HOUSTON -- This must have been something like what those eighth-century Europeans experienced when the Vikings would sail up to their coasts.
Late Saturday night in the lower bowels of American Airlines Center, about a half-hour after the Penguins' enthralling 3-2 victory over the Stars, the cramped quarters forced a few of the players to emerge into the hallway for their postgame workouts. Which meant, for me, a rare glimpse at what they go through shortly after competing. The cool-down phase, as it's called.
Most rode the stationary bikes. Some stretched. A couple flexed with the big rubber bands. Nothing particularly noteworthy. Until one of them, planted in the middle of it all as if to be showcased, rose up, knees demonstratively bent, biceps bulging beneath the torn sleeves of his T-shirt with a monstrous one-handed weight. And up it went, higher and higher, as if he were punching the ceiling, accompanied by a primal scream that might as well have brought that ceiling down.
Yeah, Patric Hornqvist.
I don't have much cause to share this. Athletes work out. Some are loud. Some are silent.
But in that moment, the thought of potential significance that came to mind was singular: This guy's ready to bust out.
It's maybe escaped notice, given Phil Kessel's more visible struggles, but Hornqvist's now gone 30 games in a row without an even-strength goal. Seriously, not one since Jan. 6 against the Blackhawks. And in all that time, he's got two goals of any kind, both on the power play. For the season, his numbers are a bit below career norms -- 17 goals, 16 assists in 63 games -- but he's 32, with way more wear and tear than the standard hockey player, and there could be cause for concern.
Or not.
See, that up there was from the third period Saturday. I'd spent as much of the game as I could singling out Hornqvist, at least as much as is possible when covering the whole event. And if there's anything at all different about his game, I couldn't spot a thing. His skating's same as ever. His shot's quick and purposeful. And his passion ... man, never, ever, ever call that into question.
A couple of his more prominent teammates told me they love what they've seen of Hornqvist's work of late and feel like he's a goal barrage waiting to happen, and the statistics powerfully support that: In March, he's been the Penguins' No. 1 forward in Corsi For percentage with a tremendous 60.05, this despite spending most of his five-on-five time on the third line. He's also generated 39 shots, third-most on the team.
As one of those teammates told me with a smile, "Someone's going to pay for all this. Probably soon."
Watch out, New York.
• Know who else noticed the Penguins growing tighter defensively in Kris Letang's absence?
"Sure I did," Letang was telling me in Dallas. "That's good. That's what you want. I'm proud of them. That's the way we need to play."
And now that he's back?
"I just want to fit right in."
He's done that, to put it mildly.
• My solution to the Olli Maatta issue?
He's got to wait until someone gets hurt to return.
That's offered with immense respect, but that's the nature of professional sports. And it might not even be a reflection on Maatta at all. The current defense corps is the most solid the Penguins have had in quite some time, and any piece that gets pulled from the puzzle could impact the rest. If Jack Johnson has to slide back to the right side, as we've seen, he regresses. If Marcus Pettersson comes out, there's a risk Erik Gudbranson wouldn't be his best self.
It's almost playoff time. There will be ice aplenty for all concerned.
• With a source informing us that Evgeni Malkin was skating over the weekend in Cranberry, it might be reasonable to expect a return by ... Friday?
After the game tonight at the Garden, there are three full days off before the Predators come to PPG Paints Arena. That's the biggest remaining breather in the schedule. So if he shows he's capable first of skating, then of taking contact to those ribs, this might present the best opportunity.
• If the Panthers were a serious NHL franchise, everyone associated with the trade that essentially gave away Jared McCann and Nick Bjugstad would be fired by, oh, a month ago. But they aren't that serious, and they won't do a thing. Dale Tallon, the GM, was told to whack payroll in preparation for free agency and, thus, prioritized moving Bjugstad's contract -- average annual value of $4.1 million through 2021 -- even if meant conceding McCann at age 22.
That's on everyone, from ownership to the front office to Tallon himself.
This was what Tallon told reporters in Sunrise the day he got stuck with Derick Brassard and Riley Sheahan: “This move balances our needs now and will help us improve in the future. We are pleased to have acquired two quality veteran forwards in Derick and Riley, while adding three valuable 2019 draft selections. This move allows our team to remain competitive this season while providing additional flexibility and permitting us to be aggressive in the free-agent market this summer.”
My goodness.
The Panthers were 11 points out of a playoff spot at the time, and they're predictably 11 miles out now. Brassard's already been dumped to the Avalanche for a third-round pick. Sheahan's going to be an unrestricted free agent. And the financial savings toward free agency, presuming Florida would ever participate in such a foray, are minimal.
Full credit to Jim Rutherford for pouncing, but hockey will never gain a foothold in South Florida until it gets responsible stewards like those on the other side of their state.
• Gratuitously running this graphic again, from my column in Dallas, if only because this information's worth it:
• Apropos of nothing, having spent a lot of time in Texas airports the past few days and seeing nearly every TV set everywhere tuned to the NCAA Tournament -- I'm talking every set of eyes staring at Tennessee vs. Iowa -- I can't help but bring up yet again how insane it is that the players aren't paid.
Please, don't scholarship me on this. A student on a full scholarship still gets paid if he or she additionally takes a job. Playing basketball at that level is a job.
How has a lawsuit never succeeded on this front?
• Love how Joe Haden worded it yesterday:
How is it possible that a student on a academic scholarship can write a book and reap the financial benefits (as he or she should) , and a student athlete gets no compensation for any financial gain given to a school off there name/status.
— Joe Haden (@joehaden23) March 24, 2019
• People complain about the demise of the 'Steelers Way,' as if it had at some point been committed to script. It never was, of course, and I'd posit it never really existed, at least not anywhere close to the common perception that everyone was nails-tough, military-disciplined and pure as newly fallen snow.
However, if there ever really was a behavioral trait I'd assign such a designation, it'd be a whole lot more in line with basically everything Kevin Colbert spoke to reporters, including our Dale Lolley, at the NFL Meetings yesterday in Phoenix.
On recent criticism of Ben Roethlisberger: “I don’t think that will bother him."
On criticism he's taken for the Antonio Brown trade: "We’re in much better shape draft-wise than we were prior to that.”
On whether he might add more through free agency: “We’re at a good place right now, we feel. But something could happen."
That's an art form, my friends. And reporters I know who dealt with Chuck Noll will attest that began with him. Saying just enough and, really, not saying anything at all. It's the single greatest commonality in all the generations of Pittsburgh football that have followed, with not a single exception at the highest levels.
• There aren't many, and there might not be any more introspective athletes in Pittsburgh than Vince Williams. He's a pleasure to be around in every possible way, not least of which is his incessant inquisitiveness about ... well, everything. Depending on the day, he and I will get to talking about damned near anything, sports or otherwise, and we'll both comfortably let it fly.
To that end, I couldn't be less surprised that Williams spent some of his social media time this weekend wondering what makes NHL players seem so humble:
I love hockey! You can catch me at a pens game, but I still think hockey players are the most humble out of all major sports.
— Vince Williams (@VinnyVidiVici98) March 23, 2019
The conversation continued from there and, true to character, he kept right at it by retweeting my video interviews from Dallas with McCann and Matt Murray, presumably to illustrate his point.
Don't look for a motive here. The man likes to push people, including himself, to think. I respect that.
• Quick, what do politicians' promises and Bradenton home runs have in common?
Yeah, that.
So, as I arrive here in Houston to cover the Pirates' final two spring games, exhibitions today and tomorrow against the Astros at Minute Maid Park, the one thing I'll be sure to ignore will be Jung Ho Kang's seven home runs, most of anyone in the Grapefruit League. Not so much because I suspect they were wind-aided -- the guy's got power to all fields at any field -- but rather, because they accounted for seven of his 10 hits, and he struck out 18 times and walked three times in 42 at-bats. That's a glaring signal he was getting the best of grooved fastballs, the kind no pitcher offers up willingly once the games get real.
Anyway, there's no shortage of legit issues at hand, and I'm looking forward to being around the club down here and right through the opener in Cincinnati. They say you can only ever have one first love, and baseball was mine as a very young child. This is the time of year where that feeling's still so raw.
