The Penguins have won 39 of 110 games under Rick Kehoe. The Pirates won 48 of their last 110 games under Lloyd McClendon. McClendon's job security is a constant issue despite his team's injury problems and economic woes. But the same people who criticize him — and who rip Bill Cowher and Walt Harris when their victories aren't pretty enough — are noticeably silent in regards to Kehoe. Interesting. How is it that Kehoe gets a free pass despite his paltry winning percentage and a losing streak that has lasted an eighth of a season• That's the equivalent of a 20-game losing streak in baseball. Is it injuries• Give me a break. Kehoe's free pass expired at the end of last season. Is it apathy• Could be, if you look at the team's sagging attendance and TV ratings. And that's why criticism should be viewed as a good thing from the team's perspective. It beats apathy any day in the entertainment business. Besides, Kehoe is too proud and too competitive to accept the excuses his apologists make for him — and there are plenty of apologists in the good-old-boys Penguins network. This isn't to suggest that Kehoe should be fired, either. It is admittedly hard to judge his coaching skills because of all the injuries. But he deserves to be questioned. Any coach whose team has lost 10 consecutive games deserves as much, regardless of the circumstances. Rarely has a coach with Kehoe's record been less scrutinized or more praised. I heard a radio guy last week say Kehoe was doing a “remarkable job.” Remarkable would be winning some games despite the injuries. There is nothing remarkable here, save for the length of this streak and for general manager Craig Patrick's incredulity when somebody inquires about Kehoe's job security. Patrick was asked about it late last season, during a season-ending, 10-game winless streak, and said he was surprised at the question. Surprised• The Penguins had been through six coaches in six years. The Colorado Avalanche and San Jose Sharks, two teams with more points than the Penguins, already fired their coaches this season. Last night, Patrick again was asked about Kehoe's job status and said, “The coaching staff is doing a great job.” So, their jobs are safe? “I don't know if my job's safe,” Patrick said. “I can't answer that one.” Some people praise the Penguins for playing hard and keeping games close. Big deal. This is not the glorified minor-league team that finished last season. It's a representative club even with the injuries. As for the players who supposedly are too hurt to play but are playing, anyway, well, if somebody's out there, we should assume he is OK. Watch a Steelers practice and you'll see half the team limping around. Hockey players are just as tough. They don't need people making excuses for them. Patrick shored up his team's depth because of last season's debacle. The club still has a lineup with two stars, two capable goaltenders, a sprinkling of veterans and a few youngsters the organization regards highly. Yes, key players are missing. Several of them, however, were no sure bet to make the team in the first place. The biggest loss by far was Dick Tarnstrom, whom Kehoe scratched on opening night. It was disturbing when several players said earlier this week that teammates don't know their roles. The club's even-strength play was abominable even before the injuries hit. Kehoe has to bear some of the responsibility for the team's 5-on-5 sloppiness . "Every team's got a system," Kovalev said. "We can't just run all over the place and give 2-on-1s and get caught all the time. We just kind of have to know whose job it is to watch the forwards, whose job it is to watch the ‘D', those kind of ideas.” Yeah, that would be nice. Kehoe, by the way, has little or nothing to do with the two facets of game that have been responsible for nearly every Penguins' victory: the power play and the goaltending. And where was Randy Robitaille, a talented offensive player, on the disastrous road trip when the team desperately needed goals• Where was the retaliation at the end of the Phoenix game when Lemieux was smashed into the boards• Where was the spirit last night in a 3-1 loss to New Jersey• Finally, there is Kehoe's growing habit of ducking the media. The last thing this franchise needs is bad public-relations maneuvers. His weak communicative skills with reporters make you wonder if he gets his message across to players. Maybe these points will become moot if the Penguins string together a few victories. There is time. There are no more excuses.

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