All Entries Tagged With: "Pittsburgh"
Jaromir Jagr: His time. His terms. His way.
In the end, we all forgot that fixating one’s mind on Jaromir Jagr is like fixating one’s eyes on the sun. It’s a pleasing sight at first, but after a while, it’s bad for one’s optical health. Although Pittsburgh offered a 1 year deal believed to be worth $2-million, Jagr signed a $3.3-million, 1 year contract with the Philadelphia [...]
Beam me up, Scottie? Longshot Plan B for Pens as free agency begins
In the last post, the developments in the pursuit of Jaromir Jagr were explored while an outline was also given describing the remaining salary cap space available to the Penguins. Pittsburgh needs to sign talented young prospect Dustin Jeffrey who showed flashes of his offensive creativity during the past season before suffering a season-ending knee [...]
The Courting of Jaromir Jagr and the Kennedy Question for the Penguins
Over the past seventy-two hours, it really has been quite remarkable to follow the minute-by-minute twists and turns in the drama entitled The Courting of Jaromir Jagr. For the city of Pittsburgh, time will tell whether this drama will be remembered as a comedy with a happy ending or a tragedy with a disappointing ending. Actually, that [...]
Pens first round draft choice improves blue line of to-Morrow
Reaction to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ selections at this past weekend’s 2011 NHL Entry Draft in Minnesota were mixed. With their top four defencemen at the NHL level signed through at least 2014 and seven under team control through 2013, many wondered why the Pens took a pair of blueliners with their first two draft choices [...]
Odd link between the Pens and Atlanta Thrashers’ demise
Much ink has been used over the past week detailing the downfall of NHL hockey in Atlanta for another generation of Georgian fans and the related relocation of the city’s franchise, like the Flames in 1980, up north to Canada, this time to Winnipeg. Many factors force a team to move to a different place: fan apathy for [...]
On the ice: Sea Dogs celebrate MasterCard Memorial Cup victory
When Saint John Sea Dogs captain Mike Thomas raised the MasterCard Memorial Cup over his head at centre ice tonight after receiving it from CHL commissioner David Branch, a cheer went up from the Sea Dogs and their many fans inside Hershey Centre that could be heard all the way in New Brunswick and the [...]
On the Platinum Anniversary of the Penguins’ 1st Cup win …
Saturday, May 25, 1991. Pittsburgh 8 @ Minnesota 0. Twenty years ago today. The Met Centre in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Penguins captured the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history against one of their expansion cousins, the North Stars. For this writer, sometimes that day seems so long ago and sometimes that day seems like yesterday. [...]
Despres, juggernaut Sea Dogs on a roll as Memorial Cup opens tonight
The field is set for the 2011 MasterCard Memorial Cup, the annual tournament that will crown the champions of the major junior Canadian Hockey League (CHL). This year’s host Mississauga St. Michael’s Majors will be joined by the Owen Sound Attack, both from the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). The two clubs concluded a thrilling seven-game [...]
Exhuming a legend and expecting greatness tends to disappoint
Jaromir Jagr, Penguins’ blueliner Zbynek Michalek and their Czech Republic teammates captured the bronze medal at the IIHF World Championship today ushering in an off-season that may see Jagr put on a new hockey sweater. There has been some speculation recently that the 39-year old forward would make a return to the NHL, possibly to Pittsburgh where he [...]
Top 10 most memorable Penguins’ games of 2010-11
After an early playoff exit by the Penguins several weeks ago, the disappointment for many fans has likely started to abate. If Sean Bergenheim’s three playoff goals against Pittsburgh, including his Game 7 winner, was like a spear to the heart, then there is some small consolation knowing that he pushed the spear right through Washington as well and is beginning [...]
Cactuses and ‘CAM’ plants and the parched 2010-11 Pittsburgh Penguins
Some cactuses and succulent plants have been blessed with the ability to survive long droughts for weeks, even months without a single drop of rainfall. Botanists have given the technical name “Crassulacean Acid Metabolism” or CAM to the inner workings of such plants. Without regular irrigation for extended periods, CAM plants preserve their scarce water supply by [...]
Tampa Bay completes comeback, blank Penguins in Game 7
Game 7: Tampa Bay 1, Pittsburgh 0. Tampa Bay wins series 4-3. Sean Bergenheim’s second period goal, his third of the series, and Dwayne Roloson’s 36 saves, including several huge stops during a last-minute Pittsburgh power play on James Neal in front of the net, gave Tampa Bay a 1-0 shutout road victory over the Penguins in Game 7 of their Eastern Conference [...]
Gritty Tampa Bay rallies for win: Game 7 Wednesday night
Game 6: Tampa Bay 4, Pittsburgh 2. Series tied 3-3. Ryan Malone’s breakaway slapshot goal in the third period put the exclamation point on Tampa Bay’s first home victory of the series and the ex-Penguin and his Lightning teammates are headed back to his hometown of Pittsburgh on Wednesday night for a winner-take-all Game 7 thanks [...]
Historic Pens’ playoff games on April 25 provide inspiration, calm
Even the most die-hard Penguins’ backer must have been frustrated two days ago watching Tampa Bay pile up goal after goal after goal on Pittsburgh ice in the Lightning’s 8-2 romp over the home team. Once again, the theoretical “Bridge Alert” was set to the highest danger level for fear of fans leaping off one [...]
Bolts convincingly avoid elimination, destroy Penguins in Game 5
Game 5: Tampa Bay 8, Pittsburgh 2. Pittsburgh leads series 3-2. Simon Gagne, Steven Stamkos and Pavel Kubina each scored a pair of goals helping Tampa Bay stave off elimination with a convincing 8-2 win over the Penguins, sending their Eastern Conference quarterfinal series back to Florida for a sixth game Monday night at 7 pm EDT. [...]
Persistence pays off: Pens take 3-1 series lead on Neal’s 2OT rocket
Game 4: Pittsburgh 3, Tampa Bay 2 (2 OT). Pittsburgh leads series 3-1. Snakebitten Pittsburgh winger James Neal unloaded two months worth of frustration with a rocket wrist shot from the right half-wall 3:38 into double overtime to give the Penguins a sudden 3-2 win over the Lightning in Tampa Bay tonight and a chance to close [...]
Pittsburgh’s steely defence steals game, spotlight from St. Louis
Game 3: Pittsburgh 3, Tampa Bay 2. Pittsburgh leads series 2-1. Martin St. Louis scored two power play goals accounting for both Tampa Bay markers but the “Steel Curtain” Pittsburgh defence stole the glory and the game especially late in the third period as the Penguins wrested back home ice advantage with a gritty 3-2 win at [...]
Sloppy Pens struck by Lightning power play, series tied 1-1
Game 2: Tampa Bay 5, Pittsburgh 1. Series tied 1-1. Full credit to the Tampa Bay Lightning for making the most of their opportunities. As advertised, when opponents head to the penalty box, the Bolts tend to capitalize by using power plays as a vehicle to success. They did so last evening, converting 2 of 6 man [...]
“Old” hands and new blood collaborate in Pens’ opening game win
Game 1: Pittsburgh 3, Tampa Bay 0. Pittsburgh leads series 1-0. A venerable “old” 38-year old veteran playing in his 117th career playoff game scored the winning goal. A 26-year old goalie, already an “old” veteran of 63 career post-season games, tops among all sixteen starting netminders this spring, turned away all 32 shots he faced for [...]
One last look back before the playoff journey begins
Pittsburgh has the honour of being one of two cities to host the opening games of the 2011 Stanley Cup playoffs tonight. At 7 pm EDT, the Coyotes and Red Wings will skate onto the ice at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit while simultaneously the Lightning and Penguins will face off in the first ever playoff [...]
