Penguins Ultimate Home Game

Just another reason the Penguins were voted most fan friendly hockey team in the NHL by ESPN the magazine. Tonight the Penguins will host "The Ultimate Home Game". The Penguins face the Columbus Blue Jackets at the Consol but there will be one twist...They will not make a dime with ticket prices. ALL tickets have been donoted by the Pens to various groups and charities, most dealing with children. They are forgoing roughly $1,000,000 in gate prices. In todays day and age of sports, this blows my mind. The Pens just seem to do everything right. I could never imagine that the other sports teams in this city would attempt such a thing.

HBO 24/7 Penguins Reality..good or bad

With the announcement of the Penguins and Capitals being featured in a HBO reality series called 24/7, I've been wondering if this is a good thing or not for the Pens. My first instinct is no, it is not something that is needed. I am a little biased cause for the most part, I hate reality shows. It's been announced that both teams will allow unfettered access to the HBO camera's. Now I understand why the NHL is excited about this opportunity. They are going to get exposure that previously has only been given to the NFL, boxing , and Nascar.

Ray Shero is quoted as saying "This isn’t going to be G-rated. It’s going to be the way things are done and how we do things. It’s an emotional sport, which makes it exciting. It’s passionate. You’re going to be talking about the game and practices and things will come out."

Ok, maybe it will be entertaining but I wonder what Malkin thinks about it? I wonder how Crosby feels about having cameras in his face even more than he already does. "Unfettered" cameras in his face. What about Staal? He certainly doesnt seem like the type who is going to enjoy this.

I'm sure their will be some "superstars" ham it up..Talbot comes to mind.

I can just see this as making a lot of guys uncomfortable. A distraction that is not really needed. Maybe this wont make any difference on the ice. Time will tell

Todays cuts

The Pens reassigned 11 players today and released one.

Sent to the AHL were:
Jordan Parise
Alex Grant
Brian Strait
Lane Caffaro
Keven Veilleux
Nick Petersen
Casey Pierro-Zabotel
Joey Haddad
Zack Sill
Aaron Boogaard

Sent to the OHL:
Nathan Moon

Released:
Jamie Hunt


No real surprises here

Who's in part 2

Yesterday I made a list of forwards competing for a spot on the roster. I said today I would break down each player on the list. I wanted to do this before the game so I wasnt influenced at all, but I didnt have time earlier.  So here goes...


Tyler Kennedy...24 years old...Well, we all know Tyler KENNEDY...Kennedy....Last year it's safe to say he didnt live up to expectations. The knock on Kennedy was that he played out of the system too often. He tried to be more than his role. His points total dipped 10 below the previous year and may have fell out of favor with management. He is the incumbent and this spot is his to lose. I could see a scenario where he is traded before the start of the season.

Eric Tangradi...21,..6'4"...221 lbs....Considered by most the Pens best prospect. Big presence in front of the net. Would be a nice power forward to compliment Crosby or Staal's line. Top 6 guy. I just get the feeling the Pens want to start him in the AHL to begin the season and let him continue to develop his all around game. He will be in the NHL this season, just a matter of time.

Dustin Jeffrey....22...6'1"...205......Jeffrey is a solid player yet does not excel in any area. His speed is not that good but he positions himself well at both ends. In the AHL last year, he had 24 goals in 77 games. Not bad, but he is still a long shot to make the team


Nick Johnson...24...6'1"...202....Has always been projected as a complimentary player. Could be decent 3rd liner. Has size but needs to add more strength. Scored 16 goals in AHL last season. Another long shot

Mark Letestu...25...5'11"...195...Letestu is Coach Bylsma's buddy. He is very coachable and very smart with the puck. He displays great patients and is good on faceoffs as well. His knock is his lack of strength and physicality. He has scored 21 and 24 goals the past 2 seasons at the AHL.Probably one of the front runners to make the team, at least on a temporary basis.

Chris Conner...26..5'8"..180....Very quick and lots of energy. What he has in speed, he lacks in size and strength. In limited time seeing him play, he has a tendency for turnovers. I love the effort though.


Brett Sterling...26...5'7"...175....The guy once put up 55 goals at the AHL. He has good hands, accurate shot, and like Conner, tries to make up for his size with his effort. Maybe a darkhorse candidate but may end up getting crushed at the NHL


Tim Wallace...26...6'1"....207....scored a career high 27 goals at AHL last year. decent size and plays with a bit of an edge. Takes some dumb penalties. and some say lacks the intelligence for a top 6 forward.


So thats it. What are your thoughts? Take my poll on the main page who you think will make it

Which Prospect

With training camp underway, the battles have begun for roster spots. Today we will focus on the forwards. Winning a spot on the team is going to be tough. The Pens have assembled a mix of talent and skill(Crosby, Malkin, Staal) with some grit and toughness(Cooke, Asham, Rupp). GM Ray Shero has made it clear he wants the Pens to be tougher to play against. Barring a trade or injury, lets take a look at who we know will be playing on Oct. 7::(assuming Staal will miss the opener)

Crosby
Malkin
Asham
Comrie
Cooke
Dupuis
Godard
Kunitz
Rupp
Talbot


The players who are on the bubble::

Kennedy
Adams

I'm going to pencil Adams in. I believe Bylsma and Shero value Adams for his faceoff and pk skills. Going with the customary roster of 12 forwards, 8 defensemen, and 2 goalies, that essentially leaves one spot on the roster up for grabs. Alot of things could happen. I for one, could see Rupp being traded. This could free up an additional spot. Plus Staal will be coming back hopefully sooner than later. So here's the list of players who are competing:

Tyler Kennedy
Eric Tangradi
Dustin Jeffrey
Nick Johnson
Mark Letestu
Chris Conner
Brett Sterling
Tim Wallace

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at some of these guys and their stats

Ray Shero

As you all might now by now, the Penguins have extended GM Ray Shero's contract for 5 years. He had one year remaining so this keeps him in Pittsburgh through 2016. Although no reports have confirmed this, I am hearing the deal is for over $2 million a year and he will be among, if not the, highest paid gm in the game.

Congrats to him and the Penguins organization. This is an organization that continues to do everything right from top to bottom. Not all of Shero's moves have panned out, but you have to give the guy credit for trying. He is willing to take risks. He also brings passion and accountability. His ability to dance around the salary cap and keep the "core" players is amazing. Just look at what Chicago and New Jersey have done and you'll appreciate Mr. Shero that much more. He has built this team to not just be a flash in the pan, but a winner for years to come. Congrats!

How the passion all started

For my first few posts, I figured I would tell you a few things about me. One topic I thought would be kinda cool is "How did you become a Pens fan?" Was it something you were born into(parents, siblings were fans), friends got you watching, maybe the Pens recent success made you a fan...Theres all sorts of ways that people become fans of a sports team. Here's my little story....

I grew up, and still live in a small town about 45 minutes south of Pittsburgh. The year was 1985. I was 7 years old. My sister, who would have been 16, started talking a lot about this Mario guy. She had posters of him in her room and a hockey stick that would appear in various places in the house. At this age, I was a very big Pittsburgh Pirates fan but didnt know a thing about hockey. I remember her friends would come over and their big thing was running into each other then yelling "body check!" I thought they were nuts! Over time, I would watch a few minutes of games here and there when she had them on. I began to know some of the players names and a little about how the sport was played.

Around 1987, at 9 years old, I began playing with a neighbor. He was a couple years older than me. He was a hockey fan and had all the gear-sticks, goalie equipment, a net, ect. His parents were big time hockey fans. It was at this time, I asked my parents for a hockey stick. Almost every day in the summer from here on out, my neighbor and myself would alternate between playing some hockey and throwing a baseball.

In 1989, my neighbors parents invited me to my first hockey game. I had been to lots of Pirates game, but this was much different. The action was much closer, the excitement level much greater. I was hooked. I have to admit, I dont remember a ton about the game other than we played the Minnesota North Stars and the game ended in a tie. I do remember one hilarious moment. In the game, Zarley Zalapski scored a goal. As we were leaving the arena, there was an older asian lady walking beside us. She began screaming "I love my Zarley Zalapski!, I love my Zarley Zalapski!" in a very heavy accent. My friend and I laughed the whole way home.

So that was it, I became hooked on both playing hockey and watching hockey. It's a passion I still have today and I am proud to be a fan of the best organization in professional sports- The Pittsburgh Penguins

So what is your story?