Orpik and Scuderi invited to USA Hockey Olympic Camp.

Two Pittsburgh Penguins, and some former members of the Pens as well, were invited to the USA Hockey Olympic Camp.
Both Brooks Orpik and Rob Scuderi have been invited to participate in the 2010 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Orientation Camp next month. USA Hockey will hold the orientation camp from Aug. 17-19 at Seven Bridges Ice Arena in Woodbridge, Ill., a suburb of Chicago. The Olympic tournament runs from Feb. 12-28 in Vancouver.

Players invited:
Goaltenders: Ryan Miller, Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas

Defensemen: Tom Gilbert, Tim Gleason, Ron Hainsey, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, Brian Rafalski, Rob Scuderi, Ryan Suter, Ryan Whitney

Forwards: David Backes, David Booth, Dustin Brown, Dustin Byflugien, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, Phil Kessel, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Mike Modano, Kyle Okposo, T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny


-pittsburghpenguins.com
http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=432251

Tangradi: "I'm over Philly. I'm excited to be in Pittsburgh."

Eric Tangradi was part of the trade that sent Ryan Whitney to Anaheim and Anaheim sending Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangradi to the Pens. While Chris Kunitz is paying off playing alongside Sidney Crosby, Tangradi is also capable of being a great asset that we received in this trade. Though Tangradi is from Philadelphia, he now says, "I'm over Philly. I'm excited to be in Pittsburgh." Which is great news! Tangradi is a winger with size and toughness. He loves to be in front of the net and wearing down the other team. He views the Pittsburgh Penguins as a great organization and a great team. He also says that the thought of one day playing with the likes of Evgeni Malkin, Sidney Crosby, and Jordan Staal is a motivation for him and will be a huge motivation during his summer workouts.
I am excited to see Tangradi some time in the future and seeing what he is capable of. This is a player that I will keep tabs on and wait to see what he does.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=414517

Whitney gone to Anaheim, Kunitz and Tangradi join Pens.

Ryan Whitney has been traded to the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for Left Winger Chris Kunitz and prospect Eric Tangradi.
For info on the two acquisitions:
http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=411184

Now, I know Whitney has not been performing to the best of his abilities since he came back from injury this season, but I get too attached to players and I will miss Whitney. That's just how I am. I do see potential in trades and I expected Whitney to be traded, so this is no real surprise. I wish Whitney the best of luck with his career and I am sure he will get back to playing like he did when he was at his best for the Pens. Let's hope Kunitz can be the help on wing we need.

Crosby and Whitney out for tonight's game.

Sidney Crosby will stay out of the lineup tonight with a sore groin. He's hoping it will improve quickly. He is listed as day-to-day.
Ryan Whitney went home to deal with family matters. As of right now, he may join the team in Chicago for Friday night's game against the Blackhawks.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=410996

The Pens have also called up Janne Pesonen from the Baby Pens.

Fedotenko could play Saturday.

Fedotenko alternated with Caputi today in practice, maybe being a sign that Fedotenko could return Saturday. If he does, Caputi would most likely be sent down to the Baby Pens.
Crosby did not practice today, still feeling effects of illness, but expects to be in the lineup Saturday.

Apparently, Boucher has asked for a trade. He is obviously not happy that he has not been playing. Right now he has a groin injury.
A lot of calls are coming in for Talbot.
Another rumor is that the Pens are in talks with the Lightning for Marty St. Louis. The Lightning are interested in Talbot, Whitney and Alex Goligoski and Dustin Jeffrey, currently in the AHL. These are just the 4 players that the Lightning are looking at.

Canadiens interested in Whitney?

The Montreal Canadiens seem to be interested in Ryan Whitney. What they would be willing to give up to get him is not known. There has been a lot of trade talk consisting Ryan Whitney. There seems to be a lot of teams interested in Whitney as well. I never know what to think about trade rumors, some seem to be so off the wall, but then no one was expecting the Pens to land Hossa at last season's trade deadline. Trades are usually just so unpredictable.
However, I really don't think we should deal Whitney. I know that so far he has not been that great, but he just came back from his injury that caused him to miss the first half of the season and I do believe that he is a vital part to our team.

TSN columnist: Colby back as a Pen, Whitney traded to lure top forward?

According to a column written by Darren Dreger of TSN.ca titled "Ten Players to Watch at the Trade Deadline," there is supposedly rumors going around that the Pens have expressed some interest in Colby Armstrong and also that Shero is willing to trade Whitney to lure a top line forward to the Pens. Of course, these are just rumors, and rumors come around everyday. Who knows if these will come true or even if Shero has expressed these ideas. When it comes to trading and rumors, we will just have to wait and see.
http://www.tsn.ca/columnists/darren_dreger/?id=264962

I would love to see Colby back, but I would really hate to see Whitney go.

Letang could be back by this weekend.

There are reports that Kris Letang could play this Saturday, but nothing is official.

Also, Ryan Whitney did not have any setbacks with playing any games with his surgically repaired foot, only some soreness, and hopes to be fine and continue playing.

Pens play Buffalo Sabres tonight.

Well, after a 6-3 victory over Atlanta that did not showcase the Pens' best effort and then a disappointing 7-3 loss to Toronto the Pens will hope for a better performance for Christmas in the two games played before Christmas Eve. The Pens play the Sabres tonight and the Tampa Bay Lightning tomorrow. The Pens admit that they have not been playing all that well lately and some may suggest that the injuries to many players are starting to affect the team. Fortunately though, Ryan Whitney, who completed his one game conditioning assignment in Wilkes Barre, is supposed to play in his first game this season tomorrow night against the Lightning if all goes well. Also, Dupuis plans to be back tonight against Buffalo. Hopefully, these additions can boost the Pens. As the Pens have been going through a bit of a slump this month, many teams in the Eastern Conference are picking up, leaving the Pens to tumble. The Pens are currently 7th in the Eastern Conference, but not ahead by much. The Pens need to get back on track before they stumble too far.

Due to bad weather, the Pens took a bus to Buffalo for their game tonight, bringing back memories from years ago for many Pens players. However, all agree that this bus trip is a good thing for the team, especially after a disappointing loss to Toronto because everyone is usually more quiet after such a loss. Therefore, the bus will be another way for the Pens to "hang out together. "

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=399475

Pens look to come out stronger after 4 days off.

The Pens carry a 1-4 record from the past 5 games into their current break. They hope to get in some good practices and get a little break from the heavy game schedule they have had lately. Hopefully good practices and a little rest make the Pens come back strong for their next game on Thursday against the Atlanta Thrashers. The Pens also hope to have some reprieve from some injured players as well. Fleury is expected to be the starter this Thursday if he does not aggravate his injury in the next few days. Whitney would like to get in a game before Christmas, but there are no guarantees.

I have to talk about the Pens win over the Islanders last Thursday. It was a great game when obviously the offense was clicking, winning 9-2! It was great to see Sykora FINALLY get his hat trick in the NHL after 38 two-goal games. Just as great was seeing Dupuis get his first hat trick in the NHL as well. It was a great game for the Pens and well needed after a 3 game losing streak. However, it is not great that it was followed by the Pens falling to the Flyers 6-3 this past Saturday.

Sykora was named 2nd star of the week for last week.

Staal and Cooke named alternates for December.

Coach Therrien announced at practice today that the two alternate captains for the month of December will be Jordan Staal and Matt Cooke.

Malkin was given the day off today to rest. Boucher is "week to week" and Fleury continues to work with conditioning coach Mike Kadar before practices and Ryan Whitney is getting a skate fitted to his foot that was operated on.

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=395661


Also, the Pittsburgh Penguins brand ranks number 8 out of 122 teams in professional sports. They were number 20 in 2007. "Turnkey surveyed fans from teams in the NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB and asked them to rate local teams in 21 different categories. including entertainment value, commitment to winning, ticket value, likeability of the players and ownership."

http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app/?service=page&page=NewsPage&articleid=395613

Sykora to play tonight against Flyers.

Petr Sykora will be in the lineup for the first time this season tonight against the Philadelphia Flyers. He will skate on a line with Malkin and Staal.
Pascal Dupuis will rejoin Crosby on the first line, replacing Fedotenko.
With Sykora's return, Tyler Kennedy will be on the third line along with Fedotenko and Max Talbot.

Also, the Pens will debut their "classic" blue jerseys, similar to the ones worn in the Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres, on November 15th. A game at Mellon Arena against the Sabres. The Pens will wear the uniforms at several other home games throughout the season.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/penguins/s_593157.html?source=rss&feed=8

Ryan Whitney plans to start skating next month. That does not mean that his recovery is going faster than the original diagnosis. However, it may be before his worst-case scenario of not playing until January. Whitney says it is painful at the moment but looks forward to skating next month.

Pens split games in Sweden.

The first game was an exciting 4-3 overtime win that was close to a shootout. Tyler Kennedy had a great night with two goals, including the game winner in overtime. Scuderi had a great night getting a goal, and for Scuderi, that's rare.
The second game was not as exciting to watch for Pens fans, as we lost 3-1. Alex Goligoski got his first NHL goal with about a second left in the game to end Auld's bid at a shutout and it is a shame it could not have been happier for Goligoski. However, Goligoski's goal did end the Pens drought on the power play. The first two games, the Pens are just 1 for 14 on the powerplay. Now, we knew the Pens would miss Gonchar and Whitney on the power play, but I don't know if I thought it would be this bad. Is it just because we are down Gonchar and Whitney that we are doing so poorly on the power play? Well, if it is, let's hope the Pens can figure something out and work on it before the home opener this Saturday. This early in the season, I don't worry. It is the first two games, nobody expects things to be perfect. Things will get better, though we have a while before we can get this sour taste out of our mouth.

Pens Season begins TOMORROW!

It may not be Christmas Eve, but with the excitement of a new season starting tomorrow, it sure does feel a lot like Christmas Eve. The Pittsburgh Penguins get the new season underway tomorrow against the Ottawa Senators, the team that killed us in the playoffs in 2007 and also the team we crushed in the first round of the playoffs on our way to the Stanley Cup Final last season. Needless to say, both the Senators and the Penguins are different teams now. Not to say that either team forgets the playoff exits each have dealt each other. However, those days are in the past now and it is a new season.

Most analysts and columnists are predicting the Pens to take a few steps back from what they accomplished last season. Many say the blow of losing Whitney and Gonchar has severely crippled our defense and that we will struggle greatly for it. Yes, it will be a struggle, we our down our top two defensemen, but have the Pens ever let an obstacle get in the way of reaching their goal? Their goal is to win and the Pens will not let their injuries on defense be an excuse to lose. This is the team that lost their number one goalie last season for months. This is the team that was without the league's top player for 28 games. Did we let those misfortunes get in the way of our goal? No, and in the end, I believe it made the Pens stronger. Ty Conklin did a superb job in net while Fleury was down and Conks is now gone, but the impact he made on Fleury could have been the extra thing Fleury was missing all along to make him an even better goalie. Obviously, Fleury proved what he is capable of in the latter part of last season and especially in the playoffs. In Crosby's absence, the player we all expected and needed to step up did so and it was of course Evgeni Malkin. If Malkin comes out strong like he did in Crosby's absence, he may very well be on Crosby's heels in point production. Even without Gonchar and Whitney, the Pens have a lineup that many teams would be jealous of.

I don't care how many people say that we won't be as good this season, that we'll make the playoffs but duck out a lot earlier than last season, and the curse of the Stanley Cup Final losers. These people may be correct, but they most certainly can be wrong as well. I am an optimistic person and I always believe the Pens will be one of the best teams. One thing is a guarantee with these Pens though, they will always play their hardest and do their best. In the end, that's all I can ask for.

Gonchar injured in first pre-season game.

A couple seasons ago, hearing that Sergei Gonchar was injured would have made some fans happy. Now, word of Gonchar's shoulder injury suffered in Saturday's preseason game against Tamp Bay is bad news. I was never one of those people who booed Gonchar and I knew then that he would fill the role that he has since filled. Gonchar is one of the elite defensemen in the league and it is a mystery as to why he was not a candidate for the Norris Trophy last season. Now, I hope Gonchar makes the quickest recovery because he is an asset to this team. Our power play would suffer a great deal if he were out for an extended period of time, he is one of the best in the league at what he does. Now, down both Ryan Whitney and Sergei Gonchar, this is a time for other defensemen to step up and fill the roles. Good thing we kept Darryl Sydor!