Saturday, November 01, 2003

When the Penguins hired Eddie (not Ed, although Edzo is fine) Olczyk as head coach, my immediate thought was that they could have done a lot worse.

Now that I've witnessed Olczyk at the helm, I've upgraded my evaluation. The Penguins really couldn't have done much better.

I figured the dapper, well-spoken Olczyk would at least be a charismatic rallying point for players and fans alike, making everyone believe the Penguins were on the way back, even if it wasn't necessarily so just yet. In terms of actual hands-on coaching, though, there was no way of predicting how Olczyk would do given his abject lack of experience at the profession.

Turns out he knows what he's doing. Big bonus.

I've watched the Penguins since day one, and with the exception of Kevin Constantine's reign of terror, I've never seen the team this well-organized.

Practices are quick-paced and beneficial. The Penguins play a system that involves Mario Lemieux being the first forward back on defense, and he's fulfilling his obligations like clockwork. Former Penguins coach Gene Ubriaco once said that coaching Mario was like trying to teach a shark table manners. Olczyk has persuaded the main character from "Jaws" to guard the boat.

Olczyk has changed the lineup from game to game. He frequently shakes up the lines from shift to shift.

But that's a positive, not a negative. The Penguins are a lackluster 2-4-3-0, and they're only doing that well by the grace of God (a k a Marc-Andre Fleury). They have had trouble scoring goals and trouble breaking out. It thus makes sense to give everyone an opportunity while keeping everyone on his toes at the same time. You don't want to build consistency if it means being consistently bad.

Olczyk is a good coach, but he's no miracle worker. The Penguins are a better bet to finish last overall than they are to make the playoffs.

Some of the Penguins' problems will iron themselves out.

When a team installs a defensive system from scratch, the last thing it masters is counterattacking. That's very evident watching the Penguins right now. When they collect a turnover in the neutral zone, they tend to punch the puck back in deep, then reset the trap. Once playing the trap becomes habit, counterattacking will follow, and the Penguins' speed up front will generate more chances.

The trap will tighten up, too. As Lemieux noted, the Penguins have been burned by bad decisions at both blue lines. But it's a learning process, and the Penguins are learning.

The power play is pathetic, but no power play featuring Lemieux stays pathetic too long. A suggestion: Summon defenseman Ross Lupaschuk from the minors and let him play the point on the power play even if he otherwise plays little. Lupaschuk plays the point better than any current Penguin except Dick Tarnstrom.

Some of the Penguins' problems will not iron themselves out.

The defensive corps is the worst in the league and the worst in team history. Michal Rozsival will help when he comes back from his knee injury, but you can't bail the Titanic with a coffee cup. Olczyk's system minimizes the role of the defensemen, and Fleury will make up for a multitude of sins, but the Penguins have a bunch of very low-level NHL blueliners. You can only disguise that so much.

The Penguins don't have many goal-scorers, and that's something you can't teach. Rookie winger Konstantin Koltsov, for example, has speed to burn, good strength, and a knack for coming out of traffic with the puck. But it took him nine games to get his first goal this season despite often skating with Lemieux and getting a lot of power-play time.

It might be time to summon Tomas Surovy, who has a decent goal-scoring pedigree and who is off to a hot start in the minors. Considering all the chopping and changing the Penguins figure to do to their roster this season, the air traffic between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton might be enough to keep US Airways afloat. Unless the budget-conscious Penguins make those involved drive back and forth.

The day might come when Olczyk is tempted to play. When Bryan Trottier was an assistant coach with the Penguins, he certainly always was. Trottier practiced harder than the players.

Of course, nothing makes a coach look smarter than a great goaltender. Olczyk is definitely blessed in that regard.

Olczyk is definitely in charge, too. He commands a type of respect not seen in the Penguins' locker room since Bob Johnson. Olczyk will have to rely on personality and gab until he gains experience and gets results, but he has the ship headed in the right direction, and that's what matters.

Would you rather bring back Ivan the Horrible?

Mark Madden is the host of a sports talk show from 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays on WEAE-AM (1250).

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