Oooooooh say can you see?

It's a busy day here at Chuck a Puck and it's not even Free Agent day. Speaking of FA Day, if you want to keep up with all the signings, TSN has provided a handy dandy page for us.

Also today Brian Burke and the USA Hockey brain trust announced the roster for their Olympic training camp. There are a few guys on the list that make me go BUH?; but most of them I think deserve to be there as well as there are also a few guys that didn't make the cut and should have.

Goaltenders: Ryan Miller, Jonathan Quick, Tim Thomas

Defencemen: Tom Gilbert, Tim Gleason, Ron Hainsey, Erik Johnson, Jack Johnson, Mike Komisarek, Paul Martin, Brooks Orpik, Brian Rafalski, Rob Scuderi, Ryan Suter, Ryan Whitney

Forwards: David Backes, David Booth, Dustin Brown, Dustin Byfuglien, Ryan Callahan, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Patrick Kane, Ryan Kesler, Phil Kessel, Jamie Langenbrunner, Ryan Malone, Mike Modano, Kyle Okposo, T.J. Oshie, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Bobby Ryan, Paul Stastny.

Today is also the CHL Import Draft and with the 17th-overall pick Everett selected defenseman Rasmus Rissanen from Finland. He's listed at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds, and was a fifth-round selection in this year's draft by the Hurricanes. Rissanen is the first Scandinavian player as the others have been from Czech Republic, Slovakia and Russia. With the 20th-overall pick, they took Radko Gudas from the Czech Republic,listed at 6-foot-1 and 195 pounds; and was not selected in either of the past two NHL drafts. With the pick of two defensemen, I wonder what's going on with our d-corps, especially with losing our two top guys to graduation.

I know there is more, but it's escaping me at the moment. So without further delay, I give you the boy of the day who is probably one of the most adorable invitees to the USA Olympic camp, Zach Parise.

It is another beautiful day in Zamunda...

So it's Monday again and I'm not too thrilled about it; other than Lisa and I are only working three days this week because I am heading east for the holiday weekend. Yes, it's true, we'll be blogging from the same time zone for the weekend; and I have a feeling we might need bail money at least once. Woot!

Just gonna be a quick update today since the real world is taking precedence this morning.

USA Hockey has announced the assistants for Vancouver and they are John Tortorella, formerly coach of the Rangers and Scott Gordon of the Islanders. I was surprised by Scott Gordon; but I'm gonna go with Burkie's decisions.

The draft went pretty much as planned; but a few surprises did come up and one of my boys was one of them. Cameron Abney, who wasn't even drafted in the bantam draft, was picked by KLowe and the boys in Edmonton; and as much as I love Cam, this one sort of blew me away. We did have another boy picked and that was Byron Froese who was selected by the Blackhawks in round 4. I think his play will work well there; and he'll have a friend there too in former Tip Kyle Beach. Two more of the boys are rumored to have invites to NHL camps, which is so great since I was sure they would have been drafted. Byron's linemates Kellan Tochkin and Tyler Maxwell are supposedly going to the Canucks and Kings rookie camps respectively; and I'm so proud of all four of the guys. And Lisa is very excited about BabyParm, aka Landon Ferraro, being selected by the Wings. She's a Wings fan and we both really like his dad Ray.

And I'm really hoping that my favorite Dutchman that is still playing, Jay Bouwmeester, won't be signing in Calgary; but if he does, one good thing that would come from that would be my Vancouver boys play the Flames several times a season more than the Panthers do. Oh, and I'm not happy about Pronger leaving the Ducks; but at I am very happy about getting Joffrey Lupul back as well as Luca Sbisa into the fold.

Anyway, I have to get something done with my actual job; so here is today's boy of the day. He is the captain of the Phoenix Coyotes and is a big favorite of the staff here at CaP. We call him the Doaner... Shane Doan!

Thank God It's Draft Day!

Yes, it's true... it's here. Draft Day is one of the most exciting and anticipated days on the NHL calendar up there with the trade deadline and the last day of the regular season. It's watching to see if the so called experts are correct on their picks, which teams actually pick what they actually need rather than picking some guy so their division rival can't get him; and you get to see lots of nice boys all dressed up.

The biggest mystery of the night will be who the NY Islanders will select: John Tavares, the Canadian sniper forward who has been playing for the London Knights of the OHL or the very tall blond and Swedish defensman Victor Hedman, late of the Swedish hockey factory Modo. Who goes third could be a number of different boys, but from what I've read it could be Matt Duchene who plays with the Brampton Batallion, which is the club babyCanuck Cody Hodgson played with this last season; and I've also heard Evander Kane from the Vancouver Giants or Luke Schenn's brother Brayden who plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings. I haven't seen Matt, but I've seen a little of Brayden and a lot of Evander; and I think that in a couple of years they'll be good solid players for whoever picks them.

The Silvertips are going to be waiting with baited breath to see if any of the boys will be picked and if they're picked by who. One boy that should be drafted is Byron Froese from Manitoba. He was a rookie this last season who was placed on a line with two other rookies, Kellan Tochkin and Tyler Maxwell who also might be picked; and they went bananas for an offense that at times needed that spark. He got a notice by Team Canada and was invited to play at the U-18 World Championships; and did a wonderful job including a hat trick. Three other Tips, Cameron Abney and Shane Harper and goaltender Thomas Heemskerk, also have a chance of being selected; but who knows. Surprises do happen though... ask Dan Gendur. He wasn't even near the radar, but after a great season two years ago, he was selected by the Canucks at the very end of the 7th round; and after a very good first half with the Victoria Salmon Kings and a cup of coffee with the Moose, our pal Danny was selected to participate in the ECHL All Star game. So, stay tuned! :)



Funny video from Puck Daddy...


TSN is passing a rumor of a trade between Boston and the Leafs that has me saying BUH!? "Sources tell TSN the Bruins have offered restricted free agent forward Phil Kessel to Toronto in exchange for the Leaf defenceman and Toronto's No. 7 pick in the draft." Really? Are the PoohBears really that needy for defense that they're willing to give up Phil? Yikes!

But that is it for now from me... I'll be watching the replay of the first 10 or so picks during the replay on NHL Network tonight since it starts at 4pm my time; and hoping for my local boys in the morning.

Before I go though, we have the Boy of the Day; or actually Boys of the Day. As suggested by our good pal Lisa R., the last year we had the same kind of 1 vs. 2 battle was Alex Ovechkin and Geno Malkin in 2004...

Happy Draft Day Eve!

Greetings and salutations from the Pacific Northwest! It's NHL Draft Eve, and I'm sure that the Le Centre de Bell is buzzing with excitement already and has been for days. I wish that Lisa and I could be up there this weekend; but I'm sure we'll be keeping track of things down here. We might even see a few of the Tips boys go in the later rounds or at least I hope we will.

We went to the draft two years ago in Columbus and had a ball; well other than the seats in the upper bowl of Nationwide Arena are built for the ass width of a 5 year old. From seeing Rick Nash outside signing autographs to watching Harold Snepts walk right in front of us to getting to see all of the NHL awards up close and personal. It was all so surreal, especially when Cam Neely called our pal Zach Hamill's name; then Dave Nonis picking another of our pals Taylor Ellington. There wasn't the huge group of Tips fans cheering for him like the year before in Vancouver, but hopefully you could hear those two voices screaming from the left side of the upper bowl.

Yesterday Team Canada's Executive Director, aka the handsome Stevie Y, announced the Canadian men's Olympic hockey coaches. The head coach is Mike Babcock whose assistant coaches will be Lindy Ruff, Jacques Lemaire and Ken Hitchcock. Hopefully Team USA's assistants will be announced soon; and they'll include Mike Sullivan, Dan Bylsma and Tommy Fitzgerald for the hottie factor. Oh, and because I think they're pretty good coaches too. :)

I love you Patty Kane... you're too cute for words!

All is well here in Hooterville now that we have a head coach and the assistant coaches will not be changing; so the crew will start getting ready for training camp in August.

Two videos from the presser on Tuesday courtesy of local station King5...
New coach Craig Hartsburg...

and three of our boys: Zack Dailey, Kellan Tochkin and Thomas Heemskerk...


And to round up today's entry and in keeping with the Draft theme, I give you for Boy of the Day someone who was not only a first round pick, but was the first overall pick in 2002 Draft and that is Mr. Rick Nash...

Call to the Hall v Assery in Ottawa

To the surprise of no one who follows the game, Steve Yzerman was voted in to the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday. Stevie ranks sixth all-time in points with 1,755, won the Stanley Cup three times and a gold medal with Canada in the 2002 Olympics. While he never won the Hart, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, Pearson Award, the Selke Trophy and a Masterton Trophy. He was an All Star 10 times and on the All-rookie team. He had 50 goal seasons 5 times and holds Red Wings season records for goals, assists, and point totals. Also going into the Hall are part time teammates are Hull and Robitaille and never teammate Brian Leetch. Contrats to Stevie :)

Dany Heatley. Must you give me more reasons to flat out mock you? Haven't you given me enough? Now there is a list. A list of teams you'd agree to be traded. Why do I have this picture in my head of some Barbie girl saying no to the math nerd when he asks her to go to prom but then she gives him a list of the football quarterback, the class president, and the really cool stoner dude and instructs math nerd to find her a date with one of them? If you ask for a trade and you have a no trade clause in place, shouldn't that, by definition, make the no trade clause null and void? If I were Bryan Murray, I'd be calling places like Tampa, Phoenix and Atlanta to ship his ass to.

A huge shout out to my Chica who says "she feels like she's been hit by a truck" Feel better bebe!

The draft is this weekend and I still don't know who the Islanders will pick.

Hello there! It's Tuesday and the sun has decided to return to the Great Northwest and I am very excited about this. It's a good welcome for our new coach here in Everett and his press conference this afternoon. I just wish I could get downtown to see it; but I'm sure there will be a good write up in the Herald and from our good pal Su over at her great blogs, The Daily Su and her blog over at KING 5.

One thing I was surprised to see but not shocked about was that Chris Chelios will not be offered a contract by the Red Wings. I'm surprised that Kenny didn't do this earlier; but maybe he thought that Cheli would retire on his own since he's 500 years old. No such luck, so the Wings decided to cut his playing time; and that did nothing to deter him. So, they just made the decision for him. [Edit by Lisa The Wings have seen the light!!!] Supposedly Cheli thinks he wants to play another year; but I wonder which team would shell out the money for a player that is a shadow of his former self in regards to his talent when for the same or less money they could get a nice young guy who will actually play more than 20 games.

Haven't heard anything on the Hall of Fame list; but maybe that will be announced later this afternoon. Steve Yzerman, Brett Hull and Luc Robitaille are all waiting by the phone along with guys like Brian Leetch, Alexander Mogilny and Dave Andreychuk. I would be shocked if the first three aren't there; but the other that I really hope to see go is Brian Leetch. In as much as I still hate him a little for helping take the Cup from my Trevor in '94, he did have a stellar career and helped bring hockey to a lot of American kids. I would love to see AlMo too; but he might not go this year.

Anyway, Lisa had some more to say about the Dany Heatley goings on; but I can't remember what she said so maybe she'll be by later to give her two pesos on that.

Today's Boy of the Day comes to us from the Patrick Division and he's a fine combination of brains, brawn and beauty; which is hard to find with a lot of fighters. Following a successful junior career with the Kitcher Rangers of the OHL, he went undrafted and was signed as a free agent by the New Jersey Devils in August 2005. Our boy first played with the Albany River Rats of the American Hockey League in September 2005; then went on to play the majority of the 2006–2007 season with the Lowell Devils before being a late season call-up to New Jersey. He's been there ever since; and was invited to play in the YoungStars game in Atlanta last year where he scored a goal and two assists. And who is this tall blondish and yummy boy? I present David Clarkson...

How old are ya now, Brew?

Good morning campers! Is this thing on? Anyway... it's another beautiful day in the neighbourhood and it's been made even better with the very strong rumour that Craig Hartsburg, lastly of the Ottawa Senators, has been offered a two year contract with my beloved Everett Silvertips. And I just got an email from Rob Ramsburgh of the Silvertips through Facebook for a press conference to announce the new head coach! Stay tuned for more news and maybe some pictures too! *squees and jumps for joy*

If this becomes true, I think this will be a good thing. As tough as things were with the big boys, I think that with the young guys he should do well. Prior to his stint with the Senators, Hartsburg spent five seasons as head coach of the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. And he was also assistant coach for Team Canada in 2006 at the World Juniors where they won and then won two more junior gold medals as head coach in 2007 and 2008. So, with his experience with juniors and our boys having another year under their belts, I think this season might just be a little happier than the last one.

And this is a good way to start this week, as it's Draft Week, so we'll be having some of our thoughts about some of the boys and where we think they might go. The Tips have a chance to have a few boys picked, but this season will probably break the first round streak so we'll just be watching for the fun on Friday night and we'll celebrate on Saturday somewheres around rounds 3 and 4. :)

We also wanted to introduce a new segment here at Chuck a Puck and it's called Boy of the Day. Since Lisa and I are connoisseurs of a large number of boys, we'd like to share some of our favorites with our three readers.

Today, we beg to put before you the handsome boy that we began to love quite a while ago when he was an Edmonton Oiler. He's tall, slim and has the most beautiful grey eyes; as well as being a bad ass defenseman who can decapitate with his elbow. He's been a bit banged up the last few years; but I'm hoping this next season he can stay unbroken so he can play for another gold medal as part of Team Canada. So, without further ado, here is the captain of the Saint Louis Blues, Mr. Eric Brewer.

Boy did we blow those predictions or what?

I was gonna get all creative and assign points to Amy's and my predictions but that would involve some brain power that I just don't have this morning. So I'll recap instead:

Norris Trophy, top defenseman
We both picked Lidstrom. We were both wrong. Chara walked away with it. Strike one (but it was a swing and a miss as I at least picked Big Z as "a close second).

Calder Trophy, rookie of the year
We both picked Mason and what do you know we both got it right!

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, most gentlemanly player
Again, another correct one (even if Amy didn't sound too convinced). Pavel Datsyuk is your winner (his 4th)

Vezina Trophy, top goaltender
Timmy Thomas (who got sorta choked up accepting - which I like). We both got Tim right. Hurrah.

Selke Trophy, top defensive forward
I should have gone with my first instinct and picked Dats to win for sure. That will teach me for picking a Flyer. FAIL! Dats takes this home too. Point for Amy!

Hart Trophy, NHL's most valuable player
Ovie takes it. (personal note: BLECH). We both figured correctly here.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey
Missed this by a country mile. Who would have thought almost dying on the ice and playing again would get you second here? Steve Sullivan wins. We both picked Zed (and darn it, he SHOULD have won!)

Jack Adams Award, top NHL coach
Claude, the winner, was never even considered by either one of us. Shows what we know.

NHL Foundation Player Award, commitment and service to charities
Everyone wins here because they are all great guys. But Amy and I picked the winner in Rickey Nash. Too bad he wasn't there but he has a good reason. He's in Scotland with his mum and grandmum. All together now, AWWWWW!

Lester B. Pearson Award, most outstanding player
See Hart. We did!

Mark Messier Leadership Award, player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season
Jarome Iginla is a lovely choice for the award. Just not ours. And also, someone needs to tell Mess that he should never ever speak in public. Ugh.


Win some and you lose some. The draft is next. I have a feeling the top pick won't be a surprise (not that I'm picking which will go but I'm just saying, there are arguments for three or four different kids). Good luck to the Isles - no matter who they pick, their fans won't like it.

a new found respect for Brian Burke

I was listening to NHL Live and Brian Burke was on chatting up the hosts (Billy Jaffe...yum!) and the question was posed about Dany Heatley - would the Leafs be interested in that.

Burke said (and I'm paraphrasing here) but there was a right way and a wrong way to request a trade. Once a player comes to him with that request, he'll get the job done. But when you handicap your team by going public, then you are just screwing yourself. Burke went on to say that if he hears about a player wanting to be traded out side a private conversation with that player, he'll do his best to keep him on the team as long as he can in an almost punishment treatment.

Burke has no interest in that whole mess. Good on him. Bottom line, at least one GM has the balls to say what Heatley does is bullshit.

Oh I also finally have my copy of Searching for Bobby Orr. I will start reading tomorrow.

And the winner is.....

As promised, the ladies of Chuck A Puck will look into our slightly cracked crystal ball and tell you, the three readers we have, who we think will win the NHL awards tomorrow. Just don't bet any money on our picks.

Norris Trophy, top defenseman:
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins
Mike Green, Washington Capitals
Nicklas Lidstrom, Detroit Red Wings

Who will win: Amy and I both agree on this one - Lidstrom
Who should win:
Amy says: Nick will win because he always wins. He's also the one that should win because, well...he is the best.
Lisa says: No argument about him being the best. If Mike Green wins it means the league is taking a radical turn of the definition of what the Norris Trophy is for. Chara will come in a close second.

Calder Trophy, rookie of the year:
Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets
Kris Versteeg, Chicago Blackhawks
Bobby Ryan, Anaheim Ducks

Who will win: Again Amy and I agree here - we both say Mason
Who should win: At last a disagreement!
Amy says: Her duckling Ryan will win because of not only his hard work to get up to the show and stay; but because he was consistent all year. He also had a much better and much longer post-season than Mase.
Lisa says: Psh, I say. They don't count the post season in award tallies and secondly, Mason had 10 shut outs...two or three of which were while he had Mono. Mason is my guy here.

Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, most gentlemanly player:
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Martin St. Louis, Tampa Bay Lightning
Zach Parise, New Jersey Devils

Who will win: We both think Datsyuk [though Amy says so because "he is a Red Wing" like that makes him a lock ;)]
Who should win:
Amy says: Parise should win because he's adorable.
Lisa says: look past the looks and pick Datsyuk because he is awesome! Really, I have no basis for this award.

Vezina Trophy, top goaltender:
Niklas Backstrom, Minnesota Wild
Steve Mason, Columbus Blue Jackets
Tim Thomas, Boston Bruins

Who will win: Thomas (two votes)
Who should win:
Amy says: Timmy should because he had a great season both regular and post.
Lisa says: As much as I'd love to see the Rook get it, Timmy will because he kept the Bruins in the hunt for the President's Trophy all season [although with that argument, shouldn't Nabby be here?]

Selke Trophy, top defensive forward:
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Mike Richards, Philadelphia Flyers
Ryan Kesler, Vancouver Canucks

Who will win: Amy thinks Datsyuk again (she says, "See under Lady Byng") and I'm gonna go out on a limb here and pick Richards because he's apparently the best captain EVER. (barf)
Who should win:
Amy says: I admit that I'm a total homer for Kes like for Bobby, but he had such an amazing year and I think he deserves it.
Lisa says: Datsyuk because he plays a smart efficient defensive game and gets the points while doing it.

Hart Trophy, NHL's most valuable player:
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Who will win: Ovechkin [Amy brings up a great point saying that I think the writers might give it to Alex because of his goal numbers and the fact that Geno has more weapons on his team.]
Who should win:
Amy says: This is hard... I think both Alex and Geno are so worthy of this award. Can we split it? If not, I think Geno should get it because his game has grown in other ways besides just the scoring.
Lisa says: I'm with Amy on this one - Geno's grown as a player and while he might have a game or two where he disappears, he's still moving forward with his game and not just a, albeit a very talented, one trick pony.

Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, perseverance, sportsmanship and dedication to hockey:
Chris Chelios, Detroit Red Wings
Richard Zednik, Florida Panthers
Steve Sullivan, Nashville Predators

Who will win: Zednik
Who should win:
Amy says: I have to give it to Richie. As much as Steve has gone through with his back, to me it pales in comparison to getting a blade in the neck.
Lisa says: I was watching that game when Zednik was cut. It was one of the most unsettling things I've ever seen. I might have cheered out loud when I learned he was taking the ice again. Hands down, Zednik is the winner. Also playing a thousand years doesn't count in the dedication to hockey, Chris.

Jack Adams Award, top NHL coach:
Todd McLellan, San Jose Sharks
Claude Julien, Boston Bruins
Andy Murray, St. Louis Blues

Who will win: Amy says McLellan [Two words... President's Trophy], I say Murray
Who should win:
Amy says: Andy deserves this award and more for taking the Boos from the depths of the Campbell Conference and getting back to the playoffs.
Lisa says: As much as I like Todd, Andy Murry had much less to work with, injuries and talent wise, and he still made them a winning team. Plus I think people like a feel good story. Murray is my pick as well.

NHL Foundation Player Award, commitment and service to charities:
Dustin Brown, Los Angeles Kings
Alex Kovalev, Montreal Canadiens
Rick Nash, Columbus Blue Jackets

Who will win: Nash
Who should win:
Amy says: Give it Ricky just because he's so damn cute. ;)
Lisa says: I agree and honestly, I know a LOT of guys do so much for their community, I just happen to know about the things that Rick has done and it's huge. [plus him in a tux makes any award show better.]

Lester B. Pearson Award, most outstanding player:
Pavel Datsyuk, Detroit Red Wings
Evgeni Malkin, Pittsburgh Penguins
Alexander Ovechkin, Washington Capitals

Who will win: Ovechkin
Who should win:
Amy says: See Hart
Lisa says: See Amy

Mark Messier Leadership Award, player who exemplifies great leadership qualities to his team, on and off the ice, during the regular season:
Sidney Crosby, Pittsburgh Penguins
Jarome Iginla, Calgary Flames
Zdeno Chara, Boston Bruins

Who will win: Crosby
Who should win:
Amy says: I don't know about this one but they'll probably give it to Bing; and he does do a lot of great things on and off the ice.
Lisa says: Agree. Crosby but this might be as a consolation for not being up for the Hart.

Ok there you have it.... don't bet against the house.
The awards show is on tomorrow at 8 with hopefully the 'pregame' like they had last year with the red carpet. That's sorta fun.

Stanley hangover

I've spent the last two days scanning the interweb for information and photos of the Penguins celebrations (Sunday at the ball park, the parade yesterday) with an odd feeling of glee and jealously. It was the Wings last year and time moves on to another team to be on top. I'm honestly ok with that and I think I have a stronger tie to a lot of the Penguin players watching them so much this year (and nice new tattoo Duper!). Over all, I've enjoyed it. But now I'm ready for camp to start anew and to see all 30 teams take the ice on with a fair shot at a parade of their own (I'm looking at you Buffalo).

But first! We have some unfinished business to take care of: NHL awards are Thursday, the Draft is next weekend, July 1st brings free agency, and lest we forget the ongoing saga of the Phoenix Coyotes (which really must suck for their fans). Much to do in the up coming days before we can really enjoy the summer and put our toes in the sand and bid 2008-2009 NHL season a farewell. Keep your eyes peeled for Chuck A Pucks take on all of it.

Tomorrow: Men in tuxes! Uh, I mean the Puckers take on the NHL awards.

Until tomorrow...

Buy Sam a drink and get his dog one too!

That's life
That's what all the people say
You're riding high in April
You're shot down in May
I know I'm gonna change that tune
When I'm back on top in June.

Those words that Frank Sinatra sang pretty much summed up the Pittsburgh Penguins and their entire season this year. After having the dream of the Cup stolen away by the Red Wings a very short summer before; Sidney Crosby and the Penguins began their 2008-2009 with a clean slate and a hope to not only return to the playoffs but to fight for a chance to get that shiny bowl. However they knew that it was not going to be easy; and boy howdy was that the truth. In fact at times, there were times where even making the playoffs seemed about as far away as the moon.

Now, I’m not your average Penguins fan; in fact I’ve only been more than a casual observer for about four years. Being on the West Coast and a child of the 80’s, we didn’t get the plethora of coverage of the Penguins like we do nowadays; but my sister liked them some and there was CBC and ESPN, so we were able to see Le Magnifique and Company now and again then more often when it would come around to playoff times. Then the summer after the NHL settled the lockout, one of my all time favorite players, Mark Recchi, signed on for a second tour of duty with Pittsburgh and then they drafted this boy named Crosby who they said was the Next One. Well, I saw a whole lot of games with the Great One, so I decided to find out just what all the fuss was about in the town of the black and Vegas gold. Then the next year, the drama with getting Malkin over here made the news and after that I was hooked.

Then this season began; but before they could even think about going to training camp, Ray Shero was going to have to replace some of the key cogs to the machine that got them to the Finals who decided that Pittsburgh was not going to be their address this year. One of those pieces is Ryan Malone, who wasn’t offered a contract even for a hometown discount; so he tested the free agent market and signed with Tampa Bay taking Adam Hall and Gary Roberts with him. Others tempted by greener pastures, like George Laraque and Jarkko Ruutu, headed north; and the hardest one to swallow was Marian Hossa. He not only decided to reject the offers made to him by Ray Shero; but he signed with the Red Wings only weeks after the end of the Cup Finals, causing the Pens Nation to throw back their heads and howl. Then what seemed to make a bad situation worse, or at least it did at the time, was the signing of Miroslav Satan, Matt Cooke and Rusty Fedetenko. Some Pens fans thought was a last ditch effort to salvage what he could rather than go after what they thought was better talent.

Camp finally started, which lead into the exhibition season and a meeting with the Tampa Bay Lightning, which should have been fairly mundane; but the hockey gods were bored that night. Sergei Gonchar dislocated his shoulder on a late hit and it ended up needing surgery to repair it. With Sarge out for up to six months, the power play that could be sporadic at time lost its quarterback and number one defenseman; so the team and the coach set out to regroup and after a decent preseason, they headed to Sweden to open the year against the same team that lured 3 of their mates down south. It was a good trip for them, splitting the games; and they were able to keep a decent winning pattern through the end of November which was probably one of their best months of the season.

Then the wheels began to fall off screw by screw, axle by axle, until finally December came and went as did January with only ten wins combined in those two months. Something had to change, and we fans weren't sure what it was; but it needed to be soon if they were going to make the postseason and break the "Finals curse". Finally, the powers that be in the Penguins front office had had enough, and on February 15th, Michel Therrien was fired. Honestly, I was surprised it took as long as it did. From all the sources around the league that I read it appeared there had been a mutiny brewing and there were times that it was pretty evident in the game play and the scores in those games. I could never figure out what exactly it was about Mike that the boys had issues with; but then I'm just some chick 3000 miles away; I'm not in that locker room every day with them. Maybe it was just a whole bunch of small things that turned into a bigger one, like a rubber band ball that you keep adding too until it's the size of your cat. I think that this ball got really really big and finally one time he gave it one push forward too many and it rolled back on him.

A few days later, the Pens management promoted Dan Bylsma, who had been a player just a few years before and was the coach of the babyPens in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton as the interim coach. There were also a few other new faces on the bench with Disco Dan a few weeks later with the promotion of Tom Fitzgerald to Assistant Coach, the gaining of Bill Guerin and Chris Kunitz through trades and grabbing Craig Adams off the waiver wire. These moves were questioned at the time, but at usual, GMRS knew what he was doing way before he ever pulled the trigger. The only bad thing about the Kunitz trade was the loss of d-man Ryan Whitney. He was and is a fan favorite, but I think he needed a change of scenery; and seeing his play with the Ducks the last part of the season as well as the Ducks' own amazing run through the playoffs, I think it was a win-win on both sides.

Once Disco Dan got settled into his office at the Mellon, it was almost like we were brought into a parallel world. The boys were smiling and playing better; and the most important thing was that they were winning! In fact they went 18–3–4, including 10–1–2 in March, and lost only one home game. After being at .500 and in 10th place in the conference at one point it looked like the Pens might just have a chance to go for Lord Stanley again. The Pens were in 4th place at the end of the season and had home ice; but in 5th place was their arch rival, the Flyers.

The Conference Finals with them last year was brutal and the regular season games were no picnic; but with the new attitude that Bing and the boys had, we fans were pretty confident that they could handle it. And handle it they did in 5 games, which made all Pens fans smile. Then came the Washington Capitals which was probably the most exciting 7 game series I've ever seen, and included dueling hat-tricks by Ovechkin and Sid in game 2. It was ups and downs and here and there and in the end, the boys were victorious. Then a bit of a break again the Carolina Hurricanes, going only 4 games and the sweep. The Canes were gassed by the time the Pens got to them after two brutal 7 game series of their own against the Bruins and the Devils; and they just got clobbered by the black and gold machine that Danny B had built over the past few months.

Then... just as they were celebrating winning the Prince of Wales trophy, it happened: The Wings repeated as Campbell Conference Champs and a rematch of last year's finals was on. This series started pretty much like last year's, minus Fleur falling on his face at the Joe; but there were some differences. Last year they looked totally outplayed where this time they looked like they had more confidence and were holding their own. Then when it went back to Mellon, of course, they were light's out; and along came game 5 back at JLA. As awful and badly as the game was for our boys in black, I really think it helped them step back and focus... really get their shit together and snap out of whatever funk they had been there when they were on the road. Game 6 was a repeat of 2 and 3; which meant one thing and that was game 7 back in Detroit. It was like Rocky and Apollo Creed in the second Rocky movie where they're both lying on the mat gasping for breath and finally Rocky pulls himself back up and wins.

That was what happened last night at the Joe. The Penguins, who had been to Hell and back, had finally gotten to that place where kids dream about in their driveways. I started to cry when the horn sounded... not all out sobbing, but a few tears in my eyes. They were for not only the boys who had never won it like Sarge and Miro and the young guys who worked so hard during the year, as well as Disco losing game 7 as a player in '03; but because 4 months ago this would have not been even thought possible, yet here it was.

Anyway... I've babbled on far too long. Gonna go catch a nap; but first a few videos...

A montage of the player intros they have on the Ceeb including Disco and TommyFitz...


Fleur and his potty mouth...


and TSN's really awesome closing montage...

ZOMG!

There will be a real update in the morning; but until then...

YES WE DID!

Game 7

Not being a hockey player (or anything close to being an athlete) I don't think I can really understand what the Wings and Pens are thinking this morning. Did they sleep last night or just imagine what tonight will be like? I think at one point or another we've all wanted something so badly we could almost taste it, but I doubt many of us have dreamed of a situation like the players grew up dreaming about. I mean come on, we've all heard the players talk about when they were kids, pretending to skate with the cup after winning it in OT of game 7... tonight it's for real.

I'm playing Switzerland about the game (which is sorta surprising as my Michigan heritage puts cheering on the Wings in my DNA but many of my friends have tried to convert me to the Black and Gold and hell if it's not working) but Friend of Chuckers Su posted this little gem of a video and I thought I'd post it here. Say what you will about the content, it's a nice bit of editing.



Now on to other hockey news (wait, there is some?):

Along with the LOLZ of Heatley wanting out of Ottawa, it seems that the Flyers have a new goalie.

As Amy pointed out elsewhere, "BTW, Jeff Carter? Nice outfit, douchebag." I'm all on board with her commentary. This reminds me of the NHL awards show several years ago when Brad Richards didn't wear a tie to the event. Seriously, is your life so hard that you can't slap a piece of silk around your throat? So back to Carter, is your summer vacation so thrilling, you can't find a suit for a presser? Stay classy.

I think once the game is done (thus ending the season once again, but the good news is that all teams will be on equal ground come fall), we'll take on the NHL awards and maybe the draft (though admittedly Amy knows more about the junior kids that I do). After those two events it's Free Agency Free For All (aka July 1). There are some pretty big movers out there - where will they land?

Disappointing news on the reading front. Our bookmobile broke down so I was not able to pick up Searching for Bobby Orr as planned. Hopefully next week.

Until next time, happy hockey and game the hell on!

Believe!

That is the phrase that millions of citizens of Penguins Nation are saying today, as am I; however, there are quite a few fans from Moose Country in the AHL that are also quite happy this morning.

Our boys from up in the Peg also faced elimination last night in the form of the Calder Cup Finals last night; but they found it in themselves to get down to some srs bzns and they were able beat the Hershey Bears in Game 5. They'll head back to Manitoba for Game 6 on Friday night and hopefully there will be a game 7 in that series as well.

Friday night will be a busy one on the internet and in my living room watching the Pens try to parlay last night's craziness and passion into a win; as well as keeping up with the Moose on the net. I just wish that the NHL network was showing the games... hell, I wish they showed more games in general from the AHL on there.

After Saturday night I was down and I'll admit I had some serious doubts about how the Pens would come back out after getting the crap kicked out of them. Does that make me a bad fan? No, it makes me realistic; but I was very happy to see that they were so focused and driven last night. I shouldn't have doubted Steve and Co. though; considering the way this team has come back from so many ups and downs this season that they should be renamed the Weebles... Weebles wobble but they don't fall down.

Anywho... that was about from me this morning. Oh, and one more thing that is very LOLZ-worthy for a Pens fan. The Flyers have agreed to terms for a one year deal with ticking time-bomb Ray Emery. It seems that they want him to come back from his self imposed exile in Russia and see if he can do better than Marty Biron did this year. Um... okay; it should be very interesting to see how and even if he meshes with that bunch there in Philly. All I can say is that I can't think of a team that deserves him more.

Have a good one, y'all and GO PENS!

The French have a saying....

When I saw that Dany Heatley wants out of Ottawa, "Quelle surpise" came to mind. It seems that when he signed his 6 year contract with them, he was on top of the world (and I should point out, that Ottawa did not suck this badly) but now that the Sens are cellar dwellers (which I LOVE, for the record) he wants to go to another team.

Ok, I get it that when you literally get away with murder in a southern American town, things could get tough and I guess that trade request was mildly less distasteful. (Which brings to mind that he might be the first person in the history of American criminal justice to successfully deploy the "I'm sorry defense". I can just see the judge now: "Mr. Heatley, you were driving recklessly through a neighborhood in your fancy car, crashed and it killed your best friend? But you're sorry? Well ok, community service it is.") But now he wants out just because the team stinks and it's not what he signed on for? While we are talking phrases from around the world, Texans have one too: Tough Shit. Heater I have some advice for you. Put your skates, shut up, and play. Oh and get your teeth fixed. You look like an idiot.

Now on to better things: how about that game last night?? Friend of the Chuckers Lisa was there and her favorite boy finally got into game action. I'm very happy for her and ya know, the Pens played a hell of a game. Great saves by Fleury AND Rob "The Piece" Scuderi helped seal the deal. On the other side, Ozzie looked pretty damn impressive for most of the game as well. Bring on game 7 boys...it should be a good one.

In a blatant rip off job, I'm stealing a thing from one of the blogs we read, The Goose's Roost. They are doing a read along and while I'm not joining in, I will start reading one of their suggestions tonight. Searching for Bobby Orr is waiting for pick up by me at the rolling library we call the Bookmobile. I'll let you know how I like it.

I can't help but feel a little robbed when I see footage of him playing. I realize that every generation has its great stars of the game, but I feel like I've missed something not being able to see Bobby skate. Can you imagine seeing a defenseman score 120 points? I know it's a different world now in the game we love but men like Orr, Howe (my favorite number 9; saying that would get me kicked out of Montreal but I'm ok with that), even Hull made the game different than what it was and more like the game we have today. I wish I could have seen it.

Speaking of Gordie, the AP (picked up by The Freep and Yahoo) has a story about how he's having a tough time after Colleen. Not only does it highlight her accomplishments (seriously, could you see Mario Lemieux's wife doing the stuff Colleen did? Or Lisa Yzerman? And that's not a knock on them, honest, Colleen was just special that way.) but it shows a side of Gordie that not everyone might realize.

[Kris]Draper’s 7-year-old son might keep the tradition going after a recent talk with Howe.

“He said to Gordie, ‘Why did you want to be a hockey player?’ Draper recalled. “And Gordie said, ‘I loved it when I was a kid and when I was playing, and I still love it. And my son said, ‘Mr. Howe, I love it, too.’ How awesome is it that a 7-year-old boy can go up to Mr. Hockey and have a chat like that?”

This is Gordie Howe. But I know of a similar story like that (and I'm sure there are thousands more just like it). A friend of mine was up in Traverse City with her son's youth hockey team for a tournament and they stopped into a convenience store to get sodas and snacks and they run into Gordie. He took time to talk to each of the boys and found out what they were up to and spent like 15 minutes with them. Then at the game, my friend saw Gordie in the stands watching the kids. That is a special sort of guy.

I'm sure I had more profound things to say but for the life of me I can't remember them now. So until next time, happy hockey and hopefully an awesome game 7 on Friday. Oh and a side note, what are the odds of this happening? The Pens will be playing hockey in Detroit on Friday and the Tigers will be playing baseball in Pittsburgh. Huh.

If you're happy and you know it....

YUK IT UP!

Looks like the Pens boys had a good practice today and they're feeling quite good about things going into tomorrow's game 4.

I got my own really good feeling watching them last night; especially in the third period. It gave me cause to hope that they would be able to hold on and they did; but it was torture on an already unstable tummy. Like just about every game of the Washington series, every time the Pens got a one goal lead; I would hope that they could get another so there was a cushion since there are snipers everywhere out there.

So, I still believe; and will be there cheering them on tomorrow night, except I won't be watching the first period. Being out here on the West Coast, I very often don't get home until the first intermission; which is what happened the first 3 rounds and they did well. Well, I thought I would tempt fate and watch the first this weekend; and we know what happened there. So, I will be watching via the web on my phone for the rest of the series! Woooooooooooooo!

Anyway, just a little drive-by post to say hi and I'm not dead; and GO PENS!

Brooksie looking pensive....


The Captain, all srs bzns....


A gaggle of giggles with Fleur, Max and Geno....






and the lovely Disco Dan...

why post when this says it all?

In my daily blog-a-thon, I came across an article on one of my favorite blogs (mainly about Buffalo sports, the Red Sox [which I can forgive them for], and other things on life in general.) and found this gem:

The Goose's Roost: Big Clouds

Ryan always does a great job and I think you should go read it.

Wow. I admit I missed the last say ten minutes of the game last night because Max was being a pill. Malkin was ejected and the league over ruled the suspension. I have many many friends who are Pens fans, but if I ever hear how the Wings get special treatment again, I'm pointing to this very incident. How can that NOT be message sending? Way to go NHL. Proving once again that rules don't apply to your superstars (cross reference: Ovechkin, Alexander and hits, knee on knee).

The Brett Hull GM experiment in Dallas is over. I'd laugh but it's really not all that funny anymore. Joe Nieuwendyk is now in place in yet another attempt to give the South Stars some sort of credibility. Good for Joe as I've always liked him and thought he had a pretty strong hockey mind. I don't think he's the next Bob Gainey but maybe he'll surprise me.

Watching games on NBC this weekend makes me wonder why the NHL even bothers with 'em. Versus isn't pretty but they at least LIKE hockey. There is the potential for only two more games in this hockey season and that makes me sorta sad.

It's gonna be a long summer.