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. :)

Penguins 2 - Rangers 1: Here we come, Ottawa!

Sidney Crosby and the boys won the game, but missed out on a division championship as the evil Devils captured that title (again).

Sidney was great with assists on both goals, and moved his point total to 120!

From Yahoo! Sports:

The Pittsburgh Penguins won, yet felt like losers if only for one night. The New York Rangers lost, yet came out of their final regular-season game feeling like winners.

Gary Roberts and Mark Recchi, the oldest players on a Pittsburgh team led by teenage scoring champion Sidney Crosby, scored goals and the Penguins completed one of the biggest single-season turnarounds in NHL history by beating the New York Rangers 2-1 Saturday night.

Despite losing, the Rangers secured sixth place in the Eastern Conference and avoided a first-round rematch against New Jersey when Tampa Bay lost a 3-2 shootout decision to Atlanta. The Rangers, who ended with 94 points to seventh-place Tampa Bay's 93, will play the Thrashers in a first-round series while the Lightning take on the Devils.

"The higher the seed, the bigger the accomplishment," Rangers coach Tom Renney said. "Beyond that, we're going to prepare for Atlanta. We want to play anybody, we don't care who it is. Now that we've got that determined, away we go."

The same goes for the Penguins -- away they go, and to Ottawa for the first round.

Crosby was a big part of that at age 19, accumulating 120 points in his sophomore season to become the youngest scoring champion in NHL history. He ended with six points more than San Jose's Joe Thornton, who had three points in his final game to finish with 114.

Crosby assisted on goals by the 41-year-old Roberts and the 39-year-old Recchi, even though he is less than half the age of both.

"I'm proud of it, but it's not why I play the game," Crosby said of his scoring championship. "Maybe I'll have more time to reflect on it when the season's over."

Sidney's Busy Weekend

The Penguins made some hay this weekend with a pair of big wins as they propel themselves to a possible #2 seed in the Eastern Conference.

Saturday: Penguins 2 - Thrashers 1

Jordan Staal's goal halfway through the 3rd period gave the Penguins a win in a closely fought contest.

Sidney finished with 0 points and EVEN with 1 shot on goal in 17:55 of ice time.

Sunday: Penguins 5 - Bruins 0

On a nationally televised (NBC) game, Sidney and the Pens came out firing on all cylinders as the Bruins looked like a team that has given up on the season.

Sidney has a much better game with 2 goals, 1 assist, +1, and 4 shots on goal in 16:30 of ice time.
Sidney really needed those points as Vincent Lecavalier and Joe Thornton have been on fire lately and are close to catching Sid for the scoring title.

As it stands now...

Crosby - 111
Thornton - 104
Lecavelier - 100