Sitting up top again

Daaaaaaaaaa!!!!!

Not sure how many of you are familiar with Rayman's Raving Rabbids... but, well.. I had to get that outta my system.

It's been an interesting week or two for hockey people, especially if you are so lucky to have your team in the top eight and in playoff contention. Or better yet, such as myself, you've clinched your playoff spot, now you're trying win the whole bleepin' conference.

Thanks to yesterdays win against the NYR's, and the surprising loss Montreal faced thanks to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday, the Pens sit atop the Eastern conference, and with a win tonight we could seal it up, and be the division champions!

I'm kinda torn though who I'd like to play in the first round. If the playoffs started today, we'd be going up against Boston. For my own reasons I'd like to see Buffalo make it in there up under the wire, but they have just been so touch and go the last couple weeks, losing some games they had in hand, I just don't see them getting into the top 8.

If we went up against Philly, that'd be a slugfest to be sure. As it is, we still have to play them Wed. night and this coming Sunday for our last two games of the season. Would be hell going right into the playoffs against them ... lol but in that fun, 'I want to beat your ass to a pulp' kinda way.

This space for rant...

Ok.. let me just get this off my chest. 2,000 tickets per playoff game available to the public SUCKS!!!! And it's just not RIGHT!!! Not in an arena that can hold 17,000!

My husband was unsucessful in getting a pair of tickets to either of the first two home playoff games, this after we've been denied a decent seat for a regular season game. According to the Penguins website, the majority of those tickets were snatched up online.. within 11 minutes.

Guess we're missing something here. How in the heck do you get a ticket online, if you're signed in to ticketmaster and ready once the clock strikes the designated hour?

I realize early in the season they had to stop season ticket sales in order to leave a few scraps for us common folks to buy, but same thing happened then... couldn't get a ticket, sold out in minutes. *sigh* Am I ever to see my beloved team??? Other than at practice?

I even looked at the ticketmaster ticket exchange site... now there's a real screw job if there ever was one. Season ticket holders trying to pawn off their tickets they can't use. F level tickets that normally sell for about $30, going for over $125!?!?! For that price I'll stay home and watch Sidney Crosby sweat on my plasma in HD!

With that said, I guess once it gets down to it, none of it really matters. I still watch my team, hopefully progressing thru the playoffs, happy in the knowledge that they are better than last year, destined for greatness, if not this year, then soon.

Ahhhh cup fever....

getting closer

Let me just say first and foremost... I hate that I'm getting my rear end kicked in my one fantasy league. I was in second place. The first week I get a bye in the tournament. This week I'm up against the 6th place team, and it's driving me nuts. He's been beating me regularly this week, now we're at 5-4 in his favor. I've got the fact that Rick DiPietro is out for the season working against me, and that my remaining two goalies are the head case Ryan Miller and Johan Holmqvist... gosh I feel so not confident. Add to that I have Patrick Ellias on DTD... just glad Zdeno Charra is back. Today is really my last chance to get past him and win.. and advance. Gosh.. let's hope the hockey gods hear my cries!



Tonight we take on the Devils.. at home. We've had a day to rest since our game against Tampa Bay, and the Devil's lost last night to the sucky Islanders. Things have got to be interesting tonight, considering the jam up at the top of the standings. Montreal at 92, Pens and Devils at 91.. this time of year is always fun... and nerve wracking.

We'll just try to forget that loss Tuesday night to the Rangers. And instead concentrate on the excellant work that Staal, Rutuu, and Gill are putting in. Not to mention Dupuis and Letang. It goes without saying that Malkin continues to be a beast, and Hossa is starting to find his way among the Penguin elite. Now... one last favor... can we get Sid back? Ohhh ok, make that 2... can we get Gary Roberts back too???

I'm not selfish... I just want the whole team to play together as one well oiled machine...

With that said... Let's Go Pens!

The sweet taste of victory

Well, there are game highlights, I just am not going to be the one to give them to you. Would be tough since I didn't see the game. >_<

Family matters made me miss my first Pens game all season. Add to that the fact that it was also against the Flyers, only made the seperation between me and the 50inch HD television in our living room all the more harder to take.

But, I'm an adult (so I'm told) and I tried to conduct myself as such... hockey game aside. Not to say that I'm not clever, when left to my own devices. Already living in an area that doesn't support hockey what so ever, let alone the Penguins, I knew I wouldn't even be able to find a suitable radio station to listen to the game in the car while traveling.

Hmm.. no tv anywhere... no computer accesss... I saw almost no chance of knowing how this game was going until I got home. But then... it hit me. My phone! Sometimes I think some of my ideas are a bit lacking, but this one, hit the spot! Without seeming to be too obvious, I was able to check the game score 3 times while in the funeral home, then once out on the road back home was able to follow along somewhat until the victorious end.

Granted this was one I'd have wanted to see. I mean, who wouldn't want to watch the Pens play an on ice game of smear the queer with the likes of the freakin' Flyers? ;)

In other hockey happenings... The man everyone loves to hate...

Chris Pronger, getting an 8 game suspension for his version of the Chris Simon stomp. How this will affect the Ducks remains to be seen, speaking for myself, I wouldn't be hurt if the Ducks didn't make it too far this season.

Sort of something scary I saw in a highlight from yesterdays Pens/Flyers game, Malkin almost takes a skate to his face.. it just... misses....

Who is gonna be that 8th place team in the Eastern conference? Seems like it'll be up in the air till the very end.

Sharks 11 game winning streak is finally broken thanks to Oilers.

Malkin is still 2 points behind Captain Caveman in the points race...

With that, we wait until tomorrow night when the Pens are in the big apple to take on Double J and the rest of the NYR's. I don't remember where I found this picture, but it still makes me laugh :P

Are you ready for THIS!?!?

OMG... the moment has come, it's TIME... He's BACK!!!

Sidney Crosby is returning to the ice tonight, against of all teams, the Tampa Bay Lightning. The very team he was playing when he went down with that all to famous, high ankle sprain. It's a wonder people in the tri-county area didn't hear me squeal in delight when I got the text message from the Pens this morning. Just this past weekend I told my husband how much I missed seeing Sid play.

This good news caught me a bit off guard (as well as several other things needing my attention) to the point I totally lost all train of thought to the post I had intended to make today regarding the weekend events of my beloved Penguins. Ahhh, sometimes I can so easily be led astray.

So what to do now? A perfectly formulated post mostly scattered in the recesses of my mind, totally jacked up that Sid's playing tonight, content in the knowledge that Hossa will follow suit within a matter of days (reportedly)... what could be better? Ok, Gary Roberts being back too would be nice, but.. we'll not be greedy. :)

Since I seem to have no semblence of order today, I decided to be a bit of a bragger instead. It's ok, it's all relative to the theme of this blog, I promise. ;)

My birthday was over a week ago. And as much as my husband likes to tease me about being in love with Sidney Crosby, and sometimes I think he wonders secretly about my Penguins obsession (and maybe hockey in general), he also feeds that obsession.

Example number one is this:


Not only did I not expect this.. but.. I LOVE IT!!! This photo does the picture no justice at all. A short recap of the story behind this: My hubby contacted someone locally to see if there was any Sidney Crosby autographed stuff available. Being here in northeast Ohio, of course not. This man in turn, does some scouting around, finds a company in Canada that Sid signs for.. something like Once a year... After having to set up an account with this company, the man was then able to purchase the above picture for my husband, who in turn, gave it to me :) It even comes with a certificate of authenticity! Sweeeeeeet...

My other pressie I don't have in my hot little hands yet... it's on back order, but it's just as great too...


I want it now!! This will be the coolest jersey I own, once I finally get it! :)

Anyhow... I'm just getting more anxious the closer we get to game time, gosh... can you even blame me!?!?!?

With that said... lace up the skates and let's get it done!!!