Round 2 Game 1: Pens v Habs

The Canadiens pulled off an improbable upset. They were the last placed team that qualified for the playoffs. Yet the #8 Habs held off the #1 Caps and circumvented their own elimination not once, not twice, but 3 games in a row. That's impressive. But it's not the whole story...

The Canadiens won the series in large part because the Capitals failed. Miserably. All of them are guilty of playing without heart, none more so than their captain. There were two factors: 1. The Caps felt they had this one locked, and 2. they did not put forth the effort that is typical of a team united in a mission for glory. And so the Canadiens caught them with their pants down and ended their season.


But the Habs will find that the Penguins are a much different team than the Capitals.

Our #4 Penguins are the defending Stanley Cup champions. As such, the Boys already know what it takes to make it through all the way to a victorious end. And we know they are more than capable of doing it.

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

Sidney Crosby = Hart Trophy 2010 Nominee! and: Did Ovechkin Deserve to be Nominated?

It's official! Siddo's a candidate for this season's Most Valuable Player!!!



I say this as unbiasedly as I possibly can: I simply do not understand why Alexander Ovechkin is a candidate. To answer this question, we first need to define the criteria for winning the award. The NHL gives the Hart Memorial Trophy to the "player adjudged most valuable to his team". (Note - votes are due the day the playoffs begin, so the post-season has nothing to do with the nominations and votes.) Okay, I can see two of the three nominees fitting the profile:

• Siddo earned his nomination for scoring the most goals this season. With a final tally of 51 goals, he bested his previous NHL high total by 12 goals.


Congratulations, Kid. You've earned it. :)


• Henrik Sedin received his first MVP nomination by scoring the most points this season. His points total (112) gives him Vancouver's team record for most total points in a season.

I think this is the right one... ;)

But someone needs to explain what it is exactly that the Professional Hockey Writers' Association thought A-hOle™ deserved a nomination. He came in second (tied with Siddo) and third in points and goal totals respectively, but more importantly, the Caps did just fine without him when he was out for 10 games with an injury and two suspensions. That doesn't exactly make the case for his being the most important player to his team this season.

Well, I think we all KNOW he's not getting nominated for the Conn Smythe. :P

Who should have been nominated in A-hOle™'s place? The one man whom I cannot fathom missing a nod in this category this season: Ryan Miller, goaltender for the Buffalo Sabres. His 0.929 save percentage this season came in second to Tuukka Rask's 0.931. (For comparison, if you think Flower is good, he only had a 0.905 and came in 35 of 47.) Miller was the only reason Buffalo won the division. I'd go so far to say that without him, they would've been last in the Eastern Conference. I had him pegged to take the Hart home a while ago, so imagine my surprise that he didn't even get nominated!

Good ... but not good enough?

One problem is that the MVP award tends to go only to forwards. Defenders and goaltenders contribute just as much to their teams yet they are not often nominated and rarely win. Since 1923, only 12 defenders and 7 goaltenders have taken home the Hart. Maybe it's time to reword the criteria for winning the Hart Trophy to give it to "the forward adjudged most valuable to his team". The other problem is, when it comes right down to it, it's a popularity contest, and this year, Ryan Miller didn't get asked to the dance. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this - leave your comments in The Friends' Zone.

Tomorrow. Round 2 begins. The Stanley Cup is our target. The Canadiens are standing in the way. It's time to take out the Habs.

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

Oh! I do NOT want you to miss this: Tracee Hamilton of the Washington Post asks, "Can you be the best hockey player in the world if your team underachieves to such a degree?" in Capitals Undone by Ovechkin’s Failing on MSNBC.com.

I'm a Habs Fan Today!

Disclaimer: These positive vibes I'm sending out Canadiens are part of a one-day-only special. ;)

After being down in the series 3-1, #8 Montreal is facing #1 Washington in D.C. for a Game 7 match up that could literally go either way. The Canadiens were able to bounce back and tie the series because of the out-freaking-standing goaltending by Jaroslav Halak. In the last two potentially last games for his team, Halak blocked an incredible 90 of 92 shots on goal. That's unreal.

Here's hoping he can steal just one more game for the Habs. :)

In honor of the big Game 7, I thought I'd post the song that Habs fans chant for their team. (Yes, I know other teams play this song as well, but other teams play "Sweet Caroline" and "Don't Stop Believing" as well, yet they are most often associated with the Rangers and the Red Wings respectively. So there you go.) And since most people don't know the original artist of this song, I went with their version over the many videos of Habs fans chanting that I could have used.

Enjoy "OLÉ" by a punk band from New Jersey called The Bouncing Souls:



Fun fact: Every single playoff series A-hOle™ has participated in thus far has been forced to a Game 7. One team advances; one trades their sticks for clubs.

GO HABS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Round 1 Game 6: Pens v Sens

What a thriller Game 5 was! Even though we lost, you have to admit that was one of the best Round 1 playoff games we've seen in a while. Siddo's falling-on-his-arse goal was a sight to behold all on its own, but going into three overtime periods was nuts! Those Senators really did not want their season to end.


But I'm sorry to inform them that odds are against them. Not many teams have ever come back to win after being down in a series 3-1. Their victory made the series 3-2 (in our favor), and that means they are facing elimination AGAIN tonight. On top of that, they've been so far unable to secure a victory in their own building... but something tells me they're going to come at us as desperately as they did Thursday night in Pittsburgh. We have to want it just a little bit more than they do. (It would also help if they were still tired from the marathon game that kept them alive.)

Tonight it's time to eliminate those pesky Sens! Come on Boys, send Alfie and company to the golf course! I stole this Pens wave from a Friend on Facebook:

LET'S GO PENS!!! ¤º°¨ ¨°º¤ø„¸¸ø¤º° LET'S GO PENS!!! ¤º°¨ ¨°º¤ø„¸¸ø¤º° LET'S GO PENS!!!

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

Round 1 Game 5: Pens v Sens

It's elimination time, Boys.

DO IT.

Let's send them packing tonight from the comfort of home. Although, in honor of Earth Day, I think the Pens should recycle the Sens, rather than just sending them out with the trash. ;)

Don't you just absolutely LOVE this time of year???

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

Round 1 Game 4: Pens v Sens

Staal is officially in the running for the Frank Selke award for the best defensive forward!!! WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! What a player. Good luck, Gronk!


Now back to more pertinent issues...

Much Ado About Booing

In the last post, The Friends' Zone was abuzz with talk of the boo birds showering our title man with, well, boos. It surprised some because it's happening in Siddo's native land, being shouted by his fellow countrymen. The Canadians* seem to have turned on him rather quickly considering the heroics they bestowed upon him for the epic Olympic Gold Medal victory that was facilitated on the very blade of the Saint's stick. The question we have to ask is, "Why are they booing?"

Sid's UNBELIEVABLE Game 2 save

Hockey fans boo players for many reasons. With Sean Avery, he gets booed because he is loathed for being Sean Avery. With Jaromir Jagr, he gets booed because some fans still feel the sting of betrayal from words he spoke out of frustration. With Alexander Ovechkin, he gets booed probably because he has injured one of the opposing team's players. But with Sid, well, I still have difficulty answering that question satisfactorily.


I'd say it's because he's loathed, but I can't pinpoint a plausible reason. He's humble and "aw, shucks" likable. He's very involved in the community: He hand-delivers season tickets, his "Little Penguins" program provides free gear for kids as far away as Altoona, and he visits the Children's Hospital often with his teammates. Take this for example: There was a short video played before Game 3 (I tried in vain to find it) that showed Sid playing with a 9 to 11 year old (?) boy who appeared to have Down's Syndrome. There was music playing, so we couldn't hear what the child said to Sid, but Sid smiled broadly, and the child gave Sid a kiss on the cheek. It was very endearing, and I wonder how many 22 year old men would be mature enough to handle a situation like that.


I'd say it's because of something he said, but he refrains from badmouthing anyone in public - even going so far as politely brushing off scathing criticisms that come his way from the press or even some of his fellow NHLers. He's uncontroversial to the point of sometimes being vanilla. Personally, I like the bland, non-jackarse type, thank you very much. Oh, and save the "whiner" B.S. because he hasn't actually whined since his rookie year. NEWSFLASH! Talking to the ref is part of the Captain's job.

If the Captain doesn't stick up for his team, who will?

I'd say it's because he's a dirty player, but he's been in fewer fights than I can count on one hand, he's not one to make hits in the first place let alone devastating ones, and (contrary to popular belief) he has never been penalized for diving in his entire NHL career.

That last one bears repeating: Sid has never been penalized for diving in his entire NHL career.

I dive for PUCKS, suckas!

So, that leaves only one real reason left. Just as Wayne Gretzky was before him, Sid is vilified for being the best. As long as cloning him 29 more times is not an option, most hockey fans will not be Sid fans simply because he is not wearing their teams' sweaters. The Canadian glorification of him for the Olympics and immediate vilification of him for the playoffs is pretty much proof of that. The bottom line is that they're jealous he's ours.


But it's okay. Pens fans are quite familiar with what happens when Siddo gets starts getting booed excessively - the scoreboard starts lightin' up! Come to think of it, I hope the Sens' fans are in a booing kind of mood tonight. ;)


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

*Disclaimer - Please know that I do not mean ALL Canadians. I know a LOT of Canadian Friends of The Show love Siddo as much as Pens fans do. :)

Round 1 Game 3: Pens v Sens

Many, many apologies for not having the promised scheduled post for Game 2. This has been an extremely busy, extremely tiring weekend for me - so much so that I'm looking forward to going back to work tomorrow for a break!! :-P (That's supposed to be a joke, but it's kind of true...)

Speaking of Game 2:

1. The Sutton hit on Leopold was terrible. One has to wonder how things would have gone had that been Matt Cooke delivering that hit to a Senator.
2. Saint Sidney seemed determined to win that game, with or without the help of his teammates. Sometimes I think he can't possibly have anymore amazing tricks up his sleeve, but then he goes and plays a game like this:

What a player. WOW. Let's hope he has that same determination (and that it rubbed off on the rest of the Boys!!) for tonight's Game 3 in Ottawa.

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

Edit for jasper: They're both blurry, but these are the only ones I have:

Round 1 Game 1: Pens v Sens (L 4-5)

I can hardly believe it's time to defend the Stanley Cup already. It seems like just yesterday we watched Sid yell, "WHOOOOEEEEEEE!!!!!!!" like a little kid as the Commish handed him the Cup for the very first time. I'm ready to see how he reacts when he wins it for the second time, how about you? ;)


As soon as I publish this post, I am going to start packing up the car for the 2010 Playoff Road trip. I am hoping to be able to record the opening video for you again this year, and I plan to take as many pictures as I can without distracting myself from the game.

Back-to-back... Can you FEEL it???

---

Hmmm. I guess the Pens weren't feeling it... There seemed to be an on/off switch on the Pens last night. They were on for the first six minutes or so, but then they turned it off for the next 25 minutes - during which they incurred a two-goal deficit. By the time they turned it back on, they just couldn't manage to get the game tying goal. The series has just begun, so I don't yet see any reason to panic.

Funny (because no one got hurt) story for you: As I told you in The Friends' Zone, I almost ran over Dan Potash. This is what happened. We were sitting at the red light just down from the Mellon when woodstock made a funny face and said, "Is that Bylsma walking up there?!" I didn't think it was because I figured Bylsma could not walk without a huge crowd nearby (especially during playoff season) AND that he'd be in the arena with the Boys (it was 5pm), so we just dropped it and went back to waiting for the light to change. I was the first car at the light, so when it changed, the road was clear in front of me. I was driving at a normal (perhaps quick) speed, but I wasn't being reckless at all.

This is the free swag we got last night. The top one is the towel, the bottom one is the T-shirt. The quality is weak because I took these pics with my Droid. (The camera on the Droid is the only thing about it I don't like.)

So when a man in a nice dark suit wearing shiny shoes crossed the road ahead, there was plenty of room between us. He made it to the median strip without any problem, and he started walking on the strip towards us. And then he slipped. And he stumbled. And he wobbled. As he bent over to correct his balance, I hit the brakes. My car reached him only a fraction of a second after he regained his footing. I was commenting to my husband about what a clumsy idiot the guy was when I saw his face. Dan Potash's face. O_o Wow. If he would have fallen, I would have hit him. I wasn't going TOO fast, so he'd have survived, but I really think I would have hit him. Thank GOD things happened the way they did.

So that, and with the absence of Alexei Kovalev compounding the disappointment of the Pens' loss, it did not turn out to be the send off to the Mellon Arena that I had hoped it would be. Regardless, it was still a special night for us. Here are some of my photos and, as always, I did my best to capture the opening video shown on the ice for you. Enjoy!!! :)




The Consol Energy Center:




Pregame warmups:


I know this is blurry, but I thought it looked kind of cool anyways:



The Anthems (Canadian first, then American):



They had a solid tribute to Siddo's goal domination this season. Again, it's another blurry one, but it happened so quickly I didn't have a chance for a retake:




One of many scrums in front of the net:


They're using the Jaws theme before power plays:




I love how Sid is the only object in focus in this shot. I have NO idea how I did it:


A mural in the corridor (tip of the hat to the Mellon Arena employees who helped me get this shot unobstructed):


Another larger mural - this is the left half:


And here's the right half:


Farewell, Mellon (Civic) Arena. It has been fun.


Just an FYI: Life (for me) is a little hectic right now. I will not only miss posting for Game 2, but I will miss watching it live (I'm going to DVR it) because I have made a prior commitment to drive to Lancaster after work to pick up a family member and bring her back here. :( I made the plan months ago, and now there is NO WAY I can back out of it. But I will have a scheduled post ready to go so you guys can chat about the game. :)

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

Pens v Isles

So we've come to the last game of the regular season, and Eric Tangradi has been invited to the dance!!! Keep an eye on him - he's been called "Sidney's future winger" by some. Speaking of the Saint: this is one last chance for Siddo to break that magic number.

Race for the Rocket, Siddo! DO IT.

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

Pens v Thrashers

Okay, if it's not too much to ask of the hockey gods, here's what I am wishing for tonight:

This pic is for Sid. Bonus points to the first Friend who can figure out why... ;)

• the Islanders to beat the Devils,
• the Senators to beat the Sabres,
• and (of course) the Pens to beat the Thrashers.

That's not TOO much to ask... is it???

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

Pens v Isles - A Tribute to the Mellon (nee Civic) Arena

Instead of a recap of tonight's game, I want to do something a little different in honor of the historical significance of the evening. (All pictures in today's post are my own. Click them to enlarge. I tried to select ones that demonstrated the uniqueness of the Mellon.)




Nearly two years ago, just before construction began on what is now called the Consol Energy Center, I posted this brief history of the dome shaped structure that began as the Civic Arena and was rechristened the Mellon Arena in 1999. The fans have called it the Igloo, but our beloved Pittsburgh Penguins have called it HOME since 1967. Tonight, the building hosts its last regular season hockey game.



There are thousands of us who have one (or more!) precious memories of time spent in the Mellon Arena. I invite you all to share your favorites with us in The Friends' Zone below.



Some people think we're making a big deal of nothing, that buildings are constructed and demolished every day so there's no reason to get sentimental about concrete and steel. But I spent so much time there and those experiences are such a big part of who I am that I feel like I'm losing a small piece of myself. I attended my first concert there. I was almost 12 when my mom, my sister, and I took a Greyhound bus from the Logan Valley Mall in Altoona to the Civic Arena in Pittsburgh to see Skid Row and Aerosmith. That memory is burned into my head like it just happened yesterday. Up to then, all our family vacations had been to places like Gettysburg or the Kinzua Bridge or the Ephrata Cloister in Lancaster (my Dad favors old, historical sites), so it was my first exposure to real city life - and I loved it.



My first trip to the Civic Arena for a sporting event was in 1997 when I went on a date with my future husband. We were together for a few months, and he had been trying to get me to watch games on TV with him, but I never did because I didn't think I'd like it much. But then I saw a live game.



The pace was maddeningly quick, the athletes' movements were captivating, the atmosphere was like nothing I had ever experienced, and instantly I was hooked for life. We didn't have a lot of money, but back then you didn't need much to get tickets to the Pens games, so we made it a priority to go to at least two games a year.


We both worked for a company that leases a private luxury suite and once even had its name prominently featured along the boards underneath the players' benches! (The logo is long gone; use of the suite still remains.) There was a time when we got FREE tickets once occasionally twice a year to sit in the suite that was, at the time, two suites down from Mario Lemieux's suite. I thought I was pretty stealthy as I'd lean out, snap Mario's picture, and quickly return my attention to the ice as though I hadn't done anything. (Like he even noticed, haha!) Because we had elite access, I spoke to the likes of Robert Lang, Joey Mullen, and Dan Potash in the hallways, and Mario signed woodstock's Russian Penguins jersey in the elevator.

The one thing on this planet my husband loves more than me. ;-P He framed it with some of our Pens ticket stubs and his signed ticket from the 2002 Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational golf tourney in the lower right corner. (I stuck a few PSU ticket stubs on the outside.)

Since we've been married, we try to go to a game on or around our March 17^th anniversary. It was in that luxury suite on March 9, 2002, that I was so engaged in conversation with woodstock's boss's wife that I almost missed our names on the Jumbotron in honor of our upcoming first wedding anniversary. (I literally looked up just in time!) It somehow seems fitting that we will be able to spend our tenth anniversary in the Pens' new home.

This is the best image I could get from scanning and color editing my old film pictures. I used to get them with a matte finish, and my scanner isn't seeing them properly. :( This one is from the 03-09-02 overtime win against the Rangers.

Alas, we haven't been in the luxury suite since January 7, 2007 - the game where Sid scored from his stomach (see the previous Mellon post linked above for my video of that goal). Today those tickets, of course, are reserved for the top executives in the company.

This was our view from the Mellon Arena luxury suite.

It's hard to believe that the Pens have only one more chance to win a Stanley Cup in this building.

So many things have happened to us, separately and together, in that building. We will have at least one more chance during the playoffs to see the Pens at the Igloo. And then as Mellon Arena permanently closes, so closes a chapter in my own history.


But with the opening of the new Consol Energy Center, I see potential for so many more milestones with the Pens. I anxiously look forward to each one.


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