by Clayton Tramel
My ex-college girlfriend is now my best friend. I’m now 41. She’s about to hit 40. We dated for three years. She wound up marrying a great guy and having 3 awesome kids. I wound up making a feature film about the aftermath of our breakup. It’s called Bug Man. It’s on Amazon. She tells me it’s her go-to “dinner party” story, about how someone made a movie about her.
My best dinner party story was that I lived in a funeral home for two years while I worked in Pipeline construction. In 2011 my company had jobs all over Pennsylvania and I needed to find something in the Scranton area but not to sign a long lease, as I would probably be there only a few months. The only place I could find was a small apartment above Donahue Funeral Home on 303 S Main Avenue. They said they’d rent to me month to month. I ended up staying there for two years.
The lady who managed the funeral home made sure I knew that this was an active business, and when funerals or viewings were taking place they would require me to keep a low profile. Many a time when I was brushing my teeth I could hear the sounds of Amazing Grace and tissues below my feet. I kept a low profile. I never interrupted their services…except once.
November 21st, 2011, Donahue Funeral Home in Scranton, Pennsylvania, was hosting a viewing for a family saying goodbye to a loved one. Five hours away in Pittsburgh, Consol Energy Arena (now PPG Arena) was welcoming Sidney Crosby back from nearly a year long injury from concussions that many of us feared was going to cut short the career of the best player in hockey.
On his second shift, Sid went end to end, carrying a defender on his hip while scoring on his famous backhand shot. I leapt from my couch and cheered. Sure enough, moments later I got a text from the manager reminding me they were saying goodbye to someone below. I couldn’t help it: I was saying hello to someone above.
Between then and now we’ve raised two more Stanley Cups, and Sid has cemented himself in the Mount Rushmore of hockey discussion. It’s been a tremendous run. To be a life long Penguins fan is an embarrassment of riches.
The fact that this memory of mine took place in Scranton is notable. Not only is the Penguins AAA team in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, but now more than anything, Scranton is known as the setting for one of the most popular sitcoms of all time “The Office.”
The Office became a hit show, largely because of the unusual bond the show found with it’s streaming users on Netflix. While still on NBC, after 7 seasons, Steve Carell, who portrayed the lead character Michael Scott, decided his time had come to say goodbye.
Picturing the show without its lead would be like picturing the Penguins without Crosby. Without Evgeni Malkin. It’s just not the same.
The Office however, continued for more seasons. New characters came. New plotlines unfolded. Fans stayed and watched.
Thanks to a hit from Radko Gudas on Crosby in the Olympic quarterfinal, and Geno running hot enough to slash the head of Rasmus Dahlin and get a 5 game suspension, we’re getting an early sneak peak of what it’s like to watch the Penguins without their leads.
It’s a day many of us had dreaded. But here’s the shocker: so far, the last three games have been can’t miss television.
The Office continued for two seasons on NBC after the departure of Steve Carell.
The good guys lost the battle of Pennsylvania to the Flyers, but it was close. They had an all-time comeback against the claustrophobic defense of Boston, coming back from down 3 to win 5-4. Last night they squeaked out a point by scoring 2 goals in the final minutes to push the conference leading Hurricanes to overtime.
A common thread is developing: they don’t give up.
The last three playoff-less seasons seemed like a team that if they were down 1 after the first ten minutes accepted their fate and went through the motions. Last night they were down 2 with time expiring and they pressed harder.
Dan Muse is proving to be the fresh new voice the Pens needed behind the bench. Kyle Dubas has added players that may not move the needle on a marquee, but are translating to wins on the ice.
Ben Kindel is not playing like a man who just became old enough to register to vote. Anthony Mantha is having a career year. Justin Brazeau is giving quality shifts when healthy.
Egor Chinakhov is the mid season trade of the year. His wrist shot is strong and lethal, and his defensive hounding to create a turnover after the opening overtime faceoff created the opportunity for Tommy Novak to win the game for the Pens.
To Dubas’ credit, some of his best work is the trades he DIDN’T make. Erik Karlsson is having a resurgent year on both ends of the ice. He certainly would have been an attractive piece for a contending team. Bryan Rust found the back of the net twice against the ‘Canes. He’s the veteran in the room. A steady leader when the Captain is sidelined.
Most of these guys are supporting characters. They’re not the series lead. But here’s the thing…some of those season 8 and 9 episodes of The Office were pretty memorable. A lot of people who said The Office just wouldn’t work without Michael Scott, still found themselves tuning in and loving the show, even though the MVP wasn’t part of it. It still worked for Scranton. It could still work in Pittsburgh.
If this brand of it’s not over ‘till it’s over pressing is the new constant for this Penguins team fighting for a playoff birth, then we may have a show.
I knew there would come a day when Sid wasn’t taking the opening faceoff. I knew a day would come when we wouldn’t see Geno overpower a defender as only that Russian workhorse could. I knew like all things, this version of this show would come to an end.
I dreaded that once it did, I wouldn’t like watching the show anymore. I was wrong: It’s a show I can’t afford to miss.