Last game of the year, a real heartbreaker of sorts

So yeah, I was all settled in ready to watch the last game of 2007 on the plasma in the living room, knowing I'd only get to see the first period as the heavily touted Patriots-Giants game would over rule me come 8:15. But hey.. that's ok.

I get to see Ray Shero give Gary Roberts a fancy piece of crystal for getting his 900th career point.. and casually I wonder what they heck he'll use that for? But the heartbreak I mentioned in the title of todays post was Mr. Roberts breaking his leg in the second period. Damn it, just what we didn't need.. another player lost to injury. He is out indefinitely. :(

With all the hype being generated around the game on New Years day.. and hey, let's face it, it's a something of a novelty to be playing outside in Buffalo in the winter, so of course it should be hyped... it was almost forgot we had another game against the Sabres to play before the Winter Classic.





The game itself wasn't terribly exciting last night, we won, which is cool of course, but it can be said for sure that Buffalo looked slow and tired, but the game could have easily ended 1-0 if not for the empty netter with seconds remaining to make it 2-0.. a Pens win!

Conklin in goal, getting another win... hopefully not just new guy luck there.. but I can say watching him I have a slight preference for him over Sabu. Not even sure why... just keep it up Conk, ok?

Jordon Stall still keeps making many confused Pens fans wonder if he was just a flash in the pan last year. He got a solid break away short handed last night and got nothing for it. Blah!

The Penguins have practiced in their 'one time only' blue gear for Tuesday's winter classic. I have to confess that the jerseys of the 70's where they still wore the blue was some of the nicest jerseys the teams had, but then they caved and joined the Steelers and Pirates in wearing the black and gold, and the last few years the Pens have changed their yellow gold to what is refered to as 'vegas' gold, which in my opinion looks better. But the outdoor game they are going retro to the blue jerseys for one time only, and even wearing old style brown skates, and if Sabu is in net, he'll have old style brown goalie pads. Too cool..





Seems there will be some special rules for the game as well.. great article HERE to see what they are.






Let me say it here... if someone tunes into this game not necessarily being a hockey fan and doesn't come away from it slightly intrigued to see more.. they have no pulse. This game rocks, and it's why I love it so much, and why after the middle of June I get anxious for it all to start again in October. Everyone else in America gets psyched up for ONE game, called the Super Bowl... how fast is that over? And how often is it barely even a game? Stanley Cup baby... that's where it's at.. best out of 7.. a playoff series where you have to win 16 games to get to the Cup. In the immortal words of Mike Lange.. "Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley.. get me a brandy!!!"

Happy New Year to All... except all those Flyer people.. :P

counting down to the winter classic!

I don't know about anyone else, but.. I'm getting jacked up for the Winter Classic next Tuesday! With the way the season has been sucking the life out of some of us Pens fans, who knows.. maybe this is just what we all need... a diversion.

Something to make us forget that MAF will be out for at least another month... and Talbot a couple weeks...

that now Mark Eaton is out indefinitely with a torn ACL...

that somehow Jordon Staal has us all scratching our heads collectively, and muttering WTF? to ourselves...

and please help us to forget, albeit only briefly, that Sabu and Conklin are not up to the challenge of getting us thru our goalie drought... *note to Shero: must do SOMETHING before it's too late.

Anyhow, should I really rag on about these guys? It's not totally their fault they've been filling the roll of back up goaltender most of their NHL careers. And if we wish to make a run for the playoffs, we need someone who will go the distance, even once MAF finally makes it back, he'll not be 100% when he does... ahhh I digress...

This post is a bit brief, I know... hey, it's the holidays and my mind is mush here... but, since my last post we had 2 wins against the Bruins and a forgetable loss to those pesky Islanders. But it can not go without mentioning that Sidney Crosby, our fearless captain, had his first NHL ... correction... his first ever fight on the ice. He never even had one in juniors. And it was good to see Sid could stand toe to toe with Andrew Ferrence (a former Pen!) and even spill some blood. :P



If you want to keep up on the Winter Classic until the big day, click HERE.

Well that's all for this brief posting... till next time.. Peace be with you all...

Not again :(

In lieu of last nights horrid performance, some of us Pens fans may need antidepressants. Not yours truly of course, this losing stuff I'm used to, granted, not that I like it.. but I'm used to it. The fly by night, front runners though, they're doomed to take the medication or just move along to the next passing fad in the 'Burgh. Happily leaving us die hards their igloo seats if at all possible :)

Regardless, the game last night against the NYR's thru the first period was probably one of the more boring games I've watched this season. Everyone seemed to be dragging tail, despite the goal that came within the first two minutes from the start by Scott Gomez. Speaking of which, how many times do I need to see him go fishing up in Alaska. They showed that piece again last night, and it's most likely the 4th time I've seen it. Bahhh... I'm just jealous because I want to go to Alaska :P

Seems our losing is just out of control. There just seems to be no method or reason to it. It could .. of course... be explained away with the loss of MAF, Talbot, and last night Ryan Malone due to the flu, but even the healthy guys looked slow or sloppy.. and sometimes both. With the exception of course being Sid.. and he's always on hyper mode.

Speaking of Mr. Crosby... From the Penguins website...

Penguins center Sidney Crosby maintains his lead among Eastern Conference vote-getters in the XM / NHL All-Star Fan Balloting, Presented by 2K Sports.
New Jersey Devils goaltender Martin Brodeur and Tampa Bay Lightning center Vincent Lecavalier have posted gains. Brodeur has claimed the top spot among Eastern Conference goaltenders with 149,067 votes, passing previous frontrunner Cristobal Huet (137,418) of the Montreal Canadiens. Lecavalier‘s 168,792 votes are good for second place among forwards, behind overall leader Crosby (381,941). More than 9.2 million votes have been cast in the all-digital voting program.



We move on from news of us losing, to the insane amounts of votes Mr. Hart Trophy is getting in all star balloting to... the lowest of the low in the NHL today, Chris Simon.

Rather than banishing his bipolar ass from the NHL, they instead gave him a 30 game suspension for the incident Saturday night involving Rutuu. From TSN.com...

"There were several factors that were considered in imposing the largest suspension in NHL history for an on-ice incident," explained NHL Vice President Colin Campbell in a statement.
"While fortunate, Mr. Ruutu suffered no serious injury as a result of Chris Simon's actions, the deliberate act of kicking an opponent with a skate blade, especially when that opponent is in a vulnarable position, is and always has been a repugnant and totally unacceptable act in the game of hockey."
With the decision, Simon will forfeit $292,683 to the Players' Emergency Assistance Fund and is eligible to return to the Islanders' lineup Feb. 21 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. In light of the severity of the discipline, a source close to the case believes Simon will be quick to appeal it.

Let him appeal it all he wants... I can't think there is anyone that would think he deserves less.. and hey.. anyone that does think otherwise probably needs their head checked too.



Celebrate all you want retard.. you're not going to Disneyland...

With that said, we'll just leave it at that.. and hope for better things in tomorrow nights game against the Bruins... and hoping Chara is having an off night, but if he's not, that's ok, Mr. Roberts will be in the neighborhood. :)

Peace be with you all... it's bad when Chris Simon makes the Flyers seem ungoonish...

on with the show..

Tonight we're on stage in the big apple, but that doesn't mean it's still not a hockey night in Pittsburgh! The above graphic is from a new line of T'shirts featuring some of Mike Lange's more colorful expressions. As time goes by.. I'll be sure to show the other 2 as well. :) And if you're reading this wondering who the hey is Mike Lange... suffice to say, you're missing out on one colorful broadcaster of Penguins hockey!

Click here to read a little about him...

Anyhow, the masses are laying in wait to see what will become of the situation with Chris Simon of the Islanders after Saturday nights 'incident' with Rutuu. As of now, the Isles have 'suspended' him.. oh.. snap... From TSN.com...

Simon's future should become a little clearer on Tuesday, when he is expected to meet with NHL disciplinarian Colin Campbell in Toronto.
Islanders owner Charles Wang met Simon earlier Monday to discuss the direction best suited to provide Simon with the support he deserves.
Simon has been granted time away from the team to seek counselling, or any other method to help restore his career.

Well isn't that just special... add to that he 'apologized' for his actions. What if he had indeed hurt Rutuu, severed a tendon in his ankle or something? His apology would be totally worthless.. just as much as he is... Stay tuned folks.. it's only gonna get better from here..



Want to see the stars of the future? One of the cool things to follow is the World Juniors Championship. Before I was able to go see big boy hockey, I followed teams in the OHL, specificly the Erie Otters. These kids can rock and roll... and they're fast. This years WJC's are in the Czech Republic, and that makes it tough for people in the US and Canada to see. Well that's not right, let me rephrase that. It's EASY for the Canadians to see it, becasue their country cares about hockey, so they broadcast it. It's us dorks here in the US who love hockey that get shut down and don't see didley.

Ahhh well. I guess we'll call it quits here for today. Getting worked up for tonights game against Jagr and company. Should prove interesting if nothing else!

Peace be with you all... except those in eastern PA..

Taking a step up

From the basement that is... and as promised.. we're dancing about that win last night..



And with that, we can safely say...



Anyhow.. last nights win on Long Island was not only a sweet one, but needed. Think about it, as much as we fans anquish over the losses, imagine what it does to the players? Bad enough having MAF and Talbot out, but then last night Gonch was out with an illness, and Christensen was out with some neck problem. Not good, as it's been plainly seen that Gonchar is really needed on defense.

Forward Connor James got called up from WBS for the game... welcome to the NHL bud..James has played all 25 games this season with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and ranks tied for second on the team with 16 points (6+10). He leads the club with a plus-six rating.

Nice to see Sid finally got a goal after a short drout...




It got scary in the second when Rob Scuderi went down after being blasted in the leg with a puck and took a penalty at the same time. So instead of going to the sin bin, he headed for the locker room to never return. Here's to hoping Scuds is alright, sure we'll here more tomorrrow.

Ok.. confession time. Who has really stepped up as of late and done one hell of a job for the Pens? Kris Letang. I am more than happy to be wrong about him, and that he's been doing a great job since he's come up from WBS. He did not make the initial cut after training camp, and I had read that he was a bit full of himself, and you know the old saying.. there is no 'I' in team. It's cool to have confidence, but not so much so when you're telling others how good you are :P But yeah... I'm really jazzed he's doing great!




Last nights other mini surprise... Jordon Staal. Nice to see he showed up for the game! He made a sweet pass to set up Tyler Kennedy who scored the go ahead and game winning goal. Way to go Stallsie..


After we've gone thru the regular game goings on.. now the rough stuff... After Andy Sutton gave Gary Roberts a not so kind face wash with his glove, Mr. Roberts took offense and the gloves dropped. Sure, Sutton got in a few good jabs, but that's about where it all ended. Roberts took Sutton to his neighborhood... and isn't it nice to be his neighbor? Sutton had a good 30 pounds on Roberts, but that didn't bother who Steigy called.. "Scary Gary". Hey, the dude is ripped... awesome for 41.




Then there is the nasty business of Chris Simon trying to cut off Jarkko Ruutu's foot. What a piece of trash. And for the Isle's Mike Sillinger to say " I think Ruutu might have faked it a bit.." he deserves slapped with a trout. Simon is the same idiot who tried to take the head off of one of the New York Rangers last season with his stick.. resulting in a 25 game suspension he JUST came back from. If old Bettmen doesn't step in and do something about this jerk.. he'll really hurt someone.. that's fact, folks. Click here to read the full story on TSN.com If I didn't know any better, this nimrod could play goon hockey with the Flyers..

Just say no to assholes...


With that.. the New York Rangers and Double J are next..

Peace be with you all... and as always.. Flyers SUCK!

It's got to get better... right?

It's hard to stay positive in times such as this. Your star goaltender out for up to 8 weeks, a top quality player also down for a month (and really, if MAF needs to be out 8 weeks for the same 'high ankle sprain' why did Talbot come back so quick?) what's a Pens loving gal supposed to do?



Pout obviously... but being quite used to the losing side of things with my team, I shall endure.

The loss to the Sens last night, though not foreseen, you kinda had this tiny bit of hope deep down that the game with Philly Tuesday night still had them jacked up and ready to rock and roll. No dice..

And on the WTF? front... is there a crowd in all of hockey quieter than that inside Mellon Arena? Some would argue that it's in part to the lack of student rush. I think there is alot to be said for this. Think about it... all these business types scarfed up all the season tickets and such, leaving the upper levels to the average joe, and even those went fast. The result less and less tickets available for the student rush program. Now when was the last time you saw some dude who came to the game from the office get all riled up and screaming and carrying on for the team. Hmm... I'm thinking not hardly at all. These players definitely feed off the crowd. I was jealous of hearing those Flyer tards screaming so loud they were drowning out the announcers the other night. WE have a team worthy of that screaming and intensity... so where the hell is it???

Anyhow... I'm not much in for recanting last nights loss. Dany Heatly was smoking as was much of the rest of the Sens. And Gerber is playing at a level higher than what I'd even remotely give Ray Emmery for last year in the playoffs.. he wasn't that good. I said it tons of times. He just had a kick ass defense in front of him, not to mention some top notch goal scorers. But tough noogies for him now, he's lost the top spot and rightfully so, Gerber is just better, and last night he showed why.

Saturday night we'll be on the Island.. so until then.. Let's Go Pens...



We'll be dancing like it's 1999 if we win...



If not.. well... we'll most likely still be pouting... :P

Peace be with you all... I say you sucketh.. so you are a Flyer...

Ouch...

Alright... as much as it hurt taking that beating from the Flyers last night.. this little bit of video is proof that protions of it were more tolerable than others :P





Gary Roberts not only owned Ben Eager... he beat him like a red headed step child. I was feeling mighty low by this point in the game, and this perked me right up! :P

There is a rather interesting article from Canada.com questioning if the Flyers are out of control, and need to be reigned in, HERE. As much as I'd like to think that a coach would not encourage a player to deliberately hurt an opposing teams player, and the article makes a great point about hitting the players and organizations pocket makes this theory seem unlikely, my extreme distaste for the Phreakin' Flyers makes me wonder otherwise :P

From Philly.com:

Winger Riley Cote has become the fifth Flyer to be suspended by the NHL this season for landing a check to an opponent's head. Cote, 25, drew a three-game suspension yesterday.
Commissioner Gary Bettman has formally told the team that any more incidents could result in disciplinary action such as a large fine against the organization.
The league thinks, "like I do, that these are different coincidences and have to be viewed differently, but the question was raised about ramifications if it happens again," said Paul Holmgren, the Flyers' general manager. "Obviously, we're under watch."

Ahhh.. must suck to be them... correction, they just suck.. bunch of friggin' goons.



But to take a few steps back to Saturdays game in Vancouver. Of course staying up for the west coast games can be a drag, this one certainly did not disappoint. Luongo was just unstoppable, just ask Sid... he denied Crosby in an OT penalty shot and in a shoot out attempt. I think it's obvious Sidney has been doing better in the face offs this year, but his shoot out's still are sorta on the el' stinko side. Not really sure why that is... best player in the NHL... huh?

So that late night win in a SO against the Canucks was a great way to wind up a 4 game western road trip, and you know these guys bums had to have been dragging getting back east then having to take on the dreaded flying penises.

And now... for todays laugh... Recchi looking to prove Penguins wrong. Sure, Rex... what ever gets you thru the night. See ya January 12th.

After that laugh has you in a jolly mood, here is today's tear jerker... from TSN.com...

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Wednesday that goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury will be out 6-8 weeks with a high ankle sprain.
Fleury suffered the injury in last week's win over the Calgary Flames when he stumbled awkwardly outside the crease and has not suited up since that game.
The 23-year-old has appeared 21 games this season, posting a 9-8-1 record with a 2.90 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage.
As well, the team announced that centre Maxime Talbot is also recovering from a high ankle sprain and will be out two to four weeks.

Here is to hoping MAF gets better quickly... because I have no faith in our current back up.. And one has to wonder if Talbot just came back too soon..

(photo from last years final home game against the NYR's)

One more thing... proof positive that Crosby guy is the real deal.. from NHL.com:

won the 2007 Lou Marsh Award on Tuesday, the first hockey player to capture the honour since 1993.
The award, decided by a panel of sports editors and broadcasters, is given annually to Canada's outstanding athlete by the Toronto Star.
Other finalists were Phoenix Suns star Steve Nash of Victoria, alpine skier Erik Guay of Mont-Tremblant, Que., kayaker Adam van Koeverden of Oakville, Ont., and boxer Steve Molitor of Sarnia, Ont.
Crosby, who won in a close vote, is the first hockey player to win the award since Mario Lemieux in '93.
The 20-year-old forward from Cole Harbour, N.S., won the Hart Trophy as the league's MVP last season and was named the Pearson Award winner by his peers as the league's outstanding player.

This leads me to my final comment. Durting last nights game in Philthadelphia, the crowd at times were chanting so loud "Crosby sucks" that it was hard to hear the lovely *cough* broadcasters on VS (sorta makes you appreciate Bob and Stiegy after listening to those dorks, especially Endzo). What's with these people? Seems it's the big thing to rip on Sid these days, and boo him. More and more teams are doing this to him when we go to their arenas to play. Know what I say... they're nothing more than a bunch of jealous bastards.

After reading "The Rookie" and "Taking the Game By Storm" you realize this amazing hockey player has endured this thru his whole career. Even as a kid he was better than everyone else, and parents of other children were downright cruel to him and his own folks. That's just not right.

So I say... be jealous all you want the rest of you lameo teams and their fans... he'll just be off polishing his Hart trophy and all his other awards while you sit there on your old worn out couch and scratch yourself.

Peace be with you all... and their will be NO sweep, Flyers SUCK!!

Holiday hockey season

A festive group of elves, eh? *wink* Let's hope they bring all us happy Pens fans lots of goals and saves!

So things have been pretty interesting in the 'Burgh hockey wise the last 2 weeks. First and foremost what comes to mind is the Mark Recchi situation.. or the lack there of :P The Pens put him on waivers before they left for their current west coast jaunt. An excerpt from yesterday's Pittsburgh's Tribune Review:

The prospect of Mark Recchi, a likely Hall-of-Fame forward, donning the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins' sweater became a possibility at noon on Wednesday when the veteran forward was not claimed off waivers.

General manager Ray Shero said no decision had been made regarding Recchi, who would continue to cash an NHL paycheck -- his salary this season is $1.75 million -- if he played with the Penguins' AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

"It is an option," Shero said of Recchi playing in the minors. "We'll review it later."

Ahh I'm so glad that someone finally saw in the ol' Recchin' bald what some of the rest of us saw from the start of the season.. that he just can't keep up. Not to say that he wasn't valuable to this franchise, even up to last year, but his better days are past, it's time to move over and let the younger, faster guys play thru.

A great story on TSN about the Pens

So winning November 22nd against the Ottawa Senators was a good place to start, or so one would think, then beating the Atlanta Thrashers two nights later made the basement blues a bit more tolerable.

Having a whole 6 days off though.. gosh, that was a long break between games for a team who was starting to set itself on a roll of winning. I had to make due with watching other games on Center Ice to get my hockey fix.

Finally a hockey night on the 30th seeing the Pens play the Dallas Stars. Hmm.. makes me realize I dislike another Dallas team.. bleh, Cowboys. :P Suffice to say beating them 1-4 was a good time. However, to lose to those damn Toronto Maple Leafs the next night really hurt. Aside from the Flyers, the TML's come a close second to being one of those teams you don't feel right losing to, given their current state of affairs up there.

Which leads me to wonder... when did I become such a hater? In other aspects of my life I don't hate as much as I say... the Flyers. Some NHL teams really bring about a certain amount of ire in me.

When Monday rolled around I was ever so glad to see them come together and get another win against the Phoenix Coyotes and Wayne Gretzky. Some of the line changes are really rocking, and it was good to have Max Talbot back in the lineup after being out with an injury he sustained against Atlanta.

That leads us to last nights game in oil country, Edmonton. Now I have no dislike for the Oilers. In fact back in 2000 I was at the Rexall Place to see the Oilers play the Tampa Bay Lightning... had a GREAT time, and the fans there are really into their team... if only the folks in Pittsburgh could be so loud and behind their team without them having to be winning to do so. So us people on the east coast had to stay up to tune into this game, but for people like myself, this is no problem at all!

I was curious to see just how this Canadian crowd was gonna treat Sid, as fans in Montreal, Toronto, and Ottawa boo at him and taunt him by chanting his name. From what I could tell that didn't really happen. But the total media circus that surrounded the Crosby show was unreal. In his first trip to the Canadian west since his start in the NHL, the press was clamoring for as much of Sidney Crosby as they could get their hands on.

They demanded a press conference upon his arrival Tuesday night, then another before and one after yesterdays practice. As you can assume after the win, they wanted to hear what the "next one" had to say of his teams 4-2 win in the house of Wayne. To Sid's credit, he shows alot of patience dealing with the press and still being a world class hockey player on the ice.

Hmmm that makes me think... I have my picture in front of that statue of Wayne outside the Oilers arena.. I should find it and post here. Ohhh... and I have my picture outside the Saddle Dome as well in Calgary. Ok.. I must do this now... lol.

Peace be with you all.... and no matter how much snow, how cold it is.. phuck the Flyers..



Ok... I scanned those pics and here they are. Boy.. it was COLD in both pictures. I had on soooooo many layers of clothes, lol... and not to mention what the wind was doing to my hair :P