Pittsburgh Penguins: Enforcer Mentality Proves Detrimental Again
By Mike Necciai
The Pittsburgh Penguins saw a major turning point in Saturday’s preseason contest against the Columbus Blue Jackets come at the hands of Tom Sestito. However, the turning point worked in favor of the Blue Jackets, as happens so often when you employ this type of thought process.
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The enforcer looked to make a point while engaging with the Jackets’ Brandon Dubinsky after a stoppage but proved yet again that this mentality does more harm than good. Sestito took liberty on Dubinsky, which led to dropping the gloves and an all out scrum. The resulting penalties saw Sestito acquire a major, while Dubinsky sat for two minutes.
The outcome was one Columbus goal during 4v4 play and two more tallies while the Pens fought to kill a three-minute 4v5 shorthanded situation. And, at that point, Pittsburgh found themselves trailing 4-0 in a matter of minutes. A far stretch from the previous 1-0 lead held by Columbus before this turn of events.
The Pittsburgh Penguins vowed to work on discipline this summer. Mike Johnston has referenced their inability to stay out of the penalty box multiple times in press conferences and interviews. So, it remains extremely curious why a guy like Sestito was brought in on a PTO. I did discuss other factors that come into play with these types of tryouts but Sestito seems to be getting more of a look than I had anticipated and that’s quite worrisome.
I’m sure the performance of Steve Downie remains fresh in the minds of the Pittsburgh Penguins faithful, as well as the coaching staff. Downie proved to be somewhat of a skilled hockey player that was unable to keep his temper in check during crucial situations. Eventually, that’s what caused Pittsburgh to let him walk with no offer to return. When you march to the penalty box in close games, you stifle almost any chance you have at coming away with a victory. Especially in a situation like we witnessed yesterday.
A lot of folks mistake my outlook on prototypical fighters, or enforcers, as a ploy against fighting and toughness in the sport, which couldn’t be further from the truth. We saw a case during the Carolina preseason game in which a few Hurricanes were taking shots at Phil Kessel. While Kessel did stand up for himself in the moment, it isn’t up to him to drop the gloves in that situation. Mike Johnston made a quick change and matched Tyler Biggs with Brendan Woods, which then led to an ensuing fight.
Did it have a positive or negative impact on the game? Not at all. But, with the way the NHL has decided to officiate, it was necessary and done properly. And, that’s ok.
What Sestito did yesterday was useless and has no place in hockey. That type of player has no place in hockey. A bout between two emotional players in the heat of a game, similar to how Steven Oleksy found himself engaged yesterday, can be fun to watch. An individual that serves no purpose other than turning a hockey game into a boxing match isn’t needed. Lets hope the Pittsburgh Penguins realize that when final cuts are made.
Yesterday was preseason, which is the time to weed out the unnecessary. So, there’s no reason to get heated over the outcome of the game. But, what we saw was a glimpse of what Sestito offers, which is next to nothing.
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