Double Shot: Simon Despres & Joe Vitale

Despite the fact that I have had this one lying around for quite sometime, somehow it never made its way to a post.  Until now.  And how fitting considering neither player wears the Pittsburgh sweater any longer.  I'm talking, of course, about Simon Despres and Joe Vitale.

I've posted about Vitale before so I will focus this one on Mr. Despres since at one time, Simon was supposed to be the next big thing on D in Pittsburgh.

Despres was the Penguins first round draft pick in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft.  He was a powerhouse in the AHL and was considered by many in the Pens organization to be a top-four defenseman.  But when he made his way to the NHL, the Pens didn't get the production they were expecting.  Instead, he was relegated to a third line pairing and sometimes even a fourth-liner.  His reserved nature made him one of the quietest in the Pens locker room but somehow he still managed to win over the crowd and was a fan favorite, including myself.

Then, like most of these tragic stories, his time in Pittsburgh came to an end when Mike Rutherford decided to deal him to the Ducks for former Pen Ben Lovejoy.  If the "win-now" attitude is what this organization has, then I get it.  Otherwise, I will never understand this trade.  Sure Lovejoy has tweaked his game and is a reliable D-man that plays his zone very well and isn't prone to mistakes.  But Despres is young and his game has to mature.  His errant passes, poor decision making, and dumb penalties will eventually go away in a year or two with experience.  Lovejoy is getting up there in age and will most likely not be back in the Pens jersey going forward.  I see way more long-term upside in Despres.  I hope he does well with Anaheim and I wish him the best.

This card comes from the 2011-12 Panini Titanium issue.  It is from the Rookie Dual Signature set and is serial numbered #/50.  These are both sticker autos signed in blue ink.  Vitale uses his jersey number on his signatures and his name is easily recognized.  Despres...not so much.

Joe Vitale

At the time of typing this post, Vitale was on the shelf with an injury.  The Pens secondary scoring guys have been getting banged up as of late and it will be interesting to see if Shero goes after some talent before the trade deadline.

At any rate, this is my second Vitale auto.  This comes from the 2011-12 Panini Contenders Calder Contenders set and is serial numbered out of /800.  I picked this one up about a year ago.  I can't remember where though.  I think it might have come from a show out of a discount autograph box from a dealer table but I could be wrong.

DJ Joe has been a versatile player for the Pens, moving from center to right wing.  With this being only his second full season, he has progressed from centering the fourth line, to right wing on the second line, to filling in on the top line with Kunitz and Crosby.  

Vitale has 165 cards out there to date with most of them being serial numbered.  56 of them are also autographed.

Joe Vitale

I'm still trying to remember where I got this from.  I'm not sure if I pulled this directly from a pack of 2011-12 Crown Royale, or bought it on Ebay, or picked it up from a show, or if someone gave it to me.  It sucks getting old.  But hey, at least it's an on-card auto, right?

Joe Vitale is a highly touted member of what I call the Pens "generation next" squad and he has earned that respect through hard work and dedication each and every night his number is called.

He may not be the flashiest player but that's not what the team is looking for in his style of play.  He is a defensively minded forward with face-off abilities beyond comparison on the team (last I checked he was a 65.2% success).  Fourth liner guys generally don't get the respect they deserve because they aren't the 40 goal scorers and they aren't the work horse ice time guys.  But Vitale has earned every opportunity he has been given.

This year, the Pens fourth line with Vitale, Craig Adams and rookie Tanner Glass, has done some pretty amazing things on the ice.  Although he isn't always in the lineup (because of the depth the Pens have) Vitale makes the best of every moment on the ice.  He is a battler, an agitator if you will.  Not the dirty kind, but the kind that will get to the puck at all cost and gets under the skin of the other guys on the ice because of his relentless pursuit.  His aggressive play is what earns my respect and I wish he could get more ice time.