockey coach Derek Schooley, I was reminded of some silly poll that was released earlier this summer. You know, the one entitled: "Which city is the best hockey town in the U.S.?"

Keep in mind there's more to hockey than just the NHL's version of the sport.

According to WalletHub, their "expert panel ranked 73 U.S. cities based on 21 key indicators, including attendance, team performance, arena capacity and social media." Our fair Burgh checked in at No. 2 for the NHL brand and No. 1 in fan engagement. Overall, Pittsburgh ranked as the third-best market for the sport in general, trailing only Boston and Detroit.

Fair enough, though I'd have probably also placed Minneapolis-St. Paul ahead of Pittsburgh.

The Three Ms -- Massachusetts, Michigan and Minnesota -- have been, and might always be, the traditional hubs of hockey in this country, though the lines are being constantly blurred as you see players from Arizona, Texas, Florida and California start to reach the game's highest levels.

Despite Pittsburgh's ongoing love affair with the Penguins, what separates the Three Ms is the amount of college, junior and high school hockey being played in those markets.

New England is home of the Beanpot Tournament and some of the best prep schools in the country. Michigan is the epicenter of Big Ten country and home of the U.S. National Team. Minnesota is the so-called State of Hockey, its legendary high school tournament one of the signature events of the calendar year.

By almost any metric -- a decade-long sellout streak and some of the best local TV ratings, Pittsburgh is unquestionably a great Penguins town.

Let me preface that by saying it's a great Penguins town when they are winning. Those of us old enough remember the dark days of the early 2000s and "survival mode" and the Penguins averaging 11,877 in attendance at decrepit Mellon Arena. That last figure was from the 2003-04 season, the year before the lockout.

Obviously, it's a different world in the NHL thanks in large part to that lockout and the resulting salary cap which, theoretically, demands parity. Though the Coyotes and Islanders might beg to differ, it's now quite possible for an expansion team to reach the Stanley Cup Final.

It's also a very different world in Pittsburgh where PPG Paints Arena has secured the long-term future of the franchise here. But we've also been spoiled rotten by the success of the Penguins over the last decade on top of having four generational talents -- the Mount Rushmore of the Penguins: Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin -- come one right after the other, almost continuously, for the last 30-plus years.

But nothing lasts forever. A sellout streak will end at some point and there will be a day when Crosby and Malkin, now both in their 30s, won't be among the best players in the NHL.

The game, however, will go on. And it will be great.

Thanks in large part to the star power of Lemieux and Crosby, the number of rinks and players in the area have skyrocketed. The quality of play has never been better too. From Vincent Trocheck to J.T. Miller and many others, the area is capable of producing and developing elite-level talents.

But if Pittsburgh is to reach 3-M status, a true "hockey-tahn," it must embrace the college game -- men's and women's -- at Robert Morris and in State College. It should embrace the junior game in Erie, Johnstown and Youngstown.

Yes, Pittsburgh is a pro sports town and even Pitt basketball and football struggle at times for widespread attention. But as we know, hockey fans are wired a little differently. The real ones are a little more dyed-in-the-wool.

• Down on South Water Street, Mike Tomlin likes to talk of iron sharpening iron. Apparently, that's the approach the Penguins are taking this off-season.

Typically, NHL training camps are little more than a few days of practice followed by a half-dozen meaningless -- and usually unwatchable -- preseason games. Not so this year. By signing Derek Grant on top of Matt Cullen, Jim Rutherford is setting up quite the competition. Daniel Sprong, Zach Aston-Reese and Dominik Simon might very well earn roster spots but, it would seem, nothing is going to be handed to anyone.

• Here's why you want to settle with a restricted free agent before their arbitration case goes to a hearing: The Winnipeg Jets and Jacob Trouba spent six hours behind closed doors Friday with a decision expected to be rendered Sunday.

Imagine a team bad-mouthing a player for six hours and then, win or lose, have to welcome that player back as if nothing happened. It's so awkward.

In Trouba's case, the sides were reportedly $3 million apart before filing for arbitration. Yeah, that's a pretty sizable disagreement. Trouba wants $7 million while the Jets are willing to go to $4 million.

• Chris Chelios announced this week that he's leaving his job as an advisor with the Red Wings to move closer to his mother in his native Chicago. Save for a few games with Atlanta at the end of the 2010 season, the 56-year-old spent the past 19 years in the Detroit organization, a decade of it as a player.

One of my best memories of covering the 2008 Final was seeing the joy on Chelios' face after Detroit had won the Cup. Even though the then-46-year-old was scratched, he was in uniform and celebrating like a guy, literally, half his age. For my money, Chelios is one of the three best American-born players of all-time.

• Speaking of old guys, Jagr resumed skating this week for HC Kladno, the team he co-owns, and reiterated his intention of playing not only this season but until he reaches 50.

Jagr had four assists in five games last season with Kladno after he lasted just 22 games with the Flames.

Though he was looking a little bit like Elvis in the jumpsuit, I wouldn't put playing at 50 past him.

• Crosby's contract, with its $8.7 million average annual value, routinely ranks among the best bargains in the league. No one's going to confuse Cullen or Grant for the captain anytime soon, but Jim Rutherford got quite a deal for players who scored 12 and 11 goals, respectively, last season.

Given his age and situation, I can understand Cullen giving a discount and settling for $650,000.

If I'm Grant, I'm looking for a new agent.

• Pittsburgh is no different than any other city in that there are some bandwagon fans. That's not a bad thing as that's what helps drive and sustain people in my line of work.

But I've got to tell you, it has been so cool doing this "Who Wore it Best" series on the site and hearing the feedback from long-time fans -- no bandwagoners here -- debate the merits of No. 23 Randy Hillier vs. Gary Rissling or Eddie Shack.

And I've got it on good source that some of the former players have been following along, too: