Yeah Absolutely

After a Penguins loss on New Year's Eve and two more this weekend, all I can say is that the Steelers had better beat Denver today because I couldn't take such a disappointing sports weekend.  Rather than write about my hockey team's recent skid, though, I'll focus this blog on something else.

Over New Year's weekend we watched Mr. Popper's Penguins.  A couple times.  When my kids like a movie, they tend to get a little obsessive.  Where, oh, where could this trait come from, I wonder?  I didn't mind the repetitiveness since I enjoyed the movie too.

Apart from being reminded of the absence of our beloved captain, as Jim Carrey's character Mr. Popper ice-skated around his New York City apartment wearing a Crosby jersey, I've been dwelling on another topic the movie broached.

(Don't read on if you're concerned about a movie spoiler!)

When asked where the family's gentoo penguins were, the zoo official explained the zoo already had another type of penguin and elaborated which animals the zoo did not yet have.  "What are you talking about? "Mr. Popper asked.  To which the official replied, "Trading them, Mr. Popper.  Zoos do it all the time, same as sports teams.  How do you think the Yankees won 27 championships?  I'm sure it wasn't their farm system."

Last season I discussed how I felt about trades after Alex Goligoski went to the Dallas Stars for Matt Niskanen, who seems to be fitting into our system nicely, and James Neal, who apparently wants to compete for the Rocket Richard trophy (though he's currently fallen behind league leader Stamkos, and I wish I knew where I could find the stat for how many goals he's had disallowed so far--my guess is about 6).

Outside of these deadline or off-season trades, I can't help but think how much the Penguins do rely on drafting well and letting the farm team develop their players.  While players like Mario Lemieux, aforementioned Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal have slid into the lineup without taking this extra step, other members of members of our current roster have certainly benefited.

Here are my top ten picks of current Penguins players that have gone through our farm system:

10.   Simon Despres:  has a goal and three assists in 13 NHL games and has shown good vision and defensive leadership (with honorable mentions Robert Bortuzzo and Brian Strait).

9.  Dustin Jeffrey:  only played six games this season and had last year's shortened by injury, but as a fourth liner he has added depth to the center position .

8.  Joe Vitale:  one of the team's best in faceoff percentages, played the majority of games this season, and brings energy and toughness to every shift.

7.  Richard Park:  (did not play as part of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins but was drafted by Pittsburgh and spent time with the Belleville Bulls before logging time with the Penguins; played with five other NHL teams before returning to the Penguins) another team leader in faceoff percentages, a valuable penalty killer, and a veteran player with good speed.

6.  Tyler Kennedy:  has 19 points this season, solid on faceoffs, rarely shies from taking a shot (which as a longtime Pittsburgh fan where we have a history of players who like to pass, this is much appreciated), and contributed a game winner in Game 6 of the 2008-09 Stanley Cup finals.

5.  Ben Lovejoy:  (not drafted by the Penguins, but spent time with the Baby Pens after being acquired as a free agent) stepped up his game last season and continues to join offensive rushes and play defense with confidence.

4.  Deryk Engelland:  (also not drafted by the Pens) one of our toughest blueliners, especially when it comes to fighting and blocking shots

3.  Brooks Orpik:  assistant captain, Stanley Cup champion, shot blocker, penalty killer, and leading hitter (Crazy Eyes--need I say more?)

2.  Kris Letang:  All Star defenseman and Stanley Cup champion with scoring prowess sufficient enough to place him consistently in the first three shoot out contestants

1.  Marc-Andre Fleury:  All Star netminder and Stanley Cup champion, currently third in the NHL in wins this season, who recently played his 400th career game for the Penguins

This being my first top ten list, feel free to dispute my ranking and very brief descriptions touting the players' achievements.

After examining this list, do I feel reassured about our Baby Penguins playing the same system as the Penguins, about players fiting right into a game whenever injuries require, about our farm team developing skilled and successful players?

As Mr. Popper himself would say, "Yeah absolutely."