MEET A TRUE SUPERFAN: STEVE MAZEFSKY

If you're a Pens fans, you've probably seen or heard of Steve Mazefsky at some point over the years, whether you realize it or not. He's a SuperFan in every conceivable sense of the word. To call his passion fanatical would clearly be an insult to the word fanatical.

He is the king of customized "jobbing" jerseys. His "Fartsmell" jersey, hand signed by Scott Hartnell himself, got a lot of attention around the web in the last round. And for the Caps series, he rolled out a new sweater, shown below. His dedication and creativity is unquestioned.

So on the verge of one of the most anticipated games in Penguin history, I had a chance to chat with Mr. Mazefsky and get a little insight into what created this monster, and exactly what types of treasures he's accumulated over the years. As you can see, his love of the team has even spilled onto his body.

MH: How long have you been following the Pens?

SM: I have been following the team since the US won gold in 1980, an avid Penguins fan since 1984 when the Pens picked number 66. Went to virtually every playoff game from about 1990 on. My two girls' interest in Sid when he was drafted upped the ante even more. It's great fun to go to the games together. We only miss about five home games per year, go to about three road games per year, and watch every game on TV, home games after we get home most of the time again on DVR.

MH: What is it about this team that makes it so special to you?

SM: There are many things that make this team so special to us, like their never say die attitude and work ethic that came back from the time they picked Sid. The players are VERY nice, especially to kids.

Believe it or not, we had zero autographs prior to Martin Luther King day of last season.........zero! My kids wanted signatures all year long, never knew where to get them. I was told to go after practice. The players were so nice, and they had so much fun, it became addicting. Most of these players go so far out of their way to be approachable and friendly, I never forgot how nice some of them were to the kids, especially Gary Roberts, Sergei Gonchar, Sid, Georges Laraque, Petr Sykora, Fleury...

MH: Do you have any approximate numbers of the size of your collection?

SM:
-7 signed sticks
-Whole team 07-08 signed pucks in a frame made of hockey sticks

-About 60 jerseys, twenty of which are signed or so, including Lemieux Team Canada, Pens 92 jersey and Laval jersey signed, Crosby Pens, Winter Classic Pens, Team Canada and Rimouski jerseys signed, Malkin, Jagr, Gonchar, Letang, Fleury, 08 Team, Roberts, Laraque, Orpik
-8 full sized helmets signed, Malkin, Crosby, all three goaltenders on goalie mask, Laraque, Sykora, Staal
-4 game used sticks
-About 20 hats
-20 or more framed 16 x 20 photos by Frameworth or others, many of which are signed, including some Malkin pieces, some Crosby pieces and a piece signed by Crosby and Lemieux. Have the big Frameworth young stars signed......Staal, Lecavalier, Toews, Kopitar, Lundqvist etc.

-Have several of the large banners that hung in the streets including the playoff banner from last year.
-WB Scranton XMAS and ST. Paddy's jerseys
-In the game room we have air hockey, arcade quality Superchexx hockey and a bench made of hockey sticks

-And I gave away literally dozens and dozens of other items for "charity" or client relations

MH: Do you buy most of your items, or do you get them signed in person?

SM: Most of them signed in person.....the very large Frameworth I won in an auction this season, a couple others were given when I bought VIP packages behind the bench, but otherwise I got most signed in person.

MH: I'm sure it's hard, but do you have one favorite item in your collection?

SM: Favorites.....that is hard......a piece my daughter has.......Flyers jersey with the #75 and LAST CUP EVER as the nameplate signed by Gonchar at Nakama.....simply because of her excitement and his face trying to comprehend the jersey as he signed it..............the first Crosby jersey he ever signed for the girls and personalized because they were thrilled..............the three goaltenders on the goalie stick because it is cool and the Mario Team Canada jersey because it is Mario.

MH: Among the players you've met, any favorite encounters? Any you'd rather forget?

SM: Several favorite encounters.......most favorite is a series of Laraque encounters culminating in he and his girlfriend Erin taking my whole family to dinner at Mitchell's Seafood in the Waterfront and spending several hours with us, allowing my daughters to interview him.......they felt so special, I will NEVER forget that he did that......EVER.

The short version of the origin is that I spent a lot of time late last winter and spring getting pieces of my collection signed for me, pieces signed to give to clients and friends. Georges was in high demand, as was Sidney and both signed many personalized items for me. As a result I put a $250.00 gift card to Ruth Chris Steakhouse in a card, signed by the kids and gave it to them one day instead of asking them for something. Next time down, BGL says he and Erin will not use the card unless they took us because nobody had ever done that before. He asked for my number, and much to my surprise called us and invited us to dinner the night after the Pens swept Ottawa. We met the next night and they were both so friendly and given all the other things they could have done...could not believe they spent it with us.

Another one involved a Pens employee I cannot name and Jarkko Ruutu........heard about a sick child with cancer who LOVED Ruutu..........bought him a Ruutuu jersey, got him to personalize and sign it, bought him the street sized banner from the Pens, of Ruutu and through this employee and Jarkko this child was able to go to the last game of last year and go into the locker room to meet the players.....the card and pix I got from this young man are some of my favorite Pens related items.

Ray Shero signing a 16 x20 photo of my bar and telling me it was awesome!

Ironically after MANY great encounters with Sid, my last few have not been so good.....have not been there but once or twice this year, but he seems to have me lumped into the category of dealer of merchandise, and has either skipped me or given me really bad signatures on my last couple of items....he is stalked and I think adults he was seeing with regularity causes a negative reaction.....if you would see how some of these folks act, I can understand it.........but really nothing horrible at all......they are very nice young men and it is one of the main reasons we love this team.

MH: What is your favorite memory in all these years watching the team?

SM: Memories.....again there are so many, but a few that standout;

The save by Pietrangelo;
Hextall chasing Robbie Brown after a goal in the 89 playoffs......just funny as shit.......;
Volek blowing the puck by Barrasso in 93 despite the fact that I had my Stanley Cup parade day planned since March of that year;
The final minutes of the game against Minnesota when it was apparent we were about to win our first Cup;
The tribute to Badger Bob after he passed;
Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley bring me the brandy as the clock hit zero v the Hawks.....
The goal to finish the comeback win in game one of that series....i was right behind that net!
Laraque goal in playoffs v Rangers cause I knew what it meant to him;
Talbot goal in Game 5 v Detroit, then Sykora goal hours later :)
Kaspar's goal v Buffalo to win that series;
Orpik's series of hits v Detroit
Just watching Sid play the first game and realizing we were heading back to prominence.

Steve sporting another one of his creations

Email: Mondesishouse@gmail.com Twitter: twitter.com/mondesishouse Facebook: Facebook Group

NEWS AND NOTES

Pens fan illustrates dislike of Flyers, specifically Scott Hartnell.

[Thanks to Joe D. for the pic]

--Continuing an unreal week of hockey, the Pens beat the Flyers, 5-4, in a dramatic shootout at the Igloo. Kid Crosby continued his dominance of the Flyers, leading the way with two goals. Geno Malkin extended his scoring streak with his 6th goal of the season, Matt Cooke added his first, and Dany Sabourin was perfect in the shootout. The Pens are now 10-4-2 and just four points out of the conference's top spot.

--Could this be the greatest autographed baseball ever? Sure sounds like it. [Pittsburgh's Black and Gold]

--The Steelers drop to #5, Chargers #20 in the latest RCS NFL Power Ranking Averages. [Real Clear Sports]

--Jayson Stark breaks down the upcoming MLB free agency. Pirate fans, get ready: this might be the year we sign Paul Byrd! [ESPN.com]

--ESPN sets what has to be a record: Bracketology before the college basketball season. That's some gig you talked them into, Lunardi. [ESPN.com]

--That John McCain is some nice guy. He toasted the Tampa Bay Devil Rays on the lawn of the Senate Office Building. [Sports Pickle]

--Forgot to mention the unintentional comedy that was the Dan Sepulveda feature on KDKA. If I don't mention it soon, I fear a reader revolt. [KDKA]

--Javon Walker's season is over. That was a great 15 catches. [Fanhouse]

--And news out of Chicago: Kerry Wood is done as a Cub. Needless to say, he never won a championship during his time there. [Big League Stew]

--It's the sports celebrity sightings of the week, featuring Mr. Fuji and Barack Obama! [Sports Hernia]

--Need a new place to keep your beer? How about in your hoodie?



--GetMooh.com, short for "get me out of here," is a great site designed to get you out of sticky or undesirable situations anywhere, anytime. Forget relying on your friends to make that all-important call.

Send your news, tips, and links to Mondesishouse@gmail.com.

Koz: STATE OF THE PENGUINS

by Koz
koz81@comcast.net

It’s been several days since Marc-Andre Fleury fell flat on his face while running onto the ice before Game 1. I thought it was a bad omen, but even the most superstitious fan wouldn’t have predicted the ineptitude that followed. After months of dominating play, the Penguins have been an absolute embarrassment so far in the Stanley Cup Final.

Ironically, Fleury is the least of the Penguins problems, though he’s been quite ordinary. No amount of saves will do unless the offense scores a goal, but Fleury must play better if the Pens are going to put up a fight. Fleury has allowed more soft goals in two games than he has in months.

Michel Therrien complained about obstruction and diving that went uncalled by the referees after Game 2. It was embarrassing, not because Therrien was “whining” as rival fans might suggest, but because it was the only response he had available.

After Game 1, the “we didn’t play our game” spiel worked. After showing no better two days later Therrien was left with no other discourse. What did you expect him to say? “We don’t belong here? We aren’t as good as the Red Wings? I think it’s over?”

Any educated sports fan can understand Therrien is attempting some “gamesmanship.” By lobbying in the press, maybe a ref will think twice and be more likely to call something. It’s why baseball managers get histrionic and take first base with them into the dugout and why football coaches stuff still photos from the press box into umpires shirts. Even still, it was depressing to see the team so soundly beaten that the only response the coach had was to deflect the pressure toward the officials.

[Ed. note: PLEASE, PLEASE mic up Therrien]

Is Chris Osgood diving? Yes, as just about every goalie does when they get run into. Ryan Malone entered the crease when he was called for goaltender interference. It was undisciplined, reckless, and asking for trouble -- especially in light of the Holmstrom interference call in Game 1. The most demoralizing part of the whole play was that even after flopping, Osgood stopped Gonchar’s slapshot from the point.

Sykora’s bump into Osgood in the waning minutes was another immature move born of frustration more common of Pennsylvania’s other hockey team. Osgood definitely embellished again but that only added to an already pathetic scene.

Did Roberts cheap shot Johan Franzen? I don’t know, maybe. Ryan Whitney definitely did. It’s smart for the Pens to go at an opponent’s known physical weakness, but do it in the normal flow of play and let the cheap shots come from the eastern Pennsylvania hockey team, please.

Sidney Crosby thinks the scoring chances have been pretty equal. Really? Other than one of the Wings tripping on octopus goo (and “Regular Season Jordan Staal” making an appearance by missing the net), how many clear chances have the Pens generated? I can only think of one (the Dupuis partial breakaway). Conversely, the Wings have had several odd man chances per period.

Evgeni Malkin says he’s tired. Okay -- then bench him. Unfortunately, the 0-2 hole cannot allow for him to be scratched, but maybe Malkin should stew on the bench for 20 minutes. He could get some rest and maybe inject a little emotion into his play. It’s not like he’s doing much out there anyway (generating only one shot in 120 minutes). Besides, what’s one more period without offense when you’ve got a nice streak of six in a row going?

This isn’t the team we’ve watched all season. It certainly isn’t the team I drove from Indianapolis to watch in what I thought would be a memorable week. So far it’s just been something I wish I could forget. I feel bad for the folks that went to Detroit. We never even got a good estimation of how many were in attendance because, other than one “Ruuutuuuuu” in the first game, there was nothing to cheer about.

I haven’t lost all faith and neither should you. That’s what being a fan is all about. But that doesn’t change my embarrassment as a Pens fan right now. I’m not going to make excuses for a team that’s being flat-out whooped. I’ll be in attendance to do my part for Games 3 and 4 -- wearing white, cheering, and cow bell ringing. There will be 17,000+ just like me and another couple thousand outside. I just hope the twenty guys in the black sweaters show up too.

MY NEW FAVORITE VIDEO OF ALL TIME

This immediately knocks yesterday's "125 Years of Pittsburgh Sports" clip down to #2.

GOODNIGHT AND SWEEP TIGHT

PENGUINS 3

SENATORS 1

Thankfully, the Pittsburgh Penguins finally put the Ottawa Senators out of their miserable existence with a series-ending, 3-1 victory on Canadian soil last night. It was another dominant performance by the young Pens, who outshot the Senators 34-22 despite just four shots in the third period.

Of those 34 shots, Marian Hossa had nine of them, yet somehow managed to not score a goal. Despite his 0 goal, 0 assist performance, Hossa was awarded the third star, indicative of the strong all-around game that he played in Game Four.

But the real story of the night was the amazing Jarkko Ruutu goal at 15:28 of the second period, one of the "jump out of your seat" variety. It put the Penguins ahead for good, and was later supplemented by a Sidney Crosby empty netter with eight seconds to go.

The game featured another strong performance by Marc-Andre Fleury, who's really come of age in this year's postseason, stopping 21 of 22 shots.

This series was an important stepping stone in the progression of this young nucleus, but I was glad to hear that Sidney Crosby reminded everyone of the bigger picture. Obviously Sidney was never a member of the Pitt Panthers basketball team; he has his eyes fixated on the ultimate prize and that's about it.

The second round will be undoubtedly be tougher than the first, regardless of who the opponent will be. I'm pretty sure the unknown victim-to-be will also play like they give a crap (unlike Ottawa) which will make a much more entertaining series. The Senators were plagued by numerous injuries, poor morale, and one of the dumbest executive decisions made in the history of pro sports (the mural and decision to keep it). They can now begin their offseason tour of the world's finest golf courses, which was their true destination from the beginning of this series.

Notes:

--Gary Roberts missed his second consecutive game due to a groin injury.

--The Penguins will play either Washington, the New York Rangers, New Jersey or Boston in the next round.

--Who else was impressed at the eagle eye of Bob Errey calling the kick-in by Antoine Vermette?

--Since 1996, only one Stanley Cup loser has won a playoff series the next year.

--The sweep was the Penguins' first since they defeated Chicago in the 1992 Stanley Cup final.

--Ottawa went 10 minutes, 12 seconds without a shot.

--The Senators led the series for a total of 4:28 and were outshot 161-112. The final score of the series was 16-5.

--FSN is working on the demand for more HD.

--Was that Cotton Eyed Joe I heard last night? Somewhere, A.J. was smiling.
--The PG's Empty Netters had a great crowd shot from outside Mellon Arena:

Koz: Ruuuuuutuuuuuuu

PENGUINS 3
ISLANDERS 1

by Koz
koz81@comcast.net

Thursday's game against the Isles was supposed to be about Sidney Crosby's return, but it was all Jarkko Ruutu. Ruutu had three points, including a fancy wrap around short-handed goal. In addition to being the game winning goal, it also won $1,250 of Mark Madden's Money for someone in B15. Ruutu had four penalty minutes and established himself as public enemy number one on Long Island. He drew several penalties, including a tripping call in the third that earned a 8.0 from the Finnish judge for his frog splash dive (that wasn't called by the refs). The Pens pest was constantly under the skin of many of the young Islanders. He also rang a shot off the post which could have been his second SHG in the game. Total domination from #37.

The win puts the Pens at the top of the Eastern Conference again. Thanks to a Rangers win over New Jersey, the Pens control their own destiny for the Atlantic Division title in the next two games against the Blue Shirts. Both games of the Pens/Rangers home-and-home series will be nationally televised (NBC on Sunday afternoon and Versus on Monday night).

March Madness – Penguins style: Check out the Mike Lange Tournament of Quotes. I like “Never Teach a Pig to Sing” as my upset special in the classic 5 vs 12 seed matchup in the Ron Francis bracket. Take that to the bank!

Sophomore Slump Staal – Jordan Staal's... uh, “stall” in his second season is fairly well documented. In the recent games I've seen, Staal has had excellent scoring chances but ended up hitting the post, missing the net, getting robbed by a stellar save, or having chances wiped out by delayed penalty calls like Thursday night. He's just missing. But two stats I recently noticed are very concerning:

Rookie Year: Led team in +/- (+16) and shooting percentage (22.1%)
Sophomore Year (entering Thursday's game): Last in team +/- (-5) and lowest ranked active forward in shooting percentage (6.8%)

So is this just bad luck? Maybe, but these are concerning numbers that tell about two separate things. It's one thing to struggle scoring goals; it's another thing to be a minus player. Of course, all the short-handed goals last year helped the +/-, but to fall from first to worst? Not good. We can deal with a Staal scoring slump because the team is deep in firepower and many will cite #11's value defensively... but what kind of defensive specialist ranks last on his team in plus-minus?

Hockey YouTube of the Week - I recognize I'm getting at this a little late, but in case you missed it, here is Patrick Roy's son, Jonathan (#30 in red), going absolutely berserk in a QMJHL game last week. What a psycho. He was suspended seven games; I'm not sure that's sufficient.

Do not adjust your Internet, this video is in French.

Koz: Get Back, Satan

PENGUINS 7

DEVILS 1 by Koz
koz@insightbb.com

Saturday night’s game against the Devils was the most important hockey game I’ve attended since Mario’s comeback game in 2001, and the most important game for playoff positioning that I can even remember.

Lots of exciting things happened; here is my account from B15.

To start the game, the fans were well fired up, bringing the “Let’s Go Pens” chant out before the opening faceoff. Jeff Jimerson was not in the house to start us off, which was more than somewhat disappointing. He probably was playing a bat mitzvah or something.

The scoring started quickly with Jarkko Ruutu scoring his third goal in three games. I was sure Staal scored, but apparently one of the Devils was doing his best Nicklas Backstrom impression and beat Staal to the puck. This just continues Jordan Staal’s terrible luck this season. I swear he’s just missed about a half dozen goals in the last couple days. A few minutes later he will have a nice takeaway and shoot the puck wide. Later in the second period, he will fire a sweet backhand off the iron. He’s seriously cursed right now. A little more luck and he’s got 20+ goals and no one is talking about a sophomore slump.

If a goal on the first shot doesn’t get you excited, nothing will. Next thing you knew the Pens were on the power play. Unfortunately, this led to one of the sickest goals of the season. Brian Gionta batted the puck out of mid air and deflected a short-handed goal past MAF. If Crosby or Malking had scored it, we would be calling for the puck to be sent to the hall-of-fame. The first period ends tied at one after Malone misses a wide open net.

During intermission, I took a walk to the High School Hall of Champions behind the Igloo Club to pay my respects to the Chartiers Valley Colts hockey jersey. Good times.

Sitting in B15, the second period is when I hope to see more action at the other end. We were treated to a Matrix-moment when a puck shot by Mike Mottau rolled on edge past the goal post. If that puck would have gone in the net, it would have been a huge momentum swing. Not much else happened in the second until snake-bitten Staal took a penalty. Pascal Dupui and Ryan Malone busted out for a short-handed goal to give the Pens the lead. What most of you didn’t see was this short-handed goal led to the guy in front of me spilling his nachos all over the guy in front of him. It’s crazy things like this that happen when your team scores a short handed goal.

Short-Handed Goal!

Right before the end of the second, Tyler Kennedy had an amazing chance from the slot, and Brodeur just got a toe on it. Kennedy had an outstanding game, fighting for the puck and generating chances. Entering the third period, things were still close.

As the evening continued on this Easter Vigil, it was clear this was not the Devils’ night. Fortunately for me and the folks on the south end of the arena, the Pens saved their goal outburst for the third period.

The Pens first big scoring chance in the third involved snake-bitten Staal who put on the Ritz, put a shot into Brodeur, whose own player crashed into him and into the net. Player with puck in net = goal, right? No. Not here. Penalty was called, and play was dead. Seven seconds later it didn’t matter because Ryan Malone tipped a shot past a diving (as in acting for a penalty) Brodeur. No penalty, 3-1 Pens.

At 16:04 in the third, everyone in the arena crapped their pants when we saw Malkin down on the ice behind the Penguin net. After a sigh of relief when he got up on his own and returned to the bench, we only needed to wait about a minute more for Pascal Dupuis to lift our spirits, raise the volume on the “Marty! Marty!” chants, and send Brodeur to the showers.

On the way home in the car, The Ole 29er mentioned in 60 starts against the Pens, Brodeur has been pulled from 10 of them.

From here on out, the Pens just poured it on. The only question was whether Malking would finish the game with 100 points. He didn’t. He has 102 now.

Kevin Weekes deciding between crying and winding his watch

Therrien called for the fans to be loud, and they did a good job. I want to give a special shout out to the Cowbell Section in D9. These folks got it going on. Keep up the good work.

I was unfortunate to witness an incident of mullet discrimination when a gentleman was escorted from his seat behind the glass in A17. This man was ejected from the arena, allegedly for banging on the glass, but that didn’t seem like anything out of control. Like I said, mullet discrimination. I was lucky to find this man after the game outside the arena (no joke) near the Pens van that is parked by Gate 2. He seemed to be ok, though was still confused about his ejection.

FREE THE MULLET!!!

Speaking of ejections, Travis “Don’t Call Me Pat” Zajac hit Gonchar from behind and earned a five minute major. That was bad. But Jamie Langenbrunner, apparently upset about having a girl’s name, decided to come from nowhere and mug one of the Penguins. Fortunately, Pascal Dupuis has committed to the flightless birds and beat him down. Chats of “Go Home Devils!” rained down and sent us all home to wait for the Easter Bunny.

Penguins TV Viewing Information: Monday’s game against the Islanders will be on Versus at 7 pm.

Koz: Atlantic Division, Here We Come

PENGUINS 4

LIGHTNING 2

by Koz

koz@insightbb.com

The Penguins stayed in the hunt for first place in the division and conference with a 4-2 win over the lowly Lightning. Tampa goalie Mike Smith made some excellent saves – unfortunately for Tampa they all came after he allowed two goals in the first minute of the third period. But seriously, this game could have been another seven-goal outburst. The Pens missed another two goals by a combined one second: Pascal Dupuis deflected a puck behind Smith fractions of a second after the first period buzzer and Marian Hossa failed to convert an empty netter in time to give Evgeni Malkin his 100th point of the season.

If you didn’t see Jarkko Ruutu’s soccer-style breakout and pass that almost led to a Maxime Talbot goal, you missed one of the most memorable plays of the season.

All eight of the Penguins remaining games are against division opponents. Let’s do this.

Malkin nears century mark: Geno enters tomorrow’s game against New Jersey with 99 points. Be ready for a playoff atmosphere. The game has a huge impact on the race for first, and the Pens fans owe Geno a huge ovation when he gets point 100. If you’re in attendance, you better plan to represent. I’ll be wearing my Malkin jersey in section B15. Ovechkin has a three-point lead on Malkin for the scoring race.

Trade deadline update: The Pascal Dupuis trade is working out nicely. Dupuis has seven assists in the last four games. He’s easily filled the on-ice role of Armstrong or Christensen alone. Hossa is still getting back in the swing of things, but we all know what he can do. Hal Gill is providing solid defensive depth and pairs nicely with Letang. In case you hadn’t heard, Christensen is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury.

“Shoot the puck!” I heard this frequently at last night’s game, as I do at most of the Penguins games I attend. If you noticed Tampa’s two powerplay goals, they were shot into mostly open nets, because of intentional passing. If you noticed Tampa’s defense, they were crashing the slot and into the net, giving no shooting lanes in those areas. The Pens best chance for goals was working the puck to the outside or to the point to create some space. This is exactly what happened on Ruutu’s goal (a rebound from Orpik’s point shot) and Malkin’s (a rebound from the outside created by constant puck movement and Ryan Whitney keeping the puck in the zone). Most of the time I hear “shoot it!” there are two players between the puckhandler and the goalie. Maybe we’d be more productive to chant, “CYCLE! CYCLE! CYCLE!!!”

Hockey YouTube of the Week: When you’re not in the playoff hunt, this is what you get excited about. The Leafs are a joke.

Koz: Sometimes It's Better To Be Lucky Than To Be Good

PENGUINS 4

CAPITALS 2

by Koz
koz@insightbb.com

To be fair, the Capitals scored four goals to the Penguins' two on Sunday afternoon. After the Caps took a 1-0 lead off a Brooks Laich deflection, the Pens were recipients of a fortunate bounce off Laich's stick to help Petr Sykora score the Pens' first goal. But the story of this game was the deciding score put in by Colombian soccer player... er... Calder Trophy candidate Nicklas Backstrom. The goal helped the Pens stay in the hunt for the Eastern Conference lead and might be the nail in the coffin for Washington's playoff hopes.

Malkin had three assists to inch closer to Ovechkin (two assists) in the scoring race. Crosby scored his first goal since returning from injury to give the Pens the second period lead and was credited with Backstrom's own goal to give him 22 for the year (that's 22 for Crosby, not 22 own-goals for Backstrom... my God, he'd be on suicide watch, wouldn't he?)

Thou Shall Not Charge: Charging (Rule 47) -- Charging shall mean the actions of a player who, as a result of distance traveled, shall violently check an opponent in any manner. A "Charge" may be the result of a check into the boards, into the goal frame or in open ice. (a) A minor or major penalty shall be imposed on a player who skates or jumps into, or charges an opponent in any manner.

Apparently, Rule 47(a) isn't enforced on the Sabbath. The consistently poor NBC color commentators failed to recognize this at any point during the game. The most obvious was during Ovechkin's “big hit” on Malkin in the first period. Jarkko Ruutu could have been called once or twice later in the game. I'm all about big hits, but leaping into people as Ovechkin did is reckless.

Red flags: The Penguins were severely out-shot (38 to 26) and were atrocious on face-offs (36%). Since the trade deadline, the Penguins have been out-shot by their opponents 261 to 188. Assuming the league average is around 28 shots per game, the Pens are at least two and a half games worth of shots behind their opponents over this stretch. Getting out-shot and out-dueled in the circle will not win hockey games in May.

Hossamania: Hopefully. Hossamania will run wild on Mellon Arena this Wednesday, with yours truly in attendance (send me a text message on the scoreboard!). NBC showed video of Hossa from the Sunday morning skate. He didn't appear to be in any obvious pain, so a few more days off might be just what the doctor ordered. It would be an electric atmosphere with #87's homecoming doubled by the home debut of Marian Hossa. In the meantime, say your prayers, drink your milk and take your vitamins.

Fun with YouTube

Some completely random videos to wind down the workday...

From his Canuck days, Jarkko Ruutu trips Dion Phaneuf, the announcers lose it


Jimmy Kimmel breaks down Billy Packer's "fagging out" comment:


Alanis Morrisette does a parody of Fergie's My Humps...simply awesome


Atlanta Hawks Kiss Cam...check out 50 seconds in...


How to hustle for free drinks at the bar:

At the End of the Day, the Penguins Win in a Shootout

Tuesday, March 13, 2007. It's a day that will live forever in Pittsburgh sports history. It's the day that Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle, Ed Rendell, Dan Onorato, Luke Ravenstahl, and Gary Bettman ended years of uncertainty about the Penguins' future in Pittsburgh with the announcement of a plan for a new arena. And it's the day the Penguins also happened to be facing off with the top team in the Eastern Conference.

The Buffalo Sabres rode into town with hordes of fans, a 44-19-5 record, and a three-game losing streak. A few hours later, the Sabres rode out of town with hordes of disappointed fans, a 44-19-6 record, and a four-game losing streak. Today was a day when the Penguins would not be denied, on the ice or off.

Despite blowing yet another lead, this of the two-goal variety, the Penguins got their wish and forced the game into a shootout, ultimately winning by a count of 5-4. As the Pens held on to a 4-3 lead late in regulation, Buffalo pulled goalie Ryan Miller in exchange for an extra attacker. The Penguins quickly moved the puck down the ice and towards the empty net, but Mark Recchi's shot hit the post. Then Ryan Malone was unable to score into a net manned only by a defenseman. At that point, I told my brother, "I hope this isn't one of those situations where a team misses the empty net and it comes back to haunt them".

For those of you with short memories, I was specifically thinking of this game:

Sure enough, former Little League World Series hero Chris Drury scored with 6.2 seconds to go, forcing the overtime and shootout sequences that the Pens love so much.

Erik Christensen kicked his extra point past the goalie for the first goal, giving the Pens a 1-0 edge. Marc-Andre Fleury stoned Daniel Briere, then Jarkko Ruutu was stopped by Miller, keeping the 1-0 count intact. Drew Stafford was able to get one past MAF to tie things at one; but then the clock hit "Crosby", and Crosby Time went just as planned. What better way to end a day of Penguin hysteria than a Sidney Crosby shootout goal? Fleury ended the contest with a stop of Buffalo's Thomas Vanek, and happy times were had by all (who didn't drive down from Buffalo). Pens win, Pens win.

So the Pens have a new arena, another shootout win in the books, and two more points. But everyone must regain their focus quickly, as the team travels to New Jersey for another meeting with the Devils on Wednesday night.

Observations on a day of Penguin Mania:

--"At the end of the day" is the official cliche of 2007. I didn't take an official count while watching the 5 PM press conference, but it was uttered over...and over...and over...and over. It's a Lemieux favorite. He even managed to squeeze one in an intermission interview with OLN's Jack Edwards.

--I missed the presence of Georges Laraque tonight. I thought he might be injured from Colton Orr ramming his head into Laraque's fist on Saturday, but it was back spasms. Get well soon, BGL.

--That Quizno's commercial where the woman talks about real women wanting meat...disturbing.

--The pregame PA address was Vintage Lemieux. Brief, to the point, and well-said. As one of the biggest Mario fans on the planet, it was a chilling moment.

--I'm looking forward to a new arena, but to be honest, I'm really going to miss the old Civic/Mellon Arena. I experienced a lot of exciting times in the building, including countless playoff games, sitting five rows behind the net for Sid's first-ever shootout goal last year, having Mario hold his elevator to sign my jersey as a kid, and getting put in a headlock by Gordie Howe at the 1990 All-Star Game.

Of course, I'll also remember the disappointing moments I was in the stands for, including the 5-OT loss to the Flyers in 2000 and the 1996 Game 7 loss to the "rats" Panthers team in the Eastern Conference Finals.

--OLN did a decent job with the broadcast, but I missed the local Fox coverage on such a special day in team history.

--My final word on the arena: lots of feelings were hurt, many accusations were made, but somehow these two sides came together in lieu of the IOC plan to make a deal. Congratulations to both sides, because you made the fans the big winners for at least 30 more years.

More coverage from the big day:

Post Gazette: Fans' love affair extended 30 years

Jubilant team, officials unveil details of new arena deal

A timeline on the new arena deal

Penguins have had designs on new arena for a number of weeks

Despite low profile, Burkle's role pivotal

Penguins Notebook: Crosby predicts new arena will help team in many ways

Rendell credits casinos with helping keep team

Officials say no local tax dollars will be used to build new arena ... with audio

Players are happy that team is staying in Pittsburgh

ESPN.com: Pens staying in Pittsburgh Super Mario to rescue

Trib: Pens win on historic night

Video Starkey: The House That Sid Built

Video Arena deal struck; Pens staying in Pittsburgh

Video Pens players happy to be staying

WTAE: Pens To Stay In Pittsburgh; Details Of Arena Deal Released

KDKA: New Arena Deal Keeps Penguins In The 'Burgh

Video: KDKA's Andy Sheehan reports. KDKA's John Shumway has fan reaction.

Arena's 1st contest may be name game

And finally, from a reader, some very important Penguin news concerning SuperFan "GwenJen":

"I believe I remember reading that she had been selected for the Hometown Hottie Competition...
First row, second from right...."

I don't know if it's her or not. We're going to need some intervention from the readers here.

But there's one thing I CAN say with certainty: at the end of the day, staying in Pittsburgh will undoubtedly make some Penguins very happy.