Save Empty Netters!

For those of you who don't know what Empty Netters is (who the hell are you?) it is the Penguins blog written by Seth Rorabaugh for the Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Here is the link to his page so you can check it out if you've somehow managed to find this blog but not his (seriously who the hell are you?).

http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/index.php/sports/empty-netters

As far as Penguins blogs go, this is probably the top one or two in on the net. Now it sounds like the PPG is going to be getting rid of this. It's probably another money moved aimed at saving their sinking ship, but in reality it's the only reason I care to visit the site any more. The Post Gazette is the home of flat out clowns like Bob Smizik and Gene Collier. Two guys that regurgitate useless information and pass it off as news. Smizik's role has been relegated to anti-FO rantings, which resemble that of a lunatic off his medication, while Collier is basically the staff fluff-piece writer.

The PG+ site is a joke, and the only reason I have ever had to pay for this re-packed shit was for Dejan Kovacevic's Pirates coverage, which also has rapidly deteriorated into nothing more than pandering to his core group of blog comment posters.

The Post Gazette's problem isn't Empty Netters, far from it. Their problem is the fact that they can't adapt. Their response to the information age is a non-functional (in many cases) pay site. Their business is antiquated, and they are now scrambling to save it. The problem is that, like their industry, their talent is old and stale. Just like their medium.

Really it is not a major surprise to me that they wouldn't see the value of Seth's blog, after all they run a newspaper. Like most Newspaper's their business is failing, and they can't see that great blogs like Empty Netters are the way they SHOULD go.

Is it really surprising that a group that gives Bob Smizik a blog doesn't know what quality is?

Penguins Gameday #14 (Ducks)

Penguins (6-6-1, 13 pts)

Ducks (5-7-1, 13 pts)

Where: Honda Center

When: 10:00 pm ET

TV: FSNPIT

Get that extra cup of coffee in this morning because for some on the East coast it's gonna be a late one. Game doesn't start until 10, so we're looking at about a 12:30 AM finish time at the earliest (but maybe you have the day off tomorrow). Hopefully the Pens will make it worth the while and not play like they did on Wednesday. The strange thing is that the Pens are currently 8th in the East, but are only 4 points away from having the best record in the league. Nice to bank these Western Conference wins now so it takes a little pressure off in April.

Opponents to Watch:

Bobby Ryan- Great hands, good legs, and a really good overall knowledge on how to play the game. Watch for him to make some noise.

Teemu Selanne- This old geezer still wants to party like it's 1999. He's 40 yrs old on the record but he leads his team in goals. And most of those goals come on the powerplay. Basically look for Anaheim's PP unit to try to set him up for the shot.

Corey Perry- One of the most familiar backsides in the league for goaltenders, this guy loves to stand in front of the crease and push, shove, deflect, and bang away at the rebounds. It is a necessity to get a big body like Orpik or Engelland in to keep him in his place.

Notes:

-Pens look pretty well healthy, with no new injury news to report. The only potential one is Letang, who re-injured his hand during a fight on Wednesday and then had to go to the locker room. He did return, but looked a bit defensive.

-At least the Pens don't have to worry about Andy Sutton, as he is out with a broken thumb.

-Don't know whether it will be Fleury or Johnson but my best guess is that whoever doesn't start tonight plays tomorrow.

Yinz Luv Da 'Guins (Ep 1)

Game 13: Stars 5, Pens 2

Messy game, see you Friday

Stars- 5
-Stephane Robidas (Morrow, Benn) 1-3:51
-Brad Richards (Neal, Eriksson) 1-7:57
-Steve Ott (Robidas, Ribeiro) 2-10:52
-Loui Eriksson (Penalty Shot) 2-11:51
-Loui Eriksson (unassisted) 3-5:13
W- Lehtonen (21-23)

Pens- 2
-Tyler Kennedy (Talbot) 2-6:20
-Matt Cooke (Michalek) 3-15:36
L- Johnson (24-29)

RECAP
I'm going to try to limit the critique for this game because the score speaks for itself. Pens gave up a few early goals and were pretty much chasing their tails for the rest of the way. Pens had one moment to get back in it when Kennedy scored to make it 2-1 and then had a powerplay to tie it but instead they wasted the man advantage and allowed Dallas to score another one a bit later from a wide-open Steve Ott (and I mean WIDE open). Loui Eriksson put the Stars up 4-1 off of a penalty shot that probably shouldn't have been called. But it was, and he scored, and that's that. Eriksson scored again off of a Letang turnover to make it 5-1 and then Cookie put in a "garbage" goal to make it 5-2 late in the game.

This game for some may be remembered more for the 2nd period of nastiness than the score. Sid fought (1st of the season) Matt Niskanen and won pretty easily. Kunitz and Kennedy both fought to a draw. Letang impulsively dropped the gloves and injured his hand again during the fight. He did return, but looked very squeamish. Third period was also a bit chippy but there were no fights.

Game Changing Play

Failed 5 v 3 powerplay midway through the 1st period that could have potentially got the Pens right back into it.

Grades

Offense- C Didn't get nearly enough shots and flat out struggled doing anything with the puck.

Defense- C- Also pretty bad. Michalek started the night off awful but then gradually got a bit better as he got into shape. Letang's bad 3rd period could probably be attributed to his injury.

Johnson- C- Yeah, we all knew the bad game was coming some time. His main problem was his reaction. It just didn't seem like he was moving as quickly as he should have.

Powerplay- F Dismal. Havn't scored a PPG in forever and they just didn't want to shoot.

Penalty Kill- B+ Had to once again kill way too many penalties. Besides the penalty shot they were effective.

3 Big Points

-I have absolutely no problem with Sid fighting like he did. He is captain and it is his job to do all he can to get his team fired up. Plus, he took care of business.

-WHY does the powerplay insist upon 4 forwards? Putting Malkin on the point does 3 things. 1. It eliminates Geno's presence down low. 2. It takes away a puck moving defenseman from the points. 3. It allows for a greater opportunity for offsides/SH goals. Do any of those sound positive?

-It's games like this one that explain why there are 82 on the schedule.

My 3 Stars

1. Loui Eriksson
2. Brad Richards
3. Stephane Robidas

Pirates make a slew of 40 man moves

Well it seems the quiet offseason is coming to an end. The unofficial World Series radio silence has been broken and the offseason is now in full swing.

That said the Pirates made quite a few necessary 40 man roster moves today.

First off the Pirates signed Wil Ledezma to a one year contract, thus avoiding arbitration. Ledezma wasn't overly impressive for the Buccos last year, posting a 6.86 ERA in 19.2 innings. He was hit pretty well, but the Pirates are obviously in love with his SO numbers (10.1/9) and like his stuff. He pitched very well in AAA last year before he got the call, so there is some upside. Low risk signing really, but not a bad one.

Steven Jackson, Sean Gallagher, Justin Thomas, Brandon Moss, and Jeff Clement were outrighted to AAA Indianapolis. (Clement came off the 60 day DL). Those moves were made to make room on the 40 man roster for Ross Ohlendorf, Steve Pearce, and Jose Ascanio, all of whom had to come off the 60 day DL.

This will probably be the end of Brandon Moss as he has already been DFA'd once by the Buccos. I'm sure he probably wants to move on, and I bet the club feels the same way.

Chan Ho Park was removed from the 40 man due to his being a free agent. I don't think it's out of the question that he comes back though. Should be had fairly cheaply, and he was pretty good for the Buccos. During his time with the Pirates he kept the ball in the park better than all but one year in his career, posted the best WHIP and had the third lowest ERA of his career. Granted it was a pretty small sample, but he definitely earned another look.

Expect a lot more moves to come though because the 40 man roster is at 38 players and the Pirates still need to protect quite a few Rule V eligible players. This is going to be a recurring theme for a team trying to stockpile talent. Eligible players include Brian Friday, Nathan Adcock, Jeff Locke, Starling Marte, Danny Moskos, Rudy Owens, and Tony Watson to name just a few.

Penguins Gameday #13 (Dallas)

Penguins (6-5-1, 13 points)

Stars (6-4-0, 12 points)

Where: American Airlines Center

When: 8:30 ET

TV: FSNPIT

Pens are going out west for the week and it all starts in Dallas tonight. Stars are surprisingly good this year but the Pens should be looking to start this west swing off strong.

Opponents to Watch:

Brad Richards- Really one of the more underrated players in the NHL and he's off to a good start. He co-leads the league in assists, but he can also score.

Stephane Robidas- Two-way defenseman with a wicked shot and a scrappy mentality. He can put points on the board AND he also leads his team in Plus/Minus and PIMs.

Loui Eriksson- When he shoots, he hits the net. And scores quite a bit. Pens should put a big physical d-man on him to keep him from shooting.

Notes:

-Of course Staal isn't returning, though he did undergo sucessful surgery yesterday.

-Letang, Malkin, and Goligoski are all GTDs. HCDB said that he is optimistic that they will all play, so make of that what you will.

-Nobody was called up yet from WBS, so that must mean that the Pens either are waiting until the last minute or trust the health of Letang and Goligoski.

-Dallas is healthy.

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Murphy's Law

"If it can go wrong, it will go wrong"Just when the Pens thought they were on the verge of having a full healthy roster they get set back further than they were all year in a matter of days. I don't know what it is with this team and injuries about this time of the year (if you recall last year was basically the same.) Here are some highlights from today's disastrous practice.

Jordan Staal- Just when he was reaching the point where he was merely days away from his first start of the season, he gets set back twice as long as his original injury. He will have surgery tomorrow to repair his fractured right hand after being hit with a puck midway through practice. Likely looking at a return in late December at the best.

Evgeni Malkin- He did not even lace up at practice today after being scratched for Saturday's game against Carolina. We still don't officially know what's wrong with Geno, but in Saturday's warmups he appeared to be limping a bit. He is listed as day-to-day.

Kris Letang- Also did not practice. He exited Saturday's game after agitating a hand injury he received last Wednesday against Tampa and did not return for the rest of the game. He is day-to-day.

Alex Goligoski- Ok, so this one came out of nowhere. Nobody has any clue what happened, just that he only practiced for a few minutes and is also listed as day-to-day.

Zbynek Michalek- The only situation that didn't get worse today. He seems to be set for a return sometime this week.

Look at the above list of guys. These are not depth players or fill-ins, but rather key members of the team. Despite this, I believe the Pens will find a way to cope. They have several very adequate replacements down in WBS that they could call up for the road trip. I have a hard time thinking that (especially with Letang AND Goligoski questionable) the Pens won't call up at least one defenseman. (likely Hutchinson) I guess all we can do now is hope for the best.

Yinz Luv 'Da Stillers!, PIT vs. NO (Week #8)

Game 12: Pens 3, Hurricanes 0

Brent Johnson: Turning Hurricanes into Light Rainfall all night long

Penguins- 3
-Pascal Dupuis (Crosby, Kunitz) 1-4:18
-Maxime Talbot (Asham, Rupp) 2-2:15
-Pascal Dupuis (Goligoski, Crosby) 8:10
W- Johnson (33-33)

Hurricanes- 0
L- Ward (28-31)

RECAP

There are many ways to determine that Brent Johnson had a spectacular night in net. You can watch highlights to see him sprawling across the crease denying shot after shot, you can look at the scoreboard and appreciate the first Pens' shutout of the season, or you can simply just listen to the Carolina fans. You know they are a bit frustrated when a "Let's Go Panthers" chant breaks out. Johnson's phenomenal goaltending turned out to be just the spark the Pens needed to bounce back from yesterday's disaster. The whole team looked better. Pascal Dupuis and his mustache lead the way for the Pens offense.

Dupuis scored 2 incredibly timely goals, the first early in the 1st period to give the Pens the lead and his 2nd midway through the 3rd to put the game out of reach for the Pens. But let's face it, the game was out of reach from the moment Brent Johnson stepped onto the ice. He saw everything, and he stopped everything. Maxime Talbot also scored a goal for Pittsburgh on a play where he wasn't really trying to shoot but the puck found its way past Cam Ward for the goal.

Game Changing Play

Nifty little forehand-backhand move by Dupuis = Pens 1st goal.


Grades

Offense- B+ Everyone looked more energized and certainly more involved in the game. They put some pressure on the Canes' D, and they were rewarded with a few goals. There really weren't that many "pretty" plays but they were very efficient and effective.

Defense- A- A shutout may only get recorded for the goalie, but it is a testament to the whole defense. Played very well.

Johnson- A+ He was perfect, therefore he gets a perfect score.

Powerplay C+ They did only get 2 opportunities, but there is still something missing from this unit. Eventually they'll click, but they just can't seem to get out of this rut yet.

Penalty Kill A- They dominated Carolina for many of the PKs. And when they didn't, Johnson was there.

3 Big Points

-Of course with every triumph there is a negative. Kris Letang reagitated his hand and left the game midway through the 2nd and didn't return. Also Malkin was a scratch.

-Orpik and Engelland looked fantastic.

-Asham did get a point, but I still get the sense that they are trying to figure out what to do with him. He did show signs of being an effective weapon once properly acquainted with the team, but there is still some refinement left to do.

3 Stars

1. Brent Johnson
2. Pascal Dupuis
3. Sidney Crosby

AHL Game 8: WBS 6, Hershey 2

StatementMany of the premiere AHL commentators/bloggers/etc predicted that this would need to be a statement game for Hershey. They finally get a shot vs WBS at Giant Center with their home crowd buzzing and they were wearing their special edition Calder Cup championship jerseys with the logos of the teams they defeated in last year's playoffs. The buzz was high. To sum it up, this is the statement that Bears PbP man John Walton made on twitter after the game.

" In a word, ugh. Penguins impressive in all facets of the game tonight, 6-2 the final."

Ugh was a pretty popular phrase in Giant Center, but for the WBS fans the word was "Woooo!!!" The Pens moved to 8-0, and more importantly, picked up their 6th point (in 3 games) of the year against the Bears.

The Bears got off to a hot start with a Keith Auccoin goal 49 seconds into the game, but the Pens would quickly have an answer and would not stop answering. Chris Conner scored the first Pens goal of the game just 26 seconds after Auccoin's, and then he picked up an assist a few minutes later on Andrew Hutchinson's powerplay "go-ahead" goal. Joe Vitale kept the flow going with a shorthanded goal midway through the 1st to give WBS a 3-1 lead after 10 minutes. Eric Tangradi put up his 1st AHL goal of the season with another powerplay goal just 27 seconds before the intermission buzzer to put the Pens up 4-1 and send some of the Hershey fans home early to trick-or-treat. Conner struck again in the 2nd period with his 2nd goal of the game, and this time it was Hutchinson who got the helper. Hershey showed a bit of life midway through the 3rd with a Zach Miskovic goal, but Zach Sill made sure that the comeback would go no further with a put-away goal to give WBS a 6-2 lead.

This was such a huge win for the Pens. On paper, they picked up another 2 points against Hershey (which really makes it like 4 pts) which will certainly come in handy later in the year, and they kept their win streak going at 8-0. They also passed what has been the toughest test in the AHL for the last few years, and that was winning at Giant Center. Anyone who did not yet believe that we are for real this year may have been converted tonight. And if there already weren't enough reasons to be excited about this team, they won without premiere scoring winger Brett Sterling, who is still recovering from an injury.

Not to rain on the parade, but eventually they are going to have to lose. (I'm just glad it wasn't tonight.) When they lose is unknown, but it will not be in October. Hutchinson and Tangradi have made an immediate impact this weekend, though it is unknown how long Hutch will be in WBS after Letang's injury and Michalek's status unknown.

Penguins Gameday #12 (Hurricanes)

Penguins (5-5-1, 11 pts)

Hurricanes (5-4-0, 1o pts)

Where: RBC Center

When: 7:00 ET

TV: FSNPIT

The Pens really need to bounce back from yesterday's disaster and get themselves back over the .500 mark. They have to get that 0-21 powerplay working, and they also need to find lines that work and stick with them. They can do all this tonght in Carolina.

Opponents to Watch:

Jussi Jokinen- tricky little forward who can score goals rather frequently. Marking him should be a priority.

Eric Staal- he's a Staal

Carolina D-men- I'm referring to them as a whole because I think that the Pens should be able to tear right through these guys if they keep the pressure on.

Notes:

-No clue about Geno. Maybe we'll know something later.

-Jordan Staal may return tonight, but I think he will probably wait.

3:00 pm- Not looking like Staal will play

3:15 pm- Malkin listed as questionable, but the feeling is that he will play.

3:30 pm- Johnson in the net.

Whiteout

Penn State Gameday

TV: ESPN, 8
Series: Michigan leads 10-5, last meeting Oct 24, 09 ... PSU 35 Michigan 10
Line: Michigan by 3

The schools will be in different divisions next year so this is the last meeting for two years. Denard Robinson will be back for the Wolverines and Matt McGloin will make his first start for Penn State.

I hate Michigan. The Chad Henne to Mario Manningham last-second touchdown in '05 is right up there in one of the most disappointing endings ever, for any team I like. (Braves/Bucs is #1). Michigan has lost their last two games, to Mich. State and Iowa.

Notes:
Penn State leads the nation with the fewest penalty yards per game (25.1).

Evan Royster needs 31 yards to break the all-time rushing record for the Lions.

Michigan is 2nd in total offense per game.

Denard Robinson is good.

Prediction: Michigan 33 Penn State 24

Game 11: Flyers 3, Pens 2

Pens lose, Malkin hurt, Engelland dominates.

Flyers- 3
-Claude Giroux (Richards) 2-5:20
-Daniel Carcillo (Carle, Betts) 2-13:34
-Claude Giroux (Leino Timonen) 3-10:43
W- Bobrovsky (26-28)

Penguins- 2
-Kris Letang (Malkin, Comrie) 1-8:12
-Tyler Kennedy (Crosby, Letang) 2-19:15
L- Fleury (21-24)

RECAP
As far as the game itself, the Pens totally laid an egg. Aside from a brawling first 4 minutes and a "too little too late" energized final minute of the game, the Pens were essentially lifeless. They were backing off of the puck carrier, getting sloppy in finishing off their checks, and turned the puck over mulitple times. Claude Giroux made the Pens pay, capitalizing on one of those turnovers for a shorthanded goal and another golden opportunity on the power play. There were certainly plenty of powerplays to go around, and even more so in the 1st period.

Cooke and Richards got things started with a bang 6 seconds into the game when Mike Richards and Matt Cooke found each other off the faceoff. Then came the next fight just seconds later between Deryk Engelland and Jody Shelley. This was the best (and maybe only good thing) that they did all game. Midway through the fight, Engelland caught Shelley with a killer shot that left him bloodied. *Scroll down with caution*




No, that's not a Halloween costume, that is actually his face. Then came an onslaught of minor penalties that packed the penalty boxes so much to the point where the Pens received a powerplay during 3 on 3 hockey. After all the dust cleared, it was 1-0. That's about all the good I can say about this one, however there is that elephant in the room that nobody wants to think about yet nobody can avoid. What happened to Geno?
For those who did not pick up on it, Malkin stepped into the penalty box to serve the bench minor for "Too Many Men" and then was not seen again for the rest of the game. The only bit of information we have is that Dan Bylsma confirmed that it was injury related, yet did not specify the problem.

Game Changing Play

Giroux's shorthander to tie the game up. It was a combined hiccup by Goligoski and Letang that Giroux just cashed in on.

Grades

Offense- C Lost all of their edge in the 2nd and 3rd periods and would not find it again until about 45 seconds to go AKA "too little too late."

Defense- B They were respectable.

Fleury- B+ Can't blame it on him. He let one bad one in, but saved at least 4 more. I would say that it was his personal best game of the season.

Powerplay- C- Awful, not to mention the shorthander on top of it.

Penalty Kill- B- They did give up 1 goal, but held pretty strong afterwards.

3 Big Points

-Please be ok Geno, Please be ok Geno, Please be ok Geno, Please be ok Geno...

-Engelland is proving his worth in spades so far this year with both his fists and his stick. Another great fight and another decisive win.

-If the Pens didn't have to go to Carolina tomorrow, I would suggest a bag skate. They deserve the pain after this performance. The key is not to let any of this carry over.

My 3 Stars

1. Claude Giroux
2. Sergei Bobrovsky
3. Deryk Engelland

AHL Game 7: WBS 4, Adirondack 1

Still Streakin!7-0! 7-0! 7-0! The Wilkes Barre-Scranton Pens are still the #1 team in the AHL. They confirmed this Friday night with a commanding 4-1 victory at Glens Falls against the Adirondack Phantoms. I'm starting to run out of good things to say about this team, as they seem to have every aspect of the game adequately covered. Their defense was superb tonight, especially considering they were recently bolstered with the return of solid blueliner Andrew Hutchinson. Hutch had a very good return to the AHL, accumulating 2 points and assuming his role as powerplay QB. Eric Tangradi also made his AHL season debut. He looked ok, and he should be just fine after a few games to get re-adjusted. The Pens got some contributions from some grinders and others not accustomed to scoring, which is always a good thing. Ryan Craig slammed the first one home early in the 1st period to give the Pens an early lead that they would not give up for the rest of the game. Carl Sneep resumed the party in the 2nd with his 1st career AHL goal. Perhaps the most surprising contribution came from charismatic team enforcer Jesse Boulerice. Boulerice scored to put the Pens ahead by 3 and essentially lock up the game for the boys from the WB. David Laliberte did beat Theissen once for a Phantoms' goal, but it was negated by a late Nick Johnson goal to finish the game 4-1 and keep their advantage on the rest of the AHL. Theissen was good when he had to be, but in general the defense did a good job keping the puck from getting to him.
Huge road game in Hershey tomorrow, and a win would be so huge for the Pens even though they will hold their 1st place no matter who wins.

RMU Men's Hockey Weekend Preview

Friday Oct 29th

RMU (4-0-0 Overall, 3-0-0 AHA) at Rochester Institute of Technology (0-4-1 Overall, 0-0-0 AHA)

All Time Series: RMU leads 1-0-1 (1-0-1 Home, 0-0-0 Away)

Last meeting: 11/12/2005, 5-5 Tie ; 11/13/2005, 4-2 RMU

Game Notes:

This will be Robert Morris' first trip to Ritter Arena to face the RIT Tigers. RMU has started out the season with a 4-0 record for the first time in school history, defeating American International (twice), Ohio State, and Air Force. Defenseman Denny Urban leads the team in scoring with 6 points (1 g, 5 a). Forwards Nathan Longpre and Trevor Lewis lead the team with 3 goals each. Senior Forward Nathan Longpre scored the 100th point of his career in RMU's 3-2 win over Air Force, making him the 2nd RMU player to reach that mark, trailing only Chris Margott. Junior Goaltender Brooks Ostergard has started all 4 games of the season, with a 2.25 GAA and .927 SvPct. The Colonials are ranked 19th this week in the Inside College Hockey poll and are just outside of the Top 20 in the USCHO poll. The Colonials were off last weekend.

RIT is the defending Atlantic Hockey regular season and tournament champions and have won the AHA regular season championship 3 of the last 4 seasons. RIT was the NCAA East Regional champions last season, defeating Denver (2-1) and New Hampshire (6-2) to qualify for their first NCAA Frozen Four. RIT lost to Wisconsin in the NCAA Frozen Four Semifinals 8-1. Forwards Tyler Brenner and Andrew Favot lead the team with 6 points each. All 3 goalies have started at least 1 game for the Tigers, with Senior Jan Ropponen leading the team with a 3.01 GAA, and .906 SvPct. RIT has struggled defensively this season, giving up an average of 4.6 goals per game, all non-conference games. RIT lost to RPI (4-2) and Union (7-2) on the road last weekend.

Saturday Oct 30th

RMU (4-0-0, 3-0-0) at Niagara University (0-2-2, 0-0-0)

All Time Series: Niagara leads 20-8-6 (5-7-4 Home, 3-11-2 Away, 0-2-0 Neutral)

Last Meeting: 3/5/2010, 3-1 Niagara; 3/6/2010, 4-2 Niagara

Game Notes:

RMU and Niagara both left College Hockey America at the end of the 09-10 season to join Atlantic Hockey. Niagara finished tied for 3rd in College Hockey America last year and lost to Alabama-Huntsville in the CHA tournament final. Defenseman Ryan Annesley leads the Purple Eagles in scoring with 5 points, while Freshman Carsen Chubak has made 3 starts in net with a 3.77 GAA and .896 SvPct. The Eagles are very young defefensively, with 6 of their 8 defenseman being Freshmen or Sophomores. Niagara lost to Union (6-2) and RPI (4-3 OT) last weekend.

Penguins Gameday #11 (Flyers)

Penguins (5-4-1, 11 pts)

Flyers (4-4-1, 9 pts)

Where: Consol Energy Center

When: 7:00 ET

TV: FSNPIT

Wow, the schedule maker must really like to watch the Pens and Flyers play each other. The Flyers will be making their 3rd appearance in just 11 games on the Pens' schedule tonight. The season series is split 1-1, with each team winning on the road. It will be Arron Asham's first game against his former team, so it will be interesting to see how he responds. It will also be the last home game for the Pens for quite a while, as they embark on a Western road trip next week. To cap it all off, it is a key division game in the jockey for the early season lead in the Atlantic.

Opponents to Watch:

Daniel Briere- He can skate, score, rebound. And he seems to like scoring against Pittsburgh. Hopefully he won't like playing the Pens after tomorrow.

James van Riemsdyke- Basically drop everything about Briere down here too. Same playing style.

Chris Pronger- When he's not busy whining about a hangnail, Pronger actually is a very good defenseman on the ice. He is a presence.

Notes:

- As far as the whole Fleury/Johnson situation, I imagine one will start tonight and the other will play tomorrow. The big question is who.

-Steigy said during the last practice that he expects to see Staal back against the Flyers, but I still have my doubts. Maybe a few more weeks.

12:30 pm- PROJECTED LINES

Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis
Asham-Letestu-Malkin
Cooke-Talbot-Kennedy
Rupp-Adams-Comrie
Letang-Martin
Orpik-Goligoski
Engelland-Lovejoy
Fleury?

Winter Classic Jerseys Revealed

So how do you keep yourself busy on a Thursday afternoon off-day. How about unveiling your Winter Classic Jerseys. The Pens held a little exposition Thursday showcasing their new design for the jerseys that they will wear for the Winter Classic this year and possibly as alternates afterwards. Let's see the pics.


Not bad. From what I saw, the response to these was generally negative. I like the idea. The color scheme is nice, and I totally dig the retro logo. The only grievance I have is the pinstripes. Why so many? Are they really necessary? Otherwise, they're decent. Let's have a closer look at the best part.



The retro logo looks sweet with this layout. Our friends Geno and Staalsy (who is getting mighty close to a return) were on the scene to help showcase the new jerseys.

"In Soviet Russia, jersey wear you."

Personally, I thought the old thirds were better, but it could be worse. We could be stuck wearing these.

No offense to the Caps or their hideous jerseys. But it doesn't matter who has the best jerseys, but rather who wears them better. But I'm getting way ahead of myself, the Winter Classic is months away. Big game vs the Flyers tomorrow.

Game 10: Lightning 5, Pens 3

zapped!

Lightning- 5
-Dana Tyrell (Thompson, Kubina) 1-2:51
-Teddy Purcell (Kubina, Ritola) 1-16:40
-Vincent Lecavalier (St Louis, Stamkos) 2-8:43
-Martin St Louis (Downie, Stamkos) 3-6:40
-Martin St Louis (Stamkos) 3-19:29
W- Ellis (24-24)
ND- Smith (4-7)

Penguins- 3
-Craig Adams (Cooke, Orpik) 1-3:28
-Matt Cooke (Letang, Adams) 1-4:29
-Pascal Dupuis (Adams, Crosby) 1-12:15
L- Fleury (26-30)

RECAP


One great shift does not translate into a win, and the Pens found this out. As remarkable as it was to see Craig Adams and Matt Cooke score on the same penalty kill early in the 1st period, that was just about how unremarkable the rest of the game went for the Pens. Maybe it was too much time in the Florida sun, because the Lightning were the more focused and determined team and methodically chipped away at the Pens' early lead to get themselves the victory.

Martin St Louis and Steven Stamkos were the duo to beat, with St Louis taking control with a game winning goal and the EN clincher and Stamkos tallying 3 assists. It seemed that the Pens were doing a good job preventing Stamkos from unleashing his vicious shot but instead allowing him to distribute the puck nicely to his teammates. St Louis put the dagger into the Pens when he took the puck right around Ben Lovejoy on a breakaway and then lifted the puck past Fleury into the net to put his Lightning up 4-3.

Penalties were also an issue in this game, with the Pens taking 9 minors and Tampa getting whistled for 6. The Pens obviously got off to a good start with their special teams (2 shorthanders always help) but were unable to do anything productive on the other side of the man advantage. Also note that it was the Pens debut for Arron Asham, and had it not been for a few minor skirmishes, nobody would have even noticed.

Game Changing Play

St Louis's breakaway goal to put Tampa up 4-3.

Grades

Offense- B- They got good work done by their 3rd and 4th liners, but the guys at the top were silent.

Defense- C+ Lovejoy wasn't the only one to get burned on a breakaway. The D looked very sluggish in getting back to the D zone, and paid for it a few times.

Fleury- C Inexcusably atrocious first 2 goals let in. The other 2 weren't really his fault. I just don't know when he will get back to his game, but his huge buffer on the starting job is starting to dwindle and every good game Johnson plays further decreases this window so Fleury would be smart to step it up soon.

Powerplay- C- For lack of a better word, they were just lousy.

Penalty Kill- A- Those 2 shortys really were spectacular and the one goal they did give up was on the 3 v 5 so it really can't be counted as a PK failure. They were out on the ice too much in the 1st place, and did a nice job at least keeping the game within reach.

3 Big Points

-Didn't the Pens pick up Mike Comrie in the offseason? I always see someone out there wearing his number, but #19 is never anywhere near the action.

-Craig Adams had 3 points and Matt Cooke had 2. When these depth guys put up these kinds of numbers and you still don't win, there is a problem. (But still Kudos to Adams and Cooke)

-At least Brooks Orpik looked good. Didn't seem to have any lingering from his injury, and was a force as usual in the defensive zone.

My 3 Stars
1. Martin St Louis- 2 goals, assist, gwg. Shoe-in for #1 star.

2. Craig Adams- 3 points for a grinder like Adams. He was really determined tonight.

3. Steven Stamkos- 3 assists, and a very well-played smart game.

Penguins Gameday #10 (Lightning)

Penguins (5-3-1, 11 pts)

Lightning (5-2-1, 11 pts)

Where: St Pete Times Forum

When: 7:30 PM

TV: FSNPIT

The Pens wrap up their 3 game mini-road trip against the Tampa Bay Lightning. 3 out of 4 points on the road isn't bad, and a win would be a great way to wrap it up. The Pens have had 3 days to recover from their hard fought game in St Louis, and hopefully will be refreshed and energized.

Opponents to Watch:

Steven Stamkos- He is the best player (or at least top 3) in the NHL right now. Completely shutting him down is a pipe dream, but limiting his effectiveness on the ice should be the goal.

Ryan Malone- Another former Penguin, Malone is a presence in front of the net and is a defenseman's worst nightmare. Keeping him away from the rebounds should be the focus.

Martin St Louis- Don't let him fool you, he can still skate and he can still shoot. Keep two eyes on Stamkos, and still keep one on St Louis.

Notes:

-Arron Asham will likely be making his Penguins debut.

-Tangradi and Hutchinson have been sent down to WBS, so obviously they won't be in the lineup.

-Staal and Michalek are close, but not yet.

-Gagne is day-to-day for Tampa.

Top Ten Most Hated Team - #9 Chicago Cubs

The Cubs were both the first and last opponent at Forbes Field, thankfully we won all those games.

1908. The Pirates held a half game lead going into their last game over the hated Chicago Cubs, win and they are in. A blown call gives the Cubs the win and effectively eliminates the Pirates from the playoffs. Although in the end we may have gotten the last laugh, as that 1908 season, in which they erroneously made the playoffs, was the beginning of the curse that all Pirates fans know and love today.

Speaking of curses. The Curse of the Billygoat is the curse that has kept them out of the World Series since 1945. Until 1984 it also kept them out of the playoffs. Who did the Cubs beat to clinch the division title? Your Pittsburgh Pirates. These aren't the only times the Cubs have used the Pirates for a stepping stone into the playoffs though, in 2003 they won the Central by sweeping a doubleheader against the Pirates.

How about a history of trading away great players? The Pirates sure have one, and it seems like the Cubs are always welcoming our players with open arms. Or at least robbing us of marginal talent. Ralph Kiner, Aramis Ramirez, Randall Simon (yup he was successful with the Cubs), Jon Lieber, Kenny Lofton, even Tom Gorzellany.

I hate how Cubs fans invade PNC Park, and show little to no class. I hate how their fans have an arrogant tone, and talk down to the Pirates when really the Cubs are a dysfunctional mess who haven't accomplished a damn thing in 100 years. I also can't stand how Cubs fans are always trying to get into the game. Whether it's Bartman, or the schmuck that threw the beer on Victorino Cubs fans can't seem to stay in their seats and let the athletes do the playing.

Speaking of the fans what is with that bogus "Go, Cubs, Go" song? Oh yeah and what is with the Ron Santo love fest? A good player to be sure, but get off it already. You don't see me screaming for Bob Walk in the Hall just because he is a broadcaster.

Alfonso Soriano.... enough said.

The most fitting thing about the Cubs? Ernie Banks' nickname is Mr. Cub..... why is this so fitting? Because he never had one single playoff appearance as a Cub!

Wrigley Field? I've never been but from what I hear it's filled with poor sightlines, and uncomfortable seats. I love nostalgia and all, but I'm a comfort fan as well.

One Nice Thing About the Cubs: The aforementioned Ron Santo's battle with Diabetes has been an inspiration to many fans of the Cubs and the Sport in general.

Puck Chatter

I figured I'd spice this boring "No Pens Game" Monday with some more Puck Chatter. Just a little bit.

Rypien's Rampage
This is another one of those things that I'm sure you've all heard already, but yes Rick Rypien did get a 6 game suspension for physically engaging a Minnesota fan on his way to the locker room. The incident occurred after Rypien was given a misconduct for an on-ice altercation with Brad Staubitz. Rypien spotted the fan (who appeared to be cheering the penalty call) and immediately reached over the wall and grasped the Minnesota fan's shirt before being restrained by coaches and teammates and sent down the tunnel. Here is the likely fallout of the incident.

1. Everyone who didn't know Rick Rypien's name beforehand (which is about 90% of all hockey fans) knows it now.

2. The Canucks organization has to eat crow for a while and apologize for everything or else this may get even worse.

3. Fans hopefully (but probably not) learned a bit more about their place in the game. The camera angle is inconclusive, but I would imagine that the Wild fan was verbally tirading Rypien as he walked past, and combine this with Rypien's belligerent mood and you have a problem. My advice to all fans: If you are going to taunt and jeer your opponent all night long, don't buy seats next to the away tunnel. (Like I said before, there is no proof of what he did beforehand to rile up Rypien, but it must have been something because other players and coaches from Vancouver also expressed their displeasure with said fan.

Old Hat

A hat trick is a rare and remarkable feat in the NHL....well remarkable at least. They are everything but rare this week as there were 7 hat tricks across the NHL in a 3 day span. They are:
Lee Stempniak- 10/21 vs LA
Rene Borque- 10/22 vs Columbus
Daniel Alfredsson- 10/22 vs Buffalo
Steven Stamkos- 10/22 vs Atlanta
Alex Semin- 10/23 vs Atlanta
John Taveres- 10/23 vs Florida
Brad Richardson- 10/23 vs Colorado

I wonder where all these hats "really" go....
"Koval-bench"
Sorry about the horrible title, but this is a fascinating story. Ilya Kovalchuk was a healthy scratch Thursday night against Buffalo. Coach, when asked, said that it was his decision to scratch Kovalchuk, and he would not further elaborate. The rest of the Devils team were also confused at the move, but....

Photo

Modern camera equipment can follow the puck extremely closely, but none closer than last night against the Rangers. Del Zotto blasted a shot that was deflected over the net and straight at the camera.

Needless to say, the camera didn't fare so well.

Yinz Luv 'Da Stillers!, PIT vs. MIA (Week #7)

Steelers vs. Dolphins Inactives

Steelers

WR Antonio Brown
DL Brett Keisel
QB Charlie Batch
CB Crezdon Butler
RB Jonathan Dwyer
LB Thaddeus Gibson
OT Tony Hills
OT Trai Essex

Dolphins

FB Deon Anderson
TE Jeron Mastrud
OG John Jerry
WR Marlon Moore
OL Patrick Brown
LB Quentin Moses
DL Rob Rose
QB Tyler Thigpen

Game 9: Blues 1, Pens 0

Halak'd....again
Blues- 1
Erik Johnson (Oshie, Backes) OT-0:50
W- Halak (31-31)
Penguins- 0
L- Johnson (23-24)
RECAP
This will probably be the shortest recap of the season on here. Ready...Johnson was exceptional, Halak was perfect. Both goalies held shutouts into overtime, and then Erik Johnson capitalized on a turnover to score. The rest of the game was just dominated by physical play, solid checking, and more spectacular goaltending. That's about it.

Game Changing Play
In the final 2 minutes of regulation, the Pens put an incredible barrage of shots on Halak and he fended them all off.

Grades

Offense- B Yea, so they didn't score but they still looked decent hence the decent grade.
Defense- A- Looked great up until the overtime.
Johnson- A He should have had a shutout too.
Powerplay- C They had their chances, but couldn't convert.
Penalty Kill- A- Well they killed them all off, so I guess that is deserving of a good mark.

3 Big Points

-Ok, so Johnson played and he played great but one still wonders why Fleury didn't get the start...

-Overtime losses aren't all that bad vs Western teams. I'll take that point.

-Sid and Geno were together a lot. I wonder if this trend will continue once Staal and Asham return.

My 3 Stars (note that although they do conincide this time, these will not always be the official game's 3 stars, but rather my own)

1. Jaroslav Halak
2. Brent Johnson
3. Erik Johnson

AHL Game 6: WBS 2, Binghamton 1

For lack of a better title, "!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"For most of the game, the feeling in Wilkes Barre was that they would surely get their 6th win of the season and stay undefeated, but then that all changed, and then changed back again. It was an emotional roller-coaster for the fans in WBS on Saturday night as they saw a sure win slip away in the final seconds of the game when Corey Locke beat Curry and tied the game up for the Senators with 10.6 seconds remaining in the game. The Pens rebounded nicely, and then won a marathon shootout to get that 6th win, and keep their place atop the AHL. Dustin Jeffrey and Kevin Veilleux enjoyed shootout success as well as Ryan Keller and Mike Hoffman of the Sens, but it was Chris Conner's deke around Barry Brust's poke check that found the twine and gave the Pens yet another perfect weekend. Steve Wagner's powerplay goal early in the 3rd was the Pens' lone regulation tally. Kevin Veilleux looked good again, and even mixed it up early in the 2nd much to the excitement of the fans. Jesse Boulerice also dropped the gloves for the Pens. Brett Sterling missed yet another game, so hopefully he will be good to go soon as well. Wow, this is starting to get surreal for the Pens. 12 points in 6 games, 1st in the AHL, let's keep it going.

Penguins Gameday #9 (Blues)

Penguins (5-3-0, 10 pts)
Blues (2-1-2, 6 pts)
Where: Scottrade Center
When: 8:00 ET
TV: FSNPIT

This seems like a great break by the schedule-maker for the Pens. The Blues are coming off a hard fought win last night vs the Blackhawks and they may just be a little gassed. More importantly, our buddy Halak started last night so it is unknown whether he will be good to go tonight. Also, the Pens are looking to join their farm team WBS with a 5 game winning streak. (although hopefully it will be 6 tonight for WBS)

3 Opponents to Watch:

Goaltender- Ok, so we all know about Halak, but it's important not to forget that his back up Ty Conklin (yes, that SHOULD also sound familiar) is a solid goaltender and in either case it will not be an easy game.

Erik Johnson- Legit scoring threat from the blue line.

David Backes- Yes, his play style is "Ingliourious" (if you've heard the nickname) but he is usually the best blue jersey on the ice every shift he plays. He can score, he can deke, and he can hit.

Notes:

-As of latest info, Brooks Orpik is playing tonight.

-No idea on the Pens goaltending situation tonight. I would guess Fleury, and if it is Marc between the pipes, he will be going for his 150th win.

-Unless something drastic changes, No Staal, No Asham, No Michalek

-Only injury I see listed for STL is Janssen.

AHL Game 5: WBS 3, Hershey 2

Still Undefeated! For the past few years Hershey has been an unstoppable machine. Beat em' once, you're just plain lucky. Beat em' twice...well, that's just plain crazy talk. But this is a new season, a new team, and new goals. Oh, and did I mention that the Pens still haven't lost. Wilkes Barre/Scranton moved to 5-0-0 Friday night with a 3-2 win over the Hershey Bears to preserve their undefeated record and move into #1 in not only the division but the entire AHL. Perhaps equally important, they picked up their second win of the season and another 2 points on Hershey in a race that every point will likely count once February and March roll around. Much like Tim Wallace Sunday vs Charlotte, this was Joe Vitale's game. Vitale put the Pens up 2-0 with a pair of goals late in the first and early in the second to give the Pens the upper hand despite being outplayed for the most part by Hershey. Hershey finally found the goal late in the 2nd with a goal from Boyd Kane, but WBS answered back quickly with a powerplay blast from Robert Bortuzzo to hold their 2 goal advantage in the intermission. From there is was Brad Thiessen's game to lose, and was he ever sharp. In the third period alone, he was peppered with 14 shots (just one less than the Pens mustered all game) and though he did let one past, he was rock solid when it counted most to preserve a very important win for his team. Andrew Gordon was the one who did score for Hershey, with a very late goal that cut the deficit to one and made things very interesting, but they could get no further success on Thiessen. Much like the first game, general consensus was that the Bears played like the better team but also like the opener the Pens were the ones walking away with 2 points. (in fact it was even better this time because Hershey got 0) They may not have gotten very many shots on our old friend Dany Sabourin, but the ones they did were quality shots and they made them count. So, to those that may be concerned with the Pens lack of shots and the multitude of shots Hershey was able to put on Theissen, I will answer with a quote from football coaching legend Vince Lombardi. "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" Binghamton comes to town tomorrow, Let's Go Pens

Game 8: Pens 4, Predators 3

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner
Penguins- 4
Evgeni Malkin (Comrie, Letang) 2-0:54
Sidney Crosby (Kunitz, Hutchinson) 2-13:51
Sidney Crosby (Malkin, Letang) 3-12:56
Kris Letang (Crosby, Kennedy) OT-3:49
W- Fleury (21-24)
Predators- 3
David Legwand (Tootoo, Ward) 1-0:53
Cody Franson (Bouillon, Erat) 2-8:03
Patric Hornqvist (Wilson, Erat) 3-5:08
L- Rinne (34-38)
RECAP
A defining game can happen at any time in a season, even in October. The saying goes that great teams can win games without ever holding the lead. And that is precisely how the game went for the Penguins. They were ahead for exactly 0.0 seconds, yet it took them only 53 to fall behind. Each time Nashville scored the Pens had an answer. Evgeni Malkin scored the first for the Pens with an alert rebound that tied the game up early in the 2nd. After Franson put the Preds up again, Sid took things into his own hands with a beautifully place wrist shot from the side of the net that snuck past Rinne and into the net. Sid answered again with a laser shot late in the third on a play that Geno set up with some great stick work. This all culminated into one of the most exciting overtime periods any hockey fan could ever hope for. The Pens started out fast and Malkin logged almost a 2 minute shift at the beginning of the OT. Then things got really interesting when JP Dumont fired a shot off the post that dropped behind Fleury and just seemed to hang there for an eternity. The net was wide open and all Nashville would have needed to do was poke it home, put Pascal Dupuis came to save the day with a diving clear to prevent disaster. The Pens would roll from this momentum, and it would eventually set up Kris Letang's game winning blast that sent the Pens into a wild celebration and their first win in Nashville in the last 7 tries.

Game Changing Play
There are so many, but the dive by Dupuis was probably the most noticable because it directly saved the game winning goal.

Grades

Offense- B+ Good pressure for most of the night and the key players were making plays.
Defense- B- Not their greatest performance and too often they left Fleury out to dry, but they weren't horrible.
Fleury- A- Ok so his GAA won't be all that great but he made some incredible breakaway saves in the closing minutes of the game (and throughout) to preserve his first win of the season.
Powerplay- C Too inconsistent. Looked good, then slacked off.
Penalty Kill- C+ Overall they looked solid but they did let a goal past so that's a negative.

3 Big Points

-The Preds had Goligoski marked all night (although Alex did finish +2) so that freed up guys like Letang and Martin to make plays. Depth can really be a useful tool.

-This win does more for Fleury's confidence than anything. He was on fine form, and staked his claim to his team.

-Engelland is such a helpful guy to have out on the ice, because he defends his teammates (another fight tonight) and still plays solid D. But Lovejoy is good too..... Wow, I would say this is a photo finish position race.

Penguins Gameday #8 (Predators)

Penguins (4-3-0, 8pts)
Predators (3-0-2, 8pts)
Where: Bridgestone Arena
When: 8:00 ET
TV: FSNPIT

The Pens look to continue their hot streak and get their western conference play off to a good start. West games are fun because these teams only play each other once this year so nobody will be holding anything back. They're also a bit more forgiving to overtime, because the points out West mean nothing to Pittsburgh. Expect some hard-fought games, starting with today in Nashville. The Preds are also off to a good start, and have yet to not pick up at least a point in each of their 5 games.

Opponents to Watch:

Shea Weber- If you thought that Gonchar has a slapshot, you should see this guy. To put it into perspective, he once shot the puck so hard that it went through the net. Also a solid defender.

Steve Sullivan- He already has 4 goals and an assist this season, and is on a 2 game point-less streak. I'm sure he will be gunning.

JP Dumont- He's the one dishing out to Sullivan. Don't play him too softly, though, or he can also burn with his shot.

Notes:

-There is a potential that the Pens may get Orpik back for this one. He will be making the trip with the team, and HCDB classified him as day-to-day. Michalek, Staal, Asham out.

-Tangradi left practice early yesterday and many are speculating that he will be the one out. It is important to note that he has not yet been sent down and did make the road-trip to Nashville.

-HCDB also said that Fleury would be in net.

-Nashville will be without world class defenseman Ryan Suter. He is a crushing loss to the Preds, and I wish him all the best on a speedy recovery.

Live Notes:

Puck Chatter

Ok, so everything I post is usually about the Penguins (and it will continue to be) but I figured that maybe there are a few people that may read this blog that are Pirates/Steelers fans but maybe not Pens fans. So, to accommodate them (and mainly just because I like talking hockey and the Pens are off) I figure that every now and then I will talk about some of the non-Pens stories going around the NHL.
Ondrej Pavelec
Ok so this is a scary one. I'm sure you've all heard it by now but one of the top stories that surrounded opening weekend last week was the sudden collapse of Thrashers goalie Ondrej Pavelec. The strangest part of it was that there was no warning of the incident in advance and the next thing you know...he's unconscious. Doctors are saying now that its a fainting spell and that he should be playing again soon.
Bag Skates
Yea I spared you from a picture on this one. Yep, they are not too happy right now down in Minnesota and Columbus. It seems to be working though, as the Wild look much better against the Nucks.
Instigator Fine
NHL means business on enforcing that instigator in last 5 min rule as they have already dished out a 1 game suspension to Leblond of the Devils as well as a fine. I'm not sure I agree with the suspension, but I do agree with the penalty/fine.
Here are a few other controversial incidents:
Hjalmarsson Hits Pominville
Yep this was a pretty flagrant backside hit by Hjalmarsson. Pominville had his back turned to Hjalmarsson and he did not have the puck yet Hjalmarsson still plowed into him. The suspension shouldv'e been longer if you ask me.
Wisniewski Signal to Avery

Ok James, I don't like Sean Avery either but do you have any idea how many 8 year olds went home and asked their parents what that gesture meant? Class it up man.

Doan Hit Sexton

Shane is lucky he doesn't get more considering he also had a run-in with Cam Fowler in that same game. It was a clearly blindside hit, and deserves the punishment.

Boynton Gesture

Boynton was actually right in the original dispute but you keep it to yourself and then call someone out after the game rather than put on a display like this in front of your fans.

BEST FIGHTS

Engelland-Orr was my #1, but here's 2 more.
MacIntyre vs Ivanans

1 punch TKO by MacIntyre. Check this figtht out on Youtube if you get the time.

Kovalchuk vs Green

Ok, so the fight looked more like 2 helicopters taking off, but still it was a fight between 2 superstars.

BEST GAMES

- Oct 12- Red Wings vs Avalanche

Great game. Avs rallied twice from a deficit to bring the game into OT when Brandon Yip won it in the 6th round of the shootout.

- Oct 11- Blues vs Ducks

Blues dominated them but the real fun started after the game got out of hand. Fists flying everywhere.

INDIVIDUALS

Steven Stamkos- Already off to a great start with 5 goals and 4 assists.

Marian Hossa- 7 goals already, wow, he's on record pace.

Top Ten Most Hated Teams - #10 Cincinnati Reds

Nothing really going on today so I figured it would be a good day to start this series of posts. I'm counting down my personal ten most hated teams across sports. We start this off with the Cincinnati Reds.

There are a lot of things to dislike about the "Queen City"; Carson Palmer, it's stupid nicknames, the fact that it is basically Kentucky, their favorite pastime is corn-hole, but for me it's mostly the Reds.

The Reds and Pirates have been playing each other basically forever. Their first game was in 1882 (The Pirates/ Alleghenys won that game 10-9). Since then it seems like these guys have just been a thorn in the Pirates side.

The 1970's saw the "Big Red Machine". I hear so much about the stupid Big Red Machine that I want to vomit. Very little is said about the Pittsburgh Lumber Company in comparison. The Pirates won as many division titles and World Series in that time span, but all you ever hear about is that gambling clown Pete Rose and that annoying homer Joe Morgan.

You know what else I hate about the Reds. Tony Perez, it sure is a shame that he hit the first homer in Three Rivers Stadium. Why does it seem like someone from another team always does that!?

The worst thing about the Reds? Game 5 of the 72' NLCS. Winning on a Bob Moose wild pitch is nearly as bad as Barry Bonds not being able to throw out slow ass Sid Bream (don't worry we'll get to that).

Another thing about the Reds, their "fans" or lack thereof. How in god's name can you be having such a good season, in such a great race and only sell out 60.5% of your home games? In contrast the worst team in baseball (who will go unnamed dammit) sold out 51.9%.

Pete Rose getting the 73 MVP over Stargell? A joke.

Best moment in Pirates vs. Reds history? This excerpt sums it up best,

Perhaps Ellis’ most startling act occurred on May 1, 1974, when he tied a major league record by hitting three batters in a row. In spring training that year, Ellis sensed the Pirates had lost the aggressiveness that drove them to three straight division titles from 1970 to 1972. Furthermore, the team now seemed intimidated by Cincinnati’s "Big Red Machine." "Cincinnati will bullshit with us and kick our ass and laugh at us," Ellis said. "They’re the only team that talk about us like a dog." Ellis single-handedly decided to break the Pirates out of their emotional slump, announcing that "We gonna get down. We gonna do the do. I’m going to hit these motherfuckers." True to his word, in the first inning of the first regular-season game he pitched against the Reds, Ellis hit leadoff batter Pete Rose in the ribs, then plunked Joe Morgan in the kidney, and loaded the bases by hitting Dan Driessen in the back. Tony Perez, batting cleanup, dodged a succession of Ellis’ pitches to walk and force in a run. The next hitter was Johnny Bench. "I tried to deck him twice," Ellis recalled. "I threw at his jaw, and he moved. I threw at the back of his head, and he moved." At this point, Pittsburgh manager Danny Murtaugh removed Ellis from the game. But his strategy worked: the Pirates snapped out of their lethargy to win a division title in 1974, while the Reds failed to win their division for the first time in three years.

source: http://www.baseballreliquary.org/ellis.htm

One Nice Thing About the Reds: I will close these posts by saying one nice thing about the team covered. For the Reds, Pete Rose should be in the Hall of Fame.

Game 7: Pens 5, Senators 2

Three-headed monster!
Penguins- 5
Mark Letestu (Comrie, Martin) 1-8:39
Sidney Crosby (Goligoski, Malkin) 1-13:53
Evgeni Malkin (Comrie, Letestu) 1-17:03
Pascal Dupuis (Lovejoy, Crosby) 2-10:07
Kris Letang (Rupp, Adams) 2-10:32
W- Johnson (32-34)
Senators- 2
Daniel Alfredsson (Gonchar, Kovalev) 2-5:40
Chris Campoli (Spezza, Ruutu) 3-4:19
L- Elliott (17-22)
ND- Lehner (7-7)
RECAP
It seems like every game that Pens commentators Paul Steigerwald and Bob Errey are making a reference to the "two-headed monster" of Crosby and Malkin, but is it time to add another head? Ok, so lets not get carried away but Mark Letestu has been playing at the caliber of Sid and Geno for the last few games and this one was no different. Letestu lead the way with the game's first goal as well as an assist and was elected as the game's first star. How about the "two-headed monster"? Ironically, Sid and Geno both contributed a goal and an assist each and put the Pens up 3-0 at the first intermission. Letestu's goal started things off on the right foot when Mark shot a laser past Brian Elliott on the powerplay to put the Pens on the better end of the scoreboard. Crosby continued the momentum when he stuffed in a rebound, which was also on the powerplay. Malkin's goal may have been one of the best of the year, as Geno tracked the puck perfectly after a botched faceoff by Jason Spezza and then dove to the ground while lifting the puck over Elliott and into the twine. Daniel Alfredsson tried to put the Sens back into the game with a powerplay goal early in the 2nd, but the Pens put that notion to rest a bit later in the period with goals from Pascal Dupuis and Kris Letang that were just 25 seconds apart. Chris Campoli would score later in the 3rd to cut the lead to 3, but Johnson made sure that it got no closer. There are a few interesting things to note about this game. Deryk Engelland had another fight, this one with Chris Neil, that went the distance and had no clear winner. Neil was not done with his usual shenanigans, and received a misconduct later in the game for a scuffle involving Ben Lovejoy. Mike Rupp also dropped the gloves with Matt Carkner.

Game Changing Play
There was really no need to change the game because Letestu got it off to a great start with his goal in the 1st.

Grades

Offense- A Put up a 5 spot midway through the 2nd and then all they needed to do was coast the rest of the way. I'd call that a success.
Defense- A- Another really solid performance. Also it must be noted that the defensemen are becoming a key part of the offense, starting and joining rushes as well as putting shots on the net.
Johnson- B+ Another 30+ save day and now he's 4-0. He must really not like having to sit and watch Fleury play.
Powerplay- A- Wow, they looked spectacular today. An improvement from Saturday and a total 360 from Friday. So the pieces are in place, it's just a matter of consistency.
Penalty Kill- B- Ok, so they gave up 1 goal but still weren't bad overall.

3 Big Points

-So the Pens took my advice (though I'm sure I wasn't the only one giving it) in going after our old friend Sarge. He did tally up a point on Alfredsson's PP goal, but was on the ice for every single one of the Pens' goals and finished -3.

-Interesting situation forming on defense. With Orpik's return possibly pretty soon and Michalek also not too far off, the question arises as to who will sit out. Hutchinson will go back to WBS, but the 6th spot will be a contest between Lovejoy and Engelland. Lovejoy was the clear favorite for the job when the season began and he has been very solid, but Deryk has been equally solid and has also contributed to the team with his physical play and underrated fighting ability. It's a good problem to have, but nonetheless still a tough decision on the horizon for HCDB.

-Anyone saying that Sid and Geno aren't the best dual threat in hockey has obviously never watched it before. Combine this with a 3rd line on a mission and deceptively talented 4th and you have one of the most potent attacks in the NHL.

Yinz Luv 'Da Stillers!, PIT vs. CLE (Week #6)