Rooting for team to lose.

[yinzer69]

I am sure I am going to get blasted by all the know it all "fans" with "well the team isn't good enough to compete for a Cup so start the rebuild!!" As a fan I still root for them to win regardless of what their playoff upside is. I'd venture the majority of this board openly roots against the Penguins.

[KG]

Always root for them to win. Also realize that the window is closing quickly and some hard decisions will need to happen sooner than later...

[largegarlic]

It's a weird split mindset for me. Obviously, I'd love it if they went on to win the Cup this year (and every year), but I don't think that's at all likely, and a rebuild sooner than later is becoming inevitable if they want to be true contenders again. So, losing and becoming sellers would hasten the rebuild and theoretically get them back to contender status sooner.

That said, once the puck drops each night, I'm 100% rooting for them to win that game.

[yinzer69]

There will be plenty of years to root for loosing once 87,71,58 are done and the painful true rebuild begins. All I will say is be careful what you wish for in wanting a rebuild...we could end up like Buffalo or Ottawa. but hey at least we are rebuilding!!!

[Pitts]

NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!!

[Puck-Lurker]

There are things I want the organisation to do right now, rather than wait and let the house burn down, which would be much more easy if we just lost a bunch and fell out of the playoff picture.

But I'll never root against the Pens.

[FLPensFan]

I'm not rooting for them to lose, but I am kind of hoping that events with other teams force them to miss the playoffs again. I get the line of thinking that with Sid, Geno, and Letang here, they should be going for it every year...but Hextall and Dubas haven't done a good job of surrounding the core with the right talent. Mainly, they've surrounding and aging core with a bunch more aging players.

They've had plenty of opportunities to get younger the past 3 years (from outside the organization) and they've chosen not to. In my view, the window is closed because of how they have constructed the team. But I'll still root for them to win. I'm not going to curl up in the corner and cry if they make the playoffs or heaven forbid win an actual round.

[Antonio]

Nobody is rooting for the team to lose, rather the people who want them to fail more now in order to accelerate the inevitable changes they see as necessary, as Puck-Lurker says, are looking for an outcome they believe will result in more winning sooner compared to what they believe is the current pattern that will result in losing more for longer. Many see complete and total collapse as the only thing that will force the organization to make the moves and changes they believe are necessary for the longer term health and competitiveness of the franchise.

[Daniel]

Years ago, I came to the conclusion that rooting for or wishing for or hoping for has no effect on the wins and losses of my favorite team. I will always root for the Penguins to win, but realistically expect that it's been a good run.

Rooting for and expectations are two entirely different things. I'd love for them to win the cup but I expect a 15th or so draft pick in the first round. I hope I'm wrong but things look to be trending in that direction.

[hahnski86]

It's odd because so much of what is said is true...but this team is very Jekyll & Hyde -- We've beaten some really good teams this year...Winnipeg, Colorado, Vegas, LA, Toronto, Tampa, Boston, etc... but have lost a lot of games we should have won. Hard to argue that when the Pens score 3+ goals they are 21-3-3...thats a telling stat. Find a way to get more secondary scoring and this team has a legit chance to make the playoffs... rely on the top line to do it all and they'll likely miss the playoffs or be eliminated in 4 games.

Find more scoring from the bottom 9 and this team could find some level on consistency...I'm not saying they are cup contenders but with the "committment to the system" this team should fare better the 2nd half...

All this being said and I still didn't answer the question: Of course I will NEVER root against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Watching this franchise since I was 5 years old has been one of my greatest joys in life. If you can root for them when Dick Tarnstrom was their leading scorer you sure as hell better be rooting for them now!

[FLPensFan]

It's odd because so much of what is said is true...but this team is very Jekyll & Hyde -- We've beaten some really good teams this year...Winnipeg, Colorado, Vegas, LA, Toronto, Tampa, Boston, etc... but have lost a lot of games we should have won. Hard to argue that when the Pens score 3+ goals they are 21-3-3...thats a telling stat. Find a way to get more secondary scoring and this team has a legit chance to make the playoffs... rely on the top line to do it all and they'll likely miss the playoffs or be eliminated in 4 games.

Find more scoring from the bottom 9 and this team could find some level on consistency...I'm not saying they are cup contenders but with the "committment to the system" this team should fare better the 2nd half...

All this being said and I still didn't answer the question: Of course I will NEVER root against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Watching this franchise since I was 5 years old has been one of my greatest joys in life. If you can root for them when Dick Tarnstrom was their leading scorer you sure as hell better be rooting for them now!

Josh Yohe had something a little different than the Penguins scoring 3+ goals record. From Yohe's article, in games where the total goals scored are 5 or fewer, the Penguins are 12-7-4. Across an 82 game schedule, that would give them 100 points. In games where 6 or more total goals are scored, they are 11-10-3, which works out to 85 point pace across 82 games.

So, if I were to defend Sullivan, I would say they players (who supposedly really like him), don't like playing his defense-first approach enough, which causes them to lose more games than they should.....but it still doesn't explain the PP.

[lemieuxReturns]

Nope. Never hope for them to lose. But that is different than hoping to trade away assets at the deadline.
If anything, I am hoping for more Jake hat-tricks!
hahaha

[Dynasty1970]

I am openly rooting for a new coaching staff! You may have seen some of my posts…..FIRE SULLY!!! if that requires me to openly root for them to lose I may do so. I have gone from rooting hard for them to win, but the let downs that I continue to have after the tough losses have left me at the point where if they lose it really doesn’t surprise me in the least. They seem to find new ways of losing every couple of days.

[Skatingpen]

Not a big fan of these “true fan” posts. There are legitimate arguments for both sides.

[offsides]

No way I am hoping for loses, especially against the Flyers, Capitals, Islanders, Rangers, Bruins and on and on. To me a non playoff year does not guarantee a successful rebuild or major coaching change. Guess I'll let KD decide what will happen no matter if we win or lose.

[Pens4Life]

Im not exactly openly rooting for them to lose,but I wished in some games they would and we see new coaching staff,finally.. I posted fire Sully ,get new coaches 638483x times in last 3 years lol

[Guinness]

I'd rather they draft higher next off season rather than this one... just lose the first rounder to SJS this year and not next year.

I won't root for them to lose next season, but I wouldn't be disappointed if they end up with a top 10 pick next year in what is projected to be a much better draft.

[stonewizard51]

I bleed black and gold so I will NEVER root for them to lose.

[Tico Rick]

I bleed black and gold so I will NEVER root for them to lose.

[Badger Bob]

So far 1 vote Yes, and 24 votes No. So far, the premise that that majority of the board roots against the Pens seems to be in error. That is, unless yinz are all lying. LOL.

[Antonio]

Well I didn't vote, but as I said earlier, I believe all the people here even the ones who may want to see the team fail in the short term only wish that because they wish to see the team have greater success in the long and medium term and they believe that's the only way for it to happen. I would not consider that to be rooting against the team or "rooting for them to lose"... those are fans that just believe the greater amount of success can only be had through greater short-term pain.

I certainly don't think they are lesser fans or not true fans like some arrogant self-declared true fans proclaim, just because they have a different outlook as to what would benefit the organization the most. I don't like going around declaring how others should be fans even if I disagree with their views or outlooks. I'm 100% positive every single one of those people would gladly be completely wrong and love to see the team win the cup this year.

[Guinness]

Well I didn't vote, but as I said earlier, I believe all the people here even the ones who may want to see the team fail in the short term only wish that because they wish to see the team have greater success in the long and medium term and they believe that's the only way for it to happen. I would not consider that to be rooting against the team or "rooting for them to lose"... those are fans that just believe the greater amount of success can only be had through greater short-term pain.

I certainly don't think they are lesser fans or not true fans like some arrogant self-declared true fans proclaim, just because they have a different outlook as to what would benefit the organization the most. I don't like going around declaring how others should be fans even if I disagree with their views or outlooks. I'm 100% positive every single one of those people would gladly be completely wrong and love to see the team win the cup this year.

I didn't vote either but I'm pretty much with you. I hate the idea of giving up on the season, but realistically I don't see this as a Cup competitive team... so the most should be made, in my opinion, of the assets we have to improve the team going forward. Now I personally don't necessarily know if that means that trading Jake is the right move, but I do think that it's time to start looking toward the future. A smart, calculating GM should be able to do that - it's been done by other teams recently and it doesn't need to result in a lot of pain and misery, necessarily.

[pekkasteele]

I don't want them to lose, but I think this team is on life support and they will not recover.

We need a new coaching team, and start a rebuild. If losing is the way to get it done, fine, shouldn't be, management should start the rebuild and change the coach anyway. But I don't cry if we lose, and I will get happy if we win.

I will feel joy and happiness when the coach is gone and the rebuild is on!

[Badger Bob]

Oh you negative Nancys!!! GMKD will lead us to the promised land once again!!!

[pekkasteele]

Oh you negative Nancys!!! GMKD will lead us to the promised land once again!!!

I absolutely think he can do it, but with a different coach and a wary different roaster.