Tonight, when the Penguins suit up against the Winnipeg Jets, we can expect to see a familiar face in net for the black-and-gold. A face with a permanent grin and an unfortunate soul patch. A face that's become, well, a face of this franchise.
That face belongs, of course, to Marc-Andre Fleury.
It's the wrong face.
When the Pens signed Tomas Vokoun this offseason, it marked the first time in his career that Fleury faced any sort of competition for goaltending supremacy. Before now, he's had the comfort of knowing that his backup, Brent Johnson, posed no threat to his throne.
With Vokoun behind him, he might be hearing footsteps. At least, he should be.
It's only three games into this shortened season, but it's time for the man they call "Flower" to plant himself somewhere new.
On the bench.
It doesn't take a genius to recognize that Vokoun is a better goalie in every measurable way. You want to talk career save percentage? Vokoun takes it, .917 to .909. How about goals per game average? Sorry, Marc-Andre, Vokoun outpaces you, 2.55 to 2.68.
But in the playoffs, when it matters, Fleury steps up his game, right?
Wrong.
Fleury's numbers actually go DOWN from his regular season averages, to a paltry .909 save percentage and 2.68 goals per game. As for Vokoun? His numbers improve in the playoffs, to a sterling .922 and 2.47.
Last time I checked, letting in fewer goals helps your team win. And isn't that what we want?
In the playoffs last year, the "Flower" looked more like a wilting lily, allowing the Flyers to score at will. He went from head of the class in the regular season to head case when it mattered.
A French-Canadian goalie who's a head case? Holy Patrick Roy, Batman!
Pens fans spent all summer, and most of fall, making excuses for why Fleury couldn't get it done in that series. He played too many games during the regular season, they screamed. Funny, I never heard Martin Brodeur complain about playing too much. Oh, and in case you hadn't heard, he's won three Stanley Cups and took the Devils to the finals last year, in his twentieth season. If anyone has the right to feel exhausted, it's Brodeur, not Fleury.
The defense let Fleury down, they complained. Well, now Zbyněk Michálek's been run out of town on a rail, having taken the fall for Fleury's shortcomings. I hope you don't mind a little blood on your dainty petals, "Flower."
Why is the Penguins organization so reluctant to pin any modicum of blame where it belongs? Could it be because they've invested a number one pick and a contract that pays $5 million a season for the next three years to this supposed "franchise goaltender?" Because benching him, or better yet, trading him would be tantamount to admitting that we put our eggs in the wrong basket?
Like my dad told me about driving when I was 16, being a starting goalie in the NHL is a privilege, not a right. Fleury seems to think he's entitled to his place in net, because he was the number one overall pick.
Think again.
You think, if we had to do it all over again, we wouldn't have picked Eric Staal (#2) over Fleury? Tomas Vanek (#5)? How about Ryan Suter (#7), Zach Parise (#17), or Ryan Getzlaf (#19)? Or Mike Richards (#24), Corey Perry (#28), or Shea Weber (#49)? If we had a do-over, Fleury wouldn't even be in the top 10.
Talk about a bust.
As for Tomas Vokoun? Well, you'd have to scroll pretty far down the draft board to find him. He wasn't picked in the first round, that's for sure.
Or the second.
Or the seventh.
Try the ninth round, pick number 226 to be exact. Think some of the teams that passed on him would like a do-over?
Vokoun had to work his tail off to earn a starting job in the NHL. That's right, Marc-Andre, he earned his keep. And his reward? Two All-Star games and the respect of players, coaches, and fans around the league.
What has Fleury "earned" in his career? A single, solitary All-Star berth, and a nickname that probably has Gump Worsley spinning in his grave.
But this isn't a career comparison, you whine. Let's talk about this season then. Fleury beat the hated Flyers in the season opener, a win which starts to feel pretty hollow when you realize the Flyers are a sorry 1-3 on the year. His next game, against the league's perennial laughingstock, the Toronto Maple Leafs? Five goals allowed, one embarrasing loss at home in what is supposed to be the new Hockey Mecca.
Hockey Mecca. In that case, maybe Fleury is a false idol.
As for Vokoun, he has only seen action in one game, versus the team that won our conference last year, the New York Rangers. Vokoun skated onto the greatest stage in the world, Madison Square Garden, and skated away with an impressive victory.
Vokoun earned that win, the same way he's earned everything that's come his way in a Hall of Fame caliber career. Flower has had everything handed to him, and his sense of entitlement shows.
It looks like we've got a bad seed on our hands. Maybe it's time to plant a new crop.
Maybe it's time to let Vokoun blossom in our net, tonight in Winnipeg, Sunday in Ottawa, and for the rest of this shortened season.
Sorry, "Flower," but the bloom has fallen off the rose.
(Note: Satire.)
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