A Hockey Grab Bag

I've got a plethora of stuff from several Friends of The Show, but first I wanted to let you know that the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review has some status updates for us: Brooks Orpik is hoping to work out a longterm deal with the Pens. :)


But that article has some unpleasant news, too:

The Canucks also plan to chase left wing Ryan Malone, who said last week he will exercise his unrestricted option.

Vancouver likely cannot offer Hossa $8 million annually over five years - the deal he is believed to be seeking - but would bid high for Malone, possibly more than $5 million annually on a long-term contract.

What I don't understand is, if it's supposedly not about the money, why is a $40 million, 5 year deal better than a $50 million, 7 year deal? Well, here's a possible explanation for that:

...Hossa told Pittsburgh reporters two days after the Stanley Cup final that he would "take less to play on a good team."

"I only read where Marian said that," Ray Shero said. "He never said that to me."

Hossa - WTF?!

Looks like Shero's going to have to go wing shopping for Sidney...

My former co-conspirator from Taking One For The Team, good Friend Loser Chris, has started a new project called The Flower Shop. It's a blog dedicated entirely to our young netminder. Chris recently posted an in depth analysis that compares Marc-Andre Fleury's performance to date to what the top goalies in the NHL had accomplished by age 23. It's a must-read!

Frank D. over at Pensburgh.com is having a contest to win a prize:

Jack Falla's most recent work, Saved, is a fictional story of John-Pierre Savard, a veteran goaltender for the Boston Bruins. Through his years of hockey, JP Savard has experienced love, loss, grievance and rebirth. It's the story of two grown men pursuing their boyhood dreams of hoisting Lord Stanley high above their heads. As the two continue to tally up the seasons, put wear and tear on their bodies and fight through the late stages of their career, the dream starts to become a reality that pits the two "brothers" in a friendly yet competitive civil war.

Jack Falla was kind enough to donate not only his time, but also a signed copy of his book as a gift to the readers of Pensburgh, SBNation and hockey blogs in general.

Head on over to Pensburgh.com to enter.

The guys over at The 2 Man Advantage have a new video clip. I won't ruin it for you. All I'll say is that there's a few NY Islanders players, Hungry, Hungry Hippos, and Jenga in the first 30 seconds.

Lexie101 happened upon Kris Letang at the airport:

Okay now i have to say that i am pretty lucky! I was picking someone up from the airport and we were just walking around and i saw letang! I had him sign my shirt (penguins shirt)! The ONE time I do not have my camera with me I see a penguin!AHHHH! He was having trouble with finding his bags so while his little helper was looking for his bags we said he could come talk to us and he did! And he told me right to my face that geno is not going anywhere! He is going to a golf thingy [the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational] on wed. with Sidney and Max but we did not stay long enough to see those two which is depressing :(

Here's the autograph she got:


I know we settled the Geno v Gino thing, but Laurel K. sent in this picture of a new T-shirt from Reebok and I wanted to share it with you:

Yet one more piece of evidence in favor of the E.

Brandon started an online petition aimed at trying to persuade Marian Hossa to resign with Pittsburgh. Click here to sign it.

Christine sent in an article she found that details why the Pens were glad they didn't win the Cup...

Michelle D. designed this wallpaper for us:

Click to enlarge.

Just a reminder - keep sending in your pictures for our TSCS Summer Project. I've gotten quite a few, and all I have to say is you guys are so creative! Keep 'em coming!!! (Special note to our international Friends: You guys need to catch up! So far the majority of the photos I've received contain the red, white, and blue...)

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all the Friends who contributed to today's post!!! :)

Contests Are Awesome

Remember that Men's Fitness Magazine cover? Who am I kidding? Of course you do - whether you want to buy enough copies to use as wallpaper in your bedroom or you're just now recovering from the fits of laughter, this one seems like it will remain as talked about as Sid's GQ and Vanity Fair appearances. It's generating some buzz over at AOL Fanhouse. Our Friend Eric B. from The Sidney Crosby Spotlight also weighs in on the issue (pun intended, haha).

Even more about that Men's Fitness Magazine appearance: Friend of The Show Mike H. found this article on the Pens' website yesterday. It features Sid's teammates giving him a really hard time about the muscle definition in that picture:

“It’s nice when they can airbrush pretty much anything,” Penguins winger Colby Armstrong, one of Crosby’s closest friends, said with a laugh. “I don’t to get to take really sweet pictures like that for a lot of covers. So, I just get generic pictures taken at Wal-Mart and get them developed there. I don’t look so hot. It must be nice to get them like his. He probably did about 100 pushups and ate a little turtle soup before that photo shoot. That’s pretty cool for him to be on the cover. I am kind of jealous about it. I’d be on the cover of Men’s Fast Food – with no shirt on.”

“He denies it was airbrushed. He said they taught him how to flex while the pictures were being taken. He must have done something – maybe some bench pressing just to make his pecs look big. He’s a big kid, but he must have been flexing a little,” Defenseman Ryan Whitney said. “They did a good job with the lighting and stuff like that. I still say his skin looks very, very clear for the front of the magazine,” he said.

Sidney, um, "defined"

The good-hearted ribbing is all done in fun.

“What fun would it be if we didn’t give him a hard time about it? We all kind of live through the stuff he does, so it’s kind of fun,” Armstrong said with a laugh. “He is here all the time. Everyone knows he’s always doing stuff behind the scenes. So, we try to lighten it up for him a bit by bugging him about it or cracking a joke about it. I think it maybe makes things a little easier for him. If not, oh well, sorry buddy.”

Poor Sid doesn't stand a chance in that locker room. I'd give anything to be a fly on the wall to hear what they've been saying to him about that picture when there's no media around! It's probably pretty brutal - and hilarious!!!

Still more about that Men's Fitness Magazine appearance: Friend of The Show Laura H. pointed out that the website is having a drawing. You can fill out this form to enter to win "autographed swag from this month's cover guy." No offense to any of you, but I hope I win! ;)

The Penguins website has some new Winter Classic wallpapers. (Click the picture to go directly to the site to choose the right size for your computer's monitor.)

What a game!

Now I have news of ANOTHER magazine appearance for the Saint. This time, he's appearing on SI For Kids. In the interview, he lists some of his favorite things:

[His] favorite movie ...is "Rocky."
Crosby said his favorite actor is Denzel Washington.
When it comes to the ladies, Crosby said he's an Eva Mendes fan.
His favorite foods are protein-filled chicken and carbo-loaded pasta.
His favorite band is Three Days Grace.
When it comes to athletes, Crosby looks away from hockey for inspiration. He said he's a big Tiger Woods fan.

Sorry, gals - you have to wear a shirt on the covers of magazines for kids.

I'm going to leave you tonight with the latest installment from the guys at the 2-Man Advantage. This episode features interviews with Josef Vasicek and ex-Pen Eric Cairns. A little more than midway through the video, Cairns recalls his toughest fight in his entire career. The opponent is exactly who you think it is. It's pretty funny hearing Cairns relate what thoughts were going through his head when said tough guy showed up in Pittsburgh last season - while Cairns was still on the team:

Thanks so much to all who sent in links!!! :)

Last Day to Win Tickets to the Ice Bowl

I got my Ice Bowl tickets a while ago. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was extremely fortunate. That whole sales event turned into a furious rush that resulted in 41,000 tickets selling out in less than 30 minutes. (← Check out that seating chart - I'll be in section 223!)

If you are one of the thousands of folks that wanted tickets but didn't get them, I've got something that might help you get to Buffalo on January 1, 2008. I just got wind of a contest from Verizon Wireless that you can enter to win a trip to the NHL Winter Classic - BUT you need to know two things: First and foremost: the contest ends today so you must enter NOW. Secondly, it is only open to residents of Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey.

Here are the details (click the image to enter the contest):

♣ ♣ GOOD LUCK!!! ♣ ♣

ANOTHER Reason Canada > USA

Yes, Canadians get to have all the fun when it comes to hockey. They are treated to NHL broadcasts on REGULAR T.V. stations that everyone gets. Our title man Sidney Crosby is Canadian. Hockey is to Canada what football is to the United States. And now they have this:

Game On! With another NHL season right around the corner, hockey fans are getting ready to cheer their favourite teams and follow Canadian superstar Sidney Crosby's first season as captain of the fast-rising Pittsburgh Penguins.

But why just watch Sidney Crosby play on TV, when you could get the chance to fly to a game and meet him in person?

Meeting Sidney Crosby is just one of the incredible prizes the Pepsi(R), Lay's(R), Doritos(R), and Gatorade(R) brands will be awarding every hour, every day during the "Game On with Sidney Crosby" promotion running between September 9, 2007 and November 3, 2007.

I was THRILLED TO PIECES when Friend of The Show Eric B. sent me this link so I, too, could enter a contest for a chance to meet Sid at a game. But those hopes were soon dashed (okay, I know - but I'm being melodramatic for effect here) when I read this:

8. ELIGIBILITY: This Contest is open to all residents of Canada, 13 years of age or older...

Being that I live in central Pennsylvania, I am not eligible to enter said contest. But - even though I am green with envy - I encourage all our Canadian Friends to click here and enter this contest!!! If you win, take LOTS of pictures and send them my way!!! GOOD LUCK!

(Special thanks to fellow Crosby blogger Eric for sending me this information. Check out this blog entry for more details.)

[*Sigh*] Canadians are so lucky.

And finally, since we're talking about contests, congratulations go out to Friend of The Show Cassie C. has good news to share with us:

I won second prize in the NHLPA Pearson Award Fan Contest! I've known for some time but I got the release form today, so yeah, it's official. It'll be even better when I get the stuff. I get a jersey signed by either Lecavalier or Luongo (so close to getting Sid's which went to the grand prize winner). But, there's some other stuff in there, too. I can't remember what all it was, but it was funny because the guy that won was from New York, and the guy that got second was from Ottawa. And then there's me from Mississippi. :)

Congrats, Cass!