A topic that keeps going around Pittsburgh is the lack of energy coming from the home crowds at Consol Energy Center. The Penguins young facility that seats more than 18,000 and rarely ever sounds like there is that many people there. What might have been more pathetic than the Penguins actual performance last night was the sad attempts of the crowd trying to get a “Let’s Go Pens” chant. Granted they were not playing well but the home team has to be able to feed off its home crowd in some ... Read More
Lack of secondary scoring an early concern for Penguins
Going into this season, the Penguins were the favorites to win the Stanley Cup. This was the case because of such a high-flying offense that has the two best players in the world headlining the group. You know that you are going to get production out of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin which is almost as certain as knowing you are going to have to do your taxes. But in order for the team as a whole to achieve what they want to do; there are going to have to be more than just those two ... Read More
There’s no I – or we, us, our – in fan
Now we've all heard this before. And yes, I meant to say we. I'm grouping us into a group. We, in this case, is the fan. The fan which is short for fanatic. That's what we are, right? We're all sport fanatics. But there's something that we aren't. We aren't a part of the team that we cheer for. Call me picky or call me clueless. That's fine. But you are a fan and that's all. "We can't run this play. If we lose this game, it's going to hurt our playoff chances." - Oh really? Tell me ... Read More
A well-balanced goaltending duo
The Pittsburgh Penguins have a firm foundation to build upon with their two fierce and fearless goalies, Marc-Andre Fleury and Tomas Vokoun. Having a compressed season now in tow, the undeniably quick pace leaves little room for error in the net. Luckily, the Pens acquired Vokoun, a 36-year-old goaltender, last year from the Washington Capitals. The intention was to have a solid backup goalie behind embedded No. 29 to perform at the highest level with a steady hand and mental determination ... Read More
Kennedy deserves a spot on second line
The long awaited arrival of NHL hockey has been torturous for Pittsburgh Penguins fans. Luckily, the wait is over and our ailing hockey hearts are quickly being healed by seeing our beloved Pittsburgh Penguins take CONSOL Energy Center ice, once again. Informal practices have been held at Southpointe and continue at CONSOL Energy. On January 8th, the first time back to CONSOL since April, the Pens skated on their home ice. Players who were eager to gear up were: Kennedy, Jeffrey, Vitale, ... Read More
Hockey returns: What you need to know
Early Sunday morning, the news that we were all waiting for finally came down: We will see NHL hockey this season after all. If you had given up hope, you assuredly weren’t alone. As occurs every time a sports league locks out (which is far too often, if you ask me), things tend to move very quickly once a deal is struck. So what I wanted to start our new season off with is a few key points that will be of interest. The agreement that was struck will last for the next 10 years (with an ... Read More
Previewing the Atlantic Division
With the announcement of a tentative agreement between the NHL and the NHLPA, hockey fans will finally get to see their team back on the ice in a little more than a week. For the Penguins, the new season is a chance to erase the bitter, eight month memory of being humiliated in the first round of the playoffs by the hated Philadelphia Flyers. That being said, the Penguins still put together a very successful season in 2011-12. Evgeni Malkin won league MVP and led the league in scoring. James ... Read More
Road to Redemption: The Mike Danton Story
Conspiracy. Abuse. Murder. Three words that have no earthly business with hockey. Yet they were all inextricably woven together by one event, in a whirlwind that seemed better suited for a Hollywood movie than a playoff hockey headline. It was the case of Mike Danton, a young player just trying to get his start in the NHL. And it’s a story that reminds us all that the truth is often deeper than the first glance. It was April of 2004. The upstart San Jose Sharks had just ousted Danton’s St. ... Read More
Optimism Part Two?
In case you may have forgotten, hockey is that sport in which players don heavy sweaters and bladed skates, all while pushing a hard rubber disc along the ice and into a net. It’s understandable to not remember what it looks like. After all, it’s been five months since the sport has graced our television sets. The news wire has been slow over the past couple weeks. Since the NHL owners spurned the rebuttal offers of the NHLPA, both sides have hunkered down for a deeply bitter battle. However, ... Read More
Sidney Crosby: A professional on and off the ice
A professional is not only defined by what he does on the ice, but what he does off the ice as well. Sidney Crosby continues to show his diligence as a true professional. With the help of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Penguins Foundation, Reebok and Dick’s Sporting Goods, Crosby is holding his fifth season of Little Penguins Learn to Play Hockey program. One thousand kids from all over the Pittsburgh area, between the ages of 4-8 years old, get to learn how the game of hockey is played. But that’s ... Read More