Monday, July 2, 2012

Will Zach Parise Really Come Play with his Buddy, Sidney Crosby, or Will He go for the Top Dollar?

Free Agency began in the NHL at noon yesterday, and there is great speculation as to whether the Pittsburgh Penguins can land star winger, Zach Parise.

The Penguins appear to be one of the front-runners because of the friendship between Parise and Pens star, Sidney Crosby.

Many have said that Crosby purposely didn't go for the mega-raise he certainly would have received in his contract extension last week because he wanted to land a player the caliber of Parise.

Now, Penguins fans are getting their hopes up that Parise will come to Pittsburgh and finally be the winger that Crosby has desired his entire career.

If I was a Pens fan, however, I wouldn't be setting my hopes very high. It's a cliche, but the NHL is a business, and Parise may be buddies with Sid the Kid, but, if he really does come to Pittsburgh, I doubt the friendship will have much to do with it. Parise will come to Pittsburgh and play for the Penguins if he feels that it's the right fit for him.

And not to sound like a cynic, but with most athletes, best fit=most lucrative contract.

A year ago at this time, Pens fans everywhere were ready to bury the hatchet with old friend Jaromir Jagr when it looked like the veteran winger could return to Pittsburgh after 10 seasons. Jagr had his best years in Pittsburgh. He won two Stanley Cup titles early in his career with the Penguins, and then he became the face of the team and won several scoring titles after Mario Lemieux's first retirement following the '96/'97 season.

It seemed all too perfect. And it was.

Instead of signing with the Pens, Jagr signed with the hated Philadelphia Flyers, and the fans felt betrayed, once again, by the controversial star, because they believed that he led Mario into thinking he was all but back.

Maybe Jagr did lead people on, but maybe the fans were just expecting and assuming too much based on a past relationship. At the end of the day, what Jagr did was sign with the team that offered him the most money.

We have to remember, Parise owes the Penguins nothing. This is just a hunch, but my money is on him signing with the team that offers him the most money.

It is a business for the players, too.

No comments:

Post a Comment