Get Ziggy With It

ZIGGAAAYYY!

With Jeff Taffe being put on waivers, the Penguins had to sign another man for his replacement and that was ultimately Mike Zigomanis from the Phoenix Coyotes for future considerations.

I like the pick-up. From what I’ve heard from Coyotes fans, he goes 100% at all times. He can take a hit and give it out, he can score, and is a very likeable player. Good pick-up.

Get healthy damn you

In other news…

Petr Sykora (his new name will be “Sicky”) will be out this weekend AGAIN with that same ole’ nagging groin injury that he had last weekend. Those can be a major bitch though. I’ve never had one but from what I’ve heard, they blow.

We really need Sicky back in our lineup. It just doesn’t seem right both in how we perform and how our team structures.

PENS PLAY TOMORROW! WOO!

LETS GO PENS!

Banners, Oh Banners

Just look at that mullet...EPIC

On Saturday night the Pens will showcase last year’s “Eastern Conference Champions” and “Atlantic Division” banners but they’ll also reveal other banners as well.

Two new banners will list the Penguins’ 12 NHL scoring champions, and another will list their five NHL MVP award-winners.

I like it. I really do. The Pens have rich history of players winning the Art Ross and that will continue with Crosby and Malkin. Plus I feel this is something that the Pens should celebrate. Anytime you get so many players winning an award as prestigious as this, it should be showcased.

It’ll also stop the controversial topic of Jagr getting a banner, which he should. He was the second best player to ever sport a Penguins logo and they should recognize him for that.

Very pumped to see this Saturday night.

LETS GO PENS!

Game #2 Recap: Senators vs. Penguins

(0-0-1)

VS.

(1-0-0)

The second game…*sigh*…not a good one.

First Period: The Pens started out strong keeping the puck in their own end. Malkin was a beast. Ruutu decided to be a little bitch though and hit Paul Bissonnette from behind and smothered Crosby on purpose. Don’t like him that much anymore. The Pens had a couple powerplays but couldn’t do anything with them….of course. Orpik passed out some free candy on Daniel Alfredsson’s ass at the end of the period.

                       End of first period: Pens 0-Sens 0

Second Period: The first goal of the game was scored by Dany “I suck at driving” Healtey scored on his second try. Sens 1-Pens 0.

                      Not much happened other than the Pens got on another powerplay at the end of the period and didn’t do anything with it AGAIN.

                          End of second period: Sens 1- Pens 0.

Third Period: In the third period, the Pens powerplays looked horrible…again. Getting really sick of that in the first two games. Never realized how much we’re gonna be missing Gonchar and Whitney till now.

                        Dany Heatley = MONEY. His shot is WICKED and that was obvious as he banked in his second goal on a one-timer with seconds left in their powerplay. Sens 2-Pens 0.

Someone drive me home...

                          Then a fluky goal occured when Antoine Vermette’s stick broke, went to get a new one, pass sent flying towards his way, shot the first time he missed, then it went underneath MAF’s pad…GOAL. Sens 3-Pens 0.

                          Matt Cooke later on PWNED (yes, PWNED) Alfy with a devastating hit. That was probably the good thing that happened in that game.

                          The Sens committed a penalty with about a minute left AND THE PENGUINS ACTUALLY SCORED ON WITH .1 TO GO! IT WAS AMAZING! ALEX GOLI-FREAKING-GOSKI BAYBEEEEE! Sens 3-Pens 1.

SENS WIN 3-1.

*sigh* No more hockey till next Saturday night.

LETS GO PENS!

Game #1 Recap: Penguins vs. Senators

                                                 (0-0-0)

VS.

                                                    (0-0-0)

It’s been the day we’ve been waiting for since that gut-wrenching loss to Detroit in the Cup Finals. We waited month after month and now it’s finally here.

The start to the 2008/2009 Pittsburgh Penguins season.

And I’d have to say it started out pretty damn well – especially for Tyler Kennedy.

First Period: 40 seconds into the game, the first Penguins goal of the year was scored as little Tyler Kennedy scored on a wicked wrist-shot. It was truly a great play by Kennedy. He stole the puck from a Senators defender, blazed passed the back of the net, got in front of the net, turned and banked it home. Pens 1-Sens 0.

                       The game got a little physical with Chris Neil and Eric Godard. Former Pen Jarkko RUUUUTUU got into the physical action as well. Bodies flying everywhere, big hits that make you go “OH!” and toothless hockey players smacking each other is something I missed very, very much so.

                       As the game was heating up, so were the Senators as Shean Donovan scored halfway through the first period.  Pens 1-Sens 1.

                      Not much happened throughout the rest of the first period except for that the Pens had 5 POWERPLAYS and didn’t score on ANY of them. Really, really miss Gonch and Whits right now as they are the generals on the powerplays. We’re really gonna miss that this season.

                       End of first period: Pens 1-Sens 1.

Second Period: The second period started out with a interference penalty on Brooks Orpik but surprisingly the Pens, not the Sens, took advantage of it. A bad turnover by the Senators Fillip Kuba turned into a ‘Geno breakaway which then turned into a SAWEEET goal by #71. He went to his right, then back to his left as he’s falling down and chipped into the net as he’s sliding into the net. Pens 2-Sens 1.

YEYUH

                           The game got physical again to the point that there was a little scrum between Max, Jason Smith and RUUUTTUUU. But then of course the refs said “NO FUN” and there wasn’t a fight…aww.

                            The Senators then went on a powerplay, Malkin was on the edge of scoring ANOTHER shorthanded goal but just a little bit later, Dany “I suck at driving” Heatley beat Fleury top shelf. It really was a great play by Heatley as he possessed the puck as it was bouncing, took control of it, went to his backhand and put it past Fleury. Too bad his hockey direction isn’t as good as his driving direction….BAM! Pens 2-Sens 2.

                            The Pens got on ANOTHER powerplay but once again couldn’t capitalize on it but rather yet the Senators did. Jason Spezza took advantage of a Pens turnover, blazed down on a 2 on a 1 and scored on a wicked wrist shot. Sens 3-Pens 2.

                            In the final minutes of the second period, Mark Eaton was called on a hooking call then 30 second later, Hal Gill threw the puck into the bench as the stupid glass is 6 inches shorter in that arena then it is in NHL arenas. It ultimately put the Sens on a long 5-3 to start the third period…ugh.

                            End of second period: Sens 3-Pens 2.

Third Period: Even though the Senators started off with a 5-3, they couldn’t do anything with it. In fact, the Pens almost got another shorthanded goal when Sid got on a breakaway but Gerber said “NO” and denied him.

                        The main highlight of the third period was when Crosby made a SAWEEET pass over to Scuds for a goal. I had the same thought that every other Pens fan had when Scuds scored…”WTF ROB SCUDERI?!” That was his first goal in 96 games. Pens 3-Sens 3.

                        Scary moment as with about 25 seconds to go, Fleury tried to glove a puck that was flying past him but it went off his glove and just hit the post. One inch in and it’s a goal and the Pens lose on a fluke goal.

                          End of third period: Pens 3-Sens 3

OVERTIME: Not much to touch upon other than with about a minute left, Tyler effin Kennedy stole the puck on a bad turnover, blazed down with Malkin on the other side of the ice, then just BURIED it in for the win. And then every Penguins fan had an immediate orgasm watching Kennedy celebrate.

PENS WIN 4-3

TK = MONEY

LETS GO PENS!

It’s Sid’s Team…

He's 'our's' and you gotta love it!

As I’m reading some stuff on LGP today, I ran across the title of “Good ESPN.com article on Crosby”, so of course I have to read it.

Well I did read it and it’s not only good, it’s GREAT.

Just some things I wanted to point out…

“You know what? I thought about it a lot after the season,” the Pittsburgh Penguins captain told ESPN.com on the eve of his season opener. “It’s one of those weird scenarios where you want to win so bad, and I think the joy you would have from winning the Cup must be unbelievable — I wouldn’t know — but I felt the other side of it. …

Hunger much? Yeah, Sidney Crosby being hungry isn’t a good thing for the rest of the league. If you think he’s good now when he was just ‘poised’, just imagine how good he’ll be when he’s poised AND hungry…scary.

“From the short time I’ve been here, he handles everything beautifully, the captaincy and the role that he has on the team,” said Satan, who begins the season on Crosby’s right side. “To be a leader at such a young age, it’s amazing; he matured so quickly and he’s ready to fulfill that role.”

Awesome praise from a player that’s only been along his side for a couple weeks of training camp. Though it doesn’t surprise me that Crosby get can praise like that right away. He has that sense, or better yet ‘aura’ about him that stands out and glows.

Fedotenko quickly saw that leadership in action.

 “A couple of days after I signed, [Crosby] text messaged me and said, ‘Welcome to the team,'” said Fedotenko, Crosby’s other winger to start the season. “It was very neat. I didn’t expect that. Not every captain would do that. It was a veteran move. I was excited to talk to him. It was very nice of him.”

Very, very cool thing of Crosby to do. Not many captains do that and it’s an awesome sign of leadership from Crosby. Sometimes things so little like text messaging a new guy and welcoming him makes that player want to be here even more.

Crosby’s text messaging isn’t limited to teammates. When Jonathan Toews was named captain of the Chicago Blackhawks this offseason, the 20-year-old forward got a surprise message from Crosby. From one young captain to another.

“He sent me a text congratulating me,” Toews told ESPN.com last month. “That was pretty cool for me. I’m a huge fan of him and how he plays the game.”

Another thing that he does that makes you go “wow” and shake your head in disbelief. The generosity and willingness of Crosby to make people feel welcomed, not even on his team is just awesome. I wonder how many players/coaches texted him that were NOT Blackhawks…probably only a couple if not just Crosby.

Said Orpik: “I think the biggest thing with him is that he’s so consistent every day. He doesn’t take a day off. He’s a guy that, every once in a while, you catch yourself staring at him, just watching what he does because he’s so good.”

I think we all do that Brooksie.

“He just turned 21 on Aug. 7,” Shero said. “You can imagine when he’s 27 years old how good he’s going to be. To me, it’s quite amazing. I think that has been overlooked, how young he is and what he’s accomplished in such a short period of time at such a young age.”

I never really thought about this that often but what Shero says is true. He’s 21 now and probably won’t even be in his prime for a few years. Believe it or not, he still has some developing to do (which is really, REALLY scary) and will continue to get better. Him, Ovechkin and Malkin will be in a league of their own in a couple years, as if they’re not already.

“But by no means do I think he’s satisfied at all. There’s still lots of work to be done.”

I’m pumped.

What I got from that article is that every Pens fan should feel fortunate for having him as our captain. He does everything right on and off the ice and he’s one hell of an individual. Add that he’ll probably bring a couple Cups to Pittsburgh as an extra bonus.

LETS GO PENS!

Bye-Bye Pez

BEAST

With the final day of cuts, the man, the myth, the legend, Janne Pesonen is the last cut.

It was ultimately down to Pez and Bill Thomas and Thomas was the man that ended up beating Pez out. I’d rather have seen Pez not get cut but Thomas has been having a very solid camp and has surprised many. I’m not totally dissapointed with Pez getting cut and Thomas staying.

Plus we’ll see Pez a few times this year anyway…

I hate life and lame injuries

In other bad, crappy news…

Petr Sykora will miss tomorrow’s game…UUUUUGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

These injuries are really starting to take a toll. He better be fine and come back for game 2, at least game 3 or else we could be in trouble.

I guess either Talbot or TK gets bumped up to play on the second line. We should be fine for tomorrow but if this injury is worse than it is (God forbid), we could be SCREWED with Gonch, Whits and Sykora all out.

Whatev, Pens play tomorrow, that’s all that matters…

LETS GO PENS!

‘Geno = A

Get that 'A' on that giggly man...

If you can remember, I made a post just recently talking about the possibility of Malkin receiving the alternate captain role. Well this possibility has now become a reality as ‘Geno was named alternating alternate captain along with Brooksie.

I like it, I really do. I was a little blinded earlier that his English has improved, which I thank Eric from Experiencing the Evolution for pointing out to me that his English HAS improved via the Pens home site where they list their videos. But he’s not the alternate captain all by himself which is the main thing I like about him. He’ll be rotating with Orpik and won’t have THAT much of a load on his shoulders.

Hopefully ‘Geno can fulfill his duties as a rotating alternate captain and be a permanent alternate captain in the future.

ehh not really feeling the new Sid commercial. I usually like all of Sid’s commercials but this one doesn’t do it for me. Just doesn’t give you a ‘pump up’ feeling. I don’t know, I’m weird.

What an EPIC logo

In other news, the Pens beat Jokerit 4-1 today. Wasn’t here for it so I couldn’t listen to it. BUT THE OPENER IS THIS SATURDAY! WOOT!

P.S. Sorry for the lack of posting. As you can guess, I’ve been really busy as of late and haven’t had much ‘me’ time.

LETS GO PENS!

Crapage – Sarge out for 4-6 months

ugh...

*sigh*…It has been reported that Sergei Gonchar will be out for 4-6 months.

NOT GOOD at all for the Pens to start without their two best defenseman for 4-6 months (Ryan Whitney as well). They both should be back for the 2nd half of the season and we should be fine.

But for the first few months, we could be SCREWED. Hopefully a fire gets lit under Goligoski and he steps up because we’ll need him and Letang to step up as our offensive defenseman.

Get well soon Gonch…

LETS GO PENS!

Cutting It Up

Oh he's making the opening day roster

The Pens trimmed down their roster again yesterday as they only have one more player to cut before they go to Sweden. Notable players that were cut were Connor James and Danny Richmond.

Sort of disappointed to see Richmond being cut. Really wanted him to stay a little bit more but hey, we’ll definitely see him this year when a player goes down.

Same with Connor James in the light that you’ll see James at least once this year. He had a good year in WBS last year and I feel like he’ll keep improving.

Though I gotta say, it’s awesome to see that Pez is still on the roster. Now it’s a definite possibility that he’ll on the roster that travels to Sweden for the opening games. He’s been solid in camp anyways so don’t be surprised to see Janne make it.

Anyways my prediction for the next cut: Bill Thomas

LETS GO PENS!

TK RE-SIGNED

He's an odd looking character isn't he folks?

A totally unexpected signing that took place yesterday was TK (Tyler Kennedy) re-signing to a two-year extension.

Sometimes I don’t like these signings at unexpected moments and times like these but I gotta say I LOVE this signing. The Pens need to lock up more of their role players and Kennedy is a good one. Other than Crosby, he’s the only one that goes 100% at all times. He even has the ability to chip in a goal here and there and is a great set up guy. Pretty much the perfect 3rd line player who can play 1st or 2nd line when needed. It’s awesome to see him in fights because he’ll just viciously attack the player (talking to YOU Scottie Upshall). How bout some more of that this year Mr. Kennedy? I’d like some.

I expect more of the same from TK this year. As he gains more experience, I feel his point and goal total should rise a bit. Remember this will only be his second full year in the NHL, just think of how good he’ll be in a few years. I think it’s obvious that I’m anxious to see his improvement in the coming years.

Also, gotta give some kudos to Ray Shero for getting this done. Along with the ‘core’ players, I think he realizes that his role guys are also as equally important. Every Stanley Cup winner always has solid role players and right now that’s what the Pens are trying to establish. Hopefully either during the season or the offseason, Shero will continue signing more role players like Talbot.

One signing we don’t have to worry about next offseason…

LETS GO PENS!