Excuses, Excuses:

Ok, the real 'World Penguin Day' will be.... oh man, I don't know. (April 25th) But for Penguin Fans, WPD will be Oct. 2, 2009 when the regular season opens and the Stanley Cup Banner is unfurled in the rafters at the Igloo. I'd like to come up with some great excuse as to why there haven't been many posts lately. Like, I've been helping with medical research, I was lost during an expedition to the Himalayas, I was temporarily blinded by a vision of the Stanley Cup, and couldn't find my computer.... you know, the usual.

The truth is... there just isn't that much going on. Once we got through Scuds and Gill on their way out, Syko leaving but not pissed at Coach Dan, the 'Malkin Minneapolis Park Scam' was uncovered,the Pens strange compulsion to hire sons and grandsons of former players(Johnson, Samuelson, Bathgate et al), Guerin coming back for another year, Mad Max's surgery, and the other things that mostly happened the one week that I was out of town, there's just not much that's happened during the second half of the month.

The weeks have been cut down to the odd story on NHL.com about any of the Pens players. (nice write-up on Adams, btw) and the 2 days when there are new posts on the Stanley Cup Journal, (is it just me, or does that little girl look awfully uncomfortable in Brooksie's arms?) There are only so many times you can ho-hum through replays of SC Playoffs on the NHL Channel before it's starts feeling like looking at old Hockey-porn. You kind of remember that it excited you, but it's hard to figure out why. G'nesh alone knows how we all got through the 2 extra months of non-hockey during the no playoff years. So all I can promise is that when I find something that draws me out of my hockey-coma, I'll pass it on.

Actual Goalie Stuff: Earlier this week the Penguins signed former Crapital (let's not hold that against him) Brent Johnson to a one year deal. It's kind of muddled whether he was pulled in to be Flower's back-up or a 'just-in-case' back-up if Fleury goes down and the back-up needs... well, backing-up. I find it difficult to believe that the Pens won't try to bring up Curry this year, and use Johnson somewhat the same way that Ty Conklin was used last year. The fact that Conk swiped the starting gig right out of Sabourin's hands might let you forget that he was actually Sabu's back up, but that's why he was hired. The Pens have more than a bit of talent in the goalie pool again this year, Curry, Johnson, Johnson, Theisen, Darling, Ehlechner, Kileen, Pechurski, and even though you'll likely only see the first 4-5 on that list at camp it's going to be tough to say until pre-season is actually sorted out who's going to be doing what.

BTW: My E-mail is now on the disclaimer at the bottom of the page and in my profile. Feel free to drop me a line if you've found something interesting, seen anything I've missed, found a photo that you'd like posted, or if you just randomly e-mail bloggers. This, as in all else will be checked more frequently during the season, but, at the very least, I'll respond to anything polite. Is it October yet? Man, I hate waiting.

FPL and Marilyn Monroe:

Change this picture slightly, put Flower in the background instead of Chris Mason, put a flightless fighting fowl on the sweater of #77 and you'll have some idea of what might happen next season. The Penguins have just picked up defenseman Jay McKee from the St. Louis Blues (ok, I'll take back the hockey wasteland crack) for an absolute steal 1 year $800,000 salary. The Blues are paying him 4
times that (2.63 mil) just to not be on their team. The bought him out of the last year of his contract to avoid the cap hit, which explains how the Pens can afford such a good defenseman at what basically amounts to a Dollar General Store price. He's had some injury issues the last couple of years, but we've dealt with that sort of thing before (Eaton). He's a shot-blocking defensive-defenseman and can help plug up some of the gap left by Scuds heading for Tinseltown. The Puckhuffers duo are already drooling over this 32 year old blue-liner's .... uh... attributes? As well as his physical prowess.... on the ice, of course. (Last I heard they were talking about eating Cupcake? I don't get it) One thing I want to know in all this is.... Who is it that hovers over Wiki with all news tabs firing? I swear during free-agency the player pages change faster than the ink dries on the new contracts. McKee was listed as a Pittsburgh Penguin before even Shero knew about it, I think. Oh, and by the way..... Greg over at PuckDaddy has a slightly different view on our newest FPL member. It seems that some incriminating photos from Dan Hinote's wedding have resurfaced, and Jay-bird is a HUGE Marilyn Monroe fan.... That's ok, Jay. I'm sure you're not the first hockey player to succumb to the allure of ... ok you're not the first to have too much Champagne and put on a dress, wig and falsies..... No wait. I can't think of anyone else that's done it, maybe you are the first. Oh well, welcome to the Pens. And remember, what happens in Vegas.... should have never happened. And if it DID happen, there never should have been a picture. But if there WAS a picture then.... you're screwed buddy, with the Internet this thing's going to be around forever....

Winter Classic?: The League is making a 'Major announcement about a special event' at Fenway Park in Boston next week. (uh.... let me guess.... )

Wed. 2:00 pm the League will announce.... oh who knows what, (Puckdaddy has some interesting speculations) and it will be simulcast on NHL network and NHL.com. One thing we can just about bet on: The Broons will be playing the St. Louis Blues in the Winter Classic this season. And how do I know that? All you have to do is keep track of where Ty Conklin is playing this year. He's moved to a team in the WC every summer before they played in it..... So far, the Deadmonton Oil-cans, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Detroi-it Red-rags. So the Blues are a shoe-in to get tagged for the game this year.

I Was Only Gone for a Week! :

Personally, I think the Edmonton Department of Public Health takes the possibility of my visit a bit too far.

Sorry for the hiatus but I had to make a pilgrimage back to the Homeland. I missed out on a few things.... Maximus' surgery,(how well could he have played with two shoulders?)Guerin and Feds re-signing, Scuds and Gill leaving, (Sad!) signing Conner and Lee to the team, I somehow completely missed the Penguin's Facebook Page, Kris Le-tank and TK doing the weather on KDKA, Marc Andre Fleury, Sidney Crosby, Jordan, and the other two Staal brothers all getting invited to Team Canada Hockey Camp, the Penguins getting picked #3 in Fan Relations, (whatever that means) and possibly the end of life as we know it..... Ok, got a little carried away there, but that's just a sample of the stuff I missed out on by being in the Hockey Wasteland that is the Midwest for a week. (and yes, the St. Louis Blues are included in that) It's nice to be back in da' Burgh where people don't ask, 'What team is that?' when you're wearing the colors.... sheesh.

So, more random actions to come. When you least expect it.......... Expect it!!