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Archive for May, 2010

Thanks …

Friday, May 14th, 2010

It took me more than a day to sober up and clear the haze in my mind to realize what happened. There will be no more Penguins hockey this season. That is a sad news for all Pens heads out there. I don’t like to dwell on the negative details and like to focus on positives. The positive side of things is that our schedule should clear up significantly which should allow for activities that are not limited to jumping off Brooklyn bridge, eating a whole bottle of your grandma’s sleeping pills, slitting your wrists in the hot tub and other things of that nature.

In all seriousness I’d like to thank the Pens for the wonderful year of hockey that extended into post season. Special thanks going out to:

Evgeni Malkin who kept my boner up throughout the year. Thanks for multiple occasions of galloping through the neutral zone and making mind bending passes and making goalies cry on power plays.

Sidney Crosby for coming out with the delicious cereal this year which gives kids everywhere a chance for a nutritious champion filled breakfasts. Thanks for the never ending Crosby sucks chants and hitting the big five-O+1.

Thanks to Marc-Andre Fleury for all the wonderful saves he made and his ongoing commitment to perfect himself between the pipes. Its not a accident that 71 + 29 make a perfect 100.

Thanks to Alexei Ponikarovsky for joining our team and being Ruslan Fedotenko number 2.

Thanks to Mike Rupp who seemed to have been on extra dose of steroids these playoffs.

Thanks to Matt Cooke for his mind blowing hits and amazing goals this post season. Sometimes being in the right spot at the right time makes all the difference in the world. Resign him so i can get his jersey.

Thanks to Dan Bylsma for staying cool behind the bench and making all the right calls throughout the year.

Thanks to Kris Letang for stepping up big time and taking over some of Gonchar’s responsibilities. 4 more years of this delight.

Thanks to Craig Adams and his backhand. Thanks for being the hardest working guy on the ice.

Thanks to Max Talbot for coming back strong in the post season and just being amazing superstar.

Thanks to Pascal Dupuis for his amazing season and occasionally traveling at speeds of light on ice. We wouldn’t have gotten this far without you.

Thanks to Bill Guerin for filling up Dad’s shoes and being a great sport about everything.

Thanks to TK and Kunitz you guys have been awesome and pleasure to watch.

Thanks to Jordan Staal for possessing super human like powers. You are the reason i am probably still sane.

Thanks to Brooks Orpik for being a leader off and on the ice.

Thanks to Goligoski and Eaton for always trying to improve his game. Stay positive.

Thanks to Leopold who became family even if its for short period of time.

Thanks to Jay McKee wish i would have seen more of you … you are a beast.

Thanks to Brent Johnson for being MASSIVE and those amazing Led Zeppelin masks.

Thanks to Mario Lemieux for making all this possible. You are forever in our hearts.

Thanks to NYC Pittsburgh Penguins Meetup group, Shaun, Foleys Pub, and the supporting staff!

And finally …

Head up everyone and stop looking so sad that makes me want to shed a tear …

Here is the last episode of Yinz Luv Da Guins of the season. Thanks Jim.

LETS GO PENS!!!

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Do Or Die Time – Game 7

Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Picture Of The Day …

Video Of The Day …

Beard Of The Day … Dad

Thought Of The Day …

Game 7 is always the most exciting game of the NHL playoffs series. This is all somehow reminds me on the last year’s series against Washington Capitals. So far the series have been going back and forth. Penguins have been pretty dominant in most of the game. Being Canadiens you can’t always rely on lucky bounces, bad calls, and just in general on opportunistic type of play. It might get you past the first round of playoffs but thats as far as it goes. No doubt in my mind Wednesday night Penguins come out strong. Take all of that frustration that has build up over the last 6 games and let it faithfully guide you to victory. The reason i mentioned last year’s series against Washington Capitals is because in game 7 Penguins will show their complete dominance. My predictions is there is going to be at least 4 goal difference. Something along the lines of 4-0 Pens, or 5-1 Pens, or same as with Capitals last year 6-2. Pens have had enough of the Habs its time to send them to the no mans land. Everything is falling into place … just believe. If you are going to the game 7 my message to you is don’t stop screaming till Penguins win!

“Am I the only one around here who gives a shit about the rules? Mark it zero!”
(thanks to LGP forums)

Lets Go Pens!!!

Tags: Mario Lemieux
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Yinz Luv Da Guins – Sports Talk Radio

Sunday, May 9th, 2010

Jim Shearer and his beautiful wife Tori were at the Foleys bar last night. Check out their amazing home made t-shirts. Dupweee and BrOOks!

Here is a new episode of Yinz Luv Da Guins – SPorts Talk Radio and Scent Of Fleury edition!

Tags: Yinz Luv Da Guins
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Belarussians – The Good and Ugly

Thursday, May 6th, 2010

A little off topic post today but since we are talking about Belarus that is close to home for me. I am only going to talk about the good and the ugly, skip that ‘bad’ nonsense. So whats good for Belarussians? If you haven’t followed the Pittsburgh Marathon then you probably have no clue who Alena Vinitskaya is. Neither did util yesterday when Kristen (@pghsciencenerd) told me. Well apparently Alena Vinitskaya a 36-year-old woman from Belarus who has two children under 5, captured the women’s title, doing so in 2:42:33, besting her nearest competitor, Phebe Ko, by more than three minutes. Pretty amazing right? Read more here. Here she is in all of her glory, all wet but smiling!

So that was the good. Now to the ugly part which believe it or not deals with Habs. As some of you already know there are two brothers from Belarus that play on Canadiens team, Andrei and Sergei Kostitsyn. I follow them pretty closely since there aren’t that many Bearussians in NHL. During the Olympics Andrei Kostitsyn was injured and couldn’t play for team Belarus. However, Sergei was playing and he was by far the best forward on the team. He was leader in points scoring 2 goals and making 3 assists. Pretty solid performance by him all around. It was pretty clear to me that when put in the position of a leader Sergei is a clutch player. Well unfortunately thats not the story when he is playing with Habs. Watching these playoffs series with Montreal i couldn’t find him on the ice. At first i thought that he was injured but after digging in deeper i found out that he was benched as a healthy scratch for most of the playoff games. Apparently there is something ugly going on within the Habs team and this might work to Penguins advantage. I found the following article, unfortunately it was in French but thanks to Google translate for helping me out here. Well apparently on Tuesday’s practice Sergei left the practice and did not wish to participate. Carey Price did not really appreciate the decision of his teammate. Price went back in the dressing room for a new stick and get to wipe his face, Price did not hesitate to express his displeasure Kostitsyn.

“Why are not you on the ice?” Said Price to Kostitsyn. With no response from Belarusian, Price asked: “Did you hear my question?”

“This is none of your business,” Kostitsyn replied before finally taking the path of showers.

Discouraged, Price shook his head, replying with derision: “Well, Sergei.” Price then returned to the ice along with Jaroslav Spacek and Ben Maxwell.

Today Pens report that Sergei Kostitsyn wasn’t at the morning skate.

The article goes on to say that Sergei might not have much future with Habs after these playoffs end. It also speculates that Sergei might leave NHL all together and go play with KHL. I would love to see Sergei come play for Pittsburgh. I think with the right team attitude he could truly blossom and show us his abilities. I want Ray Shero to sign Sergei Kostitsyn!!! Put him on the line with Geno instead of Poni or Tenk and those two could make magic happen, no doubt!

Well unlike Sergei … and i dont know how he does it … Jordan Staal was present at today’s practice and apparently is a game-time decision for tonights game!!! WOW!!! I AM SPEACHLESS!!!

Dupuis, Letang, Malkin & former Penguin Philippe Boucher at practice this morning

Got my copy of the hockey news today …

and their winner is …

Sidney Crosberry!

LETS GO PENS & BELARUSSIANS!!!

Tags: Jordan Staal
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Yinz Luv ‘Da Guins – Pens Vs Habs edition

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

Jim Shearer getting it done once again for all you yinzers!

Tags: Yinz Luv Da Guins
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Matt Cooke Monster On And Off The Ice

Wednesday, May 5th, 2010

One of the Habs fans told me winner of yesterday’s game will win the series. Good luck biting your nails now buddy! Huge game for Pens. My predictions for Geno stepping up came true he was running wild on ice like horny unneutered dog. Mama’s borscht does magic. Geno second star of the game with a PPG.

imma score!

Thanks Seth from EN for this …

The Penguins’ top ten career leaders in postseason game-winners:

Player	Goals
Jaromir Jagr	14
Mario Lemieux	11
Kevin Stevens	9
Ron Francis	8
Evgeni Malkin	7
Sidney Crosby	5
Maxim Talbot	4
Michel Briere	3
Rob Brown	3
Tyler Kennedy	3

Puck Daddy Chatting with Evgeni Malkin: ‘There is a lot more dirty play; but that’s why the playoffs are so interesting’

First star was given to Fleury who was absolutely flawless in this game. That was Fleury’s 4th career playoff shutout. Worth mentioning that Mark Letestu had a great game in his NHL playoffs debut. He got pucks to the net, cycled the puck well and was playing well defensively. Third star should have been given to Matt Cooke but since the game was in Montreal it was given to baby-shorty Gionta. Cooke was playing hard the whole game, no scratch that, he has been playing hard the whole post season. Recording 4 goals just trailing by 1 from both Geno and Sid. He is physical and plays both ends of the ice. I want Cooke to get resigned at the end of this year as his two year contract is going to expire. I can’t imagine Penguins without Cooke and when he is getting resigned i will be sure to pick up his jersey.

Cooke is a monster on ice. However, his contributions do not stop off the ice. In fact he and his wife Michelle have created The Cooke Family Foundation Of Hope to give something back to the community. The foundation was brought to life in 2006. The couple both grew up in small towns where the values of sharing with neighbours and helping out in the community were deeply ingrained. The catalyst for creating the Foundation came from Michelle’s family. Her brother Brandon and his wife Jamie were high school sweethearts and expecting their first child, Hope. Something went wrong and Hope was born without a heartbeat. After her funeral Michelle and Matt knew they had to do something to counteract this devastating heartbreak. And so the Foundation was built, literally, on Hope.

Here are some pics i was able to pull down from The Cooke Family Foundation Website.

Check out Mario Lemieux’s new skate line … http://www.mlxskates.com/

This date in @mellonarena history…5/5/85 – The Firm (Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, Chris Slade & Tony Franklin) drew a crowd of over 10,000.

@pghpenguins Jordan Staal is practicing this morning in Montreal! News of the day is that forward Jordan Staal is on the ice in full equipment.

TSN reports that depending upon the healing process it is possible that Staal could join the Penguins drive by the Conference Final.

How about some skate protection?

Team Lemieux runners raised over $15K for the Mario Lemieux Foundation at the 2010 Pittsburgh Marathon. Thank you to the runners and to everyone who pledged their support!

From Foleys Bathroom

LETS GO PENS!!!

Tags: Evgeni Malkin, Foley's, Jordan Staal, Mario Lemieux, Matt Cooke
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Jordan Staal Skating At Practice

Tuesday, May 4th, 2010

Want to talk about Miracle On Ice? Considering the fact Jordan Staal had a surgery on Saturday morning to repair a torn tendon this truly is a miracle. Staal was back on ice for practice this morning for a brief period of time. Goes to show how much grit and determination he has. Its no surprise he has almost perfect NHL regular season attendance. Since 2006 he missed only ONE game during regular season. Impressive? You bet! Surprising? Not really if you know Jordan Staal well.

You might remember one of those monday night games on December 21st this season when Jordan Staal got almost half of his nose cut off by a puck. Something like that would side line any other player for at least 2 games. Not our Gronk! He came back that same game to play. What a man!

Seems like Dan Bylsma wants our boys to crush the net and screen Halak more effectively in todays game. Max Talbot has Dan’s back.

Talbot’s mom is a gambler. According to NationalPost.com his mother, a high school teacher, has a bet going with her students that the Penguins will win. It is a wager that has made her very unpopular at the moment. ”She’s cool with it,” Talbot said. “She can take the heat.”

My home boys Kostitsyn brothers are taking some heat in Canadian press. My opinion on the topic is i couldn’t care less they are playing Pens.

According to Penguins Practice report Mark Letestu centered the third line and could make his NHL postseason debut!

Troy Crosby interview.

I think the effects of home made borscht should be kicking in today. I am expecting a big game from Evgeni Malkin.

pink geno

LETS GO PENS!!!

Tags: Dan Bylsma, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal, Mark Letestu, Maxime Talbot
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The Matt Cooke Show

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

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Be Part Of Mario Mosaic At Consol Energy Center

Monday, May 3rd, 2010

Pens opened up the series with a huge thrust. Apparently no one told Habs or the league that Pens were amazing on the power play, at least for one game. You know you are playing a great game when kids like Craig Adams and Alex Goligoski are scoring goals. Habs lost Andrei Markov who is out indefinitely with a lower body injury on clean hit that was delivered by Matt Cooke. In return Habs took out Jordan Staal who is out indefinitely as well. Dan Bylsma updated media on Staal’s condition stating “a procedure to repair a lacerated tendon in his foot.” “As far as a time frame goes we will not put a time frame on it at this point,” Bylsma said. “But he has not been ruled out for a return.”

Game 2 looked much like one of the last few games in the Caps vs Habs series. I am sure Dan Bylsma has a plan of adjustments for game 3. What i personally want to see Pens do is get in Halak’s face, less plays from behind the net and more plays in front of the net. Poni is not doing what he is supposed to do. I want to see guys like Craig Adams and Matt Cooke step up and score goals because its clear that Habs D will be all over Crosby and Malkin but unlike Ovie and Semin our boys actually know how to pass the puck. Loss of Staal has huge impact on PK and we simply can not afford to take stupid penalties such as interference penalty that Fedotenko took in the first period of game 2, simply unacceptable. I am sure Tenk has best intentions and his attendance at optional practices show just that, but he might as well has been wearing Habs jersey in game 2. I want to see him step up and play like its 2004 SCF game 7.

Pens In 5!

Want to be part of Mario Lemieux Mosaic? You can reserve your place in Pittsburgh’s new Consol Energy Center and help Mario give others a chance to win! For just a $66.00 donation to the Mario Lemieux Foundation, your photograph, combined with thousands of others, will create a 20’ x 8’ Mario Mosaic that pays tribute to the career of Pittsburgh Penguins hockey legend and Hall-of-Famer, Mario Lemieux. The mosaic will be displayed in the main lobby of the new Consol Energy Center, allowing the general public to view the mosaic during regular business hours free of charge! Details here … http://www.mariomosaic.com/

Speaking of Consol Enegry Center. Have you seen these photo updates?