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.

Game 5

The Pens have brought it back home for a Game 5. Now is the time to show who believes. I want Consol Energy Center to be so loud that I have trouble hearing Bob Errey and Paul Steigerwald, seriously, please.

The Pens need to concentrate on tonight's game right now and nothing but tonight's game. Like they said for game 4, their focus needs to be on one game, one period, one shift at a time. With strong defense and strong goaltending from Marc Andre Fleury, this team has a great chance to take it back to Philly for Game 6. With the same offense we have been getting in this series and some discipline to not take so many penalties, the Pens could have a strong game.

It became apparent in Game 4 that the officials were going to be cracking down and calling anything they see so that this series does not get out of hand. Therefore, the Pens need to remain disciplined and stay out of the box, especially since the Flyers have been lethal on the power play. Limiting their chances will help and shooting often in tonight's game will be big factors for the Pens.
Also, I hope to see a strong performance from Fleury. I believe he got a boost from the victory in Game 4 and he needs to show that he is the better goaltender.

With focus and strong defense and goaltending, this game can surely go in the Pens' favor. Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossman was injured in Game 4 and is listed as day-to-day and will not be in the lineup tonight.
The Pens will be without Paul Martin again tonight. Craig Adams and James Neal will be back after serving their one game suspensions, while Arron Asham will sit out his second game of a 4 game suspension.

Coach Dan Bylsma had a great quote for what is needed for tonight's game: "...We need to be at our best. The building needs to be at its best. The fans need to be at their best. The people outside watching need to be at their best. We have to have everybody at their best for the start of this game..." I agree, let's show how much we believe in this Pens team and make sure that we have no voices tomorrow. I believe. Let's Go Pens!

Two-headed monster? Isn't there a better name?

When asked for a nickname for both Malkin and Crosby, Crosby said, "That’s for you guys to decide. I’ve never made a nickname for myself. I’m not going to start now. I’m sure whatever they come up with is fine.”
The "they" he was referring to was that of Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey. The name they have dubbed this duo with is "The two-headed monster." Really? That's the best? Well, these are the announcers that often mistake players during the game as well as saying words that are not even words. I think there could be a much better name out there. Dynamic Duo has been seen across signs in the arena for so long now, but perhaps they need an even better name. I don't have any GREAT ideas, but I will try and think of some!
Whatever the nickname people choose to give them, there is no denying how well the two of them have been playing as of late. They currently lead the NHL in points, Malkin first with 39 points and Crosby second with 34 points and they put on quite a show nearly every game. Nickname or no nickname, I can not wait to see more of what these two magnificent players have to offer!

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=395537

Sydor to Dallas for Boucher.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=392770

Something felt weird to me when I saw Sydor on tv between periods of the Sabres game with Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey. No, it wasn't the fact that I felt sorry for him having to be next to Steigey. Something about Sydor said something was not the same. Well, I was right. It was that night Sydor was traded to Dallas for defenseman Philippe Boucher. Boucher brings with him the same salary cap hit as Sydor had, but a right shot. Boucher is excited to play for the Pens just as much as his two children are.