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Q: Should the Penguins bite the bullet, pay Marc-Andre Fleury a hefty bonus for playing 25 games and start him in goal the rest of the season?
— Doug from Columbus, Ohio
A: Well, it's easy for me to tell the Pens to pay the man his millions, so I'll say it — pay the man his millions.
Frankly, I don't see that G.M. Craig Patrick has a viable option here. Fleury is his best goaltender, and was even before the start of the season, but that was back in the day when everyone believed the Pens would contend for a playoff berth in the Eastern Conference, even if they parked a traffic cone in their net.
Well, by mid-January, Pittsburgh had only 31 points and was dead last in the Eastern Conference. Crosby & crew were contending all right — for yet another No. 1 overall pick in the draft (Crosby and Fleury, by the way, were both No. 1 picks).
OK, what's the sense in paying Fleury all the money if the Pens aren't going to gain a playoff seed? Strictly from a dollars-and-cents business perspective, all they're doing is extracting that whopping bonus from their end-of-year profit figure. For a franchise that hasn't seen much more than bankruptcy court in recent years, that's a tough accounting exercise. In fact, in makes no sense at all.
But, let's not forget the windfall Crosby gave the Pens at the ticket window. When they won the lottery last July in New York, there was a rush to the ticket window in Pittsburgh. Attendance is way up at the Igloo and, most importantly, the Pens are relevant again in Steel City — even with the postseason success of the Steelers.
Fleury, without question, is a pricey pay-and-play ($3 million payoff kicking in at 25 games) for the Pens. But they need to keep their fans engaged, they need to remain viable, and they need to show their fans that they care, not only about today, but also about the future. Playing Sebastien Caron or Jocelyn Thibault (when healthy), doesn't send that message.
Goodwill doesn't always carry a price, but in this case it does. Time for the Pens to show the love.
Q: Is the Red Wings-Avalanche matchup still one of the best rivalries in hockey? If so, who's public enemy No. 1 now for both sides?
— Jerry Martin from Toronto
A: Well, we get to find out in the second half. Beginning Jan. 21, they face each other three times before the mid-February Olympic break, and if these two still have a hate on for each other, we'll see it.
Frankly, though, the Wings and Avs haven't faced each other in the postseason since 2002, and a whole lot has changed for both clubs since then — not to mention last season's lockout. Both rosters have changed dramatically, and I don't get the sense there is all that much lingering bad blood. It's the postseason that provides the best litmus test for emotion.
They only met once in the first half, on Nov. 23, and the Red Wings pinned a 7-3 loss on the Avs. It was a tame affair, with the Wings walking away with it on the strength of three goals in the third period. No fights. Seven minor penalties between them.
As for No. 1 enemies, I think Chris Chelios would have to take top billing for the Wings, and either Brad May or Ian Laperriere for the Avs. But that's just guess work. The first meetings had the two sides total only 10 penalties, all minors. How much hate can there be in a trip or a hook?
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