Random Penguin droppings

It’s already been talked about a ton, but the summer of sadness continued the other day when John Barbaro died. People like Seth Rorabaugh did a much better job of putting into words than I could. However, he was truly a Penguin great, and was as much a part of the Penguins Experience as the Igloo for close to 40 years. The game will never be the same.

On a brighter side, the clock continues to tick until hockey season and yesterday was a big day.

In order of importance:

Sir Mario and Sid broke in the Ice at the CEC

Max Talbot called it like it is

The announced some crap about the Winter Classic

Let’s hope that Mr. Barbaro’s untimely passing is the official end to the Summer of Sadness, and we can all begin the countdown to the next Hockey Night in Pittsburgh!

Let’s Go Pens!

You Sir Are a Moron!

I think I'm going to make this a semi-regular theme. People say stupid things all the time (myself especially); but sometimes a comment comes along that is so foolish, is so poorly thought out, and so short sited that you just want to slap them with a little white glove. In celebration of such stupidity, I will make an effort to post these gems when I find them.

Today's entry comes from Chris Robinson of SURPRISE!!!!!!, Arizona.

He writes in the PG Q & A:

"I don't get it. Sidney Crosby hasn't gotten much criticism over this meltdown (in the 2010 playoffs). He gets lauded about being a "big-game player" My question is, in what big game has Sidney Crosby EVER stepped up for the Pens? His two biggest games so far in his career he has been scoreless. Game 7 in the Cup final last summer and, of course, (Game 7 against Montreal). As bad as he was in this Montreal series, his point totals actually doubled his output during the Stanley Cup final last year. Both those series make his two-goal and six-point effort during the 2008 final look like Mario Lemieux-type numbers. He's still a young guy with many years ahead of him. Hopefully, he is the reason the Penguins hoist the Cup again someday instead of winning in spite of him like last year, but right now he is vastly over-hyped and overrated when people mention him in the same breath as Mario Lemieux."

You sir are a moron...Nothing more needs to be said to defend my statement and my frustration towards yours.

Dear Yinzer Fans:

Let me start by saying you have to take the good with the bad and everything has two sides. Pittsburgh sports fans are passionate, and that is a GREAT thing. While that passion is sometimes bad (i.e. screaming for a Malkin trade or Crosby trade*); it is that same passion that causes 5000+ to stand outside the arena in crazy weather to watch the Pens, or causes 250,000+ to attend victory parades. It’s the same passion that led to the birth of Steeler Nation, and the passion that makes Steelers and Penguins paraphernalia the most well traveled team symbols in the world. Most importantly it’s that passion that makes me proud to say that I am a Pittsburgh sports fan.

Now…Having said that: Hey stupid yinzer fans who don’t know their asshole from a hole in the ground when it comes to hockey: SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!!!!!

So let me get this straight, Malkin didn’t get the Art Ross this season and you now want to get rid of him???? Got it. You want to trade him eventhough he played in 18 LESS games this year due to injury, still managed 77 points, and still averaged over a point per game.

EDIT: I got my stat of 18 less games from the Evgeni Malkin unofficial fan page. After checking NHL.com (should have checked there to start), he played 15 less games, not 18. He played a total of 67 games. Regardless of this, he still averaged over a point a game, and had he kept on that pace would have scored about 90 points.

Ohhh, I see, you want Staal to be the second line center and you think that if given the same number of minutes that Geno has, Staal will match or surpass Malkin’s point totals.

First I would be willing to bet that you were one of the “trade Staal’s” from last year. You remember; before he was a Selke finalist this year, he had a sophomore slump and he was very popular trade bait among the fans.

You remember that don’t you?

One of the reasons Staal is so effective is that he is a solid 2nd line center ON THE THIRD LINE. That is a match-up most teams do not have the defensive depth to match. Geno is a #1 Center in about 28 of the other 29 franchises in the NHL. He is playing on the second line here.

Just one more time so I have it right in my head; you want to take away that depth and that mismatch because Geno “only” scored 77 points this year and was in the top 20 scorers in the league.

Interesting logic.

I love Jordan Staal, and this is not meant to take anything away from him, but how do you know he is going to match Geno in points? You don’t know if Staal has the talent, even if given the minutes to match Malkin. Do you know if Staal will ever be able to put up 113 points in a season? I don’t, but I do know this; Geno can, because he did it last year.

Remember last year; when he won the Art Ross followed by the Conn Smythe?????

There’s a reason that Ray Shero is GM and you are not. That would be that Ray Shero is smarter and knows more about hockey than you do. That’s the reason that he gets paid to make this franchise competitive, and you pay to go watch this competitive franchise.

If you people had your way Staal would have been gone last year (no Selke nomination this year), and Geno would be gone this year (no more scoring titles for him in Pittsburgh). I get the feeling you would run Fluery out of town too.

Do us all a favor and go back to drooling over the Steelers and spank it while thinking about training camp. Let the people who have half a brain and understand the game root for the Pens.




*Lest we forget everyone that during Crosby's scoring slump during the 2008-2009, there was actual a yinzer fringe that was willing to "trade Crosby to add depth". Hmmmmm, where else would I have heard that...

Mmmmmm....Those Tears Taste Good!

Today is a great day! The President’s Trophy winner (it’s better than the Stanley Cup you know) has been eliminated from playoff contention. I will never cheer against a team the way I cheer FOR the Penguins, but today the hate runs through my veins. The tears of the whiny Crapitals fans give me strength.


Let’s get to it:


To "the great 8"
Remember that tiny little statement you made at last year’s NHL awards? You know, the one where you guaranteed a Capitals Stanley Cup this year? Just in case you forgot: Here’s the clip.

How’s that workin’ out for ya home slice? Maybe if you try it again in Vegas this year it may just work. Or…there’s another option. Talk less shit and work harder. There’s a certain someone I know that could probably give you a few lessons said work ethic.


To the fans:
What brings an even bigger smile to my face is watching the obnoxious, band wagon, know nothing about hockey fans rock the red right off their backs. Aside from your own team winning it all, there is little that is more exciting than watching a loud fan of a hated rival eat their own words. All that bullshit from February on about how the Caps were destined to win the Stanley Cup and how it was as good as theirs was all just that…BULLSHIT! HA HA HA!

I am sure you Caps fans will come back with such silly things as “the Pens were too afraid to play us”, or “you would have lost” or “we still swept you this season”. All can be easily countered by a few simple comebacks:

“HA FUCKIN HA! YOUR TEAM MADE HISTORY THE OTHER NIGHT! THEY CHOKED HARDER THAN ANY OTHER #1 SEED IN NHL HISTORY!!! NO MATTER WHAT YOU SAY OR WHAT YOU BELIEVE, REMEMBER THAT.”

Or

“REMEMBER THAT NO MATTER WHAT THE PENS DO FOR THE REST OF THE PLAYOFFS, YOUR UNSTOPPABLE JUGGERNAUT OF OFFENSIVE TALENT, YOUR PRESIDENT’S TROPHY WINNER LOST; IN THE FIRST ROUND; TO THE EIGHTH SEED.”

What a great day.

Now, it’s time to get focused. Thank you Habs for what you have done for us Penguins fans. However, nothing lasts forever, and you are now the enemy. Get ready to meet a more balanced and all around grittier team, and we’ll see who comes out on top.

DO IT!
WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Can You Say Something Out of Nothing?

http://www.nypost.com/p/sports/more_sports/sid_blows_nhl_golden_chance_22VH7UimsoimIdQfehXQTJ

Oh wait....No one cares!

People act like he was fondling a 20 year old in a bathroom or something...

Those Little Capitals Fans are SO Easy to Rile up!

Mike Wilbon of ESPN’s PTI wrote a GREAT (in my biased Pens fan mind) article about Ovechkin in the Washington Post of all papers. I had a great time looking through the comments section to see the screaming that erupted as a result.

I think it went something like….”WAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”

You see, I think those lovable little Caps fans who have just recently discovered that hockey IS in fact a sport, got their panties in a bunch because Wilbon mentioned the “C” word. No, I don’t mean Champion, Captain or even, Canadian Gold Medalist. I mean Crosby. I would honestly be pissed too (imagine if hockey moron Ron Cook had the audacity to compare anyone poorly on the Pens to another NHL player, especially Ovechkin), but the Mike Wilbon is spot on about Ovechkin’s behavior. He better watch out, or he may end up in a women’s bathroom in Georgia chasing after an under-age girl with Ray Lewis’ attorney on speed dial.

On a slightly related note, I love the Ovechkin vs. Crosby debate that Caps or Pens blogs often devolve into. I don’t care about the statistics and keep your individual awards. NOTHING was better than celebrating in the streets after the SCF victory, NOTHING. Seriously, it was something I’ll tell my grandkids about. That doesn’t happen without Crosby, so thanks, I’ll keep him.

A Return to Hockey

Like the drunk bureaucrat, I’ve been in a funk. Thank god hockey has returned to Pittsburgh. I LOVED Olympic hockey and was totally swept up in the unexpected American run to silver, but I missed watching the Pens.

Speaking of the Pens, I am throwing the gauntlet down, right here, right now. If you consider yourself a pens fan and you at any point booed Crosby during Tuesday night’s game, then you are officially a moron “Pittsburgh fan”.

If you are pissed about the U.S. losing, fine! The Captain of your team completed an incredible accomplishment, and the same reasons you love him as your team captain are the same reasons that you should be happy that he got the gold.

He didn’t change when he played for Canada, he was still classy, well spoken and thoughtful during his interviews. He was still amazing to watch on the ice. He just did it for a different team, oh yea by the way, that different team was representing HIS HOMELAND, oh shit!

You can be pissed at Canada all you want, but the same reasons you love him with the “C” on his sweater in Pittsburgh, are the same reasons you should be respectful of his accomplishments as a Canadian playing for his country. Translation: Yinz better not boo any more n’at!