The Sidney Crosby Show

Hockey Kids to Sid: Welcome Back!

2011-11-28T19:41:00.003-05:00

While we patiently wait for tomorrow's matchup against the Rangers, John S. from Sport Chek sent in a short video for us:

We were so excited to welcome Sidney back to hockey this week; looks like you were too!

We got out the morning after he scored that great goal and had some local kids recreate it to welcome Sidney back to the game. The kids were really excited to get a chance to score that goal!

Check it out. It's too cute. "Little Sid" even nails the real Siddo's celebration - minus the swear word, of course! ;)

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

Set Your DVR - SIDDO RETURNS TOMORROW!!

2011-11-20T15:28:00.003-05:00

Siddo is back in the lineup!

Our Captain will be playing in his first game since January 5 of this year. The Pens will be facing the Islanders. (Yeah, these Islanders...) But it should be fine - we're at home, and there weren't many shenanigans at the teams' home & home series in October.

I hope he'll make it a return to remember. :)

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

Happy Anniversary of Sidney Crosby's Birth!

2011-08-07T14:15:00.004-04:00

With many wishes for an INJURY FREE 24^th year of life for our Captain. :)

Happy Birthday, Sid!!!

Meeting Sidney

2011-07-16T15:21:00.004-04:00

Yesterday, Pens fans everywhere got a FANTASTIC bit of news: Siddo has reportedly resumed on-ice workouts an agonizing seven months after having his season cut short by a concussion. And on that happy note, I've got something else pretty cool to share with you.

Last weekend, I received an email from Friend of The Show Andrew C. who had a story he wanted to share with all of us:

I have been following the website for a long time. [snoop: Thanks, Andrew!] I am a huge fan of Pittsburgh and of course Sid. I live in Halifax and was on a field trip with my students when, who we do we see working out with his trainer?? Sidney! He was very nice. I waited until he was finished with the workout on his leg, and when he was finished, he introduced himself, answered my questions, and took a photo with me.

He is a very nice guy. I was nervous and shaking and tried to keep it in (LOL). In all of the excitement, I did not even think about asking for an autograph but thats ok [because] it was the best moment.

Here's the photo of Andrew with our Captain:

How convenient was it that Andrew had on his Aeropostale 87 shirt? ;)

Thanks SO much to Andrew for sharing his experience with all of us. :)

Free Agency Fury

2011-07-01T15:50:00.006-04:00

What a day so far, eh? We're going to have a few new heels to hate next season. Some of the day's activities are listed below - not in chronological order, but in order of how much it upset me. (Feel free to share your feelings on the day's transactions in the Friends' Zone below.)

Starting out on the positive, as of the publication of this post, we've signed Asham a one-year extension and Kennedy to two-year extension, and we've snagged former Nashville Predator Steve Sullivan with a one-year $1.5 million deal.

Now on to the losses... Mike Rupp jumped ship to head north by joining the Rangers. We've got a lot of wingers, but Rupp was one of the best of the bunch. He played his role well, and it sucks to see him go.

Well, if he wasn't controversial enough in Pittsburgh already... Jaromir Jagr is about to find out what it really feels like to be loathed by Pens fans: Shortly after his agent claimed Jagr's "heart is in Pittsburgh" came the news that he signed a one-year deal with our cross-state rivals. (That's not exactly doing right by Mario, now is it?) To be fair, Shero had withdrawn his offer to Jagr because the ex-Pen had become the center of a bidding war of sorts. I know this left him with no other choice than to sign with another team, but why OH WHY did it have to be the freaking Flyers?

Speaking of the Flyers... the loss that stung the most was ~~Mad Max~~ Maxime Talbot's unexpected deal with the devil. After rejecting Shero's three year offer in June, he too is now a member of the Flyers and will be for the next five years. Apparently it was all about the Benjamins.

Talbot, I'll always be grateful for that Game 7 pair, but you are now dead to me. I don't wish you well. In fact I hope you lose, and lose a lot. That goes double for you, Jagr. I just have one thing left to say to you both: Bring on December 8.

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

2010-11 NHL Coach of the Year

2011-06-23T16:55:00.008-04:00

CONGRATULATIONS to 2010-11's NHL Coach of the Year, Dan Bylsma!!!

After coaching our Boys to the playoffs despite the multitude of injuries and the loss of the services of the world's best player, I'd say this is an honor well deserved. :)

Siddo Sighting

2011-05-17T18:41:00.003-04:00

Les Pingouins sont en vacances à Cannes, en France!

Paul Martin, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, our title man, and Jordan Staal

En anglais that is, the Penguins are vacationing in Cannes, France!

Michael Saylor, le capitaine, Boula Duval, and Staal

Well... at least four of them are: Siddo, Max Talbot, Paul Martin, and Jordan Staal partied with former Sopranos star Jamie-Lynn Sigler, director Boula Duval, and entrepreneur Michael Saylor (among many others) at the "Trophy Wife" short film screening and after-party during the 64^th Annual Cannes Film Festival aboard the Jettee Albert Edouard yacht last night.

Check out the entire photo album here.

But I wanted to make sure you got a load of Mad Max's fantastic suit jacket:

I ♥ his style! BTW, wouldn't they make an adorable couple? ;)

Switching gears now: Something pretty cool happened to us a few weeks ago. The folks at MLX recently contacted me and offered to send me a pair of skates to test, review, and keep. But alas, because of my past foot problems and resulting surgeries, I cannot skate. Yet, when I told them this, they were nice enough to offer the skates to woodstock for a test drive! :D Once he receives the skates and uses them for a bit, he's going to let you know what he thinks of them, so keep an eye out for his very first guest blogger post about the skates in the coming weeks. Check out the skates for yourself here: Hockey Ice Skates. I'm going to put that link in the blogroll, which I'm revamping and simplifying as a summer project.

I hope wherever you are, you're having better weather than we are. Until next time, Friends! :)

Sorry, Capital!

2011-05-05T17:56:00.004-04:00

SWEPT AWAY!

"Ovechkin" is Russian for "loser."

Hey, at least we took the Bolts to seven. ;)

After the dismal way our season ended, I just had to post this photo of A-hOle™ so we could take a little solace in the fact that even without our two biggest stars, our Boys still put up a better showing than the Capitals did. ;)

Haha, here's one more because I never get tired of seeing him in post-elimination handshake lines. XD

So, yeah, I missed blogging the rest of our series... well, that was unintentional, I assure you. This photography class I'm taking is consuming so much more time than I ever anticipated. (But I'm not complaining; it is wicked fun!) Hopefully I'll learn some tricks to use next season at the CEC when - [*crosses fingers*] - our title man returns to the ice healthy and ready for a run at Cup #2. ;) Actually, since my class will end in mid-June, I will be checking in here throughout the summer, especially when contract news is announced or (of course!) when Siddo's medical status is updated.

Until next time...

BYLSMA FOR COACH OF THE YEAR!!!!!!!!

Pens v Lightning - Round 1 Game 2

2011-04-15T19:04:00.005-04:00

It's that time of year again, folks!!! I'm not talking about tax day: the PLAYOFFS have begun and we're already at the advantage. Apologies for the lack of promised posting leading up to these playoffs this year - I've enrolled in a digital photography class and it's consuming a lot more time than I expected. ...but I must confess that I am enjoying it immensely. :) In fact, I have to leave tonight immediately following the game to take some shots for an assignment that's due on Monday.

The reason for this last minute post as Sgt. Timney sings our national anthem (he's just awesome, by the way!) is that our very good Friend Jaime B. has created some more beautiful whiteout wallpapers to celebrate our home ice advantage. Simply click the images below to enlarge for full sized HD wallpapers.

Wednesday's game was brilliant. Flower was a beast and controlled the situation until his teammates could figure out the man at the other end. Kovy's goal was a thing of absolute beauty! This is the time of year that you'll see what he's all about. Clearly this is going to be an entertaining series. Also, it was really great to see Siddo in the house on Wednesday, even if he was there only as a spectator. It's a good sign that he can tolerate loud noises and bright lights - another positive step towards recovery.

Special thanks go out to Jaime for the amazing (as always!) wallpapers. :D

Come on, Kovy!!! I want another AK72 GWG!!!!!!!!!! ;)

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

Pens v Rangers (L 2-5)

2011-03-21T13:29:00.003-04:00

Wwweeellllll, that did not go exactly as woodstock and I had hoped. The Boys lost the game due in large part to another act of wanton stupidity from Matt Cooke. (We'll get to that in a minute...) But I finally got to see Alexei Kovalev in a Penguins jersey again!!!!!! :D :D :D The only thing that could be better would be to see Kovy and Siddo on the ice together on the same team. [*crosses fingers*]

I took all the photos in today's post. :) If you'd like to check out more of my pics from yesterday afternoon's game, click here.

Now, back to that "Matt Cooke incident:" Even as it happened, as I saw his elbow rise into Ryan McDonagh's head, my only thought was "NOT AGAIN!" You see, last year, woodstock and I were in attendance at the Bruins game when Cooke ended Marc Savard's season. Thankfully, McDonagh was not seriously injured.

When is Cooke going to get the message? How can he continue to do dumb things like this - especially after his team's owner, general manager, coach, and captain all spoke out against such behavior? I don't understand why he doesn't get it. But that's the enigma of Matt Cooke. He's a very talented player who fills a role and scores goals for us. Unlike a guy like Trevor Gillies, Cooke doesn't need to be an "intimidating" presence to be noticed in the NHL. Yet he continues to make poor decisions. That incident was the turning point of the game - despite Kuni's shorty. Cooke's not just biting the hand that feeds, he's cutting it off.

On a brighter note, the NHL Network's bottom ticker says that Siddo participated in non-contact drills with the Boys yesterday. :D So that must mean that things are going well, and he's feeling much better. Take your time and do it right, Siddo! We want you back at 100%.

Right now the Boys are in Detroit. It remains to be seen whether or not Cooke will be in tonight's lineup. Time to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and kick some winged wheel butt.

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

SIDDO SKATES!!!!!!

2011-03-14T12:16:00.000-04:00

OH HAPPY DAY!!!!!!

This picture is from this morning when our Captain took the ice for the first time since January 5^th! According to the Pens' website, "Crosby skated on the ice for about 15 minutes in full gear early in the morning at CONSOL Energy Center. He stick handled around some cones and shot a few pucks."

And speaking of making progress with injuries, Tangradi, Orpik, and Comrie all skated as well.

Soooo, doesn't this news just absolutely negate your Monday blues? :) Be sure to stay tuned to the Pens' website for the most current updates on the injured Boys' conditions.

Concussed Crosbys

2011-03-08T17:26:00.005-05:00

When it rains in the Crosby household, it pours. Two weeks ago, Sid's little sister, 14-year-old goaltender Taylor, suffered a concussion just like her big brother. Fortunately, unlike the elder Crosby, Taylor missed just a week and two games before returning to team practices. Given this latest turn of events, their parents must be very concerned about their children's futures in the sport they both love so much.

As for Siddo, well, according to Pittsburgh Penguins spokeswoman Jennifer Bullano, his condition remains the same:

“He is continuing functional rehab, but he is still experiencing symptoms.”

This is very distressing news. In the aforementioned article, GM Ray Shero makes an astute observation:

“We are a league where you can accidentally hit a guy in the head with your shoulder and not be penalized,” Shero recently told USA Today. “But if you clear a puck out of your zone and it accidentally goes in the stands, they give you two minutes.

Does that make sense?”

No, Mr. Shero, it absolutely does not. I've been hoping the NHL would crack down on the unnecessary violence for years now, to no avail. Without proper punishment, guys will continue to get hurt - "proper" being the key word. David Steckel went unpunished when the then-Caps forward delivered the first crushing blow to our title man's head. Fast forward a few weeks later when, as a Devils forward, he pulled a nearly identical move on our own Chris Conner. (Fortunately, he didn't connect with Conner in quite the same way he did with Sid.)

Then of course there is professional arse-hat Trevor Gillies. He was punished...with a paltry 9 game suspension for a dirty hit + punching a concussed victim who has yet to return + taunting his victim afterwards. Colin Campbell had a chance to really send a message, yet inexplicably he chose not to. Fast forward 9 games off the roster and 1 minute & 51 seconds back on it, when Gillies threw an elbow into the back of Cal Clutterbuck's head. He really got the message, didn't he, Colie? So what was the punishment for this latest assault? A 10 game suspension. You know, because the 9 game suspension was just 1 game short of this guy "getting" it. Campbell, himself proving to be a professional arse-hat, should hang his head in shame and offer his resignation.

The NHL must get serious about this. Eliminating headshots would not make the game less exciting. In fact, the NFL implemented stiffer penalties for headshots midseason, and guess what? Headshots went down! Imagine that! And ratings didn't suffer, the games weren't less exciting, and even professional arse-hat football players like Pittsburgh's own James Harrison admitted that they were more conscious about the hits they delivered. Proof it can be done. As for Gillies, Islanders GM Garth Snow and coach Jack Capuano know exactly what kind of player he is. They know exactly what they're getting when they put him in the lineup: a thug on skates. He played in 354 AHL games, scored only 7 goals and 14 assists. In that same number of games, he was assessed 1,471 penalty minutes. I'm with Clutterbuck: "There's no way that guy should be in the National Hockey League."

Tonight, we face the Sabres for the final time this season. It's Kovy's first home game since rejoining the team. In honor of the occasion, please enjoy this lovely wallpaper that longtime good Friend of The Show Jaime made for me to celebrate the return of my first favorite player:

Many, many thank yous, Jaime!!! :) Click to enlarge for full-sized wallpaper.

We haven't lost to Buffalo yet this year, which bodes well for me, as I have an on-going bet with my coworker, Johnny Sabre. ;) My Facebook profile pic for a week is on the line. Kuni is a game-time decision.

Don't let me down, Boys! DO IT.

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

AK72

2011-03-02T17:57:00.005-05:00

Hello, again, my wonderful old Friends. I have missed you all so much.

To be honest, I don't know how many of you will see this because my hiatus is turning out to be much longer than I intended. Much like our title man, I am experiencing some setbacks in my condition (though, mine are not as serious as Siddo's). Those of you who have befriended me on Facebook know the situation, but for those who don't, long story short: my doctor and I are facing obstacles in my treatment due to my health insurance. I'm still not feeling well, which is the reason for my absence here.

(Click to enlarge)

So what finally brought me back tonight? Facebook Friends of mine also know that I am very excited - ecstatic, really - about reacquiring one Alexei Kovalev. You see, had I started a hockey blog a decade ago, it would have been called The Alex Kovalev Show. He was my first favorite hockey player. I have been beside myself since he came back to us last week. (Haha, as woodstock put it, "You've wanted him back since the day after he was traded.") I cannot wait to finally see him in a Pens uni again on March 20^th. SQUEE!!! If Siddo is able to come back this season, seeing him on the same ice on the same team as Kovy will absolutely be a dream come true for me. :D

YYYYYEEEEESSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Welcome back, Alex!

There has been no news of our fearless leader. He's still not symptom free, which means he's still not exercising, which means he's still not able to come back. A concussion is a brain injury that only rest and time can heal. There is a very real possibility we may not see him again this season. But I'd rather wait until September to see him in action again than see him come back too soon and suffer a setback or worse, [*gulps*] end his career prematurely.

Take all the time you need, Siddo. We'll all still be here when you get back.

At this point, I'm just going to try to get The Show back on track slowly and ease my way into it in time for the playoffs. Hopefully by then, my condition will improve and I'll be feeling well enough to deal with the anonymous keyboard warriors who made writing for TSCS too difficult and stressful for me while I've been ill. For now, I'm going to shoot for one quality post a week. I hope there are still a few people out there willing to share my love of the Penguins, their Captain, and an old favorite of mine. :D

Tonight, our Boys are back up in Toronto for the second of back-to-back away games versus the Leafs.

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

The Pyramid Trick

2010-11-22T13:29:00.002-05:00

This is absolutely unreal:

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

Quote and Video of the Day

2010-11-04T09:34:00.002-04:00

“That I got beat up by Sidney Crosby?” ~ Stars defenseman Matt Niskanen when asked if Wednesday night’s fight was a story he could tell the grandchildren about some day.

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

Pens v Lightning

2010-10-27T17:37:00.015-04:00

Tonight the Boys are in sunny Florida to face the Tampa Bay Lightning after an extra loooong weekend break. But we're going to rewind and go back to Saturday's OT loss to the Blues because longtime good Friend of The Show Jaime was there and took a bunch of great pics for us. :) Here they are preceded by her own captions:

Flower Power! It's Marc-Andre Fleury...next to Conks. :)

Sidney's pre-game routine.

Part of Malkin's pre-game routine. I wish I could have got one of him while he was on his back with his legs up in the air. :P

Geno! Geno! Geno!

I was able to stand at the glass behind the net the Pens were practicing at before the game. Yes, he was this close...I did not use my zoom.

Superstar! At one point, he skated at full speed toward those of us who were down in front behind the net taking pictures and jumped into the glass right in front of us. :)

This is another one of those faceoffs between Crosby and Backes....but this one has TJ Oshie in it. :) Unfortunately, this is the best picture that I got with both of my favorite players in it.

Focus...

Sidney & Geno in one picture? It's a power play....:)

Sidney lost his helmet... [snoop:] This happened after Polak put Siddo in a headlock and popped his helmet off. I don't know about you guys, but I was literally screaming at the TV when I realized there would be no penalty for that.

Letang fell down! :P And he stayed there for the longest time. It was quite funny watching him yell at Jackman from down there. :P

My favorite shot of the night. I'm thrilled that it came out so well! [snoop:] This one is my fave, too! :)

Many, MANY thanks to Jaime for sharing her pictures with us. Spoiler alert: she may have something a little extra for us in the coming days... ;)

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

Pens v Blues

2010-10-23T18:04:00.005-04:00

Brooksie's back, baby! Orpik will make his return tonight against the Blues after missing six games following a groin pull during the match versus the Canadiens. Whether Flower or B.J. will be tonight's netminder has yet to be determined, though B.J. was actually scheduled to be in goal tonight. Siddo looks to be on the verge of a hot streak, and for that matter, so does Geno. But it is our title man who is now tied with ex-Pen Marian Hossa for top point scorer in the league. He's also 3^rd on the goal scorer list, behind Hossa and Daniel Sedin, who are tied for first. (Who else is calling another 50 goal season for El Capitan?) Also of note: ~~Mr. Duff~~ Comrie has got 4 assists in the last 3 games. Now these are the stats we want to see!

Despite this being a weekend game, I am going to skip the recap tonight even though I'm staying home to watch the game. We've had an "eventful" day and a half here - Logan tore a big gash in his foot last night, and today he got stitches.

Logan got some stitches and a goofy boot to protect him from infection. Yep, he hates me right now. :`(

Both Logie and I are exhausted - I'm just hoping I can make it through the game without falling asleep! (Haha, I am sure that the adrenaline will kick in sometime in the first period and help me make it through the entirety of the match!) After tonight, the Boys don't play again until they visit Tampa Bay on Wednesday.

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

Pens v Preds

2010-10-21T18:03:00.003-04:00

We're going down south to meet the Nashville Predators tonight. Johnson's on a hot streak, so don't be surprised if he's the one between the pipes again. On the other hand, Flower's got to play to get through this rough patch, so you never know... Anyhoo, Siddo has finally opened up his can of point-scoring - 7 of his 8 points came in the last for games in which he has played. I suspect he'll just keep getting hotter in the coming days.

However, the Preds aren't going to go down easy. They are a solid team. They may not have any real All Stars, but they're consistently good and make the playoffs. Martin Erat, in particular, plays really well against the Pens. And with Shea Weber (who always makes me think of shea butter, haha) on the back end, this game will definitely be a challenge. It should be another great game to watch.

Since the Boys are in a different time zone, the game doesn't start until 8:00pm Eastern. Same goes for Saturday's match against the Blues.

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

Pens v Sens

2010-10-18T18:21:00.002-04:00

I hope all of you had as nice a weekend as I had. :D On Friday I spent some time with my best friend and my Goddaughter and came home to watch a Pens victory on the DVR, and on Saturday I enjoyed an amazing date afternoon/night with woodstock and Siddo opened up a can leading the way to another Penguins win. :) Then on Sunday, the Steelers won, and we watched "How to Train Your Dragon." (We both agreed that Toothless SOOOO reminds us of Killian, haha!)

Tonight will mark Sergei Gonchar's first game in Pittsburgh since becoming a Senator. Sarge will most likely be defending against his former tenant, Geno. I believe he'll hit the ice at the CEC to cheers. After all, he was a key figure in securing the third Stanley Cup for this city. And it's not like he left under shady conditions - the salary cap was the major reason we weren't able to keep him.

Speaking of those back to back victories, backup goalie Brent Johnson was minding the net both times. Today's goaltender, according to Head Coach Dan Byslma, is a game-time decision. Whatever is happening with Flower, it is amazing that we have BJ here to take the reigns and go on a hot streak. And even more amazing that he accepts and is happy with his role on our team - "Flower's team" as he put it. (Read that article - you'll end up liking BJ even more.) Like Johnson, I have no doubt that goaltending coach Gilles Meloche will work with Flower and he'll return to form soon.

Now bring on those Senators! Despite the bad blood between the teams, I always enjoy seeing my first favorite player, Alexei Kovalev. :) But still...

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

Pens v Islanders

2010-10-15T17:24:00.003-04:00

All right, Boys. It's time to show them what you're REALLY made of. Time to kick some Islander arse!!!!!!!!!

This is going to be a tough weekend for our team. They're scheduled for two games less than 24 hours apart. Tonight at 7:00pm Eastern, they'll take on the Isles. Then tomorrow at 6:00pm Eastern, they're going to pay a visit to the Flyers - a game that was rescheduled because of the Phillies' playoff advancement.

Our record isn't great. Even though we've got a good team, we're #13 in the East. All I can say at this point is...

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

Pens v Leafs

2010-10-13T19:35:00.003-04:00

It's Fall and you know what that means - time for some Leaf blowin'! ;)

The Pens are looking for their first regular season victory inside their new digs, but the Leafs will be looking to remain undefeated. Siddo, meanwhile, is looking for his first goal of the year. This should be a great game.

A bit of good news: Gronk finally took to the ice this morning!

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!

Pens v Devils (W 3-1)

2010-10-11T13:53:00.003-04:00

A weekday 4pm game?! WTF? This one flew under my radar, so I'm posting this from work (hence the brief nature of the post). I will add photos of our VICTORY (think positively, people!) when I get home. I'll also add the pics from this weekend's crushing last-minute loss to the Canadiens.

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

Pens v Canadiens (L 2-3)

2010-10-09T14:35:00.004-04:00

Well, the season didn't get off to the start that we had all hoped it would, but there are 81 games left to play - panic now and you should just stop watching hockey altogether. Tonight, we're taking on the team that ended our season last year. Time for a little retribution. (Just an FYI: I may be watching the game with friends tonight, so there may not be a recap. But I'll make sure I at least post some pictures from the game.)

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

Pens v Flyers (L 2-3) - CEC Inaugural Game

2010-10-07T16:49:00.004-04:00

Well, folks, if you've missed the Pens this summer, they're about to come back in spectacular fashion. There is going to be a red carpet, a big screen, a mayoral declaration, a whole lotta NHL hoopla, and oh yeah - there's going to be that game! We're hosting the filthy Flyers. :P

The House That Mario & Sid Built

A quick breakdown:

Asham is on the IR list; he's being replaced by Tangradi, who was a Flyers fan in his youth - something tells me that will change after tonight. ;)
Letang isn't feeling well and is a game-time decision.
Brace yourselves, the game is on Versus. On the plus side, our out-of-market Friends will get to watch. :)

You can bet the Flyers will enter this season unable to escape thoughts of having to watch the Blackhawks hoist the Cup in their house. Needless to say they're going to be a dangerous team, but our Boys can take 'em!!!

FIRST PERIOD

Mario christened the ice at the Consol Energy Center with a bottle of water gather from the ice from the Igloo.

After a ceremonial puck drop featuring the Man himself, the play was intense. Both teams look good. The refs pocketed their whistles and let them play. Flower made an incredible poke check on a Flyer who was close to the net and gearing up for a shot. The Pens had several near misses, including hitting a post, but Bobrovsky is the real deal. He's the only reason the first period was scoreless. It was 12 minutes in before the first penalty was called. Cooker was nailed for holding Giroux. The penalty was beautifully killed. Comrie and Malkin looked good together. At one point, Comrie was robbed by Bobrovsky. (South Park fans - do you also think of Kyle Broflovski every time they say his name? :P)

Speaking of Comrie, woodstock and I were wondering why Versus felt it was necessary to include that he was married to Hilary Duff on his stats screen. Then again, we were wondering why Versus broadcast some crappy free concert in Toronto on instead of the festivities at the CEC. Tangradi was called up. That kid looks great. He's filling a hole left in front of the goaltender that hasn't been the same since Ryan Malone left the team. The Pens got a power play when O'Donnell was busted for tripping Letestu, but it didn't work out well for the Boys. The Flyers had two better chances than the Pens did with the advantage. The teams played all the way to the buzzer, but no one lit the lamp in the first period.

SECOND PERIOD

Early on, Engelland was called for a super lame hooking call. Seconds later, Danny Briere became the first player to score in the CEC. >:( [Pens 0, Flyers 1] The puck was collected for historical purposes. Soon after, Shelley was called for goaltender interference on Flower. The power play was unreal. Siddo and Comrie just couldn't buy a goal. They didn't score, but they did look better on this PP than they did on the first. Letestu hit the pipe. Briere got a breakaway but shot the puck high. Bettman made a guest appearance with the Versus announcers; the flattery dished his way was pretty sickening. Also sickening: seeing that A-hOle™ CCM commercial in damn near every commercial break. I just hope that for the next Caps game on Versus, the newest Crosby commercial is played in a continuous loop.

Coburn was called for interference, and on the ensuing power play, Siddo missed a goal by a hair. The Pens were unable to sneak one past Bobrovsky. Orpik drilled Briere, which lead to jostling between the two men. Ultimately, only Brooks was penalized for roughing. The Pens had a few shorthanded chances that were denied while they killed the penalty. But the momentum shifted back to the Flyers as Betts sent one home off a bouncy rebound. [Pens 0, Flyers 2] There was a confrontation between the teams as the period came to an end.

THIRD PERIOD

Tyler Kennedy became the first Penguin to score in the CEC via his trademarked corner shot. [Pens 1, Flyers 2] Meszaros was called for roughing after popping our Captain in the mouth. On the ensuing power play, Letang made a horrible backwards pass in his own zone that was intended for Martin but was snatched by Giroux, who promptly scored. [Pens 1, Flyers 3] With just one second left in the advantage, Michalek fired a long shot and scored to cancel out the shorty Giroux scored. [Pens 2, Flyers 3] After a terrible missed call when a Flyer held Geno's stick, our favorite Russian was called for another lame hooking penalty. The Flyers didn't score with their advantage. The Pens suffered another blow with a terrible offsides call (that puck did NOT come all the way over the blue line). Bobrovsky lost track of the puck between his legs but somehow managed to prevent Siddo from scoring. At the other end of the ice, Flower made an incredible save to keep the game within one.

So, did anyone else find the Versus announcer adding a letter to the Head Coach's name ("By-alsma") incredibly obnoxious? Anyhoo, with just 1:13 left in the game, Betts was called for hooking after an extremely quick whistle (the Flyers didn't even touch the puck, let alone have control of it). Despite pulling Flower for an extra attacker, the Pens just couldn't get the tying goal. The Flyers earned the first regular season victory in the CEC.

Next up: Montreal on Saturday. We'll be ready.

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

Gearing Up

2010-10-06T17:14:00.004-04:00

Oh, only one more day to go! The waiting is torture! I hope you all had a great summer. Mine was great. I really needed a break from TSCS, if only because I was exhausted everyday from getting the school's computers ready for the new year.

So there's another canine Pens fan in our home - we adopted another retired racer! :D He looks like a mini-Connor, and in honor of one of my favorite movies, we christened him Murphy.

Clockwise from top: Killian (our Irish Setter), Logan, Murphy (the closest one to the camera), and Connor. They lead such *tough* lives, don't they? ;)

There's one thing I wanted to mention quickly before the season gets underway. Over the summer, Blogger implemented an automatic spam detection tool which filters out those annoying "Buy this crap here" comments with links to what is likely malware. Sometimes it can be a bit too aggressive. I've noticed that some anonymous comments (especially ones with links) get tossed into that folder. I will do my best to make sure that everyone's comment gets published; however, I suggest registering with Blogger (it's free) or at the very least, changing the name from "Anonymous" to something else.

Tomorrow's opener in the new Consol Energy Center should prove to be a night to remember. We're hosting our much hated cross-state rivals for the inaugural game. Ahhhh, it's FINALLY time to say...

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

T-minus 2 Days...

2010-10-05T15:40:00.003-04:00

Drop the freakin' puck already!

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

Happy Birthday, Siddo!!! :)

2010-08-07T11:39:00.004-04:00

To Sid from all your fans: Happy 23^rd anniversary of your birth. May you have many, many more. :)

Have a great day, Captain!!!

Congratulations, Siddo!

2010-06-24T14:03:00.003-04:00

O Captain! Our Captain!

Sidney Crosby has won this year's Mark Messier Leadership Award. :) It is his first win for a season. Previously, Siddo won it for the month of January 2007. Old timer Chris Chelios was the first winner of the annual version of the award (also given in 2007). This was the award most of you wanted our title man to win because it is given to the "individual who leads by positive example through on-ice performance, motivation of team members, and a dedication to community activities and charitable causes." Yep, I'd say that fits our Siddo to a T!!!

But... he was shut out of any major NHL awards, other than his shared win of the Rocket Richard for goal scoring. From the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:

Penguins center Sidney Crosby lost out on the Hart Trophy (MVP), Ted Lindsay Award (outstanding player) and a spot on the first NHL all-star team at the league awards tonight.

Crosby finished third in the Hart voting behind Washington's Alex Ovechkin and winner Henrik Sedin of Vancouver. Ovechkin won the Lindsay for a third straight season [snoop: *GAG!*], and Sedin was named first-team center.

Sedin = deserving. A-hOle™ = more like outstanding chokes-when-it-counts. But whatev. Sid doesn't need awards for us to appreciate what he has done for and what he means to this team.

Congratulations, Mr. Crosby. You've earned it. :)

On a personal note...

Thanks to all of you for being so understanding and especially for the well wishes as I work through my health issues. I love it that you're continuing to use The Friends' Zone to stay connected in the offseason.

For now I still have comment moderation turned on, but it's no longer because of Caps fan trolls. This time it's because The Show is getting spammed with some EXTRAORDINARILY vile links. Of course I haven't clicked any of the links to find out whether they're direct links to malware (probably) or links to what they say they are links to, but it doesn't matter. The words that are linked are disgusting and very offensive. Hopefully once they figure out I'm not going to allow that type of thing, maybe they'll go terrorize someone else and I'll be able to turn moderation off.

Luckily I have the Droid, so I can usually approve real comments within a few minutes of submission (unless I'm sleeping, haha!). So please keep the convos going and I'll be back to more regular activities here as soon as I can be.

PENS (and Sid) FANS ROCK!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lazy Days of Summer

2010-06-15T11:47:00.004-04:00

Well, they haven't been so lazy for me, haha!

Greetings, everyone!!! I hope you're all doing well. :) I just want you all to know I haven't been purposely neglecting TSCS. I have been absent because I was recently diagnosed with GERD, and I've been having some difficulties with the medication. I've been trying to keep busy to keep my mind occupied, but that means less time on my iMac and less time on this blog. :-/

Anyhoo, my Mom just saved a series of Pens posters for me from the Altoona Mirror (our local newspaper) that I found on the website as wallpapers, so I thought I'd share them with you. They feature key players from the first and second Stanley Cup team and match them to their equivalents on the team from the third Stanley Cup win. Our title man (of course) has been paired with Le Magnifique, and Geno has (of course) been paired with Jaromir Jagr. There are five versions in all, as well as iPhone/iPod touch AND iPad versions.

The graphic artist must have created these before it was determined that Siddo was the co-winner of the Rocket Richard 2010 trophy, but I can't believe the artist left Mario's 2009 Stanley Cup win as an owner. After all, he's the ONLY person who has accomplished Stanley Cup victories as both a player and then an owner! Oh well, what do you want for free, eh?

Click here to see them all. Enjoy!! :) I'll try really hard not to make the next gap between posts as large as this one was. ;)

PENS. WINTER CLASSIC. AGAIN. YYYYEEEESSSS!!!!

2010-05-27T19:03:00.001-04:00

This news has made my entire ~~day~~ ~~week~~ ~~month~~ year! From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

The Penguins will face Washington in the NHL's 2011 Winter Classic Jan. 1 at Heinz Field.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to make a formal announcement about that, along with several other high-profile league events, during a press conference in Chicago Friday.

I MUST get tickets!!! I was lucky enough to score three tickets to the first Winter Classic on 01-01-08, and I kid you not - it was the most fun I've ever had in my life other than my wedding.

Our seats weren't as bad as this picture makes it look. I took it with my old camera so it's not that great, but if you enlarge it, you'll see Siddo and Geno at the end of the line of Penguins walking out to the ice.

And this time, the Boys will be hosting the event against the Capitals. It will be nice seeing A-hOle™ & company lose outside for a change. ;)

I added this picture of my ticket as a late edit for a conversation in The Friends' Zone.

WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!! GO PENS!!!!!!!

Habs = Cheaters?

2010-05-24T18:11:00.001-04:00

Apologies for not giving you prior warning, but I took a much needed break and had some fun in Eastern PA with my sister. I got a few funny looks and one (good natured) comment about driving an orange car with Penguins accessories all over it in Flyers country.

Hmm. I bet none of the Flyers snowjobbed this kid. (And that is seriously saying something about the A-hOle™ who did.)

So we know the Blackhawks have earned an invitation to the big dance, and tonight, the Flyers have a chance to close it out for the Eastern Conference. This is shaping up to be a Pens fan's worst nightmare, haha! Which team do you want to win? If you cheer for the Blackhawks, you'll be cheering for Hossa. If you cheer for the Flyers, well... You'll be cheering for the Flyers. That's a tough choice. Or perhaps the Habs can pull a Flyers on the Flyers and win 3 in a row for the Prince of Wales trophy and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Share who your pick to win the Stanley Cup and why you think they're taking the big prize in The Friends' Zone.

Speaking of the Habs, though, it may be harder to root for them if the rumors are true - there may have been a little bit of underhandedness happening in Montreal this weekend. There are reports that sand was sprinkled on the Flyers' runway to their dressing room. Several Flyers players had to leave repeatedly for skate sharpenings throughout the first and second periods, lasting until the equipment manager put towels down the length of the runway so the players could walk from the dressing room to the bench without compromising the integrity of their skate blades during the third period.

So you really need to check this post out - I found it while looking for a picture of sand with a hockey stick. Incredible! :)

Of course the Canadiens are denying they had anything to do with it. (Make sure you scroll down far enough to read Jaroslav Spacek's needlessly sarcastic denial. What an arse he is.) If they did purposefully try to sabotage the Flyers, it failed epically. The Flyers shut them out 3-0. If you're watching Game 5, it's happening tonight at 7:00pm Eastern in Philly. Expect the Flyers' fans to have a few things to say about "Sandgate" during the match...

Round 2 Game 7: Pens v Habs

2010-05-12T17:56:00.004-04:00

Game 7.
Oh, Game 7, how you cause us so much stress.
How you make our hearts beat faster and faster.
How you draw the sweat from our brows.

Game 7.
We've known both sides of you...
The sting of season ending defeat.
The glory of playoff advancing victory.

Game 7.

We are ready for you.

LET'S GO PENS!ºø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨ ¨°º¤øºLET'S GO PENS!ºø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨ ¨°º¤øºLET'S GO PENS!ºø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨ ¨°º¤øºLET'S GO PENS!

Well, this is it. For both the Pens and the Habs, it's winner takes all, do or die, win or go home. If the following video doesn't get you jazzed right now, I don't know what in this world ever will:

Tip of the hat to Friend of The Show Stoosh for finding that gem. :)

All right, Boys. Don't let this be the final game in the Mellon! DO IT!!!!!

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

Round 2 Game 6: Pens v Habs

2010-05-10T17:00:00.003-04:00

Okay, Friends! This could be it for the Canadiens. How delicious would it be to eliminate the Habs in their own house?! :D

I know, I know... I'm getting ahead of myself. All I really want is for the Pens to play their game for a full 60 minutes. If they do that, a victory is sure to follow. At the very least, we can rest assured that no matter what happens in Montreal tonight, our series will not end. But that's not good enough. Let's send these clowns packing and move on, already!

Repeat after me:
Get bodies in front of Halak. Get bodies in front of Halak. Get bodies in front of Halak.

So I figured if I'm officially going to call it, I should share this with you guys BEFORE the game. This morning I changed my Facebook status to the following:

Tonight is Sid's night. Four points. I'm calling it. GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Siddo, don't let me down! ;) All right, is it time to drop that puck yet?! Let's DO THIS!!!

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

Round 2 Game 5: Pens v Habs (W 2-1)

2010-05-09T12:14:00.004-04:00

Well, once again we dominated for the majority of the game, more so than the final score reflected. But this time the right team ended up with the W. :)

The USS Gill - or as woodstock has rechristened him: "Sid's blanket" - was sunk in the early part of the third period when he collided with a steamrolling Kuni, fell face down on the ice, and sustained a laceration to his leg as Kuni's skate came down on it. He's questionable for Game 6. He, as you know, is half of the defensive duo that's been all over Siddo like a cheap, um, suit. They have successfully prevented our title man from scoring even a single goal as they (Gill especially) get away with a lot more in this series than they ever could in the regular season. Apparently all's fair in playoff hockey. Even though we're the in the lead, it would be great if the Boys could find a way to take advantage of the fact that two guys are assigned to Siddo pretty much at all times when he's on the ice. I don't know about you, but I want this series to end in Montreal.

As for a perceived curse on Sid because he missed an empty netter, woodstock explained it well in what he shouted to the TV after the Versus commentators mentioned that Sid can't buy even a goal when there is no goaltender:

He was up against the wall, he had a guy right behind him, there were two seconds left on the clock, and he just scooped it off the wall and fired it down without aiming. His main concern was getting it in deeper away from the Habs... It was one of those, "If it goes in - great! But if not, we still win." type of situations.

Apologies for not posting yesterday. I thought I had scheduled one to publish automatically (I wanted to take the night off yesterday to watch the game with woodstock since it was the last game during his vacation), but I forgot to finish it. So instead, here are some shots from last night's victory:

Awww, what's wrong, Jacques??

We're leading the series 3-2 and since the fourth win is always the toughest one to get, be prepared for a war in Montreal tomorrow.

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

Round 2 Game 4: Pens v Habs

2010-05-06T18:05:00.003-04:00

It's been a long week - I've got a few big projects at work that are sucking up my energy reserves. So in a nutshell, here's what the Boys have got going on right now:

The nominees for the Ted Lindsay Award were announced. (Up until April 29^th of this year, the award was known as the Lester B. Pearson Award.) The nominees are - wait for it - exactly the same three that are nominated for the Hart Trophy: Siddo!, Sedin, and A-hOle™. In case you didn't already know, the Lindsay Award is the MVP award that is given by the NHLPA. The winner will be announced on June 23, 2010 at the NHL Awards ceremony.

Jordan Staal is a warrior. It has not even been a full week since Gronk had foot surgery, yet incredibly, he is a game time decision for tonight's game. :-O
Rupp is out, but it is not because of a hockey injury. Head Coach Dan Bylsma would not elaborate further.
Despite practicing this morning, Guerin is out again with an undisclosed injury.

All right. Bring on the Habs, then bring on the sleep! ;)

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

Round 2 Game 3: Pens v Habs

2010-05-04T17:11:00.007-04:00

BEEP ... BEEP ... BEEP ... BEEP
Hear that, Boys? It's the alarm clock - time to WAKE UP!

First things first: Jordan Staal > everyone else. That dude is a BEAST. He skated today. Granted, it was only for 5 minutes and he wasn't wearing his equipment, but this comes only FOUR days after sustaining a lacerated tendon in his foot that was so bad it needed surgery. WOW. What a player! Maybe he'll be back sooner than we thought?? :D

Unreal.

The Pens that played Sunday afternoon were not the Pens that we need to win the Cup. Don't think I've lost perspective: One loss is not even close to cause for panic, but I think we can agree that ending a series as soon as possible (and as injury free as possible) is the goal.

Frustration city.

Our stick-breaking El Capitan grew exceedingly frustrated throughout Game 2. It was likely because he was being assaulted on nearly every shift by former teammate Hal Gill. Instead of turning that frustration into goals, Sid got angry. Not the good kind of angry he usually gets; the kind of angry that ended with his stick shattering on a goal post. As a result, he was held pointless. The "Halak-ness Monster" (← haha, Stan Savran!) stood on his head stopping 38 of 39 shots; Flower, on the other hand, only managed to stop 18 of 21 shots. Geno... Well, Geno's been quite unremarkable, especially for the reigning Conn Smythe winner. These things must improve. The Boys need to really BRING IT to win the game tonight and ultimately this series.

MOVE, you big tree! >:O

As an aside, I'd like to publicly complain about the officials' terrible inconsistency for (against?) both teams. I prefer when officials call a tight game; however, it doesn't bother me when the officials "let them play." What I do NOT like is when highsticking and holding violations that happen with a zebra standing less than a yard away are missed, yet a hooking call is assessed to a player that ever-so-lightly touches an opposing player with the tip of his blade. That freaking drives me crazy. Call 'em all or don't call any of them!

So, I guess it's now okay to crosscheck a guy and push him down after the whistle?

Anyhoo, we're at the Bell Center in Montreal for Games 3 and 4. Expect the home team's fans to boo Siddo mightily. (They don't yet realize it motivates him.)

DO IT.

Sid, I know you're superstitious and what not, but there's no doubt about it: your hat is gross.

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

Round 2 Game 2: Pens v Habs

2010-05-02T13:57:00.002-04:00

Holy Halak! The Boys chased the not-so-impervious Jaro in Game 1. :)

We will be without the services of Selke nominee Jordan Staal, who is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in the top of his right foot. The incident serves as a reminder of just how sharp those blades really are to be able to slice through Gronk's boot and still cause so much damage to his foot.

The Habs lost one of their key defenders. Cooker finished a check that somehow resulted in a "lower body" (knee? hip?) injury. His return is unlikely, as well.

Perhaps since this game is being broadcast on NBC we'll be treated to the announcing of Doc Emrick and Eddie O. instead of that dreadfully boring team Versus provided for Game 1.

Round 2.
Game 2.
DO IT.

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

Round 2 Game 1: Pens v Habs

2010-04-30T18:07:00.003-04:00

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?

2010-04-29T15:34:00.014-04:00

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!

2010-04-28T17:47:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-24T18:22:00.003-04:00

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

2010-04-22T17:25:00.003-04:00

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

2010-04-20T17:49:00.006-04:00

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

2010-04-18T18:14:00.003-04:00

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:

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.
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)

2010-04-14T11:45:00.004-04:00

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

2010-04-11T17:02:00.002-04:00

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

2010-04-10T18:45:00.004-04:00

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

2010-04-08T17:02:00.015-04:00

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Pens v Caps

2010-04-06T18:08:00.007-04:00

What is that famed Lennon lyric? "Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." How true. I had planned to resume recapping the last 5 games to get back into the swing of things for the playoffs; however, on Saturday I took an unplanned solo road trip to my sister's house for Easter, so I skipped the recap because I was driving. And now tonight I have to take care of some last minute preparations for our Spring Career Fair (which is being held tomorrow), so I won't be recapping tonight's match against the Capitals, either. :( FYI: I will keep my Droid handy as I watch the game and multitask so I can keep after what's happening in The Friends' Zone.

This game should be epic. If the Caps decide to lose the rest of their games, they will still take the President's Trophy home to D.C. The Pens are fighting for division dominance. It is the fourth and final regular season game between the two rivals - the last meeting for them in the Mellon Arena EVER. Oh yeah, and then there's that whole Sid/Alex thing. ;-P

Speaking of Siddo and A-hOle™, here are my favorite pictures of the two of them:

Hey, "Great 8" - let's do this ↑ again real soon. ;)

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

Pens v Lightning

2010-03-31T17:24:00.003-04:00

The Red Baron got "fixed" yesterday. We're supposed to keep him calm for the next two weeks, if possible. At the very least, the doc wants him to be relaxed and inactive for 5 days. So last night, less than 8 hours after the surgery, Killian got his lambie and proceeded to throw it and run around the house as if nothing surgical at all had happened. :-O

The Boys are hosting the Tampa Bay Lightning tonight. Geno is still nursing his foot, and Gonch is still fighting strep throat. By now you've heard that Tanger signed an extension. It's good news that helps ease the mind about our defense's future (OY! Killian just got his lambie again...) in the event that Gonch, who is set to become a UFA, decides the grass may be greener elsewhere. Hopefully, Shero can work his magic again and keep Gonch on the roster.

There are just SIX games remaining in the regular season. I am going to make a serious effort have to recap the remaining 5 games to get back in form for the playoffs, but for now I have to go try to control my dog. It's going to be a tough set of days... :-/

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

Pens v Leafs

2010-03-28T16:50:00.002-04:00

Short post today - I just got home and the game is about to begin. Can you believe there only 7 games left in the season??? It's quickly coming to a close. Come on, Boys!!! You've earned a guaranteed spot in the playoffs, but let's end this season with a bang! You can start this evening by blowing the Leafs away. :)

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

Pens v Flyers

2010-03-27T12:07:00.005-04:00

The Boys are once again without the services of Geno and Gonch (most likely). Geno's foot is still giving him hell, and Head Coach Dan Bylsma said Gonch and goalie Johnson are "ill" - but Johnson is expected to be our backup today. For the Flyers, goalie Johan Backlund will make his NHL debut at Mellon Arena. Bylsma tried to get the scoop on Backlund from the WB/S Baby Pens, but they only faced Backlund once this year. It should be interesting to watch this unfold.

I've got a few things to keep you occupied until the puck drops. The Trib put together a piece about the recently complicated relationship between Pens Captain Siddo and Flyers captain Mike Richards. Note to Richards: The Olympics are over. You are once again the enemy.

On 3-14-10, the Pens squared off against the Tampa Bay Lightning in Florida. Friend of The Show Amanda N. was there:

I'm a Pens fan (born and raised in Pittsburgh) and a Sid fan. :-) I wanted to let you know I was at the game on Sunday. I currently live in Orlando and don't get home to Pittsburgh much, so I see the Pens in Florida when I can. I was right beside the bench and managed to get some great shots of the guys, particularly Sid. ... The slew-footing by Downie? [A reminder:]

So much worse in person! There was a collective holding of breath by all the Pens fans in the arena when he went down.

Amanda sent me 7 great pics of Siddo and the Boys. Click them all for supersized versions:

Thanks SO MUCH for sharing these great pics, Amanda! :)

If the standings don't change, the Pens (#2) will face the Flyers (#7) in Round 1. If the standings do change, this could very well be the last time the Pens meet the Flyers in the Mellon. Something tells me today's game is going to be a doozy.

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

Pens v Caps

2010-03-24T16:59:00.007-04:00

Here are some reasons why, no matter if Siddo never wins another trophy in his NHL career, he will always and forever be a better player/leader/captain/human being than A-hOle™:

(Before you ask: no, I did not create this video montage or add the comments.)

This "You Suck!" chant was aimed at our title man. It occurred during Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on May 4th, 2009, when the Penguins visited the Verizon Center. The Pens sucked so much they eliminated the Caps in 7 games in this series and then went on to win the Stanley Cup. WOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

It boggles the mind that - even after all of these examples of typical Ovechkin douchebaggery and the fact that Sid is both a Stanley Cup and an Olympic Gold medal winner - there is still an active debate about who is better, Sid or A-hOle™. YouTube user mosmorg4n put it best: "The blinders that every diehard Ovie fan wears must be incredible."

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

PS: I got behind a bus on my drive home from work. Bus #87. DO IT.

Pens v Wings

2010-03-22T18:00:00.004-04:00

First the good news: Android users rejoice!! We are the first to get the OFFICIAL Pittsburgh Penguins App! :D :D :D :D :D

Fear not - I know it's coming soon for iPhone and Blackberry users, too. I'm sure because the Motorola Droid (the model I have) is the shining star of the Verizon Wireless smartphone collection and the fact that Verizon is a major sponsor of the Pens (and I think the entire NHL as well) is what prompted them to release it to us first. I installed it this morning, and it's AWESOME. It gives you instant access to scores, stats, videos, and much more. The only thing missing is a real-time score widget. I plan to let them know about that since they are requesting feedback. ;) To get it, just go to the Apps Market and type in "Pittsburgh Penguins Mobile." Oh, and did I mention it's FREE??? :D

I suppose I could create a screenshot of my own, but instead I hijacked this one directly from the Pens' Facebook page out of pure laziness. Why reinvent the wheel, right? :-P

Now for the bad news: Geno is out. It is said that he aggravated his foot injury in overtime in Saturday's Canes match. :( He left practice after only a few minutes. Also not at practice was Matt Cooke. Head Coach Dan Bylsma called it a "maintenance day."

Tonight the Pens are in Detroit to take on the Red Wings. You may recall what happened the last time the Boys paid a visit to the Joe Louis Arena:

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

Pens v Canes

2010-03-20T12:21:00.003-04:00

It's officially the first day of Spring 2010!!! What better way to welcome the season than with an early afternoon hockey game? I've got a few things from two longtime Friends of The Show for you before it gets underway.

First up, wallpaper maker extraordinaire Jaime B. created this celebration of Siddo's two finest achievements for your desktop:

(Click to enlarge)

Remember a few weeks ago I mentioned that I still hadn't found a picture of Brooksie with his Silver medal? Well, good Friend Eighty-Two found these elusive photos for us. They're great quality (click them to enlarge), but the first thing you'll likely notice is that Brooks and the rest of Team USA aren't exactly smiling. Oh, and for good measure, Eighty-Two included a nice shot of Brooksie's monster hit on Dany Heatley that nearly sent the Canadian onto the laps of the Team USA players on the bench:

Cheer up, guys. How many people in this world can say they have earned an Olympic Silver medal? It's still one hell of an impressive achievement! :)

Many, many thank yous go out to Jaime and Eighty-Two for sharing these pics with us. :)

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

Pens v Bruins

2010-03-18T18:57:00.002-04:00

This is guaranteed to be an intense game. It's the first time the two teams will meet since a hit from Cooker ended (probably) Marc Savard's season. It's hard to predict whether or not Savard's teammates will go vigilante on Cooker or not. Technically, because the hit was deemed on the ice and in the NHL boardroom to be legal, the Bruins have no just cause for beef. HOWEVER, if one of them had taken out Siddo, I'm thinking we'd all be calling for that guy's head.

Conveniently, Eric Godard is back just in time to regulate if necessary. Wise is the man who does NOT tangle with him. Geno is still out with a sore foot. The Bruins are in 8^th place right now with only 3 points separating them and the 9^th place team, the Rangers. Passions and tempers will be running hot tonight.

DO IT.

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

♣ Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!!! ♣

2010-03-17T16:27:00.001-04:00

(That's Gaelic for ♣ St. Patrick's Day blessing upon you!!! ♣)

It's also my 9^th wedding anniversary, so tonight I'll be enjoying the game with my FAVORITE hockey player of all time. You know him as woodstock, but to me he is my husband - the most wonderful man on Earth. ♥ I'll leave you tonight with a little something from Killian:

♣ ♣ "The LICK of the Irish to you!" ♣ ♣

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

Watch These...If You Dare

2010-03-15T14:16:00.005-04:00

A pair of sickening cheap shots occurred in the NHL yesterday...

I personally have no desire to watch this again (it literally turns my stomach), but here is the video of Steve Downie's vicious take down of our title man:

Sid's thoughts about the incident:

"I was pretty scared.

... I don't think there's a need for his leg to go behind my knee like that... it's a little questionable," he said. "I was just lucky my toe wasn't actually caught on the ice. It was able to kind of get along and slide... (because) it was fresh ice."

Miraculously, Siddo was unhurt. In fact, he came out swinging... figuratively, of course! He was, for the remainder of the game, a man possessed. His beastliness continues to amaze me. Downie was assessed only a roughing minor for the granddaddy of all slew foots. Evidently because Siddo wasn't seriously hurt, Downie isn't being taken to task for deliberately trying to inflict a perilous injury on someone.

What. A. Player.

Downie is a guy that has been suspended more times than I can remember for incidents ranging from dangerous hits on fellow players to slashing a freaking linesman in the AHL. Once he even was ordered to get professional counseling after attacking a teammate during practice in juniors, but for some reason that defies logic, he keeps getting 3^rd, 4^th, etc. chances in all the hockey leagues, including the NHL. It's painfully clear that Downie has psychological and/or anger issues. It seems like the NHL is waiting until he ends someone's career (or worse...) until Colin Campbell finally says "Enough is enough" and expels him from the league. He's a real danger and the fact that he is still allowed to be in the NHL after all those incidents in his past is pathetic.

Siddo congratulates Flower on the win as Lecavalier skates away.

As if what happened to Sid was not bad enough, take a look at this hit from behind involving - wait for it - A-hOle™ on the Blackhawks' Brian Campbell. It resulted in the third game misconduct this year for the Capitals' reckless captain. Campbell's season is likely over; he suffered a broken collarbone and broken ribs after the vicious boarding. A major suspension should but probably won't be issued. Watch the video below and you'll see that Ovechkin clearly and deliberately shoves Campbell from behind as the two race towards the boards. It's a disgrace that THIS is who the Capitals deemed worthy of their captaincy:

The NHL is "reviewing" the incident. ← Click and read that article. A-hOle's™ comments about respect will make you literally laugh out loud. Anyone else would be suspended with no questions asked, but this is "Alex the Great" [*chokes*] we're talking about. I'll keep you posted.

Geno, unfortunately, sustained an injury in yesterday's match after his foot ended up being on the wrong end of a shot by Tanger. He's listed as day-to-day. Hopefully nothing is broken and he heals quickly. Fortunately he'll have today and tomorrow to rest up; the Pens don't play again until St. Patrick's Day (this Wednesday which also happens to be my wedding anniversary!) when they face the Devils again.

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

Pens v Lightning

2010-03-14T17:03:00.003-04:00

The Lightning could, with a victory today, move 2 points closer to the last spot on the playoffs list in the Eastern Conference. (Currently they're 4 points out.) This means they will be a team hungry for a win. Hopefully the memories of the last match against the Devils are still fresh in the Boys' minds, making them even hungrier.

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

Pens v Devils (L 1-3)

2010-03-12T17:53:00.005-05:00

The Pens are going up against New Joi-sey tonight. If Marty Brodeur plays the way he did during his appearance in the Olympics, then we'll be winning by a landslide... ;)

Oh, boy. That was pretty infuriating. Some cheating (I'm looking at you, Zajac), some penalties (okay, LOTS of penalties), and one pretty goal from our title man. I had every intention of recapping this game, but I think I'm going to skip it. The outcome of the game + woodstock is on his last few days of vacation + he surprised me with The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day BluRay DVD (SQUEE!!!!!!) = I think I'm just going to chill with my husband, watch a (hopefully) good movie, and forget ALL about this match.

The Pens face the Tampa Bay Lightning - who just beat the Caps :) with a 3-2 final score - on Sunday early evening at 5:00pm Eastern.

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

Pens v Canes

2010-03-11T19:00:00.003-05:00

News coming out of Penguinland:

Sid's Olympic Gold medal game gear has been located.
Cooker did NOT get suspended for the hit that sidelined Marc Savard...
...even if teammate Billy Guerin thought he should have been.
And some morons are offended that Siddo turned down an offer to read the Top Ten list on the Late Show with David Letterman. (← REALLY?! Why would anyone care? Besides, Letterman hasn't been funny for years now.)

Johnson in goal tonight. Guerin's back. Staal v Staal. DO IT.

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

Pens v Bruins (W 2-1)

2010-03-09T17:08:00.008-05:00

I wanted to do this post yesterday, but woodstock and I went to look at a silver 2007 Honda Element. I'm pretty sure we're buying it. :) Anyhoo, I took all of the following photos. Click the photos to enlarge them.

The Boys hit the ice:

The anthem was sung by the always solid Jeff Jimerson:

Our view was slightly obstructed:

The benches (notice the new guys - Poni's just left of center and Leopold is on the right):

Sid takes a few faceoffs:

Siddo next to the GINORMOUS Zedno Chara:

Geno going into the sin bin:

The Bruins strike first during the ensuing power play:

Sid takes another faceoff:

This is my favorite shot - Super Duper stuffs one in for the even up goal!!!

Siddo and the Boys hanging out at the bench during a TV timeout:

Geno scores the GWG!!!

Another faceoff for Sid:

Another TV timeout:

Okay, so I realize that you can't even begin to talk about this game without mentioning the Matt Cooke hit on Marc Savard. The hit happened at the end of the arena where our seats were. In the moment when it happened, I can tell you that no one in the immediate vicinity of our seats saw the hit. The general consensus was that we all were watching the puck and, as you know, this hit occurred after Savard released the puck. In fact, when I took the following two shots, I truly was expecting him to get up and skate (assisted) off to the locker room:

But then the stretcher came out. As he lay there, I said to woodstock, "I won't feel better until I see his legs move." The lady in front of us turned around and said, "How about it! This is scary!" He finally did move his legs, and as we rose for a standing ovation for him, Savard waved at us as he was carted off on the stretcher. I don't know if it came across on TV, but I can tell you the remaining 5½ minutes of the match were much quieter.

After seeing the replay, I honestly don't know how to prevent something like this from happening. It's easy to police elbow shots to the head - it's pretty cut and dry. But shoulder hits to the head are another story. Height differences contribute to this problem. Using my own height compared to woodstock's as an example, a 5'6" player's head should be right about even with a 6'4" player's shoulder. If woodstock came at me for a legal shoulder hit, he'd knock my block off.

Another issue is that this game is played at a pace so fast that if, as was the case with Savard, a player is releasing the puck and changing the position of his body as a guy (Cooke) is coming in to finish a check, there is almost NO time to change direction or slow down. I believe on XM Radio they estimated that players coming in for a legal hit on average are traveling at least 16 miles per hour - which doesn't sound too fast on paper, but that doesn't give you a lot of time to do much to stop or change direction. At 16 MPH, a player travels 23.5 feet in just one second. How did I figure that out? The math: 1 mile = 5,280 feet. So at 16 MPH, that's 84,480 feet per hour (5,280 x 16). Since we're talking about a hit that happens literally in one second, so I divided 84,480 feet by 3,600 seconds (60 minutes in an hour times 60 seconds in a minute = 3,600 seconds) = 23.467 feet per second. That's nowhere NEAR enough time to make a change in direction.

So what's the solution? It's hard to say. No doubt we'll be hearing more about this since the GMs are meeting in Florida right now.

It was difficult to celebrate the win as enthusiastically as we normally would because there was no word about Savard's condition. But the Boys held the Bruins off and earned a solid two points.

It was the first time in YEARS that we went to an afternoon game. It was strange coming out after the game to daylight. It allowed us to see that the new Consol Energy Center is looking more like an arena now:

And just at that moment it occurred to me that, if I don't score playoff tickets this year, this was woodstock's and my last trip to the Mellon Arena:

I'd like to hear your thoughts about the Cooke/Savard incident. What (if anything) do you think should happen to Cooker? Leave a comment in The Friends' Zone below. All opinions are welcome. (Please, however, be respectful! No swearing or name calling. I hate deleting comments, but I will.)

The Pens don't play again until they go south to face Carolina on Thursday at 7pm Eastern.

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

Pens v Bruins

2010-03-07T15:00:00.001-05:00

I am in my (obstructed view) seat! Despite a very traffic-y drive, we are here in time for the drop of the puck. We were also able to snag copies of Sports Illustrated magazines featuring Siddo and Team Canada. Scans to come, of course. :-)

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

More Sid Olympic Goodness

2010-03-04T13:04:00.005-05:00

Reebok Hockey posted this Globe and Mail full page ad that ran on March 2^nd on its Facebook page:

These are the Olympic wallpapers from the Team Canada website:

These are the largest wallpapers - smaller sizes are available here.
Also on the Team Canada site: Team Canada Women's Hockey and Team Canada Olympic Jersey wallpapers.

Unless I've missed something on their website, Team USA has yet to offer an Olympic wallpaper. For that matter, I have yet to find a photo of Brooks Orpik with his Silver medal. If anyone finds one before I do, please share!

The Pens face the Rangers tonight 7:00pm Eastern. Displaced Pittsburghers and long distance Pens fans can watch online at either ATDHE.net or a site recommended by Friend of The Show Chris B. (who hails all the way from Austria!) LiveTV.ru. The latter is in Russian, but the link I provided runs through Google's web page translator to make it easier for you to navigate.

The Boys will take on the Stars at 1:00pm Saturday, and on Sunday afternoon, woodstock and I will be at the Mellon watching them battle the Bruins in person.

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

Sidney Crosby's Olympic Golden Goal

2010-03-02T17:12:00.013-05:00

So far I've downloaded more than 220 photos from Team Canada's Gold medal victory. Here are 30 of my favorites. Since there are so many, I've left most of the previews small. Click all of the images to enlarge to full size - especially the one of Team Canada and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper with their medals in the locker room. All I can say is "There's one in every crowd!" (Look closely to the left and you'll see what I mean...)

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

Link

2010-03-01T18:50:00.006-05:00

I wish I had better news about my boy, but Link is gone. He lost the ability to control most of his poor little body, and doctors believed the damage was permanent. Link couldn't walk or even stand without two vet techs helping. A Greyhound - even a retired one - should never be unable to run freely.

He was a sweet, shy old man. We will miss him dearly.

His loss comes just 7 months after we lost Baylee. And in the grand scheme of our life together, it marks the fourth dog we've lost in 4 years. I can say with authority it doesn't get any easier.

Depending on how I feel there may not be a recap tomorrow night. I have gathered some amazing shots of Sid and Team Canada, so I might just post those instead (since I can do photo uploads without thinking).

Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the kind words and positive wishes and prayers for my Link. May he rest in peace.

Picture of The Day

2010-03-01T14:01:00.003-05:00

Canada v USA - Olympic Gold Medal Match

2010-02-28T13:35:00.003-05:00

Forgive me if I'm not inspired to write much about the big game today. Yesterday our oldest Greyhound, Link, had a stroke. His entire left side (even sight in his left eye) has been affected. He's at the animal hospital now, but he has made no improvement so far. They just started him on a steroid therapy this morning, but if there is no change by tomorrow, my husband and I are going to have to face an awful decision. I just can't believe this is happening again so soon.

Get well soon, my Link'n Log. PLEASE.

This was the matchup I wished for before the Olympics even began. I wanted Canada to win Gold and the USA to win silver. I'm pulling for Team Canada, but a Team USA win wouldn't devastate me. One thing is for sure: we now can call our title man a Stanley Cup Champion and an Olympic Medalist - even if we don't yet know what metal will be used to forge his medal.

GO TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!

Sid in the Canadian Sports Illustrated Olympic Preview Issue

2010-02-26T13:13:00.006-05:00

Over the past few years, I have made so very many wonderful Friends through this blog. :) One of my first Friends of The Show, Carroll T., lives in Canada. She graciously hooked me up with my very own copy of the Canadian Sports Illustrated Olympic Preview! I figured that since I am so fortunate to have a copy, I should share the wealth. I have scanned the entire article about Sidney as well as an article about Team Canada hockey for you! Click each page to view a SUPERSIZED version that's easy to read.

Enjoy!

Many, many, many, MANY thanks go out to Carroll for getting the magazine to me.

Tonight Team Canada faces Team Slovakia in an Olympic Semifinal game. Coverage begins at 9:00pm Eastern on CNBC. Right now, Sid has a 75% chance of leaving these Winter Games with a medal. With a victory tonight, he'll earn the chance to play for Gold. :)

GO TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Team Canada v Team Russia (W 7-3)

2010-02-25T17:13:00.001-05:00

HOW SWEET IT IS!!! :)

That's A-hOle's™ "hurt" hand he's using to shake Siddo's hand. I've injured my hand before. (I caught a baseball barehanded and broke a bone.) I've got a pretty high tolerance for pain but believe me, the LAST thing I wanted was for anyone to even touch it let alone shake it!

Once again Siddo's team got to send A-hOle's™ team packing! Can I just say that "I hurt my hand but not really because now Russia's on a power play" move was super lame? I better not hear anymore "Crosby is a diver" comments or I'm going to have to answer with "Ovechkin is a faker." ;) To be completely fair, all of Team Russia was weak. For it being the equivalent of a Game 7 scenario, not one Russian player - Geno and Gonch included - brought his A game to the table. Team Canada got off to a shaky start in these Olympics, and not many thought they'd be able to get past Team Russia. But in the end, Team Russia simply did not want victory as much as Team Canada.

Sadly, the most talked about moment from the game wasn't actually from the game itself. No, it came after the Canadian victory with NBC analyst Mike Milbury's derogatory description of the Russian team's performance:

I was shocked that it was this one-sided. And I was really disappointed that these guys came with their Eurotrash game. It was just... no heart, no guts, no nothing there to back it up. I mean Alex Ovechkin was an average player tonight. I know they're going to bounce back, but to be that poor and to be that intimidated physically by the Canadians... that really shocked me.

I couldn't believe he said it. I really thought I was hearing things.

His comment clearly shocked fellow analyst Jeremy Roenick as well. With wide eyes he exclaimed, "Just for the record, he did just say that on TV!" Even Sean "sloppy seconds" Avery, prone to diarrhea of the mouth himself, acknowledged the inflammatory nature of the comment when he twittered afterwards, "Did Mike Milbury just say EuroTra$h on CNBC, not good!"

Mind you, because he was at the Olympics, this was said on a global stage. It's pretty clear that he was deliberately trying to get everyone talking; however, this is definitely NOT the kind of attention that we need on our beloved sport. Milbury's been saying stupid crap for years now, but at least not too many people outside of the hockey world have really noticed. It just really saddens me that the only time I see stories about hockey in the mainstream news is when there is a catastrophic injury that results in a suspension, an out of control fight, or now when some moron spews a hateful comment into a microphone.

I think the most upsetting thing is that reaction to Milbury's prejudice is overshadowing Team Canada's domination of Team Russia - something they haven't done in a half century! It's frustrating, and now is the time for NBC to get rid of Milbury. It's not always true that "any press is good press." Hockey is SO MUCH MORE than just physical and/or verbal thuggery, and Milbury's shock jocking is not exactly a good way to help convince NBC to carry the ice hockey game instead of ice dancing in 2014. You can share your thoughts about Milbury's comments in The Friends' Zone below.

Now I want to get back to celebrating this big Canadian win! Tomorrow night Team Canada faces Team Slovakia in the semifinals. We're two wins away from Gold, folks.

DO IT.

GO TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Canada v Russia - Olympic Quarterfinal

2010-02-24T16:58:00.006-05:00

We're doing it all over again tonight! This time it's Team Canada taking on Team Russia.

versus

It feels a little strange to be rooting against Geno and Gonch; however, rooting against A-hOle™ comes very naturally to me. ;)

DO IT.

GO!!!!!!!!!!

While you're waiting for tonight's game (on CNBC at 7:30pm Eastern), check out these great shots from last night's matchup against Germany:

Hopefully we'll see a lot more shots from tonight's match like those last two!

GO TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Canada v Germany - Qualifier

2010-02-23T18:10:00.002-05:00

Wow. After Brodeur allowed 4 goals in a mere 22 shots, I'm SUPER relieved to see Luongo will be in net tonight. There is no more room for error. This is it - win big or go home. But we all knew it would come to this.

“Everyone forgets that everyone’s in the same position,” Canada forward Sidney Crosby said. “Everyone has to win now.”

DO IT.

GO TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Team Canada v Team USA (L 3-5)

2010-02-22T15:21:00.006-05:00

What an upset! I don't know about you guys, but I was truly stunned. Team Canada is a veritable who's who of the very best hockey players on this entire planet, but somehow (read: because of the goaltending at both ends), a youthful Team USA was able to pull off the improbable victory. American Ryan Miller was outstanding in goal, while Canadian Martin Brodeur did not even come close to performing to his best ability. I'm not sure what Head Coach Mike Babcock was thinking... Roberto Luongo was, prior to the Olympics, the best of the three Canadian goalies (sorry, Flower!). He should have been in between the pipes for this match-up. I was shocked when I saw that he wasn't.

Note to Sid: THIS is what it feels like when Brooksie is on the opposing team...

However, hindsight is always 20/20, and Team Canada still has some work to do. Here are some of the best photos from last night:

Team Canada is back in action tomorrow in a Playoff Qualifier against Team Germany.

GO TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2010 Olympic Showdown: Canada v USA

2010-02-21T18:00:00.004-05:00

Get ready for an ice war.

On the bright side: whatever the outcome, at least one Penguin is guaranteed a victory tonight! But, since this is The Sidney Crosby Show...

GO TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Team Canada v Team Switzerland (W 3-2 SO)

2010-02-19T09:17:00.006-05:00

Looking at this with a strictly objective view, that was bar none one of the best hockey games I've seen since the 2008 Winter Classic. It was an Olympic game played on a global stage; both teams gave everything they had; the alleged underdog came out swinging and not only put up a respectable fight, but nearly upset the sport's juggernaut (who also happens to be the host country) in the process; the game had to be decided in a shootout; and the game winning goal was scored by the league's biggest and brightest star.

Siddo and Iggy were wearing the A on their sweaters, and I think it messed up the mojo they had in the first game. :-P Head Coach Mike Babcock did a lot of line shuffling in an attempt to find a spark. But in the end, despite taking two unpenalized highsticks to the noggin (the first to the nose leaving it quite bloody, the second to the chin leaving a brush burn), our title man was able to lift his country's team to victory on his second shootout attempt. Following one final stop in a series of stellar blocks from the solid Marty Brodeur, Team Canada celebrated the W.

But now looking at this from the point of view of a Team Canada fan, that was WAY TOO CLOSE for comfort. All I can say now is that Sunday's big Team Canada v Team USA match is should be an interesting one - to say the least! Because Team Canada won in a shootout, they received only 2 points for their victory. So that means Team USA leads Group A with 6 points, and Team Canada is in second with 5 points. Team Switzerland's lone point came from forcing last night's game into overtime, and Team Norway still has no points.

In other news, Team Slovakia upset Team Russia in a shootout. With their victory, Team Slovakia now has two points. While Team Russia still leads Group B with 4 points, Team Czech Republic has 3 points and holds a game in hand. Team Latvia still has no points.

Group C standings: Teams Finland and Sweden are tied for first with 3 points each, and Teams Germany and Belarus still have no points.

Team Canada is going to have to be much better than this on Sunday if they want to get past Team USA. Make sure to tune in on Sunday at 7:40pm Eastern. I believe it will be shown on MSNBC, but don't quote me on that since I can't find that in print anywhere to verify it. I've been taking a LOT of heat for rooting against my country, but I'm going to say it anyways...

GO TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry, folks - I want Sid to get GOLD to complement his SILVER! ;) WOOOOOO!!!

Olympic Hockey Tonight! Canada v Switzerland

2010-02-18T17:12:00.006-05:00

Team USA just toppled Team Norway 6-1, and for the first time since NHL players began participating in the Olympics, Team USA is 2-0 overall!!! Also, Pittsburgh native Ryan Malone scored another goal today! BUT... is Team USA good enough to beat Team Canada on Sunday? I've been closely watching both teams, and I remain unconvinced. Leave your thoughts about it in The Friends' Zone.

This solid wallpaper (click to enlarge) is available on Team Canada's website. I found it earlier today. Per our earlier discussion about jerseys: This wally made me feel MUCH better about the white ring around my own Team Canada #87 jersey. (For those who didn't realize, the ones Team Canada players wear for the games do not.)

Team Canada is back in action tonight against Team Switzerland at 7:30pm Eastern on CNBC. Siddo and Iggy are one seriously dynamic duo. (Dear Flames, can we talk about a trade? PLEASE???) It's really exciting to watch this team. It'll be interesting to see if Sid's sporting the A tonight. With this Canadian lineup, I expect another blowout.

Also playing tonight - LATE tonight - is Team Russia, who will be facing Team Slovakia. This game doesn't start until 12:00am Eastern, so I'll have to wait until tomorrow to watch this one on my DVR.

WOOOOOO TEAM USA WIN!!!!!!!!!

GO TEAM CANADA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GO TEAM RUSSIA (*even though A-hOle™ is in the lineup) !!!!!!!!!

Team Canada v Team Norway (W 8-0)

2010-02-17T14:19:00.006-05:00

Here are some great shots of our title man in his Olympic debut - a game in which he had three assists!

And if that's not enough Siddo for you, check out this article on the Bleacher Report: Sidney Crosby Might Be the Finest Symbol of Canada. :)

Siddo's Olympic Debut

2010-02-16T14:02:00.005-05:00

The men's 2010 Olympic ice hockey tournament has begun!!! We're off to a great start - Team USA has emerged victorious 3-1 against Team Switzerland, despite the fact that Team USA didn't play as strongly as expected. (But a win is still a win, right?) Pittsburgh native Ryan Malone scored one of the goals! :)

Siddo makes his Olympic debut tonight at 8:00pm Eastern on CNBC when Team Canada takes on Team Norway. Expect the game to go decidedly in the home team's favor. In honor of the occasion, I thought I would post this solid wallpaper that is available on the Pens' website. I have to say this is the best series of wallies they've offered since the comic themed wallies from two seasons ago. (I don't know about you, but I was seriously underwhelmed by the Stanley Cup Champions wallpapers.) If you haven't already, click here to get all the Pens' Olympic wallpapers.

Pens v Preds (L 3-4 SO)

2010-02-14T12:55:00.006-05:00

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

And Happy Anniversary to the Bylsmas!

FIRST PERIOD

The Pens were in their powder blues (for like the 200^th time this season) for the last game before the long Olympic break.
The 1^st pretty uneventful for the majority of the period.
Siddo put a big hit on Sullivan behind Flower.
Jones was nailed for highsticking. It took less than 30 seconds for Siddo to score goal #42 (which, incidentally, ties him with A-hOle™ for the most in the league). He was at the top of the circle on the near side and fired a wicked one-timer that beat Ellis on the short side. [Pens 1, Preds 0]

Steigy and Errey discussed Orpik's numerous scoring chances in recent games. It has been 112 games since we've seen him score a goal...
As the period ended, Geno crosschecked Hamhuis, who then punched Geno and vice versa. A scrum broke out, and when it was over, Geno was given 4 penalty minutes while Hamhuis received just 2. Both would serve their time at the start of the second.

SECOND PERIOD

Since Geno got the extra 2, the Predators had the power play. In a weird coincidence, it took just over 30 seconds for Erat to score a goal that was almost an exact carbon copy of Siddo's goal. The lone difference was that Sid scored with a slap shot while Erat scored with a wrister. [Pens 1, Preds 1]

Later, TK was tripped up, and a delayed penalty was called. Meanwhile, Gronk got the puck and drove the net. He made a shot, and Cooker was right there to push it all the way into the net. [Pens 2, Preds 1]

On the very next play, just seconds later as the Cooke goal was being announced, #22 Tootoo scored to tie it 2-2. [Pens 2, Preds 2]

Erat and Kuni exchanged "pleasantries" after a whistle, which somehow lead to Kuni being assessed an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. The Preds didn't score on their advantage.
We were told that the Pens hosted an injured Iraq War vet this weekend at a practice. He was given a tour of the locker rooms and The Saint himself gave the American hero a stick.
Flower made an UNREAL post-to-post save to ROB the Preds of a sure thing following a 2-on-1.

Siddo was called for a super lame slash (It was so weak that woodstock yelled, "That's a pansy call!" Haha!) On the ensuing penalty kill, Gronk was called for tripping after his (Gronk's) stick took a guy down as he (Gronk) was falling. This gave the Preds a 1:08 5-on-3. Adams answered the call. He blocked a big shot from Weber with his foot without even flinching and was able to regroup and clear the puck. Due in large part to Adams, the Preds didn't score while Sid and/or Jordan were in the box.

Gronk fired a shot that hit the post.
A delayed penalty to Bouillon for interference went on for more than a minute. It was the longest one I've seen in ages, and the Pens passed the puck more than 20 times but were unable to find the back of the net. They didn't score on the 5-on-4, either.
Near the end of the period, Siddo blocked a shot with his leg.

THIRD PERIOD

Sid was shown wincing as he made his way to the bench, evidently suffering the after effects of the aforementioned shot block. He would play the remainder of the game a little less Crosby-like. (Hopefully, it is just a bruise that will heal up in time for his Olympic debut.)
Adams destroyed Hamhuis into the boards with a monster hit.
Orpik and Letang switched places for a faceoff, which Siddo won to Letang, who passed the puck to Brooksie for a Gonchar-esque one-timer to score his first goal in 112 games!! [Pens 3, Preds 2] The crowd responded with chants of "USA! USA! USA!"
Duper was called for holding, and as his penalty ended, Suter was called for roughing, but neither team scored on their respective advantages.
Weber fired a big blast from the point to tie the game. [Pens 3, Preds 3]

Orpik was given a penalty, but the Preds didn't score.
Kuni hit Sid with a shot. Sid got the puck a few seconds later and started a rush, but the Pens were called offsides. He was so frustrated that he broke his stick on the boards.
Geno took a foolish interference penalty at the 1:55 mark in a tied game, but luckily his teammates bailed him out and killed it off.

OVERTIME

The Pens got a power play, but the extra 5 minutes weren't enough to determine a winner.

SHOOTOUT

Letang - blocked
O'Reilly - scored
Siddo - blocked
Erat - scored to win the game

For some reason, the Boys just can't seal the deal. The biggest issue is that they're not playing a full 60 minutes of hockey. But NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE OLYMPICS!!! :) Hopefully the break will reinvigorate the ones who are off, and hopefully it will bring some more hardware to the ones who are not.

GO TEAM CANADA HOCKEY!!!!!!!!!!

GO TEAM USA EVERYTHING ELSE!!!!!!!!!

Don't forget - Team USA women's hockey club has their first match today at 3pm Eastern on, ironically, the USA Network!! They're currently destroying Team China 9-0 with 10 minutes to go in the third.

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

Pens v Rangers (L 2-3 OT)

2010-02-12T15:27:00.006-05:00

I got stuck staying late at work. Our email server died, we had no backup (don't EVEN ask), so we were tasked with building and configuring a new one.

Ah, well, I decided to look at this through my optimistic eyes:

I have a job. There are a lot of folks do not.
Not only do I have a job, I actually love this job a lot. (I'm just frustrated with this situation that is beyond my control.)
After all is said and done, I will learn a valuable skill today.

I figured if I was stuck there that late, I might stream the game via XM Radio online. But, as a friend once lamented to me, hockey on the radio is like eating soup with a fork - terribly, horribly inadequate. Fortunately, setting up the new server wasn't as difficult as we thought it was going to be. I was home by 7:20pm - just in time for the drop of the puck. :)

FIRST PERIOD

Siddo was aiming for goal #40; Johnson started in net; and Gaborik was out after being cut by Lundqvist's skate during a recent practice.
The blades struck again when Del Zotto fell on top of Geno's skate. He threw off his glove and writhed in pain. It appeared that there was blood on the side of his jersey, perhaps the result of a cut to the midsection. (Later, we were told that he suffered "significant lacerations" - which doesn't sound very good...)
Guerin set Siddo up for a wicked snapshot that resulted in GOAL NUMBER 40!!!!! [Pens 1, Rangers 0]

Steigy retold the story of Sid's 153 goal year when he was a kid. For each of those goals, Siddo's Gram paid him $1.00. :)
Rozsival had the first penalty of the night for interference. The Pens looked great but didn't score on the advantage.
FSN PGH showed us a drawing on the walls on what will be the Pens' new locker room at the Consol Energy Center (CEC). It was a Stanley Cup drawn by the construction crew, complete with sections for all three past victories and a space for the (hopefully!) 2010 victory. ;)

Christensen undressed Orpik and went for one of his trademark backhand-forehand shots, but Johnson met his efforts with a spectacular toe save.

FIRST INTERMISSION
FSN PGH gave us a solid updated CEC tour. We saw what will eventually be the lounge, the locker room, and the steam room.

SECOND PERIOD

Prospal got behind the defense and had a breakaway chance, but Johnson made a pretty poke-check/save.
Seconds later, Dubinsky was left wide open in front and made the Pens pay by going 5-hole on Johnson. [Pens 1, Rangers 1]
The Pens may have owned the first period, but the second was all Rangers.
Geno made a freakin' sweet move where he passed ahead to himself around a Ranger, but it didn't end in a mark on the board.
Prospal capitalized on an odd-man rush. [Pens 1, Rangers 2]

Steigy and Errey insisted it was a clean hit, but I thought it looked like Drury got his elbow up when he hit Cooker. The Penguin then went to confront Drury, who had fallen himself, and as Drury got up, he punched Cooker in the face. All hell broke loose. Rozsival and Dubinsky ended up in the middle of things. Cooke was trying to take them all on. Even though Rozsival got a game misconduct for being the third man in a fight, the Rangers ended up with a power play because Cooke was given an extra 2 for unsportsmanlike conduct. The Rangers didn't score on their power play.

Guerin was called for a bogus slash. On the ensuing penalty kill, Orpik put a MONSTER hit on Anisimov, and the Rangers didn't score.
Johnson made a save and then went to make a save on the rebound, but it kind of looked like his upper body and lower body went in the opposite directions. He left the ice and was replaced by Flower.
Sid fired a shot and immediately was felled by two Rangers doing the high/low on him. (See photo below - it's a tackle move that isn't even legal in football where the high guy pushes you backwards over the low guy.) He was slow to get up but seemed okay.

In a last seconds of the period, there was a Penguins offensive onslaught. Kuni and Boyle exchanged words as they were lining up for the faceoff. When the puck dropped, Kuni lined Dubinsky up for what would have been a MONSTER hit if he hadn't missed. Lundqvist made the save, and immediately after, Boyle punched Kuni in the face as time ran out.

THIRD PERIOD

Siddo fired a shot from the doorstep that bounced off Lundqvist's shoulder.
M. Staal high sticked Cooker. On the ensuing power play, everyone was fighting for the puck in the far corner. Everyone except for Gonch. He was waiting at the point when one of the Rangers tried to clear the puck. Instead, Gonch got it and fired a perfect shot right to Sid's stick for a perfect deflection for goal number 41. [Pens 2, Rangers 2]
M. Staal and brother J. Staal had a somewhat nasty battle for the puck. On the ice, there are no friends and (evidently) no brothers.

Letestu was nailed with a hooking call, but the Rangers didn't score.
Orpik made a HUGE defensive play on an empty net.
Geno was blatantly tripped up, but no call was made.

OVERTIME

Kuni freight-trained M. Staal.
Flower made a diving save that look eerily like the last second game SCF 7 save in Detroit.
But in the end, it was newly Blueshirted Olli Jokinen that drilled one home for the win. [Pens 2, Rangers 3]

The Pens will play one more game at the Mellon before the Olympic break. I'm so tired I'm going to have to watch the Olympic opening ceremony tomorrow afternoon. In honor of the occasion, I've got a few shots of Saint Siddo in his Team Canada sweater. Have a great night, everyone!!!

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

Pens v Isles

2010-02-10T19:34:00.002-05:00

Soooo... is anyone else sick to death of snow yet? We're buried in the white stuff, and there appears to be no end in sight! Thank God we've still got our DirecTV service working so we can watch the game tonight. I'd hate to miss it if (when!) Siddo scores a goal tonight because he will reach the 40^th goal mark for the first time in his NHL career.

DO IT, SID.

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

Pens v Caps

2010-02-07T11:48:00.002-05:00

What. The. FUDGE???

Not to take anything away from the Habs' victory, but our Boys didn't even come close to putting a solid effort into that game. One can only hope that the Pens' underwhelming performance yesterday was the result of their desire to save up their energy to focus on destroying the Caps today. ;) I'm sure this will be an entertaining game (to put it mildly) - it's the two biggest names in the league facing on Super Bowl Sunday on a nationally broadcast network. You know both teams are going to put on a show.

Speaking of the Super Bowl, I don't know about you, but I'll be rooting for the other black and gold (the Saints). If you're having or attending a big party, have a great time but please stay safe.

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

Pens v Canadiens

2010-02-06T12:32:00.002-05:00

I had planned to do an actual quality post for today's game, but now I'm heading outside to help woodstock dig out his car in hopes of getting it back on our own property. He worked second shift last night and didn't make it home until almost 1am. PennDOT was out plowing the main roads, but our road falls under the township's responsibility for snow removal. That jerk didn't show up for the first time until after 2am. Consequently, woodstock's car is just over a block and a half down the road resting in the spot we dug out in the wee hours of the morning along the side our neighbor's yard right where the incline begins. (It's a front wheel drive Chevy Cavalier, and the snow was almost as high as the hood of the car!) Plows have since come through, and now we must dig the car out so we can (HOPEFULLY) get it up the hill.

Wish us luck. ♣

While it is a major inconvenience, I am thankful to God that woodstock made the 25 mile journey home safely and without getting stuck any further away. I am also thankful for DVRs - I probably won't get to watch the game until tonight. :(

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

Pens v Sabres

2010-02-01T18:24:00.005-05:00

I missed posting for yesterday's afternoon game because I took an impromptu road trip up north with the Red Baron to visit my sister this weekend. (The Greyhounds stayed behind with woodstock.) It was a much needed do-nothing-but-chill kind of visit, you know what I mean?

But tonight I'm all about this game. Our Boys face the Buffalo Sabres for the third time this season. It also marks the third installment of my bet with co-worker Johnny Sabre. I don't think I can make it through another day wearing that Sabres sweater, so send all the positive vibes you can to Pittsburgh!!

It's been more than four months and DirecTV customers (like me) still have no Versus channel. We have XM Radio, and I was listening to The Gary Bettman Hour a few weeks ago when he promised an impending resolution. (Hmm... I wonder if he knows what the word "impending" means?) I'm not a patient person by any stretch of the imagination, and the wait for a resolution is killing me. Happily, I discovered that I won't miss any Olympic hockey, but I'm starting to worry that we're going to miss out on a huge chunk of playoff hockey coverage this spring if DirecTV and Comcast don't grow the eff up and work this out.

Speaking of the Olympics, I found this NBC website that has the complete schedule (including times and channels based on your zip code and cable provider) and a cool little extra: an "Alert Me" reminder so you can sign up for a text message reminder! If any of you are as discombobulated as I have been lately, these will be an absolute Godsend to make sure you don't miss anything good. :)

They wouldn't trade either of these guys. ...would they?! :-/

I have to admit that I was mildly taken aback by the Capitals' decision to trade team Captain Chris Clark last month. But the trade of Dion Phaneuf surprised the heck out of me! What he said is true: "If Wayne Gretzky can be traded, anyone can be traded." The only thing more shocking to come from this weekend was news that Super Mario (may have) offered to buy the Pittsburgh Pirates — and was turned down!!!

Who could possibly say no to HIM?!

Okay, now it's time to watch the game online (www.atdhe.net) and WIN THAT BET.

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

Pens v Sens

2010-01-28T19:07:00.005-05:00

Sorry I missed Monday's Rangers game... It's been a crazy week at work in every way possible. The big win was well deserved. :)

There's a ton of stuff on the Pens' website. Some highlights:

You probably already know about this, but it bears repeating: VOTE FOR JACK ROSENSTEEL!!!
This isn't really a newsflash: Mario Lemieux is an amazing human being.
And my personal favorite: Tonight the Penguins are honoring an American hero.

Flower and Guerin are back, so let's review who remains missing from the regular lineup: Godzilla is out 4-6 weeks with a groin injury, TK is out and listed as day-to-day, Gogo is out with an undisclosed injury, and even though Kuni, who is still on the Injured Reserve list, skated for the first time since his abdominal surgery, he'll probably be out at least another week.

Let's keep the Ws coming, Boys!!!

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

Pens v Flyers

2010-01-24T11:45:00.003-05:00

The Pens are coming off a frustrating loss to one of their two main rivals to immediately face the other. After leading and/or matching the Caps for 42 minutes, the back-to-back goals just under a minute apart in the beginning of the third period put momentum squarely on the bad guys' side. The Pens of two months ago could have come back and beat them handily, but the rollercoaster "slump" we're going through right now seems to be something the Boys are still trying to shake.

Perhaps a need for vindication plus the fact that all the Penguin fathers will be present in-house will be the boost the Boys' need to get back on the winning track. The Pens' 4^th annual Dad's Trip will see the Boys' fathers accompanying their sons to today's Flyers match and tomorrow's Rangers match.

Today's 12:30pm match is NBC's Game of The Week, so EVERYONE should get to enjoy it! :) I haven't yet decided if I'm going to watch it live or if I'm going to wait for woodstock to come home from work and watch it with him.

I'll refrain from the smack talk today because (1.) I'm TERRIBLE at it and (2.) it seems like when I use smack talk we lose, but when I just put out positive vibes for the Boys we win. So I think from now on I'm going with the "positive vibes" thing.

DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.
DO IT.

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

Pens v Caps

2010-01-21T18:03:00.003-05:00

It's true in math and on the ice:

87 > 8

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

Pens v Isles

2010-01-19T19:36:00.002-05:00

I feel better about this game already:

BRENT JOHNSON IN GOAL. (Although it must be said that Alexander Pechurskiy did do a bang-up job in his remarkable first NHL appearance by only allowing one goal!)
Brooks Orpik back on D.
I once again have a working well pump and hot water heater. (They crapped out on us over the weekend, which is why I missed the Vancouver game. We got the pump replaced yesterday and the heater was repaired today. WOOOO!)

So despite the fact that the Isles are red hot right now, I think the Boys are gonna bring home the W.

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

Boy, Was I Wrong!

2010-01-15T13:26:00.003-05:00

Yesterday I said that the gal in the wedding dress offered Siddo the funniest marriage proposal I had ever seen. That was true - until yesterday's Oilers game gave us this gem:

Yep, that's a dude.

Thanks, John Ulan (the photographer for The Associated Press/The Canadian Press). Now I have to go wash my eyes.

Pens v Oilers

2010-01-14T17:43:00.006-05:00

We've seen dozens... Scratch that, HUNDREDS of marriage proposals aimed at our title man, but none as hi-lar-i-ous as this one:

I am giving her extra creativity points for actually having the stones to wear a complete bridal ensemble to a professional sporting event that did NOT following an actual wedding. But I just have one question: Did she buy the dress especially for this stunt or did already have the dress - and if she did, does that mean she's already married?? Hmmmmm... Makes you wonder if perhaps there is a Mr. Crazy Bride at home steaming over this pic! :P

Friend of The Show Need Ice In Phoenix shared this video of Siddo hopping like a bunny right over Niklas Hagman during this past Pens v Leafs game in Toronto. The slo-mo replay sound effects cracked me up:

GM Ray Shero are going head to head Geno against one another (and Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, Pitt Tailback Dion Lewis, and Pitt football Coach Dave Wannstedt) for the Dapper Dan Sportsman of the Year award. Siddo is a two-time winner of the award, and while I love Geno, I think Shero - the genius behind the construction of our team - has MORE than earned my vote. The Pens have two plays nominated in the Best Play category: a pretty backhander from Geno during the Eastern Conference Finals against Carolina, and that beautiful last minute save from Flower on Lidstrom that led to the Stanley Cup Final Game 7 victory. The absolutely remarkable moment when Mario handed the Stanley Cup back to Sid is one of the nominees for and SHOULD be the hands down winner of the Best Sports Moment of 2009; although it's undoubtedly going to face a tough battle with the Steelers' record breaking sixth Super Bowl win. Cast your votes here.

Thank you is due to Need Ice In Phoenix for finding the video clip. We're facing the Oilers in Edmonton tonight. The projected lines as of right now are identical to last night's lines. Flower is the projected netminder; however, since the games are back-to-back, I wonder if maybe we'll see Johnson in goal. Either way, we're gonna get 'em.

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