Let the Countdown Begin!

The Penguins released the 2008-09 schedule!!! :) :) :) :) :) They'll open the season with two games in Sweden on October 4^th and 5^th, then make the long journey back across the pond to kick things off in Pittsburgh on October 11^th against the New Jersey Devils.



Also this week, the NHL announced that New Year's Day 2009 will see Winter Classic 2.0. This time the Chicago Blackhawks will play host to Marian Hossa and the Detroit Red Wings at Wrigley Field. (Hmm - I know who I'll be cheering for...)

The home of the Chicago Cubs is going to get iced.

TO ANY FRIENDS WHO LOVE THE BLACKHAWKS OR [*ahem*] THE RED WINGS: Take it from me, you simply MUST at least try to get tickets. I promise you it will be worth every penny you spend on the trip. :D

Sid won the ESPY award for Best NHL Player again this year. I'm sure the Ovechkin camp will cry foul, and well, if Sid's and Alex's situations were reversed, I probably would, too...

ESPN gets it wrong - AGAIN.

Perhaps the Saint was on course to have a better season than Ovechkin up until 01-18-08, but the fact of the matter is that, due to his injury, Sid didn't have an opportunity to actually have that better season. And let's face it, Ovie had one HELLUVA season. He scored sixty-five goals this season. He was the top point scorer. I just don't know how that can go overlooked.

What do you think? Was Alex robbed?

UGH. The-Network-That-Hates-Hockey forced me to champion for Alexander Ovechkin, and now I have to go wash my mouth out with soap. DAMN YOU, ESPN!!!!!!

(Thanks to Ali W. and Allison Y. for the early heads up. The ESPYs air on television this Sunday at 9:00pm.)

Sid's Neighbor Troubles

I've got a few random stories for you today.

First up, the Saint doesn't just face battles on the ice. This summer, he's fighting to have the road to his new home in Nova Scotia paved. From The National Post:

A rutted dirt and gravel road near Enfield, 45 kilometres north of Halifax, peels off from a paved highway and curls through sparsely populated rural lots before ending on the banks of Shubenacadie Grand Lake. A move by residents to cover this dirt has unearthed deep acrimony, dividing neighbours and bringing accusations of vote-rigging and bully politicking.

The quarrel offers a strange blend of small-town politics, feisty homeowners and even a major celebrity.

Take a wild guess at who the celebrity is...

The politics comes from the prime opponents to the paving deal being the area's Member of the Legislative Assembly and his twin brother, the municipality's lawyer, both of whom live at the head of the road. The celebrity comes courtesy of Sidney Crosby, the young hockey star who recently bought a house near the foot of the road and who supports the push to pave.

Long story short: The residents wanted the road paved so badly that the majority have agreed to chip in and pay half of the cost. The twins oppose getting the road paved at the expense of the residents, so they pushed to get a vote for every PERSON listed on the deeds to the homes in the neighborhood. Then they "added 12 to 15 names to each of their six properties, hugely stacking their voting power."


Politicians never cease to amaze me. First of all, if they're living in the same neighborhood as Sidney freaking Crosby, there's a good chance they've got some serious cash, so they can more than afford the approximately $4,600 per resident it is expected to cost. Secondly, there was a vote, and the majority decided that this was the way to go. Although, I seem to remember there was an incident in the U.S. in 2000 where the majority vote didn't matter, either... :P

Moving on, this guy hates Sid. Okay, well maybe "hates" is too strong a word, but there's definitely some bitterness in his article. Methinks the author is an Ovechkin fan who's bending statistics to fit his view that Alex should be "the new face of the NHL." I was going to drop some knowledge on this matter, but why re-invent the wheel? The comment left by Stephen at the end of the article sums up exactly what I would have said quite nicely. The only thing I might add is that maybe Sid scored only 6 goals, but he had 21 assists. In 20 playoff games, Sid averaged 1.35 points per game, while Ovie averaged 1.29 points per game in his 7 playoff games.

Ovie's probably the best goal scorer in the league; there's no way I can deny that. But if you look at the overall package - on the ice and off - The Kid is the best, hands down.

And finally today, while a handful of people might think that Tampa Bay squandered an opportunity with their selection of David Carle in the 7^th round, Gare Joyce (and I) think it was an amazing way to honor Carle's achievements (from ESPN's Page 2):

Stick around for the happy ending. No miracle. No reprieve. No unforeseen plot twist.


Just hockey people stepping up to let Carle know that they weren't going to forget him. That he had to abandon the game, but the game wasn't going to abandon him.

And that's just one more reason to love this game.

Don't forget this is the last week to send in your Project photos!!! :) :) :) :) :) Show off your patriotism to your country and your team!

LATE EDIT: Friends of The Show Robbie and Daily Su have alerted me to the fact that Tampa Bay has signed ex-Pen Mark Recchi to a one year deal worth $1.25 million. SERIOUSLY! What is it with the Lightning snatching up all these Pens players, haha?!

Tonight's Town Hall Meeting

I just finished watching the Penguins Season Ticket Holder Town Hall Meeting, which was held tonight at the Mellon Arena. The biggest news to come out of the meeting is the announcement that the NHL has promised more Ice Bowl Winter Classic tickets to the Penguins for sale after September 28. So there is still hope for anyone who missed out on tickets this Tuesday.

Ken Sawyer and Ray Shero gave updates on the new arena and progress at training camp, and outlined some goals for the upcoming season. Shero didn't sugar coat it: he wants that Cup.

Sidney was his usual aw shucks self as he was given a standing ovation and called "the best hockey player in the world." It continues to shock me how well adjusted and humble this guy is - especially since he's the best of the best. He must have great parents.

The highlight of the night (at least for me) was when Sidney was asked who his favorite player in the NHL is to watch when he has time. His immediate first answer was Daniel Briere, because he's "a little guy" but Sid also mentioned that Briere's move to Philadelphia was a "bad choice." (Cross-state rivalries are AWESOME.)

Then Sidney mentioned that he enjoys watching one Alexander Ovechkin play. The crowd erupted into a fierce storm of "BOO!!!!!!!!!!!" It was so loud that the Saint couldn't be heard over it, so he stopped talking to let the crowd vent. Sidney got a devilish grin, and then he started laughing.

Not that ready-for-my-closeup, trying-to-be-polite laugh he normally does when he's being interviewed, but a harty, real belly laugh like he did when he was on Jay Leno when Jay mentioned Cole Harbour and some audience members cheered. Seems to me like the rivalry between Sid and Alex may not be a rumor after all. ;)

I'm sure he's laughing WITH you, Alex not AT you.

Another moment worth mentioning, Ryan Whitney had Marc-Andre Fleury quote one of Jean Girard's lines from the movie Talladega Nights. Hearing Fleury say "Reecky Booby" in his thick French accent was quite hilarious!

And finally, if you have $55, you can join the Penguins for lunch!

Come celebrate the bright future of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey when the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce hosts its annual Penguins Face-Off Luncheon on Wednesday, October 3 at the Marriott City Center.

Join Penguins General Manager Ray Shero, Head Coach Michel Therrien and the entire Penguins team featuring Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-Andre Fleury and Ryan Whitney for lunch.

Doors to the Marriott Grand Ballroom will open at 12:30 pm and the luncheon will begin at 1:00 pm.

Lunch with Sid for $55?! That seems like a bargain to me!

Sorry, Alex - Maybe You Can Be Number Two

I found this article from The Montreal Gazette that gave me a chuckle. It's an interview with Alex Ovechkin. In it, he states that the rivalry between him and Sidney was imagined and that HE wants to be the NHL's number 1 this season:

Ovechkin, the No. 1 overall draft pick of the Washington Capitals in 2004, also downplayed his on-ice rivalry with Sidney Crosby, the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar who was drafted first overall in 2005.

"It's the media's (fault)," he said. "They always compare us, but we are two different players."

Maybe they're frenemies.

Although Ovechkin, who turns 22 this month, is two years older than Crosby, both entered the league in 2005 and instantly became impact players.

Ovechkin edged Crosby in the Calder Trophy rookie-of-the-year voting in 2005 after notching 52 goals and 54 assists. Crosby posted 39-63-102 totals.

But Sid the Kid, the pride of Nova Scotia, was top dog last season, winning the NHL scoring crown and becoming the youngest winner of the Hart Trophy as the league's most valuable player since Wayne Gretzky in 1980.

"Crosby was best player in the league last year," said Ovechkin, whose English is improving. Ovechkin said he's looking forward to the start of Caps' training camp.

"I trained hard this summer. ... I want to be best player in league this year."

Hmmm. That's pretty ambitious for a guy who went from 52-54-106 to 46-46-92 the same year that Sid went from 39-63-102 to 36-84-120. (Maybe Ovie should learn how to pass the puck occasionally.)

While it is absolutely possible that Ovechkin could present Sidney with a bit of a challenge this year, at the end of the day, if Sid improves this year as much as he improved from 05-06 to 06-07, Alex doesn't stand a chance. Either way, it's going to be so much fun to watch! :)

Why Snoop H8s Ovechkin

While there's no doubt that Jes doesn't care for Alexander Ovechkin, I'm not sure if you were aware that I don't like him, either. In order to be taken seriously in the blogosphere, I feel like I should explain why I don't like the Washington Capitals' #8. So I'm going to do something a little different for this post and tell you why I don't like Alexander.

I don't dislike Alex simply because Sidney is my favorite player. It's not the perceived rivalry between them that inspires me to feel the way I do about Ovechkin. In fact, when they made their respective debuts on NHL ice, I had high expectations of both players. The fact that Sidney was wearing the black and gold uniform and obviously all of that talent are the reasons Sid is my #1 player. And at the beginning, Alex was an enemy only because he played for the "bad guys." It was definitely fun to watch him, as he truly is gifted on the ice as well, but there was a distinct point in time when my indifference towards him turned into dislike.

In December 2006, Alex leveled Buffalo Sabres' forward Daniel Briere with an ugly, intentional, and suspendable hit from behind. For your consideration:


Alex received more than a bit of bad press over this incident. While he was ejected, given a five-minute penalty for boarding, a game misconduct penalty, an automatic fine of $100, and later fined an additional $1,000, he did NOT get a suspension. Briere Ovechkin is EXTREMELY lucky Briere wasn't seriously injured.

So does this one hit on Briere give me enough reason to label Ovechkin as a dirty hitter? It may surprise you that the answer is no, it doesn't. It certainly didn't make me love him, but we've all done things we've later come to regret. I'm Irish, and I know that my own temper has flared and I've done some stupid crap that, as a result, I found myself needing to apologize to someone afterwards - especially when I was a teenager. But I always tried to learn from my mistakes and took care not to repeat them, which is why I was hesitant to commit to a permanent dislike of Alex Ovechkin.

Then, in May 2007 at the IIHF World Hockey Championships games in Moscow, Ovechkin injured Swiss player Valentin Wirz with a high hit to the head. After serving a minor penalty for the Russian team for having too many men on the ice in the first period, Ovechkin stepped out of the penalty box and promptly stunned Wirz with this hit:


Wirz sustained a slight concussion and needed to be helped off the ice. For this offense, Alex was ejected from the game and suspended from playing in the following game. It was following this incident that I came to the conclusion that Ovechkin is indeed worthy of the tag "dirty hitter." He's always played a physical game of hockey, but playing that way comes with the responsibility of looking out for other players' well being. Anyone that plays that way with a nonchalant attitude for the safety of others (Ovechkin) doesn't deserve the privilege of playing in the NHL. Unfortunately, because he is such a big name and makes a lot of money for the NHL, he isn't punished the way he should be when he pulls stunts like these.

This is not to say that I don't enjoy the physicality of hockey. Au contraire, mon frere!!! It is in fact one of my favorite things about the sport. But I don't like seeing guys getting hurt - sometimes catastrophically - because one player takes a shot at another who's not prepared for it. Give me a good fight, but only if it's a fair one.

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Rock The Sidney Crosby Show Vote! Click the "Vote" button to cast your vote for your favorite new nickname for Sidney!

I Wonder What He Wished For...

Ugh!!! There hasn't been much Sidney news in the days since the NHL awards. I suppose I could ramble on editorial-style like Jonathan Kay of the National Post...

Until now, he was been known by the nicknames Sid the Kid and The Next One, references to his youth — Sidney Crosby is still only 19 — and to the expectation that he will be the next Wayne Gretzky, the next Great One. Yet after Thursday’s NHL award ceremonies, Crosby can no longer be considered a kid, and the “next” is now.

At a ceremony in Toronto, Crosby captured the league’s Triple Crown for forwards — the Hart Trophy for MVP, the Art Ross Trophy for leading scorer and the Lester Pearson award for best player as chosen by his peers. Crosby is already the best player in his sport. The only question now is how far can he go? How many of Gretzky’s more than 90 individual records will he surpass?

*Yawn* ...but I'd rather not repeat what's been said more than a million times already. So for today's post, I submit to you a video I found that shows Sid and Alexander Ovechkin presenting a cake to Brendan Shanahan for his 38th birthday, which coincided with this year's All Star Games in Dallas:



Lighting the candles with a BLOWTORCH?! Fantastic. I just love it that both Sid and Alex look like star struck kids when they give that cake to Shanahan! With how talented and famous these guys are, it's easy to forget how young they really are and that their now-coworkers are guys they idolized while they were growing up. I've got a couple more of these gems that I found (thank God for YouTube), so look for them in the coming days. Hopefully, I won't be using repeats from earlier posts, but even if I do - it's the offseason. What else are we going to do, right?

Remember, if you find an interesting clip of Sid on YouTube or if you see any news about what Sid's been up to during the offseason, feel free to send it my way: snoopyjode@gmail.com. Thanks! ~ Jodie

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...

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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.

Crosby vs. Ovechkin: The Fashion Files

Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin participated in a recent off-ice photoshoot to show off their typical casual styles.

Sidney Crosby:



Sidney's black shirt with dark blue jeans is a simple combination that can blend in nicely in most situations. It's modest, like Sidney, and doesn't stand out much. It's hard to score any negative points with a simple style like this, other than the fact it might remind you of Simon Cowell.

Alexander Ovechkin:


Ovechkin, on the other hand, can't decide if he's a geeky EMO loser or a rebel "Sk8r Boi". It's obvious that Ovechkin is an attention whore and is trying way too hard to look cool. All that's missing is the iPod. Pull up your frickin pants, son!

Winner: CROSBY - Without even trying, Crosby wins this contest hands down. While Sid may look a tad generic, Ovechkin comes across as a poorly dressed cliche in desperate need of some loving from his mother.

Cross-posted to Hockey Rants

Penguins 3 - Capitals 2: The Streak Continues

14-0-2 has a nice ring to it, eh?

The Penguins extended their points-gained streak with a 3-2 'balanced' win over the Washington Capitals.

Just like the last meeting, Ovechkin and Crosby really didn't steal the show. Ovechkin went pointless, and Crosby had just a lone assist (though he did have 4 shots on goal).

Since I'm sick with the flu, here's the game recap...

From Yahoo! Sports:

Alexander Ovechkin didn't do much offensively, a commonplace event lately. Instead, it was the runner-up Russian who created a goal out of nothing, keeping the Pittsburgh Penguins' most successful stretch in 14 years going.

Evgeni Malkin scored a bad-angle goal to give Pittsburgh the lead in another tightly played game against Washington and the streaking Penguins won their sixth in a row, beating the Capitals 3-2 Sunday.

The Penguins have gained at least a point in 16 consecutive games, going 14-0-2 -- their longest run since they won a league-record 17 in a row and tied one to end the 1992-93 season. The surprise is that NHL scoring leader Sidney Crosby, who has 91 points, is slumping with only one goal in 10 games.

Malkin has keyed the Penguins' first playoff run since 2001 with 10 goals and 16 assists in 17 games. His teammates are convinced that Malkin, the No. 2 pick in the 2004 NHL draft to Ovechkin, is more than a little motivated any time he goes against his Russian rival. It was the first and only time two Russians were picked 1-2.

"They're very competitive, good hockey players and good friends so there's definitely a little bit of something with him," Mark Recchi said.

Of Malkin's 29 goals as a rookie, perhaps none was more creative than his score late in the second period. With the score tied at 1, Malkin carried the puck out from behind the Capitals' net and fed it up the right wing boards to Sergei Gonchar -- at this time a year ago, Malkin's Russian Olympic teammate.

Malkin took Gonchar's giveback pass and, from along the goal line, one-timed a perfectly placed left-handed shot inside the far post, almost before Washington backup goalie Brent Johnson could react.

The goal reminded Recchi of some of those scored by a former Penguins teammate named Mario Lemieux.

"With his size and his hands, Geno looks like him," Recchi said. "Mario was one of those guys who can score from that angle, and only a few guys can. A lot of guys don't even try that."

Malkin, speaking through interpreter George Firman, called it a "lucky goal." But he acknowledged having a little something extra any time he goes against Ovechkin, who was leading the NHL in goals before being held to one goal and one assist in his last seven games.

"Yeah, of course, I'm enjoy playing against him especially when we win the games -- and he's getting pretty mad," Malkin said.

Penguins 2 - Capitals 0: "Crosbechkin" MIA

The Capitals/Penguins tilts are usually exciting and hyped for the Sidney/Ovechkin angle, but both stars failed to show up in a game that turned out to be an offenseless snorefest.

Ovechkin: 0 points, 3 Shots on goal, and -2
SIdney: 0 points and 2 Shots on goal

Thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury's fine netminding, and a goal from the suddenly kinda-warm Ronald Petrovicky, the Penguins pulled off another big victory. The playoffs are looking more like a real possibility with each win. It's nice to see the Penguins can win a game without relying so heavily on Crosby. Sid can't possibly score a point every single game, as awesome as he is.

Game recap from Yahoo! Spots:

Sidney Crosby's linescore had all zeroes, and that usually means a loss for the Pittsburgh Penguins. Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury's strong play against Alexander Ovechkin and the rest of the Washington Capitals meant it didn't.

Scoring stars Crosby and Ovechkin were shut out in an unexpected defensive duel, with Pittsburgh's Ronald Petrovicky scoring the pivotal goal and Fleury making 30 saves as the Penguins won a season-high sixth in a row by beating Washington 2-0 Saturday.

The Penguins had been 0-30-1 when Crosby didn't score in his two-year NHL career, but Fleury turned in his second shutout in three games and fourth of the season. The No. 1 pick in the 2003 draft has stopped all but four of 106 shots in his last three games, and has a 10-1-2 record in his last 13 games.

"The guys were blocking shots and clearing rebounds and that's always a big help for me," said Fleury, who shut out Florida 3-0 Tuesday. "The team did a great job on him (Ovechkin), they were always close to him and he didn't get too many shots on net."

Ovechkin's 13-game scoring streak, the NHL's longest this season, and Crosby's eight-game run ended in a game that featured excellent penalty-killing and goaltending. Crosby leads the NHL with 82 points and Ovechkin went into the game with a league-high 33 goals.

Ovechkin was visibly agitated, apparently because he felt the Capitals played well enough to win but didn't in their third straight loss and eighth in 10 games.

"We lost the game, we had our chances but they have a great goalie," said Ovechkin, whose only three shots came in the third period. "We have to score and we didn't score. I was just very mad. I think it was a good game for us. We just lost."

Ovechkin had scored in every Capitals game this calendar year, getting eight goals and 12 assists in 13 games. He was last scoreless Dec. 30 against the Rangers. Crosby hadn't been shut out since Jan. 10 at Florida.

"It's not too often Sid doesn't get a point, but when he does, it's good that other players step up and take the game under control," said Jordan Staal, who scored an empty-net goal with 38 seconds remaining for his 17th. "That's what happened and it's a good feeling. He (Fleury) was amazing."

Aww, poor Ovechkin. It's OK to be second best, ya know.