Hockey Therapy?:

I was originally waiting for the Pens to christen their new home with a win, or at least win one for the Flower.... But it looks like that might take a while. I try not to fall into the usual Pittsburgh sports-fan mold. (I'm not from here! I'm immune!) You know who you are. The over-the-top/6 feet under fan. The fan that's certain The Stanley Pittsburgh Cup belongs here (you mean it doesn't?) with every win... Equally certain that the worst of the Pre-Mario (owner or player take your pick) days are back and will never leave. I'm sure you know the type.... clean cut, pleasant, tax-paying citizens by day. Foaming-at-the-mouth, rabid PensAddicts by night. Perhaps you've seen one in the mirror?

Anyway, I know for a fact that the Pens are notorious slow starters. They've had some key injuries (Staal, Asham, Orpik, Michalek) and the team or the team/goalie combination just doesn't seem to be in sync. I know there are 80 or so games left in the season and that there are a lot of points out there to be won. For some reason knowing all this doesn't really help all that much. Oh well, maybe there's some sort of 12 step program.... Not that I need it, or anything. I'm not addicted... or crazy or anything... Really! I can handle it.....

I have some good shots of The Tower of Flower Power, but currently Blogger seems to be having a meltdown and is unwilling to let me post any pic I haven't posted before..... So as soon as I smack it around of a while (2 out of 3 falls, no holds barred, cagematch rules) they'll be on this post. Until then... LETS GO PENS!!!!

Game On... Sort of:

Open practice at the brand spanking new Consol Energy Center (Destiny's new home, evidently) is the semi-serious start of the new season. And speaking as a bonified Pens-Addict I can say that it calmed the withdrawals a bit. But like any true addict, now I want more! The arena itself is bright, shiny, new, and pretty awesome. There are going to be problems with the strange 3 entry access (none of which are on the main concourse level), but the views are stunning and I couldn't see a bad place to sit in the whole house. There was a pretty big crowd of people at the two main entrances, but we barely filled the two parts of the lower bowl when we were all allowed to thunder in. Some (strange) fans were evidently trying out their seats in the upper section, and they must have approved, cause they stayed there the whole practice.

The players are broken up into three groups: A, B, and C. The Tower of Flower Power was relegated along with Geno and Le-Tank to group C. Groups A and B each ran drills and then had a scrimmage. The Goalies for A were Johnson and Theisen, and for B were Curry and Modig. A scrimmage is supposed to be like a full speed practice, but some players seemed to forget this occasionally. Brooksie is a defensive machine. If you put someone between him and the boards there is going to be a loud bang. I'd like to tell you who it was, but I couldn't identify him after the hit. Michalek snowplowed Talbot (who scored the only goal of the scrimmage on Johnson) into the corner drawing one of only two penalties during the scrimmage. Sid jumped up and took the shot for the penalty that Orpik drew.

After the scrimmage Group C took the ice. There was a really large cheering section for Marc Andre, as you might imagine. Also there was a mass exodus to the end he was defending. During one of the drills MAF went behind the net to play the puck. Someone (who shall remain nameless for his protection) bumped into the Flower and knocked him to the ice. You'd have thought someone knifed him. It was a small bump, really. Everyone froze for a moment exept for Fleury, who jumped up without his stick and dove in front of the net to stop the puck from getting in. There was much rejoicing.

Here's some Flower pics to get you going.....

And Oh yes... there will be more.... GO PENS!!!

An Interlude:

Sid's not on, so I have to do this one myself.

Firstly something you don't know: I bashed the nail completely off my left middle finger and haven't been able to type for the last week. So that explains the current lack of updatage.

Secondly, something you do know: (and if you don't... what the hell are you doing here anyway?) The Pens advanced to the second round of the SCF with a 4-3 OT game 6 win.

Thirdly, something you might know: That win means that the Sens haven't beaten the Pens on home ice in the SCF since '07.

Fourthly, something nobody knows.... Who the hell are the Pens going to play later this week in round two? The only certain thing is, it won't be the New Jersey Debbils. They took another quick bow out of the SCP to our town's favorite Phylthy Phlyers (The Crapitals are climbing in the polls, but we've hated Phylthy for longer). Unless the Canadiens pull something out of somebody's ass and beat the Crapitals (Wa. leads 3-2) it's likely that we'll play the winner of the Buffaslugs and the Broons. (Boston leads 3-2)

Fifthly Something everybody should know. After allowing 3 goals in the first 30 minutes of the game, Marc-Andre found his Tower of Flower Power cape and slammed the door on the Sens not seeing many shots, but making some great saves. Starting with this flurry (sorry) of shots in the first when the Sens really looked like they were going to be unstoppable.
I know two more goals were allowed after this series of saves, but this is Flower Power at its best. Keeping the Pens as close as he can while waiting for the guys to wake up. Also, here's the English translation of Flower's RDS (whatever that is) blog before the series started. This was found (by me) over at PensBurgh, and rushed to you as soon as my finger stopped being an 'owie'.

As to Video Review, sometimes called the War Room, but what I like to call the Flip a Coin Room. 6 reviews were made of possible goals in the series. Most were obviously correctly called. I'll even go so far as to say that they weren't completely stoned on a couple that didn't go our way. Then there's Rupp's shot at 12:40 in the first. At that point the only 'video review' I'm interested in is the one I've just concluded on the replays. I know they'll say when one angle is 'inconclusive', but another angle seems to show just what they're looking for (ie: white ice between the puck and the line) that doesn't necessarily provide 'incontrovertible proof'. What I say is, 'There's the puck over the line you morons'. And I don't even want to get started on calling Geno on some strange 'not allowing the goalie to make a save' call on Poni's shot in the Third. What kind of crap is that? If that's a real call we're going to see a lot more offensemen thrown on top of goalies by D-lines when the other team shoots anywhere towards the net. I know we won the game and the series, but screw 'letting it go'. Crap is crap, wherever you find it.

More to come at seemingly random intervals.... GO PENS!!!!