Don't plan the parade just yet, Detroit.

I admit, I was a little depressed after watching the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals. The Pittsburgh team that I had seen all playoffs - all year - had magically disappeared and left a scared group of young hockey players in its wake.

True, I had predicted that Detroit would win the Cup in six games, but I started to question whether it would be sooner than that. Perhaps...a sweep.

I support my team to no end (prediction aside), but I was becoming more and more convinced that Pittsburgh's lack of experience had squashed their confidence, leaving them to run around the ice like chickens with their heads cut off. I know that I am not alone on that front.

With the series shifting to Pittsburgh, we all knew that it was a must-win game. Cliché, yes, but an accurate assessment. Sure, a team needs to win 4 games to win the Stanley Cup, but history is not exactly on the side of those teams who find themselves in a 0-3 crater-sized hole.

Add to that the fact that a couple of streaks were on the line. First, the Pens have not lost a home game since they lost to San Jose in late February - over 3 months ago. Second, MAF hasn't lost a home game since No-freakin'-vember. A loss in game 3, at home, would be catastrophic.

Coming into this game, I knew that the Pens had to score early to prove to themselves that Osgood is not a wall - that the Red Wings' defence is not impenetrable. I figured if they could just get a forecheck going...score their first goal of the Finals...then maybe they'd have a chance after all. A little confidence can go a long way.

I was understandably nervous as 9PM approached. As foolish as this seems, I gave in to my superstition and left my 'Crosby' jersey where it was. I figured if I didn't wear it, as I did for the first two games, then maybe - just maybe - Crosby would score and the Pens would win.

My applause goes out to the thousands of fans at Mellon Arena, who stood and chanted "Let's Go Pens" for minutes on end before the game began. The CBC broadcasters were wisely silent as the cameras panned the crowd, and it was a truly amazing sight. I wish I could have been there to take part.

For anyone who witnessed the first period of the game, you could see that this was a different Pittsburgh team than the one that played in Detroit. Sure, most of the players were the same, but it was as if they lost their jitters and figured out how to play against the Red Wings - and it made all the difference in the world. When Crosby scored his first goal of the game, I actually had tears in my eyes because I knew that the team I love was back.

So now the series score is 2-1 and the immediate future looks promising. I know that the Pens are still in a hole, but at least they know that Detroit is beatable.

If Crosby and the Pens show up and play the rest of the Finals like they did in game 3, who knows what could happen.

Fifteen hundred people showed up to watch the game at Cole Harbour Place - maybe they'll gather again later this summer to see their favourite son bring back the Stanley Cup.

You just never know what could happen with this Pittsburgh team.

You just never know.

Oh my Gary, the playoffs are coming!

(From the Canadian Press, TSN.ca)

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sidney Crosby would have never admitted this a year ago but on the eve of his second NHL playoffs, the Pittsburgh Penguins superstar centre revealed just how awestruck he and his young teammates were when the puck first dropped last spring in Ottawa.

''The first 10 minutes,'' an introspective Crosby said Tuesday. ''I mean, it felt like they had eight guys out there. We were just watching, trying to feel it out. They weren't. They were taking the play to us.''

Even the great ones have to learn for themselves. No matter how much veterans such as Gary Roberts had warned his young bucks, the intensity and emotion of the NHL playoffs is something players must experience first-hand before knowing how to prepare for it.

''You can watch as much as you want but being in that atmosphere, being in that environment, knowing how to react and things like that - just having that sense of `I've been through this before,''' said Crosby. ''It's very emotional when you're in the playoffs so the more you're prepared for what can happen, the better you are.''

[...]

''Nobody likes to lose,'' said Crosby. ''We have a lot of guys who have a lot of pride and character and don't accept losing. We want to be better for that experience and hopefully this is our chance to prove it.''

Roberts has noticed the difference in his young teammates a year later.

''Mentally I think we're a stronger team this time around just because of what we went through in the playoffs last year and the adversity that we went through this season to finish second in the conference,'' said Roberts.

Crosby also points to the adversity his team faced this season as another growth factor. Both he and Fleury were among the long list of key injuries but the Penguins never lost a beat.

''It would have been easy to have a lot of excuses for not winning this year,'' said Crosby. ''We lost our goalie for three months. Myself, Roberts, (Mark) Eaton. The list goes on. We came out of that, which I think says a lot about the character of our team. I think we're a stronger group than we were a year ago.''

Crosby was flying on the ice during his team's practice ahead of Wednesday night's opener against the Senators in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final (CBC, 7 p.m. ET). Anyone who saw him skate Tuesday would not believe all the rumours suggesting the 20-year-old native of Cole Harbour, N.S., is still hampered by the high ankle sprain that knocked him out of 28 games from January to March.

''I'm fine,'' he said. ''I think there's a lot of speculation with my ankle because they sat me out on Sunday (in Pittsburgh's regular-season finale). But that's really not the case. It was more of just getting a rest and just making sure that I'm ready for the playoffs.

''But the ankle is giving me no problems whatsoever.''

That's a scary thought for Senators fans who saw him collect five points (3-2) in his first five career playoff games last spring despite, it was later revealed, playing on a broken foot.

Now he says he's healthy this time around, until that is, a Senators player gives him a two-hand chop a la Bobby Clarke on his ankle. That was the suggestion of a columnist in Tuesday's edition of the Ottawa Sun, a story that quickly made the rounds of the Penguins dressing room.

[...]

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Get ready, Ottawa Senators, because it's payback time.

Twenty-four hours until puck drop.

[Hossa - Crosby - Fleury - Malkin]

"He shot that in his own goal" Ringtone

Snoop over at "The Sidney Crosby Show" made a ringtone of Sid's celebration after Backstrom scored to give the Pens the game winner.

Check it out if you want to relive the celebration day in, day out!

Go Pens Go!!

NHL pre-season 2008-09: Pittsburgh ---> Moncton? Please?

Announcements are being made about the 2008-09 NHL pre-season games, and I am waiting to see what's going to happen.

Here's what I know for sure:

Monday, September 22 - Montreal vs. Boston
Thursday, September 25 - Detroit vs. Boston
Halifax Metro Centre
Ticket packages = $160

I also know that I will be in Moncton at that time, and if I'm on internship then I won't be able to make the trip to Halifax.

However, Moncton is hosting the training camp for the New York Islanders, and the Isles are playing a pre-season game at the Coliseum. They say that the other team will be Boston but I haven't been able to confirm this. I'm still hoping and praying that Pittsburgh makes it back to Moncton so that we can show Malkin that we're not that bad a city. He may have bad feelings considering his last visit to the Hub City...Besides, it's looking like Crosby won't be available for Worlds. I'd still very much like to see him play live and in person -- not just on TV.

Please, Penguins people, please come back to Moncton!

You give me Penguins, me love you long time...

He shot that into his own net!!!

---Thanks to Flyer Hater over at Pensblog for sharing this video on C-blog---

With the game tied at 2 and less than 1 minute left, what happens? Sidney Crosby scores the game winner (his second of the night) after Nicklas Backstrom shoots it into his own net accidentally-on purpose. A teeny little piece of me feels bad for Backstrom because he is a rookie and made a mistake that may have cost his team a playoff spot. It's just not quite the same as the McCabe goal last fall.

I am really happy to see Crosby back on track after that injury. He really seemed to be flying out there this afternoon. I'm also glad to see that MAF played a solid game. He faced 38 shots (including 22 in the second), and only allowed 2 power play goals. He has been criticized endlessly, and has been in the shadow of Conklin. I hope that Fleury and the entire team takes something positive from this game and goes on a nice, long winning streak leading into the playoffs.

Go Pens!

The Greatest Player Returns

These kids have just heard the news....

Sidney Crosby is BACK!

and so is Peter Forsberg, but who cares because...

SIDNEY CROSBY IS BACK!

I'm so excited, I don't think I can handle this news. The Al Gore is definitely going to crash with all the traffic.

Woooooooo hooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!

And now, I found this photo and thought I should share with the world:

What the hell happened to hockey?

"They'd rather shoot rats at the dump."

Oh Rick Mercer, you are my hero.


That's right, hockey started right here in Halifax with a twig and a frozen pile of cow dung.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The Pens haven't been playing very well in the last week or so, but before you go and hang Elmo, just take a moment, sit back, and think. Think about what has happened in the last few months.

Think about that turnaround game against Ottawa in late November - the Thanksgiving miracle.
Before that game, the Pens were well out of a playoff spot in the East. But since then? Can you really complain?

Think about the overall record. Is it something to get upset about? If you say yes, you're a joke.

Now think about Marc-Andre Fleury. When he hurt his ankle, I certainly thought that the team was screwed. Dany Sabourin had only played what, 14 NHL games before this season?

And Ty Conklin??? Just thinking about him brought back ugly memories, flashbacks if you will, of the 2006 Stanley Cup Finals. My thoughts were something roughly similar to this:


Who would've ever thought, EVER, that he would come in and stand on his head?

Now think about Gary Roberts. He may be the 'old' guy on the team, but he is a force on the ice and in the dressing room. Where he goes, others follow. And then he broke his leg to get out of the Winter Classic.

Did the Pens roll over and die? No. Gary Roberts would never allow something like that.

Now think about Mark Eaton. When he went down with a torn ACL and we heard that he was out for the season, we got a little panicky, didn't we? After all, he is our best defensive defenseman, and he blocks shots like no other. How would we be able to survive that?

By others stepping up, that's how.

Now think about Sidney Crosby - the best player in the world. That was the toughest loss, by far. It's one thing to lose Roberts - dare I say that he's not the best player on the team (please don't hurt me Gary) - but Sid?? He may be one of the youngest guys on the team, but he's the one everyone turns to. This is his team, and without him, what would happen?

We all knew that Malkin was a great player, but he has never really stood out like Crosby. Malkin was drafted to be the franchise player, but he lost that status when the Pens won the Crosby sweepstakes in 2005. It suits him just fine, considering he's a little shy and his English language proficiency is, well, not very proficient. We really didn't have any idea that he could truly carry this team on his back and lead the way to the top of the division and a tie for the Eastern Conference lead (though Montreal currently has one game in hand).

So the Pens may be fumbling the ball a little right now, but their play in the past few months has pretty much given them permission to do so. Every team goes through a dry spell at least once a season (just look at Detroit - ouch) but it's not as though the Penguins are fighting to get into the playoffs or keep their playoff spot. No, the fight right now is for top seed in the East. I don't think that fight is terribly important, and for the team to be a little wobbly as they continue to lose players is okay.

Most teams would find a slump at this time of the year to be worrisome, but Penguins fans shouldn't be overly concerned. Pretty much half of the current team is made up of players who started the year in the AHL. Ty Conklin, Kris Letang, Tyler Kennedy, Jeff Taffe...what other team can say that they can do this? The Edmonton Oilers are having injury problems, and look where they're sitting. The Vancouver Canucks had injury problems on their blue line, and they went a stretch when they could hardly win a game with an AHL defence.

And now we're getting Crosby and Hossa back in the next few weeks. And Gary Roberts may make an appearance before the end of the season. And Marc-Andre Fleury is getting his game back.

These injuries just may turn out to be a blessing - yes, a blessing - in disguise. Other teams have crumbled, but the Pens were able to overcome adversity and win. Each player has stepped up his game. I think what we're seeing now is partly the inexperience of some players, and partly the fatigue of others who had to carry the team, and partly a lack of chemistry because of all the changes due to trades and call-ups. Once you bring back some of the more talented players, get more experienced players into the lineup, allow the guys to get to know each other, and let some guys catch a breather once in awhile, the Penguins should only get better.

Hang Elmo? Nah. Not today.

What on Earth is going on in Pittsburgh?

The deadline has passed and I'm left with a bad taste in my mouth. Just minutes before 3 PM ET, Gord Miller announces to the world that Hossa has been traded to....the Pittsburgh Penguins.

WHAT!?!???!?

I said last night that Shero inquired about Hossa, but I didn't think that it would happen. This isn't like Shero - Mario Lemieux must have put pressure on him to make it happen now. Most of the guys at TSN like this deal but I'm with Pierre McGuire - I hate this trade. Just hate it.

Pens fans have been saying that we need a scoring winger for Sid. Is Hossa that? Well, he is a sniper. But will he even have chemistry with Sid? I don't know. Just because you pair a top playmaker with a top sniper doesn't mean that it's a match made in heaven. Gretzky was traded to St. Louis to play with Brett Hull in the 1990's, and seems to me there weren't fireworks between them.

There are more questions about Hossa:

Will he disappear in the playoffs? Hopefully not. The playoffs are not the time to take a break and relax.

Will he resign with the Pens this summer? If yes, he will want a lot of money and a lot of years, and the Penguins will be the Tampa Bay of the North. Look how well Tampa's doing now. I'm sure Pens fans out there love this Hossa deal, but how will they feel in 3 or 4 years when Pittsburgh is back in the basement of the Eastern Conference, selling off Malkin...Staal....Fleury...Malone...Is this the price that they want to pay?

Let's say Hossa doesn't sign with Pittsburgh this summer. Well, then the Penguins will be in search of another scoring winger for Crosby and they'll be without Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, Angelo Esposito, and this year's first round draft pick (which will be a strong draft). All the Pens will have to show for this trade is Pascal Dupuis.

If you look at the League as a whole and what happened today, you could say that things were blown wide open in the East. A few of the top Eastern players were traded out to the West (Richards, Campbell) and the Pens made the biggest deal of the day. The argument could be made that the Penguins could win the East if Hossa plays well with Sid and if Hal Gill does what he does best - be a big body, shutdown defenseman who is good on the PK.

So, let's say the Pens do make it to the Stanley Cup Finals - can they actually win the Cup against the West? Detroit has the best record in the NHL and should be healthy by the time the playoffs roll around. San Jose has been really good all season and they just addressed their glaring need of a puck-moving defenseman. Anaheim was .500 at the start of the season, then something like 12-7 since getting Niedermayer back, and virtually unbeatable since Selanne came back. Dallas has been crazy good, and now they have Brad Richards. I'm not sure the Pens, or any team in the East, can do it.

If the Pens can't win the Cup this year, can this Hossa deal be seen as a success?

I don't think so.

ESPN pays attention to hockey

(Okay, so it seems as though just about everyone is posting a link to this article, so why shouldn't I?? I am, after all, a Pens fan...)

Yes, it is actually an ESPN article (I hear it's pretty much a miracle that ESPN pays ANY attention to hockey) about Crosby. It's a little long, but it's a fun read.

I especially liked the bit about Army dancing with a cardboard version of Crosby in a Montreal coffee shop (Tim Horton's?)....or how about Army dancing along with Ellen DeGeneres?

"He doesn't know anything about TV shows, not like I do," Armstrong confides. "He likes 'Friends.' I know. It hurts."

Crosby's rebuttal: "He's into those reality shows and that celebrity stuff, and I'm not too big on them.

"We'll get in late, and it always seems like they have those National Geographic shows on at 2 a.m. in the morning in the hotel, so we get stuck watching stuff like that ... For the most part, he likes things like 'American Justice' and 'Cold Case' and things like that."

Crosby then says his roommate has a television secret of his own ... "Ellen."

"I'm going to throw him under the bus on that one. He loves Ellen DeGeneres," Crosby says.

Right before a pregame nap?

"No, it's right after. It's hilarious. To a T, we wake up from our nap and that show's coming on and she's dancing."

When Armstrong finds out Crosby has spilled the beans, Armstrong drags a reporter over to Crosby and announces loudly that he wants to do the interview over, that he's going to reveal Sid's affection for Chandler on "Friends."

Crosby interrupts, revealing that not only does Armstrong love "Ellen" but he also likes to dance along to her show opening.

The two players are in stitches.

These two crack me up...

By the way Army, there's NOTHING wrong with Friends...best sitcom of all time, in my humble opinion. Chandler is the best...

High Ankle Sprain???

Pens fans are still mourning the loss of their captain to an apparent high ankle sprain. Note the word 'apparent'.

Docs are not exactly sure what's wrong with Crosby's leg, other than the fact that it hurts like hell. They initially thought it was a high ankle sprain, but they need to do more tests to confirm that diagnosis.

As we await the results of the MRI, we can only guess how much time he will miss. Will it be 4 weeks? Only the crazy-optimistic people are thinking that's a possibility at this point. Will it be 8 weeks? Even this may seem a little optimistic for some.

Heck, maybe he'll miss the rest of the season, and I think everyone needs to start thinking that's a distinct possibility.

I'm not saying that we should be the ultimate pessimists - we just need to prepare ourselves for the possibility that he won't be back this season and rally behind the players who are not injured.

Saturday's win in Montreal was one of the most important wins of the season. Just look at everything going against them: Pittsburgh rarely wins in Montreal (and Michel Therrien has never won in Montreal since becoming head coach of the Pens), and the Pens have never won without Sid in the lineup, and Montreal has the 2nd best power play in the league - a PP that has burned many a team. Not only did the Pens get the win, but they also held the Canadiens scoreless, thanks to Sabourin.

It's amazing to see what the team has done in the last few months. They have managed to find a way to win despite losing their top goalie, top defenceman, several energy guys, and now their best player.

In spite of it all, I can't help but wonder if losing Crosby will ultimately be the straw that broke the camel's back.

In order for the winning trend to continue, several things need to happen: Sykora needs to become a sniper, Staal needs to break out of his funk, Malkin needs to carry the team on his back, Laraque needs to keep playing to the best of his ability (and those were some pretty sweet moves on Saturday night), Conk and Sabou need to keep impersonating brick walls, and (most importantly) the team needs to tighten up defensively. Can this happen??

The team now knows that they are not just Crosby and Company, but can they keep that momentum going into the next few months?

Only time will tell, but this could be the 'best' thing to happen to the Pens (if you can find a silver lining when losing your franchise player).

Facing adversity will make a team stronger and hungrier.

Just as the WJC gold medal winning team...

Martha Stewart, this is NOT a good thing.

Right now, we're in the middle of the Pens/Lightning game, but the big headlines all over the place go something like this:

Crosby suffered high ankle sprain in the first period.

Oh crap.

"High ankle sprain"....seems like the Pens have been collecting this injury around the dressing room. In fact, they've been collecting injuries in general. High ankle sprains....broken fibulas....torn ACL's....you name it.

If this is, indeed, what Crosby has, then how long will he be out of the lineup? Talbot was out several weeks, Fleury's may be out another month. Granted, a butterfly goalie like MAF will have more pressure and strain on the ankle, so it takes a lot longer to come back from that kind of thing. And who knows, maybe Crosby's injury is more on the 'slight sprain' side of things, as opposed to a 'severe sprain'.

I'll refrain from being a Chicken Little. The Pens have played amazingly well for the last month and a half, despite missing a number of players for a significant stretch of games. Maybe the guys will keep rallying....

But, you have to admit...it doesn't look good, does it?

About the only good thing here is that the All-Star break is coming up, so that's one or two games that Crosby won't have to miss...but if he's out six weeks, then I guess that doesn't matter, eh?

Speaking of the All-Star Game...it's next weekend, and I'll be working on a package for Faceoff-Factor, similar to what I did for the WJC.

Anyone notice how the guys who were named to the All-Star teams are dropping like flies?

Maybe we'll have a whole new set of All-Star teams by the time the break rolls around.

Something tells me that Malkin will get the nod, but it's a really sucky way to get named to the All-Star team.
-----------------------------------
By the way, did anyone see that Rick Nash goal last night?

Jaw-dropping awesomeness. Yep.

And here's some video evidence of said goal:

Captain Clutch at Ice Bowl...and the Canucks are still in the hunt at the WJC

My, what a busy Christmas vacation this has been. Lots of Christmas shopping...traveling here, there and everywhere...covering the WJC for Faceoff Factor...and digging out of countless snowstorms. Nice to have high speed back after a few weeks of prehistoric dial-up...

And it was great to kick off 2008 with a WIN AT ICE BOWL!

There are so many recaps out there, and conspiracy theories (those Caps fans should really just give it a rest) to last a lifetime, but wasn't that just the most perfect game for Pens fans? Crosby made the first goal happen, and he was the one who scored the shootout winner. He isn't the best at the shootout, but he scored when the world was watching. Wasn't it just great immediately after he scored, and everything was quiet and you could just hear him screaming? Yep, I freaked out right along with him.

I think that the Pens and Habs should play an outdoor game next year in the Maritimes...

--------------------------

World Juniors = awesome.

It hurt...really hurt...when the Canucks collapsed in the third period against the Swedes, and they still have lots of issues (especially when it comes to scoring), but I'm loving it all just the same. Now it's a rematch of last year's semifinals. Canada. USA. Friday. And I have a stupid class at that time. Whatever - maybe I'll just not show up. It's not like they'll go and check the pub or something, eh?

After today's game against the Finns, when O Canada was playing and the crowd (and team) was singing, Stefan Legein said "Two more, two more baby." Yep, just two more wins....

Speaking of the crowd, one of the things that I absolutely love about this tournament is that so many Canadians make the trip to wherever to cheer on the team. The stands are filled with red and white jerseys, and fans are waving the flag...or trying to wave a 40' x 30' gigantic flag. They paint their faces red, white, and sometimes black, and you can hear them singing O Canada in the middle of the game. The team scores and you would honestly think that the game was being played in Halifax, or Ottawa, or Vancouver, not in Pardubice.

Best of all, you don't hear those stupid whistles that the Europeans blow that sound just like the refs' whistles. How many times do they have to get burned to figure out that those whistles might be a bad idea?

Canada, USA....this is gonna be a huge game. Now all we need is for Toews to get over his knee injury, fly to the Czech Republic, and score FOUR shootout goals to top last year's performance.

Bring it on van Riemsdyk!!

Crosby vs. Nash - Who will win?

This week, the media people will vote on the winner for this year's Lou Marsh Trophy (aka Canadian Athlete of the Year). It seems that it will be down to Sidney Crosby and Steve Nash.

Who will win?

Nash is an incredibly great basketball player. Two time NBA MVP. No question, he deserved the award when he won in 2005. But...

It's Crosby's year. He cleaned up at the NHL Awards in June. He was one of the major forces that led the Pens to a playoff berth last season - a season that saw a 47-point improvement over the year before. He is the face of the league, the youngest to be named a permanent captain of an NHL team, and the youngest in North American sports history to lead his league in scoring.

The last hockey player to win the Lou Marsh was Lemieux back in 1993. Canada is a country that takes pride in hockey (it's pretty much our religion), so why not honour the best player from 2007?

I truly, honestly can't think of another Canadian athlete who had a bigger year than Crosby, and I say that without bias.

So, media peoples of Canada: vote Crosby to win the Lou Marsh Trophy. You know you want to.

Now all we need is to find some Canadian athlete with the last name Stills....I know, that was lame.

I am a liar...for an hour, at least

Eh, hiatus schmiatus. I'm bored and there's too much interesting stuff happening to not write anything.

So, here's a quick recap of this week in the NHL:

- Wearing black apparently means you're a thief. Tuomo Ruutu of the Blackhawks was arrested earlier this week after he was spotted jogging a mile away from the scene of an armed robbery, and he fit the description of the criminal. No worries though, as the Chicago PD realized they had their wrong man when they started questioning him. Kinda hard to miss that Finnish accent...Luckily, Ruutu thinks the whole ordeal is hilarious.

- The NHL's superstar goalies began the season on a sour note (think Brodeur and Luongo), but now they are playing like superstars again. Luongo has three shutouts in three games (whaaa??) and Brodeur's Devils are on a roll, blanking the Habs tonight. I guess they call these guys franchise goalies because they always rebound from a shaky game - or a shaky stretch of games.

- Speaking of Brodeur, his shutout against the Canadiens was his 94th career shutout and, when added to his 22 shutouts in playoff games, he is the all-time record holder for shutouts. Sweet.

- Pens win tonight, beating the Stars 4-1. I guess their little break did them good. Three-game winning streak, back at .500, Leafs game tomorrow night on HNIC...good times.

- Speaking of the Leafs - JFJ is still kickin' in Toronto. I'm a little surprised, as I thought Peddie's comments, although unprofessional, signaled a change to come. Sure, that change could come tomorrow, but I figured it would come earlier in the week.

- Ottawa's in a free fall. Five-game losing streak, Alfie out with a groin injury, and now Volchenkov is out for a month with a broken finger. Nothing like losing one of your top D-men to make a bad situation worse. The Sens better hope that Alfredsson's groin heals itself quickly.
Update (01 Dec): Ottawa lost to the Rangers. Alfie came back, but was the invisible man - except for a couple of secondary assists. That would be 6 straight losses, my friends...bad times.

- Party's over in Phoenix. The Coyotes had a great stretch of games when they got their hands on Bryzgalov, but the Russian goalie showed his human side tonight when he allowed 5 goals on 7 shots in the first ten minutes in a game against the 'Hawks. Chicago went on to win 6-1.

- Caps are still the worst team in the NHL. Twenty-five games, 8-15-2 = 18 points. Their closest 'rivals' for basement dwellers are the Kings and the Oilers, with 21 points a piece. I shouldn't bash them too much, though, since the Pens aren't all that far ahead..

- Gary Bettman, commish extraordinaire of the NHL, announced this week that the League may not allow players to play in the 2014 Olympic Games. His reason? Those Games are in Sochi, Russia, so it won't really benefit the NHL (like the Vancouver-Whistler Games), and the time change might be too rough on the players...funny, isn't this the professional sports league that is starting to play regular season games in Europe and is thinking of expanding across the pond?

I know a lot of people don't like seeing professional athletes compete at the Games, but I like to see the best of the best compete for the gold - if they happen to be pro, so be it.

- In probably the only 'real' change in the NHL this year, the League has decided to change the schedule for next season. Now, each team will play every other team. Here's the breakdown: 6 games against division teams (24 games total), 4 games against conference rivals (40 games), 15 games against the 15 teams in the other conference, and three 'wildcard' games. I am dubbing this the 'Sidney Crosby Schedule Change,' because Western teams have been complaining about only seeing Crosby in their respective cities only once every three years, and I agree with their reasoning and actually think that the schedule could divided so that each team plays in every other city. Oh well...

Enough from me...hiatus, continue.

Hmmm...how long 'til May?

I must be a horrible, horrible person. Or at least a horrible, horrible Penguins fan.

See, part of me is hoping that the Pens don't get past the Quarterfinals of this year's Stanley Cup playoffs - assuming that they even qualify for the playoffs.

A really big part of me is hoping that they get the boot...

It's not that I have suddenly lost all faith in the Pens due to their recent slump. No, I haven't jumped ship and hopped on the Flyers' bandwagon (do they even have a bandwagon??)...And it's not because I want the guys to gradually make their way up to winning the Stanley Cup, pay their dues and all that jazz.

No, my reason is much more selfish than that.

The reason I want the Pens to not make the Semi-Finals is because I want some of those guys to play in the World Championships next May. Halifax is co-hosting the event with Québec City, and Halifax has a preliminary pool that includes Canada and the USA.

And guess who just bought a 4-game pack of tickets?

Guess who's going to the Canada-USA game and has great tickets overlooking centre ice?

Yep, that would be me.

I don't get to see pro hockey - ever - unless it's on TV. I don't get to see Crosby, Staal and Whitney play in 'real life', and this just might be my only shot.

Forgive me if I'm not absolutely crushed if the Pens' season ends a little early. It's not that I don't want them to play well, it's not that I don't want them to win games, and I'm still frustrated as heck that they haven't won a game in awhile, but I'd like to get a little glimpse of what everyone else gets to see. Can you really blame me?

Here's to hoping for another golden year in 2008.

Some people go to Europe for the summer after graduating...I'm staying here and going to see a few hockey games. Sweet.

Crosby and Malkin take the 'Wild' outta Minnesota - Pens win 4-2

Did I watch the Pens/Wild game?

Nope.

Did I listen to Lange and the ol' 29-er?

Nope.

Maybe I should have, though, cuz the Pens won, baby! Yeeeahhh!

Ahh, I know it's only October 30th, and I know that there's a whole boat-load of games left before the Pens even make the playoffs (assuming that they will, of course...that's not exactly a guarantee), but it's still nice to get the two points. Y'know, it's nice to win, especially against a team that has been doing so well so far. Always good to kick some butt.

If you look at that nice stats sheet, it seems as though the Pens' young guns played well - well, at least Sid and Geno did. Two goals and an assist for the Russian, and a goal and three helpers for the Canuck. Not too shabby, not too shabby at all.

Almost makes me want to do this:

Well, except for the whole pink sign, the shirtless-ness, and the paint...yeah..that's why I wrote 'almost'

Next up: Sakic, Smyth and the rest of the Avs. Go Pens!

WWGRD? Teach the refs how to do their jobs.

Tonight, I found myself alone and yelling at the TV. Yes, it may be a sad sight, but I was mad. Not at the TV, but at the game on TV. The Pens/Devils game. Or, more specifically, the refs at the game.

What in the world was THAT? Did the NHL decide to make a video on how to not ref a game? Maybe they have an issue with the Pens, or maybe they wanted to give the Devils a little boost while they're on their 9-game road trip. Who knows, and who cares. The only thing that matters is that the refs cost the Pens the game.

First, Sykora was called for "hooking" - though you could argue that his stick didn't even touch the guy - just as Sid was breaking away for a shot on Brodeur. If that was the only issue, then fine - I could have lived with it.

Then Malkin scored a goal, which was promptly taken away because the Pens had too many men on the ice. Okay, fine, I get it and I understand. I'm not going to argue that call. What I will argue, however, is the fact that New Jersey had about 10 guys on the ice involved in the action around the benches. The Devils should have been penalized too.

After that, Gionta decided to make his way into the crease and wound up on top of Fleury and in the net, while everyone else pounded away at the puck and the Devils scored. MAF had absolutely no chance at making that save because Gionta was practically sitting on his face and pinning him to the ice. The ref, who had a perfect view behind the net, should have waived the goal off. But no, of course not, that would've been the right thing to do.

And to cap it all off, the Devils interfered with Army right around the time the Malone penalties expired, but the refs turned a blind eye yet again.

But alas, there are some good things about this game.

First, Crosby was ON FIRE! Tonight, TSN stood for "The Sidney Network." - (c) McGuire. He was Pierre McGuire's Monster of the Game, and I would have to agree. That hit on Parise near the end of the third - nice. Those absolutely sick passes around his back or while sprawled out on the ice...I swear, he's better than last year. Thank goodness he's playing for my team.

Second, who would've ever thought that Talbot would be leading the team in goals? Good on him.

Third, Gary Roberts. He lays down the law after the opening faceoff, scores a PP goal late in the first to tie the game, has an assist to boot, and gives Asham a taste of GR anger in the third after Crosby is crosschecked and punched. Asham's lucky to still be walking.

Fourth, Malkin. Two goals tonight, but only credited for one. Add an assist to that total. Not too shabby.

On the minus side of things, MAF needs to work on rebound control. He's a great goalie who can make some incredible saves, but when the pucks keep bouncing into the slot, he's going to get beat.

I think I have vented my anger and frustration...for the time being. Morton and LaRue should be ashamed of themselves...

Pens and Leafers on HNIC. Sweet.

PENS WIN 6-4!! Even sweeter!

Sabourin had an eventful first period. He started in goal, let a couple of pucks get past him, and got hurt when Orpik pushed Tucker right into him. Bring in MAF, who looked a bit more solid in the net. He still let in a few goals, but eh.

The Pens' offense was ON FIRE. Six goals, and over 50 shots on goal. Toskala kept it from being a complete blow out.

But just where has the Pens PP been? I think it's still on summer vacation. Hope it decides to come back this season because it's greatly missed. And then just as I wrote this, Sid scored on the PP. Figures.

Speaking of Crosby, he finally broke the big goose egg by scoring his first and second goals of the season. Nice. He's also kicked ass on faceoffs, winning like 75%. Very nice.

Don Cherry still thinks that Crosby shouldn't be captain yet because it's taking his focus off the game a bit. Cherry criticizing Crosby, what else is new..I'm just surprised that he didn't start flattering Jordan Staal, saying how he should've won the Calder Trophy.

A lot of the players were cuddly tonight. Kubina had a couple of holding penalties, McCabe was a grabber too. I think McCabe made a nice little home in the box tonight because he kept doing things to go back. Maybe he put a nice fuzzy teddy bear in the box.

Poor Brooksie. He went to hit the Leafer, and got a big ol' glove and stick in the face and was hurt bad. He looked dazed and confused when the guys practically carried him off the ice. Looked like a concussion to me.

So, the Pens' offense showed up tonight, but I think the D slept late...or didn't wake up at all. Perhaps not as bad as Toronto's D, but still - if the Pens have any slim hope of making it far into the playoffs, the D needs to wake up and actually play a defensive game. I'm just saying..

You have to give Toronto fans a lot of credit for continuing to support their team, even when the product is, um, less than perfect. The Leafs organization has been messed up for years, and they've messed the team up pretty good, but the people still come, and they cheer like they've won the Stanley Cup - even those most of them don't know what that's like.

Thumbs up to the little girl in the Mooseheads jersey and the sign saying that Halifax loves Crosby. Nice to have the Maritimes represented in the crowd.

Ok, so Sid got the first star of the game, I totally agree, but Talbot didn't get any love by CBC?? He only scored 2 goals tonight...

Next Pens game on TV = NJ/PIT on Wednesday night. Can't wait. Go Pens

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Ottawa continues to dominate, winning again tonight against the Rangers. In fact, they won the game in less than 1 minute by scoring 3 goals in 52 seconds. Heatley got his 6th - he could end up with 60+ goals this year. Yikes.

Gerber's an absolute wall. He should have gotten a shutout, but the powers-that-be took that away from him. Stupid war room people. Jagr's goal shouldn't have counted.

Emery's close to coming back to the nation's capital. He just finished his second 'rehab' game in the AHL, where he faced 48 shots, stopping 46. He'd better hope that he keeps it up with the Sens, because Marty's making a really good case for taking his job.

Pens win home opener Saturday night, sweeeet

I didn't actually watch the game (yes, I know, it's sad). I did, however, catch the Leafs/Habs game on CBC. It's so nice to see HNIC back on the air for season 55. It brought a smile to my face. I missed it.

As I watched the NHL's biggest rivals battle it out for the first time this season (and my, it was certainly a hard-fought game), we - the millions of viewers in TV-land - got a little snippet of info from Ron McLean - Sidney Crosby blocked a shot with his right foot and left the ice in pain. My first thought? "Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh, Oh my gosh. Not again." I remember that shot that broke his left foot, and I sure hoped that he didn't break his right foot in the second game of the season. The Pens could survive without, say, Rex in the lineup, but without Sid? Things would be a little harder...

Seems as though the X-rays on the Pens' captain's foot were negative. Certainly something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving weekend.

Free-agent signing Petr Sykora (aka Syko) seems to be kickin' some ass. Again, I didn't see him play these last 2 games, but I've been hearing good things about the new guy up front. If he keeps this up, I'm gonna look like a frickin' genius for picking him up in the fantasy draft. All those suckers thought I was crazy for snatching Syko up for my roster, but who's laughing now? Well, except for the guy who got Paul Stastny...

On a serious note, I was absolutely stunned when I heard that new Leafer Jason Blake is battling a rare form of leukemia. From what I gather from this TSN article, it seems as though Blake is taking a chemo-like pill to fight the leukemia and he will continue to play for the Leafs this season. I think I speak for everyone when I say that I hope Blake beats this thing for good. We may not like all of the teams out there, or all of the players for that matter, but nobody likes to see this. Good luck buddy.

Shea Weber, one of the only good things still left in Nashville, is out 3-6 weeks after dislocating his knee in Thursday's game against Colorado. A few dozen memories of mine say ouch - to say the least... Nothin' like a knee cap stuck on the side of your leg to make you crash to the ground (or ice) and cry like a baby.

One lousy split second...

I swear, if the Pens had only one-tenth of a second left on the clock, they would've forced overtime in their pre-season game against Buffalo tonight, Sid would've gotten the hat trick, and then everyone would've celebrated by getting smashed. But Malkin scored just a split second too late. Pens lose 6-5. Crap.

How about some positives? I think that Sid and Geno looked great on the ice. Lots of pressure, and Sid's all over the scoresheet with 2 goals and an assist. And Geno drew a ton of penalties to get the Pens on the PP, and luckily the PP actually clicked tonight. Three goals while up a man - really good, considering they only had 2 PP goals in their previous four games, combined. AND their PK was perfect.

The bad...well, Sabourin didn't look great in goal. Or good. He had a few pretty good saves, but they all do at some time or another. He just looked completely out of place in his crease and the Sabres took advantage of him. Made me wish that T-Bo was back as backup to MAF.

The Pens D looked a bit...um...tired? Ok, they didn't look all that great. Sydor is supposed to be better than he was tonight, and Letang just played himself right on down to the AHL.

I won't completely tear them apart though, given that it's still the pre-season and they're still gellin'. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and call it a 'brain fart'. Besides, the games don't really matter, and success in the pre-season means nothing for the actual season. Look at Chicago last year - they won like 7 of 8 games in the pre-season, but were golfing in early April.

One more pre-season game against our 'pals' the Sabres tomorrow night, and then we await Game 1 of the 2007-08 NHL season late next week. Schweeeet.