Rangers fans complaining - not news

*Sigh*

Apparently after the Penguins beat the Rags on Saturday, NY fans have been complaining to anyone that will listen that the Penguins are the "NHL's team" and "have Bettman in their back pockets".
Some are even saying that they hope they don't meet the Penguins in the playoffs solely because of this.

Rangers fans complaining is hardly anything new at all - in fact it is quite expected.

All I can say to this (to start) is:

Click to open

The reasons the Rangers fans should really not want to play the Penguins is sumed up nicely by Scotty Hockey:

Much like the other three games in Pittsburgh, the Blueshirts had no chance at winning this one, being outworked by a more talented team from the start. The usual tough officiating in Pittsburgh didn't help, but wasn't as painful as the two incredibly soft goals Henrik Lundqvist allowed. And the team never made a statement, never finished a big play or made a big hit or anything on their way to skating off the Igloo ice as the losers (again). That's 13 regulation losses in their last 15 games in Pittsburgh (including playoffs).

Yup that's about right - except for the officiating part - lets take a look at this a little more closely, shall we?

The good people at NHL Fanhouse came up with a nice little chart that shows the real story - PowerPlays vs Shorthanded:


Click to open

You'll see that not only do the Penguins NOT have a huge advantage with powerplays called
- as all Rangers fans falsely believe -
the Rangers have almost 50 more powerplays, and the difference is +10 over Pittsburgh in overall difference between pp and shorthanded situations!

The fact that the Flyers are dead last shouldn't surprise anyone on the planet - except for Philadelphia fans of course.

They've been thugs for about 35 years now - Keep up the great work Philly!

Penguins/Rangers recap

Nothing like a intra-divisional Saturday afternoon game to get the blood flowin' - literally.

Call me crazy, but the Pens play entirely too many Saturday afternoon games. I enjoy drinking a few sody pops while watching hockey, but the wife frowns on it when I start drinking at 11:00AM. (that's when the games start in my neck of the woods)

Going into this game, counting the playoffs, Pittsburgh is 12-0-2 in its past 15 home games against the Rangers.

Right - this game should have been a bit nasty due the the fact these teams don't really like each other, and this tilt didn't disappoint.
Three and a half minutes in, Kennedy dropped the mitts with none other than Sean Avery.
This kid plays Pittsburgh hockey - he's not big, but he's scrappy, and you have to give him credit for fighting someone with more experience - and he did pretty well.



It got the crowd all kinds of fired up.

It also lit a match under the Pens bench, as they scored a couple of quick ones, and helped them dominate the first 15 minutes of the period.

Unfortunately, the Rangers dominated the last 5:00 of the period and potted 2 quick ones of their own.

The second period started very much like the first, with a spirited tilt between heavyweights Godard and Orr



I love this video, cuz it show a bit of a history between the two knuckleheads


The third period started deadlocked at three - I honestly this game this was going to be decided in OT in the last second like many other games between these two teams.

Crosby was a maniac all game - getting quality shot after quality shot - he saved the best for when it counted most, and scored midway through the third on a nice pass from Fedotenko.

The defense held up to hang on for the victory

Because of the clutch game winning goal, and for being all over the ice, and basically just being Crosby, Sid gets today's
Number of the Beast:

Next up: Jersey

Pens/Rags preview

This should be a great game.

Both teams are playing pretty well, with the Penguins coming off a shutout of Northwest division leaders Calgary.
The Rangers lost to the lowly Atlanta Thrashers 5-4in their last game, after leading that game 4-1.
That one point could be the difference between 5th and 6th in the division.

I've read that Tortorella lost his mind on the Rangers after they blew a 3 goal lead - generally when a coach does that it rallies the troops - hopefully it has the opposite effect.


It will be interesting to see Sean Avery in a blueshirt again - I can't wait until Gill or Orpik take him into the boards at mach 4.
One of my favorite moments during the playoffs last year was when Gill and Laraque took on Avery at the end of game 2 - when Avery looked up, you could see the look on his face was oh crap - get me the hell out of here.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

and then he broke his spleen


Check it out around the 5:40 mark

Anyhoo, it will just be good to see someone rough the jerkwad up like old times

This just in - telegraph for Mr. Avery


My fearless prediction:

Pens 5
Rags 2

jeez - save it for the showers boys

Boudreau rips media over Ovechkin celebration

Boudreau telling Ovie what he wants after the game - and it ain't a sub folks

Ok
I promise to stop beating this horse, but this has to be shown...

I also promise to stop talking about Ovechkin's ass-clownery - that is, until someone takes a run at him for being said ass clown (I'm looking at you for tonight's game Mr. Malone)

Like I've said before, I don't want Alex the Grate seriously injured - that would be dirty, and wouldn't be good for the NHL. I just want someone to show him that he's not bigger than the game, like he thinks.
I'm lookin' for someone to maybe knock a few Russian chicklets to the ice - if you know what I mean.

Karma can be a bitch Mr. Ovechkin

Anyways, here's a few quotes from Craps coach Bruce Boudreau in regards to people continually asking about Ovechkin's 50 goal celebration:

“You want to go there? It’s 10 days since it happened,” Boudreau said. “We have talked to Tampa’s coaches. We have said our speech. The people that are bringing this up are you guys. Nobody cares about it anymore. But you guys want to bring it up because you want to see a riot, then you want to talk about retribution. It’s the dumbest thing in the world. You’ve got to have better stuff to talk about.

“There should be no retribution at all. He scored his 50th goal in a 0-0 game. It wasn’t 8-0 where he made a mockery. If Tampa scores a couple of goals and wants to do a celebration, go for it. It’s a done deal as far as I’m concerned, and that’s it.”

Boudreau said he called the Lightning coaches as a “professional courtesy.” Asked if it was an apology, Boudreau said: “What we said is between us, but that was it"

“Alex has not had a fight in four years in the NHL,” Boudreau added. “Do you think he’s going to go out there and people are just going to jump him for something that happened? I forget things that happened 10 minutes later."

Well, Charlie Brown, you might forget what happened 10 minutes ago, but I don't think teams that were made to look foolish will.

Ryan Malone was in the sin bin when Ovechkin scored his 50th and performed his pre-planned celebration, talked about making Ovechkin "pay the right way."

God I wish the Lightning didn't overpay Malone - he should still be a Pen, dammit

This from Ovechkin:
"If somebody wants to hit me, always pleasure," Ovechkin said. "I'm ready. I don't care what's gonna happen. I'm ready. But I don't think it's gonna be some war, fights, hits."

OK Ovie

STEP UP LIGHTNING

Ovechkin is just lucky Ron Hextall or Billy Smith weren't in goal for that game...

This is what I'm trying to tell you...

From Steve MacFarlane - Sun Media


Sidney Crosby has been called boring by Jeremy Roenick.

He's been dubbed a whiner by fans who prefer Alex Ovechkin's dramatics.

The Penguins captain makes no apologies.

What you see is what you get with Sid the Kid -- and what you get is one of the league's best and most modest playmakers.

In the wake of Ovechkin's notorious 'hot-stick celebration' following his 50th goal, Roenick said over the Toronto airwaves he wishes Crosby would put his personality on display.

"I think a Sidney Crosby interview is as boring to watch as possible," Roenick said recently.

"As great a hockey player as he is and as much as he's taken this league by storm, I don't think he goes on a limb and says what he really feels.

"I think he's too quiet, too hum-drum, too cliched. I love the kid as a hockey player, but I think he can be more spectacular if he steps up and shows a little personality."

Telling Crosby about the comments drew the kind of honesty Roenick would have appreciated.

"You can't be something you're not," said Crosby, who wouldn't dream of celebrating a goal the way Ovechkin did.

"I love to score goals, don't get me wrong, but that's not the emotion I get when I score a goal.

"I'm happy, but I don't feel like I have to do anything special."

Call him quiet. Call him hum-drum. Call him cliche.

Better yet, call him classy.

"What you see is what you get," said Crosby. "Sometimes, I'll give a fist pump maybe or something like that, but there's no forcing anything, there's no rehearsing anything. That's me.

"Some people like that, some people are different."

Following in the footsteps of some of the greatest to ever play the game, Crosby chooses to emulate the men he idolized.

"That's not how I grew up celebrating. That's not what I saw," said Crosby.

"I watched Steve Yzerman, (Mario) Lemieux, (Wayne) Gretzky."

It's a mistake to call him boring. Teammate Bill Guerin says his play speaks volumes, and no extras are needed on the ice.

"He's his own guy, just like Ovechkin's his own guy and he's gonna do his thing. That's not his style," said Guerin.

"He's not going to light his stick on fire or anything, but he plays the game with an enormous amount of emotion and passion.

"Emmitt Smith didn't pull a Sharpie out of his pocket and sign every football that he scored a touchdown with. He didn't even spike the ball, and nobody gave him grief over that."

Calgary Flames defenceman Dion Phaneuf knows Crosby pretty well from their days at the world juniors. They see each other on the East Coast from time to time in the off-season, as well.

Like Phaneuf, Crosby chooses to save his lighter side for the locker-room.

Come game time, he puts his smile in his pocket.

"Like he said, what you see is what you get. That's his way of going about his business. He lets his actions speak in the way he plays the game," said Phaneuf.

"I guess you'd say we're similar in that aspect. I like to have a good time with the guys and joke around and have fun, but when it comes time for the game, it's all business."

As much as he avoids the dramatics for which guys like Ovechkin and Roenick have been both praised and panned in the past, Crosby believes there's a place in the game for every approach.

He doesn't have a problem with Ovechkin's recent celebration, or Roenick's past performances -- he'd just never do it.

"No, I think that's important. You need to have different personalities. Not everyone fits the same mould," Crosby said.

"Those guys are great, they bring a lot of different things to the game.

"For me, I don't want to do something to bring attention upon myself just for that factor. I have fun at practice. I'm a little more serious when it comes to games.

"I don't think I should have to apologize for that."

No apology necessary, Sid, but Roenick might want to send one your way.
-----------------------------------------

Bravo

I think class sums it up nicely.
Here is the leagues current hero (Ovechkin) giving an interview during the 1st intermission of the Leafs game, and the interviewer asked:
"Whats been the reaction today in Toronto to your 50th goal celebration?"

Ovechkin smugly looked at him and said
"I don't want to talk about celebration any more"

What??

If I was the interviewer, I would have said something like:

"Isn't that the reason you do crap like that? - so people talk about you and feed your narcissistic hunger? And now you all of a sudden don't want to talk about it anymore?
Can you explain why?"

That would have been journalistic gold

I have to watch myself....this is turning into a I hate Alexander Ovechkin blog

I'm getting really sick of people complaining about Crosby and his diving and crying. To the Crosby haters, I have a simple message:

IT'S NOT 2005 ANYMORE, RETARDS

GET SOME RELEVANT MATERIAL - YOU'RE MAKING YOURSELF LOOK STUPID

Really, its the equivalent of people complaining about their Rubiks Cube...it's old news, it's not relevant anymore.
People who complain about that crap obviously don't watch Penguins games, or are from Washington or Philly - nobody cares what they think.

Yes, in his rookie year there was too much whining and yapping. The diving complaint was a ploy by (then Flyers) coach Ken Hitchcock to piss Sid off and try to get him off his game (which it didn't)

But ignorant "hockey fans" continue to job this kid, and jump on an arrogant Russian bandwagon.
But not the Russian that is leading the scoring race all year - a Russian that shoots 800 times a year, and has a low shooting %

The only award Ovechkin deserves is the Rocket Richard trophy. Lately there has been a sentiment out there that Ovechkin should win the Hart because he scored the most goals - and that is wrong. If you look at the last several years, the person who has scored the most goals, has won the Hart only once - you guessed it - Ovechkin.

click the pic to read it

One dimensional players arn't supposed to win the Hart, and this trend is most disturbing.


I thought hockey fans and writers were smarter than that

Pens win - Fleury with the shutout

Wow
Can you say total playoff intensity...?

The Penguins and Flames were amped up for this one - for some reason there was an electricity in the air before this game, and neither team disappointed.

The Pens knew Calgary was going to come out hitting, and they were ready - they actually out hit the Western Conference powerhouse.

Talbot with a horse collar on Iginla

As most people know, this team is only going to go as far as their 'tender carries them - but if tonight's performance is any indication, we are in store for a fun ride in the playoffs.

The Pens just keep rolling under Dan Bylsma - I wish we would have changed coaches a little sooner, but Bylsma taking over when Gonchar came back was a smart move.

The entire team played very well tonight, but there were several players had very impressive games:

Geno, Cooke, Letang, and Gill just to name a few, but the Number of the Beast goes to:

Mr. Marc-Andre Fleury


He made several amazing saves, and didn't let in any cheapies. Anytime you can shut out a team like the Flames, you deserve all the credit in the world.

Next up:
New York Rangers
bring it chumps

Pens/Flamers preview

This is kind of a weird matchup for this time a of year - but whatev.

We'll take on all comers

The Flamers are going to win the Northwest division, but have been playing so-so hockey lately.
That makes sense, as they are just playing to not get injured before the dance.
Calgary has one of the elite goalies in the league, one of the most complete leaders in the league, and, is in my opinion, the toughest team - and the toughest to play against.
They are set up nicely to take a nice long playoff run.

But so are we

Since I last posted, the Pens easily took care of hot LA, and lost a close one to Philthy. The big reason the Flyers wins that game is because they clogged up the middle so well, and totally eliminated Gonchar on the PP - I'm glad we played them this close to the playoffs, so the coaching staff can figure out a way to counter what they did - just in case we meet them in the second season.

It seemed we couldn't stay out of the penalty box if we actually tried - which i don't think we did.

Biron played well above his actual talent level - that will happen with goalies form time to time.

Crosby and Malkin = 0 shots
First game in 12 that we didn't register a point.
12-0-2 run snapped

Last night the 'Canes won (again) to leapfrog the Pens and push us down to 6th place in the East.
According to www.sportsclubstats.com we still have a 95.7% chance to make the playoffs - which basically means we still have work to do.

If I (and the NHL) got their wish, that is where we would finish the season.

I want the Caps in the first round - it wouldn't get any better than that, my friends.

Here's a few pics to get the juices flowing for the Flamers game:

Malkin Named NHL's "Second Star" of the Week

as per NHL.com

FIRST STAR -- CAM WARD, G, CAROLINA HURRICANES

SECOND STAR -- EVGENI MALKIN, C, PITTSBURGH PENGUINS



Malkin led the League in scoring for the week with eight points (three goals, five assists) in three games. He tied a career high with five points (two goals, three assists) in a 6-2 win over the Atlanta Thrashers Mar. 17, recorded one goal and one assist in a 4-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings Mar. 20 and finished the week by recording one assist in a 3-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers Mar. 22. Malkin leads the NHL in assists (72) and points (105) and needs two points to surpass his single-season high of 106 set in 2007-08. The 22-year-old Magnitogorsk, Russia native holds a 10-point lead over teammate Sidney Crosby in a bid for his first career Art Ross Trophy as NHL scoring champion.

THIRD STAR -- SHANE DOAN, RW, PHOENIX COYOTES

Malkin = MVP...?

There's been a lot of talk circulating in hockey circles lately about Malkin being a possible favorite to win the Hart trophy.
I'm not sure why it's taken this long, due to the fact he's been leading the league in scoring by 10-12 points for most of the year.

Apparently it took a 5 point game to wake people up.

See - the way it has been for the last 30 years or so, the leading scorer has pretty much won the Hart for obvious reasons - unless your name is Wayne Gretzky, then you win when you don't top the scoring race - but that's a rant for another time.

The only other time the top scorer doesn't win the Hart is when a goalie has a phenomenal season - or a good season as was the case with Jose Theodore - again - a rant for a different time.

The way I see it, this is a two horse race.

No disrespect to Parise, Luongo, Datsyuk, Crosby, et all.

This race is between two Russians - plain and simple.

Last year Ovechkin won totally because he got the Craps into the playoffs.

This year, Malkin took a team that was totally out of the playoffs to a comfortable 5th in the Conference.

Lets take a look at each players strengths and weaknesses:


Alexander Ovechkin

Strengths

Physical force
Lightning fast on skates
Shoots from anywhere on ice
Passionate about game
Fugly yet charismatic

Weaknesses

Half court player
Selfish
Narcissistic Personality Disorder
One dimensional- not a good playmaker
Dirty

There is no doubt Ovechkin is a great player. He has become the premier power forward in the NHL. He's fast, and can turn on a dime. He regularly gets 10+ shots per game. He's a pure sniper - reminds me of a Pavel Bure.

But

The dude doesn't play defense - he cherry picks. Forechecking is foreign to him. Yes, he is physical, but he is also a headhunter - he's taken a ton of illegal runs at Malkin alone - one of these times he's going to seriously injure someone - which is going to lead to himself getting hurt - the NHL doesn't want/need that. His physical play is only going to shorten his career (Forsberg, Lindros, etc). He takes a ton of shots, but most of them aren't quality - he'll often shoot rather than set up an open teammate. You could take any quality NHL player - if he takes 15 shots a night, he'll probably score a lot as well.

Narcissistic Personality Disorder - a pervasive pattern of grandiosity, need for admiration, and a lack of empathy

If that's not Ovechkin to a tee, I don't know what is.



Evgeni Malkin

Strengths

Physical
Plays defence - Forechecks
Deceptive speed
Playmaker supreme
Makes players around him better
Even Strength play
Doesn't need elite player to be elite

Weaknesses

Passes rather than takes the shot sometimes
Quiet/Shy
Tries to deke through the entire team too often

Malkin also is physical - not to the degree of Ovechkin, but not a dirty headhunter either. Malkin has played most of the season with less talented linemates than Ovechkin. Earlier this year, Geno was on pace for over 100 assists this year - that pace has lessened, but you get the idea - that's a playmaker. Because of that, his linemates become better players. Malkin's even strength stats and +/- are superior. As are giveaways/takeaways.

But

If Malkin shot 15 times/game, there is no doubt in my mind he would have AT LEAST as many goals as Ovechkin. I do wish Geno would shoot a little more. Malkin is shy, but I think that has to do with the language barrier more than anything. The more comfortable he gets with English, the more fun it seems he's having. Sometimes, it seems Geno tries a little too hard, and tries to walk through the entire team to get to the net - it is a total low percentage move that rarely ever works - that's gotta stop.

I realize I'm biased, but I do give credit where credit is due.

If the season ended today - Malkin is the MVP.
If the season ended a month ago - Ovechkin is the MVP.

The last 10 games of the season will be the difference - I think it is that wide open

I believe Malkin will have to win the scoring race by 15 points to win the hardware.

Even if Geno does win the scoring title by 15, there still may be enough Ovie love out there to win the Hart

Maybe - just maybe if Malkin celebrated every goal like a mental patient that just won the Stanley Cup, he miiiight get noticed a little more.

Luckily for Pittsburgh fans, he doesn't resort to that, and keeps his integrity.

Pens win again

Wow - great win

This game was set up nicely with the fact that Kovalchuk and Lehtonen sat this one out.

Our boys didn't disappoint - they won 6-2, but it easily could have been 10-2.

Malkin had 5 points - but could have had 7 or 8

Gonchar - ditto

I wish the playoffs started right now, cuz this team would fly through the first few rounds much like last year.

And the rest of the Conference knows it.

This game was chippy, and was fun to watch if you are a Pens fan

Malkin's 5 points give him 102 for the season.

Honestly, I though Crosby was going to make a late run for the scoring title, but with games like this, Geno's not only a lock for the scoring race, but the Hart trophy as well.

With his monster game, the Number of the Beast goes to:

#71 Evgeni Malkin

And kudos for Matt Cooke - great game - you pissed off a ton of Thrashers tonight.

Dan Rooney to be U.S. ambassador to Ireland

HUH?

As per Yahoo Sports:

WASHINGTON (AP)—President Barack Obama on Tuesday selected Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney to be U.S. ambassador to Ireland, turning to a lifelong Republican who provided the Democrat critical campaign support during the White House race.

The 76-year-old Rooney endorsed Obama over Hillary Rodham Clinton during Pennsylvania’s contentious Democratic primary; Clinton won the contest last April. Rooney later campaigned for him in Steelers country in western Pennsylvania, and Obama went on to win the state last November.

The grandson of an Irish immigrant, Rooney in the 1970s helped found the American Ireland Fund, an organization that has raised millions for advocacy of peace and education in Ireland. His legacy is reflected in a Steelers-themed bar in a disused linen mill in one of the roughest parts of northwest Belfast.

In announcing the nomination on St. Patrick’s Day, Obama called Rooney “an unwavering supporter of Irish peace, culture and education.”

Obama said in a statement that he has confidence that Rooney and Secretary of State Clinton “will ensure America’s continued close and unique partnership with Ireland in the years ahead.”

Rooney’s father, Arthur J. Rooney, founded the Steelers in 1933. The son took over the presidency of the team in 1975 and is a Hall of Fame owner. His Steelers won the Super Bowl this year, shocking the Arizona Cardinals 27-23 on Santonio Holmes’ tiptoe catch for a touchdown with 35 seconds to play.

The “Rooney Rule,” which requires any team with a head coaching vacancy to interview at least one minority candidate, was developed by an NFL committee Rooney chaired. Rooney has also participated in labor negotiations between the league and players.

Dan Rooney’s son, Art Rooney II, who took over as team president in 2003, said he was happy for his father. In a statement, Art Rooney said the Steeler operation will continue as they have in the past with the goal of winning another Super Bowl.

Um - OK...

As long as we continue to show the rest of the NFL how to continually field a dominating team - then this move has my blessing...

Thanks for asking, Obama

Thrashers/Pens preview

Tonight the Pens host the red-hot Atlanta Thrashers.

Red-hot and Atlanta Thrashers are not words not usually seen in the same sentence.

Atlanta has won a franchise best 6 games in a row!! This partially without the services of their best player. Kovalchuk may be back in the lineup for tonight's game.

The Thrashers have outscored opponents 23-9 during the winning streak.

Don't you love facing a loser team that is over-achieving at this time of the year?

Kari Lehtonen is (finally) living up to expectations - tonight is a good time to bring him back to earth.

The Craps fired 50 shots at him last night, so lets pepper the poor SOB again.

In that game, I got my wish, and the Thrashers scored a lot against the Crapitols.

Hopefully they scored themselves out, and we feast on Southern fowl tonight.

Geno has been sick lately, so that explains his lack of productivity - it reminds me of the last few games against the Flyers in the Conference Finals, and the first two games in the Stanley Cup Finals agains the Red Wings last year.

Sid looks like he is having fun again, so it wouldn't surprise me at all if he overtakes Malkin in the scoring race - should be fun to watch.

On a side note to the Thrashers:

There's only room for one team with baby blue jerseys in this league - ours are WAY nicer, have history, and we were here first, so go back to your "awesome" goofy third jerseys:

BAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Actually there is one possible way for these things to look good:

GO PENS

EDIT:
Ilya Kovalchuk did not make the trip to Pittsburgh, and will not play tonight.

EDIT Part Deux:
Apparently Johan "Moose" Hedberg will get the start tonight. Can the stars align more perfectly for this game - hopefully we can take advantage.

Bruins/Pens

On today's' menu:

Baby bear

The Penguins came into this game with 4 straight shootouts to tie an NHL record.

That's good and bad...there was a few games they should have won (and came away with one point) and a few they lost that they did receive a point - so I guess it's a wash

As long as they keep getting points for their losses - I'm happy


First things first - does anyone else think Milan Lucic has a major hump on his back?

I mean come on

I totally like the way he plays, reminds me of a young Cam Neely - but COME ON - he looks like he should be climbing towers and ringing bells for a living.

Proof:


and


and

Yea - there will be blood if you come near me with that thing - holy freakshow


Boston was playing incredible hockey the first 3/4 of the season - but shockingly they have come back down to earth, (thats sarcasm folks) and are playing to their skill level.

Their vaunted "center-drive" that Bob Errey so revers and loves to talk about isn't looking so hot anymore.

Anyhoo, I'll admint i missed the fist 2 periods of todays game (was travelling), but in the 1 period I saw, the Bruins gave up four 3rd period goals....things arn't looking so good for Beantown.

What can you say about the trade deadline pickups...?
Shero does it again - these guys are fitting in exremely well:

Guerin - 6 games - 9 points (2 three point games)
Kunitz - 9 games 12 points (hat trick today)

Not only are these guys scoring, but they are bringing grit and a physical presence not seen since last years playoffs.

Their style of play is rubbing off on the young team, and they are making Pittsburgh very difficult to play against again

Word is Guerin is really making an impression on young Staal - nothing but good came come from this.

This leads my to today's Number of the Beast:

Chris Kunitz #14


EDIT
they took one of Kunitzs' goals away from him....2 goals 1 assist today

Next up: Atlanta Thrashers

Sens preview

The Senators are coming to town. Normally, this would be a tough tough game, but this year it's a little different ...
There's one thing on the Sens' mind right now:

Their respective handicaps

Ottawa has been a yearly powerhouse for almost a decade, but those days are gone.

There is, however, one reason to still fear this team:

If these guys decide to care, they can be one of the deadliest lines in hockey

Fortunately for the Eastern Conference, those days are few and far between

There may be only one reason to fear this team, but there are a few things that are actually interesting about them, and that is only because there are hot chicks involved:

and

Carrie Underwood and Hilary Duff aren't bad either ....lol

No, I'm not gay - it was a joke.....sheesh


There are three reasons I'm glad we face the Sens tomorrow:

1. They are a good team to start a 8 game homestand with - to build momentum

2. It's a good time to start Garon, and give Fleury a breather.

3. Above hot chicks possibly in attendance spectating the game


Unfortunately, I'll be out of town, so I won't be updating until Sunday evening

Gary Roberts - Tribute

I saw the Pensblog did a little tribute to Gary Roberts - and thought - how fitting
So here is mine
Gary Roberts was/is a tough no-nonsense type player that's been around for a long time. He keeps himself in immaculate shape, explaining his long playing career.
But when he came to Pittsburgh, he became a part of pop culture - a demi god if you will.
Penguins fans were extremely fortunate to get a player like Roberts, and they really showed their appreciation:

Roberts is still very much revered around here, and hopefully he works his way back into the organization as a coach or something like that.

The way Tampa Bay forced him retire was very indicative of how their organization is run.

I could go on and on, but that would make it sound like a funeral...so enjoy some pics I found that exemplify the way he played.

Rozsival, you might as well go sit down before you are put down - for good

Would you want this coming at you - he looks like he wants to eat your heart

Uh oh - I hope that cameraman kissed his wife before he took this pic


the predator has its prey in sight

And then he goes in for the kill

This poor bastard got in Roberts way


With apologies to Chuck Norris:

Gary Roberts' tears cure cancer. Too bad he has never cried.

Gary Roberts is the reason Waldo is hiding.

The chief export of Gary Roberts is pain.

Gary Roberts recently had the idea to sell his urine as a canned beverage. We know this beverage as Red Bull.

Gary Roberts counted to infinity - twice - last week.

They once made a Gary Roberts toilet paper. It wouldn't take shit from anybody.

Gary Roberts doesn't have a computer, just a basement full of Asian kids that memorize numbers.

Gary Roberts sold his soul to the devil for his rugged good looks and unparalleled penalty-killing ability. Shortly after the transaction was finalized, Roberts bodychecked the devil into the boards and took his soul back. The devil, who appreciates irony, couldn't stay mad and admitted he should have seen it coming. They now play poker every second Wednesday of the month.

When Gary Roberts gives you the finger, he's telling you how many seconds you have to live.

Gary Roberts once punched someone so hard that his fist broke the speed of light, went back in time, and killed Amelia Earhart while she was flying over the Pacific Ocean.

If you ask Gary Roberts what time it is, he always says, "Two seconds till." After you ask, "Two seconds to what?" he punches you in the face.

Gary Roberts doesn't read books. He stares them down until he gets the information he wants.

Gary Roberts once taught a class called "Ass Kicking 101". There were no survivors.
When the Boogeyman goes to sleep every night he checks his closet for Gary Roberts.
When Gary Roberts does a pushup, he isn’t lifting himself up, he’s pushing the Earth down.

Gary Roberts does not sleep. He waits.


So long Mr Roberts - it's been a pleasure