All the news, analysis, and useless information about Sidney Crosby that you could ever want!
(I am not Sidney Crosby or officially affiliated with Sidney Crosby, just so you know)
posted by Unknown at 9:54 PM
Sidney Crosby is feeling better, but his status remains unknown for Tuesday’s game against the Islanders at Mellon Arena.Aggressively tested his groin??? I don't want to know...
The game has a special start time – 7 p.m., which is a half hour earlier than the usual 7:30 p.m. start.
The Penguins star aggressively tested his sore groin at practice Monday at the RMU Island Sports Center.
“I’m not quite 100 percent, but I felt better out there just getting the chance to practice. I didn’t feel too much pain,” he said. “We’ll see how I feel Tuesday. I think I’ll have a better idea then.”
Crosby continued treatment for the injury which kept him off the ice for the team’s last three games.
“I get treatment every day, sometimes twice a day. I am trying to do everything I can to heal as fast as possible,” he said. “When I play, I want to make sure there’s no hesitation, so practice is a good test. It was pretty good today because there was a lot of body contact. When that happens, you’re off-balance and leaning on guys more.”
Crosby is tied for fourth in the NHL in scoring with 30 points (10+20). With only 19 games played so far this season, he is the only player in the top 15 in the scoring race to not have played at least 22 games.
posted by Unknown at 3:48 PM
The stars shone brightly for the New York Islanders in front of their biggest crowd this season.Even with the win, the crowd must have disappointed not to see The Kid. With most games drawing flies, the Isles actually had over 15,000 fans for this game, obviously hoping to see Crosby. Such is the power of El Sid.
Miroslav Satan had a goal and assist, and Rick DiPietro stopped 35 shots in the New York Islanders' 3-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Friday before 15,625 at Nassau Coliseum.
"It helps to have a full house," DiPietro said. "It's a big time of year for us, and you have to put forth a full effort in front of a full house."
Alexei Yashin and Sean Hill also scored goals for New York, 5-1-1 in its last seven games.
Evgeni Malkin spoiled DiPietro's shutout bid in the third period with his 11th goal for the Penguins, and Jocelyn Thibault turned aside 26 shots. Pittsburgh, which lost for the second time in seven contests (4-2-1), was without second-year star Sidney Crosby for the second straight game.
The 19-year-old center took part in the pregame warmup, but was forced out of the lineup by a sore groin.
DiPietro kept the Penguins off the board until late and was helped when the Islanders killed a 51-second, two-man disadvantage halfway through the opening period. Shortly after a faceoff, Richard Park -- the only forward on the ice for New York -- broke his stick. Park then blocked two shots while the Islanders were short-handed.
...
Malkin, the Penguins' latest star rookie, appeared to be injured late in the game following a shoulder-to-shoulder hit by Islanders defenseman Brendan Witt. Witt's check at the Islanders blue line knocked Malkin's helmet off, and the center skated directly off the ice toward the dressing room.
A Penguins spokesman said Malkin "had his bell rung," but didn't hurt his shoulder injury.
"I don't think he saw me coming," Witt said. "I got him with my shoulder, and I think I hit him in the chest."
posted by Unknown at 11:32 AM
Pittsburgh phenom Sidney Crosby currently leads all NHL players in votes for the All-Star Game after the first week's results were tallied.Of course, the new system basically allows you to select a few guys on the website with one write-in vote for each conference. Brian Campbell? Yeesh...
Crosby, who has 10 goals and 20 assists through 19 games this season, leads the league with 83,664 votes. In the Eastern Conference, he is followed by fellow second-year stud and reigning Rookie of the Year Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals with 63,921 votes.
Goaltenders Ryan Miller (63,818) and Martin Brodeur (59,386) and defenseman Brian Campbell (57,988) round out the top five for the East.
Anaheim defenseman Scott Niedermayer leads the Western Conference with 75,340 votes. Coming in second place is Niedermayer's teammate Chris Pronger, how was acquired by the Ducks in an offseason trade with Edmonton.
Anaheim is off to one of the best starts in franchise history with a conference-leading 35 points.
Red Wings defenseman Nicklas Lidstrom (69,015), San Jose center Joe Thornton (64,098) and Calgary defenseman Dion Phaneuf (61,079) close out the top five for the West.
The 2007 NHL All Star Game is schedule for January 24th in Dallas.
posted by Unknown at 10:36 AM
PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Boston Bruins goalie Tim Thomas liked the lineup he faced in a shootout -- one that didn't include Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby.So, what's the latest on Crosby's injury? Well, it just seems to be a day-to-day thing. He could be in the lineup for the next game or he could miss one more game.
Marco Sturm scored one of three Boston goals during a second-period flurry, then won it by being the only player to score in the shootout as the Bruins squandered a two-goal lead before beating the Penguins 4-3 Wednesday night.
Sturm was Boston's first skater in the shootout and, after Pittsburgh's Michel Ouellet shot wide, he stuffed a shot under goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's pads. Evgeni Malkin, who had a goal and an assist, and Sergei Gonchar each missed for Pittsburgh to end it. Gonchar's shot deflected off Thomas' glove and a post.
"I find if I lose a shootout, I feel devastated," Thomas said. "If I win I feel like I did what I'm supposed to do. Shootouts are a lot like poker -- there's some skill involved, but it's a whole lot of luck."
posted by Unknown at 10:31 AM
posted by Unknown at 11:18 AM
Ryan Whitney says that there a number of reasons why the Pittsburgh Penguins have dominated the Philadelphia Flyers this season.
Whitney had a goal and two assists, and Sidney Crosby and Dominic Moore each added a goal and an assist as the Penguins defeated the Flyers 5-3 on Monday night despite not having Crosby on the ice in the third period.
"We match up well against them (the Flyers)," Whitney said. "It's like a four-point game whenever we play them. It's a rival game. Everyone gets pumped up. It's been going well for us and we've played really well against them."
John LeClair and Sergei Gonchar also scored for the Penguins, who snapped their four-game, road-losing streak and handed the Flyers their fifth straight home loss. Pittsburgh is 4-0 against Philadelphia this season.
Crosby, who leads the Penguins with 30 points, came up with a sore groin shortly after scoring a goal at 5:47 of the second period. He did not play in the third period "as a precautionary measure," according to coach Michel Therrien, who added that he was "not concerned" about the injury.
A Penguins spokesman said Crosby wasn't expected to miss any further playing time. Their next game is at home Wednesday against Boston.
Crosby also had an assist on Moore's goal at 4:31 of the first period that gave Pittsburgh a 2-0 lead.
posted by Unknown at 10:44 AM
posted by Unknown at 3:35 PM
The Pittsburgh Penguins disappointed Jaromir Jagr twice on the rink he used to call home.
Mark Recchi scored two goals, and the Penguins' defense shut down Jagr and the New York Rangers with a 3-1 victory Saturday night.
Jagr, one goal away from 600 in the NHL, often looked frustrated and lethargic and was booed with each touch of the puck. He was limited to three shots and one quality scoring chance.
"Jagr's one of the top players in the world, and you can't give him time or space," Recchi said. "We did a terrific job of not letting him get to the middle of the ice. Our defense had really good pressure on him, and that's really important when you play these guys."
Recchi's goals doubled his season total, 18-year-old rookie Jordan Staal scored his seventh, and Marc-Andre Fleury made 23 saves. But that was overshadowed by the defensive work of Sergei Gonchar and Josef Melichar, who were matched against Jagr on nearly every shift.
"They did a really great job," Penguins coach Michel Therrien said.
New York was held to 11 shots through the first two periods, 24 overall.
"They're dangerous, and not just Jagr, so we knew we'd have to stay disciplined," Penguins forward Sidney Crosby said. "You've got a much better chance of success if you concentrate on your own end, and that's what we tried to do."
posted by Unknown at 11:54 AM
Martin Biron and the Buffalo Sabres held off the Penguins for a 4-2 win Friday night.
Sidney Crosby scored two goals for the Penguins (8-7-2), but Biron’s strong play in goal limited Pittsburgh’s offensive chances.
Maxim Afinogenov put the Sabres up, 1-0, with a power-play goal when he snuck a shot past Jocelyn Thibault 6:06 into the contest.
Thomas Vanek gave Buffalo a 2-0 lead nine minutes into the second period. Thibault stopped a bevy of Sabres shots before Vanek turned and fired the puck on goal and it floated into the net. Chris Drury slammed in a loose puck in front of the net to boost the Sabres’ lead to 3-0 with a power-play goal with 8:32 left in the period.
Crosby got the Penguins on the scoreboard with 4:46 left in the period. Mark Recchi fed the puck to Crosby, who was streaking down the left side and No. 87 flipped it past Biron for a 3-1 deficit. Rob Scuderi added an assist.
Crosby banged in a puck in a scrum on the crease with 1:01 left. With Thibault pulled, the Penguins had six attackers on the ice. The puck squirted to Crosby and he quickly swatted it into the net for the score. Recchi and Michel Ouellet had assists.
Ales Kotalik put in an empty-net goal to seal the contest with 44.8 seconds remaining.
The Penguins return to action Saturday at home against the Rangers.
posted by Unknown at 3:33 PM
Thanks in part to modern innovations such as the Internet and 24-hour sports radio and TV channels, the attention last year surrounding Sidney Crosby’s entry into the National Hockey League (NHL) was unprecedented.Not to mention the All-Sidney-all-the-time blog dedicated to his supremeness. *raise the roof*
But unlike previous highly touted draft picks who have wilted under the intense pressure, Crosby has embraced his celebrity and seems destined for greatness, says the author of a new book on the Nova Scotia phenom’s first year with the Pittsburgh Penguins.Well, as much as I hate to admit it, that statement is unfair to Ovechkin. Alex has done a good job as an ambassador as well and doesn't generally shy away from the media spotlight.
“Coming into the beginning of the season it’s hard to say, you want to have an open mind, but by the end of the season after watching what he did, I have no doubts that he’s going to be one of the all-time greats,” said author Shawna Richer in a telephone interview.
“I think the difference between Sidney and everybody else except maybe [Wayne] Gretzky is that Sidney wants to be hockey’s ambassador. And he totally understands that part of the job, just as Gretzky understood it, is being OK with the attention.”
Crosby, in large part because his father Troy was drafted by the team, was always a big Montreal Canadiens fan. Prior to the 2005 entry draft it was widely assumed he would have liked to have been drafted by the Canadiens. Now 19, Crosby will be eligible for free agency when he turns 25, at which point he can sign with any team. After her year researching the book, Richer said that Montreal fans may one day see number 87 don a Habs jersey.ORLY? 0_o
“He has never come right out and said it specifically but I have no doubt in my mind that he would one day like to play for the Montreal Canadiens. I think it would mean a lot to him. I think he has a lot of love for the city of Montreal.”
posted by Unknown at 3:25 PM
Sidney Crosby, Jordan Staal and Evgeni Malkin all scored goals Monday night to give the Penguins a 3-2 win over the Flyers at Mellon Arena.
Malkin (2004), Crosby (2005) and Staal (2006) are the Penguins’ most-recent first-round picks. All three helped the Penguins snap their five-game losing skid.
“For the most part, I thought we did a great job doing what we needed to do – using our speed and keeping the game simple,” said Crosby, who added an assist as well. “No win is easy. I think we’re happy to be able to pull that one out.”
The Penguins (8-6-2) posted a 39-25 advantage in shots – after struggling to get shots on goal in their losing skid.
“It’s something we need to work on,” Crosby said. “We made it pretty close to 40 shots. It’s definitely a positive thing.”
LAST PLACE IN THE FREAKIN' NHL, SON!
posted by Unknown at 3:37 PM
posted by Unknown at 12:44 PM
The Tampa Bay Lightning overcame Nils Ekman’s first NHL hat-trick Wednesday for a 4-3 overtime win over the Penguins.
Ekman completed the natural hat-trick in a span of 4:10 near the end of the second period. It was the fastest three goals scored by a Penguins player in the organization’s history. Lowell MacDonald held the previous mark with three goals in 4:17 on Nov. 13, 1973 against Minnesota.
“I think I was just the right guy in the right place at the right time. It’s not like I did that much. I was just in front of the net and some guys on our team made great plays – I was just standing there tipping them in,” Ekman said. “It is always a huge confidence builder for a forward to score goals. That is part of what I want to do to contribute to making us win. I would have hoped we could have gotten two points out of it and [the three goals] would have felt more important to me.
“It was a tough overtime loss.”
It was the second-straight overtime loss for the Penguins (7-4-2), who were played their first home game at Mellon Arena since Oct. 24.
“It was a tough game to play. We were coming back from the West Coast and the guys, you could tell, are not 100 percent mentally and physically,” Penguins coach Michel Therrien said. “It’s always tough to make that adjustment. For a while, I thought we were pretty good in the second half of the game.
“It took us some time to get into the game, but the Lightning was playing really well and has been playing really well lately. It was a tough challenge for us,” he continued. “I have been in this position before in this league with teams coming back from a long roadtrip and that first game is always really, really demanding and really tough. At least we were in the game and could have won the game, but we got a point.”
Dimitry Afanasenkov gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 lead with 6:02 left in the first period. He deflected Nikita Alexeev’s shot past Marc-Andre Fleury.
Brad Richards boosted the Lightning’s lead to 2-0 with 9:48 left in the second period with a power-play goal.
With 6:28 left in the period, Max Talbot nearly scored for the Penguins. He ripped a shot off the crossbar on a 2-on-1.
Noah Welch rattled another puck off the post almost exactly two minutes later.
However, Ekman finally found the back of the net with 4:23 left. Standing at the top of the crease, he flipped the puck past Johan Holmqvist. Sidney Crosby and Sergei Gonchar had assists on the goal. Crosby, in the far corner, fired a pass across the crease. Ekman controlled the puck and quickly fired it into the goal.
Ekman struck again, this time with 1:41 left, when he deflected Ryan Whitney’s shot past Holmqvist for a power-play goal. Gonchar added another assist on the play.
Ekman completed the hat-trick with 12.3 seconds on the clock. In front of the crease, he one-timed Crosby’s pass behind Holmqvist for a goal. Colby Armstrong added the other assist.
The Mellon Arena crowd gave Ekman a standing ovation for his efforts.
Tampa Bay’s Eric Perrin tied the game 4:47 into the third period.
The contest went to overtime and Vincent Lecavalier won the contest for the Lightning when he broke in on goal alone and beat Fleury 2:41 into the extra session.
“It was the wrong guy to give the breakaway,” Therrien said.
The Penguins return to action Friday at home against Ottawa.
posted by Unknown at 10:42 AM
The NHL's unbalanced schedule is sticking around, at least for one more season.If the NHL really wants to market its stars, having them play in the arenas of one half of the league once every 3 seasons is a pretty poor start.
During a five-hour meeting Tuesday in Toronto the league's 30 general managers debated the pros and cons but couldn't come to a consensus on how the 82-game slate should be comprised. So, the likely plan is to keep things as they are through the 2007-08 season.
"We're really just beginning the second year of what's set up as a three-year cycle, and I think I would prefer to see how it unfolds over a longer time period," Montreal Canadiens GM Bob Gainey said. "And if there's really drastic inequities one way or another then that can be looked at with a little more background and little more evidence."
The debate rages on and will continue at the NHL Board of Governors meeting next month in Palm Beach, Fla. The GMs will get together again from Feb. 18-21 in Naples, Fla.
"I'm not convinced we've heard the last of it," Toronto's John Ferguson said.
The NHL schedule took up most of the discussion, which is not surprising considering the differing views on it.
The new format was introduced last year after the league emerged from the lockout.
Each club plays eight games against divisional rivals (32 in total), four against the 10 non-division clubs in its conference (40 in total) and only 10 games against teams from the other conference, five at home and five on the road.
It appears that will be the case again next season.
Some fans and team officials, particularly in the Western Conference, would like to guarantee annual visits by the likes of young stars such as Washington's Alexander Ovechkin or Pittsburgh's Sidney Crosby or top-drawing teams like the New York Rangers, Canadiens or Maple Leafs.
posted by Unknown at 3:57 PM
The Penguins wrapped up their West Coast swing with a 3-2 overtime loss in Anaheim on Monday night.
The Penguins (7-4-1) return home following their season-long four-game roadtrip on Wednesday against Tampa Bay at Mellon Arena.
Chris Kunitz gave Anaheim a 1-0 lead 3:29 into the game when he one-timed a shot past Jocelyn Thibault.
Dominic Moore retaliated 21 seconds later for the Penguins when he scored his third goal in his last four games. Skating from behind the far post, he banged in his own rebound past Jean-Sebastien Giguere for a 1-1 tie. Chris Thorburn and John LeClair had assists.
Thorburn, on his first shift on the first line with Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, scored his first NHL goal with 9:11 left in the period. He fired a rebound of Malkin’s shot past Giguere. Crosby added an assist.
Corey Perry put in a rebound with 6:47 left in the second on the power play to tie the game at 2-all.
With 1:42 left in regulation, Thibault denied a streaking Teemu Selanne, who flipped the puck on goal, but it hit Thibault’s blocker.
Selanne ended it with a one-timer 23 seconds into overtime for a power-play goal.
posted by Unknown at 12:48 AM
I already know that not creating my own ownership group to buy the Penguins will go down as a huge mistake. There are only so many hours in the day, and I didnt have the time, or the expertise in hockey to do it right. My mistake.Well, if you didn't spend 5 hours a day whining about the referees in the NBA, perhaps you would have had time.
Im still an NBA junkie first and foremost, but a long time NHL fan as well. When the Mavs were in Pittsburgh to play the Cavs in a preseason game, I snuck in to Mellon Arena and managed to catch the last period of the Pens - Devils game. Hockey games are fun to go to. Watching the NHL on HDNet is great. But what I say in just 1 period in Pittsburgh was the most exciting glimpse of NHL greatness I have ever seen.So, you are a millionaire and you snuck into the arena? Can't buy a ticket like the rest of us peons, eh?
In the 3rd period of a 3-2 game, Malkin took a bullet pass straight to the stick from Sid the Kid Crosby, did a cross over move with a puck, that if Allen Iverson would have done it with a basketball, would have broken several ankles, split two defenders, nothing but net.Crossovers in the NBA are so passe and common. It's 100x harder in hockey.
I'm a Stars and Pens season ticket holder and have been going to hockey games since I was a kid. This was the first time I literally just stood, my jaw dropping in amazement and just shook my head. The most amazing goal I had ever seen. The entire arena stood and every one just looked at each other with that "Are you kidding me" look. I was with Al Whitley, the Mavs equipment manager who is from Vancouver and we just looked at each other and laughed. It seemed like a minute before the crowd actually cheered. Thats how amazing it was.Such is the greatness of Crosby. Go to his blog if you want to read the whole she-bang.
posted by Unknown at 3:20 PM
The wins keep coming for the Pittsburgh Penguins.Not like beating Cloutier is much of an accomplishment *chuckle*
And so do the goals for rookie Evgeni Malkin.
Malkin fired a shot past Dan Cloutier on a rebound 2:45 into overtime Wednesday night to give the Penguins a thrilling 4-3 triumph over the Kings.
The Penguins (7-3) captured their fifth-consecutive win and vaulted into first place in the Atlantic Division standings in the process. The Penguins last won five games in a row during the 2001-02 season when they won six straight games, Jan. 17-26, 2002.
The conquest pushed Pittsburgh to 4-0 this season on the road. It’s the longest road winning streak for the Penguins since they won five-straight on the road, Nov. 15, 1997-Dec. 10, 1997.
Malkin, the 20-year-old rookie phenom, continued the magical start to his NHL career. He scored two goals against the Kings. Malkin, the only player in Penguins history to score a goal in each of his first six games, is the first rookie in the NHL’s “modern era” to perform the feat. Three other players – Montreal’s Joe Malone, Ottawa’s Cy Denneny and Montreal’s Newsy Lalonde – achieved it in 1917-18, the league’s first season.
The talented Penguins rookie now has 11 points (7+4) in only six games. His two-point effort Wednesday vaulted him into third place in the rookie scoring race behind Kings center Anze Kopitar’s 13 points (3+10) and Sharks defenseman Matthew Carle’s 12 points (2+10). However, both Kopitar (15 games) and Carle (13) have played in more than twice as many contests as Malkin.
Also, Malkin’s seven goals lead all NHL rookies. Right behind him is – who else – Penguins rookie center Jordan Staal. The 18-year-old netted his fifth tally of the season Wednesday night. The two sensational rookies rank one-two in overall NHL shooting percentage. Malkin is first at 35 percent, while Staal is second at 33.3 percent.
In fact, Penguins rookies Noah Welch, Malkin and Staal accounted for all four of the team’s goals against Los Angeles.
Sidney Crosby, the Penguins’ 19-year-old superstar, did not score Wednesday night (he did not even take a shot), but he assisted on three of Pittsburgh’s tallies. It was the second three-point performance in two games for Crosby, who tallied his first NHL hat-trick last Saturday in Philadelphia. The outburst moved him into second place in the NHL scoring race with 18 points (6+12) in 10 games behind Rangers star Jaromir Jagr, who has 20 points (4+16) in 12 games.
Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury made his 10th-straight start and earned the win. He stopped 24 of 27 shots. He lowered his goals-against average to 2.61 and his save percentage to .922.
The Penguins return to action Saturday in San Jose at 10:30 p.m. EST.
posted by Unknown at 12:55 PM
I've already noted their improvement on my blog but it's definitely worth mentioning again here.
Admit it, Penguins fans, none of you really expected the team to be off to this good of a start, now did you? Be honest.
That's ok, you're in good company, few expected it. Sure, I expected the club to improve this season, but to be leading the Atlantic Division heading into November was too much to hope for.
I'm not a Penguins fan, but I've always had a soft spot in my heart for them going back to 1984 when they drafted Mario Lemieux. I guess it's my love of the underdog that draws me to them.
The Pens rose from the dead once before to become the NHL's best team, and they have the horses to one day do it again.
I'm not expecting a Cup this season, but a playoff berth may not be out of the question. Given the depth in promising youth on this club, they are well on the way to a resurgence, providing hope to their long-suffering fans once again.
From Crosby to Malkin to Fleury to Whitney to Staal, this year's Penguins are youthful and exciting to watch. Indeed, they put me in mind of the Edmonton Oilers of the early, early 1980s, before that team rose to become Stanley Cup champs.
This club still lacks quality blueline depth, and their overall defensive game still needs work. That could pull them down in the standings as the season wears on, but they're a fun team to follow this season. They should give their fans not only a reason to come out and support them, but hopefully also provide the incentive for the city to build them a new arena to keep them where they belong.
Well, it's not hard to lead the Atlantic Division when all of the other teams are sucking more than they should. I'm not too surprised at some improvement, but it's nice that the Penguins seem to be a more 'legit' team rather than the next contestant on Guaranteed Win Night.
posted by Unknown at 3:33 PM
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