Not linking this piece of trash. Don't ever go to PirateReport.com, which is owned by the Nutting family. Their insanity has reached new heights.

This Paul Ladewski character strongly implies that the Penguins are a disappointment for, QUOTE, having "gone belly-up in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years in the Sidney Crosby era." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA. And this disappointment means the Pirates inability to draft well is mirrored in the failing of top picks like Marc-Andre Fleury.

Shame that this hack shill has a Baseball Hall of Fame vote.

And shame that I had to agree 100% with Bob Smizik.

Paul Ladewski, you are a joke. I hope you Google yourself and find this post. I put your name in all caps in the headline so it's like I'm shouting.

Go Buccos. Go Pens.

*UPDATE*

The hack shill did the worst thing imaginable...took down the post AFTER defending himself in the comments section. But we've got screenshots. And the Internet. Ladewski's full post and 2 of his most outrageous defense comments are below. You're...welcome?

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Like Bucs, Penguins Still Have Work to Be Done

PITTSBURGH -- The Penguins may be out the playoffs already – c'mon, they lost to the eighth seed, really? – but at least one Pittsburgh team won this hockey season.

Yep, you guessed it – the Pirates.

Now that the Penguins have gone belly-up in the playoffs for the fourth time in five years in the Sidney Crosby era, maybe we'll hear less about how their ownership will turn around the Pirates in no time if given the chance.

The fact is, despite every conceivable advantage from first or second overall choices in four consecutive drafts to the mother of all lottery picks to a league that operates with a salary cap to a pucks-mad fan base, the Penguins have been unable to dominate their own division let alone the entire league.

Or did you know that, while the Pirates have gone 17 years without a sniff of .500, the Penguins have hoisted exactly one Stanley Cup in that period?

Pure and simple, like the Pirates over the years, the Penguins have made mistakes in the draft and the open market. Lots of them.

For instance, take the 2003 draft, in which the Penguins owned the No. 1 pick on the heels of a anorexic 65-point season. (Yes, Bubba, they were dog breath themselves not that long ago.) The golden rule states that you never, ever select a goaltender at the No. 1 pick, but the Penguins chose Marc-Andre Fleury, anyway. Here are some of players that they could have taken instead -- Eric Staal, Thomas Vanek, Jeff Carter, Zach Parise, Ryan Getzlaf, Mike Richards, Corey Perry, Shea Weber . . .

Hey, maybe Bryan Bullington wasn't that bad, after all. Sorry, forget I wrote that.

Here it is, five years after Crosby was drafted, and the guy still doesn't have a regular linemate that is in the same zip code as his talent level. Quick -- name the last legit 30-goal-scorer to be developed in the Penguins farm system.

OK, 25 then.

Uh, 20?

God help the franchise if Sid the Kid goes down any time soon. Cart him off and the Penguins are the New York Rangers all of a sudden.

I wouldn't wish that on even a Philadelphia Flyer let alone Crosby, who represents everything that is good about professional sports. I wouldn't wish that on any team owner let alone Mario Lemieux, a guy that only the devil could root against.

It's just that, before people wish for the Penguins to step in and save the baseball team in this town, they should remember that the Penguins have to help themselves first.

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Insane Defense Comment 1: There's no excuse for the embarrassment that took place this year. Not one. (speaking about the Pens 2nd-round exit - ed)

Insane Defense Comment 2: Don't need to take a $5-million cap hit for an above-average goalie. The Blackhawks, Canadiens and Flyers prove that now. Several goalies could have done what Fleury did and done it for a lot less. (it's PiratesReport, not PenguinsReport. keep MAF's name out your mouth - ed)

*UPDATE 2*

Thanks to Cotter, who initially tipped me off to this garbage article, here's a screenshot of the full post if you're into that kinda stuff. Open it in a new tab or something.

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