Malkin snub, ice conditions non-issues for NHL as outdoor game nears
If chants of “Ge-no!” or “Mal-kin!” spread through the stands at Heinz Field on Saturday when the NHL holds its ceremony to honor nine current or former Penguins that made the league's list of its 100 all-time greatest players, Steve Mayer will stomach the response without much trouble.
As the NHL's executive vice president of events and entertainment programming and content development, Mayer influences and decides what will unfold at Heinz Field in the hours leading up to the 8 p.m. Stadium Series game between the Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers as well as the events that happen during the two intermissions.
Recognition of the players with Penguins connections on the NHL's top 100 — Sidney Crosby, Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Bryan Trottier, Paul Coffey, Luc Robitaille, Andy Bathgate and Tim Horton — will occur during the second intermission. That's when things might get awkward for Evgeni Malkin, who despite a 1.18 points-per-game average that ranks 14th all-time and a resume that includes two Stanley Cups and a heap of coveted individual awards, did not land on the list.
“There will always be that controversy,” Mayer said Tuesday. “No matter where we would go, there's going to be a player or two that the local fans will say has been left off that list. But based on some of the early feedback, the list is pretty complete. There aren't that many players that people felt we left off.
“Evgeni is a tremendous player and right up there, so it's obvious he just missed the list. But yeah, there will be some blowback, as you say.”
The list, which came out during All-Star weekend, included six active players: Crosby, Jagr, the Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin and the Chicago Blackhawks' Patrick Kane, Duncan Keith and Jonathan Toews.
What the NHL described as a “blue ribbon panel” consisted of 58 voters, including former players and coaches, front office personnel and media members. Penguins general manager Jim Rutherford participated.
Yet Rutherford emerged as one of several people associated with the Penguins to express disappointment about Malkin's absence from the list.
Malkin, unavailable during the All-Star break and for almost a week thereafter because of an injury, eventually addressed the snub with humor. He said he hopes to snag the No. 101 spot on the list.
“They made some decisions, and they were tough decisions,” Mayer said of the panel. “When you really narrow it down to try to come up with 100 players, it's a challenge. It's good to see that nine players have Pittsburgh ties.”
Mayer became one of two NHL executives to stand firm and certain when asked about challenges Tuesday.
The league's ice guru, Dan Craig, made it clear Friday's practices and Saturday's game will not suffer from a poor playing surface, no matter what weather arrives in Pittsburgh.
“(The teams) know that when they're scheduled to be ready, we'll be ready,” Craig said. “I don't go to a Plan B. I just don't. It's one of those things where we're going to make it happen, and it happens. That's just the way it is.”
The Penguins are scheduled to practice at 2:30 p.m. on Friday at Heinz Field. The Flyers' practice follows at 5 p.m.
Free festivities, including concerts, will begin at 3 p.m. and continue until 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday at Stage AE and in the stadium parking lots.
“We feel these (outdoor) games still have that incredible cache,” Mayer said. “In the local market especially, they are talked about. … It takes over the city. The impact locally is incredible.”
Bill West is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at wwest@tribweb.com or via Twitter @BWest_Trib.
