Finding solutions to the problems should be main focus.

Well, as it turns out, yesterday was a great day for hockey. Too bad no one told the players that they were actually supposed to play hockey though.

Judging from the fan reaction at last night's game and social media after the game, I am not the only fan that is frustrated. Boos were heard at Consol Energy Center last night during some of the Pens' power play work, or lack thereof. While I myself am not a fan of booing my team, I completely understand the frustration of other fans. The Pens did not play well last night and the Islanders did play well. That's what it came down to. The Islanders looked good on their power play, had good speed and the Pens were the complete opposite.
Social media also tells me that there are a lot of different people involved in the organization to blame for the way the Pens played, but I will not be pointing fingers. I do not own a hockey franchise, I do not coach a hockey team, I have never played ice hockey and I do not have the credentials to do any of those things either. Therefore, I am not really in the position to cast blame on people and neither are most of you. I find it pointless to find a scapegoat when it's more important to find a solution to a problem and ensure that EVERY ONE understands the problem and situation and how to fix it. Let's face it, the whole team has things that are needed to be fixed.

And apparently today, an attempt to correct a situation has been implemented. The Pens had a new look for their power play at practice today. Evgeni Malkin moved to the right point and James Neal is back to his old position down low. Kris Letang was at the left point and Sidney Crosby was on the half wall while Chris Kunitz was at the net. We will see tomorrow night in New York against the Rangers if this new configuration is the answer to the power play problem.
It wasn't just the power play that was less than satisfactory last night, however. Therefore, the Pens will need to play a more consistent game and have a stronger defense. All in all, every aspect of the game needs to be stronger. Not a perfect game, but a much better one than what was played last night.

Penguin fans are a passionate bunch. Most of us know how lucky we are to have some of the players we have on our team and that translates to a good deal of expectation. It doesn't help that before this season started a week and a half ago, most were betting on the Pens winning the Stanley Cup. I am not saying that can't happen, but if we continue to play like we did last night, I can guarantee it will not happen. Perhaps we need a dose of patience at this point and just hope that the Pens reach their potential sooner rather than later. It's not easy, but what other alternative do we have, become Chicago Blackhawk fans? Well, I am sticking with the Pens. No one said it would be easy. In fact, perhaps we should think of the common logic that anything worth having never came easily. Maybe the Pens need to struggle a little bit to end up where they want to be. It's only 6 games into the 48 game season, we can't lose hope just yet.

Not quite there yet...

It's a Great Day for Hockey! It truly is; the weather today is wonderful: Partly cloudy and in the 60s. Winter in Pittsburgh sure can be unpredictable. (It will feel like winter again on Thursday, sorry.) Also, I apologize for not posting since the season has gotten underway.

Tonight, the forecast is set for a game against the New York Islanders. Now, in recent seasons, the Pens have pretty much dominated against the Islanders (except for the last few last season) and the Islanders aren't out to a great start, 2-2-1, but the Pens are coming off a win after 2 losses, so the Pens sure do have some things to work on. Therefore, the Islanders should not be under-estimated.

One area the Pens will need to be stronger in is puck management. The turnovers have been a problem these few games into the season. The Pens will need to be more responsible. Another area of concern that some people are worried about is the lack of offense. It's still quite early in the season and sometimes it can take a little time before players find the back of the net. I guess with the players on the team, most expect a lot more offense. Don't hit the panic button just yet. This is a season that a month ago still looked doubtful of occuring at all. Therefore, we have to realize that with a short training camp and no pre-season games, and still very early in the season, this is not a perfect team. Hate to break it to some people out there, it never will be either.
Hopefully we see a better version of the Pens in tonight's game.

Let's also hope the Pens will have their first win at home tonight.

Hockey and the fans are back and a lot to look forward to.

After lockouts, one expects that some fans will not return and after such an embarrassing work stoppage for the NHL that officially ended this past Saturday, January 12, one may even expect the number of fans leaving the sport to be greater. It appears that is not the case in Pittsburgh. Practices during this past week during training camp have been well attended and it is expected home game sellouts at Consol Energy Center will continue.

Of course, Pittsburgh is a sports town, even more so when a team does well and has star players. We have yet to see how well the Pens will do, but we know for sure we are lucky to have some of the best talent in the game of hockey on our team. Maybe that's why there seems to be little fallout from the fans after the lockout. Or perhaps, fans have come back because of the attempts by the Penguins to show their gratitude to fans in the form of certain free concession items and 50% off merchandise for the first four home games. Or maybe it's the idea that you don't realize what you have until it is gone. Perhaps taking NHL hockey away for those months left a greater desire in most fans. I realized that I would miss NHL hockey and found ways to fill the void, but it wasn't always easy. Now, a fair amount of fans were realizing how much they missed hockey after the past Steelers' season ended and were left wondering what they would watch then. I have surely missed NHL hockey and can not wait for its return this Saturday. Maybe it's just a pure love of the game that brought many fans back.

Some may want to argue that this shortened season and the team hoisting the Stanley Cup towards the end of June will not be as impressive as if it were a full season. Quite the contrary. These 48 games will be a tad jam-packed into the next few months and while we only see opponents from our conference, there is quite a good bit of competition in our Eastern Conference. The Western Conference will be a good fight as well to the top. This season is sure to bring a lot of excitement.

Though it's the middle of January and not October, that does not change my level of excitment for a new season one bit. The endless possibilities of a new season do not change with a fewer number of games and a later start date. As Pens fans, we have a lot to be excited for:

We are all well aware of how well Sidney Crosby can play and people have been saying that he is back and better than ever from his injuries. If Crosby can get even better, and if there was one player who could keep excelling into even greater excellence, it would be him, then I am ready to see it happen.

Malkin was playing well in the KHL and should be in pretty good game shape already having played in the KHL. He also says he is determined to win the Stanley Cup.

The beginning to a new season means change. Gone is Jordan Staal and in is Brandon Sutter. We will be able to witness what Sutter can offer as a Penguin and I, myself, rather enjoy watching new players on the team show what they've got. With Crosby being back and new players, we won't be seeing the same lines as last year. For instance, for a few days, Eric Tangradi has been on a line with Malkin and James Neal and today, Beau Bennett filled Tangradi's role on that line. In the beginning of a season you see what clicks and what doesn't. The power play has had a new look in some practices with Kris Letang and Neal at the points and Chris Kunitz, Crosby, and Malkin up front.

With some new players and some old, familiar faces gone, new line combinations and special team shake-ups, comes the start of a fresh, new hockey season. While it may be a colder, later start to the season, I don't care about that any more. I'm excited for a new season to get under way and by the looks of it, so is the rest of Pittbsurgh.

NHL hockey is back... and so am I.

The words all hockey fans have been waiting for were uttered and heard this past Sunday and spread quickly. Early Sunday morning, the words we wanted to hear months ago finally held some truth: The NHL lockout is over. After 113 days, but who was counting, of ups and downs, back and forth, media ploys, and a lot of frustration, we will see a shortened season of NHL hockey that will most likely begin by next weekend.

Sure, there were a number of people upset by this lockout. Nearly everyone involved and affected by the lockout were angered by it, in fact. And rightly so. I was one of them. It was an embarrasing work stoppage for the league and left a bitter taste in a lot of people's mouths. Some fans won't return, and I will not hold that against them. I understand their frustration. However, for me, I've never been much of a grudge holder. Hockey is my favorite sport. I don't care much for football, baseball is not at all entertaining to me, it has always been hockey. Therefore, how I could I be anything but excited when NHL hockey is coming back.

I will admit, as a Pens fan it is quite easier to be excited as well. Most of our fan base never held the lockout against our owner, Mario Lemieux. I, myself, would find it very difficult to dislike Lemieux. Most fans in general may never have blamed the players. It might also have something to do with the fact that as Pens fans, we get to see some of the best players in the game play for our team. How can one just simply not watch the best players play if they call themselves a true hockey fan?
I don't want to miss out. Remember, it's a shortened season now, every game is a big game. There will be a lot of hockey crammed into the next few months and we will see a lot of the same opponents from our division and conference. In our case, as Pens fans, a lot of those games are expected to be good ones based on what people believe the teams are capable of. It's no secret that the Pens are one of the teams some are saying has a great shot of winning the Stanley Cup this season. Do you want to miss that? Because you want to prove a point?

During this lockout, I tried to stay away from watching old games or clips because I was trying to put it out of my mind. The more I would watch old clips or games, the more I would have missed NHL hockey. I stayed up-to-date on the lockout news and refused to get my hopes up no matter what the media reports were. These tactics worked just fine for me. Now, I can put the lockout behind me and look forward to watching some great NHL hockey.

I am letting go of the frustration and even the resentment I had towards the Hockey News for writing an article a few issues back about how if there were a season going on, we would be seeing a "scary" Sidney Crosby. How people have never seen him this fast and he would be doing crazy things if there was hockey being played. Well, easy for them to say; now I can let that go because we have the chance to see this new Crosby. As Pens fans we surely are accustomed to Crosby surprising us with his talent and skill. I can't wait to see what surprises he can come up with.

All in all, at this point in time, I don't care to hear all the details of the deal, I don't care to hear much negativity at all. I won't forget this lockout that's for sure, but I also understand that there is not much sense for me to hold onto it either. As a result, I will do my best to put it in the back of my mind. Also, far from my thoughts are the memories of last season's disappointing playoffs and now I am thinking how great it is to have Evgeni Malkin and Crosby starting a season together for the first time since the start of the 2009 season.

I am ready to hear Jeff Jimerson sing the National Anthem, ready to hear the puck drop, the Consol Energy Center crowd cheering. I may not be quite ready to hear Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey and their infamous mistakes and style, but I surely am ready to hear all the wonderful sounds of NHL hockey back again. At times, the odds of a season happening at all seemed nearly impossible and now I will appreciate the start of this season a little bit more, perhaps.