Cup of Joe: Starkey on sports in 400 words or less (or in this case more)
They established themselves as a cold and distant corporate entity from the moment they arrived — and it kind of still feels like they never did arrive.
They never really connected to the fan base. They basically used the Penguins the way a house flipper uses a house (to make a ton of money real fast, in this case nearly $1 billion). And they committed the cardinal sin of alienating Mario Lemieux.
You could say all of that and more about Fenway Sports Group — I’ll bet you can’t even name their Penguins point men — but don’t forget to say this, too, as the franchise changes ownership: FSG is the single biggest reason for this magical Penguins season.
How so?
They hired president of hockey operations Kyle Dubas. That’s how. And there hasn’t been a Penguins GM on this kind of heater in a long, long time. Everything the man touches turns to gold.
Whatever FSG did wrong on the hockey side is obliterated by the fact it not only hired Dubas but gave him complete autonomy and ample resources to reshape the organization to his vision.
That is FSG’s legacy here. They hired Dubas and in doing so appear to have secured the franchise’s future. What else matters?
Of course, they didn’t look so smart early, when Dubas committed more gaffes than Kris Letang on a bad night. I thought they’d made a horrible hire. But Dubas has since taken a star turn, to the point where if this keeps up, he is an obvious choice for NHL GM of the Year.
The water-to-wine moves include Arturs Silovs, Justin Brazeau, Connor Clifton, Connor Dewar, Anthony Mantha, Parker Wotherspoon, Tommy Novak and Egor Chinakhov. The list goes on. Dubas found coach Dan Muse and first-round pick Ben Kindel, as well, and piled up future picks.
The improbable Penguins are 5-3-3 without Sidney Crosby and fresh off a 7-2 dismantling of the vaunted Colorado Avalanche.
Simply put, they’re good. And really fun to watch.
Now flash back to June 1, 2023, when FSG principal owner John Henry and chairman Tom Werner — we hardly knew ’em! — issued a joint statement upon hiring Dubas:
“Throughout his career, Kyle has proven himself as a forward-thinking hockey mind and embodies all the qualities — integrity, intelligence, and an unwavering commitment to building a winning culture — that we value in a leader at the Penguins and within Fenway Sports Group.”
Early on, those words sounded hollow. They seem downright prescient now.
If the idea was to leave the Penguins better than they found them, FSG clearly succeeded. What else matters?