Message to Penguins fans -- DON'T PANIC!

I've heard and read a lot about the Pens' "struggles" to gain some traction in this still very-young season. Time to address some issues on this that have been bugging me.

To all "let's trade Fleury for a bag of magic beans" fans -- He's 23. The youngest "sorta-starting" goalie in the league. The fact the Pens believe they can play with less intensity in front of him does not help. And the Pens' issues aren't just about goaltending, as easy as it is for some people to believe otherwise.

To the "Fire Therrien" fans -- While Therrien's penchant for changing lines can be annoying; I believe he's looking to build chemistry 2-3 months down the road as opposed to just the next 2-3 games. Changing coaches when the team is only 7-8-1 and one point from a playoff spot. The schedule, especially the first half-dozen games, wasn't exactly conducive for building consistency either.

In short, a 7-8-1 start isn't anything to cry about. Let's give this thing 30 games before we start to shout for Micheal Therrien's head or call Marc-Andre Fleury the bust-of-the-century. Only Ottawa, Carolina and Montreal really stand out so far in the East, and the Habs started well last year before falling back and missing the playoffs. Yes, the defense and goaltending have major issues and the scoring needs to come from others besides Crosby, Malkin, Sykora and Malone, but the season is a marathon, not a sprint. In the end, the adversity will probably benefit the young players that are the building blocks of the team as the years go by.

Don't panic. No matter how fun we think it is.

I'm back...

Well that was a longer break than I expected.

I've been rather busy with assisting my wife with her endeavors along with editing a novel a couple of friends of mine have been working on.

Plus we got a cat. Our first pet. He rocks.

In upcoming posts, I want to discuss sports, comics, TV and politics, including the presidential campaign that has seemingly gone on forever already.