The Sidney Crosby Show: The Day After

Some of you may still be reeling from last night's loss. Mark Messier thinks the loss was the beginning of something much bigger. He's right - the Pens took their experience from being eliminated in Round 1 in five games by the Ottawa Senators in 2007 and used it to get to the Stanley Cup finals only one season later. The future is definitely WOW for our Pens. :)

While on MSNBC, I found this solid timeline that puts last night into perspective for us. It details the Penguins' rise out of the ashes of bankruptcy. If for whatever reason you're not interested in checking out the entire article, you MUST at least check out 2001 - whether you love him or hate him, the photo NBC sports picked to accompany the item about Jaromir Jagr's trade is priceless. (It's especially funny because the article makes no mention of how loudly Jagr expressed his unhappiness in Pittsburgh. They let the photo do all the talking.)

Friends of The Show Cassie C. and Mer R. each sent me similar ideas. They thought it would be cool if we could see where we're all located. I found a map that we can all add our markers to at ZeeMaps.com. Don't worry about it tracking you by your IP address - I picked this one because it only adds the information that YOU choose to include. Check out my entry (it's the little sunflower on Pennsylvania) and make sure to add yours - even if you want to do it anonymously! Just click the Add button in the upper right corner to get started.

NHL.com has the transcript to Sid's (and Mario's) post-game presser. Here are some highlights:

Q. Sid, reaction to the fans?

SIDNEY CROSBY: They've been great all year. We appreciate their support. And it doesn't make it any easier for sure. But they stuck through with us all season, and a long time before that, and so we appreciate it.

Q. In the heat of the loss can you put in perspective what has been accomplished this year?

SIDNEY CROSBY: Not right now. I mean it's pretty tough. It's not a fun time. But we will remember this feeling, that's for sure.

Q. You go down fighting, taking it literally to the last second of the game.

SIDNEY CROSBY: That's the way we played all season. And the guys have been through a lot and battled through it and it doesn't surprise me that the guys never gave up.

This is an old picture. Sid probably wasn't smiling when he gave this interview...

Q. Can you put it in perspective how far this team has come in such a short time?

SIDNEY CROSBY: Yeah, we've come a long way, that's for sure. But it doesn't make it any easier, that's for sure.

Q. Marc-Andre was not happy with the second and third goals. What did you say to him when you came in?

SIDNEY CROSBY: I don't think really anything needs to be said. Without him we wouldn't be in this position. So it's without him we wouldn't be here.

Q. Can you talk about the future of the core of this team and some guys have to be signed?

SIDNEY CROSBY: Like you said, we've got a great group. And hopefully we can keep it together. But it's a tough thing.

Q. They say it only takes an inch.

SIDNEY CROSBY: The last play is an example.

Regular readers will remember that before this series got underway, I issued a call looking for a Red Wings blogger with whom I could make a friendly bet. KCJacoby contacted me and accepted. I agreed to let him author a post if the Red Wings won the Cup, so that post will be up sometime tomorrow. Don't worry - I've been talking with him and getting to know him - he'll no doubt be bragging a little bit, but he's really cool. I think you all know me well enough to realize that I wouldn't let just anyone guest post on The Show!!!