PENS. WINTER CLASSIC. AGAIN. YYYYEEEESSSS!!!!

This news has made my entire day week month year! From the Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

The Penguins will face Washington in the NHL's 2011 Winter Classic Jan. 1 at Heinz Field.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to make a formal announcement about that, along with several other high-profile league events, during a press conference in Chicago Friday.

I MUST get tickets!!! I was lucky enough to score three tickets to the first Winter Classic on 01-01-08, and I kid you not - it was the most fun I've ever had in my life other than my wedding.

Our seats weren't as bad as this picture makes it look. I took it with my old camera so it's not that great, but if you enlarge it, you'll see Siddo and Geno at the end of the line of Penguins walking out to the ice.

And this time, the Boys will be hosting the event against the Capitals. It will be nice seeing A-hOle™ & company lose outside for a change. ;)

I added this picture of my ticket as a late edit for a conversation in The Friends' Zone.

WOOOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!! GO PENS!!!!!!!

Habs = Cheaters?

Apologies for not giving you prior warning, but I took a much needed break and had some fun in Eastern PA with my sister. I got a few funny looks and one (good natured) comment about driving an orange car with Penguins accessories all over it in Flyers country.

Hmm. I bet none of the Flyers snowjobbed this kid. (And that is seriously saying something about the A-hOle™ who did.)

So we know the Blackhawks have earned an invitation to the big dance, and tonight, the Flyers have a chance to close it out for the Eastern Conference. This is shaping up to be a Pens fan's worst nightmare, haha! Which team do you want to win? If you cheer for the Blackhawks, you'll be cheering for Hossa. If you cheer for the Flyers, well... You'll be cheering for the Flyers. That's a tough choice. Or perhaps the Habs can pull a Flyers on the Flyers and win 3 in a row for the Prince of Wales trophy and a trip to the Stanley Cup Finals. Share who your pick to win the Stanley Cup and why you think they're taking the big prize in The Friends' Zone.

Speaking of the Habs, though, it may be harder to root for them if the rumors are true - there may have been a little bit of underhandedness happening in Montreal this weekend. There are reports that sand was sprinkled on the Flyers' runway to their dressing room. Several Flyers players had to leave repeatedly for skate sharpenings throughout the first and second periods, lasting until the equipment manager put towels down the length of the runway so the players could walk from the dressing room to the bench without compromising the integrity of their skate blades during the third period.

So you really need to check this post out - I found it while looking for a picture of sand with a hockey stick. Incredible! :)

Of course the Canadiens are denying they had anything to do with it. (Make sure you scroll down far enough to read Jaroslav Spacek's needlessly sarcastic denial. What an arse he is.) If they did purposefully try to sabotage the Flyers, it failed epically. The Flyers shut them out 3-0. If you're watching Game 5, it's happening tonight at 7:00pm Eastern in Philly. Expect the Flyers' fans to have a few things to say about "Sandgate" during the match...

Round 2 Game 7: Pens v Habs

Game 7.
Oh, Game 7, how you cause us so much stress.
How you make our hearts beat faster and faster.
How you draw the sweat from our brows.

Game 7.
We've known both sides of you...
The sting of season ending defeat.
The glory of playoff advancing victory.

Game 7.

We are ready for you.

LET'S GO PENS!ºø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨ ¨°º¤øºLET'S GO PENS!ºø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨ ¨°º¤øºLET'S GO PENS!ºø¤º°¨¨°º¤ø¤º°¨ ¨°º¤øºLET'S GO PENS!

Well, this is it. For both the Pens and the Habs, it's winner takes all, do or die, win or go home. If the following video doesn't get you jazzed right now, I don't know what in this world ever will:


Tip of the hat to Friend of The Show Stoosh for finding that gem. :)

All right, Boys. Don't let this be the final game in the Mellon! DO IT!!!!!

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Round 2 Game 6: Pens v Habs

Okay, Friends! This could be it for the Canadiens. How delicious would it be to eliminate the Habs in their own house?! :D

I know, I know... I'm getting ahead of myself. All I really want is for the Pens to play their game for a full 60 minutes. If they do that, a victory is sure to follow. At the very least, we can rest assured that no matter what happens in Montreal tonight, our series will not end. But that's not good enough. Let's send these clowns packing and move on, already!

Repeat after me:
Get bodies in front of Halak. Get bodies in front of Halak. Get bodies in front of Halak.

So I figured if I'm officially going to call it, I should share this with you guys BEFORE the game. This morning I changed my Facebook status to the following:

Tonight is Sid's night. Four points. I'm calling it. GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Siddo, don't let me down! ;) All right, is it time to drop that puck yet?! Let's DO THIS!!!

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Round 2 Game 5: Pens v Habs (W 2-1)

Well, once again we dominated for the majority of the game, more so than the final score reflected. But this time the right team ended up with the W. :)

The USS Gill - or as woodstock has rechristened him: "Sid's blanket" - was sunk in the early part of the third period when he collided with a steamrolling Kuni, fell face down on the ice, and sustained a laceration to his leg as Kuni's skate came down on it. He's questionable for Game 6. He, as you know, is half of the defensive duo that's been all over Siddo like a cheap, um, suit. They have successfully prevented our title man from scoring even a single goal as they (Gill especially) get away with a lot more in this series than they ever could in the regular season. Apparently all's fair in playoff hockey. Even though we're the in the lead, it would be great if the Boys could find a way to take advantage of the fact that two guys are assigned to Siddo pretty much at all times when he's on the ice. I don't know about you, but I want this series to end in Montreal.


As for a perceived curse on Sid because he missed an empty netter, woodstock explained it well in what he shouted to the TV after the Versus commentators mentioned that Sid can't buy even a goal when there is no goaltender:

He was up against the wall, he had a guy right behind him, there were two seconds left on the clock, and he just scooped it off the wall and fired it down without aiming. His main concern was getting it in deeper away from the Habs... It was one of those, "If it goes in - great! But if not, we still win." type of situations.

Apologies for not posting yesterday. I thought I had scheduled one to publish automatically (I wanted to take the night off yesterday to watch the game with woodstock since it was the last game during his vacation), but I forgot to finish it. So instead, here are some shots from last night's victory:

Awww, what's wrong, Jacques??

We're leading the series 3-2 and since the fourth win is always the toughest one to get, be prepared for a war in Montreal tomorrow.

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Round 2 Game 4: Pens v Habs

It's been a long week - I've got a few big projects at work that are sucking up my energy reserves. So in a nutshell, here's what the Boys have got going on right now:

• The nominees for the Ted Lindsay Award were announced. (Up until April 29^th of this year, the award was known as the Lester B. Pearson Award.) The nominees are - wait for it - exactly the same three that are nominated for the Hart Trophy: Siddo!, Sedin, and A-hOle™. In case you didn't already know, the Lindsay Award is the MVP award that is given by the NHLPA. The winner will be announced on June 23, 2010 at the NHL Awards ceremony.


• Jordan Staal is a warrior. It has not even been a full week since Gronk had foot surgery, yet incredibly, he is a game time decision for tonight's game. :-O
• Rupp is out, but it is not because of a hockey injury. Head Coach Dan Bylsma would not elaborate further.
• Despite practicing this morning, Guerin is out again with an undisclosed injury.
  

All right. Bring on the Habs, then bring on the sleep! ;)

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Round 2 Game 3: Pens v Habs

BEEP ... BEEP ... BEEP ... BEEP
Hear that, Boys? It's the alarm clock - time to WAKE UP!

First things first: Jordan Staal > everyone else. That dude is a BEAST. He skated today. Granted, it was only for 5 minutes and he wasn't wearing his equipment, but this comes only FOUR days after sustaining a lacerated tendon in his foot that was so bad it needed surgery. WOW. What a player! Maybe he'll be back sooner than we thought?? :D

Unreal.

The Pens that played Sunday afternoon were not the Pens that we need to win the Cup. Don't think I've lost perspective: One loss is not even close to cause for panic, but I think we can agree that ending a series as soon as possible (and as injury free as possible) is the goal.

Frustration city.

Our stick-breaking El Capitan grew exceedingly frustrated throughout Game 2. It was likely because he was being assaulted on nearly every shift by former teammate Hal Gill. Instead of turning that frustration into goals, Sid got angry. Not the good kind of angry he usually gets; the kind of angry that ended with his stick shattering on a goal post. As a result, he was held pointless. The "Halak-ness Monster" (← haha, Stan Savran!) stood on his head stopping 38 of 39 shots; Flower, on the other hand, only managed to stop 18 of 21 shots. Geno... Well, Geno's been quite unremarkable, especially for the reigning Conn Smythe winner. These things must improve. The Boys need to really BRING IT to win the game tonight and ultimately this series.

MOVE, you big tree! >:O

As an aside, I'd like to publicly complain about the officials' terrible inconsistency for (against?) both teams. I prefer when officials call a tight game; however, it doesn't bother me when the officials "let them play." What I do NOT like is when highsticking and holding violations that happen with a zebra standing less than a yard away are missed, yet a hooking call is assessed to a player that ever-so-lightly touches an opposing player with the tip of his blade. That freaking drives me crazy. Call 'em all or don't call any of them!

So, I guess it's now okay to crosscheck a guy and push him down after the whistle?

Anyhoo, we're at the Bell Center in Montreal for Games 3 and 4. Expect the home team's fans to boo Siddo mightily. (They don't yet realize it motivates him.)

DO IT.

Sid, I know you're superstitious and what not, but there's no doubt about it: your hat is gross.

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Round 2 Game 2: Pens v Habs

Holy Halak! The Boys chased the not-so-impervious Jaro in Game 1. :)

We will be without the services of Selke nominee Jordan Staal, who is out indefinitely after undergoing surgery to repair a tendon in the top of his right foot. The incident serves as a reminder of just how sharp those blades really are to be able to slice through Gronk's boot and still cause so much damage to his foot.

The Habs lost one of their key defenders. Cooker finished a check that somehow resulted in a "lower body" (knee? hip?) injury. His return is unlikely, as well.

Perhaps since this game is being broadcast on NBC we'll be treated to the announcing of Doc Emrick and Eddie O. instead of that dreadfully boring team Versus provided for Game 1.

Round 2.
Game 2.
DO IT.

GO PENS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!