The thought of spending October through April not watching Penguins hockey is about as appealing as shaving with sandpaper. By the time Christmas would come around, you’d be having Happy Gilmore-like dreams where you take a skate off and try to stab Gary Bettman. Don’t let it get to that. You can survive without hockey. The human race has done it for millennia. Heck, even Canadians did it! What else is there to do? Well I’m glad you asked. 1. Drink Heavily. This is probably the worst ... Read More
Are the Penguins Still the Beast of the East?
Since the Pittsburgh Penguins raised the cup at Joe Louis Arena three seasons ago, many have speculated that their talent has made them the elite class of the Eastern Conference. Even when Sidney Crosby was still dealing with concussion issues last summer, the majority of sports writers, fans, and critics picked them to be the Stanley Cup champions at the conclusion of the 2011-2012 season. But, for the third season in a row, the cup went to another team, with two of those playoff seasons ... Read More
The dark side of fandom
If you’re a sports fan, you’ve been there. Defending your territory and your team from those who want to bring it down. Team allegiances often pit friends against friends, or even complete strangers against one another. It’s simply imbued in our DNA. Without that passion, sports wouldn’t be anything more than another TV show, with a rotating cast of characters. But it’s not. It’s a living, breathing organism that can cause grown men to fall to their knees in sorrow, or spring to their feet in ... Read More
Done with Doan
For the first week of free agency, the big stories were Zach Parise and Ryan Suter. The rumor mills were having a field day, it seemed like a consistent rotation of teams that were interested. Pens fans were loving every minute of it, since Pittsburgh seemed to be the destination for at least one of them. The thought of a Parise-Crosby-whoever pairing on the top line got Pittsburghers more excited than eating a Primanti's sandwich at a Donnie Iris concert. Then they both decided to sign with ... Read More
Fleury Closing in on Franchise Records
Marc-Andre Fleury has a lot of critics to answer heading into the 2012-2013 season and rightfully so; his performance this past spring in a six game series against the Philadelphia Flyers was disappointing to say the least. As a result, the Penguins traded for Tomas Vokoun hoping to solidify their backup goalie position in the event that Fleury melts down again. Fleury, undoubtably, has his eyes set on more positive results in 2012 with several of the franchise's goaltending records in ... Read More
What Happened to Alexander Ovechkin?
Nearly 3 years ago, we witnessed one of the greatest playoff series in NHL history. Crosby vs. Ovechkin in a epic battle: Hat tricks, 3 overtime games, we had it all. Crosby finished the series with 13 points, Ovechkin with 14. It was a true high point for the NHL as a whole. Its two biggest stars going head-to-head on one of the biggest stages. We all readied ourselves for the next episode of the drama. What a long, strange trip it has been. We know what's happened to Crosby (on ... Read More
Malkin to Play in KHL if Lockout Occurs
Today, it was reported that Evgeni Malkin reached an agreement with Metallurg Magnitogorsk to play in the upcoming KHL season if an NHL lockout occurred. With the way talks have gone between league officials and the NHLPA, it seems extremely likely Malkin will be playing hockey in Russia before the 2014 Olympic games. Malkin is one of many players planning to head overseas in the event of a lockout. Ilya Kovalchuk, Alexander Ovechkin, and Pavel Datsyuk are all rumored to have an interest in ... Read More
2012-13 Atlantic Division preview: How do the Penguins stack up
Last season, the Atlantic Division was perhaps the toughest division in all of hockey, sending 4 teams to the playoffs all with over 100 points. The division gave us a Penguins-Flyers playoff series so epic that it may have actually registered on the Richter scale. And the excitement certainly didn’t stop there, as the off-season has brought several mega-deals that have reshaped the landscape of the entire Eastern Conference. When (hopefully) the season resumes, will we see a changing of the ... Read More
Malkin Focused on Training
As soon as Penguins strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar arrived in Moscow last month to help train Evgeni Malkin for the upcoming season, they went straight to a place that’s become very familiar to Kadar. No, they didn’t go to a restaurant or to any of the numerous tourist attractions Moscow has to offer. They beelined straight for Malkin’s local fitness club. “From the day I got there, as soon as I landed, we were at the gym,” Kadar said. “In the six years that I’ve known him, I ... Read More
Penguins Have Restocked Prospect Talent Pipeline
After winning the Stanley Cup with a core of homegrown players, the Pittsburgh Penguins' prospect pipeline was left a little thin by trades, picking lower in the draft and some selections not reaching their potential. While the 2004 and 2005 drafts brought Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris Letang, Alex Goligoski and Tyler Kennedy, the only NHL regular Pittsburgh has drafted since 2006 is Jordan Staal, who was traded this summer to Carolina. General manager Ray Shero and his staff have been ... Read More