Crosby and Canada win the Gold

What an amazing game to conclude an absolutely amazing hockey tournament! For me, I truly wanted the USA to win VERY badly, and when Zach Parise tied the game with only a few seconds left, it was as exciting a moment in hockey as I have seen since last years playoffs.......and it sucked to see that young team come so close to the prize only to lose it in overtime.......BUT if that had to happen, it could not have happened in a better way if you ask me. Sidney Crosby, clutch as usual ends a give and go with Jerome Iginla by beating Ryan Miller for the GWG in overtime, sending the entire nation of Canada into a party that will probably last for about a week. Add Olympic gold to the Crosby trophy case, along with 2 GWGs and despite his overall modest statistics, I think he earned his stripes on this gold medal team.

But back to the USA...............no way should these guys hang their heads in ANY way........this team was dubbed the Sochi team, alluding to the fact that the changing of the guard in USA hockey had them sending a very young and inexperienced team into the Vancouver Olympics, and very little was expected of them other than to gain experience for the 2014 Sochi olympics..........The experts had Russia as the main threat to favorite Canada, with some picking Sweden or even Slovakia as possible dark horses................All this young team did was beat Canada once in the preliminary round, blow out the Fins, a very experienced and talented team, before taking Canada to OT in the gold medal game. Team USA should proudly take their silver medal and know that as they go into Sochi in 2014 they will likely be one of the three favorites to fight it out for gold..............I was amazed by Zach Parise, Ryan Miller, Ryan Suter, Brian Rafalski, and Jamie Langenbrunner........... I was also very proud of the way Brooks Orpik played, particularly in the gold medal game always in position, making all the right choices and playing a physical game throughout.......Pittsburgh native Ryan Malone also made me remember how much of a horse he was on the Pens, and Ryan Whitney.......well he made me like the trade that brought Chris Kunitz and Eric Tangredi to the Pens even more!! I loved the work horse game played by Brendan Morrow and Chris Drury and will probably be able to enjoy watching them play more than I had before.......at the end of the day though, the depth of Canada won the day, and if that HAD to happen, there is nobody I would rather see make that play than Sidney Crosby! All you haters say what you want, but you sound more and more foolish by the day. The kid did not have world beater numbers, but he did play very sound two way hockey the whole tournament, and he had two big game winning goals including the shootout game winner v Switzerland, and then the gold medal winning overtime goal against the US. Look at Crosby's resume: Back to back CHL player of the year awards in QMJHL and Memorial Cup Championship, 102 points in his first NHL season, the youngest ever to do so, Art Ross Trophy as scoring champion, Hart Memorial Trophy as MVP, and Lester B Pearson Award as Players Association MVP(he was the youngest person EVER to win a scoring title in ANY North American sport and the only the 7th in history to win these 3 awards), the youngest captain in the NHL and the youngest to ever win the Stanley Cup, silver and gold in the world juniors representing Canada, and now a GWG to win Gold in the Olympics........then remember he is ONLY 22........The kid is clutch, and he delivered AGAIN under more pressure than any of us will ever know............Congratulations 87, you deserve it.

Hosebag=Loser

Poor little Maid Marian, two straight Stanley Cup Finals losses, and now a loss in the Bronze Medal game for Hosebag....the eternal bridesmaid.....I am SO SORRY!

Jizz is truly a PU$$Y

After a dirty boarding play late in a losing effort, Jizz gets dumped by Dan Boyle of Canada and once confronted, our little bitch turtled up just like you would expect...........look at his face! I am certain he stained his little sissybritches here.............

Ovagkin-Classless

Ovagkin.........what a bum........after being a no show for most of his press obligations during the Olympics, our hero pretty much blew off his media obligations after the big ass kicking he took the other night......the above video of him taking out his frustrations on a fan filming in the airport is a glimpse into the real character of this douchebag.............Ovag, that camera would look really good stuck where the sun dont shine.......................

You be uggggggly, but you be MY bitch!

Crosby shaking hands with Obitchkin after defeating Russia 6-1 to win the gold in the IIHF World Junior Championships 2005!

Crosby shaking hands with Obitchkin after routing Russia 7-3 on the way to Olympic gold!

Crosby shaking hands with Obitchkin after routing the Caps 6-2 in the Eastern Conference semis enroute to the Stanley Cup! Sensing a pattern here? But oh yeah, Obitchkin is much better and Crosby sucks!!

Fun Day of Hockey

Ovag eliminated again.....yeah he is a winner..........too much joy for one day!

Team USA dodges a bullet and is one win away from at least playing for a medal! It was a close game, but the US pulls out a 2-0 win against the Swiss to advance.............Orpik played another tough game on the blue line and the US had many chances but Jonas Hiller made 42 saves and kept Switzerland in the game until the end. Go USA...........not much more exciting to say there, other than again, Brian Rafalski had an unbelievable game...........

After much hype, Canada blew the Russian team off the ice, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.........the "worlds greatest player" my favorite caveman did NOTHING tonite on the big stage...frankly after all of the Crosby v Ovechkin hype neither registered a point, but Crosby did set some nice plays up.....Malkin and Gonchar teamed up for a PP goal by Gonch from Malkin, but otherwise did nothing either......the Russians looked heartless and for my purposes in this tournament that is fine by me.......I just hope Malkin comes back ready for the stretch and playoffs..............the Russian coach killed their hopes by letting their big game choke artist Nabokov start the second period, and allowing 2 more soft goals to pretty much guarantee the end of the Russian medal chase......Finally, the biggest p###y on ice "Jizz" Semin.......you know the "guy" who had the slap fight with Marc Staal took several cheap shots again during the game, before finally boarding Dan Boyle late in the game............it made my night when Boyle came up behind him and slammed his p###y ass to the ice.........and "Jizz" just had that little girl look he gets........hey Pens, did you watch that exchange? I have no respect for guys who take cheap shots, but I have even less for guys as soft as a babys sphincter who take them, then turtle when it is time to answer for it..... How about the next time we play the Craps you take note of how soft Geicos wing man is, and make it really scary for Jizzboy to skate around out there....hit him HARD and hit him OFTEN, and hit him DIRTY if that is what it takes.........take him off his game and make Geico beat you on his own.....and on that note, Geico was a little less visible tonite as well after taking some pretty good hits from Shea Weber, Brendan Morrow, and Chris Pronger.................we need to give him a rough ride too, he doesnt like recieving as much as he likes giving, unless he is with Pierre McGuire..........and on the Pronger note, I told a good friend who is a Flyers fan today that I thought Pronger looked old and beatable in this tournament......and true to form tonite he made me look like an ass................Pronger was a beast tonite..............now that the Canadiens have gotten rid of the red curse, it is time for the Canucks and their brain frozen fans to hit the bricks too............

More from yesterday

Some random thoughts from yesterdays games:

People hate Crosby because of all of the "hype" and "undeserved" credit he gets.......well how about the media frenzy surrounding OVAGkin after yesterdays game? Yes, his hit on Jagr was colossal and led to a pretty play that went something like Ovag crushes JJ, Jizz hits Geno, Geno buries it.........but to hear the media, and the coverage prior to the second game, Ovechkin was poetry in motion, Ovechkin this......Ovechkin that........did anybody mention that Pavel Datsyuks defensive play smothered Jagr, and plyayed a very large role in the victory? Did you hear much about Malkins two goals and assist? Geico did have two assists, one of which came on his thunderous hit, which I enjoyed immensely, but Malkins goals and Datsyuks defensive play were at least equal in contribution to that victory, yet you hear little or nothing about it........just sayin. Team Russia very loaded on the top two forward lines, but a little thin after that.......

I am a big fan of Sidney Crosby, and a part of me wants to see Team Canada do well just because of the pressure I know is on him as the face of their hockey nation.......but, my own experience watching and listening to Canadian fans come into Mellon Arena, and what I hear from many outlets about the obnoxious behavior of the Canadian mob this week makes it tough for me to pull for that team. In any case, I am USA all the way, but IF they do not win, I think I am pulling for the Swedes...............hate Jizz and Geico, dont love Malkin so Russia is out.

Mike Babcock, a man I dont really like but truly have always respected is not doing a very good job in my opinion with this team..............maybe it was flawed in its construction, as it is built like an allstar team, with plenty of front line talent, but seems to not work that well as a unit. It seems like the San Jose line is untouchable and stays together at all costs, while the rest of the lines get juggled and jumbled at will. Crosby did not play very well at times last night,but he did have flashes of brilliance and had several good scoring chances...........Rick Nash seems to forget he has linemates and does not seem to match up well with a playmaker like Crosby..........Richards and Crosby did not click last night, but I still think their games are made for each other............I would move Nash off that line, and add Toews or Iginla. Pronger looks to old and slow for this type of game...........Jeff Carter or Jordan Staal would be a better pick for this team than Patrice Bergeron...................I really like watching Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf of the Ducks play their game..........and Drew Doughty at age 19 amazes me.............Brodeur looked bad and his post game interview was unimpressive as he refused to take the bullet and talked more about defensive lapses and not enough goals...Marty, your mistakes led directly to 3 of the 5 goals.....not what I would have expected from him.............Luongo will be the next choice, and his numbers dont lie, but he has never won the BIG game......I am not a big Fleury lover, and his day to day stats do not compare.......BUT he seems to be clutch.............he has no chance, but it would be an interesting thought...........

Team USA coach Ron Wilson is generally a dildo if you ask me, but he and Brian Burke seem to have done a better job of building and coaching this team than Yzerman and Babcock have done, especially if you consider their relative options. Team USA seems to be built like a team, with scoring players, checking players, and actual defined roles.....there are plenty of guys who have more goals than a guy like Chris Drury but Drury has embraced his role on this team...checking, killing penalties and an occasional goal.....Wilson to his credit has not been afraid to go with the hot hand or to manage the ice time of a player or a unit who is not playing their best, ie the Ryan Malone lines lack of ice time last night......that said, Ryan Malone would make a HUGE difference on the Pens.............Orpik looks right at home on this stage, and he was not afraid to give Crosby a little free candy....solid body checks without running around to make them........gotta love Brooks.............Backes is a horse.....Ryan Miller was unreal.....Rafalski has been a beast.......I still think Ryan Whitney sucks and wonder if Rob Scuderi made more sense...........reminds me of the kind of defenseman Ken Morrow was for the 1980 team.............It will be interesting to see how the US team responds now that they have expectations after beating Canada.......there is more pressure now as a result...........also those who compare this game to the Miracle on Ice need to stop fiddling with your winkies........yes, it was the first time the US had beaten Canada Olympic play since 1960, but this was not college kids beating a dominant machine........it was an NHL roster of Americans beating an NHL roster of Canadians..............big win, yes, miracle......hardly! After winning the U17 this winter in canada, and the world juniors in Canada, taking Olympic gold in Canada in 2010 would a great hat trick.........

Finally, the way the brackets have fallen, Russia and Canada will play, assuming they do not get eliminated by a lesser foe, and one of them will NOT MEDAL AT ALL!!! For me, I will pull for Canada to beat Russia, as I would LOVE to see OVAG without a medal at all...............then if all goes well the US beats Canada again on home ice to take the gold.....trust me, whether it is silver or bronze it may as well be nothing for the Canadian public, and this I would enjoy...........

Finally, what a joke is NBC?? First, you can never find the big games on the regular network and many of the games have been shown with more than half of the first period gone due to WOMENS CURLING going over time!! Last nights US v Canada game was THE marquis event of the entire Olympics for the entire country of Canada, and THE only time in my memory that hockey was the lead story on every major sports outlet including ESPN and the Mike and Mike show................and the game actually lived up to its billing.......yet NBC put it on mnbc because it felt like ice dancing was a more important sport to put on its prime time network coverage........hey, I hate the little elf Gary Bettman as much as anybody but I can sure see why he is not sure the NHL should participate in the 2014 games....hey, as compelling as these games have been and they have been GREAT and should only get better, dont forget something. The NHL has shut down their season for two weeks, risked its best athletes getting injured prior to the playoff run for one reason...........EXPOSURE to build their game over the long term........when their top games get lesser billing than womens curling, or ice dancing you could not blame Bettman if he felt that the costs outweigh the benefits for the NHL.

NICE

Team USA wins a big one 5-3.............Ryan Miller stood TALL, especially with the save on Iginla. Looks like Crosby, Richards, Nash was not a great line.....at least for tonite......Crosby was -3, but still had some moments where he looked very dangerous, and finally scored a goal to make the game close late. Well, he also scored for the US to start the game too...........the stunned silence of the Canadian crowd was a beautiful thing to behold, and now the US Team has a bye in the first match of the Medal round. They are 3 wins from gold............the speed of Team USA was evident, and after a rocky first period played a great final forty minutes. Brodeur looked a little weak as well, and I would expect to see Luongo play the next game for Team Canada.

In the Russian game, the Ovechkin, Malkin, Semin line looked very explosive. Malkin had two goals and an assist, you know kind of like last year for the Pens........one of the prettiest plays I have seen in awhile was the one where Geico levelled Jagr creating a turnover to Semin who flew down the left wing while spotting Malkin all the way across the ice before putting a backhanded pass on Malkins tape, which he effortlessly buried...............was a great hockey play, and a beauty to behold. Two very interesting and entertaining games to watch today.............This tournament is getting very interesting. USA USA USA USA USA USA USA!!!!!!!!!

Back to the Pens at the break

The Eastern Conference top 10 at the Olympic break:

WASH 90 points after 62 games
NJD 77 points after 61 games
OTT 76 points after 63 games but NE Division leader
PITT 76 points after 62 games 1 point off of Atlantic leader
BUFF 75 points after 60 games
PHIL 67 points after 60 games
BOST 65 points after 60 games
MONT 64 points after 63 games
TBL 63 points after 61 games
NYR 63 points after 60 games

Analysis: The Penguins are sitting in a good position if they can have a good stretch run. The key to the Penguins would be to catch the Devils and win the Atlantic Divsion, as Divisonal leaders are guaranteed a top 3 seed regardless of points. If the Pens can catch the Devils they will be either a two or three seed in the conference, with home ice and more favorable round one match up. If they cannot win the division, they are in a dogfight for seeding with Buffalo, Ottawa, Philadelphia, and Boston. If the Pens fade a bit, they will add NYR and Montreal to that list of teams. The Pens have 2 head to head games with NJ and one with Philadelphia, all three of which are very big post break games.......sweeping the NJD remaining games will bode well for their divisional title hopes, losing both would probably kill that dream. Taking the 4 pt swing in the Philadelphia game would be a big move in the race with Philly as the darkhorse for the division. Head to head wins against the Rangers could bury them in the Atlantic.

The Penguins are a distant second out of 10 in Goals for with 195, behind Washinton (247) and followed by Philadelphia at 179 and Ottawa at 178. But in Goals against the Pens are tied for next to last with Ottawa at 179 with only Tampa worse out of the top 10 teams with 182. New Jersey is best with 144, then Buffalo at 152, Boston at 154, and Philadelphia at 160. The Pens are fourth out of 10 in goal differential at plus 16, with Washington by far the best at plus 70, then Philadelphia at plus 19 and New Jersey at plus 18. Buffalo is plus 14. If you take the Caps out the mix, numbers 2-5 are bunched between plus 14 and plus 19 in goal differential.

Analysis: The Penguins are in second in goals for amongst eastern conference teams and next to last out of the group in goals against meaning they need to play better team defense, play better in goal, backcheck better, and/or add a stay at home defenseman to the mix. A note on the goal scoring is that 79 out of the 195 goals have come from their top three CENTERS or 41%. Only 43 goals have come from the 4 wingers that have spent the bulk of their season on the wing for the top 2 lines or 22%. The third line wingers Kennedy and Cooke have chipped in 21 more for 11% of the production. So the first and second line wingers are not outproducing the third liners if you take into account there are 4 of them v 2. Not a good sign for the top lines' wingers. The goal scoring overall is not an issue, BUT there is not enough production from the top wingers on the team meaning that adding a solid scoring winger would be great to add balance. Finally the scoring from the D has been a bit disappointing with only 25 total goals, 8 from Gonch, 6 from Goligoski, (all before Christmas), 3 each from Letang, Eaton, and Skoula, and one each from Orpik and McKee. The Pens need more offense from Gonchar, Goligoski and Letang. Finally, Malkin has to play the stretch like he is one the top 5 players in the league.

The Pens are tied for third out of the top 10 in wins with 36. Washinton is first with 41, followed by New Jersey with 37, then Ottawa/Pittsburgh with 36. Tampa has the least wins in the group with 26 followed by Boston with 27.

The faceoff win percentages is so tight that the differentials are not huge with 3% being the split between 1st and 10th. The Pens are kind of in the middle at 7th at 49%.

The next area is power play with Pens 9th out of 10 at 16.5%, with only Ottawa worse out of the group at 16.1%. Washington is first at 25.6%, Montreal second at 24.6%, and Philadelphia is third at 21.8%. The Penguins are tied for 4th out of ten in penalty killing with Ottawa at 83.3%. Buffalo is tops at 86.5%, followed by Boston at 86% and New York at 84.6%.

Anaylsis: The Penguins are being hurt and losing points directly due to the fact that their PP is bad. The numbers do not lie. Being next to last in PP out of the top 10 is not a good sign for a team with Cup aspirations. What makes this more disturbing, is that the Pens have as much or more talent to apply to the power play than anbody but Washington, yet it fails consistently. They play too fancy and do not get enough dirty PP goals despite knowing this. Mike Yeo coaches the D (8th of 10 playoff contenders in the East), and the power play (9th of those same 10), so you cannot help but begin to wonder if Bylsma will ever address this......and yes, it is up to the players to play, but SOMEBODY in charge needs to get their attention so that they actually DO it.

My overall analysis is that the Washington Capitals are far and away the best team in the conference during the regular season. After that, the conference is pretty competitive and any one of the about 6 other teams could make a big run in the East dependent upon health, deadline moves and momentum out of the Olympic break. With the history of the Caps in the post season they could be knocked off, especially given the fact that I think the parade route is already being planned! The bad news for the Pens is that they are pretty far DOWN the list of those teams in key areas such as goals against and power play, but in that fact is the good news. Despite subpar performances from Geno, Fleury, Gonchar, Goligoski and Letang, as well as a horrible power play the Pens are fourth in the conference and one point off of leading their division. Also, the answers to their issues are already on the team, IF they decide to focus there game. If nothing else happens good or bad, the Pens will be better if Malkin and Fleury elevate their games as they usually do for the key stretch run. Every year post lock out the Penguins have played their best hockey late in the season, and I am hopeful that this trend will continue. This team needs to forecheck aggressively, get the puck behind the opponents D and punish them when they turn to get it, clog up the neutral zone, play more responsibly in their zone to have the success they had last year. Luckily, they have most of the same components that they had last year, so it should not be unrealistic to expect the focus of the stretch run would bring this about. Having a healthy Kunitz for the top line adds some snarl to that line, as well as forecheck and puck possession. Finally, the Pens have the assets in the organization to bring in one more defensive defenseman, and a mid range top 6 winger. If you add those two components to the leadership and experience of this team, they SHOULD be a force. Could we be lucky enough to experience the deep playoff runs we have seen the past two years? Time will tell.

Pierre McGuire is more excited than me about todays lines

C'mon Ovie, I am here for Semin! I need Semin! Give me Semin!

OOOOHHHHH...........Richie, your "leadership" is hard to reach for me!

Pens at the Games

Geno starting a rush up ice for the Russian team

Crosby after the shootout goal

Malone and Whitney having a blast

Orpik passing out some free and freedom candy

Crosby beats Hiller

Sleeping with the enemy

Wow, what a day for a hockey geek like me......at 3 pm the Russian Team with Ovechkin playing wing for Malkin plays against the Czech Team with Jaromir Jagr and at 7:45 pm Team Canada with Richards playing wing for Crosby against Team USA with Malone and Orpik begins. It does not get much better than that unless you are talking Stanley Cup playoffs. The interest in the game is magnified by the above referenced combinations..........fans in both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh are probably losing breakfast thinking of their respective captains playing together for the greater good of the Canadian team. Will either side give their respective players credit if the combination is magic? Will either side gain some new found respect for the player they love to hate? Will the players themselves have more respect and some common bond that is not very evident when Philly and Pittsburgh go at it? I am VERY intrigued by the combination as Mike Richards brings ALL of the benefits of a guy like Kunitz times 2. He is EVERY bit as physical but much bigger, and he is FAR more gifted offensively, and all kidding aside a real leader on the ice. With Rick Nash on the other wing, this line is big, tough and very gifted with the puck. I would be surprised if they do not click, but you never know. I am interested to see the outcome of this example of strange bedfellows to say the least.

Now to the Russian team....it had been obvious that the top two Russian lines lacked chemistry in their last game, and I figured that anyone playing with Ovechkin and Semin would be the third wheel, as we all know how much Ovie loves semin.....the taste of it, the texture......oh sorry, wrong movie....anyway, Pavel Datsyuk will now center the line Malkin was centering with Kovalchuk and Afinogenov, and Malkin will center Ovie and Jizz. The rivalry between the Caps and Pens, and Malkin/Ovechkin offers plenty of intrigue in this set up as well. I am curious to see how Malkin fits in crashing Geico's love of Semin but this line SHOULD be unstoppable..........The added size of Geno combined with the physical nature of Ovechkin should be fun to watch............Geno has no excuse to not pile up points on this line as Ovechkin is an upgrade from Kovalchuk, probably the only person on the team and maybe most teams that could be an upgrade from Kovalchuk, and Semin is a big upgrade from Afinogenov who should be in pairs figure skating if you ask me. I can tell you this...........no matter how this one turns out, I will still hate the Caps and their fans. It will be fun to watch. Finally, the intrigue of Jagr hinting at coming back to the NHL, combined with his comment of owing Mario (translate play for him at way less than market value), will have yinzer nation foaming at the mouth.....do not bet the farm on that one folks. Enjoy.

More tattoo progress photos

More tatttoo progress

Some more tattoo progress photos

Crosbys shootout goal beats the Swiss

Crosby is clutch.........again.......suck on that haters! click on the link above

More whining from DC

As if the Capitals dont give you plenty of reasons on a daily basis to hate them already, their peniswrinkle of an owner Ted Leonsis cannot stop crying about the fact that Team Canada snubbed the other douchebag hollywood player on his team Mike Green. Green leads all NHL defensemen in goals over the past two seasons, yet was not even really a threat to make Team Canada and did not come up in a converstation with Team Canada GM Steve Yzerman as one of the fringe guys who could have made the team. Leonsis is crying conspiracy on his blog every chance he gets. Hey, you fat conceited grease ball, consider this: If Team Canada does not bring home the Gold Medal on their home ice in these Olympics, the nation may implode. The pressure on these guys to win it all, and nothing short of it is immense. Do you really think they would leave out a guy they thought could help them achieve their objective? Really???? In a country where hockey is life???? I am no Wings apologist, but one can hardly question Grabcocks hockey savvy given his track record can they? How many Championship winning rosters have you built? Oh yeah, sorry I forgot! Is it possible that despite his offensive production, that Mike Green is so bad defensively and so much of a ME player that a team with the depth of Team Canada does not need a one dimensional showboating sperm bank on its team? Is it possible that he is such a douche that his prescence could have a negative impact on the chemistry of this team? Yzerman and Babcock are smart guys, and their legacy will be made or badly damaged based on the outcome of this little hockey tournament in Vancouver. Satan would make this team if they thought he could help it win. From where I sit it looks like Mike Green is where he should be right now, bent over a........oh wait, I mean at home in DC.

Puck Lovers Delight

Last nights Czech Republic v Slovakia game was the first game that seemed to have the outcome in doubt throughout the game and it was very entertaining. I enjoyed watching Jagr, who still seems to be able to bring it at age 38. Unfortunately Marian Hossa lived through the game, but hey one can continue to hold out hope! For all of you almost puckheads look at your listings for late Sunday afternoon as Team USA is scheduled to take on Team Canada, and that should be another great game. On another note, did anybody notice the jump in Genos game the other night? Did you even recognize him out there? Hey, I get the pride in your country thing, but the Penguins are paying your ugly ass nearly 9M per year, and Pens fans are paying big money to fill the Mellon Arena. The least you could do is actually play with the same passion for the team the puts the borscht on the table. Malkins talents on the ice are undeniable, and when he is motivated I love watching him, but I DO NOT LIKE HIM. Gonchar was not that impressive in the Soviets opener. Finally, I am looking forward to seeing Ryan Malone again, and waiting for Brooks Orpik to pass out some more freedom candy! If you actually enjoy reading this, I may need to take the next couple of days off here, but will begin posting some more Penguins and Olympic hockey topics by the end of this weekend. Until then enjoy the international competition!

Crosbys Olympic Debut

Well, what are the chances the Pens can trade for Jarome Iginla? Looks like he Crosby have a little chemistry. Sid picks up 3 assists tonite in an 8-0 rout of Norway. Team Canadas depth is actually frightening. For what it is worth, despite the fact that Canadian hockey fans are by and large dicktouchers, if Team USA does not win the Gold, I will definitely be pulling for Team Canada. I had my moments of thinking I would pull for Sweden because I hate Canadian fans, as well as Ovagkin/Kovalpuke but I am over that now. I even thought of pulling for the Russian team due to the prescence of Malkin and Gonchar, but the prescence of the GEICO caveman and Jizz from the Caps makes that impossible. When speaking of Dicktouchers, no fan base or organization has touched more of them than that of the Caps. Since my options after Team USA really consist of teams I dont care about at all, or Canada v Russia I will at least go with the team whose fans at least have some reason to be proud as the origin of this great game v the Russian team whose victory will produce a city full of dicktouchers proclaiming that the Caveman is king! If Free Candy and Ryan Malone cannot wear the gold, then I would love to see Sidney Crosby add another accomplishment to his growing list. On that note, did anybody catch the old drunk Jeremy Roenick act as if you can't even compare Sidney Crosby to Geico?? Hey, you may like better Geico better, but to act as if Crosby does not even compare makes me wonder if old JR has crawled back into the bottle? Times are tough when Mike Milbury is defending a Penguin!

Do you believe in Miracles?

You have to click on this link and watch this clip.........still sends chills up my spine.......for me, this was the beginning of an eventual obsession with the game of hockey...............It was fun today to watch the US Team beat the Swiss 3-1 in kind of a boring game.........but ex Penguin Ryan Malone became the first native Pittsburgher to score a goal in an Olympic Hockey game, and Brooks Orpik did introduce at least one of the Swiss to the concept of free candy.........the Swiss are hardly a juggernaut, but it was good to see the USA take a workmanlike win in their first game and hopefully get a little chemistry going.................Team Canada and Team Russia both play later tonite...........................

Hosebag levelled by Army!

To quote Seth Rohrabaugh of Empty Netters, this is like watching porn for Pens fans!! Enjoy it as Maid Marian gets his clock cleaned by ARMY.

Tocchet

There is not much that Flyers and Penguins fans can agree on.............Rich Tocchet was one bad as mofo...........that is one thing we agree on.

Glass Half Empty

The Penguins hit the Olympic break losing two straight games they should have won at home, and losing 4 of 6 games in February although three of them came in OT or a shootout. The Penguins have been very inconsistent, and have lost the opportunity to overtake the Devils during their recent slump which will not last forever. The Penguins are 22nd in the NHL in Goals against Average at 2.87 goals per game and 178 total goals given up. The Penguins have only scored 10 more goals total than they have given up this year. Tampa Bay, Ottawa, Florida, Montreal, New York Rangers, Philadelphia, Buffalo, Boston and even Washington have a better GAA out of our Eastern Conference rivals. What is alarming about this is the fact that currently almost every team in the Eastern Conference playoff race has a better GAA, and that includes the Capitals. Penguins apologists point to the Washington defense and goaltending as their weaklink and like to believe that despite the Capitals dynamic offense, their defensive issues will make it probable for the Pens to knock them off............Well, as bad as we think they are in that department, they are better than us. Marc Andre Fleury is 26th in the league in save percentage at .908, and 37th in goals against with a 2.65 GAA. He is 47th in shutouts, as he has not recorded a single shutout in 50 games played. In addition Fleury has let in soft goals that have helped the Pens leave valuable points on the table in each loss in February. Evgeni Malkin has let the Penguins down big time as well. The Pens were built for Malkin and Crosby to be dominant, as the money spent down the middle on Malkin, Crosby, Staal, and Fleury leaves little money for great wingers. The plan worked in each of the past two years as Malkin and Crosby were both dominant offensively, as planned. This year, Malkin has only 21 goals with only 20 games remaining, and is 13th in the league in scoring. He is pacing to score under 30 goals and have his worst season in that department in his career. He is also playing at a -2 and taking many undisicplined penalties. With only 20 games left the Penguins have not found consistency in their game, rarely playing 60 minutes, playing poorly in their defensive zone, and have blown a great opportunity in the past week to overtake the Devils and bury the Flyers and Rangers in the divisional race. In fact, as the Flyers heat up their game they can make a run at the Penguins and Devils in the Atlantic, and red hot Ottawa has tied the Pens for 4th in the conference, and look like a team peaking at the right time. Buffalo is only one point behind, and with the goaltending of Ryan Miller will be battling with the Pens for a top four seed down to the wire. With two deep playoff runs in a row, the Pens look like a team that is a bit tired, and their defensive woes and poor power play could keep them from a deep playoff run this year.

Glass Half Full

The Penguins hit the Olympic break in 4th place in the conference, and one point out of first in the Atlantic Division behind the New Jersey Devils, who do have a game in hand. Less than a month ago the Pens were eight points behind New Jersey and they had three games in hand. The team is 8th in the league in wins with 36, despite not playing consistently for months now. The Penguins are fifth in the NHL in goals for with 188 for a 3.03 goals per game average, and the only team in the conference with more is the Washington Capitals. Marc Andre Fleury is 8th in the league in wins for a goaltender with 29, and the only Eastern Conference goaltenders with more are Martin Brodeur of the Devils in 3rd with 34 wins and Ryan Miller of Buffalo in 7th with 30 wins. Sidney Crosby is tied for the lead league in goals with 42, and he is third in the NHL in overall points. Evgeni Malkin despite a very slow start is 13th in the NHL in scoring with 65 points. With regard to todays game the Pens gained another point to close within one point of the Division leading Devils, and picked up 4 of a possible 6 points in their most recent 3 game homestand. The Penguins play the Devils twice in the final twenty games and with that possible 8 point swing in head to head play, they have a real shot at winning the Division, which would guarantee them at least the third seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. The Penguins have a history of finishing strong, and their recent experience with two trips to the Finals and one Stanley Cup Championship will ensure that they rise to the occasion and go into the playoffs ready to do some damage!

Shots of rough out of sleeve work on my right arm

Different views of my work in progress..........still needs some rendering....the 66 will need to get "molten." Also there will be more details to the ring and the Cup.........the molten flames will need some additinoal "spark" added to them..........going up the elbow this coming weekend, there will be crucibles added pouring the molten steel into the Stanley Cup and creating the shower effect of the sparks you see coming down over the Cup.......In addition, the Lombardi trophy, the Mellon Arena, a big yellow bridge (6th street) and the City Skyline will be added to the biceps, tricep, and shoulder area...............will rival the earlier tats I showed you on here when done I believe. Call Steve Morris at Body Works in Penn Hills if interested.