GAME NEWS

RUSLAN FEDOTENKO left early in the first period after an altercation with Colby Armstrong (punched him right on the button and immediately fell backwards); I'm thinking he broke his hand on Colby's face and if that's the case, he could possibly be out for awhile.

PASCAL DUPUIS left the second period with an unknown injury; I honestly didn't see anything happen.

Neither of them will return to play in the game.

Pre-Game News

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LIVE STREAM of tonight's game!
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[UPDATE]
Since I last posted news, the weather here has turned for the worse and it seems best not to try and make the trip to Pittsburgh (UGH!). But, you know, this means that the Pens will have an awesome game complete with a Thrashers ass-kicking and one of the Pens having a hat trick -- SO, if this is the case, you [and the Pens] can thank me tomorrow (I already have John agreeing to buy tickets to another game if this happens and he even gave me the benefit of excluding the hat trick).

MARC-ANDRE FLEURY
Fleury is expected to start in goal tonight for the Penguins against the Altanta Thrashers.

TYLER KENNEDY
Kennedy will get another shot on the top line with Sid and Dupuis. Therrien told reporters,

"we want to give a good chance to see if that line is going to be successful."

and [he] applied the same logic to using Kennedy up front with Crosby and Malkin on the No. 1 power-play unit, which had Kris Letang and Ryan Whitney on the points.

SHAKE IT UP [OR NOT]
Therrien is opposed to any type of major changes in the players. And believes that a change in lines will provide the spark they need.

"You can't forget that we had the best start in franchise history, and that was with this group," Therrien said. "We trust those players. This is a good group, good people to work with.

"We're struggling a little bit right now, but we're going to get out of this. ... Every team has ups and downs over the course of the season. Ours is a bit longer than expected, but we've been through those things before."

I expect the lines to remain as they were last night against the Rangers. What I am hoping for is that the Penguins have had enough and are going to come out with a vengeance (at some point, maybe not this game) and that team will have HELL to pay! They only need one good win to start building their confidence back - it HAS to start SOMEWHERE!!

I DON'T Want to Talk About It!

Really - I don't want to talk about the losing streak that the Penguins have been on or discuss reasons they may or may not be having trouble (not to mention they've had ONE GOAL in the last THREE GAMES - so very sad!) - I just DON'T, especially since I will be watching tonight's game at the Mellon Arena again!!

I'm hoping tonight will be AT LEAST 1 point (that's all - I'm not even asking for 2)!! Little steps - let's climb out of this hole, boys - I KNOW you can do it!!

No game summary tonight (even though I haven't been doing one) and I probably won't be able to post anything to the blog until later tomorrow morning since I'm leaving from work today and won't be getting home until LATE unless I get time at lunch today.

I can feel a win coming!
LET'S GO PENS!!

Get Caught Up with "Inside Penguins Hockey"

You already know from my posting before that episodes 1 and 2 of FSN's "Inside Penguins Hockey" has been posted to PensTV, but I just wanted to get you updated and let you know that episodes 3 - 5 have were also recently posted (just in case you missed them with all the hustle and bustle of the holidays - or were sick, like me)!!

EPISODE 5 - Pascal Dupuis and Dany Sabourin
EPISODE 4 - Jordan Staal and Alex Goligoski

EPISODE 3 - Community Features

CLICK HERE FOR A LIST / LINKS TO THE EPISODES POSTED ON PENSTV as well as the schedule for upcoming shows.

Extra Attacker Prize

The prize for the winner of this week's Penguins "Extra Attacker" is two tickets to the Penguins vs. Red Wings game on February 8th (Igloo seats on the glass)!

Penguins Trade Kemp for 2010 Draft Pick

The Penguins have announced that they've traded defenseman T.J. Kemp to the Montreal Canadiens in exchange for a 2010 conditional seventh-round draft pick.

Kemp was signed as a free agent this past offseason on July 8, 2008.

The 5-11, 197-pound defenseman has split the past four seasons between the Peoria Rivermen, Iowa Stars, Milwaukee Admirals, Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Manchester Monarchs, Springfield Falcons and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the AHL.

[UPDATED] Pre-Game News

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LIVE STREAM of tonight's game
(CLICK HERE!)

[UPDATE]
TYLER KENNEDY
Kennedy will get a shot at the top line with Sidney Crosby and Pascal Dupuis tonight against the New York Rangers. He will also play on the top powerplay unit alongside Crosby and Malkin. This has been a long time coming and I'm really glad that something will come out of all of this kid's hard work and dedication!! It should be a really interesting line. Also note that it's Dupuis and not Satan that completes the first line; like I said, I think Satan finally made it into Therrien's doghouse!

OPTIONAL PRACTICE
Therrien made yesterday's practice optional and only 15 players showed up including Crosby. The majority of those that did participate seemed to take advantage of the time by getting on the ice early and staying a little extra. Sabourin was on the ice 35 minutes before practice and was the last once off the ice; Crosby worked on his shot 20 minutes beforehand just as Satan did 30 minutes before practice. I don't know about you, but after how awful the Penguins have been playing I don't think I would've made yesterday's practice optional; I would've made them drop over in pain working them so hard. John mentioned that Therrien may have chosen to do that to see who showed up (I suppose 15 out of the active 20 isn't a bad turnout).

ERIC GODARD
[UPDATE] Godard will be back in the lineup tonight (YEA!!) alongside Dustin Jeffrey and (dum, da-dum, dum) Miroslav Satan made it all the way down to the fourth line!
Godard participated in the optional skate yesterday, but it is still unknown as to whether or not he will return to the lineup for tonight's game against the NY Rangers. IMO, the Pens are lacking a physical presence on the ice, so they are in need of Godard, so I'm hoping he's back soon!

PHILIPPE BOUCHER
[UPDATE] Boucher participated in this morning's skate and was given the "green-light" to play in tonight's game; Therrien is to dress six of the eight healthy defensemen for the game, but wouldn't say which two will be sitting.
Boucher also participated in practice yesterday after missing the past two games due to an undisclosed injury. No mention of whether or not he will be in the lineup tonight.

[UPDATE] MARC-ANDRE FLEURY will start in goal tonight for the Pens.

2009 All-Star Starting Line-Up

Voting for the 2009 NHL All-Star team is over and NHL.com posted the starting lineup on their webpage -- Sid and Malkin were the top two vote-getters so they'll be starting, but after a close race between Carey Price and Marc-Andre Fleury, Price won out and will be the starting goalie for the Eastern Conference.

The Eastern Conference seems to have a slight advantage over the Western Conference looking at the starters although I'll admit I'm not all that familiar with the WC players. Anyone else have any thoughts?

Take a look:

Isn't the Malkin - Crosby - Kovi line sweet?!! Now THAT will be interesting to watch!!

Progress on Consol Energy Center!

I mentioned a week or so ago about their laying the first steel beams for the new arena and I just haven't had a chance to do an updated post on it until now. Below is a still of the LIVE arena construction cam from 12/31/2008.

And below are some of the pictures I took prior to the game I went to on Saturday afternoon. The progress is just amazing (and October 2010 will be here before we know it)!!

WTF?! Semin Has No Room to Talk [About Crosby]

Well, at least Alexander Semin is good at talking "smack."


Jordan texted Marc on Saturday night about this fight (and because they're playing each other tonight).

As you've seen, Marc got in a few punches, but when he attempted to pull Semin's jersey over his head, the jersey and all Semin's padding slipped all the way off. Then the most hideous display of fighting erupted when Semin began to hit Marc with flailing slaps.

"I got a pretty good chuckle," Jordan Staal said.

I got more than a chuckle!! At least Crosby doesn't fight like a girl (hell, I can fight better than that)!!

Zigomanis on IR

According to the Penguins webpage, its not official but they have placed Mike Zigomanis on injured reserve (IR).

Zigomanis has been sidelined with an undisclosed injury he suffered Dec. 3 at the New York Rangers. He missed the team's past 15 games and hasn't practiced or skated in over a month. The IR designation will keep him out for at least another week but it isn't clear when he'll be able to get back on the ice or how far away he is from playing.

Valiant Efforts to Change Yesterday's Game!

Even though yesterday's game was complete torture to watch, there were some highlights and here are two: Talbot going after Campbell for messing with Sid and then Sid going after McLean right from faceoff. This is really one of the enjoyable parts of hockey for me, especially to witness it live at the Igloo!

I'm not sure if it showed this part on TV, but our seats were close to the door to the Pens locker room and as Talbot skated towards the door, he started to wave his arms up and down to motivate the crowd to continue to cheer.

Results from hockeyfight.com (yeah, Campbell got his ass handed to him!):
Talbot - 64.3%
Draw - 31.6%
Campbell - 4.1%

Errey's color commentating of Sidney's fight is just priceless (and I expect nothing less from the Bibster!)!! And notice McLean's reaction after the fight. He has a little smirk on his face like, "that did not just happen!" He's stunned!!

Results at hockeyfights.com for this fight are a little closer (between Sid and a draw):
Crosby - 45%
Draw - 44.5%
McLean - 10.5%

The Pens Really Want Me to Eat My Words!

Thanks, guys!! I stand behind you, as a loyal fan, and this is what I get - the fifth straight loss at home!! It was the Florida Panthers for crying out loud; not Boston!

And what's worse is that I actually had to be present to witness it. Yes, I was at the Igloo yesterday to witness yet another massacre of our boys.

I have NO idea what's going on with them, but the only guys I saw playing well yesterday were TK, Cooke and, of course, Malkin - three players. I'm sorry, but you can't play let alone win a hockey game when you only have three players on the ice making a good effort!

I'm not sure where the problems lies, but its up to them to resolve it before it's too late, but it's very hard as a fan to sit back and watch it because we all know they're better than that.

Of course the crowd was taken out of the picture early yesterday and became a non-factor in the game. And then when Talbot decided to try to do something to swing the momentum, the fans were brought back to life and once again on the ready to recharge the team with the cheers and supportive "Let's Go Pens!" chants; however, ultimately, the effort was wasted by the rest of the team since they did not continue to carry the momentum and the game quickly returned to the dismal display of hockey it was!

Chants went from the uplifting "let's go pens" to frustration directed at Therrien with comments like, "give 'em a hug, Mikey!" as he walked off the ice towards the locker room. Funny, but very sad!

If I had to choose a highlight (besides getting to see Sid really pissed and wrestling on the ice with McLean for which he got the shaft with all those penalties!), it would have to be the return of Tyler Kennedy. That kid just doesn't stop and all he does is give 100% the majority of the time -- he looked better than most of them and that's after missing the last 14 games. I truly enjoy watching him play hockey - he's a gem!

Also noteworthy was the fact that it appears Satan is finally in Therrien's doghouse playing most of the game on every other line except the top line with Sid. Something I found sadly amusing was Satan receiving a minor penalty in the second period for roughing seeing as how he never really seems to go after the puck let alone get dirty for it. My opinion of him is slowly beginning to change and I'm getting a different impression of him -- the term "primadonna" is coming to mind strangely enough.

I don't have the answers; that's for the Penguins organization to sort out, but something has to be done here soon and I'm hoping it's not the demise of Therrien as head coach because that would be a shame IMO.

On this Date in Pittsburgh Penguins History

January 3, 2000

Mario Lemieux and Craig Patrick are both named winners of the 34th Annual Lester Patrick Award given to individuals who have provided "outstanding service to hockey in the United States."

Gonchar on Ice!

The Penguins webpage reported that defenseman Sergei Gonchar returned to the ice this afternoon and skated with strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar prior to the team's practice.

Although there has yet to be a return date announced, this has to be good news for the Pens and could be the start of an upswing - LET'S HOPE!!

More news on the Pens injury list, Tyler Kennedy returned to practice last Wednesday and participated in full drills. Head coach Michel Therrien said that Kennedy should return sometime next week, but I've heard a few other reports speculating that it could be on Saturday against the Florida Panthers.

Last Chance to Vote for 2009 All-Star Team!

Don't forget to make a last minute push and vote the Pens onto the 2009 All-Star team. Votes will be counted until 9:00 PM tonight when the ballot will be closed.

>>VOTE HERE<<

Death of a Blog

So I was doing my usual internet blog browsing the other day and I came across a post on Pittsburgh Sports and Mini Ponies (PSAMP) about another blog which I never really knew about and come to wish I had.

I honestly don't know what made me stop or even read it, but the message hit home so I felt the urge to put my thoughts about it here.

"Doubt About It" (DAI)

DOB: 06/15/2007
DOD: 12/18/2008

Alot of the Pittsburgh sportsblogs "before me" seem to (and still) manage to come about in "groups" and this was no different. For instance, I started my blog around the same time blogs like "Experiencing the Evolution," and "Pesonen and the Pens" did. PSAMP, as I do with these blogs, felt a certain kinship with DAI because they "grew" with each other as blogs which is why they felt the need to dedicate a post to the "passing" of DAI. It was sincere enough for me to want to know more, so I ventured over to read the final post for myself which I urge other bloggers to do if you haven't already.

As with any ending, it talked about how they got their start and how it evolved while being sure to make some valid points about the state of the Pittsburgh sports blogosphere (calling out a few of the more popular blogs).

The main reason for my being compelled to write about it is this: sometimes I do feel like my original intentions for this blog gets lost behind the pressure of certain things like limitations on my free time set by my regular "9-to-5" because Lord knows I do tend to post stuff just to have something on the blog -- that just seems to be the nature of the beast; however, it remains true that my love of hockey and the Pens is and will forever be the driving force of this blog.

I originally created this blog to talk hockey and the Pens -- something that I love to do and am very passionate about (so much so that it sometimes becomes too much for my husband to handle, if you can imagine that!). Probably no different than most other blogs, I use it as a venue to post my thoughts and opinions with others just as passionate as I am. The readers and friends I gathered along the way is just a very enjoyable benefit I have been very fortunate to come to know.

With all of this being said, I'm hoping that I can always remind myself of my original intent for TSCSF often enough that it drives me to find the time it deserves so that blogs like DAI can be proud and their unfortunate demise will not be in vain.

R.I.P "Doubt About It" (this post is dedicated to you and PSAMP for making sure your "passing" didn't go unnoticed).

LATE Pre-Game News

KRIS LETANG
Earlier this afternoon, the Penguins webpage announced that Letang would be back in the lineup for tonight's rematch against the Boston Bruins.

ERIC GODARD
In that same report, the Penguins announced that Godard could play and will be a game-time decision (my fingers are crossed!).

DANY SABOURIN
Sabourin will start in goal for the Pens in tonight's game.

JANUARY ALTERNATE CAPTAINS
Therrien named the team's alternate captains for January today: Petr Sykora and Ryan Whitney.

TYLER KENNEDY
Kennedy practiced along with Letang today, but unlike Letang, is not quite ready to return to the lineup, but at least he's practicing now and it shouldn't be too long.

Do you Wanna Workout with Sidney Crosby? I Can Arrange That!

Yes! You too can workout with Sidney Crosby (or at least follow his off-season workout regimen) and you don't even have to leave the comforts of your home. All you have to do is visit the Sympatico MSN Lifestyle webpage (presented by Reebok) which is featuring weekly video workouts. It looks to be in it's third week since they also have a link to "past weeks' workouts" including two other videos.

It also includes a contest "Are You a Crosby Fan?" for a chance to win (ends March 1, 2009):

• one of two autographed Crosby jerseys
• tickets to watch him play (at the Bell Center in Montreal)
  
• a pair of autographed Reebok 9k gloves
  
  

THANKS to TSCSF reader, Molly M., for this great find!

It's Going to Be a Great 2009 for the Pens (No Need for all the Gloom and Doom)!

With all of the recent losses the Penguins have had, it's only natural for fans and critics alike to start voicing concerns or "throwing in the towel;" however, unlike the popular belief among fans these days, I think alot of it is unsubstantiated and really too early to have such pessimistic views of this team (especially Crosby)! And, yes, I am getting somewhat frustrated with the Pens since I know they're better than this and it's not fun to watch your team lose, but some of the reactions are starting to get a little bit ridiculous even though writers like Rob Rossi also seem to be adopting this mode of thinking.

Their biggest mistake may be presuming all will be well just because it has been in the second half of the past two seasons.

Quite honestly, I'm seriously getting tired with fans blaming coach Therrien and wanting him fired (this is just ridiculous people, and you know it) as well as wanting to give up on Crosby because he's having a slow season (come one now, he is amazing, but he is human and no one ever claimed that he would be "on" night after night or season after season -- that's just impossible)!

Tuesday, coach Therrien seemed to abruptly end the post-game press conference by getting up and leaving and I think I can see where he's coming from and share in his frustration. He's essentially obligated by his job as a head coach to address the media and answer questions and, of course, the questions will focus on the losses and what the problems are / could be. I'm assuming that how he sees it, he could record a statement then stand there and play it back at the press conferences after each loss (which I'm sure he would find more enjoyable) because the same thing remains true -- the Pens are a good team, they're simply getting beat and it happens; it's not necessarily any one particular thing and you could sit and pin-point a ton of reasons for each and every loss. It's just NOT the end of this amazing team like some people are acting like it is.

The fact remains that the season is long and it's too early right now to be focusing on "the downward spiral" of this team and Sidney Crosby's career. Crosby is not a captain (excuse the pun) that's going down with his sinking ship, so let's put this into perspective. And speaking of captain, the idea that he doesn't make a good one is simply ludicrous since no one is in the locker room or on the bench to witness his abilities as a leader.

Let's just sit back, take a deep breath and let it out slow so we can clear our minds and realistically think about where this team is at this point and what lies ahead. Now, let me pose a few questions to all of you pessimistic fans: where were we this time last season? Were we any better off than we are now?

My answer to those questions is simply that we were in about the same boat, if not worse off, last season and it really didn't turn around until midway through (which we are currently approaching right now). And they played well enough to get 2 games away from clinching the Stanley Cup! That doesn't sound so dismal to me especially since this team had it's best start this season since 1995 and that's without two of their best D-men!

Now, that's not to say that I won't start worrying and joining this bandwagon come late February / March (at that point, our asses will definitely be in a sling)! But seriously, guys, can we just stop all the "gloom and doom" and take the time to realize what a great 2009 this could be? Let's make that our New Year's resolution for 2009!

THANKS to the LGP.commessage board for the awesome image!