Maybe Army Will Read This

Yesterday, Friend of The Show Michelle B. sent me the following email:

Hiya,

Since I know you're great with words and emotions about Colby leaving, ccustance@ajc.com who wrote this article is taking snippets from people who can describe what Colby meant to PGH, if you're interested.

She included this link to a Thrashers blog on The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. (Think of it as the Empty Netters for the Thrashers.) I thought about what I wanted to say for a little bit and then contacted Craig Custance (who would be the Seth of Atlanta). I hope I wasn't being too presumptuous, but I sent the following email to Custance on all our Friends' behalf (I hope you all approve!!!):

Hi, Craig:

(I was referred to you by one of my readers.)

We all love Colby so much. All the feedback I've been getting from readers of my blog, The Sidney Crosby Show, has been full of shock and sadness at his departure. Don't get us wrong, it's not that we don't care about Erik Christensen, but Army is one-of-a-kind.

This is going to take some getting used to...

We know you guys will love him, too, but we're still reeling from the loss here. He was more than just a Penguins player, you know? He was the kind of guy that made us feel like we were along for the ride with him. He did radio shows and interviews for the Pittsburgh media, and he was well known for his sense of humor. His personality is what will be missed more than anything - Army is one of those guys that you want to have around regardless of whether he's producing or not.

The fact that he's not the most skilled guy on the bench also added to his appeal in a strange way. He worked hard for every point he got, and - especially to the youngsters - it felt kind of like if he could do it, maybe we could too. His enthusiasm for both the game and the city of Pittsburgh will sorely be missed.

~ Jodie

He published a snippet of my email in his post today, along with the thoughts of several other Pens fans who will miss Colby. It's a nice tribute to one hell of a guy. Maybe Colby will read it and know how much we appreciated all he did for the fans.

Now I suppose we have to move on. Colby has said "there are no friends on the ice," and our injury-plagued Pens will be meeting Army, Crush, and the Recchin' Ball on Sunday. GAME ON.

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!