Newsflash: Sidney's Popular

No frickin' kidding, right? It isn't a secret that Sid's popularity is universal. Fans of all NHL teams want to see The Kid in action. (It is MORE than obvious that Sid has fans all across the entire globe, as evidenced by the various locations of the visitors of this site!) But for Western Conference fans, there is a problem with the NHL's current schedule matrix. West coast fans don't get enough Crosby time in their teams' schedules to provide everyone that wants to see him with that chance. Next week, the Penguins will visit Edmonton, Calgary, and Vancouver for the first time since adding Sid to their roster. And for West coast hockey fans, that means when Sid finally does come to town, tickets are very hard to come by:

Naturally, interest in seeing Crosby play is far outstripping the available ticket supply. ..."Our ticket demand has been very high," confirmed part-owner Cal Nichols, the chairman of the Edmonton Investors Group. "I don't know if it would sell out Commonwealth Stadium, but it would certainly be a lot higher than we can provide."

So, how can this be fixed? The NHL governors will be getting together this week in Pebble Beach, California, to discuss the current schedule matrix. There are a couple of possible solutions floating around. One idea is to revert back to the prelockout schedule matrix that had teams playing 18 out-of-conference games per season. (The current number of out-of-conference games is 10.) Another idea is a bit more drastic:

A more radical proposal - put forward by the Detroit Red Wings - would see every team play every other team in a home-and-home series. With six games against divisional opponents and three against conference opponents, that would bump the schedule up to 84 regular-season games.

There is some interest in the Red Wings' proposal (who at the governors' level wouldn't want to see an extra home date on the schedule?), but likely not enough to get the required two-thirds majority.

Heading out West

With three wild-card or at-large games included on the schedule, it also means the Canadian teams could go back to playing each other, home and away, every season. This is the first year since Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver were admitted to the NHL that they will not have Montreal, Toronto and Ottawa on their home schedules.

That idea makes perfect sense. (HA! What Pens fan ISN'T sick of facing the Devils or the Flyers every other day?) Unfortunately, as author Eric Duhatschek pointed out, this idea isn't expected to be adopted. Although simply returning to the prelockout schedule matrix would be a welcome change:

By reverting to the prelockout schedule, it means Crosby will visit every NHL city every other year. It isn't perfect, but a baby step forward is better than the alternative - the stuck-in-the-mud status quo, which no one with the best interests of the game in mind can defend any longer.

True, it's not a perfect solution, but even a handful of extra out-of-conference games would mean that more Western Conference fans would get the chance to see the Eastern Conference stars like Sidney, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Martin St. Louis, Vincent Lecavalier, and Alexander Ovechkin, and vice versa. I know if Sid wasn't on my team, I'd want to be sure I got at least one chance to see him on the ice in person. And since Sid is "the new face of the NHL," shouldn't the NHL brass do their best to make sure he's available to fans of all teams? We'll just have to wait and see what the outcome of the meeting brings...

TSCS PREVIEW: Tomorrow night I will be recapping the Pens v Stars game as usual, but I wanted to let you know that I'm working on something special for you guys this weekend. It originally started out with an idea I had that I just kept expanding upon, but it ended up being a HUGE post, so I decided to break it down into a two-part series. Look for part one to be posted sometime on Saturday... ;)

Longest Week EVER

MY GOD. Is this the longest week of your life or what? This week has been dragging on ALMOST as long as the week before the puck drops at the beginning of the season. Okay... it's not quite that bad - but it is bad! Fortunately (read: unfortunately) for me, I have been kept busy for the last week or so with IBM training. (>_<) Seriously, it's so boring I thought I was in hell more than once. Anyhoo, the training is what is to blame for my neglecting TSCS. That will end now as I have for you an article sent to me by none other than TSCS founder Jes Golbez.

It is an essay written by Sports Illustrated's Darren Eliot about why Sidney Crosby is the perfect fit in the Pens' captaincy position. For starters, Eliot doesn't seem to mind the somewhat mechanical answers the Saint often gives the media saying, "He answers all media inquiries with thoughtful consideration, all the while looking his questioner in the eye." While some may accuse Sid of not relaxing, not being sincere, or not having personality because of his interviewing style, Eliot thinks it shows a great deal of restraint and maturity. "Still, his cautious attitude is disarming, especially when the Penguins' talent level can easily breed overconfidence."

He's perfect for the Pens.

So why does Eliot think Sid is the perfect captain for the Penguins? "...Crosby has a much broader perspective than most his age. He knows the rigors of constant scrutiny and elevated expectations. That's why he is the perfect captain for this talented young group." You can't argue with that reasoning. If anyone knows about elevated expectations, it would be Sid, who as a teenager still in Shattuck-Saint Mary's Boarding School was already being touted as "The Next Wayne Gretzky." I'm not sure if the word pressure is strong enough to describe what that must have felt like. And yet, through it all, he's managed to maintain that approachable, genuine, "Aw shucks" humility that makes fans like me run blogs about him. :) The summary of Eliot's point:

Crosby's example is precisely why the Penguins will continue to grow, learn and excel, both on and off the ice. ...on the ice, Crosby sets the tone. He is unselfish with the puck and willing to go into the high traffic areas to make plays. He is the hardest working player on the ice every time he jumps the boards, and never takes a shift off. That willingness to work separates the great from the regular and the special from the great. And make no mistake. Crosby is special.

The net effect for the Penguins -- call it the Crosby quotient -- is that there is no shirking of responsibilities. Everyone is beholden to one another. I don't care what his birth certificate says, that is damn admirable leadership at any age.

---

STILL DOING YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING? The "Bid for 66" event to benefit the Mario Lemieux foundation has been extended!!! There are some GREAT items up for bid. Check out the list below.

The following items, and many others, will be added to the Bid for 66 on-line auction:

• Mario Lemieux autographed memorabilia, including a game-used stick
• Game-used and autographed items from Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Maxime Talbot and Marc-Andre Fleury
• Mike Tomlin autographed Pittsburgh Steelers football
• Jeff Reed autographed Pittsburgh Steelers jersey
• Emmitt Smith autographed All-time Leading Rusher football
• Sidney Crosby autographed Pittsburgh Penguins jersey
• Charles Barkley autographed basketball

Remember, the following items, and many more, are still up for bid:

• Hines Ward autographed Pittsburgh Steelers throwback jersey
• Sidney Crosby game-issued Pittsburgh Penguins jersey
• Phil Mickelson autographed Masters flag
• Tony Dorsett autographed Pittsburgh Panthers jersey
• Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational merchandise

As you can see, not only is this a hockey fan's dream, there's also something there for football fans, basketball fans, and even golf fans. These would be holiday gifts you could feel good about giving. If you think about it, it would be like giving 2 gifts for the price of one because when you buy one of these items, the proceeds go to the Mario Lemieux Foundation, which funds cancer and neonatal research projects. Click the banner below for details.

Pens v Thrashers (W 5-0)

What a game. The win over the Ottawa Senators has really put the fire back into the Penguins' game. They've found their rhythm again. It seems like an entirely different team, and that's a good thing.

Coach Michel Therrien has decided to put Marc-Andre Fleury in between the pipes tonight. Let's face it: the ONLY way the kid is going to fix the kinks in his game is to play through them. Obviously the Coach thinks MAF can handle it, despite the shaky night he had in Ottawa. The first period started with a great scoring chance on a give and go between Ryan Malone and Sid, but Ondrej Pavelec blocked the shot, and the Thrashers got control of the rebound. Less than 5 minutes into the period, Kris Letang took a shot from the point. The puck went behind the net where Gary Roberts and Tyler Kennedy worked to gain possession. Roberts threw the puck in to the paint in front of Pavelec, who seemed to be confused. He must have lost sight of the puck, and Jordan Staal finally broke through his sophomore slump and poked the puck over the goal line. The Pens took a 1-0 lead.

Gronk scores!!!

The Pens took the first penalty of the night when Georges Laraque took a holding penalty. The Thrashers did not score on their advantage. Later, the Pens got a power play when a Thrashers player crashed full speed into MAF. I didn't have a chance to make note of who got the penalty because Malone promptly scored a nice goal off a rebound from a shot by Sergei Gonchar. Pens 2, Thrashers 0. Evgeni Malkin got a nice breakaway chance later on, but the puck wandered off his stick. Then, Sid and his road trip roommate Colby Armstrong got a 2 on 1 chance. The Saint fired off a shot that bounced off Pavelec's chest right to the blade of Army's stick. Colby simply chipped the puck into the back of the net. The first ended with the Pens completely dominating the Thrashers for the entire 20 minutes, earning them a 3-0 lead.

The second period was much quieter than the first period. The first real action of the period came when Laraque was agitating Eric Boulton by not letting him pick up his stick after he dropped it. Then, former Penguin Chris Thorburn took a penalty for interference. BIG MISTAKE. The Pens made short work of it when Gonchar got his 3^rd assist of the night by making a soft pass to Sid, who blasted it in the goal with a one timer. The Pens took a commanding 4-0 lead.

Sid celebrates his goal with Gonchar.

Later, Rob Scuderi took a penalty for hooking, but the Thrashers did not score on their power play. Less than 2 minutes before the end of the second period, while protecting the puck and keeping his feet moving, Sid drew a penalty on Alexei Zhitnik for hooking. The Pens didn't score but would start the third period ahead by 4 and with a few seconds of power play.

The third period started with a scary moment: Roberts took a puck to the calf from a hard shot by Whitney from the point. He went down like he was shot. He dragged himself to the bench, but was apparently no worse for wear - he returned to the ice less than two minutes later. Then we got another bit of bad news. Gonchar didn't return to the ice due to a sore groin. The move was most likely precautionary, since the Pens had such a commanding lead. A few minutes into the period, Whitney fired another shot from the point. Pavelec saw the puck and made an attempt to block the shot with his arm by clenching it tightly against his body; however, he must not have clenched hard enough because the puck squirted through, landed on the blue paint, and literally trickled over the goal line. The Penguins players all looked shocked that Pavelec didn't scramble to stop the puck from going over. Pens 5, Thrashers 0.

Sid gloves the puck down in front of Pavelec.

Incidentally, Sidney took a stick to his throat off the faceoff that started that play, but it wasn't seen by the refs, and nothing was called. Later, Malone took an interference penalty, but the Thrashers could not score on the power play. Then, Malkin won a faceoff to the right of Pavelec, skated with the puck towards Pavelec, and passed the puck behind his body to Laraque, who chipped it just over the goal. Malone and Crosby had a few close chances but Pavelec was able to stop their shots. With 30 seconds left in the game, the crowd began a chant of "FLEURY, FLEURY, FLEURY!!!!!!!!" I held my breath as the clock ticked down and MAF earned his 9^th career shutout (his second of this season).

Now that the game is over, I can tell you that MAF had a STELLAR night. It also helped that the team overall was in sync with one another. He made save after save after save. It was as if MAF was seeing a beach ball in place of the puck. In the post game interview, MAF gave credit to the Pens' d-men. His demeanor was a complete 180 from the last time we saw him just after he got benched in Ottawa. He also said it was easier to relax in front of the net when the forwards are scoring. The Pens now have a 5 day break. They don't face the Dallas Stars until Friday, November 30^th!

News You Can Use (...Or Not)

Here are a couple of things to get you up-to-date in advance of tomorrow night's game at the Mellon Arena against the Atlanta Thrashers...

First up, Francophone Friend of The Show Lisa-Marie W. was kind enough to provide us with another translation of Mad Max Talbot's blog. (Read this post first if you aren't familiar with what I'm talking about.) In his latest post, he talks about his injury as well as the Pens less than stellar start to this season:

Talbot updated his blog--he said his ankle is okay, but he's taking the advice of the doctors and medical staff of the team, and letting it rest for a few games so that he could be back as new.

He also said that the Pens need to play better hockey, which is a bit contradictory to the mechanical responses Sid's been rhyming off lately. Mind you, I don't blame the kid. Every interview consists of the same questions. Max said that last year, what made the difference on the team is when the "supporting" players contributed--guys like himself, Staal, Christensen. He says as soon as they start doing that again, then the team will be where everyone expected it to be.

He also had a bit comparing Crosby to Vincent Lecavelier. It was a little facetious :) He said that Lecavelier is a great player, but he'll have to be happy with always coming in second place. He said that both players are dangerous with the puck, but Sidney is Sidney and you can't get the bloody puck off of him, no matter how hard you try.

Big thanks (yet again!) go out to Lisa for helping to keep us English speakers in the know! :)

Just in time for the Thanksgiving weekend, good Friend Loser Chris gives thanks for Penguins players past and present in this entertaining essay on Taking One for the Team. The best part about it might be the YouTube clips he's included to hammer home his points. There are some truly fantastic memories for Pens fans to relive there. It's definitely a must-see. Oh, and the title of the post is pretty good, too. ;)


TSCS founder Jes Golbez found this next gem. It's an "article" on TheOnion.com that pokes fun at how much media attention is being paid to Sidney over the other current hockey greats. It's quite funny, especially the last line. (And just in case there are still a few of you who are unfamiliar with TheOnion.com, read this to see what it's all about.)

Next up, I'm late on this, but The Mario Lemieux foundation is holding an auction. Here's a sampling of items available for bidding:

· Mario Lemieux autographed memorabilia, including a game-used stick, 2007-style Penguins jersey, Penguins throwback jersey and much more

· Game-used memorabilia from the Pittsburgh Penguins, including a Sidney Crosby stick, Gary Roberts jersey, Marc-Andre Fleury goalie glove, Sergei Gonchar helmet and Evgeni Malkin glove – each item is autographed!

· Autographed items from the superstars of hockey, including Jaromir Jagr, Eric Staal, Jarome Iginla and Joe Sakic

· Autographed items from the Pittsburgh Steelers, including jerseys from Ben Roethlisberger, Hines Ward, Troy Polamalu, Jeff Reed and Daniel Sepulveda

· Additional autographed items from LeBron James, Phil Mickelson, David Ortiz, Greg Maddux, Brett Favre, Charles Barkley, Mark Messier and many, many more

· Golf shirts, sweaters, jackets and hats from the Mario Lemieux Celebrity Invitational golf tournament – perfect gifts for the sports fan on your holiday list!

Just think of what great Christmas gifts these items would make! AND you could feel really good about it because your money will be going to benefit cancer and neonatal research projects. Look deep into your wallets and click the following banner to get in on the action.


And finally tonight, the guys of The 2 Man Advantage have sent us their latest installment:

Pens v Sens (W 6-5 SO)

I decided early on not to recap this game as I normally do because I was in the process of preparing my first unassisted Thanksgiving meal. I would come to regret that decision, as this was one hell of a game! The Penguins battled back from a two goal deficit not once but twice. The night was facilitated mainly by two unlikely heroes: Ryan Malone, who had 2 goals and an assist, and Jarrko Ruutu, who deked his way to the game winning shot in sudden death overtime. An honorary mention goes out to Martin Gerber, who initially prevented Erik Christensen from scoring on the first shootout shot, but bounced the puck back into his own net with his elbow.

It's a good thing Gerber's not from Columbia. (← That incident still haunts me...)

Anyhoo, the Senators scored the first goal. At the time, that was a very, VERY bad omen of things to come. Prior to this game, the Sens were 14-0 when they scored the first goal. The Sens also scored the second goal, after which Marc-Andre Fleury was pulled in favor of Dany Sabourin. (For the record, I have been spelling his nickname incorrectly. There was a closeup shot of the back of his helmet where "Sabou" was clearly visible. My bad!) Sabou was called upon to stop the Sens after MAF allowed 2 of 4 shots on goal into the net.

The first period also saw an incidence of complete incompetence by one of the referees. It happened when Ruutu took a punch to the throat and fell backwards. He immediately got up to continue play, but a delayed penalty was called. Once the play was stopped, we found out that Ruutu was being charged with DIVING. Ruutu fell backwards, yes, but he got up and continued playing. He didn't complain about the hit or mouth off to the ref or anything! It was by far one of the worst calls I've seen in a very long time. Later, with only a few minutes left in the first period, Evgeni Malkin beat Gerber on the stick side with a ridiculous shot. Only 18 seconds later, Malone made it a brand new hockey game when he tied it up with assists from Sid and Colby Armstrong. The Senators and the fans in Scotia Bank Place were stunned.

The Saint celebrates with the Man of the Night.

The second period saw the Pens take the lead by one goal when Tyler Kennedy scooped up the puck from a failed shot by Jordan Staal and blasted a shot through traffic past Gerber. The lead would last just over 5 minutes until the Sens scored 2 goals in a span of less than 3 minutes. The period ended with the Sens up by a goal.

Sid protects the puck from Daniel Alfredsson.

The Sens scored another goal 64 seconds into the third period. But remember, last season the Pens earned a nickname from their ability to comeback from adversity such as this. And indeed they did. Again it was Malone who got the fire burning with the Pens. And just over a minute later, he assisted in a shot from Sergei Gonchar that tied the game at 5 goals each.

Sid celebrates another Pens goal.

The game went to overtime and then on to a shootout. Our shooters were Christensen, Petr Sykora, and Sid. The Sens shooters were Jason Spezza, Antoine Vermette, and Dany Heatley. Only Christensen (assisted by Gerber) and Spezza scored. Then sudden death began. Mike Fisher, Malkin, and Dean McAmmond all missed the mark. Then it was the Pens turn again. Ruutu came up and just like that, he fooled Gerber with a slight deke and easily put the puck in the net. The Pens won the game against the current best team in the NHL! Even though it's early in the season, this was a HUGE win for the Pens. Hopefully it will improve morale, and we'll start seeing the Pens racking up the points. The next game will see the Pens facing the Atlanta Thrashers on Saturday at 7:30 pm Eastern.

Pens v Devils (L 1-2)

It's not been a great night so far for the Penguins. Actually, neither team has been playing a particularly great game of hockey tonight. There have been several neutral ice turnovers, but not much else has been happening. The two teams have identical 8-10-2 records and are tied for 12^th in the Eastern conference. It's currently the end of the first period, and as I'm roasting my first Thanksgiving turkey, the Devils have taken a one goal lead on the Pens.

Sid does his thing.

Colby Armstrong is finally back in the lineup tonight making his first appearance since the loss to the Flyers on 11-10-07. The tension between the Pens and the Devils was evident immediately following the drop of the puck when David Clarkson and Ryan Malone decided to drop the gloves and go at it. For the most part, the play in the first period was relatively uneventful at both ends of the ice. During the game, FSN Pittsburgh showed a clip of yesterday's practice at the Mellon Arena, where Sidney donned Marc-Andre Fleury's gear and minded the net for a few minutes. It makes sense, though: His father Troy was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in 1984 as a goaltender, and it is the position Sid's little sister Taylor plays. In his junior league days, Sid's roommate gifted him with a set of goalie pads, and he has played the position in the offseason ever since. The fun was cut short when "Robs" (Rob Scuderi perhaps? Sid didn't give a last name in the interview) came over and said, "You know, that's a good way to get hurt." That's a valid point - the LAST thing anyone wants is Sid to get hurt.

MAF has been making some big, big saves. He had a good one in particular when he absorbed a hard shot from Dainius Zubrus. Later, Clarkson was still feeling feisty when he confronted Gary Roberts behind the cage behind MAF, but the refs put a quick stop to it before any real punches were thrown. Then, Army took a shot on Martin Brodeur. The puck bounced off Brodeur's pads and right to Evgeni Malkin, but somehow Brodeur stopped Geno's shot from going in. Immediately following, Erik Christensen took a penalty for holding. MAF made a series of absolutely incredible saves to keep the game scoreless, but 1:02 into Crusher's penalty, Adam Hall took a penalty for holding. Crusher's penalty ended, but as he emerged onto the ice from the box, Zach Parise scored on MAF's left side to give the Devils the one goal lead.

Sergei Gonchar lends a hand to MAF.

During the intermission, FSN showed a short piece that followed Roberts as he took Mark Recchi to an organic grocery store. Roberts was giving advice to Recchi (and to us) about how to eat well and stay healthy. He said it is the secret why, at 41 years old, he is able to keep playing in the NHL. He said taking vitamins, eating organic vegetables, and taking flax seed oil are the keys to staying fit enough to compete at that level. During the shopping trip, the two veterans ran into teammate and fellow organic foodie Daryl Sydor as he was shopping for his own healthy groceries.

The second period started with a strong backhand shot by the Saint that Brodeur was able to stop. Then, the Pens got a 3 on 2 chance, but the linesman got in the way of Jarrko Ruutu, so he couldn't take a shot. John Oduya later took a penalty for holding, but the Pens did not capitalize on the power play. After a bit, the Devils had another chance when Brian Gionta faked a shot then passed it to Jay Pandolfo, who most likely would have scored had he not fanned on the pass. Army was called for hooking. On the ensuing Devils power play, Sid had a breakaway chance at a shorthanded goal, but Brodeur stopped Sid's shot.

For the second period, the injured Mad Max Talbot joined Bob Errey and Paul Steigerwald in the press box. If he wasn't so good on the ice, I'd start a petition to get him in the box with those two permanently. In the course of his visit, he talked about Sid ("Sid's backhand is more powerful than my forehand wristshot!"), commented about the ref getting in Ruutu's way ("That is so frustrating. The referee should give himself a penalty for obstruction!"), discussed agitators with Errey (Errey: "Sid always talks about what a pain in the ass [John] Madden is, ha ha!" Max: "...yeah, we always try to slash guys and piss them off, ha ha ha!"), his personal style (Errey: "You smell good! That's a snappy suit who designed it?" Max: "Giovanni."), and the Pens' equipment manager ("What a good looking guy! I love him.").

What a save!

At one point, a slow motion replay was shown from the last time the Pens met the Devils at the Mellon Arena on 11-12-07. In the clip, Mad Max used his elbow to "greet" the Devils on the bench as he skated back to his own bench following his goal. Think of it as the opposite of what happens when the Pens players touch gloves after someone scores. He touched his elbow to a couple of Devils' faces. It was as entertaining as you think it was. :)

The second period ended with Petr Sykora in the box for a hooking penalty that he took with 25 seconds left in the period. The Devils had what appeared to be too many men on the ice, but it was not called. The Devils ended the period ahead, 0-1.

The Pens killed the penalty at the start of the third period, but then we saw shades of Sid circa 2005. First, he took a penalty for tripping that he didn't think he deserved. He skated to the box spouting off more than a few choice words. Parise made him pay for the mistake by scoring another power play goal for the Devils. Then, Sid made his way back to the Penguins bench, but he must have still been chirping about the call. It rubbed the ref the wrong way, and Sid was promptly escorted back to the box for another 2 minutes. During this second Devils power play, Mark Eaton (who is always a defensive beast) tried to clear the puck with a slapshot behind the cage, but instead was hit hard in the face by the shoulder of Patrik Elias. Ever the warrior, Eaton continued to soldier through the pain until the puck was grabbed out the air in a great save by MAF. Eaton received care from a trainer and later returned to the ice. The Devils did not score on this power play.

Letang tried to score, but it just didn't happen.

Malkin took a pretty hard hit in the corner that fans thought should have resulted in a Devils penalty, but it wasn't called and play continued. This ended up being a really good thing, though, because Malkin scored after Oduya turned the puck over in his own zone. Just after, Sheldon Brookbank took a penalty for interference. Sid threw the puck through the paint at one point, but the Pens didn't capitalize on the advantage. Just after that penalty, Georges Laraque drew penalty on Oduya. With 29 seconds to go in the Pens power play, Sid got hauled down when he was tripped by Vitaly Vishnevski. The Pens didn't score on the 5 on 3 or the rest of the second power play. Kris Letang had a great 1 on 1 shot against Brodeur, but Brodeur made a beautiful glove save to deny the Penguins the tie. The Pens pulled MAF for the last minute of the game, but it would not matter. The Devils won the game, 1-2.

Incidentally, this game ended Sid's point streak. He had a point in 19 straight games, which was a career high for him. Geno's point streak is still alive at 14 games and counting. The Penguins travel to Ottawa to face the Senators for a Thanksgiving Day matchup. Have a happy and safe holiday!!!

All-Star Votes and Leather Coats

It will probably come as no surprise to anyone here that the Saint leads all Eastern Conference players in voting for this season's All-Star Game. The number of votes he's gotten so far (94,118) is almost double that of the next highest number of votes received by Montreal Canadiens defenseman Andrei Markov (48,134). Boston Bruins defenseman Zdeno Chara currently has the third place in the votes race. From SBRForum.com:

Crosby, Ottawa Senators right winger Daniel Alfredsson (41,198 votes) and Philadelphia Flyers center Daniel Briere (32,751 votes) are tops among Eastern Conference forwards. Washington's Alex Ovechkin (30,686 votes) and Tampa Bay's Vincent Lecavalier (28,615 votes) are currently on the outside looking in among forwards.

Markov (48,134 votes) and Chara (45,949 votes) rank first and second among Eastern defensemen while Toronto's Tomas Kaberle (36,125 votes) and Buffalo's Brian Campbell currently stand as the third and fourth leading blueliners.

The New York Rangers Henrik Lundqvist leads all goaltenders with 30,324 votes. New Jersey's Martin Brodeur (29,631 votes) and Philadelphia's Martin Biron are the second and third leading vote-getters.

You can vote to determine the starting lineups for the 2008 NHL All-Star Game in Atlanta through January 2, 2008. The All-Star game is on Sunday, January 27, 2008.

Most Popular (so far...)

On Monday morning, Sid took part in a photo shoot for ESPN Magazine's 10^th Anniversary issue (which doesn't hit newsstands until March 2008!) and later shot his first U.S. Gatorade commercial at the Mellon Arena. Let's just say the wardrobe was a little out of character for Sir Sidney...

Crosby has a reputation for being exceptionally accommodating and tolerant at these types of things, but rarely do most people get to see or hear about them beyond the finished product. That's in great part because Crosby shies away from talking about them, although in response to a question last week he said they can range from 30 minutes to several hours.

"It's just part of it," he said somewhat sheepishly after the morning shoot. "I'm not coming to the rink hoping to have my picture taken."

Crosby is no ham, judging by this photo shoot.

The stylists, Rachel Thomas and Khalilah Williams, showed Crosby two black jackets, one leather.

"I'll wear whatever you want, but I wouldn't usually wear this stuff," said Crosby, who arrived in jeans, a T-shirt, a gray hoodie and a Reebok ballcap.

If his RbK clothing line is any indication of his personal style, he's Mr. Casual with a preference for T-shirts, sweatshirts, and sneakers over button downs, neckties, and loafers.

That wasn't the only "wardrobe malfunction" (← what a stupid term, eh?) of the day: Evidently, the theme for the photo shoot required Sid to be dressed in black from head to toe. He was given a pair of black slacks and a pair of black jeans, neither of which accommodated his tree trunk legs. He ended up wearing the jeans he came to the arena wearing, which will likely be darkened later using photo editing software for the magazine. You can read all about what went on at the photo shoot (and get a few details about the commercial, too) in this article from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Pens v Rangers (L 3-4 OT)

I know this recap is finding you late - REALLY late - but I spent this weekend hosting out-of-town family members. You see, in Casa de Snoop, when you enter a new decade you don't just get a birthDAY, you get a birthWEEK. :) For anyone who is curious, the big gift from my husband was in fact something sparkly - a beautiful necklace set with my birthstone.

The restaurant we went to on Saturday night had several TVs tuned to the Pens/Rangers game, so over my dinner of BBQ shrimp, I watched Sid score two points (including a nice assist on a short handed goal by Maxime Talbot), the Rangers dominate the Pens for 3 goals, the Pens come back to tie the game, and the Rangers score in overtime. Here is the scoop from the Pens' website:

Here's how well the New York Rangers are going: None of their forwards, including 600-goal scorers Jaromir Jagr and Brendan Shanahan, found the net against Pittsburgh. They still managed to score four times and come from behind to win in overtime.

The opening faceoff from Saturday night's game.

Jason Strudwick scored on a 2-on-1 break with fellow Rangers defenseman Paul Mara in the extra period and New York rallied from two goals down, then withstood a late Pittsburgh goal to beat the Penguins 4-3 Saturday night for their fifth straight victory.

Sid and Max celebrate the shorthanded goal.

Strudwick, who didn't have a point in 13 games, got behind defenseman Sergei Gonchar and took Mara's perfectly placed cross-crease pass to slide it inside the near post before goalie Marc-Andre Fleury could react with 1:40 gone in overtime.

Sid works to protect the puck from Blair Betts.

All four Rangers goals came from defensemen as they finished off a four-game road sweep, winning three times after regulation. New York also took the Atlantic Division lead from Philadelphia.

Well, I suppose the optimistic thing to do is be glad for the point. I'm still hesitant to start panicking (yet), but with approximately ¼ of the season over, it sure would be nice to see the Pens at least back at .500 soon. I will be recapping the next game as usual, when the Pens face the New Jersey Devils at the Mellon Arena on Wednesday, November 21, at 7:30 pm Eastern.

Switching gears a bit to close for today, Eric B. from The Sidney Crosby Spotlight takes a look at the RbK Edge uniform flaws and how Sid is helping to get them fixed.

Pens v Islanders (W 3-2)

Tonight's game began with a Penguins Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Legendary defenseman Paul Coffey and locker room assistant Frank Sciulli, who worked for the club from its inception in 1967 until he died at age 82 this past summer, were the inductees. Coffey dropped the ceremonial first puck to get the game rolling. The first period had very tight defense by both teams. Georges Laraque gave us the first real action of the game when he hit Andy Sutton into the door that leads to the Pens' locker room. The hit was so hard the door shot open, and it earned the distinction of being the Subway Sandwich (or "Sammich") of the Game. Sidney had the first shot of the night, but Rick DiPietro absorbed the shot. Sir Sidney was repelling the big guys Brendan Witt and Josef Vasicek. Less than 5 minutes into the period, Brooks Orpik took a questionable penalty for a hooking. No matter, the Pens killed the penalty. After that, Sid went nuts. He was shooting pucks at DiPietro one after the other, but none made it to the back of the net.

Paul Coffey is inducted into the Penguins HOF.

After a bit, the play settled back down, and the crowd got quiet. Finally, our favorite agitator, Jarrko Ruutu, got under Tim Jackman's skin. Jackman confronted Ruutu, and as a result, they both went to their respective "sin bins." Evgeni Malkin had an incredible steal that lead to a quick shot on goal on the ensuing 4 on 4, but DiPietro had an even better save. A few seconds later, Sergei Gonchar missed the puck on an attempt to clear it, and Witt got possession. Witt fired a shot from the point that Mike Comrie deflected into the goal. Islanders 1, Pens 0.

Later, a big scrum happened after Sean Bergenheim ran pushed Marc-Andre Fleury. Orpik got his own penalty for starting the scrum when he confronted Bergenheim. During this 4 on 4, Jordan Staal (who just can't seem to buy a goal but has been a beast on the penalty kill) used his large frame to create a screen for Gonchar, who fired a shot up and over DiPietro's shoulder to the back of the net. The game was tied at 1. Malkin got an assist, which keeps his point streak alive at 12 in a row. With one second left in the 4 on 4 play and less than 2 minutes left in the period, Miroslav Satan took a penalty for interference. Then, with 1:27 left in that penalty, Andy Hilbert took a hooking penalty. The first period ended with the game tied at one.

"Sarge" celebrates his goal.

The second period started with the Pens on the 2 man advantage. Satan had just over a minute left in the box, and Hilbert had just over a minute and a half. Just 58 seconds into the period, Malkin stuffed the puck around the cage and under DiPietro's right pad. Petr Sykora finished it off by poking it in and over the goal line. The play was reviewed because the net came up, but since it did not leave its moorings, the call stood. Islanders 1, Pens 2. The pens had roughly 30 seconds left in the penalty to Hilbert but did not capitalize on the chance. Again the play was tight. Then, Vasicek evened things back up when he scored on a fortuitous bounce that was the result of an Islander shot just off the faceoff. Islanders 2, Pens 2.

It should be noted that MAF was making some nice saves; one in particular had him catching a bouncing puck that the Pens d-men were having difficulty taming. The Pens would get a chance to get it back when Mike Sillinger was called for hooking, but they would not score on the power play. With less than 3 minutes to go in the second, Witt turned the puck over in his own zone to - wait for it - Sidney who then made a really pretty pass to Laraque who promptly shot the puck up and over DiPietro's blocker, and earned his first goal as a Penguin. Sid's pass was so nice it prompted guest commentator Coffey to say, "That was a hell of a pass!" Islanders 2, Penguins 3. The second period ended with the Pens up by one (NY 2, PIT 3).

Big Georges Laraque's first big (Penguins) goal.

During the second intermission, FSN Pittsburgh revealed that Laraque was the Mic'd Up player of the night. It captured the sounds of his first Penguins goal. The Pens' young captain was the first to reach Laraque for the celebration, and as they embraced, it was difficult to discern who was more excited - Georges or Sid!!!

Ryan Malone, who's been playing better hockey this season than he's ever played, drew a penalty when he took a shot to the head from Comrie. (Incidentally, Sid had to use his tree trunk legs to jump up and over Malone to keep from hitting him while he was down.) Unfortunately, the Islanders successfully killed the Pens' power play. Later, Ruslan Fedotenko got a shot that rang the puck off the post. Immediately following, the Penguins carried the rebound down towards DiPietro, and Sykora rang the puck of the post, as well. MAF made a HUGE save on Richard Park, who was unchallenged by the Penguins defense.

The Pens got a 6 on 5 opportunity when a delayed penalty was called on Bryan Berard. During this play, Malkin made a unique pass to Sid, who was on the opposite side of the ice, by lifting the puck up and over the players on the ice. It was like he was golfing, and if Sid was a hole, Malkin would have had a hole-in-one as the puck went right to Sid's stick. It was incredible to see, and Bob Errey stated that he didn't think he had ever seen anyone do that before. The Pens would not score on the power play, and the Islanders were lucky it didn't go to a 5 on 3 - the refs didn't see when Sutton punched Tyler Kennedy in the face.

Sid's point streak now extends 18 games.

Later, Kennedy took a hooking penalty. The Islanders didn't score, and Kennedy got possession of the puck just out of the box. Unfortunately, he didn't notice that DiPietro had been pulled, and the empty net was waiting. Kennedy was stripped of the puck, and the crowd (and I) gasped in disbelief. Sid came in and regained possession of the puck and fired it towards the empty net, but the puck hit the post. Sid got the rebound and tried to feed it to Kennedy but was being hassled by Islanders. He ended up taking a stick in the face and drawing a penalty with 17 seconds left in the third period. The Islanders showed their desperation by getting control off the faceoff and heading towards the goal, but MAF shut them down. The game ended with a Penguins win (NY 2, PIT 3).

Sid did the post game interview tonight. He was practically giddy about his role in Laraque's goal. It was obvious that he was genuinely excited to be a part of that experience with Georges. Dan Potash mentioned Sid's 18 game point streak, to which Sid replied with a laugh, "I'm not really concerned about that. I'm more mad that I missed the empty net!" It doesn't matter, Sid. A win is a win. :) The next game has the Pens facing another New York team (the Rangers) on Saturday at 7:30 Eastern.

The Day After

Thanks to all of you who offered your birthday wishes to me!!! :) I got all kinds of presents: flowers delivered to my work, a Coach wallet, 2 Snoopy Hallmark ornaments, candy, a cake, my lunch paid for by my boss, AND my husband cleaned the entire house while I was at work - bathrooms, dusting, laundry, and everything! Alas, I didn't get anything sparkly - yet. My husband tells me I've got a "big gift" to open this Saturday when my family will be arriving to celebrate my milestone birthday. If it's sparkly, I'll let you know, but truth be told, the house being cleaned by someone other than me is worth more to me than the Krupp diamond! Now on to the Sid news for the day...

First up, Adam and Derek of ThePensblog.com examine the "Secondary Sid" theory. For those of you who don't know what that is, apparently there is a rumor that Sid is credited with unearned secondary assists in order to boost his points to comply with a conspiracy that Gary Bettman has orchestrated to ensure that the new face of the NHL does well. It's a ridiculous theory that ordinarily I wouldn't waste my time on, but since ThePensblog guys went to the trouble of tracking down the origin and debunking the rumor, I thought it was worth mentioning.

Longtime Friend of The Show Eric B. of The Sidney Crosby Spotlight sent me an interesting bit of news. It seems Saint Sid has been nominated for Sports Illustrated's 2007 Sportsman of the Year Award. Sportswriter Michael Farber explains why:

Consider the golden child of the red-haired stepchild of the Big Four professional sports: Sidney Crosby of the National Hockey League. Perhaps that characterization is unfair to both.

Although Crosby is still clumsily referred to as "Sid the Kid" -- he turned 20 last August -- he is a man well equipped to handle anything, legally, except a wine list. And the gross revenues of the NHL (a league that used to be considered the NASCAR of the North and now can only dream about having NASCAR's clout) are within a billion dollars of the NBA, which is not bad considering that hockey's principle cable carrier in the United States (Versus) is as easy to locate as Judge Crater.

Apparently, Farber doesn't read TSCS. If he did, he'd know that we took care of that "Sid the Kid" thing months ago. :) If you're interested, you can read the rest of Farber's essay or check out Sid's competition.

Also on the docket for today, of course you all probably figured that Sir Sidney would appear on the All Star ballot again. Here's where you can vote for whomever you think belongs on the All Star roster. (FYI - Evgeni Malkin and Ryan Whitney are the only other Penguins nominated.)

VOTE FOR SID

Plans are on schedule for "The House That Sid Built." The Penguins have submitted updated sketches of the new arena to the City Planning Commission of Pittsburgh. According to Penguins CEO Ken Sawyer, "Our plan is to be under full-scale development of the building by next June or July. We may be in the ground a little bit ahead of that doing some excavation and foundation work, but we’re on time for our Fall of 2010 opening." Here are some of the details from the Penguins' website:

The approximately 18,500-seat arena’s interior will stress sightlines and accessibility as well as many high-tech amenities.

“The arena is just going to be exceptional. We’re going to replicate some of the great ideas we’ve seen out there,” Sawyer said. “We’re going to have a series of restaurants and food and beverage opportunities. The concourses will be a lot wider than what we have now and a lot easier to move around. Of course, what you don’t see here is our commitment. We want to have the best and latest in electronics.”

Remember how awful it was one year ago not knowing where the Pens would be playing this season? I don't care what the arena looks like. I'm just happy the Pens are staying in Pittsburgh.

And now, I'll leave you today with a tidbit of information that was sent in by our French speaking Friend of The Show Lisa-Marie W. She works with some of Sid's former teammates from his junior days. Yesterday, she sent this interesting story:

A random fun bit--Sidney Crosby will not sign a jersey for a team he hasn't played for. But the father of a family friend turned 87 this year, so he was given a Habs jersey with the number 87 on the back. And scrawled in the 7 was Sidney Crosby's autograph, with "Bonne Fete Pierre!" written. I thought that was neat. A Habs jersey, no less :) Sid signed it when he was here over the summer.

The Pens face the Islanders tomorrow night at the Mellon Arena. The puck drops at 7:30pm Eastern. GO PENS!!!!!!!

Pens v Devils (L 2-3)

I bring you this recap on the eve of my birthday. (For those of you reading this on Tuesday, it is now my birthday.) Yes, years ending in 7 roll the old age odometer for both Sidney and me, although he currently has but 2/3 of the mileage that I have. :P Anyhoo, the Penguins faced the Devils tonight at the Mellon Arena, and the details follow.

Oh, yeah. It's going to be one of THOSE nights...

Jeff Jimerson started this Veteran's Day game off with the National Anthem, who was accompanied by a group of military members from the local high school ROTC. After that, things kind of went downhill. It was the night of the backup goalies as Dany Sabourin and Kevin Weekes were in the pipes. Early on, Evgeni Malkin sacrificed his left ear to stop Zach Parise from getting a shot after Ryan Whitney fanned on the attempt to clear the puck. He was no worse for wear, though, as he returned to the ice for his next shift with no ill effects. Less than a minute into the period, Mark Recchi took a penalty for slashing. The penalty killers did their jobs - the Devils didn't even get one shot during the power play. Later, there was turnover after turnover in neutral ice for what felt like half an hour (it was really around 2 minutes or so), but ultimately the Devils got possession and, after cycling the puck, Travis Zajac found Sabu's five hole. Devils 1, Pens 0. Georges Laraque got the first good chance for the Pens with a backhander, but Weekes blocked the shot. After the play was whistled down, Jarrko Ruutu made the "blah, blah, blah" hand gesture to each Devil as he skated past the bench. (If I find that on YouTube, I'll post it - it's hilarious.)

The Pens got another chance when Malkin made a beautiful pass to set up Jordan Staal, but Staal wasn't ready for it. The puck went off the heel of his stick. The Pens were able to keep possession of the puck for several minutes after that (the crowd was going nuts), but the Devils finally got possession and drew a penalty when Erik Christensen was called for hooking. Parise made the Pens pay by earning his 50^th career goal. Devils 2, Pens 0. Later, Recchi made a nice pass behind his back to Darryl Sydor, who then promptly made a hard slapshot that Weekes blocked. Andy Greene interfered with Sergei Gonchar, who went somersaulting down the ice towards Weekes, but the referees did not make a call on it. Malkin tried to go up top on Weekes but was denied. Then, Ruutu made a HUGE hit on Dainius Zubrus, sending Zubrus over the wall and into the laps of his teammates on the Devils bench. As expected, the home crowd voiced their approval. Ruutu, Laraque, and Maxime Talbot had a great shift. With less than 2 minutes left in the period, they drew a penalty on Vitaly Vishnevski. Gonchar and Petr Sykora each had a ton of shots, but Weekes stopped them all. The first period ended with the Devils up by 2.

Ruutu battles for the puck.

The second period began with a few seconds left in the Vishnevski penalty, but the Pens didn't score on the advantage. However, less than 1 minute into the period, after a give and go between Ryan Malone and the Saint, Sidney cut in front of Weekes and scored with a backhander. Devils 2, Penguins 1. By the way, this continues his point streak with a career high of 17 games. Laraque took a penalty for slashing, and just as the Pens successfully killed the penalty and Laraque returned to the ice, Gonchar was called for hooking. Then, with 24 seconds left on Gonchar's penalty, Brooks Orpik was called for hooking. The Devils had almost half a minute of 5 on 3. Gonchar's penalty expired, and Malone got a great shorthanded chance, but Weekes stood him up. The Pens managed to kill all three consecutive penalties.

Ruutu and Laraque work hard but just can't score.

Later though, Gary Roberts got his feet caught up in Greene's feet in front of Weekes. He fell on top of Weekes and was assessed a penalty for goaltender interference. It was a bad call, as Roberts did what he could to avoid Weekes, but it wouldn't matter. The Pens killed this penalty, too. The best chance the Devils had this period was when Sergei Brylin fired a shot up and over Sabu, but the puck rang of the crossbar. During the last two minutes of the period, the Devils were getting chance after chance, but Sabu managed to keep the Pens within one goal with a series of BIG saves. The second period ended with the Devils (2) leading the Pens (1) by one.

Malone tries to score, but Weekes won't let him.

The third period began with a lot of end to end play. Patrik Elias got called for hooking Sykora, but the Pens didn't capitalize on the power play. A few minutes later, Recchi drew a penalty on Zajac for hooking. Sid passed the puck to Malkin; Malkin passed the puck to Gonchar; Gonchar passed the puck to Malkin; Malkin scored on the one timer. The score was tied at 2. Malkin was named the McDonald's Player of the Game, and Malkin's own point streak increased to 11 games. With just over 5 minutes left in the game, Laraque threw the puck in front of the goal, but there were no Penguins there. Brian Gionta got control of the puck and carried it down towards Sabu for a 3 on 2. He passed the puck to Patrik Elias, who promptly scored. Devils 3, Penguins 2. There was an issue near the end when Zubrus crashed into Sabu (headbutted him almost) trying to get the puck, which was sitting just outside of the goal line, into the back of the net. The War Room was called, but it was obviously no goal. There were less than 30 seconds left in the game. The Devils made it difficult for the Pens to pull the Sabu, and the period ended. The final score was Devils 3, Penguins 2.

The Pens have now lost four in a row. The only thing that will get me out of this funk will be if my husband acknowledges my birthday tomorrow with expensive jewelry. ;) The Pens next face the Islanders on Thursday at the Mellon Arena.

Pens v Flyers (L 2-5)

If the Pens play the rest of the game the way they've just played the first period of the game, they might as well just pack up and go home with the loss right now. Oh, it's been ugly to say the least. Sidney's been getting booed if he even looks at the puck. Evgeni Malkin is playing tonight on a sore knee. Ryan Whitney is playing his first game after missing a few for a sore groin. And the cross state rivalry is alive and well - tensions are running high, and there have been a few scrums and a bloody face already. Here's what happened.

Thirty one seconds into the first, the Pens took a penalty for having too many men on the ice. About a minute into the ensuing power play, the Flyers managed to score a goal after Kimmo Timonen shot the puck and rang it off the post, but Marc-Andre Fleury couldn't find the rebound to freeze it and stop the play. Mark Eaton tried to clear the puck out of danger, but it bounced off the rear of MAF and over the goal line. Score = Pens 0, Flyers 1. Then, Mark Recchi and Erik Christensen tried to answer the goal with a 2 on 1, but Martin Biron denied Christensen's shot.

Malkin and Sid work against Biron.

Then Gary Roberts put a high hit on Smith and took a penalty for roughing. Again, about a minute into the power play, Mike Knuble got a goal after a sequence of shots. A Flyer took a shot, the puck almost went over the goal line, but Sergei Gonchar cleared the puck out of the paint but to Danny Briere, who shot the puck on goal. MAF was down on his stomach after the first chance and was unable to get up to defend the net because Knuble was practically sitting on MAF. Knuble got a stick on it, and the score was now 0-2. Later, Ryan Malone took a high stick from Briere. As the play came to a halt, Smith and Malone got into a fight. Malone was already bleeding from Briere's stick and was not able to fight back effectively after Smith pulled the jersey over Malone's head. Malone and Smith took fighting major penalties, and Briere was assessed 4 minutes because of Malone's wound.

For the first 3 minutes and 33 seconds of this extended power play, the Pens got NO SHOTS ON GOAL. It is at that point when Randy Jones got called for high sticking on Sid. The Pens would have 27 seconds of 5 on 3, and then 1 minute and 33 seconds more power play. UNBELIEVABLY, THE PENS WOULD GET NO SHOTS ON GOAL FOR THE REST OF THAT POWER PLAY, EITHER. To put this into perspective, do the math - the Penguins had 5 minutes and 33 seconds with at least one man advantage (remember - 27 seconds of that was a 2 man advantage) AND THEY DIDN'T GET ONE SHOT ON GOAL. Later, Brooks Orpik took a penalty for hooking. Jordan Staal got what could have been a good short handed chance, but he encountered the linesman along the way. The Flyers didn't score on this power play. Petr Sykora twice set up Christensen, but the 1st shot went just wide of the goal, and the second shot was not allowed in by Biron. The first ended with the Flyers (2) leading the Pens (0).

Sid gets a "love tap" from Timonen, who had a 4 point night.

The second period started with a chance for Malone on a wide open net with Biron down, but Malone couldn't shoot it because he was tied up. Just after, Darryl Sydor and Stefan Ruzicka got into a pretty big fight that ended up with Ruzicka literally losing his shirt. Both would take fighting major penalties. Later, Gonchar took a hooking penalty on a bad call that, when viewed on the replay in slow motion, actually showed Ruzicka holding Gonchar's stick. The Flyers scored 6 seconds into the power play on a shot from Mike Richards that was deflected in by Joffrey Lupul. The score is now Flyers 3, Pens still 0.

Malkin got a great chance to score, but Biron made a better save. Then, Sidney made a nice pass to Whitney, who carried the puck to the net on Biron's right side, drawing the Flyers defensemen along with him. This, of course, left Malkin out on Biron's left all alone with a wide open net. Whitney passed, and Malkin scored. The score was 1-3. Sydor took a delay of game penalty when he cleared a close call (courtesy of Briere - again) up into the protective netting. The Flyers did not capitalize on the power play. Crosby and Malkin finally! turned the switch on and were going nuts trying to score, but the Flyers defensemen and Biron wouldn't let them. The Pens got a great opportunity when Braydon Coburn took a penalty. Crosby got a chance but broke his stick on the shot. The Pens did not score on the power play. R.J. Umberger took a hard shot on goal that smacked off the cage on MAF's mask. MAF seemed stunned but unhurt. Then Scott Hartnell took a penalty with less than a minute left in the second period. With less than a second left on the clock, Gonchar fired a shot into the back of the net behind Biron. The second period ended with the Pens down by 1 goal at a score of 2-3.

MAF had a rough night.

The third period began with the Pens getting another power play chance early on when Briere threw his elbow into Rob Scuderi, but with a little more than a minute left on the power play, Malone took a hooking penalty to even the play at 4 on 4. Neither team would score. Later, the Flyers again went on the power play and this time, Briere scored his first power play goal of the year. The score was Flyers (4), Pens (2). The Pens got a chance to answer this goal when Hartnell took another penalty for hooking, but they would not score on the man advantage. In another bit of poor refereeing, Smith got away with slashing when he chopped his stick down hard on Sid's hands. Needless to say, Sid was less than pleased with the slash and the non-call and fired off more than a few F-bombs.

He got a bag of ice from the Pens' trainer while he was on the bench, but he was back out on the ice a few minutes later. The Flyers fans greeted him with a taunting "CROS-by, CROS-by" chant. The Pens pulled MAF with a little more than a minute left in the game. A huge fight erupted between the teams (Crosby ended up losing his lid over it; Malone and Coburn were escorted back to their respective locker rooms). That classy crowd gleefully chanted "Crosby sucks! Crosby sucks!" The Pens lost their faceoff advantage, and they seemed to be confused as to who would play center on the next play. As a result of the confusion, the Pens lost the faceoff and Hartnell fired the puck into the empty net. The remaining 50 seconds went by without a Pens score. Of course, I'm the one who opened my mouth - Briere did bring it. The final score was Penguins 2, Flyers 5.

The Calm Before The Storm

It's Friday, and for the Penguins it is a day off. However, it feels, as the title suggests, like the calm before the storm. Tomorrow night's game in Philadelphia is a chance for the Pens to go back to .500, but after Wednesday's game against the Flyers (and that awful loss against the Rangers last night), a win is by no means a guarantee. There is a good chance that the Flyers will use this game to make another statement. They've already proved that this year's Flyers team is a complete 180 of last year's Flyers team. They've got loads of talent, and they refuse to be pushed around. But hopefully, the Penguins will approach this game with the sting of the last two consecutive losses and work to redeem themselves with a big win. The game starts at 7:00pm Eastern. Be sure to tune in (if you don't get it on cable, you can try this website). I'm sure it's going to be anything but boring...

Bring it, Briere.

...in the meantime, I've got something you can do to pass the time. The Sidney Crosby Show has formed an alliance of sorts with a growing hockey forum called The NHL Arena. You should check it out and sign up to join if you like forums and interacting with other hockey fans. I will be making the occasional appearance over there to talk about hockey, the Penguins, and (of course) Mr. Sidney Crosby. If you happen to be a fan of another team, don't sweat it - there are forums at The Arena for every NHL team. For easy access, I've included a link to it in our Forums section of our blogroll. Just look for the following graphic on the right side of your screen:

I'll leave you to start your weekend with a video. Friend of The Show Crystal W. sent in a link to her favorite Sid commercial. In it, he's modeling the then-new RbK Edge jersey. Enjoy!

Pens v Flyers 11-10-07 @ 7:00pm Eastern
(I want at least a 3-goal win for an early birthday present!)
GO PENS

Pens v Rangers (L 2-4)

I hate Sean Avery. (Yes, I hate him more than I hate Alexander Ovechkin - at least Ovechkin is tolerable as a human being off the ice.) I just wanted to say that and get it out of the way. Tonight's McDonald's Player of the Game is like the grade school bully that everyone wanted to punch in the face but didn't because no one wanted to get in trouble for it. The play between these two teams was physical and at times got kind of nasty, and Avery was to blame for the madness more than once.

The Penguins finally got to New York around 9:30 this morning after their plane was delayed last night. Colby Armstrong was back in the line up, and Marc-Andre Fleury was back in the pipes tonight. Early in the first period, Alain Nasreddine gave the Rangers a chance to score with a turnover, but MAF stood his ground. The Pens first good chance came from Petr Sykora took a shot. The rebound ended up right in front of Georges Laraque, but couldn't play it because he was tied up. Dan Girardi rang the puck off the post behind Fleury with a hard shot, but Fleury was able to scramble and cover the rebound. The top line of Evgeni Malkin, Crosby, and Ryan Malone was making waves. Henrik Lundqvist stopped a deflection by Sid. Later, Sid passed the puck to Malkin, but he missed it, which gave Petr Prucha a great chance. MAF made a great save to keep the Rangers scoreless.

Brooks Orpik and Sean Avery collide.
While Gary Roberts and Michal Rozsival were in the corner, Rozsival was badgering Roberts by using his stick to hit Roberts in the back and knock him down. Tempers were beginning to flair. Then Avery took a shot that was wide of the goal but bounced off the boards behind the net and right to Scott Gomez, who promptly scored. Rangers 1, Pens 0. Immediately afterwards, Sid drew a tripping penalty on Marcel Hossa. Erik Christensen had the best chance for a goal during the power play, but it didn't happen. The Pens would not score on the advantage. At one point, Malkin threw the puck through the paint to Sid, but Sid just could not get a shot on it. Just seconds later, Sergei Gonchar scored with an assist from Sidney - who increased his point streak to a career high 15 games. Rangers 1, Pens 1.

Colby Armstrong took a penalty for tripping, but just seconds later Avery took a penalty for interference. The resulting 4 on 4 would not produce a score for either team. Roberts earned two 2-minute penalties after an encounter with Avery. Avery was heading towards Roberts, who braced himself by getting his stick up high, and the two exchanged words. Roberts grabbed Avery and earned a roughing penalty for his trouble, in addition to the high sticking penalty he was originally assessed. Rozsival scored to negate the first penalty. Rangers 2, Pens 1. Avery had a great chance on the second penalty, but MAF shut the door. The first period ended with the Rangers ahead by a goal.

During the intermission, we learned that Penguins fans donated 3,793 pounds of food to the Score Against Hunger food drive, beating the record high of 2,293 pounds. To date, the Score Against Hunger food drive has collected 22,500 pounds of food and $18,200.00 in donations.

Sid jumps over Jordan Staal's brother, Marc, after trying to score.
The second period started very slowly. There wasn't a lot of action, and it seemed like there were a ton of whistles for offsides and icing. Finally, Avery got a penalty for roughing after he upended Army. Avery seemed genuinely shocked that the penalty was called on him since he took a stick in the face from Army, but upon seeing the play in slow motion on the replay, Army's stick came into Avery's face because Army was falling at the time. The Pens did not score on this chance, either. Jaromir Jagr had a really great chance when he charged hard and unchallenged with the puck to the front of Fleury, but MAF made a fantastic save. Just afterwards, Rozsival rang the puck hard off the post, and Maxime Talbot was called for interference. Avery took less than 15 seconds to capitalize on the power play. The Rangers were leading by 2 goals with a score of 1-3.

Paul Mara did his best Sean Avery impression when he started punching Christensen while they were battling for contol of the puck. The Pens would go on the power play, but would not score. Just after the power play ended, Roberts took yet another penalty, this time for interference. Fortunately, the Rangers did not score on their power play. Rob Scuderi took a penalty for interference, and with 1:16 left in the Rangers power play, Gonchar took a delay of game penalty for unintentionally popping the puck up into the protective netting. The Pens were able to kill both penalties. The second period ended with the Rangers (3) leading the Pens (1).

The third period began in a bad way. Malkin tried to pass the puck to Sid between his legs but ended up turning the puck over to the Rangers, and Brandon Dubinsky scored his first NHL goal. Immediately afterwards, Dubinsky took a penalty for tripping after he sent Mark Eaton down so hard that Eaton's stick went flying. Mark Recchi scored his second goal of the season on the ensuing power play. The score was now 2-4, in favor of the Rangers.


Blair Betts and Jordan Staal battle for control of the puck.
Later, Army finished a check on Rozsival, who left his gloves on the ice and skated back to the bench obviously in pain. The next couple of minutes were up and down. It was intense hockey played by both teams. The pace was so fast that Rozsival's gloves remained on the ice for about five minutes. The Rangers were taking a few liberties with the Penguins, but no penalties were called. That is, until Mara went to the box for holding Malone. During the ensuing power play, Lundqvist made the save of the day on a great shot by Sykora, and Lundqvist kept his cool while Sid tried to chop it into the net. Roberts got a fantastic chance to score, but his stick broke in half before he could shoot the puck.

Just after the power play ended, Dubinsky rang the puck off the goal post, and MAF was quick to cover the rebound. Later, Sykora accidentally hit Jordan Staal in the face with his stick as Sykora was trying to avoid contact with a Ranger. It looked as though Staal was cut underneath his left eye as a result. With less than 3 minutes left, Dubinsky almost gets another goal but only by the grace of God did that puck not cross that line. The Pens tried desperately to score again. They pulled MAF with 40 seconds left, but to no avail. The final score was Pens 2, Rangers 4.

Pens v Flyers (L 1-3)

You just know it's going to be a doozy of a game when highlights from the teams' last meeting are set to an apocalyptic opera song. First though, Sid had a pregame interview with Dan Potash. He said that his point streak is the result of luck. He also said that he felt like the Pens are trying harder on the power play while Ryan Whitney is out nursing a groin injury.

Okay, 28 seconds into the first period, Joffrey Lupul scored after Saint Sid proved he is indeed human and turned the puck over in the neutral zone after being hounded by R.J. Umberger. I thought to myself, "Oh. It's going to be one of those nights..." Coach Michel Therrien was shown wearing a poppy on his lapel in honor of Canada's Remembrance Day which is the equivalent of the U.S. holiday Veteran's Day. Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey told us how Sid had seen the poppy and requested one for himself. They then went into a story about how Sidney got a bag full of gifts for former Penguin Jay Caufield to thank him for skating with the team over the summer. We also heard about how Maxime Talbot, Georges Laraque, and Adam Hall delivered warm pizza to the cold fans in the Student Rush line.

Mad Max, still rockin' the fu manchu, hands out some pizza.
A small scrum ensued after Scottie Upshall fired a shot on Dany Sabourin WELL after the play was whistled down. Less than six minutes into the first period, Jeff Carter shot the puck up under the crossbar and scored. The Flyers increased their lead 0-2. A bit of a melee occurred when Ryan Malone put a late hit on Upshall. Ironically, the Flyers ended up on the disadvantage after all was said and done with Brooks Orpik going to the box for the Pens and Braydon Coburn and Jason Smith going to the box for the Flyers. The Pens did not score on this man-advantage. Sidney, Evgeni Malkin, and Malone charged towards Flyers goalie Martin Biron. Sid shot the puck hard. Biron stopped it but could not control the rebound. The puck sort of sat in front of Biron for a second or two, and Malone grabbed it, but before he could get a chance, a Flyers defenseman picked his pocket.

Crosby drew a penalty when he was hooked by Lupul, but the Pens didn't score this time either. Lupul got possession of the puck when he emerged from the box. It was a 3 on 2 chance in favor of the Flyers, but Sabourin made the save. Then, it looked like Malkin was about to start down towards Biron on a breakaway, but he and Kimmo Timonen became entangled and both men went down. Sir Sidney was there to pick up where Geno left off. He got possession and charged forward with Malone to his left challenged only by one Flyers d-man. He made a textbook pass right between the defenseman's legs to Malone who had to make little to no effort and the puck went in the net with only 36 seconds left in the first period. The War Room in Toronto was called because it appeared that the puck went in the net off Malone's skate, but it didn't matter - the goal stood. With 8 seconds left, Petr Sykora tried to set Hall up to tie the game, but Biron said "NO WAY." The first period ended with the Flyers leading with a score of 1-2.

The second period started with a fight between Orpik and Umberger only 40 seconds into it. It looked like Umberger ended up with a cut on his forehead after the two men were separated. Later, Darryl Sydor had a great chance but rang the puck of the post. The Penguins began playing with a bit more desperation. In the midst of it all, Malkin was tripped up, but no call was made. Later, Mike Richards scored when he got the puck and carried it towards Sabourin after Sid was knocked down following an attempt to score on Biron. The score was Pens 1, Flyers 3. Later, the score wasthisclose to becoming 1-4 when Danny Briere had the ultimate chance on a wide open net with Sabourin way out of position, but Briere shot the puck just wide of the goal and bounced the puck off the post on the outside.

The only Pens goal of the night.
Rob Scuderi went to the box for interference. With 1:16 left in the power play, the Flyers' Mike Knuble got called for interference to even things up. Neither team would score. Later, Sid drew a penalty on Timonen, but the Pens weren't able to capitalize on the power play. With just over 2 minutes left in the second, Orpik took a penalty for upending Briere. The Flyers did not increase their lead during this power play. The second ended with the Pens trailing the Flyers 1-3.

In the third period, we learned that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was in attendance tonight. He sat with Mario Lemieux in the owner's box. Also in attendance - but not in the owner's box - is the 30 Games in 30 Nights guy, Steve Williamson. (This guy is my hero, by the way.) He's trying to go to 30 different arenas in 30 nights, and he's blogging about his experience. Back to the game, Malkin was busting through when Knuble hauled him down. They did not score on this chance, either. Later, Briere ended up taking a penalty for holding. With less than 30 seconds left in the Pens power play, Mark Recchi took a penalty for a hit from behind that was almost boarding. During the Flyers power play, Sid got a great chance for a shorthanded goal on the short side, but he shot just wide.

With five and a half minutes left in the third, FSN cut to another shot of Mario in the owner's box. Let's just say he didn't look pleased. The Pens kept getting great shots on goal, but Biron kept getting the saves. With 1:30 left in the period, Sabourin was pulled in favor of the extra attacker. Just as he left the ice, Coburn was called for interference when he knocked Crosby down. At one point during this power play, the Pens had essentially a 6 on 3 because they had the goalie pulled and Simon Gagne broke his stick. Incidentally, Gagne was not assessed a penalty when, instead of dropping the broken stick, he threw it at Sidney. It didn't matter anyways, as time ticked down and the period ended. The Flyers exacted a little revenge for the 8 game sweep last season, and the final score was Pens 1, Flyers 3.