Penguins Fire GM Ray Shero, Retain Coach Dan Bylsma - Wait, What?

Before I get into the Ray Shero firing -- I know this is a New York related site, but I've been wanting to branch out to other big news that happens in sports (I've been suggested to do so as well) but I haven't found a story compelling enough for me to write about until this one.

In a shocking move, to me at least, the Pittsburgh Penguins relieved general manager Ray Shero of his duties Friday afternoon, while keeping head coach Dan Bylsma on board.

Shero put together a seemingly super-team over the last seven years winning the division three times, appearing in the Stanley Cup Final twice and winning the Cup in 2009.

With that said, the Penguins have underachieved in the playoffs the last few seasons as they were eliminated before reaching the Cup Final, most recently blowing a 3-1 lead in the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the division-rival New York Rangers.

When Shero took over in Pittsburgh in 2006, he had come into a team with top draft picks in the three previous seasons in Marc-Andre Fleury, Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby on the roster already. But Shero made a number of tremendous moves while general manager in Pittsburgh:

• At the 2008 NHL trade deadline, the Penguins acquired Pascal Dupuis (still on the roster) and superstar Marian Hossa from Atlanta, who helped Pittsburgh reach its first Stanley Cup Final since 1992.
• At the 2009 trade deadline, Pittsburgh traded Ryan Whitney to Anaheim for Chris Kunitz (still on the roster). Kunitz exploded for 35 goals this season and has a cap hit under $4M through the 2016-17 season.
• Also at the 2009 trade deadline, Shero claimed Craig Adams (still on the roster) off waivers from Carolina. Both Adams and Kunitz had won Stanley Cups in their previous two seasons (Adams with Carolina in 2006 and Kunitz with the Ducks in 2007). The Penguins lacked that experience and it paid off as the brought the Stanley Cup back to Pittsburgh for the first time since '92.
• When the 2011 trade deadline drew near, Shero traded young defenseman Alex Goligoski to the Dallas Stars in exchange for James Neal and Matt Niskanen (Niskanen is an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season). The following season, Neal posted his first, and only, 40 goal season and Shero locked him up to a contract with a $5M cap hit through the 2017-18 season.
• During the lockout-shortened 2013 season, Shero acquired Jussi Jokinen from the Hurricanes for an unconditional draft pick. Jokinen had his best season in four years putting up 57 points and had a monster playoff performance scoring seven goals in 13 games (unrestricted free agent at the end of this season).

Shero added major key pieces to an already star-studded core and the Pens were seldom a first-round exit in the postseason.

One other move Shero made in his tenure was hiring coach Dan Bylsma early during the 2008-09 season. Michel Therien was fired less than a calendar year after leading the Pens to the Stanley Cup Final a season earlier. Bylsma was an immediate fit with the team, obviously winning the Cup with Pittsburgh that season.

After the Penguins were ousted from the playoffs earlier this week, reports surfaced that there were problems between Bylsma and Crosby but Crosby has denied those reports. Earlier this week, Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported the Penguins ownership leaned toward firing Bylsma while undecided on Shero's future. Rossi also notes the Pittsburgh front office believed Bylsma had lost the locker room.

So why keep Bylsma over mastermind Shero? Shero compiled a deep, star-studded roster and multiple times throughout the series against the Rangers, I wondered just how the Rangers could come out on top. On paper the Penguins were better, and perhaps they still are, but they're sitting at home watching the remainder of the Stanley Cup Playoffs while the Rangers are battling Montreal in the Eastern Conference Final.

Shero wasn't responsible for the lack of production and leadership from Crosby this postseason, which is another whole story. Shero wasn't responsible for the Penguins' lack of killer instinct up 3-1 in a series to a seemingly dead Rangers team after four games.

If you ask me, this all falls on Bylsma. It goes all the way back to the opening round in the 2011-12 season when the Philadelphia Flyers completely took the Penguins off their game mentally. In one of the most bizarre playoff series you'll ever see, Pittsburgh allowed 20 goals in the first three games, all losses. That was not the general manager's fault, that is a coaching issue.

A new general manager will be hired and he will most likely want his own coach in place, so I still expect Bylsma to be fired in the near future. But it shouldn't have cost Shero his job.

*Shero image courtesy of Matt Freed/Post-Gazette

John Tortorella Slams Penguins After Controversial Play

UPDATE - FRIDAY 4/6: Tortorella fined $20K for his postgame comments and Orpik receives no suspension. This is a complete joke. Tortorella speaks a factual statement about the Penguins and Orpik goes out of his way to illegally hit Stepan. The NHL dropped the ball on this one.



Rangers head coach John Tortorella delivered a verbal uppercut to Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik and the Penguins organization following a knee-on-knee collision with center Derek Stepan. The replays clearly show Orpik sticking his knee out to make contact with Stepan and Tortorella did not take kindly to it.

"It's a cheap, dirty hit," Tortorella said. "I wonder what would happen if we did it to their two whining stars over there.  I wonder what would happen. I'm anxious to see what happens with the league with this. Just no respect amongst players. None. It's sickening."

There have been no reports on the severity of Stepan's knee injury, but he did not return to the game in the few minutes remaining on the clock.

Tortorella has become the third significant person this week to openly criticize the Penguins after analyst Mike Milbury and Philadelphia Flyers assistant coach Craig Berube. Tortorella did not stop there.

"It's one of the most arrogant organizations in the league. They whine about this stuff all the time and look what happens. It's ridiculous. But they'll whine about something else over there won't they? Starting with their two (expletive) stars."

I wish there was a camera on me as I watched Tortorella speak on the postgame show. Eyebrows raised, jaw dropped.

It is about time there are strong words being thrown out at the Penguins. It is about damn time.

You might not think so, but I take a ton of heat from Penguins fans every single time I say anything anti-Sidney Crosby. There is no doubt Crosby is the best player in the NHL. None. Yet he constantly whines every time someone just simply breathes on him.

The most recent incident came this past Sunday in a game against the Flyers. He put a late hit on rookie Brayden Schenn along the boards. Seconds later, Schenn repaid the favor by crosschecking Crosby in the back. An eye for an eye. You're even, right? Nope. Crosby looked around for the nearest official. Much to my dismay, Schenn did not receive a penalty.

This points exactly to Tortorella's comments tonight. It seems the Penguins' mentality is: "we can do it to you, but you can't do it to us."

Finally it is not us, the fans, that are openly barking harsh words at Pittsburgh. People are taking notice and tensions are boiling over. I'm surprised it's taken so long.