NHL 2010 Playoffs - Travis Moen's Goal (May 12 2010)

Penguins OffSeason

I will continue to rework this post as I have more time, but I wanted to get some thoughts out there asap..........the Pens need to address their defense and their scoring from the wing during this offseason.......to that end, it is a very limited crop UFAs on the wing that make sense for the Pens........they cannot afford Kovalchuk, the most talented by far of the bunch.........they dont need another lazy enigma, though Alexander Frolov at times seems tempting.............they dont need any of the older guys, unless a guy like Ray Whitney would take a 2 year deal for reasonable money.......the only wing that is available by free agency that really interests me from a cost and production standpoint is Lee Stempniak of Phoenix, who led the Coyotes down the stretch and into the playoffs with a very productive goal scoring streak. If the Pens cannot get Stempniak, I like the idea of approaching the Hawks about young winger Patrick Sharp via a trade....the Hawks will be about 8M OVER the cap to start next season based on the contracts of Toews, Kane and crew taking affect......that will put them in a position to have to trade salary for prospects/draft picks........Sharp is a 200lb winger, signed through 2012-2013 at a cost of 4M per year......he has scored 36, 25, and 26 goals in his three full NHL seasons, and would make a perfect fit on one of the Pens top 2 lines. Do not sign Gonchar, Fedotenko, or Ponikarovsky if you can get this deal done for a prospect and a 2nd round pick, or even a first rounder........Sharp is signed long term, and he is young, playoff tested and productive. Losing Fedostinko and Ponikarovsky clears the space necessary to bring him in.........if Tangredi would be ready by mid season to make the jump to the NHL, the Pens could have turn a weakness into a strength....ALSO....please sign Matt Cooke....and Pens, I would draft a lot of forwards this year!! On defense, one player as a UFA would make so much sense for the Pens, it hurts...........Dear god, I promise to be nice if the Pens can trade for Sharp AND sign 230lb Anton Volchenkov as a UFA.........The Pens need some nasty and some general defensive strenght on the blue line and Volchenkov brings both in spades.......he blocks shots like a machine as well............the Pens lacked a shut down pairing in this year playoffs............how intimidating would Orpik and Volchenkov look as a shut down pairing??? He is also only 28 years old......Ray, please take 80% of the Gonch money and lock up Volchenkov..........his shot blocking, and physical play would be an immediate upgrade over your current situation...........then you pick either Eaton or Leopold or both, plus Lovejoy and you have your 7 defensemen........with Simon Despres, Derek Engellend, Carl Snoop, and Bortuzzo all highly coveted AHL defensemen in reserve, you could be set up there long term. You dont need quantity Ray, get one difference maker on the wing, and one on the defense......if you cannot get Volchenkov, win the battle for Dan Hamhuis of Nashville, the closest thing to Rob Scuderi that is available..........

Metallica - Broken, Beat & Scarred Live Nimes 2009 1080p HD_HQ

The Whole World is upside down!!!!!!!

I had to get those last two photos out there.............really wanted to use the Crosby dumping on Pronger photo, but we did not make it to the dance.........

The Hawks swept the Sharks to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals, and the Flyers will eliminate the Canadiens in five games as I predicted to many of my Philly friends tomorrow night...........This will set up a Chicago-Philadelphia matchup in the Stanley Cup Finals......I will scream until my nards fall off rooting for the Hawks to smash the Flyers, right?! I mean the Hawks have been one of my favorite teams since I was kid.....I loved the jerseys enough that I had a Chicago Blackhawks Chelios jersey back when I was kind of normal......I had Tocchet, Lemieux, and Cheli....that is it.........I loved Steve Larmer and Dirk Graham and Eddie the Eagle, and did not even hate the Hawks when we played them in the Finals back in 1992............and christ do I hate the Flyers!!!! I hate their fans(some exceptions to follow), I hate their uniforms, I hate Dan Carcillo, Chris Pronger, Aaron AssHam, Jeff Carter, and think Mike Richards is one of the most overrated captains in the game, right???? I HATE Ray Emery and Bobby Clarke........I really sneer every time I hear the retarded Crosby sucks chant every time he touches the puck ( and ultimately assfucks the whole city in every big game), and cannot stand many of those tools that post on the blogosphere!! GO HAWKS RIGHT???!!??!?!?!?%%?^&???Uh, NO........What you say? Uh, no............Not this year..............Hey, a funny thing happened down the stretch this season, and especially during the playoff run............When the Hawks signed Marian Hosebag to a long term deal during this offseason, I told many, and even wrote that this was equal in my mind to a good friend dropping a steaming deuce in my living room......with Hosebag being the deuce, and my love of the Hawks being my living room.........you cannot LIKE a friend who shits in your living room under any circumstances!!! But, wait a second, I can't root against one man that I cannot stand v rooting against an organization that I have hated since I can remember right? WRONG!!! I know, the world is upside down for sure........But here is my logic:

Flyers fans suck......well many of them do.....but so do many Pens fans..and many fans of all teams...and some of my favorite people I have met in my business world, and whom I now consider friends, are Flyers fans(Chris, Greg, Larry, Don, Janet, George D., John B., Audra, Jeannie etc.).............these folks have not had the chance to relish the feeling that comes from capturing the best trophy in sports in a long time, and I would be happy for them to do it..very happy actually.....I know, I just wrote that.....but......

I really do hate Hossa pretty badly............

At least it is not the Red Wings............

And at least it is not the Capitals.....that would send me to the nearest bridge.........

But, and this is the hard part............and is quite temporary...............I do not hate this version of the Flyers that we are currently seeing..............Yep, just wrote that too.....this team is still full of people I have spent much of the past several seasons making fun of, on the blog, and in some cases at the arena...........and trust me when the puck drops next year, it will not take long for the hatred to build back up..............but for now, I have to tell you, I predict that the Flyers will win the Stanley Cup after dispatching the Habs tomorrow night in six games......six tough games.......and at this point, I am rooting for it.......Hey, I may hate them next year again, I am sure they will deserve it..............but for now, RESPECT what they have done to get here.........this is a team that was left for dead on many occasions this season........and needed a shootout goal on the last day of the season to sneak into the playoffs..............they then faced the second seeded Devils in the first round of the playoffs, and by the end of that series were down to about their fifth goalie of the season, they were without sniper Jeff Carter, and gutsy third liner Ian Lapiererre......they promptly fall behind the Bruins 3-0 in the next series and looked DEAD in the WATER..............this team, led by an unflappable Mike Richards then rattles off three straight wins to tie the series in Boston............then spots Boston a 3-0 lead in game 7 before roaring back to win Game 7 and make history as the third team in NHL history to come back from a 3-0 deficit in the playoffs.....during this stretch we saw Pronger deliver everything he was supposed to and then some, Richards mature into the dynamic leader he was supposed to be.....Briere play like a man who deserves a big fat contract.....Carcillo, AssHam, and Hartnell play gritty hockey without their normal rash of stupidity......the whole team is play a stifling left wing lock.....the whole team forechecks like demons.....and two "scrapheap" goalies play like franchise netminders.........The Flyers now lead Montreal 3 games to one in the ECF, shutting them out 3 times, making Michael Leighton one of the biggest stories in the playoffs.............though many think that the winner of the ECF is a sacrificial lamb to the Western Conference champion, I no longer agree.....the Flyers have been underrated based on a mediocre regular season and many injuries....now that they are healthy their forwards and the depth of their attack is as good as any, as are their defensive pairings..the Hawks may be slightly better on paper, but the Flyers have shown guts, determination and that intangible IT factor that marks championship teams...I look for the Flyers to end a 35 year drought and bring the Cup back to the City of Brotherly Love........and I am not even looking for a bridge.........WTF??

Malkin is a tool

5 goals in 4 games.........7 overall points in 4 games for Geno at the World Championships.....it took Geno 13 NHL playoff games to get the same 5 goals.......cause he was tired, right? I know his talent, but I become less of a Geno fan, every day...........I would root for the Taliban if they played the Russians in the Finals of the World Championships.......

Random thoughts now that the Penguins are out of the hunt

First off, I have to say that my feeling that the Flyers would win that series after falling down 2-0 turned out to be spot on.....to come back from down 3-0 in the series, then 3-0 on the road in Game 7, one cannot question the character of this year s Flyers team.......I expect them to win the next series as well, before bowing to the Blackhawks in the Stanley Cup Finals............

The Penguins three center system and win "down the middle" theory is one I subscribed to, as two trips to the Finals and a Cup using that system seems to validate it.............but, it is also predicated on those three centers playing out of their minds to make up for the lack of talent on the wings that results in so much of your salary cap being tied up in "the middle." It also means you need excellent goaltending, as part of the win down the middle theory. If any of your people in the middle that you pay big money to, fail, then you have issues..........Crosby and Staal held up their end of that bargain this season.........Malkin and Fleury did not............If Malkin and Fleury do that to any degree, then the Pens probably win the Atlantic Divsion this season, and find themselves prepping for a third straight Eastern Conference Finals.........so the question is, do you believe that the Two Horsemen can go back to being the Four Horsemen?

On that note, there has been much debate since the loss on whether the Pens should trade Malkin..........those who think we should point to the fact that Malkin has very Jagr like tendencies, and is a distraction in waiting............I think he is more like Kovalev, in that he unleashes his other worldly talents on his whim, and when disinterested, plays very much like it........those who say you can never trade him, cite his Art Ross and Conn Smythe season last year, and his taking the team on his back in Crosby's abscence the year prior............I believe Malkin to be in the top 5 players in the world talent wise, hands down............I do however question his character.............not to the point where I say trade him, but to the point where I at least LISTEN to offers...............IF you think Staal is a player who can contribute more offensively with more ice time and as he matures, and if you think that a world class winger on each of those top two lines gives the Pens more balance, then you have to listen to trades that would bring two top flight wingers in return for Malkin..........I actually think if you added a 2nd round pick, you could get two 30 goals type wingers and a solid top 4-5 rotation stay at home defenseman............and if you can't, then you dont move him.....if you can, I think the spreading of the risk factor makes it at least worth hearing..........

Unless the money gets ridiculous, the Penguins have to go against their grain, and offer Matt Cooke a three year deal for the right money to retain him..........period........that third line was the backbone of the team this season..........and his grit means a lot to the positive make up of this team.............

The defensive corps is intriguing to me.....bye bye Sarge.......I hope........Letang, Orpik and Goligoski are the only D signed.....Eaton, McKee, Leopold, Lovejoy are not........bye bye McKee, unless he plays for a 1M.......not likely........sign Lovejoy..........choose between Leopold and Eaton and bring another physical stay at home guy to complement Orpik...........not enough of that on this blue line....could still see GoGo as part of a trade based on the number of puck moving/offensive oriented defensemen the Pens have available....would love to see Volchenkov, but probably too much cash for him............

As far as forwards/wingers.......I see Crosby, Malkin (unless you get a megadeal), Kunitz, Cooke, Dupuis, Staal, Rupp, and Adams based on their production and/or specific and necessary roles as untouchable............I like Talbot, Kennedy, Guerin quite a bit, but see them as movable based on what happens in the offseason...Guerin did all that you could expect from him but his age is a question mark....I see Fedotenko and Ponikarovsky as not worth any further words...........I see Letestu, Connor, and Tangredi as possible step ups from the system next season................

I see Bylsma needing to adjust a bit........I love the forechecking, aggressive style of hockey, but do think that the team needs to come up with a bit more team oriented defensive focus......

Finally, as I chew on this season, I do not see the impending UFA status of so many Penguins as a negative.....the Pens still have a great nucleus of young talent, and they were a little attitude and ONE TIMELY goal or ONE TIMELY SAVE away from going to the ECF for the third year in a row......with all of the teethknashing and worry about their season that is all the further they were away from prepping for Philly today.......If they use the money that can be freed up with the departure of Gonchar, Ponigirl, Fedostinko, etc. to wisely fill in some of the roles on this team AND we get bounceback seasons from Fleury and Malkin, there is no reason this team is not in the thick of the hunt again next year...........

Staal/Crosby honor those who pay their checks......Gonchar and Malkin do what THEY want

I have sat and listened to both camps opinions on the fact that Crosby and Staal both turned down an invite to play for Team Canada in the World Championships, opting to rest themselves in preparation for the 2010-2011 NHL season......meanwhile Gonchar and Malkin both decide that playing for Mother Russia is more important to them.........and they do have a RIGHT to do so, undoubtedly..........BUT, in my opinion, another reason for both of them to slide a bit in the respect category, and worth noting for Penguins managment.......I truly dont care a bit about Gonchar, as I can thankfully see no way that he is a Penguin next year based on his ridiculous salary demands........so he does not matter to me at all in this equation, but I have real issues with Geno making this decision.......First off, he had a subpar season by his standards, and very readily admits so.......he had a subpar post season as well...........he actually looked somewhat disinterested in Game 7..........yet, he feels comfortable after those performances to just pack up the next day and play for Team Russia? Add to that he is one of the players who seems to subsribe to the fatigue theory as part of the reason the Pens were a disappointing second round out in this postseason..........really, dickmunch????? You have the balls to reference all the games the Pens have played during two straight trips to the Finals, plus the Olympics, compare that to the early downfall of the Wings for the same reason, WHILE PACKING YOUR BAGS TO PLAY MORE HOCKEY AFTER A SEASON IN WHICH FATIGUE FROM TOO MUCH HOCKEY MAY HAVE A PLAYED A ROLE IN LETTING DOWN THE TEAM THAT PAYS YOU 9 MILLION PER YEAR, AND THE FANS THAT PACK THAT BUILDING????????????????? I also recall that the only game before Christmas where Geno was dominant (maybe the only game all season), was December 23rd, the game that the Russian Olympic douche was in the stands.............I get the thrill of international competition, and the pride of playing for one's country......does anyone think that Staal and Crosby have any LESS pride in their status as Canadians? Less desire to represent their nation on the international stage? The answer is no......But what they do have is FAR MORE CLASS, LEADERSHIP, AND RESPONSIBILITY than Geno Malkin......they get that their first responsibility is to the team and its fanbase that pays their salary.............

Slept on it

And still feel pretty aggravated by what the Pens did to start the game last night.......How do you come out flat in a Game 7, at home, with the most raucous crowd I have seen in recent memory doing as asked by you, being LOUD and PROUD?? You are not an inexperienced team, in your first rodeo! You WERE the defending Stanley Cup Champions, and back to back Stanley Cup Finalists..........yes, the boarding call on Crosby to start the game, given the situation was typically NHL cheap......BUT, this is the NHL, those calls happen, and good, not even great teams either kill that penalty, or quickly rebound from the situation and regain control of themselves.......the Pens of each of the past two playoff seasons would have done so and easily! And, do not blame the referees for this game, despite our collective opinions of that first call......The Pens were given six power plays, and went for 0 for 6 AND with the game 3-0, surrendered a short handed goal that started with ANOTHER bad turnover, progressed with the most gutless, effortless play I have ever seen from a Penguin, when Gonchar escorted Moen along the boards and never tried to impede him, and finished predictably with Fleury flailing on the ice, looking for a puck that was already past him...........4-0 deficits are not readily overcome......I will say that the Pens seemed to get a spark when the sieve was pulled and looked like they could make a game of it by closing to 4-2 to end the second period, and they had a 4 on 3 power play to start the third..........I was thinking how a PP goal to start period 3 could be a big part of one of the biggest comebacks in playoff history here.........but true to form, the power play was not even close to generating that third goal.....This is the time when Malkin or Crosby rise to the occasion, right? No, not this year..............Hey, all in all, we as Pens fans have little to complain about since the Crosby era began............we are not preordained to win every big game, with Crosby leading the team, it just felt that way........and make no mistake, Sidney Crosby had a VERY dissppointing series against Montreal, as did many of the Penguins.......I just have a hard time criticizing a guy TOO much who has had so many great moments, and led this team so well. This particular season the weight of having to carry the WHOLE team on his shoulders in key moments due to the lackadaisical play of the other head of the two headed monster, and the sould crushing softness of the goaltender, proved to be too much............This team was built to win down the middle with huge dollars put in Crosby, Malkin, Staal, and Fleury.............and for the most part, that formula has worked like a charm...........not this time............I have an unwavering belief in Crosby and Staal.............Malkin, probably the most talented all around forward in the league, but he is very much like Kovalev in my mind.....I firmly believe that his success last year during the regular and post season contributed to his lackluster effort at times this season.......Fleury, I truly believe to be a great kid, and a good, but not great or consistent goaltender..........he was good enough to win the Cup last year, but the jury is out to me on him as a championship goaltender...........I thought he was very average two years ago, rose to the occasion in the post season last year, and was subpar, and a large reason as I predicted for the Pens demise this season........his save percentage was .884, making him 13 out of 15th listed goaltenders in this post season. This team has great management, a great nucleus of talent, decent depth in the farm system, and loads of post season experience for such a young team........they need to come up with a way to get a couple of wingers in the mold of Petr Sykora when he first came here, FINISHERS to complement the myriad of fast, hard working wingers that populate this team.....they also need at least one good stay at home defenseman, and to make a decision one way or the other about the glut of smallish, puck moving defensemen they have, as to whom they think can be the quarterback of the powerplay going forward.........should be an interesting summer of decisions for Shero.....Ray, please sign Matt Cooke, please!!! Also, please tell Sarge, Ponigirl, and Fedostinko not to even think about it! GO PENS!!!

The glass was MORE than half empty

I told myself on the way to the game tonight not to get too mad if the Pens lost......to remember all of the great moments we have had over the past three seasons.....................and I was at peace either way............but I have to tell you, listening to the crowd, and then watching the pathetic effort the Pens put forth for roughly the first 30 minutes of the game changed my mind.....yes, I love this team, and in due time I will probably moderate my feelings a bit, BUT for right now I am seething......losing was always a possiblity in my mind, hey it is Game 7, so we have lost to this team 3 of the last 6 games we played them......and Marc Andre Fleury as predicted at the end of the season was quite capable of costing the Pens this game and this series, so that fear existed........but I was taken aback at the team coming out flat, disorganized, and at times disinterested given the situation..........so frankly, the team got what they deserved, the fans did not...........the fans were the best I have seen yet, and appeared to want this game more than the Pens did, at least for the first 26 minutes or so..........as usual the Pens third line was its best tonite, and frankly, maybe its only good line at all......the defense was putrid, the coaching was putrid, Malkin was putrid, Fleury was putrid, and calling Gonchar putrid tonight does not even come close to describing his game......the fourth goal scored by Travis Moen saw Gonchar let Moen skate by him without ANY effort at impeding him in any way...........I am not sure I have ever seen a more blatant example of a soft, gutless play in all my years of watching hockey....hey Sarge, you have been a part of many big moments as a Pen, but here is to hoping with all my heart you have now been a part of your last.....same to you Fedotenko........PonikaWHOsky, pack your bags and get out first thing tomorrow please.............the neutral zone turnovers, lack of shooting, horrendous special teams, no defensive system, the four horsemen not showing, all led to the Pens deservedly exiting in round two as predicted.

Play without fear and I will see you at Center Ice

I usually have a feel for games in the playoffs with the Penguins.........and I truly do not have any feel for this game, as I have had no feel for any game in this series.......because of this, I will do my viewpoints with the glass half empty outlook and then with the glass half full outlook. First, the glass half empty:

This series, like this season has been a season of missed opportunity for the Pens....they had an opportunity to win their division with a .500 March, had opportunities to win a couple of these games they lost in this series, and they did not;

Fleury loves to give up VERY EARLY and VERY SOFT goals this season;

The play of Malkin and Crosby has been pretty mediocre this series by their normally mercurial standards;

Fleury's play has been below average in many games all year and in the post season;

Symmetry, as the Canadiens won the first game in this building and now have the chance to win the last game in this building;

The winner of Game 6 in the post season wins Game 7 more than 60% of the time;

The Pens have played more hockey than anybody over the past three seasons and could be just tired;

The Penguins defense has been porous at times in their own zone;

Trade deadline moves that usually bolster the Pens in the playoffs have brought a useless Ponikarovsky and an okay Leopold this season;


Glass Half Full

They are the goddamn defending Stanley Cup Champs, and they have been here before and prevailed;

Fleury usually bounces back from post season losses with a 15-5 record in games after a post season loss;

Crosby and Malkin are DUE for a breakout game;

The teams have been trading wins and losses since Game One, so it is our turn now;

The Pens seem to play their best hockey when their backs are against the wall, and that is now the case;

Mario is their owner, period;

Crosby's career is full of moments like this in which he leads his team to the big win;

The Penguins are 8-1 in their last 9 playoff series;

The Penguins have won their last two Game 7's...................................


Well now we are down to a one game playoff to see who goes to the Eastern Conference Finals, and soon enough we will know the outcome. Go Pens, do not lose your chance to make history!

Pittsburgh Penguins Entrance Stanley Cup Playoffs '10 HD

Craig Adams Hit On Josh Gorges Game 5 - May 8, 2010

Josh Koscheck Post Fight Interview UFC 113 - Pittsburgh Penguins Will Be...

Pens win pivotal Game 5

Well, despite a very tough task ahead, as winning the 4th game in a playoff series is tough against opponent, history is on the side of the Penguins. Historically, teams who win game 5 in a series that went into that game tied 2-2 win just over 81% of those series. Now, the way the Canadiens have played in this post season, trust me I would not take that for granted, but it does show how pivotal game 5 USUALLY is. I am hopeful that the Pens can go out and finish their business Monday night in Montreal, but the other stat that could factor in before the series is over is that Marc Andre Fleury is 15-5 following a loss in the post season over the past 3 seasons. His records is now 21-7 at home during the same stretch in the post season. All numbers that are encouraging should the Pens need Game 7 to close out this series. I for one, would rather not put all those statistics to the test, especially against this version of the Canadiens.

Some other thoughts on the game last night:

I LOVE the fact that Bylsma recognized the uselessness of Ponikarovsky and Fedostinko by making both Downey soft wimps healthy scratches;

I liked how physical the Pens played;

I love how Letang and Goligoski have both risen to the post season occasion with key offensive production and Letang deserved that goal after hearing the ridiculous Pittsburgh media tell us how he SCORED the GWG for Montreal the night before because of a fluke shot off of his skate;

It was great to see Letestu contribute on the fourth line with physical plays and energy;

I liked how the power play contributed again, but hated seeing the PK give up another one, even if it was way late in the game;

I am impressed by how the Pens can find other ways to win, but concerned that they have been so impotent 5 on 5;

I am also impressed that so many other Pens can contribute to a victory, but also concerned at how effectively the two headed monster has been limited during this series; Malkin had a very strong game this evening, despite gettting only one assist for his efforts;

The Penguins with one more win will advance to the Eastern Conference Finals for the third season in a row! And if they can win that series to the Finals for the third season in a row! That is incredible! GO PENS!

Look Familiar?

All is far from lost in this series.........the Pens have been in bigger scrapes in recent playoff series and come out on top that is for sure.........BUT, this series' storyline is beginning to look a little too much like the storyline of the Canadiens first round upset of the Capitals............get thoroughly outplayed for most of the game, but hold the other teams stars down and take advantage of a couple of chances to squeek out another frustrating win..........it is eery how much one of my favorite players' production is starting to mirror that of his biggest rival against the same opponent. Four games in and Crosby does not have a single goal? Four games in and the vaunted two headed monster has combined for ONE goal between them? Oh yeah, and Fleury fell back to his 2009-2010 form by giving up a VERY soft goal early in the game to put the Pens on their heels from the outset. The Pens did a great job of bouncing back getting the next two tallies to take a 2-1 lead into the third period and allowing a total of 10 shots in the first two periods............but again true to recent form Fleury gives up a very stoppable wraparound to allow the Habs to tie it, then the Pens get a bad bounce to give up the lead in a game that they had controlled from the start.......with four minutes left Geno gets a breakaway and the game is tied, right? No, he is stopped and the Pens leave a golden opportunity to take a commanding lead on the table. I dont think any one player is to blame for this loss, but I do think that the Pens stars are being stifled in much the same manner as the Caps stars, and that bothers me given my thoughts on the character of the Caps stars.......and sorry to all you "defend Fleury no matter what people," for the most part he has been VERY ordinary in the net. I know he makes the "stops that matter," but early shots from two miles out and no traffic matter, as do third period wraparounds by role players with a one goal lead to protect. Take it for what it is worth, but when the Pens are four games into a series and Alex Goligoski is their points leader, we have issues. Also, please SOMEBODY bitch slap Fedostinko and Ponigirl...the fact that these two toilet brushes give such minimal effort while Staal plays on an injury like the one he sustained is nauseating...I cannot believe A, that the actual men in the locker room have not snapped one of their necks or B. why Dan Bylsma dresses these assfucks night after night....and gives Stinko more ice time than Matt Cooke........have you seen two more useless sacks of shit in a Pens uniform, ever?? Lost in all of this is the absolutely amazing fact that Jordan BEAST Staal was back in the lineup less than a week after PK Scissorskates sliced his tendon...........Game 5 will be pivotal as always......It is time for the Pens biggest stars to shine bright, or a tremendous shot at defending the Cup will be wasted.

In the last year, Sidney Crosby has won a Stanley Cup and - 05.10.10 - SI Vault

In the last year, Sidney Crosby has won a Stanley Cup and - 05.10.10 - SI Vault

AN NFL SUPERSTAR'S REPULSIVE BEHAVIOR, THE ULTIMATE - 05.10.10 - SI Vault

AN NFL SUPERSTAR'S REPULSIVE BEHAVIOR, THE ULTIMATE - 05.10.10 - SI Vault

Ole......Ole, Ole......Ole......Ole, Ole.......go fuck yourselves with a 12 gauge!!

Pens take 2-1 series and show champions' heart

Not too subtle, but funny!

This is one of the few times I love to be wrong.........I have been pretty rough on MAF this season, and post season, and I dont believe I was wrong to do so.........I have also been pretty negative on Geno, and again for good reason......but tonite, oh yeah tonite baby, these two combine to put the Pens in the series lead..............Fleury only faced 18 shots, but he made several sparkling saves, including one on Camelleri and one on Plekanec to keep the Pens in the lead, and Geno buried one on a power play, the game winner....I had been saying that Geno had not really had the game changing score in quite a while....well he did tonite.............Geno had Geno like jump, and after a VERY rocky start, the Pens took control of the play during the second and third periods, despite playing without both Jordan Staal and Bill Guerin. Matt Cooke and Pascal Dupuis had excellent games, and Orpik looked a lot more like Orpik tonight. The Pens blocked a lot of Habs shots, in fact Leopold blocked 6, and Orpik 7. Crosby was quiet on the scoring front, but dominant in the faceoff circle......The Frogs were pretty tough on Sid the Kid tonite, who now has gone 4 games without a goal, but Sid had the last laugh..............The Pens need to bring their A game on Thursday when they will have a chance to put a stranglehold on this series...............It was great to see Fleury play a game that was worthy of a franchise goaltender tonight...................................Game 3 is often times a pivotal game, so hopefully this is a sign of things to come! GO PENS!!

Gatorade Canada - Congrats Sidney Crosby

Pens lose, Habs even series, are Pens fans bigger dicks than the fans of the cities we hate?

Wow, what a difference two days make............Friday and Saturday night the yinzers were all planning for a long break between our sweep of the Habs and the Eastern Conference Finals.......today, we got a good look at what the Caps were doing/not doing against the Habs, and also a look at the opportunistic abilities of said Canadiens......today the Pens just did not generate enough traffic in front of Halak to make a difference, and missed a couple of empty net looks in traffic.........they put 40 shots on goal, but only got one past Halak. Conversely, Montreal got three goals on only 18 shots, but more distressing to me is the fact that is not even surprising to me anymore.......Anybody who looks at any of our possible matchups in the future should we get out of this round and checks goaltending as an advantage for the Pens needs to have their head checked. Hey, it is only one game, and I truly did not believe this was going to be an easy series, but there are some disturbing trends.....the Penguins PK, once the pride of the team, is the second worse in the playoffs killing off less than 70% of its chances, and sometimes making it look easy! There is an amber alert out for the real Evgeni Malkin, who has only one secondary assist in this series, and at times just floats, and at others tries to beat 4 guys on a rush, only to turn the puck over(sound like another Russian to you too). Fedostinko should not even be allowed in the dressing room much less on the ice, and Ponikarovsky is meaningless........Finally, Fleury has been ordinary at best........today, the PP had 3 chances in the third period to tie the game, and could not get it done.....so, hey the Habs deserved the win today, and there is no cause to jump off a bridge due to the loss.....however, there are some trends I dont like, and there are some alarming similiarities between todays game, and the final three games of the Caps series..on a more positive note, I loved the play of Cooke, Kennedy and Dupuis today........Here is where the Pens need to show their coaching and leadership superiority, bounce back and take two road wins from the Habs!!

On another note, I wanted to address something that is really beginning to bother me at the Penguins games, and that is the number of useless tools, with big mouths, no class, and no brains giving our city a black eye...........I hear no shortage of poor Pens fans complaining about the rude, and sometimes physical treatment they get when the go to an opposign team's building, most notably Philadelphia, but we have read plenty of stories from places such as DC, New York, Columbus, and Boston......well I can tell you, as a fan who goes to almost every Penguins game in Pittsburgh, I cannot imagine that the fans in other towns are much worse than the tools who are beginning to populate the Mellon Arena, both inside and outside in the grass............I know it is not everybody, or even mostly everybody, but there is a growing number of fans in Pittsburgh who seem to think it is okay to be nasty, and even physically confrontational with opposing fans or fans they think are from other towns.............Listening to some idiots today in the arena, I began to think back to some of my own experiences, both in my jobbing jerseys that made me appear as an opposing fan, and without. Lets see, 2008 ECF, while walking up through the parking lots and into the first game of the ECF carrying my Fartsmell jersey, I had some 150 pound mullet headed tool attempt to grab the jersey from me, thinking I was a Flyers fan.....he tugged and tugged as I continued to walk by his tailgate, until finally shoving him ass over teakettle over the top of the table they kept their food on.....all because he thought I was a Flyers fan........I only outweighed him by 90 lbs, and he was quite nutless as he did nothing further......just a dummy.........there are numerous comments I wont bother counting up from young and old, and even small children made by people who are too dumb and blind to even read that my "opposing" jerseys are actually derogatory towards the other team......not that this should make a difference with regard to the commentary..........just noting as I hear yinzers whining, I am a yinzer who has experienced even a mild dose of the treatment given out here.....then, there is the time last year when another coward purposely knocked my then 12 year old daughter on the ground, then made a smart comment to me as he passed because we were both in "mock Flyers" jerseys.....when confronted physically in the Igloo Club moments later, this "tough" Pens fan had little to say even when shoved and choked..........I know, I did say shoved and choked, but remember, this adult male purposely shoved my 12 year old daughter to the ground because he thought she rooted for the Flyers!!??? Game 5 of the Pens-Sens series, your truly spends most of the third period in the restroom throwing up and other nice things due to what I believe to be food poisoning.........as a result my wife, two daughters and I left at the end of regulation, as I was very sick......as we walked down the sidewalk through the outside party we endured dozens of punks yelling obscenites because we left the game and they would give anything to go in.....first, if I were not blue there would have been a couple of yinzers with a couple of less teeth...........second, not my fault you cant or wont spend the money for a ticket, and anyone who thinks they should get an opinion on when a person who pays for their ticket comes or goes, should really not be allowed outside on their own..........I understand Mikey and Big Bob from the morning freak show did a diatribe on that same subject that morning.......Do we really care what a fat slug who has not seen his gherkin since he was 6 thinks? Or what his bean pole of a loser partner who probably had his lunch money stolen right on through grade 12 thinkns?? It was intimidating and confusing for the kids to get the comments they got from people wearing Pens jerseys that night, despite my ressurances that people like that only talk, none actually have the courage to do anything.........then when a group leaves today with about two minutes left, down 2, and short handed for the rest of the game to get a jump on the traffic, some tool yells out about how this group is not real fans......REALLY?? Certainly not anything to worry about, but again, I am just surprised at the low life factor that thinks they have to say whatever comes to their walnut sized minds......not that a guy like this even matters, hey, anyone can clean your toilet............My point is that we Pittsburghers like to think of our town as hard working and friendly.........and I would like to agree.......but I hate the fact that I am seeing more and more ignorant, lazy, idiots with a sense of entitlement at the games......hey, probably no more than at other cities, but my point here people is that it is also CERTAINLY NO LESS......GO PENS~

Difference between Sid and Ovagkin

Staal has post game tendon surgery

Bad news for the Pens....or devastating news for the Pens.......one thing we know about Staal is that he had surgery last night to repair a tendon injury......the dispute was if it was lacerated, which means he could be back for the next round should the Pens advance, or if it was severed, which would mean he is done for the rest of the playoffs...........the loss of Staal for the Pens is huge.........not only was Staal the teams fourth leading scorer in the regular season, he is a Selke candidate finalist as one of the NHL's best defensive forwards, and a key element on the PK.......he also has a knack for burying BIG goals..........finally, the Staal line when clicking is the line matchup nightmare most teams cannot handle as third line centers like Staal simply do not exist on any other team............that said, part of the beauty of the Stanley Cup playoffs is the fact that it tests skill, will, focus and DEPTH.......the Pens DEPTH and WILL will have to account for the loss of Staal, and it is time for Malkin to step up and play like the guy who won the Conn Smythe last season......he is back to floating and forcing plays, and now that momma is here, and the Pens need people to step up, we will see if Geno has the character to do it...............big moments ahead for the likes of Adams, Talbot, Kennedy, Cooke, and Rupp.........they could use more from Fleury........the good news is that this team is battle tested, and has the personnel to overcome this type of injury......they just have to DO IT!

Highlights: Penguins vs Canadiens: Game 1 2010 Playoffs

YouTube - Matt Cooke injures Andrei Markov

YouTube - Matt Cooke injures Andrei Markov