Concussion prevention getting a new look.

Upon receiving my latest Hockey News magazine today, and actually having some time to read it, I came across an article talking about a new way concussions could possibly be prevented. It seems every team has been hit with the concussion curse in some way or another this season and the Pens are a major one, so the league should be looking into various ways concussions can be prevented. That includes the way the game is played with some hits as well as certain measures the players can take to protect themselves as well. An article by Ken Campbell takes a look into a new invention that may help to lessen the chance of a concussion.


One of the biggest topics this year around the league has been about concussions. They have been on a rise it seems lately and when one of the league's best players misses nearly a year of action due to a concussion, you better believe they'll be looking into ways to limit or prevent concussions.

There has been discussion about helmets with extra padding in them to help reduce concussions, but when a concussion is caused by the brain moving around in your head, unless that padding is inside the skull, there's not much that padding in the helmet can do to prevent a concussion. That is why several researchers started looking into ways to help blood flow to the skull and keep brain movement to a minimum. They came up with a collar.

"This collar pinches off the outlet vein that directs blood out of the brain, which would allow the inlet vein to fill up the extra space with blood, which would give the brain less room to slosh around" (Ken Campbell).

This collar could be designed on the current neck guard used in the NHL. While this product is still far off from being used, it does show promise in some tests. When testing using a design of the collar on rats, the results showed that the rats with the collar were 85% less likely to suffer an injury rather than the rats without a collar.

The collar may be a little tight, but if we ask the players who have missed a lengthy time of playing due to a concussion if they would have minded wearing a tighter collar if it meant that their concussion may not have happened, I believe a lot of them would not have cared that their collar was a tad tighter.

With further testing, I hope that this product continues to show great results and can one day be marketed and worn. Once that's done though, can someone create a time machine to have it complete and ready before January 1st of 2011 and make sure that Sidney Crosby wears it? I would really like to see what that season would turn out like for him, he was putting up some great numbers!

Researchers: Dr. Joseph Fisher - University of Toronto; Dr. David Smith - University of West Virginia; Dr. Julian Bailes - brain injuries expert with the NFL Players' Association.

Jets vs. Pens tonight.

The Pens take on the Winnipeg Jets tonight and remember, game time is not until 8:30.

By now, I am sure you have heard that Deryk Engelland has been suspended for 3 games for a hit he delievered in the Pens' last game and as a result, the Pens called up Brian Strait from the Baby Pens.

The Jets have been playing well this December with a 7-2-1 record including a 4-0 win over Montreal just last night. Though they struggled in the beginning of the season, they are fighting their way up the standings this month. Just because the Jets played last night, does not mean the Pens should think they'll be tired. This team has been getting strong goaltending from Ondrej Pavelec, who despite playing last night was announced as the starter for tonight's game as well, and backup Chris Mason. Also, they have some good defensemen who like to chip in on the offense.

Therefore, the Pens have a tough task with the Jets tonight and will look to take a 3 game winning streak into their holiday break. Let's hope our Christmas wish of a Pens win tonight comes true.

Tis the Season

I was inspired today to write a post about the things I love most about hockey when I read a column by Rory Boylen, of The Hockey News, about what makes Hockey great. (Link available above.)

Hockey has been my favorite sport all my life. Granted, I was not always as big a fan as I am now, but it was impossible for me not to fall in love with hockey. It was the favorite sport of my older brothers and the sport I watched them play and watched on tv all growing up. It wasn't until late middle school, early high school that I really began to understand the game of hockey and my mom would say that my brother turned me into a "Hockey monster." I began to live and breathe hockey soon after I attended my first Pens game at the old Mellon Arena. It was October 29, 2005. There was no looking back after that.

I had been to a Pirates game and knew that I could not really watch an entire Steelers game on tv(since then I have also attended a Steelers game.) and still, nothing compares to a live NHL game in person.

So, here are my reasons why I love the game of hockey.

Reason #1: The atmosphere of an NHL game. I do miss the days of getting into Mellon Arena with the Student Rush program and having almost an entire section filled with other students. Students that would stand in line for hours to get great seats for $20. Those sections will always be the best in my mind. They were loud and the camera man for the jumbotron never really left the area. I wouldn't have a voice the next day. Though the games I have attended at Consol have seemed a little more quiet, the atmosphere of an NHL game still is the tops! The game keeps you entertained and the crowd comes alive and there's nothing like it.

Reason #2: My family loves it. I may not be a hockey fan right now if it had not been for my family. My family is a hockey family. It is the only sport we can all sit down and watch together and when there is a Pens game on, you probably won't find anything else on any of the tvs in my house. I love sitting down with my family and watching a great Pens game, it's one of my favorite things to do.

Reason #3: The players. Sure, every sport has members and players that contribute to the community and donate time and money to charities, but it seems like the NHL has a great abundance of players who have started organizations and truly care for many charities. I know other sports are the same way, but I don't read as much about them.
Also, the players on hockey teams seem like a close group. The locker room atmosphere of a hockey team is important to how they play on the ice. In other sports, it seems like most individuals are out for themselves, but in hockey, the team is the most important in many players' minds and it makes me love the sport that much more.
The players' characters are another reason the players are a reason I love the sport. In other professional sport leagues, you hear so much about arrests and poor behavior and that news in hockey is few and far between. It seems the NHL is full of a lot of stand-up guys and I appreciate the positive outlook that gives the NHL. (I know there are excpetions to every rule and the NHL does have its share of negative news, but not nearly as much as other sport leagues.)

Reason #4: The players' love for the game and willingness to play after an injury. In some cases, this can be a bad thing. Especially with the rise of concussions in the NHL, some players are hiding their symptoms in order to continue playing which is nt helping their situation (ex: Colby Armstrong most recently). However, with other injuries, you often see a player get cut or take a bad fall or hit and they'll be back on the ice in no time. It shows the love for the game these players have and how they are determined to help their team win a game.

Reason #5: How it connects people. I know for myself, I would not have some of the friends I do now if it were not for hockey. Hockey is the first thing we found we had in common and in most cases, that is enough. Going to Pens games, waiting in those student rush lines, and talking hockey online, I have met friends that are some of the nicest people you could meet. We share the love of hockey and that is all some need.

Reason #6: The excitment and pace of the game. I said earlier that I struggle with watching an entire football game on tv and I have never been able to watch an entire baseball game on tv either. The slow pace of a baseball game makes me tired and the constant breaks and commercials of a football game make me lose interest rather quickly. On the other hand, most hockey games I find myself not being able to change the channel. The quickness of the game and the speed are, to me, what seperates hockey from the rest of the sports and makes it the most interesting and best.


I could go on and on with reasons why I love the game of hockey, but these are my top reasons and when it is this time of year, I tend to reflect more on what I am grateful for in life. Sitting down with my family to watch a hockey game and laughing and spending time together is often one of the things I am most grateful for in my life.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!

Pens beat Blackhawks

Last night's game against the Chicago Blackhawks was an amazing game. The first two periods, the Pens were in control and were dominating in nearly every aspect of the game. Going into the third, the Pens had a 3-0 lead over the Blackhawks.

Though, we know nothing is perfect. The Pens lost some focus in the third as the Blackhawks came out determined to change the momentum of the game in their favor. They peppered Fleury with 17 shots in the third period, but the Pens were able to slow them down and not allow the Blackhawks to tie it up. The final score was 3-2 and the Pens got a big win against the team atop the standings.

Now, we will look to Friday night's game against the Winnipeg Jets. It's the last game before a little holiday break for the Pens and they will be looking to finish strong before the break so they can enjoy their time off. It would be nice going into the break with a 3 game winning streak.

Eric Tangradi was assigned back to the Baby Pens today and Paul Martin is listed as day-to-day.

Pens host Chicago Blackhawks tonight.

The Pens take on a tough task tonight against the Blackhawks. The Blackhawks are currently the top team in the NHL with 46 points. They are on a 5-game winning streak and are 7-0-1 in the month of December. Plus, they have won their past 5 road games as well. That's a lot of good news... for them.
All lines of the Blackhawks are clicking as of late and are contributing, which the Pens can accomplish as well, we just have to be on the top of our game. The Pens are coming off a stellar 8-3 win over Buffalo and let's hope that momentum carries over to tonight's game. Ray Emery has been in net for a lot of the Blackhawks' success and will be in net for them tonigh against our Pens.

Injury update: (Oh how I wait for the day when there will be no injuries to update or report on!)
Sidney Crosby will not be in the lineup, shocker!
Jordan Staal and Craig Adams are game time decisions for tonight's game. Both say they feel ok and feel ready to go, they just need to talk to Dan Bylsma and the trainers and we will see if they will be in the lineup tonight.

Perhaps if we had our full team intact we would be experiencing success like the Blackhawks' current success. They have a pretty healthy lineup, something any Pens fan is jealous of right now. Take a look at the two teams' injured lists. We're not playing horribly and are doing ok most of the time, but we know that this team is a lot stronger with everyone healthy.

PENGUINS:
C Sidney Crosby, undisclosed
F Dustin Jeffrey, knee
D Kris Letang, broken nose and concussion
D Ben Lovejoy, broken wrist
D Paul Martin, lower body
D Zbynek Michalek, concussion
F Richard Park, fractured foot
F Jordan Staal, lower body

BLACKHAWKS
F Dan Carcillo, upper body

Pens blow the Sabres away!

I apologize for not posting in a few days, but it is that time of year when one can become quite busy.

After a tough loss to Ottawa, the Pens needed a strong game, a game with some goal scoring and great work on the power play and most of all, a win.

The Pens got exactly that in their 8-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres Saturday night. It was a night of juggling goaltenders for the Sabres but neither goaltender in any of their attempts could stop the Pens Saturday night. They were determined and focused and it translated into scoring 8 goals. Now the Pens will have to ride that momentum into their game tomorrow night against the Chicago Blackhawks at Consol Energy Center.



Next,...

We are all well aware of the injuries that have been plaguing the Pens this season and the Pens' website has a new way of looking at the injuries and putting them into a different perspective: The salary cap effect. The Pens spend pretty close to the cap limit almost every season since the salary cap has been put in place and this season was certianly no exception.
Just from recent games, the Pens are missing around $28 million of player salary from the lineup. Our lineup Saturday would have a salary hit of a little under $39 million, that's a lot under the salary cap of $64.3 million and even under the cap floor, the minimum each team has to pay, of $48.3 million. Shows how many of our top players are missing from the lineup, as if we needed any other reminders.

For the rest of the article by Sam Kasan: http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=607234&navid=DL|PIT|home

Pens fall short against Detroit.

The Penguins just could not pull off a win last night against the Detroit Red Wings. Despite leading a good portion of the game 1-0 on a late first period goal by Evgeni Malkin, the Red Wings came on strong in the third and beat the Pens 4-1. It was not a game in which the Pens played horribly. Are there areas to improve in, of course. There are after every game. Every area of our game has to be strong with or without our best players in order to win hockey games, especially against other strong teams.


Marc Andre Fleury states that he needs to be better in order to give the Pens a fighting chance every night. He knows it's not good to give up 3 goals to a good team and that in doing so, it makes it tougher on the team. He knows he can play better and step up and be a stronger force in net. We all know what Fleury is capable of and have seen him at his best. He has carried this team through injuries numerous times before and needs to do it again.


Alex Picard and Jason Williams have been sent back down to the Baby Pens and Zbynek Michalek says he may return Friday night.

Pens take on Red Wings tonight.

It seems to be a recurring theme for the Pens: Injuries. The past few seasons have brought us a lot of different injuries and we usually rise to the occasion and show our opponents what skill we have even with so many players out with injury. The same will need to go for tonight's game. Crosby is out and Malkin is a game-time decision as is Jordan Staal. Jason Williams was called up from the Baby Pens for tonight's game. All souds too familiar. Though, that means that the Pens are used to it and know they have to play their best to get a win against a team that has consistently been a contender for years now, the Detroit Red Wings.

Detroit has been playing well as of late, in fact they have managed to force the starting goaltender out of the game their past two games. Which reiterates that the Pens will need to be at their best tonight, but when do they not have to be? Again, the Wings power play is strong and the Pens will have to match with a strong Penalty Kill that has been getting away from them a bit the past couple weeks. Also, the Pens power play needs to be better and they need to keep it simple and get their chances.

While a game between the Pens and Red Wings is not quite like a game against the Flyers or the Caps, it still is a rivalry because of the two Stanley Cup finals in recent years between the two. Tonight's game could be an exciting one, so be sure to tune in!

Health is first priority.

Crosby's update yesterday should not have been a surprise to many and I know it's not the focus any longer; we have a game tonight to concentrate on, but it is good to see a player take this seriously.

I read an article on pittsburghlive.com (link above again by clicking on title of this post) that made me realize that so many players just think it is better to play through whatever injury they have. Sometimes, I think it's ok. Hockey fans know how tough hockey players are. We know that it is not unheard of for players to suffer a big gash or cut or various other injuries and come out minutes later patched up and play like it never happened. It's a part of hockey that I find admirable because it just doesn't happen that often in other sports. Though, sometimes it may be better to sit out and concussions are an injury that need to be taken seriously.

We have all heard the people saying that Crosby is being a baby, that he should just play through the headaches and that players have played through a lot worse, but as Keith Primeau points out and talks about in the article written by Josh Yohe, Crosby is doing the right thing, which is a lot tougher to do than you may think. Keith Primeau has been through this road before and ultimatley retired because of concussions. He has worked on trying to stop the high occurence of concussions ever since and he believes Crosby is being a hero for how he is handling his recovery. "The fact is, Sidney had the courage to speak up when something wasn't right. Good for him. Maybe people don't realize it, but that's a true sign of courage. It really is."

While I am done talking about Crosby's concussion because it is being discussed nonstop, I thought I would bring this article to you, my readers, to see that Crosby is doing the right thing and putting his health first now and hopefully continues to do so, as if you didn't already know that. Now, let's focus on tonight's game.

Read more: Primeau: Pens' Crosby showing true courage - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_771752.html#.TuexjZOhp4Z.facebook#ixzz1gSJ4TXqV

Crosby out of lineup again.

When the "Crosby Update" was announced today, we knew it wouldn't be a good one. And I knew exactly what was going to happen when he missed the past two games, I knew it would be longer. I wished it wasn't true but it is. Also, I don't want to be so pessimistic, but we know that this will plague Crosby for quite some time; and no, I am not talking a little bit more this season, more likely for many seasons to come, if not his whole career. We know that Crosby did not just have a minor concussion, he had a pretty serious one. We are all well aware of that because of the 10 months he has already spent recovering from his concussion.

Crosby said in his "update" today that he just didn't feel right after the game against Boston, though he did well on his ImPact test and he says he does not feel as badly as he did when suffering from his concussion last January. Sure, these are all good signs, but that does not deny the fact that Crosby will miss a number of games while getting back to 100% and that the risk of this happening again is quite high.

Needless to say, I am a huge fan of the Pens and that means that I am a fan of Crosby's, how could a Pens fan not be? However, I did see some things that I rather would not have seen when Crosby returned. The first couple games back for Crosby, it was evident that most opposing players were respectful of Crosby's situation and were doing their best to try and not hit him too hard. However, to gain respect, you have to earn it and by being Crosby, he earned some, but he quickly lost it when he went out there throwing hits and sticking up for teammates by giving hits out. Don't get me wrong, I am all for a strong, close team and sticking up for one another, but not in dicey ways that put the team and player's health at risk. That is what Crosby did. By going out and playing the way he did at times gave other teams a reason to hit him when they may not have due to his situation. I know that some hits are going to happen and I also know that sometimes you just can not avoid things and your emotions get the best of you, but let the people on the team that are there to give the hits and throw some punches take care of sticking up for players.

Crosby is a great player and the way he plays: emotions, intensity, skill and focus all included are wonderful, but it would be in his best interest and the best interest of this team if he were a little more careful and tried to control the hits he gives out. To get respect, you have to show respect for others.

Without Crosby, the Pens are still strong and we are a fine team without him, so we will just have to come together again and show the other teams what we are still capable of!

Pens vs. Islanders tonight.

After a tough loss to the Flyers, the Pens are looking to get back on track against the Islanders tonight. It will be another game without Sidney Crosby and now Jordan Staal is out with a lower body injury. Richard Park is not playing tonight and is day-to-day as is Jordan Staal. The Pens called up Jason Williams to play tonight. Though, Deryk Engelland will be back in the lineup for tonight.



Any loss to the Flyers is a tough one, but our last game was especially tough because the Pens had a bad start to the game and came up with some goals later on, but it wasn't enough to beat the Flyers. We simply were not at our best.


Time to move on though; the Islanders are not the Flyers, but they have been on a surge lately. Therefore, the Pens still need to be at their best to ensure a win and get back on track and play better. Let's hope that the Pens start out strong tonight and rise above the injuries, as we have done countless times the past few seasons and show what we can do when we play our best.

Flyers vs. Pens tonight.

It's a game that will attract more attention and viewers than most Pens games tonight, oh wait... there's a Steelers game tonight too, or so I've heard. Then no, this game will only have the regular viewers and the true Pens fans tuning in to watch the Pens take on the Flyers in Philadelphia.


Anyways, you may have heard that our Captain, Sidney Crosby, is not playing tonight or Saturday's game either. It's just a precaution. He took some hits in the tough loss to Boston and he had a headache, but don't worry, his imPACT test didn't show anything troubling. This is just what we will have to deal with. After missing 10 months of hockey due to a concussion, I guess one could be a little apprehensive when feeling a headache after taking some hits, so we will need to be patient as Crosby and the Pens want to take every headache seriously due to the seriousness of one for Crosby.


We've been without Crosby in the lineup plenty of times to know how to play without him. This game will be a tough test for the Pens with or without Crosby because the Flyers are on a bit of a streak right now and are coming off a 5-4 overtime win over Buffalo just last night after being down 3-0 in that game. Therefore, the Pens will have to be at their best tonight and stay out of the penalty box and step up on their power play.


Also, Steve MacIntyre was taken off of IR today for tonight's game and Zbynek Michalek was placed on IR retroactive November 26th, so he can be taken off at any time.

This is the first game this season between the two rivals and also the first time the Pens will be versing the Flyers with Max Talbot and Jaromir Jagr as part of their team. We'll see what these former Pens do against us tonight.

NHL Realignment

By now, we have all heard that the NHL Board of Governers approved the NHL alignment plan which means the NHL is in for a shakeup next season. The conferences have yet to be named which means they are now known as Conferences A-D. That’s right, the NHL will now have 4 conferences.
Conference “A” will consist of:
• Anaheim Ducks
• Calgary Flames
• Colorado Avalanche
• Edmonton Oilers
• L.A. Kings
• Phoenix Coyotes
• San Jose Sharks
• Vancouver Canucks.

Conference “B” will consist of:
• Chicago Blackhawks
• Columbus Blue Jackets
• Dallas Stars
• Detroit Red Wings
• Minnesota Wild
• Nashville Predators
• St. Louis Blues
• Winnipeg Jets

Conference “C” will consist of:
• Boston Bruins
• Buffalo Sabres
• Florida Panthers
• Montreal Canadiens
• Ottawa Senators
• Tampa Bay Lightning
• Toronto Maple Leafs

Conference “D” will consist of:
• Carolina Hurricanes
• New Jersey Devils
• New York Islanders
• New York Rangers
• Philadelphia Flyers
• Pittsburgh Penguins
• Washington Capitals

You may have noticed that Conferences A and B have 8 teams and Conferences C and D only have 7 teams. In our seven-team conference, teams will play each other 6 times- 3 home and 3 away. Whereas, the 8-team conference teams will play each other 5 or 6 times in a season on a rotating basis. Also, each team will play one another at least twice a season, one home and one away with each team.

One thing that has not been decided is whether or not the Stanley Cup finals can be played with 2 teams from the east or west. We know that the top four teams from each Conference will make it into the playoffs and the first two rounds will determine which four continue on to the two semifinals. After that, it is unsure what will happen.
Therefore, it will take further meetings to work everything out.

For the Pens, our “conference” is not all that different from our current division but we do have the addition of some tough teams (If they are to stay relatively the same for next season.) We will have to travel more with having to face every team, but that was known to happen because this was done in part to rectify the excessive traveling some teams were doing in the current alignment. We will have to wait and see what the new alignment will bring and how this will further affect the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Pens vs. Capitals tonight.

Just days after the Washington Capitals fired their head coach, Bruce Boudreau, and hired Dale Hunter, they will be facing a team they have a bit of a history with, our Pens. The Capitals lost their first game under their new coach earlier in the week and are looking for his first win with the Capitals. Let's hope he has to search longer. The Pens-Caps games tend to always be exciting and keep the fans engaged as you just never know what will happen. (Except for that game 7 a few years ago in the playoffs where the Pens blew past the Capitals to take the series!)

I might also add that Bruce Boudreau was announced today as the Anaheim Ducks new coach, as he replaces Randy Carlyle. Didn't take him long at all to find a new job.

Anyways though, on to some Pens news. Simon Despres was called up from the Baby Pens today as Alex Picard was sent back down. Despres will make his NHL debut tonight, and what a team to make a debut with.

The fans get excited for Caps-Pens games and it used to be the Ovehckin vs. Crosby game. That may have died down a little, but these teams still offer a lot of skill and talent and that is why I get excited for these games. There's a rivalry, both teams get fired up to play each other and hopefully that means they play their best. When asked today about playing the Capitals, Captain Crosby said, "I think both teams bring out the best in one another. It should be another good one." If they do bring out the best of one another, let's hope the Pens show the Capitals who is the best.

Cooke's new mindset.

Well, last night's loss to the Rangers was a tough one. We started catching up, but just couldn't quite reach them as the Rangers went on to win 4-3. The Pens took too many penalties and their penalty kill was not as stellar and consistent as it can be and the Rangers capitalized on some opportunities. Things to address and correct before tomorrow night's game against the Washington Capitals.

Though, after a tough loss, I would now like to direct attention to something positive for the Pens and that would be the play of Matt Cooke so far this season. Matt Cooke has been a player I loved to have on our team in the past, but I will admit, also in the past, there have been times when I wished that Matt Cooke was not a member of the Pens. Some of his hits in the past were dirty and I was tired of the antics and the suspensions and the way it refelcted on the Pens. However, Matt Cooke has made a change to the way he approaches playing and the results so far are pretty great.


NHL.com staff writer Dave Lozo recently wrote an article about how Cooke is a changed player and the link is available above by clicking on the title of the post.

It was last season's elbow hit to the head of Ryan McDonagh, a Rangers defenseman, and the suspension that ended up lasting 17 games that made Cooke truly evaluate his style of play and change his ways. He spent that suspension and the summer watching video of himself and vowing that he would be a different player. So far, Cooke has delivered. He only has four minor penalties so far this season and his scoring output is on track for a career high. He is leading the team for blocked shots among forwards and only has 32 hits.

Now, this is a change that needs to be carried through because one wrong move or hit and we know that the suspension that would follow would be a monumental one this season. Whether he had a good start to the season or not. He'll have the label of his dirty hits for quite a while.

I am happy to see Cooke acknowledge that his style of game needed to change as he saw the risk in his appraoch and now has made some changes for the better. I would love to see hits to the head completely eliminated, but things happen in such a fast-paced game. Until that happens, I'm just glad that Cooke is consciously doing his best to try and avoid from delivering those hits.

Pens face Rangers tonight.

First off, the Penguins have recalled two defensemen, Alex Picard and Robert Bortuzzo. This is due to the fact that Kris Letang and Zbynek Michalek are coming back to Pittsburgh to be further evaluated.


Tonight's game will be a good test for the Pens. The Rangers have won six straight at home and have won 9 of their past 11 games. The Rangers are behind the Pens in the Atlantic Division creeping up on us. Brad Richards, newly acquired this offseason, has been finding his rhythm lately and now has 8 goals for the season and presents that offensive threat. The Rangers have been a hot team lately and tonight's game should be a good one between the Pens and Rangers.

Sid's comeback was great and all, but...

Tom Thompson of The Hockey News wrote a column about Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux returning to hockey and it's a story you should check out. The link is available above. (Just click on the title of this blog post.)

It was over a week ago that Sidney Crosby returned to the lineup and most eyes were on that return. The media coverage was closer to the coverage deep in the NHL playoffs and the speculation before and after the game could only be reserved for Sidney Crosby. I don't believe that any other player would garner that much attention. Though, it wasn't the biggest return we have seen. Not just as NHL fans, but Pens fans have had a memorable return in the past. Mario Lemieux's return to the game coming out of retirement was the biggest return Pens fans have witnessed.

Not only did it bring a bigger rating on tv locally than Crosby's recent return, Lemieux's return to the game of hockey was more of a surprise than Crosby's eventual return. Sidney had press conferences, updates, clearing for contact, practices and the questioning was relentless leading up to the announcement that Crosby would play last Monday night.
On the other hand, Lemieux had retired and therefore did not have daily access to the media and the constant questioning. Lemieux had kept his return quiet and when he was seen skating with Jay Caufield, there was some questioning but no one knew for sure and who would guess that after so much in his career and surgeries and pain that Lemieux would be returning. Therefore, Lemieux's return was a surprise. It was one of the greatest players in NHL history, in my opinion the best player, returning to the game of hockey. Gone for a few years and returning to marvel us all again was truly one of the best things to happen to the game of hockey and I don't know that anything could reach Lemieux's return to hockey again.

What a busy day!

Well, it's been a busy first week back for Sidney Crosby and it was a busy day in the NHL today for coaches, and not the good kind of busy for some coaches.
First of all though, let's talk about Sidney Crosby. He has been back for 4 games now and has been doing a pretty great job after missing such a long time. Such a great job in fact, that he was named the first star of the week in the NHL. He has put up 9 points in those first four games and specualtion has already begun on whether he can take over the points column. It's a tad too early for that in my opinion, but I would be happy to see him try his best at it. Though, you never expect anything but Crosby's best when he is playing. Why do you think he had such a long recovery? He wanted to be sure he could play at his best upon his return.

The Pens are off to a great start, leading the NHL currently and with the addition of Crosby back in the lineup, I am sure the Pens are not a team a lot of other teams want to face. Which means that Dan Bylsma is doing a great job as coach, but that's not the case for two other Eastern Conference teams today. Bruce Boudreau, the Washington Capitals coach and Paul Maurice, the coach of the Carolina Hurricanes were both fired today. Boudreau was replaced by Dale Hunter and Maurice was replaced by Kirk Muller. Both teams have not been performing as well as some would expect and stars on those teams have also been suffering so far this season with mediocre starts. We'll have to wait and see what these coaching changes do for these teams.



To change subject, I read a great feature on Marc Andre Fleury last week on thn.com by Ryan Kennedy that was a great read. Here's a link to the article for you to check it out. http://www.thehockeynews.com/articles/43125-Kennedy-Can-Fleury-catch-Brodeurs-win-total.html?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=thn_daily_20111126

The column is about whether or not Fleury can catch Martin Brodeur's records and gives a good case as to why our top netminder is capable of doing just that!

Crosby returns and does fairly well in first game.

Obviously, Sidney Crosby did better than just fairly well in his return to the Pens lineup. Someone I know called that he was going to get 4 points and this same person also predicted that Steve Sullivan would score last night. Good predictions.
Crosby scored two goals and earned two assists in last night's 5-0 win against the Islanders. In fact, his first shot of the night turned into his first goal. I'd say that is a pretty good return, pretty decent. Of course, I am being sarcastic. Only Sidney Crosby would come back from missing ten months of hockey and have such a spectacular night. Just how lucky are we as Pens fans? Well, last night's game showed us just how lucky we are.
Though, I can't wait to see the Pens against a bit of a better team than the Islanders since they are having their struggles this season.
We'll get a chance to see the team against the St. Louis Blues tomorrow night.

There was a topic brought up on several occasions, once in Crosby's press conference last night and I heard some chatter on the radio as well about the topic also. The topic was about Sidney Crosby's reaction after his first goal in last night's game. Not just the excitement but for a certain word Crosby said after scoring. Crosby said he hoped people at home were not lip reading because he happened to say a bad word, but why are people so surprised? It was good to see him happy, that's for sure and I could not care less what he muttered after that goal. People are acting as if they have never heard him say the word or in this case, see him say the word. That's how you know a lot of occasional Pens fans were watching took note. I've read that word from Crosby's mouth too many times to count. I think he earned the right to say the word after scoring last night and a lot of other times too.

It's exciting to see Crosby back and to see him do so well in his first game. The talk of the scoring race and Sid's potential of winning it is already taking place just after last night's game. Well, I don't make predictions and I tend not to think so prematurely on such things. We will just have to wait and see what happens, but I am just happy to watch Pens games like last night's game and hope they keep coming.

Pens host Islanders tonight.

The Pens have Sidney Crosby coming back and the Islanders have a player making their NHL debut tonight. It is their goalie, Nilsson. The Islanders have been plagued with some injured goaltenders quite a bit over the past few seasons and that is due in large part to Rick Dipietro pretty much always being injured and I don't need to remind any of you what happened to him last season after Brent Johnson landed a punch. Dipietro and the Islanders signed a 15 year deal years ago and that has got to be one of the biggest mistakes, he has barely even played with all he has been through.

Well, anyways, with Michalek returning as well to the lineup tonight, the defense pairings are different and Picard will be sitting tonight's game out and here are the matchups:
Martin-Michalek
Orpik-Letang
Niskanen-Engelland

Crosby will be joining his former line along with Pascal Dupuis and Chris Kunitz. Here are the lines from today's morning skate:
Sullivan-Malkin-Neal
Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Cooke-Staal-Kennedy
Asham-Park-Adams

All in all, there are a few things that have me excited for tonight's game and this game has the potential to be a good one and I hope it is. Don't want to disappoint all the people watching just for Crosby's return. Let's give them a show!

He's Back!

That's right, he is back in the lineup, the moment we have all been waiting for... Zbynek Michalek is back in the lineup for tonight's game when the Pens host the New York Islanders. Oh and Sidney Crosby is also returning to the lineup tonight as well. Now, I am just as excited as the next person to have Sid back in the lineup tonight but I believe some people may be getting a tad too excited. We knew the day was coming, sooner or later, and yes, at moments the later part seemed to be the most true, but he has been taking contact and reported no side effects, so we all knew the day was coming. Except for those people who chose to believe that Sid was retiring or he would take this whole season off. However, some people out there are treating this like Easter, one would think Jesus has risen from the dead and not that Sidney was coming back from his concussion.
I understand some of the excitement and of course the attention, he has been out for so long and he is one of the best players, if not the best, player in the league. Just like everyone else, I am excited to see what the Pens can do with Sid back in the lineup since we have been doing fairly well with him out of the lineup, but let's take this slow. Though, it would not be unlike Sid to come back to his original form and just tear into scoring, I'll still give him a break and let him get acclimated to the game action that he has missed for so long. Who knows what will happen tonight, but some people are acting as if they thought he would never play again. Most of those people though could probably not name many other members of the team.

So here we are, Monday, November 21, 2011- the date of Sid's comeback and Michalek's too. We'll see what happens and I am excited to see the fresh goaltender the Islanders will have in net, Nilsson. It will be his first NHL start. Wow, first game in the NHL and it just so happens to be the game Sidney Crosby is returning after a long recovery from a concussion, talk about pressure.

Yes, I am excited to have Sid back in the lineup, thrilled even, and can't wait to see what tonight's game will bring, but for more reasons than just Sid returning to the lineup!

Pens face Lightning tonight.

Again, the Pens are in a warmer place preparing for a game, tonight's game is against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Fleury will be in net tonight and Crosby, is not in the lineup, just to reiterate. Michalek practiced with the team today, nearing the 4-week mark of a 4-6 week recovery period.

The Pens are on their annual dad's trip and in the past, that has usually meant the Pens have stepped up their games to make dear old dad proud, so let's hope that trend continues tonight. Also, the motivation of being eliminated by the Lightning in last year's playoffs may be an incentive to bring their "A" game as well. Either way, look for tonight's game to be an exciting one, not sure if it will be quite as exciting as the Colorado game, but you never know in the game of hockey.
Let's Go Pens!

What a game!

There is nothing quite like winning a game after being down by 2 goals multiple times, or any amount of goals for that matter. After being down 2-0 and 3-1, the Pens pulled off a spectacular 6-3 win over the Colorado Avalanche last night. We were lucky enough to see some amazing goals last night, from both teams and the talent and skill of these players never ceases to amaze me. The Pens had an overall team win last night with goals going to 6 different players: James Neal, Jordan Staal, Evgeni Malkin, Brooks Orpik, Pascal Dupuis and Kris Letang. If you missed the game, you need to watch some highlights!

Some team news: Eric Tangradi was sent back down to the Baby Pens and the Pens recalled Steve MacIntyre from his conditioing assignment with the Baby Pens.
This may come as a shock to you, but Sidney Crosby will not be in tomorrow night's lineup for the game against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The Pens are currently on their Dad's trip so the past shows that Johnson is most likely to start in goal tomorrow night.

Pens host Colorado tonight.

The Pens and Consol Energy Center will play host to the Colorado Avalanche tonight. The game has a 7:30 start time tonight because it's on Versus, so don't be discouraged when the game isn't starting a little after 7 and also make sure you are on the right channel! Speaking of channels, here's a little news for you...
Tyler Kennedy is a game-time decision for tonight's game and so is Steve Sullivan and we all know Crosby's status. Dustin Jeffrey has been called up from his conditioning assignment with the Baby Pens.

Colorado has the best power play in the league, so the Pens will have to bring out their top penalty-killing tonight.
If you happen to be going to the game tonight, don't forget your food items for the Score Against Hunger Food Drive, or make a cash donation.

Should be an exciting game, Let's Go Pens!

The good, the bad and the ugly.

It wasn't that bad of a weekend for the Pens. They beat the Dallas Stars 3-1 Friday night with a 2-goal effort from James Neal who continues to keep scoring the goals that we had hoped he would bring when we signed him. Saturday night, the Pens fell a bit short in a 5-3 loss against the Carolina Hurricanes. Jordan Staal had a 2-goal game against his brother Eric, but it wasn't enough to bring a win. That loss is behind us now though and we can now look forward to hosting the Colorado Avalanche tomorrow night. That's the good and the bad, now here comes the ugly...

In case you were wondering, Coach Bylsma stated today that the status of Crosby has not changed and he reiterated that they are not keeping a secret from the media and they will notify them when they know Sid is playing. When asked what the doctors are looking for in order for Crosby to return, Bylsma stated that he is not educated in that area and does not know what the doctors are looking for. Well, join the club. It seems as if all the pieces are together for a return but apparently, the jigsaw puzzle still has some key pieces missing. It seems like we need another press conference with the doctors to understand what is taking so long after Crosby has been cleared for contact. I really hope it does not come to that though, that press conference was too long and there were too many similes for my taste.
I understand that concussions are extremely delicate injuries to recover from and we have too many examples in the NHL of how they can end a career, but it just seemed like things were looking optimistic for a while. I knew better than to get my hopes up though and I am thankful I did not. I am prepared for Crosby's return to take quite a bit more time. Just in case of course. I am sure my mind could quickly adjust to the idea of Crosby returning in the very near future though.

Pens host Stars tonight.

After a long break of Pens hockey, the Pens will be back at Consol Energy Center tonight hosting the Dallas Stars, the best team in the standings so far in the season.
We have been anxiously awaiting the next Pens game during this long break but we had all of the Crosby rumors of whether or not he would be returning tonight to keep us satisfied. In case you haven't heard, Crosby is not playing tonight or tomorrow night either.
It was also reported that Tyler Kennedy would be a game-time decision for tonight's game, but coach Dan Bylsma said today that Kennedy is out for tonight's game and Eric Tangradi will be in the lineup.
The Dallas Stars have had a great start to this season so far with an 11-3 start and are looking to continue a win streak. The Pens haven't had that bad of a start to the season and tonight's game will be a good test and a great game I'm sure.
Thank goodness Pens hockey is back!!

Tangradi called up.

It was announced this evening that Eric Tangradi has been called up from the Wilkes Barre Scranton Baby Pens. Tangradi currently leads the Baby Pens in goals with 7 and that is good to have him ranked 10th in the AHL for goals. He is second on the team in points with 12 points in 12 games.
Tangradi just had a 2-goal game in a 4-2 win against Norfolk.

Crosby not playing this weekend.

Looks like tomorrow's date will just be a special date on the calendar and not for Sidney Crosby's return. Coach Dan Bylsma said today that the Pens are not keeping a secret and when they know Sidney Crosby will be playing, they'll let us know. He let us know that Crosby will not be playing this weekend. That means at least 2 more games without Crosby.

He has been taking contact in practices and has had no problems, that have been reported at least, but we still have to wait to see Crosby play his first game this season and his first since January 5th.
As Pens fans, we are spoiled. We have had some of the greatest players to ever play the game of hockey on our team throughout the years. Now, our team consists of some of the greatest talent the NHL has to offer. Therefore, we tend to be a little greedy and impatient. We have a strong team without Crosby in the lineup, as is shown by our strong start to the season, however, we also know how scary we can be with all of our players healthy and in the lineup. That knowledge itself is what is making the waiting game for Crosby's return that much more difficult.
We were patient last season and knew he wouldn't return and even knew that he would not start this season but with the anticipation of being cleared to practice with the team and then being cleared for contact, Pens fans have seen the light at the end of the tunnel become brighter and brighter. Now, it is so close, we just all want to reach it so badly. And we will, soon enough. He is returning soon, that's the important thing to focus on. We have to be patient a tad longer, and you know what they say... Good things happen to those who wait.

When will Crosby play?

Most Pens fans have been wondering this week, ok really for months now, when Sidney Crosby would return to the lineup. Suspicion has grown recently because the Pens have had long breaks between games recently and that meant full practices with opportunity for Crosby to take contact. Well, those practices have been taking place and Crosby has taken contact. However, we still don’t know when Crosby will be back in uniform for a game.
Many fans and media outlets have had this Friday’s home game against the Dallas Stars circled on their calendars for Crosby’s likely return. The reasons… first, he’s had those practices with contact and no setbacks or side effects have been reported. For us, that would most likely indicate that he is ready to go. Though, one should not rush recovery from a concussion. Some also believe that this Friday’s date, 11-11-11, would make a great return date and the fact that the game is home is even more of a sign to point to Crosby returning.
While I was thinking Crosby would return this Friday also for some time, now I am not so sure. Every time he has been asked this week, Crosby has been spreading skepticism about playing Friday night. He has been saying he had not planned on it and that he has no date that his is looking at to return. (Also, the significance of the date will not factor into his decision of playing or not he says). The coaches and Pens’ reps have not led anyone to believe of a Friday return either.
That leaves us with two options: Crosby plays Friday night or he doesn’t. I am sure Crosby has not been lying in all those answers he has been giving all week. A concussion is not like other injuries and one never can be sure when one of those symptoms can present itself once again. So, Crosby most likely does not have a date in his mind to return and if he does, he would not share it with the media. A return is likely sooner rather than later though and it is this reason alone that could point to Crosby playing Friday. Surely, no one, not Crosby or the Pens, want anyone looking forward to a designated game that Crosby will play if there is still a chance he will not be able to. Therefore, they may have to dissuade people looking at a certain game on the calendar to not get everyone’s hopes up and have them crashing down. One thing is certain though, in order for Crosby to play Friday he would have to taken off the Injured Reserve list by 5:00p.m. this Friday. So, that date is still circled on everyone’s calendar, but who knows if it will be Crosby’s return or just a date that doesn’t come around too often, 11-11-11.

Pens trade Letestu.

Yesterday it was announced that the Penguins traded Mark Letestu to the Columbus Blue Jackets in exhange for a 4th round draft pick at the 2012 draft.
We knew it was coming. Letestu was struggling early in this season and with some players starting to get healthy, he became the odd man out. If we would have sent him down to the Baby Pens, he probably would not clear waivers, get picked up by another team and the Pens would get nothing in return. By trading him, the Pens got something out of the transaction.
Best wishes and good luck in your career, Mark!

Pens face Sharks tonight.

The Pens are in San Jose to take on the Sharks tonight, which means a late start, 10:30 p.m.
Jordan Staal and Kris Letang are game-time decisions to play tonight and Alex Picard was called up from the Wilkes-Barre Sranton Baby Pens as a precaution. We'll have to wait and see who plays tonight.

Zbynek Michalek, who broke his finger a week and a half ago in a game against the Devils, skated today after the morning skate. His revovery was timed at 4-6 weeks.

The Pens haven't had much luck when playing in San Jose against the Sharks, so the Pens will be looking for a win tonight and also look to get back on track for their stellar penalty-killing, as it did not fare so well against the Maple Leafs on Saturday.

I am sure, like me, all of you are anxious to see the Pens play again. It was the longest break of the season so far for the Pens and I know some of you were uneasy waiting so long, but the Pens are finally back tonight. Don't fall asleep between periods though, or if you do, make sure you have someone or something waking you up, don't want to miss a second of any game action tonight!

Pens Hockey Withdrawal.

Pens fans got used to watching a Pens game usually every other night and this long break between Saturday's game against Toronto and tomorrow night's game against San Jose is a tad too long. I find myself going through a bit of Pens hockey withdrawal, not knowing what to do some nights from 7:00 p.m. until about 10:00 p.m. Ok, maybe that is a bit of an exaggeration, but I am missing my Pens hockey and the fact that tomorrow night's game is a late start for us on the East Coast (game starts at 10:30) makes it a little bit harder.

On the other hand though, the Pens needed this break and got a chance to rest up and let some injuries heal and I even heard that Sidney Crosby took some hits in practice and is doing well, who would have thunk it? Yes, these long breaks can be tough on us Pens fans, but they can do wonders for our team. They can heal, practice and work on some areas that need improvement, get in some much-needed contact (a word we have heard so much recently), and anything else they may need to prepare for that next game. This long break happened to come after a loss and the Pens surely had enough time to analyze what they did wrong and things that went well in the loss against Toronto. Now, the Pens are hopefully more prepared and ready to go for tomorrow night's game. Let's hope that nice California weather isn't too distracting, I know I would love to be there right now!

So, we only have about 30 more hours to go until the next Pens game! Can't come soon enough.

Since it's Halloween...

Happy Halloween everyone!

It was a more happy Halloween for me because I saw a picture of Geno and Sid at the Pens Halloween party and got a good laugh. If you haven't seen the picture, I am sure you can find it online pretty much anywhere by this point in time, but I am not going to post it due to various reasons. Not quite sure what Geno is from his costume, could be a few options. Sid, though, dressed as a gladiator. Good to see that he had head gear as part of the costume. We want to make sure that he is taking precautions when it comes to his concussion and we don't want any setbacks coming from a Halloween party.

As for Jordan Staal and Tyler Kennedy, they dressed as Dumb and Dumber with the blue and orange suits that are iconic from the movie. I just wonder which one was dumb and who was dumber?

Now that is a Halloween party I would really love to attend. Maybe I can work on that for next year's party. Happy Halloween!

Much needed break comes for Pens.

Just as the Pens are getting a break from the schedule, I took a small break from posting because of a busy schedule recently and I apologize. So here is the much anticipated next post:

After a pretty tough schedule for the Penguins for the month of October, they are coming to a stretch where they have some time off between games. Our next game is not until Thursday against the San Jose Sharks. This will give the Pens a chance to have some practices where they can focus on all facets of the game and work out any problems they may have noticed during the busy month of October.

Sidney Crosby will have a chance to get in some good practices and hopefully get some contact to see whether or not he is ready for some game action. However, with this time off and more chance for practices, we know that Crosby will be returning soon, hopefully. I am predicting a return shortly!

The Pens also will have a chance to reflect on their 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday. The game was a bit back and forth in the goal-scoring, but the Pens could not pull off a tying goal and the loss ended their win streak at 5. They'll have plenty of time to analyze this loss and others and work on areas that are struggling perhaps, maybe 5-on-5 play. Their penalty-killing was not as strong as it has been all season Saturday night either. There is always room for improvement and the Pens who are exiting the first month of the season with the most games played and an 8-3-2 record, this time will give a pretty good team the chance to get even better and some injuries to heal.

Can't wait for Thursday!

Fleury shuts out Islanders.

Marc Andre Fleury earned his first shutout of the season and 20th of his career Tuesday night against the New York Islanders. Fleury was strong in net as the Pens completed their 3-0 win against the Islanders. Evgeni Malkin returned to game action last night and appears to be ready to go.

Now, I didn't let a thought of the possible shut out cross my mind and of course, I did not dare speak of the possibility out loud either. I was relieved when those last minutes wound down and the Islanders were unable to score. Great job Fleury. The Pens will have a chance to repeat another win against the Islanders tomorrow night as the Pens host the Islanders at Consol Energy Center.

Pens vs. Islanders tonight.

After a few wins at home, the Pens are on the road again in New York for tonight's game against the New York Islanders.
Coming off of victories over the Montreal Canadiens and the New Jersey Devils, the Pens are looking to get the next win on the road tonight.
The Pens also could have Evgeni Malkin in the lineup tonight, he is a game time decision for tonight's game. It would be wonderful if Malkin were ready to play tonight. Though, we have been doing pretty well without the forward and also without Captain Sidney Crosby. The Pens have maintained a great Penalty-kill that began last year and have been receiving some goal-scoring from James Neal and Jordan Staal had a two-goal effort Saturday night against the Devils. The Pens are playing strong without some of our key players and I can not wait for the entire team to be healthy.

Tonight's game against the Islanders will probably not look like the debacle these two teams had last season mainly because the two teams played against each other after that game last season and settled any lingering problems then. I don't need to detail the way the game last season played out or reminisce on any of the events or even the score, it's a game many of us will never forget.

It's a new season and a new season series against the Islanders and the Pens are just looking for a win.

Crosby not far from returning.

Crosby was cleared for contact a little while ago and it was exciting news for all us Pens fans because we know that that is one step closer to being ready for some game action. Though, with the Pens busy schedule, the captain has not been able to experience much contact since he was cleared because most of the practices have been game-day skates. I would like to think that when our schedule slows down a bit and the Pens are home more, the contact will be coming steadily and practice will become the routine practices and the captain will return soon.
I am not one to jinx anything dealing with the Pens. I don't make predictions on outocmes of Pens games or stats simply because I would think I jinxed the team. I'm the type of person that if a goalie hasn't let a goal in and it's the third period, I don't even dare think about a shutout and as the third period winds down, if someone I am with watching the game mutters anything about a shutout, I give them a glare. I just don't want to take any chances. That being said, I am hesitant to say anything, but I have a feeling Sid will be back soon. Not much of a prediction, I realize that, but I am just anticipating his return and hopefully his gradual process of being the same player he was when he was taken out last January.
When asked about an upcoming break in November from so many steady games and the chance at more practices, Sidney said, "I'm anxious for that for sure but, that being said, there needs to be times and situations and we haven't gotten a lot of those lately with our schedule," Crosby said. "As things go on, we'll get more and more time and hopefully get a better feel for where I'm at as far as contact is concerned." -thn.com

He's not the only one who's anxious.

Pens host Montreal Canadiens tonight.

Coming off of a win against the Minnesota Wild, the Pens are facing the Canadiens at home tonight. After a few losses in a row, the Pens hope to continue their winning streak they started Tuesday night. James Neal got his 6th goal of the season Tuesday night and continues his great play while we are down quite a few members.

However, we are getting a member of the Pens back for tonight's game... Brooks Orpik is expected to play tonight for the first time this season. Kris Letang will be out again, serving the second and last game of his suspension. It is nice to see some of our injured players beginning to come back to the lineup because when we have a healthy team, that's a scary team to play against.

Pens vs. Winnipeg Jets tonight.

After a couple tough losses to Washington and Buffalo, the Pens are looking to get back on track tonight against the Winnipeg Jets. The Pens will have to do so again without Evgeni Malkin who is still experiencing some soreness and did not even come along on the road trip and neither did Sidney Crosby. The Pens will have to pull off a win without the two forwards and will again rely on scoring from other players. James Neal seems to be filling that role quite well. After a disappointing end of last season with the Pens after he was traded, I am thrilled to see Neal coming into his own with the Pens and really finding his scoring touch. I can not wait for a full, healthy lineup for the Pens to be ready, but until then, I will be satisfied with continuing strong play on special teams and a bit of an improvement 5-on-5 as well as scoring from unexpected sources and scoring from players who were brought here to score some goals.

The Jets are having a tough time in their season back in Winnipeg as they have not won a game yet. They will be looking for their first win tonight against the Pens.

A day full of good news.

Well, a 3-0-1 record isn't a bad way to start a season and neither is hearing the news that Sidney Crosby has been cleared for contact. Just about a week and a half into the season, we get the news we have been waiting for. It's news we have been expecting to hear for a little while and today it finally came.
Another piece of information the Pens leaked today was that Chris Kunitz signed a two-year contract extension. Good to see Kunitz sign and stick around as well.
Malkin is a game time decision tonight for the game tonight against the Washington Capitals and a lot of reports are coming out that it is likely Malkin will be playing, but we will have to wait and see.

Tonight's game may be a heated battle against the Washington Capitals, but both teams are participating in a fundraiser for the tragedy that struck the Lokomotiv team this past summer.

A day of good news from the Pens will hopefully continue with great news tonight! Let's go Pens!

Pens win Home Opener

The Pens opened the Consol Energy Center with a win last night against the Florida Panthers. The Pens pulled off a 4-2 win last night at home without Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin. Not that that should surprise anyone. Especially with our wonderful line of Matt Cooke, Joe Vitale, and Pascal Dupuis. That was meant to be read with a tone of sarcasm, because some might not expect that line to be as lethal as they have been, but they have been fantastic. Last night's game was no exception either. They have been chipping in offensively, Matt Cooke has 3 goals in 4 games, and work hard every shift they are out there. With key players out of the lineup, it's great to see the rest of the team click and make our great team that much stronger.

Matt Cooke is not only adding goals to the Pens, he is adding a new perspective to his game. That would be less hitting, or at least the kind that would get him suspended, which for Matt Cooke could be any hit he delivers since he has earned a reputation for the suspensions he receives for hits. Last night Matt Cooke got his first penalty of the season and it was for interference. He knows he hurt the Pens last season with a hit that caused him to have a 17 game suspension including all 7 games against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs. The Pens struggled and who knows what might have been if Cooke had been able to pitch in during that first round elimination. Now, Cooke has a new philosophy and it seems to be working well. I commend Matt Cooke on the changes he has made to his game and look forward to seeing the changes continue the rest of the season.

Also, last night, Marc Andre Fleury was trying to get that empty net goal and I was rooting for him to get it just as much as he wanted it. It would be great to see Fleury get an empty-net goal and I loved seeing him trying last night because it is a tad funny to watch and see the team trying to help him. I hope he can achieve that goal this season and I'd love to see that huge grin of his when it does happen.

The Pens play host to the Washington Capitals tomorrow night and a question most are wondering is if Evgeni Malkin will be in the lineup. We'll see.

Pens Home Opener Tonight

After watching so many opening ceremonies during their Western Canada trip, the Pens will actually be able to take part in their own home opener ceremonies. There's nothing quite like having that first home game and hearing the excitement of the home crowd.
The Pens play host to the Florida Panthers tonight. Remember, if you are attending the game, you are asked to be in your seats by 7:20!

The season started days ago, but now there will be hockey in the city of Pittsburgh and now that they're home, the season truly gets underway for the Pens.

Pens conclude season-opening road trip.

The Pens have concluded their season-opening road trip and earned 5 out of a possible 6 points. That's not too bad and I will take it. Yes, it would have been nice to see the Pens win in the shootout last night against the Oilers, but they got a point. Last night, the Pens were without Evgeni Malkin. He left the game against Calgary the night before early and sat out last night's game.
Brent Johnson looked sharp most of the game in net and then stumbled a bit in the shootout, but he played better than most back-up goalies out there.
The Pens had some chances on the power play last night that just came up short and could have been a difference maker in the game, including a 5-minute major where the Pens failed to capitalize on.

However, I am still pleased with many things from this road trip and can not wait for the Pens to be back home and have their home opener tomorrow night against the Florida Panthers. It will finally be a hockey night IN Pittsburgh tomorrow.




Short and sweet blog post, just what my best friend and blog reader asked for!

Pens win season opener.

The Pens got off on a great foot for the season, and a familiar one as well. The Pens beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in a shootout last night to earn the victory. Last season, we saw plenty of shootouts and most of those were winners. However, it was nice to see Evgeni Malkin get that shootout goal last night because his shootout attempts have not always been spectacular in the past.

It's nice to see that the power play was strong last night and I hope that that continues. James Neal getting the first goal was hopefully a great sign. I believe I was just as happy as he was scoring that goal. I mentioned that I want him to show more of his scoring potential as a Pens player as he struggled with us late last season. I hope to see his goal total rising consistently and last night's goal was a beauty and we could use more of those. Of course, Matt Cooke adding two goals, one short-handed, last night was great as well. I love the Matt Cooke who scores goals and works well on special teams, not the one who gets suspended. He says he is changing the way he approaches hitting now and I hope to see that working and more goals can come as a result rather than more days spent in street clothes sitting out of games.

I saw a lot of positives in last night's game and can not wait for tomorrow's game against the Calgary Flames. That's right, it's another late start at 10 p.m. but if it's anything like last night's game, it promises to be an exciting one!

Pens season starts tomorrow.

For most of us Pens fans out there, today is like Christmas Eve. The anticipation and excitement most of us are feeling can only compare to that of a child waiting to open all their presents Christmas morning. I believe hockey fans have it a bit better though. Whereas a child gets a short amount of time opening all those presents and then enjoying playing with their new toys, hockey fans get months of nail-biting games, superb goals, jaw-dropping moments, great battles, intense rivalries, great saves, awesome breakaways, last minute goals to tie a game or break a tie and so much more. I can not wait for a new season to start, but I look forward to each and every game and this season has me particularly excited because I have a feeling we will see some great things. I may have trouble sleeping tonight because of excitement for a new hockey season, but I will need to rest to stay up for the late start for the Penguins tomorrow night in Vancouver. Something tells me though that I won't have any trouble keeping my eyes open.

So, we are almost there hockey fans! Another season is about to begin and anything is possible. At this point, any team can be lifting Lord Stanley's Cup at the end of the season. Ok, some teams and that dream are really far-fetched, but anything is possible at this point.

I also have to wish a Happy Birthday to the beloved Mario Lemieux. The Pittsburgh Penguins would not be what they are today without him. I truly believe that Mario Lemieux is one of the greatest people to ever step foot on this planet and the greatest player to ever grace the NHL. Thank you for all you have done Mario!

I'm back and the Pens are coming back too!

Well, after a two year hiatus, I decided I would come back to the blog world and do something I love about something I love: write about hockey! College got a tad busy and my blog went on the back burner. However, I have graduated and the job market allows me to dedicate a good amount of time on my blog now!

We all know the Pens season is just days away as we all have been waiting anxiously. The Pens were stellar in the preseason, going 5-1. Evgeni Malkin looked strong out there and with Sidney Crosby out with a concussion for who knows how long, it's great to see that Malkin is dedicated this season and worked hard in the offseason.

The Pens did extremely well last season under the circumstances with all the injuries. Remember, Malkin, Jordan Staal and Crosby played together for about 40 minutes. We made it to the playoffs only to be eliminated by the Tampa Bay Lightning. Our power play was atrocious during that round and was definitely something discussed and addressed. Enough about last season though, it's time for a brand new Penguins season to start and I know I am extremely excited for it to begin.

New hockey seasons bring a wide range of possibilities along for the ride. I love to see some surprise teams and players, whether it be a pleasant surprise or a disappointment. The Pens are getting high marks in a lot of different rankings, but I tend not to look at those too closely. With the players we have on our team, we are bound to end up high on most lists. And yes, I have heard that some are predicting that the Pens will win the Cup this season, but I am focused on just the beginning of the season and watching how the Pens shape up to be. One thing I am hoping for is that James Neal finds his scoring touch. He was not that stellar after coming over in a trade late last season, but I am hoping that we get to see his confidence and goal scoring go up.

The Pens 2011-2012 season starts this Thursday with a late start time for the East Coast at 10 p.m. as the game is in Vancouver. When that puck drops, anything is possible and all those possibilities of a new, fresh hockey season are why I love hockey and love this time of year! Let's go PENS!!!