Update Substitute:

I was going to just update my last post when I realized there was enough here for another post (ok I was too lazy to re-write the other one), so I'll just update and continue in this one.

Updating the Update: This time I'm just going to shoe-horn this stuff into the middle.... Jordan Staal will play the left wing with El Capitan and TK on the first line tonight in Music City. He'll also be playing in Pittsburgh for the next 4 years at the bargain price of $4 mil a year. (I pretty much figured I was the last one in the Burgh to hear about this) The materialistic pig in me wonders if Staalzy will go out tonight and try to earn some of that money, but I'm just glad the uncertainty is over and can't wait to find out what Pensaddicts will find to stress out over next. (The Cotton Candy Guy is being traded? Oh God! the world is ending!)

Ryan Whitney is doing better than Therrien thought he would at this point in his recovery. (uh....he's been playing for two weeks) Whits is still learning what he can do with his foot that was probably really painful before. (you know, like walk, stand, skate.. the little things) Syko seems to think it's a good thing to have a heads-up defenseman that can make a quick outlet pass. "If that first pass can beat a couple of guys on their forecheck, or in their trap, that's how we creat scoring chances. It's not the forwards who create those chances, it's the defensemen."

Take a Bite out of Crime: Or at least a bite out of Ruuuuuutuuuuu's paycheck. (I still can't help myself) In responce to Yarkko Ruutu biting Buffaslug's Andrew Peters during a recent game the NHL decided to chomp two games out of Yaarko's paycheck($37,707, NHL's got big dentures). Peters, who is still whining like a baby and wearing a bandage, thinks that 'justice has been done'. All the while saying nothing about how his thumb ended up in Ruuuuutuuuuu's mouth (do you think there's a 12 step for that?), I've seen footage and it's not like Yarks grabbed the guy's hand and mistook his thumb for some strange Finnish desert. Peters repeatedly face-washed Ruuuuuutuu (I'm still doing it!) and he had a flashback to his Mike Tyson summer camp experience and.... the rest, as they say is history (burp).

Not right? Re-write!: Joe Starkey of the Trib, obviously had to do a hasty re-write of his story after the win Tues. It's got to be a bitch when you write a story admonishing everyone not to blame Therrien for the poor play of the team, and then the night before you publish the team wins its first game in 6 tries. He seemed to be ready to spread the blame around and then had to backtrack with a lot of 'even thoughs' and 'despite the wins'. The list includes, but is not limited to, Ray Shero, Marc Andre Fleury, Satan, Geno, El Sid, and possibly even the Cotton Candy dude. Yeah Joe, we know it's a team effort, and a team loss, but lay off the CC dude, would ya? He's just trying to make a living.

Tony F. over at KuklasKorner is reporting that obnoxious know it all and all around big mouth Mark Madden has finally lost his mind (what little he had). Ok, really he's reporting that Madden said on his radio show that Michel Therrien is slated to be replaced 'at any moment' with the 'motivational' Pat Quinn. He goes on to say that if the Pens hadn't beat the Thrashers it would already be a done deal. He doesn't site any sources, just the voices in his head, I guess. Every time Madden opens his mouth he proves that his foot isn't big enough to keep the noise from coming out. If you're right once loudly enough, everyone will forget how often you've been wrong, eh Mark?

Natural Flowers: The Tower of Flower Power was more his half-naked, cheery self in the post-game interview after the win. (a lot of people were more their cheery selves after the game, including me, the half-naked part I'll leave to your imagination)

Aw dad, Just another half hour?: The Pens start a special road trip in Nashville, Thursday night. I suppose this means Error and Stogie will get to talk about Country Music while mentioning each Player's father that the camera people pick out of the stands. Because it's that time of year again, the Dad's road trip. This is a tradition started a couple of years ago by Ray Shero where 23 parents of the players and some of the Team Staff get to travel with the team while they're on a short road trip. I suppose it's a cool thing in kind of a hokey way (nothing wrong with hokey) I just hope for Therrien's sake that the dads don't start acting like Little League parents and harangue HCMT about why their kids aren't playing, or yelling at the refs to 'not let that big bully hurt my boy'. That sort of thing could be a bit embarrassing. Oh, and the Dads bunk with their sons, so no sneaking out for brewskies or sneaking girls into the rooms, unless you bring one of each for dad... (ok, that was bad, sorry) No word yet, if they'll be taking the Zombie Voodoo Witch Doctor along(she's on the staff now), just in case there's more need for curse-breaking.

More Schedule News: The Trib is reporting that the Jan 18 game against the Raggers will be at 12:30 on NBC. Its part of their flex-scheduling thing, and it's marked TBA on most schedules. So, I guess it's announced.