"Cup"

Stagerat, Jenn Casey, and Adrienne F. sent in the link to a sweet new commercial starring our title man. The commercial is called simply "Cup." Enjoy:



We never want you in that photo again either, Sid.

Maria T. found this piece on NYTimes.com which describes how Siddo shot the new "Cup" commercial and how the NHL is using The Kid to market the sport.



Retired TSCS founder Jes Golbez found an awesome photo of what may be the funniest sign I have EVER seen at a hockey game (WARNING - Do not view with liquid in your mouth):


Stagerat sent along this article from St. Louis Today that says that the Pens' rise to the top over the past few years is the blueprint for success for any struggling hockey club. (Although, the author isn't so naive to think that having the Saint and Geno wasn't a big part of the Pens' big comeback.)

Lauren H. and Rachel C. sent in articles about the Pens' Swedish scavenger hunt and their tour of the Vasa Museum. (Make sure you keep checking Dan Potash's Swedish photoblog. He's a beast - he's been updating it constantly, and there are new pictures of the scavenger hunt, a hockey game the team watched, and a practice.)

Nikki spotted this street sign in Cape Cod:


71Crush sent in this photo that was featured in The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:


Stephanie C., her son, her dad, and none other than Roaming Petr Penguin took a trip to the Pittsburgh Zoo and PPG Aquarium on September 19^th and then to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum on the 20^th for her son's fourth birthday. Stephanie's own words introduce each photo below.

1. "Ready to go to the zoo!"


2. "At the zoo's main entrance:"


3. "With the newest elephants, babies Angelina and Zuri. They're a little hard to see in this photo, but it was pretty crowded, so it's the best shot I could get:"


4. and 5. "With his penguin pals!" [snoop: How awesome is it to see a Roaming Penguin with a real penguin?! :)]



"We had a lot of penguins swim up to Petr and give him a good checking out, as photo no. 6. shows:"


7. "In the children's play area, there's this thing, See If You Can Jump As Far As... and then it lists various animals, and how far they can jump. Turns out Petr can jump as far as a penguin!"


8. "A sign in the Children's Museum entrance. Petr says, 'You're welcome!'"


9. and 10. "When Fred Rogers retired, he and WQED donated much of the original Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood stuff to the Children's Museum. Here's Petr with a lovely photo of Mr. Rogers and the show's band, and with the original Make Believe inhabitants!"



11. "Petr trying out the fun pincushion wall:"



Only a few more installments of TSCS's Quote of The Day left in this offseason!

"Any discussion on hockey goaltenders must begin with the assumption that they are about three sandwiches shy of a picnic. I can prove this. From the moment Primitive Man first lurched erect, he and those who came after him survived on the principle that when something hard and potentially painful comes at you at great velocity, you get the hell out of its path. Goalkeepers throw themselves into its path. I rest my case."

~ Jim Taylor, columnist

Thank yous all around to Stagerat, Jenn, Adrienne, Maria, Jes, Lauren, Rachel, Nikki, 71Crush, and Stephanie for their respective contributions to today's post! :)

Stylin' with Sidney

The RBK SC87 media event Jes told you about took place yesterday. Sidney made an appearance at at the Sport Chek in Mississauga to unveil his new fashion line to the public. Funny that reporters seemed more interested in hockey than fashion:

In hockey-mad southern Ontario, and with about a month until NHL training camps open, one suspected the conversation wouldn't stick to clothes for very long. So, while Crosby graciously answered questions about his Rbk SC87 line at Sport Chek near Square One Shopping Centre, he was inundated with queries about the upcoming season.

How deep will the Penguins go in the playoffs? Did signing an enormous contract extension in the off-season ($43.5 million over five years) and being named captain put more pressure on the youngest player to ever win a scoring title in any major North American sports league?

That is, until one of the models emerged wearing one of the new RBK SC87 items:

Usually polished and a bit reserved during interviews, Crosby, 20, answered many of the questions with humour. Case in point, when officials paraded out a young woman wearing a hot pink shirt with Crosby's logo emblazoned on it, and then a model wearing the form-fitting I Love Crosby t-shirt showed up.

"On the female side of things, I didn't have too much input on that," said Crosby, with a smile. "It was actually funny because I'd being going over some of the designs and prints with my parents talking about what's in style and what isn't."

We already addressed Sid's modeling skills, but does pink REALLY belong in a hockey clothing line?

So what is Sidney's preferred style for himself? He says he's "pretty simple and casual, and if I had my choice I'd wear sweat pants all day." And don't worry, folks - just because Saint Sid is joining the throngs of other celebrities slapping their names on the labels of your t-shirts, he's not ready to give up his day job just yet. According to Crosby, "(fashion) is something new for me, but I've enjoyed the process. I'm not going to be changing professions by any means, but I'm trying to enjoy it."

Sidney to Introduce New Rbk SC87 Designs

Looking to catch Sidney wearing the latest Reebok fashions?

Well, better get moving, because the event takes place tomorrow.

---

What:  NHL MVP Sidney Crosby and Reebok will introduce to the media
       the new designs of the Rbk SC87 line of apparel, footwear &
       hockey equipment on August 21, 2007, just in time for back-to-
       school and the upcoming hockey season.

       The event will be the official unveiling of the Fall 2007
       collection and offer an opportunity to connect with the world's
       best hockey player. Sidney will be available to answer
       questions and to be photographed.

       Rbk SC87, named for Sidney's initials and number, is available
       at Sport Chek locations nationally.

       Contact Derek Baker at 416 422 7158 to RSVP

Who:   Sidney Crosby
       Len Rhodes, General Manager of Reebok Canada
       Bill Gregson, President and COO, The Forzani Group Ltd.

When:  Tuesday, August 21, 2007 - 10:00 A.M.

Where: Sport Chek Square One
       (behind Chapters across from Square One)
       199 Rathburn Road West
        Mississauga, ON

General News

Do you want to dress like Sidney Crosby? Well, now you can! Just visit Reebok's new Sidney360 site to see Saint Sid modeling some new gear. Also, check out his expression in some of those pictures - he looks almost as uncomfortable in them as he did in this picture:

It hurts just looking at this.

Well, almost...

(Thanks to LetsGoPens user penny lane for spotting the sweet new site.)

For those of you who are curious about the construction of the arena but can't stomach the boredom that is the Official Arena Webcam, check out this video. It was made by my Penguins partner over at Battle of Pennsylvania and Confessions of a Hockey Fanatic writer Michael. He made the video so that non-locals could see where the arena will be located and how things are going. Enjoy:

The Sidney Crosby Show will be undergoing some changes over the next couple of weeks - but don't worry: the changes will be to the layout of our site only; the content will not change. First and foremost, Jes and I are hoping to get the blogroll organized. After that, there may or may not be additional changes to the aesthetics. As always, your feedback (by way of comments and/or emails) is always appreciated. :)

Sidney's Jersey Sells the Most

It appears that Sidney Crosby's popularity also expands into the world of jersey merchandise.

Yes, more people want to wear Sidney than Alex Ovechkin.

NEW YORK (CP) - Another year, another increase in the online sale of NHL merchandise.

The league announced Monday that sales on its website (Shop.NHL.com) increased for the 10th straight season and that this year was its biggest ever.

Online sales of NHL-licensed products were up 47 per cent compared to last year, according to the league. The Buffalo Sabres and Stanley Cup-champion Anaheim Ducks were the two biggest gainers, with sales up by 497 per cent and 339 per cent, respectively. Overall, 27 of the league's 30 clubs showed gains this year compared to 2006.

Not surprisingly, Pittsburgh Penguins star Sidney Crosby's jersey was the top selling uniform on the website for the fiscal year ending June 30. Buffalo Sabres jerseys were also a hot item, with Ryan Miller, Chris Drury, Maxim Afinogenov and Daniel Briere rounding out the top five.

Anaheim and the Ottawa Senators, who met in the Stanley Cup final, both experienced significant sales growth on the website in June. The Ducks' sales increased a whopping 1,498 per cent while the Senators were up 473 per cent.

Overall, 17 of 30 teams increased their sales last month.

The Penguins are Total Sellouts!

Wasn't it not too long ago that hockey in Pittsburgh was declared 'dead'?

Hmm, it appears that the sport has suddenly come back to life.

Want seasons tickets? Too frickin bad!

From the Pittsburgh Business Times:

The team put out a statement Thursday saying it is approaching the 13,500 mark for sales of season ticket packages that combined, represent season ticket orders for all 43 home games, including two preseason games.

Fed by interest in a new arena and a roster of talented younger players, the Penguins have eclipsed a previous record of 12,350 full-season ticket packages that was set during their Stanley Cup Championship days back in 1992-1993.

Because of the record sales, the team said it is cutting off full and half-season sales and establishing a waiting list for season tickets. Fans who wish to be on the waiting list will be required to lay down a $200 deposit, the team said.

Waiting list? Wow... like Eric over at The NHL Fanhouse, I am blown away at just how hot an item that Penguins tickets appear to be.

And, to think, that some idiots didn't think hockey would ever work in Pittsburgh. HMPH!

Nice to Meet You / Using Sidney

Hello, my fellow Croz addicts! Jes has a full schedule and has commissioned me to provide some help with running The Sidney Crosby Show. My name is Jodie, I've been a die hard Pittsburgh Penguins fan for about 10 years now, and I am a HUGE fan of Sidney's. I'm from central PA, so I get to go to a few Pens games every season. I look forward to sharing some of next season's games with you. Until then, I'll be scouring the web for stories to pass the time during the offseason. Feel free to send me links to stories on the web about Sidney. So without further ado...

---

After a sweeping win at the NHL awards last week, Sidney's face has been pretty much everywhere. And since it is Sid's mug that is widely recognized as the "Face of the NHL," Ray Slover of The Sporting News has some advice for the suits at the NHL on how they should capitalize on the recent exposure:

From MSNBC.com:

This is a genuine guy, this Sid the Kid. He should be the centerpiece of the NHL's marketing campaign. Certainly that campaign will continue to include Alexander Ovechkin, who has an electric smile and winning personality.

But Crosby is more what North American hockey fans want, and a man lukewarm fans can embrace. Handsome, articulate and, above all, a nonpareil talent. He can fill highlight reels, scraps of which will be used in NHL promos. Let me repeat that so the NHL marketing geniuses get it. Sidney Crosby will be the face of NHL marketing and promotion...

...This is the dawn of a new era for the NHL. Distractions must be avoided, a time of labor peace is mandatory and most of all, NHL players must avoid inflicting damage on their reputations. No more Dany Heatley crashes; no black marks from drug or alcohol incidents, or highly publicized domestic crises.

Don't limit the push to NHL markets. The league must leverage its publicity by looping in the AHL and ECHL, its primary farm system for talent. All three leagues will benefit.

And it certainly doesn't need any more television trouble. Technical difficulties prevented Versus from showing the awards show. The TV issue continues to be the most contentious matter for U.S. fans.

Give Crosby and his young cohorts a say in creating buzz. After all, Crosby is the young star and can better relate to his generation than any old guys on the Board of Governors or in NHL headquarters.

One more thing: Don't force it. Creating buzz for the NHL isn't a matter of loading a cannon and spraying puck pieces across the atmosphere. Fans don't want anything crammed down their throats.
Sidney Crosby is the next one. The next step is up to the NHL.

I am mostly on board with Slover, especially about the problems with the American television broadcasts and the no more Dany Heatley thing (wait, he meant no more scandals not "no more Dany Heatley..." so nevermind then), but he claims Ovechkin has "an electric smile and winning personality"?! Wow. Maybe it's just me, but I must have missed those qualities in him. All I can see when I look at him is a dirty hitter.

Yahoo! Plenty of People are Searching for Sidney Crosby

While blogger Mike Chen was searching the web for pictures of Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff making out, he noticed that Sidney Crosby is one of the more popular search queries on Yahoo's engine.


Here is Mike's take:

The NHL must be pleased -- people actually know who one of their players is! He's more popular than Jon "Napoleon Dynamite" Heder, lazy hungry people ("Quick and Easy Dinner)", racist radio folks, and fancy-ass cell phones. However, he's not quite as popular as hot British actresses.

But one can dream, right?

It certainly is outstanding that Sidney Crosby has entered popular culture enough to be Top 10 on Yahoo! searches. The NHL, Crosby, and his agent must be doing something right if The Kid has entered the conciousness of mainstream America.