On day 2 of the Pittsburgh Penguins development camp, the 39 prospects divided up into two groups and participated in a 4 on 4 scrimmage. The Penguins played strictly in the neutral zone and put a goal along each wall. The purpose of this camp is to develop the future Penguins and prepare them as future NHL players. Among the prospects are last year's first rounders Olli Maatta and Derrick Pouliot; both are offensive defensemen. Also included are Brian Dumoulin -a defensive prospect ... Read More
What if?
Throughout life, we find ourselves asking the question, "what if" to numerous topics. As it pertains to sports, there are a lot of these moments. What if Roberto Clemente never hopped on the plane to Managua to provide supplies to victims of the earthquake? What if Barry Sanders and Jim Brown didn't retire in the prime of their career. Would they be No. 1 and No. 2 on the all-time rushing list instead of Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton? What if Twitter or social media sites were around ... Read More
The Penguins odd man out
Tomas Vokoun had an outstanding 2013 playoff performance coming off the pine in support of a flailing, Marc-Andre Fleury. There is no harder position in the NHL than playing goaltender and if your team loses, the goalie is the first player to be put under a microscope. Furthermore, you cannot completely blame Fleury for his inconsistency as the Penguins defense was flat out brutal at times. Throughout hockey circles, a concrete mental game is a must for all elite goaltenders and this is where ... Read More
A Change of Scenery
General Manager Ray Shero has been very busy this summer so far when it comes to keeping his core in tact and bringing back free agent acquisitions such as Rob Scuderi and Pascal Dupuis. The Penguins are $676,667 in cap space under the $64,300,000 million limit. However, with two qualifying offers on the table to Dustin Jeffrey and Robert Bortuzzo and the recent signing of Forward Matt D’Agostini to a one year contract worth about 550,000. The Penguins will be over the cap. Ray Shero is now ... Read More
From SlapShot to the Penguins, Dana Heinze is living the dream
Dana Heinze grew up in a town with a very rich hockey history, Johnstown, Pennsylvania. Johnstown was the home to the Johnstown Jets that inspired the cult favorite, "SlapShot" and the Johnstown Chiefs. Heinze was the head trainer of the ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs on two occasions (1988-92, 1995-98). During the 1988-89 season with the Johnstown Chiefs, Heinze had to dress as the back-up goalie because their goalie at the time had been called up. Later in the third period, there was a line brawl ... Read More
Matt Cooke Turned Over a New Leaf During His Time in Pittsburgh
Matt Cooke has been labeled a dirty player, a thug and a criminal element on the ice. Cooke, however, has reformed his game the last couple of years despite what Eugene Melnyk, the Ottawa Senators owner, would tell you. For those of you who don't know what I'm referring to, On February 13 of this year, Cooke is blamed for engaging Erik Karlsson from behind to sabotage his leg. The fact of the matter is that this lifting of the leg by Cooke is a common play that checking forwards commit to when ... Read More
Puttin’ On the Foil: NHL’s Bodyguards
In 1977, this quote, "Puttin on the Foil," became very popular to the hockey world and to this day, SlapShot is still a cult favorite amongst diehard hockey fanatics. The Pittsburgh Penguins have been out muscled the past two playoff seasons by the Philadelphia Flyers and this year in the Boston Bruins. The Pens are loaded with offensive and defensive talent. However, the Pens really need to get bigger, meaner, and quite honestly need to add a goon or two to police other teams. In 2011, ... Read More
The importance of Rob Scuderi
We've all heard the classic lines before that, "You never realize what you have until it's gone" and "If you love something, let it go. If it comes back, then you know it was meant to be." While these usually refer to material things or a significant other, they can be substituted for many things. After the Pittsburgh Penguins won their last cup, a crucial part of their team headed out to Los Angeles. Ask General Manager Ray Shero one of his biggest regrets in his tenure with the team, and he'll ... Read More
Shero given limited options
After the first weekend of free agency, the Penguins look like a team that has painted themselves in a salary cap-colored corner. Pittsburgh signed Rob Scuderi to a four year deal worth $3.375 million, annually, then found a way to extend Pascal Dupuis and Craig Adams. After all the hoopla created by the fans and media over major changes coming based on the fallout of the Boston series, the Penguins will looking very similar to last year's team before the trade deadline. The problem, ... Read More
General Managers: The “Good” and “Bad”
Ray Shero is the standard for General Managers not just in the NHL but in all major sports across the board. Shero continues to make good, solid decisions for the Pens organization. Paul Holmgren should start taking notes as he has the Flyers looking lost and desperate . Shero has been under a lot of pressure after four disappointing exits from the playoffs but instead of making drastic changes, he stuck to the plan and continues to show why he is so widely respected throughout the league. Paul ... Read More