Mediots

Jes Golbez used to refer to them as "mediots." And now I see why. The AP really are idiots. They claimed that Head Coach Michel Therrien said "It's Sidney's team" in response to a question about leadership issues.

That is a laughable mistake.

Even my dogs could tell that he says "Well, we'll see next game" at the end of the following clip:



I hate it when people try to create controversy where none truly exists. >:(

And since I'm already ranting, can I ask that all the people whining about Siddo's lack of goal scoring PLEASE just shut the hell up? While it may be true that he is not playing his best hockey right now, The Kid is still currently perched nicely in the number 2 spot of league point leaders, right behind his teammate Geno. (Incidentally, Geno is #1 and Sid is #2 in assists, as well.)

Do I wish Sid would score more goals? Of course! But am I okay with it if he does nothing more than rack up assist after assist after assist by setting up his teammates for goals for the rest of the season? Damn straight.

Every year about this time, Sid seems to go through a scoring slump. Yet (when he stays healthy - knock on wood) he's always a serious contender for the scoring title at the end of the season. We're not even halfway through the season yet. There is plenty of time for Siddo to hit a hot streak. Remember that he didn't hit his stride until after the All Star break in the 2006-07 season, and he went on to win the Art Ross.


Now that's not to say the Pens aren't experiencing some serious issues right now. The team as a whole is faltering. It's easy to blame injuries for their current woes, but in order to be an effective team, they must have the ability to win regardless of who is on the IR list. There's been a shocking lack of passion from the Boys in the past few games, and hopefully Therrien's anger after last night's game will stir something in their souls for tomorrow's game.

[*Sighs*] Once the team starts playing like the well oiled machine it once was, life will make sense again...

Just a heads up, The Friends' Zone has been abuzz with the news that Siddo has broken the record for most All Star votes received (previously held by one Jaromir Jagr). GO SID GO!!! Now keep voting for all the Pens and show them how passionate Pens fans really are. :)

Finally today, Friend of The Show Brandon B. sent in a video tribute to Sid that his friend made. He assured me that "Florida Pens fans are keeping it going down here!" :) Enjoy!



Thanks so much for the video, Brandon. :)

Last Call

I wanted to post a reminder to get your wallpapers done and sent in by tonight. (Note: You don't have to create the wallpapers to be included in this weekend's wallpaper post - you can just send in your favorite ones and the info where you found them. All they have to be to qualify are nice, big shots of the Pens.)

So I just clicked this link on the Pens' website: Michel Therrien was at the PSU v OSU game! HOW DID I MISS THAT?! My friend and I were there in our seats at about 2:15pm (the game didn't start until 3:30pm), and I heard no announcement or anything about Therrien being on the field. I searched all my pre-game pictures and couldn't spot him, though it was a bit like trying to find Waldo - with 109,000 people in attendance, it was the largest stadium event at which I have ever been. (There were "only" 72,000 people at the Winter Classic!) Here's one of the shots I took of the field where most of the guests were. See if you can spot him (and PLEASE let me know if you do!):


Friend of The Show Allison Y. sent an email with a screenshot from the Atlanta Thrashers' website:

At least we're not delusional. I signed up to get notified when they start selling single game tickets (since I'm stuck here) and this is what popped up.

Now here's the screenshot. Who's that in the upper right corner?

You might want to update that.

On that same Hossa note, Friend of The Show Lauren H. sent in this link to an article from the Detroit Free Press in which Marian offers a reason for his decision to hop on the Red Wings' bandwagon. For the record, he doesn't care what we think of him - which is a good thing considering it's not much.

Friend of The Show Pens87Fan71 sent in the link to the Pens' roster for the start of the 2008-09 season. It just wouldn't be a Penguins roster if Mark Eaton wasn't listed on the injured reserve list! :P Seriously though, let's hope that he recovers fully from his surgery and has a healthy year. He's an awesome defenseman, and it would be great to have him for more than half a season.

Friend of The Show Maria T. sent in a link to celebriblogger Perez Hilton's take on the upcoming IFHSA™ movie. (That he added drool to Avery's picture alone makes it worth a click.)

Friend of The Show Sarah T. sent in more pictures of Sid making headlines up north for the Order of Nova Scotia award:



Sidney Penguin headed back to Seattle where he and good Friend of The Show Daily Su are helping out another great cause by walking in the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk. (She promised to send more pictures after the weekend is over.)


TSCS's Quote of The Day:

"Call them pros, call them mercenaries -- but in fact they are just grown-up kids who have learned on the frozen creek or flooded corner lot that hockey is the greatest thrill of all."

~ "The Silver Fox" Lester Patrick

"I'm Not Wearing Hockey Pads."

I went to see The Dark Knight on Saturday afternoon. One word: UNREAL. It was one of those rare films that actually exceeds all expectations - it was THAT good. Confidential to the Friends who have seen it: I will be having nightmares about magic tricks and pencils for the next month, at least! :P My husband worked all weekend, so his best friend and I went to a matinée show. When the film was over, we came out and saw this parked right next to my car:



Now I promise that's the last I'll mention The Dark Knight or anything Batman here on The Show, no matter how many times I go see it. Today I'm going to hit you with some links and then dig into some of the stuff I've been holding onto for a while. First the links:

Head Coach Michel Therrien is staying in town for a little while longer. Therrien, who has a year left on his current contract, signed a new three-year contract on Friday. Congrats to him! He's done a spectacular job so far, taking the team from the bottom to the top in his short time with the Penguins.


In other contract news, it looks like we're going to have to endure a few more seasons of player misidentification on FSN. Paul Steigerwald has been given a new multi-year contract to remain Robin to Bob Errey's Batman (okay THAT is truly the last mention, haha). There had been some conjecture that Mike Lange would have been given his TV job back since Pens fans from all over have been clamoring for it AND the general manager of FSN (who fired Lange in the first place) got a job somewhere else, but for reasons known only to the brass at FSN, Lange was not given back the position that should never have been taken from him in the first place. Tony F. of The Confluence of The Three Rivers has more of the details here. I guess the silver lining is that since Jarkko Ruutu is now a Senator and Georges Laraque is now a Canadien, the only player Steigy can confuse with Sidney is Petr Sykora. [*Sighs*]

Look out, Loretta - Lange's not coming back to TV. :(

Pittsburgh sports fan hating Bob Smizik of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette thinks anyone who boos any former Pittsburgh sports star is a "knucklehead." Specifically, Marian Hossa's move to Detroit prompted Smizik to write the article that repeatedly insults to most of the people that buy the newspaper that pays his salary. Here's a little nugget from the gem he titled "'Knuckleheads' can't wait to boo 'traitor' Hossa:"

In Philadelphia, it has been written and said, the fans are so nasty they boo Santa Claus.

Philadelphia has nothing on Pittsburgh.

In Pittsburgh, they regularly and vociferously boo the second-greatest hockey player to perform for the beloved home team.

Boo to YOU, Smizik.

In Pittsburgh, they boo the kid third baseman who had put up Roberto Clemente-type numbers until he was mysteriously traded.

When it comes to knuckleheads, Pittsburgh has it all over Philadelphia.

(Seriously, how does this guy still have a job?) Evidently Smizik doesn't understand the passion that some people feel for their sports teams. Quite honestly, I don't think anyone who booed when Jaromir Jagr came to town ever forgot that without him, the Pens wouldn't have their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins. But he was a pain in the arse while in the latter years of his tenure in PGH, so give fans a break if all they can think about when they see him right in front of their faces is "I feel like I'm dying alive." Now with Hossa, all fans will think about when they see him is the fact that he jumped ship to join the team that just weeks earlier handed us our first Stanley Cup loss. And yes, he will be booed. There's no doubt about that. NEWSFLASH: From now on, when he is in the Mellon Arena, he's on the other team - what, do you want us to cheer for him? If you think Smizik is a tool, head on over to Steel City Sports Fan and support their Knucklehead Badge of Honor movement.

Finally today, good Friend of The Show Maria T. sent me this email on July 11^th:

Ok so if you had the chance to go and see THE STANLEY CUP..even if the Red Wings had just won it...wouldn't you??

Well assistant captain Kris Draper attended my elementary school, and I was taught by his younger sister in the 3rd grade, 2000. She brought him in that year, and I got a picture with him. Sadly he had broken his wrist or something and could not sign autographs.


Well today was Kris' day with the Stanley Cup, and I got the chance to get a picture with it and Kris, and touch the Cup. I know that I didn't win it, but I could not resist...it was THE ACTUAL CUP!!

Anywho, though I would have preferred our Pens to win the Cup, I got to meet it, and I shook a hand that shook the hands of the whole Pens team.

Don't get me wrong.. I LOVE THE PENS - but come on - hockey fan first and foremost...who doesn't want to meet the REAL Stanley Cup?

Very cool, Maria. :) Not to beat it into the ground or anything, but I think the superstition that warns against touching the Cup applies only to those who hope to win it someday in the future, haha! ;)

Penguins Off-Season Golf Tourney

It appears that Sidney has having himself quite a fun off-season, and now coach Michel Therrien is joining in on the fact.

Thanks to a loyal blog reader (who wishes to remain anonymous), we have the inside scoop on what Sidney and Therrien were up to this weekend.

Michel Therrien understands the importance of the team spirit, this is why he has organized, on Thursday August 2nd, a mini golf tournament at the golf course Le Mirage (owned by Céline Dion and husband and manager René Angelil, in Terrebonne about 20 min. from Montreal...).

Present there was their new captain Sidney Crosby, Alain Nasreddine and Mario Boyer (manager of the bar the Tops in Laval), who won the competition with 69 points.

Also present were André savard, Jean-Pierre Jutras, Marc-Andre Fleury, Bob Mailloux, Gilles Meloche, Maxime Talbot, Ryan Whitney, Christopher Letang, Dany Sabourin, Angelo Esposito, Ryan Malone and Rod Scuderi.

Well, Sidney can't win EVERYTHING :/