Mr. December

My love knows no bounds.

But seriously. How awesome is he?



"We've talked about how good he can be," said Bylsma, referring to conversations his coaching staff has hosted with Letang. "His development this season isn't a shock to us. Every time he goes over the boards, as far as we're concerned, he's now a shut-down defenseman. The great thing is, Kris still has a long way to go. As good as Kris is, he's going to get better."

another reason to play fantasy football

I've always liked football. I've followed the Steelers practically all my life. But playing fantasy football opens my eyes to so many different teams. It gives you a clearer understanding of the game. I've developed a love for football beyond my team. I can name you players from almost every team that I've developed a soft spot for just by them scoring me points over the past three seasons. I won't. But I could.


Two years ago, I picked up a running back named Peyton Hillis who was given the nod in Denver's injury-laden running core. He turned out to be a fantasy owner's dream (until he too suffered an injury). So I looked him up and watched some plays. That's when I found out what he looked like. Now he plays for the Cleveland Browns and has effectively given their fans something to cheer about. And, once again, has proven to be a fantasy owner's dream. (My husband somehow managed to talk me out of drafting him but I snatched him off the waivers week 2.) It also seems pretty likely that the Browns have a lot of new female fans.



So this year, I picked up a guy named Danny Amendola, WR for the St. Louis Rams, because I thought he might have a pretty high upside. Sam Bradford is a good QB after all and it looked like Danny Boy was going to be his go to guy. I dropped him last week to grab a defense that I thought might help me out (they didn't but it turns out I didn't need them to anyway). I'm sitting here today thinking I might want to go ahead and pick him back up. So I googled him. If I was undecided...
... he lifted his shirt to help me with that decision-making process. Thank you, Danny.

(As I'm typing this, the little preview box is showing only the lower half of that picture. It's hypnotic. His belt...)

Anyway.

So I think next year I'm going to draft all hot guys. That will give the guys in my league something to make fun of me about... until my hotties prove that their looks aren't the only thing setting my roster on fire. This year I have Peyton Manning. Next year? Sanchez? Bradford? Although Peyton Manning has a voice that I find sexy. I think we can accept that. I'll have to rename my team though. Manmeat? I'll have to give that some thought. I'll be taking suggestions for my new team name as well as players to add to the potential roster. Oh, but don't say Tom Brady. That man leaves me cold as a popsicle.

happy happy happy happy

I went to the Penguins website and now I too has a happy.

Please don't come back before you're all better, Jordanlove. But. Please come back SOON.

I finally finished watching post-game interviews from the Canadiens game. Why didn't anybody tell me I MUST watch the Max Talbot interview????? Of course, Max's big head was in the way most of the time, but there were glimpses of Craig undressing. Are there any Letestu interviews out there (he was being interviewed on the other side of Craig)? Must check.

Toronto tonight.

Power to the Penguins.

not worried

It's only been two games. Sure, it's a shame that the first two games at the BRAND NEW arena have been losses. Yeah, it sucks. If you ask me though, our team has looked real pretty. Mike Comrie is a bargain. He is going to score really soon. You can feel it when he's on the ice. It's happening. I like the chemistry that Letang and Martin are developing. Of course it's not perfect yet but it's nice to watch them feel each other out. They're getting it. And when they do get it? they'll be the #1 pairing. The combined minus of Orpik and Michalek is scary, but they're a "shut down" pair. They're out there against top lines. Minuses will happen. I like the PP. The PK looks good. Malkin looks phenomenal. Eric Tangradi is delicious. Tyler Kennedy has been a little ball of fire. Sure, Fleury let in a couple stinkers that he wishes he could get back. Obviously we miss JStaal (and Rob Scuderi). It's only been two games. I refuse to jump off a bridge over it.

Weird that the game starts at 4 today. I wish somebody would have refreshed my memory on that before I left the house this morning. I'm excited to see how Paul Martin does against his old team.

Let's Go Pens!

time to change the calendar

I came into my office this morning and flipped my Pens and Paws calendar to the Craig Adams page. It kind of made my day.

My protector, my companion, my soul

You have been my best friend for so long. I have no idea how to get through a day without seeing your face or feeling your fur. I don't expect that is something I will ever be able to figure out. I will miss you every day for the rest of my life, until we meet again. You are a part of me and I will love you forever. Rest in peace, dear Sasha.

December 1994 - July 4, 2010

In case you were wondering

what good things come out of Thunder Bay, Ontario.



I don't even know what else to say.

Summer is officially on

Bring it.

Matt Cooke has agreed to a three-year contract. I am ecstatic. I took off July 1st and 2nd because I remember what last year was like with the whole Rob Scuderi thing. I didn't want to put myself through that again. I'm not even kidding. I'm being serious. Now I get to kick back and enjoy a 5-day weekend. woo!

This might call for some sparkles.

Stanley Cup Finals

Playoff hockey does strange things to me. I am, and I’ve said this repeatedly, an emotional person. I’m a passionate fan. I love hockey. I think the players are among the very best human beings on the planet. I love how much they love what they do. Their passion for their sport is infectious. Their desire to win is awe-inspiring. Watching their emotions bubble over after a win or a loss brings forth such an emotional reaction from me that it’s impossible to deny how invested I am as a fan of the sport. I care more about the men on my team than I care about most of the people I see on a daily basis. But everybody knows how deeply I care about the Penguins. Unfortunately, they are enjoying a long summer while the Stanley Cup Finals are about to get underway.

Chicago vs. Philadelphia.

Mike Richards is a great Captain. Simon Gagne, Jeff Carter, Chris Pronger, Danny Briere, Claude Giroux, JVR… all players I can respect. In fact, most of the Flyers roster commands respect. (The gross exception is Scott Hartnell. It would be a travesty to have his name on the Stanley Cup. Somebody just told me that I would like him if he was on our team. Uhhh… No. No, I would not.)

Like I said, playoff hockey does strange things to me. An argument can be made to cheer for them, I suppose. But I can’t root for the Flyers because I’m a Penguins fan. I can’t root them on in the Finals because I love my team. My team would not be happy for that team to win. That team’s fan base is disgusting to my team. They are grotesque when it comes to the Captain of my team.

I’ve questioned how the Flyers could possibly have fans but after watching them during these playoffs, I totally get why they have fans. It’s just a shame that their fans are the way they are. I’ve cheered them on up to this point. As soon as they beat the Devils, I kept rooting and rooting. In the process I may have even developed a crush on Simon Gagne because that’s my way. In the process my respect for Mike Richards has grown so much that it actually exists. Chris Pronger is a huge asset to their team. Any team would be lucky to have him. Michael Leighton makes me feel a strange sort of softness towards him. They deserve to be where they are. But I cannot root for them to hoist The Cup.

So it works out pretty well for me as a fan that their opponents happen to be one of my favorite teams. I don’t need a whole lot of reason to root against the Flyers at this point. But that’s what I got… a whole lot of reason. I adore the Blackhawks. I love the way they play. The Blackhawks remind me a lot of the Penguins so my adoration is understandable. I love their Captain. Duncan Keith, who will hopefully be your Norris Trophy winner, is as good as they get and better than most. (Not to mention, he lost seven teeth in game four vs. San Jose and didn’t miss a beat. What a man.) I would cheer them on against anybody but my team. I am thrilled for their fans because I remember that feeling. The pride and belief in your team, it takes over your life. It’s overwhelming.

I feel almost sorry for fans who only watch their team. Once their team is out, so are they. I’ve run into so many people that say they don’t care who wins now because they stopped watching when the Penguins lost. I’ve talked to people who are rooting for the Flyers. Hey, to each his own, of course. But I can’t. I can’t because I am a fan of the Penguins. The reason that comes up all too often is the "anybody but Hossa" argument. Listen. That’s not a good argument. It doesn’t even make rational sense. The guy was a rental player that turned down an offer to stay here. He went to the team that beat us in the Finals. We played him/them the following year. We won. He lost two years in a row. We’ve moved on from him. He’s moved on from us. He signed a deal with the Hawks and he’s had a good year with them. He’s a great player. He’s a good guy. He deserves to have his name on The Stanley Cup. People joke that if the Blackhawks lose to the Flyers, he’ll sign with the Flyers later this summer. The people who say that only remember him as the guy who made an unpopular comment and an unfortunate for him decision two years ago. They clearly haven’t watched him this season. He deserves this. He’s earned this. I can’t cheer for the Flyers because I am a fan of the Blackhawks and I would cry tears of joy to see Jonathan Toews hoist that Cup over his incredibly talented, very deserving head.

GO HAWKS GO!!!

C is for RE-SIGN MATT COOKE

“Win as if you were used to it. Lose as if you enjoyed it for a change.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

So okay. It’s been a while since I blogged. I’ve been busy and words aren’t forming the way I want them to. Maybe you think it’s because my team lost in the second round of the playoffs. Maybe you think I’m too upset to blog. Maybe that’s a little bit true, but I figured it’s about time I try to figure out what I want to say.

I love our team. Last year I struggled with losing Rob Scuderi. I’m still not over it. Knowing me, I probably never will get over it. I had this post about Kevin Stevens still having a piece of my insides all the while everybody is calling Scuds “The Piece”. Rob Scuderi has a piece of my insides too. I’m not sure how much I can take as a fan, as an emotional person. Free agency is nightmarish.

List of this year’s free agents:
Matt Cooke
Bill Guerin
Ruslan Fedotenko
Alexei Ponikarovsky
Sergei Gonchar
Mark Eaton
Jay McKee
Jordan Leopold


I may die if they let Matt Cooke go. There aren’t a whole lot of things I wouldn’t offer to do to keep him here. He’s important.

I wouldn’t totally hate having Billy G on this team next year at a GREATLY reduced cap hit and a GREATLY reduced TOI. If those two things don’t happen, I don’t want him.

I still feel like Ruslan Fedotenko got a raw deal this season. He was a -17, I know. Bad things sometimes happened when he was on the ice. Can this be a right wing problem though? Or a defense (like, defensemen defense not team defense) problem? If we find somebody to mesh with Malkin and Feds... like Nick Johnson did. So hey, let’s re-sign Feds on the cheap and bring up Nicky. I wouldn’t fear the inability to breathe if we had to let Fedo walk though.

I also feel like Poni wasn’t given a fair shake here. I would imagine it would take some time to change the way you play to fit a new system. If he gets re-signed, I won’t be upset. If he goes elsewhere, I hope he does well. I wish good things for him. Not that I don’t for others, I just feel a little bad for him and how it worked out (or didn’t work out) here.

I don’t expect to see Sergei Gonchar here next year. I think it might hurt a bit for a while but I think we’ll be better for it in the long run. I have complete trust in Kris Letang’s abilities and there is no reason for anybody to think Alex Goligoski isn’t going to be one of the great ones. I’d rather have my Tanger and GoGo than an over-priced Gonchar. I love what he brought to this team when he was bringing it. He stopped bringing it before we stopped paying him, so I don’t see any reason to re-sign him… unless he takes a drastic decrease in salary. And I don’t see that happening.

I adore Mark Eaton. I trust him. I would like to see him in a Penguins uniform for several more years.

I think I’ve made my feelings for Jay McKee known. I think he is an asset to this team. I’d like to know why he got demoted to 7th D in the first place. If he’s not back here next season, I’ll be forced to believe it was for personal reasons unless I hear otherwise. Do I think he’s the greatest ever defenseman? No, of course not. Does he fill the hole that Rob Scuderi left? No, of course not. Do I think he had a mistake-free season? No, of course not. Would I like to see him back? Yes, I would.

I have mixed feelings about Jordan Leopold. I think he’s pretty solid in both ends. I’d just like to see him grittier. I’m pretty meh about him. I think letting him walk is the way to go. I firmly believe that Ben Lovejoy is ready to play with the big boys fulltime. And Deryk Engelland was signed. I like it. I wouldn’t mind seeing him up here next season too. He’s tough (and yummy). Our defense needs some toughness. Jordan Leopold doesn’t bring us toughness.

Free agency is probably the real reason I haven’t been blogging. My mind gets haunted with all the possibilities, with all that might be lost. Our team needs a shake-up. One way to do that is to tear it down and rebuild it. But we don't need that. So all this “trade Malkin” talk is gibberish. I’m tired of reading about it. I can see where it has some validity but it’s insane. Why on Earth would we trade away one of the greatest players in the game? To fill in wingers? Come on. Think any team is willing to give up what it would take to give them Evgeni Malkin? And what, exactly, would it take? What some people are suggesting is crazy talk. I would love to have a number of the mentioned players on our team, but not at Geno’s expense. I've thought long and hard about what I would want in exchange for Geno. I've come to the conclusion that I feel it is in our best interest to keep him. Duh. The only way that should even be considered is if he asks for it. Besides, this idiotic trade talk just makes me paranoid about everybody. NOBODY'S SAFE!!! TRADE MALKIN! TRADE FLEURY! TRADE STAAL! TRADE CROSBY! TRADE THEM ALL BECAUSE WE NEED WINGERS! Fuck. It's enough. Let me enjoy my summer... or at least let me enjoy some of June.

I believe in the management of this team. I think we took some chances this year and I think we let a piece of our team go last year that proved to be too big to overcome. I’m talking about Rob Scuderi here, in case you didn’t guess that. But also Hal Gill. I think if I were given the choice between bringing up wingers or defensemen from WBS, I'd say bring wings and go get one really solid defensive defenseman. But nobody asks me. I'd probably just say, "go get Scudsy back. Shouldn't have let him go in the first place, dumbass," anyway. Maybe I'm crazy to think that our team's holes can be filled from within. Maybe I'm wrong. Hell, maybe I don't even think that. I can talk myself in circles, man.

One thing I know for sure, Matt Cooke is important to this team. He’s important for chemistry. He’s important for leadership. He’s funny and he’s honest and he cares about this team. I have to believe that he cares enough to stay here and that we care enough to want to keep him here and that he will be wearing that #24 for our team next season. I have to believe this until July 1st because it’s really too early for me to start vomiting at random times in random places because somebody says the word “cookie”. ::deep breath::

Let’s talk about Anton Volchenkov.

First of all, if he were to sign... well, first of all, yum. But second of all, if he were to sign with the Penguins, he would need a different number because that #24 belongs to Matt fucking Cooke. ::exhale:: I love the way Anton Volchenkov plays. He’s hard. He’s probably going to get more money than we can give him though. Wheels are already turning about the Caps wanting to give him $5mil. He’s probably not worth that to us but he probably is to them. He could be the piece they are missing. (The Piece *sob*) I’d love to see him here but I don’t expect it. At all.

Maybe I’ll get into some other guys I’d like to see signed with the Pens, but honestly, anybody I’d like to see here is pretty far out of reach (Patrick Sharp). I will trust Ray Shero again. He let me down last year but I have no choice but to believe he knows how to correct his mistakes. For now, until the dust clears, please do not say “cookie” in my presence.

Next post, the Stanley Cup Finals.

Go Hawks Go!!!

Round One

Some of the Round One games are completed.

Penguins beat Senators 4-2. ::happy::

Canucks beat Kings 4-2. ::sad::

Flyers beat Devils 4-1. ::amused::

Sharks beat Avalanche 4-2. ::neutral::
-----------------------------------------
Caps are currently leading Habs 3-2.

Bruins are currently leading Sabres 3-2.

Blackhawks are currently leading Preds 3-2.

Red Wings and Coyotes are tied at 3 a piece. Go Yotes!


I was sad the Kings lost last night. As the series went on, I fell more and more in love with the team. I found out they have more going for them than Rob Scuderi and a sweet 3rd jersey.
Getting into the playoffs was a step in the right direction for the team. They have the talent to get there every year for quite a while. Drew Doughty has become a favorite of mine. The dude is 20 years old and a Norris Trophy finalist along with Duncan Keith (and that joke from Washington). I think it's Keith's this year but I wouldn't be totally surprised if Doughty takes it.

Also working their way up my love list is the Phoenix Coyotes. They are fun to watch, Wolski is one to keep an eye on, and I have a soft spot for Pyatt. I'm crossing my fingers for them in Game 7.

But let's talk about the Penguins. This was a fun series. I have tremendous respect for the Senators. Well, all but one of them...

They battled their hearts out. I am possibly in love with Anton Volchenkov... Beast.

Twelve Penguins scored at least one goal. Crosby had 5. Malkin had 4. Cooke had 3! Letang, Guerin and Kunitz had 2. Adams, Staal, Dupuis, Talbot, Ponikarovsky and Goligoski had 1. The triple overtime in game 5 was thrilling and stomach-turning. I am so proud that they came back from a three goal deficit in game 6 to tie it up (thanks to Cookie's two goals) and get the game and series winner in overtime. JStaal did some fine work in the offensive zone to get the pass to Dupuis who hail Mary'ed it over Leclaire's shoulder. Awesome work from all of our boys.

Now we wait to see who we're facing in Round Two.

Let's Go Pens!!!!

Can you believe this?

What is wrong with these people? Why would anybody do such things?
Insanity? Too many bad drugs? Not enough good drugs? Not enough anger management classes? Or just no class? I think it must be drugs.

Love this picture. I hated the sequence of events that led to it but just look at Rupp, Adams, and Kunitz and Malkin! ready to take his head off. Talbot looks disgusted and shocked that he is so gross.

FINALLY! Some pictures of LeLover's tattoo (and arms) have surfaced.

so very lovely.

rooting for the Kings is easy to do

Thank goodness my hero went to a team I can really get behind. I am loving them.

This picture is amazing. I'd like a huge wall poster:

Their 3rd jerseys sweaters are fucking sweet:

The more I see them, the more I like them. So, like, buying a Scuderi jersey is looking like something that's become a priority instead of a struggle.

waaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh. I miss him. Especially on those 5 on 3's.

They lost last night. Series is tied 2-2.

LET'S GO KINGS!!!!

the only thing

you should take away from last night's game is this:

I freaking lost my mind when he scored. I KNEW that was going to happen. I might have to Blingee that picture. ::floaty hearts::

I'm going to try to post some pictures later (this weekend).

Led Zeppelin, Baby!

And Brent Johnson signed for two years. Yay!

Gah!

somebody just asked me if I wanted tickets for the game tomorrow. I said, "YES!" I have no idea where the seats are located or how I am supposed to pay for them but I am super excited... to the point where hyperventilation is a serious concern.

More details later....

I'm excited

So I'm doing my normal Saturday stuff. You know, laundry, dishes, all that domesticated stuff with maybe some extracurricular activities thrown in for good measure. I'm in the middle of doing another load of laundry and I get excited for tonight's game. I just feel really good about these next two regular season games, and that makes me excited for the playoffs. I get this feeling that the boys are turning it on. That "switch" that we hear so much about. Most people don't think there really is a "switch". Perhaps they're right in that it's not something you just simply turn on and off. It's this thing inside you that you have to believe is there somewhere waiting for you to find. You get excited and that makes you want to reach it, grab it and hold onto it. That's what I feel like these guys must be doing. That's how they view these next two games. If they can grab these last four points and end the regular season doing everything they could possibly do to end the season on a positive and they actually do it? That, my friends, is that "switch". The confidence. The attitude. The swagger. They all come back. Our boys have all the ability in the world. We know they do. We've seen it.

What if they don't play like the champions they are? What if something is "off"? What if they go into the playoffs with two, or even one loss? It would break my heart. It would kill my enthusiasm. It would crush me. It's happened before and it will likely happen again. But I have to believe that it won't happen this time. I have to be excited. I have to believe in them. Because the feeling you get when they succeed is such a good feeling. It's a high like nothing else. If I go into this feeling like they can't do it, what's the point? What's the point in being a fan if you never feel that raise? I have no idea what it feels like to watch them win when I didn't expect them too. Maybe that's a great feeling too. I have no idea. But how does it feel when they lose when you expected them to lose? I mean, I have no idea, but it must feel like shit. To be beaten when you went into it already defeated? Yuck. That is not something I ever want to feel. You have to believe in your team.

Now try to imagine how they feel.

Let's Go Pens!

Let's do this.

I'm kind of speechless

I had all these words yesterday but I didn't blog them. Then last night happens and all I'm left with are these amazing pictures in my head. Honestly, I just don't know what to say right now. The last regular season home game at the Mellon Arena. Forever. I wish I could have been there but...

OMG. I got sidetracked! I just remembered a picture from the "shirts off our backs" portion of the postgame festivities. DID KRIS GET A TATTOO? Why does he insist on getting sexier all the freaking time? Enough already. Damn, boy. When Geno was giving his jersey to that lucky fan, Kris was in the background signing his jersey for that dirty whore (just kidding!) who was lucky enough to get picked for that. I looked, did a double-take, and rewound it and said, "DID KRIS GET A TATTOO?!?!" My husband was all, "Calm down, honey" as I'm slo-mo'ing. hee. *LeSigh* And Good Lord the look on his face when Coffey came out was incredible... not in a sexy way but in a childlike way. He is just beautiful.


Anyway. I wish I could have been there but I felt privileged just to watch it on television, just to be a part of this amazing city. We are truly blessed.

Sid scores his 49th and 50th goal of the season. But the 50th is taken away and given to Billy G. Puck must have hit a thread on his jersey on its way past him. Still Sid makes his 500th career point on a four point night. The goal that would have been his 50th, by the way, was given to Billy G at Sid's urging. He didn't want credit for something he felt wasn't his. Amazing. *bows to our great Captain*

Geno. He does things that nobody else can do. To have both of these guys on our team is crazy. We have been spoiled. We are blessed.

A few pics... will add more later.

Mark Eaton was playing like the champion that he is.

After Geno's goal.

T-shirts the guys wore under their jerseys.


Oh! I almost forgot. Poni has a hearing today, I guess. :(


(Edit for more pictures)

average ordinary everyday superhero

I fell asleep watching the Kings v. Canucks game. Then? I had a dream about Rob Scuderi. It is weird how much I love that man. I still don't think it's weird how much I miss him though. *sigh*



I dream about hockey a lot. Sometimes my dreams are bizarre, like most of the Jonas Hiller ones. Sometimes they are normal, like the one where we were hanging out with Matt Cooke on our patio. This one falls under the normal category. It wasn't about anything in particular (that I can remember) just that Scuds was there (wherever "there" was). Do you think it has something to do with leaving the NHL channel on while I slumber?

"Try to make it look easy, gonna make it look good
Like anybody would

I'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero
Trying to save the world, but never really sure
I'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero
Nothing more than that, that's all I really am

I'm just like everybody else
After all the hype it's hard to tell
I keep my game face on so well

I'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero
I'm trying to save the world
I'm just your average ordinary everyday superhero"



Anyway. I need this year's superhero to come forth pronto. Maybe it will be Leo? Poni? Lelover? Cookie? Geno? JStaal? It's up in the air, boys. I have favorites but I promise not to be biased when it comes to choosing my new hero. This is too important to give anybody an unfair advantage. And by all of this, I mean a new Penguin flavored hero. Scuds is still and will always be a superhero in my eyes.

Good things I forgot to mention yesterday:

-Ruuuuuupppppppppp. Mike Rupp is good things.

OMG! I forget what the other ones were that I forgot.

the good things

After a stupid loss to the stupid Tampa Bay Lightning, I feel it is important to look at the good things. I just need a minute to think of something.



ha! Just kidding.


-Letang's contract has given him confidence. That confidence maybe made him look a little sloppy last night but the whole team, minus a few, was sloppy. He has all the potential in the world and I, for one, am happy to wait. Watching him progress has become one of my favorite things to do.

-MAF. He made some pretty amazing saves last night.

-The Power Play. I know it looked ugly last night, probably uglier than ever. It was so all over the place though, that I have to at least pretend that it's because we were trying different things.

-Duper. He is great night in and night out. Always a highlight.

-Jordan Staal is amazing. There was a slight blunder or two last night but... what can you do? He always makes up for it a half a second later with something unreal.

-Bill Guerin did a few really good things last night. He has been doing some nice stuff to counter the old and tired stuff.

-Brooks Orpik. He has become one of my favorites this season. They're all my favorites but he's worked his way into my core. He's become essential for my sanity.

-Ruslan Fedotenko came back onto the ice after that nasty facer into the boards and made some spectacular plays. (edited to add scary picture)


-Craig Adams is a fucking monster and it's only a matter of time. Only a matter of time. He's so incredible that I bet that time will come when none of us are expecting it.

-Malkin and Gonchar should be back on Saturday.

-Matt Cooke is the best thing. I am proud to have him on our team.

Okay. So let's not lose anymore. 8:30 practice this morning. They were supposed to have an off day but they have to work at not sucking.

Let's Go Pens! Do this.

"I think the most exciting part is coming."

This article gave me chills.

This:
“From an organization standpoint he’s been a really good fit for us,” Penguins general manager Ray Shero said. “We’re fortunate and lucky to have him tied up for the next four years.

“I think he’s one of the better young defensemen in the league. He’s a guy they’re going to continue to build around and he’s going to get better as a defenseman. He’s starting to show his leadership abilities on and off the ice.”

And this:
“It feels great, to sign with a team like this,” Letang said. “I’m going to focus on one thing, and that’s playing hockey. I think the most exciting part is coming. I can’t wait for the playoffs.”

The newly-signed defender was asked if he took any sort of “discount” to remain in Pittsburgh.

“I want to be part of this team. I think it’s something special,” Letang said. “If you put the money aside, you always want to be in a town where you want to play, where every night you want to play. I think I’d rather stay here and have fun. We’re like a family now. We’re all young and growing together.”

It's incredible how excited I am about the future of this team. This kid is going to be amazing. More amazing than he already is. When he said, "I think the most exciting part is coming," it put me on the edge of my seat. A sentence as simple as that has made me anxious to see what he meant by it. Maybe he meant playoffs. Maybe he meant next season. Maybe he meant for him personally. Hell, maybe he meant nothing. Whatever the meaning, it was an effective statement.

::chills::

It's nice to not have this hanging over our heads until July. I am beyond happy that he signed this deal now. People want to say it doesn't necessarily mean anything. We can still trade him. Whitney. blah blah tradebait. I'm allowing myself to ignore all of that talk because I believe this signing does mean something. I believe it's okay to be hopeful and excited because I believe it means a great deal to the future of our team.

Let's Go Pens!!!

That's right, bitches

Four years!

You have no idea the wonders this is going to do with my ability to sleep at night.

I'll take the 1 point

Hey, we took the "best team in the league" (right now) to a shootout without Malkin and Gonchar. If Malkin was there, maybe we get 2 points. We can all say how stupid it was to put Billy G in on the SO as the 3rd, but if he makes it we're talking about how brilliant Bylsma was to put him in. Personally? I'd like to have seen Staal, Fedotenko, Dupuis, Kennedy, Poni before Billy G and Kunitz. When Billy was getting ready to shoot, I said, "What's he going to do? Bore Theodore to sleep?" Not to mention, we shouldn't have needed a 3rd score there. But ::shrug:: I'll take the point.

Brooks Orpik is awesome.
Ruslan Fedotenko is this close.
Craig Adams is one point away from 100. Here's hoping his 100th is a goal. I pee a little bit every time he has the puck.
Jordan Staal is a BEAST. Everybody knows this. Got the 3rd star last night.
Sidney Crosby looked way better than he did against the Devils. His SO was SICK.
Kris Letang is magical. His SO was beautiful.
Tyler Kennedy is a ball of fire.
Max Talbot looks better than he has in a long time.
Jordan Leopold is fine.

The Penguins will not lose another game this regular season. Make note of it.

ummm... huh?

What was with the boos everytime Sid touched the puck and the "Crosby Sucks" chants at the Joe? I don't remember that being a thing in Detroit. Do they have a bunch of bandwagoners now who think that's what they're supposed to do because they learn everything they know from Caps fans? I though Detroit was a more respectful kind of place. ohwellwhatever. I just felt kind of bad because they don't normally do that there.

I'm not going to get all beat up over a loss to Detroit. They're a goooood team. Next time they come here though maybe we should boo Zetterberg because he's a great player and chant "Datsyuk Sucks" because he's freaking amazing. That's how everybody else does it, right? ::eyeroll::

That being said, Sid was pretty bad last night.

I really enjoyed watching Letang and JStaal play against Datsyuk. They were showing the goods. None of them had any points but they were the best part of the game. They were so pretty. (No photographic evidence exists.)

Feds = Beast. *heart* him.

Billy G was kind of awesome most of the game (and that goalie interference penalty he took for getting pushed on top of Howard when he was outside of the crease was LAME). He was our second best defenseman last night. Nice... ish. Nice that he was awesome defensively, not nice that the rest of the defense didn't play as good as he did on defense.

But WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH GONCHAR? He was hard to watch. And that interference penalty he took for Draper interfering on him was LAME. And I'm not going to get started on Goligoski. He has a really nice play every once in a while. There was one point in the game where GoGo and Leo were skating back to the D-zone and they were perfectly positioned and perfectly in sync.

I wonder how Jay McKee is doing. Remember him? He had a pretty great game against Tampa Bay. Was that the last game we won????? (I mean versus a team that actually played in the game, so the Broons don't count)

Why does it feel like we never play at home?

Capitals on Wednesday. Yay. (<-- sarcasm)

well. That was... perfect?

Last night, as my husband and I were settling in to watch the game. You know the one I mean. The Big Bad Bruins vs. Penguins or more like vs. THE DEVIL MATT COOKE. You know. Maybe you don't remember but Cookie ended Marc Savard's season the last time the teams met. Because Campbell didn't suspend Matt Cooke, the Bruins fans wanted him to be killed on the ice. Or even better for them, they wanted Captain or Malkin to be put to death on the Bruins' home ice. Aren't they fun? LOL ::rolls eyes:: During the media scrums before the game, various Bruins explained why they couldn't execute Matt Cooke or any of his teammates. They explained it like their fans needed it explained to them. Like they were five. That would be illegal, folks. Plus, not to mention the two points are important to them right now.



So. As we were settling in to watch the game, I started to feel a little rumbly in my tummy. Fear. I felt like somebody asked me to climb something. Something high. Something scary. Like a 6-foot ladder. I was starting to panic. My brain kept reminding me of Bertuzzi/Moore and I wanted to puke. Eric Godard is dressed for the game. I feel surprisingly not much better. Like, what, so if somebody gets killed on the ice, he'll come out and punch them? Deep breaths. Then the close-up of Cookie on the bench. I'm thinking maybe my panic is due to PMS? Deep breaths. Hold pillow close to face in case it becomes necessary to hide. Then it's Matt Cooke's first shift. (We know this because the fans alert us to it with boos.) Shawn Thornton challenges. Mattie drops the gloves. And then I calm down. Is that CRAZY or what?

Cookie goes down and Thornton continues to hit him even after the refs got involved. I'm okay with that too because I think Matt tried to get back up so he could take his beating like the man that he is. Thornton gets an extra 10-minutes. The fans don't care. They cheer and Shawn gets the 3rd star because he fought the devil and won.

The bench is proud.

TK scored his first in 19 games.

Steigy and Bob repeatedly make me want to change the channel. I love Bob Errey but now he annoys me a lot of times. Steigy challenges my patience constantly. My husband gets annoyed with me getting annoyed with Steigy but really. I mean come on. That man is challenging to deal with.

Kris Lelover scored on a PP. Oh wait. No he didn't because Ponikarovsky decided to steal it from him and it was right after the PP ended. Okaywhatever. Anyway, the PP looks about 400% better with Kris and Kunitz replacing Gogo and Billy G. Just FYI. And maybe it looks better without Malkin? SorryGenoILoveYou. After the goal, Gonchar comes over to Letang. Letang says something to him and then Gonch pats him on the shoulder. I feel a little bit of warm fuzziness about this and say, "awwww. Daddy." Then I rewind it to watch it again. My husband rolls his eyes. And I again wonder if maybe it's PMS. I wish there was a photo of this. I love Kris and Daddy pictures. Guys, one of these beautiful men will likely maybe possibly not be on our team next season. It is SAD to think about if you think about it. *sigh*

I am really starting to believe Billy G is a spy working for another team. He stands around a lot. He is a turnover machine. And sometimes he looks like some crazy old man who snuck into the dressing room and stole a Penguins uniform and somehow is given WAY TOO MUCH ice time.

There is something wrong going on with that whole situation. I don't understand it. He has a nice shot. But if all he can do is shoot and sometimes make it in or around the net? I mean, like if a tree falls in the woods and nobody is around. You know?

On a more pleasing note. MIKE RUPP! ARE YOU KIDDING ME! What a man. There must be something really special about people who were born on January 13th. ::grin::
He fought Chara for Crosby. He lost (duh) but he lived through it.
And then he goes all crazy in the d-zone. Blocks a shot. Shoots the puck up ice. Chases down the puck. Shoots it right past Rask. Awesomeness.

Fleury goes insane (photographic evidence below) because he is minutes away from his first SHUTOUT of the season.

"LOL NO YOU MAY NOT HAVE MY SHUTOUT MR THORNTON LOL oh shit LOL"
And he narrowly escapes having his throat slit by Thornton's skate. And then also Gonchar has to leap over him too. yikesy.

Penguins win. 3-0 Fleury gets his shutout. Rupp gets laid in the dreams of all the ladies. Matt Cooke does exactly what is expected of him. Captain does not get killed. Good times.

Also here is a photo from the TBL game that I saved but never posted.
Is it okay that I find this insanely sexy? Can I plead PMS on that too?

And please. Everybody relax about the Devils. Yes, we can beat them. We just haven't yet. OMG! The Leafs beat them last night. It was a shootout win with no Brodeur but still. OMG! and also during the Devils game, Gogo got boarded and Kris went batshit crazy about it. He took a roughing penalty but it was soooo worth it.

Next up, EStaal and the 'Canes who beat the Capitals in OT last night.

I keep thinking I am not done with this post but I am going to be done with it anyway.

Craig effing Adams

Thanks to Jason Seidling, there was an article linked to on the Penguins home page all about why Craig Adams is amazing and everybody should shut up already.

"He might have just eight assists in 68 games this season, but the gritty forward does so many little things that help add up to victories."

Indeed.

Thank you, Jason!

Skates, Plates, Ducks and Canucks

Last night was the Penguins' Skates and Plates charity dinner. Here are some obligatory photos of cute boys in tuxes.

That man is looking at Kris the way the woman should be.

I wanted to do a post about Alex Ponikarovsky but I got sidetracked again. The last time I wanted to do it, I got distracted by the OMG MATT COOKE IS THE EVIL!!! all over the internet. I think it's adorable that he just got here and is already doing charity things. I'll get more into him at a later date.

Dude. nice looking salad.

Dapper Duper.

I don't know what is happening to the Ducks. I hesitate to say Jonas left something in Vancouver during the Olympics because 1) I always hesitate to place all the blame on goalies and 2) I adore him.
They have lost to Colorado, Phoenix, Montreal and Columbus since the break. Sometimes your goalie can steal one for you and other times, you have to get one back for your goalie.


I watched parts of the Montreal v. Vancouver game last night. I like watching Vancouver. I think I might try to start watching them more.


"She's Out of My League" opens Friday. Here's a little about the movie.