News around the NHL.

It was 32 years ago today that Herb Brooks gave his famous locker room speech during the America vs. USSR semi-finals game during the Lake Placid Olympics in 1980. I was not alive yet and many of us were not in the locker room, but the meaning is certainly not lost and the movie about the event, Miracle, is one of my favorite movies. The speech in the movie will always give me chills and the U.S Olympic hockey team went on to beat USSR and then won gold that year. The "Miracle on Ice" will always be a cherished part of U.S. History.


Now, I must apologize. I had a blog post all prepared for yesterday, but because of technical difficulties, that I just recently fixed, I was not allowed to post. Therefore, my post about the game against the Rangers could not be posted. It was a good one too. Not as good as the game last night itself though. The Pens played a great game against the Rangers, shutting them down and Fleury was great at shutting them out, 2-0. A spectacular win over the Rangers for the Pens. It's great to see such an effort against the Eastern-Conference leading team. The Pens still have quite the obstacle ahead of them if they want to reach the Rangers though in the standings. That would take a pretty decent record to finish out the season and a good bit of losses from the Rangers. Though, the Pens showed that they are a tough team to beat and that is exactly what they were last night: a tough team to beat.


Now, with the trade deadline less than a week away, some talks are heating up. People still wonder if Rick Nash will be moving and to what team and some are saying the Pens are in search for a center, perhaps a center to add some depth to the team because of Crosby's situation and the unknowns of his return. It is also being reported that the Pens are scouting the Blue Jackets heavily, which because of proximity is not an unusual thing. However, some talk over Blue Jackets' centerman Samuel Pahlsson is said to be getting some looks from the Pens.
The Pens are supposedly looking for a scoring forward and/or depth center as their main priorities. In this year's market, the Pens might not get those types of players. The trade deadline is all about waiting to see what happens.


The Phoenix Coyotes acquired a center from the Blue Jackets today, Antoine Vermette. The Blue Jackets got a pair of draft picks and goaltender Curtis McElhinney in return.