CHRIS KUNITZ OUT TWO WEEKS

Seriously? Yes, seriously: the injury bug chomped on the Penguins once again, as it was announced that Chris Kunitz will miss about two weeks with the contagious "lower body" injury. With Kunitz's injury, the defending champs are now missing over one-third of its roster.

For those scoring at home, that's four players injured in the last four games for the Pens, starting Nov. 5 at Los Angeles with Tyler Kennedy, then Nov. 7 at San Jose (Kris Letang) and Tuesday at Boston (Brooks Orpik). Forward Mark Letestu was recalled from Wilkes-Barre and will make his NHL debut tonight against Boston in Kunitz' stead.

As per the Penguins' website, here is the the latest update on those wounded:

Maxime Talbot, torn labrum (July 7), 4 to 6 months, practicing (cleared for contact)
Sergei Gonchar, broken left wrist (Oct. 20), 4 to 6 weeks, practicing (no contact)
Evgeni Malkin, shoulder strain (Oct. 29), 2 weeks, expected to return Saturday
Tyler Kennedy, undisclosed (Nov. 5), day-to-day, no ice participation
Kris Letang, shoulder contusion (Nov. 7), 2 weeks, no ice participation
Brooks Orpik, lower-body (Nov. 10), 2 weeks, no ice participation
Chris Kunitz, lower-body (Nov. 13), 2-3 weeks, no ice participation

As you can see, the good news is that Evgeni Malkin is returning tonight, and is expected to play on a line with Sidney Crosby and Ruslan Fedotenko, at least early in the game.

Kunitz Out 2 Weeks with Lower-Body Injury [PittsburghPenguins.com]

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THE SSSHHHHH! WINNER IS...

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PENS USE MAX EFFORT

PENGUINS 2, RED WINGS 1Maxime "Max" Talbot. He's the colorful role player known around Pittsburgh for his light-hearted A&L Motors commercials as much as his gritty, anything-it-takes style of play, as this clip will illustrate.

Is he a pure goal scorer? Not so much. In his four NHL seasons, he's scored 5, 13, 12, and 12 goals. But once the second season starts, he becomes a different player. In Juniors, Talbot had 14 goals and 30 assists for the 2002-03 Hull Olympiques in the playoffs, and 11 goals and 16 assists for the 2003-04 Gatineau Olympiques. And this year, following that 12-goal regular season, Mad Max notched eight in the postseason. After his two-goal performance in Game Seven of the 2009 Stanley Cup Finals, he's ensured that he'll be mentioned in any articles like this on the topic for the rest of time. For all intents and purposes, he was the MVP of the 2009 Finals.

While Talbot supplied all the offense in Game Seven that the Penguins would need to hoist their first Cup since 1992, Marc-Andre Fleury provided the defense, with the game he absolutely needed to play in order for the Penguins to win. The Flower would stop 23 of 24 Red Wings shots, including a flurry (seriously, no pun intended) in the closing seconds of the contest that was eerily reminiscent of the Penguins' eventual exit in Game Six last year. Fleury put on a Herculean effort that finally beat Chris Osgood in his own building. Will a Stanley Cup victory finally silence the Fleury critics a bit? I sure hope so.

Osgood, who allowed two goals combined in three previous home Finals games, surrendered two in one period to one player. On the night, he finished 16-for-18, including the stop of the one and only Penguin shot in the third period. Not bad, but not good enough, at least in this case.

Now that we can take a brief look back, we can speculate about what it took to get the Cup back in Penguin hands. Was it touching the Wales Trophy? Changing hotels? Eating at Qdoba? Well, having Sidney Crosby on the team probably had something to do with it. But in a game where Crosby saw the ice for just 9:59 due to an injury that the classy Detroit fans cheered, the Penguins were once again able to overcome adversity, a theme that's become common to an organization that's nearly been extinct more than once in its recent history.

And looking back some more, what a roller-coaster of a season it was for the Boys of Winter. Starting with the losses of Marian Hossa, Ryan Malone, Gary Roberts, Ty Conklin, Jarkko Ruutu, Georges Laraque and Adam Hall (by the way, wonder how those guys are feeling right now?), the team had some rebuilding to do. In came Ruslan Fedotenko, Miroslav Satan, Matt Cooke, Eric Godard, and later, Mathieu Garon, Chris Kunitz, Craig Adams, and Bill Guerin. Out went Ryan Whitney and Dany Sabourin. And don't forget, we also had a death in the Penguin family along the way, longtime organist Vince Lascheid.

The season started in, of all places, Sweden, for the Daniel Alfredsson Homecoming Series with the Ottawa Senators. In the opener, Tyler Kennedy scored twice, including the game-winner in OT, and Rob Scuderi chipped in with a goal as well. If only we knew then how that would be such foreshadowing of what was to come from the "secondary" scoring options of the team.

The team was 14-6-3 by the end of November, but the natives were restless, as evidenced by guest-writer Koz grading the team and giving the wingers a 'D' grade during that month, while vowing never to speak the name "Jordan Staal" again. Not even a dramatic 7-6 overtime win over the Red Wings could change our minds. When players-only meetings are on the agenda, it's usually not a great sign.

By January 3, the Penguins had officially lost more games than they had won, with a 6-1 loss to Florida in the middle of a six-game losing skid. The Penguins would win five and lose nine in the first month of 2009. Things were beginning to look bleak.

On February 15, the Penguins came to a fork in the road and decided to finally part ways with head coach Michel Therrien, who had led them to a Stanley Cup appearance in the prior season. It was a controversial decision, as some viewed Therrien as a sacrificial lamb for the team's poor play. He would be replaced by a little-known coach from Wilkes-Barre who went by the name of "Disco" Dan Bylsma. Few would anticipate that Mr. Bylsma would be hoisting the Stanley Cup just a few months later.

On February 16, the infamous article was penned by the PG's Gene Collier, entitled: "Penguins get 2 points, but play leaves little doubt season is over." I know that at least on this site, it served as bulletin-board material.

Under Bylsma, with new acquisitions Kunitz, Guerin, and Adams in tow, the new-look Pens caught fire. In the month of March, they won 10 and dropped three, with two of the losses coming in shootouts. The team had renewed energy and enthusiasm. Hockey began to look fun again. And most importantly, they remembered the formula for winning.

Having fought their way from 10th place in the East to an unlikely spot at the four seed, Bylsma had navigated the Pens into the postseason. And the faces they would see along the way were all too familiar.

In round one, the Penguins drew a playoff rematch with the Philadelphia Flyers. The aggressive Flyers handed the Penguins 29 power plays over the course of six games, with Pittsburgh cashing in only four times. But the Pens survived, and moved on to face Alex Ovechkin in the NHL's dream matchup.

After an 0-5 start in Game One against the Caps, the power play then came to life, scoring in every game thereafter. Much like in the Detroit series, the Penguins dug a quick 0-2 hole on the road, battled back, and took the series on the road in decisive fashion in Game Seven.

It was then on to Carolina, and with the Cup Finals in sight, the Pens easily handled Eric Staal, Bill Cowher, and the Hurricanes in four games, outscoring Carolina 20-9 in the process.

Canes goalie Cam Ward is still looking for the number of that freight train that ran him over. I think it was #71.

And at last, we come to the Finals, where the Penguins once again brought out their shovels for another 0-2 hole on the road. Although the play was much improved over the 2008 Finals, the results were still the same. The Pens would need to win four of five against the mighty Wings to capture Lord Stanley's Cup. And guess what? They did.

For heroes, we'll start with the MVP, Mr. Malkin. He further endeared himself into our city's culture with the appearances of his parents at games and on television, as he finally started to come out of his shell. His statistics of 14 goals and 22 assists were among the most eye-popping in a long, long time. His enthusiasm was contagious. What else can you say? Pittsburgh has a love affair with his entire family.

Sidney Crosby, who displayed determination and focus on a Jordan/Tiger level throughout the playoffs (save only for a frustration penalty in Game Five), brought 15 goals and 16 assists to the table in the postseason. True, he only had one goal in the Finals. But I hardly think anyone can criticize the impact that #87 had on each and every series. Your heart broke for him when he was unable to finish Game Seven, but seeing him hold the sport's biggest prize, a moment he's literally built his whole life around, was a bit of redemption.

We next come to Bill Guerin, the late-season, high-mileage import who was gifted to the Penguins from the New York Islanders. If I told you the Pens would get their third-leading playoff scorer in exchange for a conditional draft pick, I think everyone would take that deal.

There are the 'grit' guys, the players who treated their bodies with absolute reckless abandon. I'm talking about men like Matt Cooke, Chris Kunitz, and Rob Scuderi, who probably acquired more bruises in the postseason that each of us has in our entire lives. Combined.

You also have players who stepped up with huge goals in huge moments. Jordan Staal. Kris Letang. Tyler Kennedy. If you haven't yet gotten the drift that this was a team effort beyond Sid and Geno, I'm clearly not doing a good job in effective writing.

Then, there are the injured. Petr Sykora, scratched 14 times in a row, suited up for Game Six, blocked a shot, and broke his foot as a result. Sergei Gonchar battled back from an Ovechkin-caused injury to have a solid postseason, with 3 goals and 11 assists. And Fleury, who overcame the mental scarring of being pulled one week ago in a Game Five in favor of Garon, might have been the biggest story of all. His bounce-back powers are becoming the stuff of legends. Four times in the postseason he allowed at least four goals in a game, and after each loss, he came back the next game with a win.

In the end, it was simply an amazing ride, much like another amazing ride that concluded in early February. The great moments are countless. The photos, the stories, the songs, the emails...they're too numerous to attempt to cover in one post.

The Penguins became the first road team in the NHL, NBA, or MLB to win a Finals Game Seven since the We Are Family Pirates of 1979, breaking a streak of 18 straight for the home team. In the process, they delivered the Stanley Cup to a city that already owns the Lombardi Trophy, a feat that's never been done. Once again, 30 years after the name came about, we can call ourselves "The City of Champions". It feels good, Pittsburgh.

And Sid, it couldn't have ended any better.

Now like I said a few weeks ago...let's get to work on a sequel to these:

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GROW ONE FOR THE TEAM

You were probably planning on growing a playoff beard anyway, but this year you can actually put that excess facial hair to good use. The Pittsburgh Penguins are having a "Beard-a-Thon" to benefit The Lemieux Foundation, and that sounds like a win-win for everyone, with the exception of those who make their living in the shaving industry. The details:

Fans can participate in the beard-a-thon in one of three ways – grow a beard, pledge a friend, family member or co-worker who is growing a beard or pledge a participating Penguins player.

Participants in the Penguins Beard-a-thon will invite family, friends and business associates to pledge their playoff beards. So, every day the fan maintains his beard, more money is raised for the Mario Lemieux Foundation. Fans who are unwilling or unable to grow playoffs beards can also pledge their favorite Penguins player, including Maxime Talbot and Pascal Dupuis.

The fan who raises the most money wins an autographed Sidney Crosby jersey and gets recognized at a Penguins home game during the 2009-10 season. Plus, all donations to the Mario Lemieux Foundation are tax deductible. So basically, there's no good reason not to grow a playoff beard. You can be as irresponsible as you want with your facial hair and simultaneously support a good cause. It's the best-case scenario for Penguin fans. Just be prepared to wear it for a while, if you know what I mean.

Beard-a-Thon [Beardathon.com]

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MAX TALBOT IS BACK AT IT

The Penguins' Max Talbot recently added a second commercial to his budding acting resume, a sequel to last year's highly successful spot for A&L Motors:

So what will come first for Max: a Stanley Cup victory or an Academy Award?

Tip of the cap to Going Five Hole.

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FLYERS RETURN HOME, WELCOMED BY NO ONE

PENGUINS 4
FLYERS 2

For all of the alleged fireworks that were set to go off before this series started, the Philadelphia Flyers have, through two games, resembled only what Lee Flowers would call "Paper Champions".

Where's the offense? The Penguins feature goal-scorers like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marian Hossa, et al. They're even getting goals from Max Talbot. The Flyers feature Jeff Carter, Mike Richards, Mike Richards, and...Mike Richards. $52 million Flyer Daniel Briere is officially on "missing" milk-carton status. Red-hot R.J. Umberger has been held to two assists.

And where's the fight? The big, bad Flyers have talked tough but have failed to deliver, unless you're inspired by your players getting beaten down by Tyler Kennedy.

The sad part is that the Flyers were kept in the game for the most part by a no-goal call against Sidney Crosby that would've sunk them into a 2-0 hole that they most likely would not have dug out of. Maybe it was just a reminder that this still is a garage league, to some extent. At the very least, they have some garage refs, that's for sure.

It wasn't the most exciting playoff game in Penguin history, but a win is a win is a win, especially when it's a win over the Flyers. Let's see if they can somehow regroup and at least make this series competitive on Tuesday night.

Game Notes:

--Besides the play on the ice, the story of the night had to be Beaver County teen John Challis, a Freedom HS athlete who is dealing with terminal cancer. He was the guest of honor in Mario Lemieux's star-studded box, meeting Ben Roethlisberger, Dan Rooney, and John Smoltz in the process.

And he also had one of the greatest quotes of all time:

As John Challis was standing between Mr. Lemieux and Mr. Rooney, he looked at them and said, "Wow. I never thought I'd be talking with two owners of sports teams in the city."

"There's only one missing," Mr. Lemieux said, referring to the Pirates.

John quickly replied, "Yeah, but at least the two winners are here."

Challis was interviewed between periods and has an unbelievably upbeat attitude. The world needs more people with an outlook as fresh as his. His story is sweeping the country, with a segment filmed for SportsCenter, an ESPN: the Magazine article in the works, and segments on Scott Van Pelt and Dan Patrick's radio programs. In the near future, he will be taking a cruise, visiting Fenway Park, and hanging out with the Florida Marlins in Philadelphia as the guest of Marlins pitcher Mark Hendrickson.

"Life ain't about how many breaths you take. It's what you do with those breaths," Challis said.

Good luck, John Challis. We're all rooting for you.

--Besides Smoltz, Braves pitcher Tom Glavine (a 1984 NHL draft pick, in the same draft that produced Mario Lemieux, Ed Olcyzk, Gary Roberts, Flyers Coach John Stevens, and Troy "Dad of Sidney" Crosby) was at the game and took home the night's Versus Interview That We Didn't Need During the Game Award. My brother noticed Chipper Jones yukking it up in the background during the Glavine interview, although I somehow missed that.

--I mentioned in my last recap how much I disliked the Versus broadcast team, and I'm telling you, they're getting worse. The call on Maxime Talbot's game-winning goal was as weak as ever: "Maxime Talbot brings the energy!!"

What? That's the best you could do?

--More on the GHL (Garage Hockey League) refs: a great take on the Biron/Ruutu penalty from Empty Netters:

Biron is given two for roughing and Ruutu is called for unsportsmanlike conduct because, again, getting punched, attacked, mugged, etc. isn't noble. Ruutu was basically penalized for being Ruutu.

Couldn't agree more. A ridiculous call.

--Mark Eaton will probably not be back for the playoffs.

ESPN Fast Facts:

--The last time the Penguins lost at home in regulation was Feb. 13, when they dropped a 2-1 decision to the Boston Bruins.

--The Pens are the eighth team in NHL history to start the postseason 10-1, but just the first since the Red Wings did so in '95. Five of the previous seven have gone on to win the Stanley Cup.

--Pittsburgh is 8-0 in the playoffs when it scores first.

LOCAL REACTION:

--Molinari: Penguins lead series 2-0 against Flyers

--Starkey: Therrien, Talbot show magic touch

--Burnside: Penguins, Flyers going down very different paths

--Smizik: Fleury flowering at precisely the right time

--Rossi: Game 2: Talbot breaks Philly's heart (with Trib Photo Gallery)

--Junker: National media just catching up to Pens

A victory California Soul:

Koz: REALITY BITES

byKoz
koz81@comcast.net

Bill Plaschke said the Pens were unbeatable on Around the Horn this week, but you didn't really believe him, did you?

For as well as the Pens have played lately, it was hard to imagine them losing a game. But the winning streak has ended and the Pens have to play another game with potential for injury and less rest before what remains a likely trip to the conference finals.

So why couldn't the Pens close it out? That boils down to each team's two best players.

For the Rangers, Henrik Lundqvist looked like the Vezina candidate he's supposed to be and Jaromir Jagr had his second dominant performance in a row.

For the Penguins, Evgeni Malkin failed to convert what would have been a momentum-changing penalty shot by attempting a bizarre slow approach that Lundqvist admitted he was “glad” to see. Have you ever seen an approach like that work anywhere? Even on XBOX, you know you go to the net with speed.

Thursday Night Waterskiing at MSG!

Sidney Crosby played what might be the worst game of his career. That might sound extreme, but understand a bad game for 87 isn't nearly as bad as one for a mere mortal. But from the start, Sid was off with his passes, committed several turnovers, tried to do too much alone trying to split the D, and ultimately lost his cool after a legal check on Marian Hossa, which led to a Ranger power play essentially surrendering the game.

On the bright side, Pittsburghers have something fun to do on Sunday now with the chance of escorting Jagr out of the NHL.

Other than Jagr, the Rangers aren't generating much offense. Lundqvist can't play any better than he did tonight and Crosby can't play worse. The Pens had a scary amount of breakaways. Fleury and the defense played well. Also, I don't think the Rangers can play three more games as well-behaved as they did tonight, especially on the road.

The two days rest is perfect for an obviously frustrated Penguins team coping with their first dose of reality in the 2008 playoffs. Like I said, reality bites. Too bad for the Rangers that reality is they aren't going to win four games in a row.

Game Notes:

--Empty Netters covers all bases.

--Full Trib photo gallery here.

--Prisuta: Jagr Keeps Rangers Alive.

--"Rangers Mara Rips Classless Malkin".

--Gary Roberts took the place of Max Talbot.

--Game 5 tickets go on sale at 2 PM today.

--No team has started the playoffs 8-0 since the 1985 Edmonton Oilers.

--The Mike Lange Tournament of Quotes Final Round has arrived.

MURAL THIS

PENGUINS 4

SENATORS 1

A lot was made about the mural plastered outside the visitors' locker room in Ottawa, one which illustrates the Senators escorting the Penguins out of the 2006-07 playoffs. Sure, it was posted before the Senators knew they were playing the flightless birds in round one. But universally, it was recognized as a pretty classless act, if for no other reason than the non-attempt to cover it up as a courtesy to their first-round opponent.

So the mural stayed, much to the chagrin of Penguin Nation. It was extra motivation for a team that already had plenty of reasons to despise their opponent. Was that the little mental boost that the Penguins needed in a tough road playoff game? We'll never know, but there's one thing we can say with a great deal of certainty: the Ottawa Senators are teetering on the cliff of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The Sens got Daniel Alfredsson back (to a standing ovation), which was definitely a motivational tool. The crowd was behind the team, the house was a-rockin', and the Penguins (especially Marc-Andre Fleury, who's quietly having a great playoff run) withstood just about everything Ottawa threw at them.

After a scoreless first period, Ottawa drew first blood with a Nick Foligno goal 1:11 into the second. The Pens answered about five minutes later, as Maxime "Superstar" Talbot scored to tie everything up at one. As the clock ticked to zero, there would be just 20 minutes left to decide this one. But the Penguins needed just 12 seconds to officially put this out of reach, as Sidney Crosby put one by Martin Gerber for what would be the deciding goal. A little more than a minute later, Jordan Staal tacked on the Penguins' third goal of the evening, and at 11:05, the self-destructing Senators allowed goal number four, Marian Hossa's first playoff goal as a Penguin. 4-1, Pens win, Pens win. See ya Wednesday night; don't forget to bring your brooms to Ottawa.

Notes:

--Gary Roberts did not play due to a groin injury, and was spotted in a hockey celebrity-filled luxury box on his Blackberry.

--Trib wrapup and nice photo gallery here

--Ottawa Sun recap here

--The Pens outshot the Sens, 38-34.

--Marian Hossa was FSN's Player of the Game for his one goal, two assist performance.

--The Russian Syklone Line combined for one point, a Ryan Malone assist.

--When the Penguins grab a 3-0 series lead, they are 6-1. They blew a 3-0 lead in 1975 against the Islanders, one of only two times that such a comeback has ever happened.

--The PG's excellent Empty Netters wondered if this Pirate ad was worthy of 1/4 of the screen. The answer is an emphatic NO.

--Game Four goes down Wednesday night at Ottawa. The puck drops at 7, the Senators drop a few hours later.

A Good Start

PENGUINS 4

SENATORS 0

As a Penguin fan, you couldn't ask for a better script than the one that played out on Wednesday night. The hockey sandwiched between two Gary Roberts goals was a dominating performance in every sense. Period.

Finally, Ray Shero's vision for his team played out before our eyes, as we could see a full squad (sans Mark Eaton) at full strength. This is a team that is strong in nearly every facet of the game: they have elite scorers, role players, tough guys, instigators, goaltending, defense, youth, veterans, depth, and chemistry. Their only perceived weakness could be the lack of a deep playoff run for most of these players, but I'm thinking they'll learn on the fly in this year's second season.

Sure, Ottawa is a team that backed into the postseason. But this is still the playoffs, the Senators still have Dany Heatley and Jason Spezza the last time I checked, and strange things have been known to happen in Lord Stanley's Season. The Penguins would have none of it. Their body language told the story: they looked loose and they played loose. It was a confident effort, with strong performances all around. It was pretty much the complete opposite of last year's game one.

Favorite moments? There were many: Gary Roberts' pace-setting goal 1:08 into the game; Gary Roberts' goal at 18:25 of the third; Gary Roberts' end-of-the-game scrap and subsequent refusal to leave the ice; and even a few non-Gary Roberts moments: Petr Sykora's goal to give the Pens a big 2-0 cushion; Evgeni Malkin's first-ever playoff goal to extend the lead to 3-0; Marc-Andre Fleury's weiner shot to Martin Lapointe, followed by Maxime Talbot coming to MAF's defense and tackling Lapointe; Sidney Crosby mixing it up with Wade Redden, followed by Ryan Whitney delivering the beatdown of his career to Redden; and Fleury skating off the ice with his first career playoff shutout. As Michel Therrien said in his postgame comments, "You can't ask for a better way to start the series."

Despite all of the good vibes, I did feel for two people: first, for Marian Hossa. It looked like there was a lid on the goal for him, as he was shutout on seven shots on goal. But eventually, they'll start falling, and he can put the postseason ghosts of seasons past to bed. He did get on the scoresheet with an assist on the second Roberts goal.

I also felt for Anton Volchenkov, the Senator who was bloodied after being hit in the head with a puck. You never want to see anything like that happen.

So the stage has been set for Game Two, Friday night at the Igloo. The puck drops at 7 PM, and the gloves shortly thereafter. This series will certainly have no shortage of bad blood, as evidenced on numerous occasions in Game One. I'm pretty confident that Senators coach/windbag Bryan Murray will come up with a dumb quote or 10 between now and then that will further stoke the fires of the Crosbys and Roberts of the room. And much like Wednesday night, I'm also confident that those players (and others) will make the Senators wish that the Penguins beat the Flyers in the regular season finale.

Game/playoff notes:

--Nice Trib story and photo gallery here

--Crosby was held scoreless

--17,132 was the announced crowd

--Murray was not optimistic about Daniel Alfredsson returning by the middle of the series

--Mark Recchi joined the NHL on TSN for the playoffs

--Some surprising news: the city of Pittsburgh has Cup Fever

--You can watch the game outside Mellon Arena on giant TV screens:

Sid is Playing Tonight

Sidney Crosby, shown above with two of his former linemates, will be in the lineup tonight when the Penguins play at Tampa Bay. You always want to bring your best lineup to any matchup against Michel Oullet and Andre Roy.

Crosby has missed the past 21 games with the dreaded high ankle sprain. His linemates tonight will be Maxime Talbot and Pascal Dupuis, with Marc-Andre Fleury in goal.

The Pens were 11-6-4 sans Crosby, who's dropped from first in the league in scoring to 22nd during his absence. There are 15 games left on the Penguins' regular season slate; your next chance to watch Crosby in person is a matchup with Buffalo on March 12.

Crosby will return tonight [Trib]

Morning Briefing

PENS SPLIT: Saturday was a tough 5-4 loss for the Pens at Ottawa, as Pittsburgh proved to once again be the cure that ails a slumping Daniel Alfredsson, who scored twice and added an assist. Ty Conklin looked less than stellar in goal for the Pens, and was replaced in the lineup by Marc-Andre Fleury on Sunday.

MAF certainly looked like he's back, stopping 31 shots in regulation and all three in the shootout in a 3-2 win over Atlanta on Sunday. Ryan Malone and Maxime Talbot provided the regulation offense, with Kris Letang adding the difference-maker in the shootout. Not even the shootout expertise of Erik Christensen mattered for the Second-Hand Penguins, who fell two games under .500 for the season. In addition to Christensen and Colby Armstrong (who added an assist on Sunday), Atlanta features former Pens Joel Kwiatkowski, Mark Recchi, and Chris Thorburn.

It was a memorable ending for the crowd of 17,132 (101.0% full) who also participated in a Terrible Towel-waving tribute for Myron Cope.

The Penguins moved to 37-23-7 (81 points), tied with Montreal for first in the East.

And congratulations to the Penguins fans shown who've already purchased Marian Hossa jerseys. That's a real leap of faith as a long-term investment.

PITT STEALS ONE: Someone might want to check Carrier Dome for prints, because a victory was stolen away from Syracuse on Saturday. The suspect is the Pitt Panthers, wrongly considered by some as a bubble team, who came away with an 82-77 victory over the weekend.

Jim Boeheim's Bill Cowher-esque milking of the clock backfired in a 18-2 Pitt run to close out the last 3:30 of the game, climaxing with a Syracuse fumble of the inbounds pass and subsequent Panther basket with 11 seconds remaining. Boeheim then outdid himself with a technical foul to truly ice his own team. Pitt now stands at 21-8, with two games remaining: tonight at WVU and Sunday vs. DePaul.

STEELERS, BEN NEAR DEAL: Agents Ryan and Bruce Tollner are in town to hopefully wrap up the contract extension for birthday boy Ben Roethlisberger, who has two years remaining on his rookie deal.

EUGENE WILSON TO STEELERS?: Patriots UFA Eugene Wilson, a safety/cornerback who appeared in 11 games last season, will visit the Steelers on Tuesday. A second-round pick in 2003, Wilson has 10 career interceptions. He will also visit Tennessee and Tampa Bay.

MYRON REMEMBERED: Steeler fans said "Bye, now", in a Terrible Towel-twirling tribute for Myron Cope at the City-County Building, ending in a minute of silent towel-twirling led by Dan Rooney, Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato, and Mayor Luke Ravenstahl.

Sid Makes a Housecall

As you may or may not know, the Penguins have a simply unbelievable marketing team. And unlike the Pirates, they actually market the product, not fireworks, Smash Mouth concerts, or hot dog guns.

Having a market-savvy organization means doing things like the Penguins did yesterday, when they sent six players (Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Colby Armstrong, Maxime Talbot, Ryan Whitney and Marc-Andre Fleury) to hand-deliver season tickets to a total of 24 homes.

I received an email from Matthew Kozlowski, a regular Mondesi's House reader whose mother happened to be one of the lucky 24. He has graciously allowed me to reprint it, because I really wanted to capture the enthusiasm that this team has created. Steelers execs who enjoy year after year of sellouts and waiting lists, take note: this would be a nice gesture once in a while.

Joan Kozlowski, the Pens super fan, who had a visit from Sidney Crosby, is my mom. I'm "Matthew" that he was talking to on the phone. I'm not trying to extend our 15 minutes of fame at all, but I can't begin to express how big of a deal this was for her. With my parents divorced and my brother and I grown and moved away, the Pens are like her family in Pittsburgh. She lives and dies with them and has supported them all my life (I'm just turning 26 today).

When Sid called, I just thanked him so much for taking the time to brighten someones day like this and told him that he and the team were awesome and we're 100% behind them.

I think it's amazing the Pens do things like this for their fans. Their PR department and community relations staffs are amazing and thoughtful. Sidney and the other guys couldn't be better ambassadors for the NHL, the Penguins, or the city of Pittsburgh. The whole organization is a class act and deserves kudos for customer service. Maybe the Buccos could pick up a thing or two?

Just in case you missed it, here are some of the clips. (video 2 is my mom)

Here's an article from WPXI's website apparently written by a 4th grader. Not only did they spell our last name wrong, but also "Sydney" Crosby?? Come on!

Channel 4 coverage here

It's hilarious. I haven't stopped smiling about it all day. My mom was exhausted by the evening when the promos for the 10 and 11 o'clock news were coming on. Ha!

Monday Mailbag

Well, that was pretty bad. As expected, the Pens came out flying...and then were promptly grounded for the rest of the game. Hours later, I still can't find the words to describe that black hole disguised as a second period.

Other than Crosby's incredible goal, the highlights of this game were few and far between from a Penguin perspective...although Malkin absolutely losing his mind in the third period makes my personal season highlight reel. Curious time for him to go nuts for the first time in his NHL career. It was nice to see him stick up for Crosby, though.

That Maxime Talbot-Dean McAmmond fight which happened while Ottawa's Patrick Eaves lay concussed on the ice was pretty surreal as well.

I can guarantee they're not selling many Colby Armstrong jerseys in Ottawa these days, as he's battling Crosby and Gary Roberts for Enemy #1 on the Senators Most Wanted List. By the way, great article from The Ottawa Citizen chastising the Senator faithful for booing El Sid.

Yes, even the presence of Jeff Jimerson himself could not will the Penguins to a victory. By the way, are you aware that Jimerson scored an IMDB page as a result of singing the national anthem in Sudden Death?

Best movie ever?

I must add, nice work by the Pens fans who booed the Canadian national anthem at Sunday's game. You know, Canada, birthplace of Crosby, Staal, Roberts, Fleury, etc. Thanks for representing our city well, morons.

The next meeting between the Pens and Sens happens Tuesday night at 7 PM at Mellon Arena. Until then, we can debate about adding Nils Ekman and/or Alain Nasreddine to the lineup, as they're doing on the #1 Cochran Sports Showdown, which I'm listening to in the background as I type this. I'm sure that's the answer to beating Ottawa. I'll tell ya, there's nothing like listening to a bunch of sportswriters yell at each other on a Sunday night to get you ready for bed.

--Anyone else catch the Mavs-Spurs game on Sunday? I know, you don't care about the NBA, but I had to watch something before the Pens game was on. Well, Deadspin was watching, and they chronicled what I thought was totally unreal: Tim Duncan got tossed from the game for laughing.

--Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke points out the huge F-you the Pirates sent to Humberto Cota by retiring Paul Waner's number...that Cota is still wearing. I know Cota sucks, and by sucks I mean "really sucks", but that's pretty cold.

--And finally, thanks to Dan at the Post-Gazette for his well-wishes in the Blog N Gold column over the weekend. The continued support from everyone is much appreciated through this difficult time.

Now, onto the mailbag...

--A.J. from 105.9 the X gives us a moment of levity after a solemn Penguins defeat:

"This gave me a chuckle (post-Pens debacle)....The Real Story of PacMan Jones"

This is a cartoon parody, and is simply spectacular. Set to the '60s Batman theme, with all of the Batman accessories customized to PacMan...it's off the charts. A must-watch.

--Dave F. asks,

"Which trade acquisition has been more disappointing thus far, Laraque or Laroche? The brawler who won't brawl, or the slugger who won't slug?"

Laraque has been disappointing, but I think that was predictable. He's not the first tough guy to come to Pittsburgh and suddenly think he can play without enforcing (Andre Roy, anyone?). Plus, his presence has taken a little heat off of Crosby, which is a plus.

LaRoche, on the other hand, is a perplexing call. I hear a lot of talk about how he's a slow starter, and how he'll heat up after the All-Star break. Fantastic...if he played for the Yankees or Red Sox. The Pirates are a team that needs to win, and needs to win NOW. April games should be played with September intensity.

We've already seen them parlay a 3-0 start into a current record of 4-6. And it wasn't like the Pirates were facing Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson, and Roger Clemens in their prime. They were struggling against pitchers like Braden Looper, Russ Ortiz, and Randy Keisler. The only break they caught over the weekend was that the last two games were postponed. Bonds might have broken the record in that time span, given the way he manhandled Pirate pitching on Friday night.

--David M. found this comment from my last mailbag interesting, when I said, "My dad is the eternal Pirate optimist. He's sold himself on so many Pirates turning into serviceable players, I've lost track. I think he lost me forever with Adam Hzydu."

David adds:

Try listening to a friend of mine who still hopes to convince me Sammy Kahlifa never really got a shot, Doug Froebel just had a hitch in his swing, Kris Benson's wife was an independent role model for women or this being the year Duffy becomes an All-Star.

I'm in his corner this year with our potential, although the lack of depth scares me. If we finish as 90 game losers again, I'll have a hard time convincing myself we're any different from Cubs fans with regards to blind expectations!

From a guy who wrote a 2007 season preview outlining 79 reasons why it's hard to root for this franchise, I may be looked at by some as a Pirate hater. Totally untrue. If anything, I'm very passionate and care about the team. If I hated the Pirates, I wouldn't talk about them at all. Don't get me wrong, there are many things I hate about what's happened with the Pirates, but they're my favorite baseball team by far.

That being said, I refuse to let myself get roped into any kind of hype until I see some consistent results on the field. In short, yes, I am the equivalent of a Cubs fan, waiting for something bad to happen. Such as losing 6 of 7 after a 3-0 start.

Also, for the record, I'm not in the "let's get to .500" camp. When we're .500 and throw our .500 Parade, we can then settle in and watch the Yankees, Red Sox, and Cardinals of the world playing in October.

--Yantanko asks,

"What's with Pirates management's boner for Jack Wilson? Doesn't he, all things considered, kind of suck?"

Good guy, keeps his nose clean, does just enough to keep most fans off his back...other than that, yeah, he kind of sucks. But he's not as bad as Humberto Cota, because they didn't retire his jersey number.

--Dirty Sanchez sends over video from the 1991 Bulls Championship, where Bob Costas refers to Michael Jordan's wife as his mother. Costas blames being covered in champagne. I'm not buying it.

--Dave from Canonsburg, PA (giving this mailbag a hat-trick of "Daves") informs me,

"Were you aware that C. Vivian Stringer was from Western PA? Do you care? Do you even know who C. Vivian Stringer is, or why she goes by the name "C. Vivian"?

1. No.

2. No.

3. No and no.

--For all you Slippery Rock women's lacrosse fans, Art C. is the bearer of bad news after their 24-1 loss to Bloomsburg:

From Slippery Rock's Online Rocket: "Only allowing 22 goals against the Falcons lowered the girl's goals against average from 23.43 down to 23.25."

That stat is like a line from the original Bad News Bears. The Bears still haven’t scored a run, but the good news is their foul balls are up. I really question if there is any value to putting a team on the field that is this over matched. Does either team benefit? It is barely a decent practice for the teams beating them. Not like they are playing teams that should out class them. These are schools in their own conference.

I'm sorry to hear that SRU's women's lacrosse team is struggling so much, but that's two women's college sports mentions in a row. Not to be cold towards women's college sports, but I can hear the readers clicking off of my site as we speak.

--Jared sends over this feature on Salomon Torres by Tim Kurkjian.

My favorite line:
"I like to be unpredictable," laughs Torres, who's blown a save and suffered a loss in his last two outings. "Next, I'm going to learn the gyroball."

--Tony from West Mifflin asks,

"Mondesi, what are your favorite television shows?"

What, you mean outside of the Fedko Fone Zone? Well, lately I've been watching a lot of Survivorman and Man vs. Wild on Discovery. They drop these guys in the middle of nowhere and they're forced to survive for a few days on their own. You know, killing their own food, making their own shelter, that kind of thing. In fact, as I'm writing this, the Man vs. Wild guy is walking through an active volcano with his boot on fire. I'm intrigued to see what he can find to eat in this episode (I later found out: an avocado). But nothing tops his diet in the "swamp" episode, where he ate a frog, turtle, and snake in consecutive days.

Other than that, it's purely highbrow stuff...South Park, Family Guy, Simpsons. I'll only watch the news if they can find a way to animate it.

--Chris from California asks,

"Any thoughts on the 2007 Steelers yet?"

Yes...and plenty. I've been waiting to tear into these guys for quite some time. I've had just about enough of Alan Faneca's opinions on who should be coaching, who should be playing, and pretty much anything else that he has an opinion on. As I've said before, if it were up to Faneca, Tommy Maddox would have been the QB in 2004. So his opinion stopped mattering a long time ago. Just block the big guy opposite you, collect your paycheck, and drive home safely.

Same for #86. I know, we're all sad Peezy is gone. Get over it. He certainly has. That's called life in the NFL, my friend. Jerome's gone, Bill's gone, Peezy's gone, Whis is gone, Russ is gone. But you're still there, and you're supposed to be a team leader. So please act like one and get behind your coach.

Last year, I watched a story about the Jets and Eric Mangini on some pregame show. Basically, no one gave a crap what Mangini said early in his tenure because he was a young guy and a first time coach. In one ear, out the other. He had to "win over" veterans like Jonathan Vilma. Exactly how many Super Bowl rings does Mr. Vilma own? That's right, as many as me. Zero. It never crossed Mr. Vilma's mind to do what he was supposed to do and just play for the guy because it was his job. Mangini had to prove he belonged. Once they started winning, more guys "bought in". I'm so glad they were able to finally give their attention to their boss.

The fat contracts of today dictate who's really in charge, because too many players simply turn it on and turn it off at will. A guy like Mike Tomlin really has an uphill battle, because he has a room full of know-it-alls who won a Super Bowl not too long ago. Mind you that these same know-it-alls couldn't put together enough of an effort to beat the Raiders last year, but trust me, they know more than Tomlin. They have to, they just won a Super Bowl. They think last year was a series of bad luck, bad breaks, bad calls, and bad officiating. I have news for the carryovers from last year's team: it was also full of bad attitudes, bad penalties, and bad efforts. Another team totally tuning out their coach...and he was the one that won the Super Bowl with them.

Let's put it this way: my expectations are not sky-high with this team for 2007. In some ways, it's like a rebuilding year. Good luck, Mike Tomlin. You'll need it.

I love Survivorman, but do you know what I love even more? Your email. As always, you can send your thoughts on anything to mondesishouse@gmail.com for the next installment. And please include your city and state if you can.

The Afternoon Killer

Pitt Blather breaks down the Bob Huggins hiring, describes him as a villain, and tells us what it means for Pitt...specifically, with the recruitment of Terrelle Pryor to WVU.

Stock photo of Huggins

Pens win, Pens win! And a late goal by Maxime Talbot equals lots of Google searches for "Maxime Talbot". Which then means that GwenJen became very well known in Canada last night. Just one game left (tomorrow vs. the Sons of Jaromir) and then it's time for some playoff hockey!

Someone posted on Craigslist that there was a house in Tacoma, WA, where people could take whatever they wanted. Here's what happened:

Broncos cheerleader tryouts! And some photographer with a sense of humor chose this photo to lead off his story.

Freddy Sanchez could be back tomorrow, much to the chagrin of AAA Indianapolis.

A New Hampshire baseball team asked their fans to help shovel snow from the stadium. In return, the team has offered free tickets for any Monday-to-Thursday game to anyone who shows up with a shovel Thursday afternoon and helps clear snow for a few hours. By 3 p.m. Thursday, one fan had showed up.

Matsuzaka mania hits the Boston Globe

Unlike WVU, Kentucky manages to hire a coach who doesn't puke out windows

David Carr agrees to a deal with the Panthers, ending the tragically unsuccessful Chris Weinke backup era.

Congratulations, hackers. The first iPod virus has been discovered.

Here are all the Bill Brasky videos...ever

Halle Berry goes bald for an upcoming movie. If anything sells more movie tickets, it's a bald Halle Berry.

Classy move by ESPN radio host Colin Cowherd, directing listeners to crash the sports blog thebiglead.com (still down 24 hours later!)

Bill O'Reilly and Geraldo Rivera nearly come to blows on the subject of an illegal immigrant drunk driver:


How to paint the Mona Lisa in MS Paint:


Painting The Mona Lisa In MS Paint - Click Here for more great videos and pictures!

A great video for anyone interested in buying Lexus' $95,000 self-parking car:

DON'T FORGET TO SEND YOUR INTERESTING TIPS and LINKS TO mondesishouse@gmail.com and enter the weekly prize contest!

Maxime Talbot Still Likes to Partay

It's been a while since we've seen one of our Pittsburgh heroes enjoying the night life. But Mondesi readers never let me down. They comb websites, blogs, chatrooms, photo albums...all in the pursuit of a classic photo. And judging from this one, all I can say is that Maxime Talbot still likes to partay...

The full gallery, for those interested, can be found here. The caption of this photo:

My new favorite Pittsburgh Penguin ;)
You should have seen his bar tab

A Disastrous Weekend

This weekend was simply a disaster for Pittsburgh sports teams. Pitt lost control of the Big East to Georgetown. The Penguins suffered a bad loss to Tampa Bay. Even the XPlosion lost, dropping their record to 4-30 after a defeat at the hands of the Butt Daredevils. It was pretty depressing all around.

We'll go chronologically, which means the Panthers are first in the firing line. During the game, I made an executive decision. The nickname "T.O" is hereby taken away from Terrell Owens and now bestowed upon Pitt's Mike Cook. There's never a good time for a turnover, but the ridiculous move Cook made with under 30 seconds to go was the topper, passing up an open shot for a pass, which, you guessed it, was stolen by a Hoya. Game, set, match, drive home safely. The only thing that held me back from launching the remote through the TV screen was the fact that I'd have to buy my father a new TV.

I thought for a brief instance that I was Marty McFly, as I watched Pitt lose to a team coached by John Thompson that featured Patrick Ewing. Who's next on the schedule, Rollie Massimino and Villanova? The way Pitt is playing, they wouldn't beat them either.

As you can tell, I'm down on Pitt right now, despite their incredible RPI ranking of 6. When you take an honest look at their results, they've only defeated one team in the RPI top 20: the same Georgetown team they just lost to (16th).

The Panthers have picked the wrong time to put it in reverse. They have zero momentum right now. I don't think they've looked the same since that shellacking at the hands of Louisville. Even their wins over Washington and Seton Hall were much tougher than they should have been. If Jamie Dixon doesn't get this team straightened out soon, we could be shown the door in an early round once again this year.

Pitt has nothing on the Penguins, though. The Pens' 5-1 loss in the land of Jon Gruden, Bubba the Love Sponge and Dwight Gooden was one of their worst efforts of the season. In fact, they've only suffered two four-goal losses all year, and both were at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Watching their offense was like watching the Steelers' offense for most of the 2006 season: simply no rhythm whatsoever. The Pens could not even get near the net, let alone get shots off: 4 in the 1st, 10 in the 2nd, 4 in the 3rd. Ugh. This was one of the most difficult Penguin game to watch in a long, long time.

Tampa Bay continues their ownership of the Penguins, having now beaten them an amazing 12 times in a row. Jocelyn Thibault gave up three goals on 12 shots and was given the hook in the second period for MAF. But Fleury made little difference, because when you can't generate offense, it's hard to win games.

I'm glad the Pens picked now for such a horrible showing, especially after the valentine I wrote to them on Friday. But here are a few other things to consider about Sunday's game:

-Tampa filled the arena to a count of 21,119, or 106.9% full. And I thought it was a baseball town.

-Pirate Zach Duke is now 7-1 in Penguin games he's attended. And last year, Zach Duke was 10-15 in games he started. Maybe he should give up the baseball thing and become the new Penguins goalie.

-NL Batting Champ Freddy Sanchez gave Sid an autographed, inscribed baseball bat. That didn't help with his scoring: he's lit just one lamp in his last 13 games.

-The game had some chippy moments, as Ryan Malone dropped the gloves in the first period and Maxime Talbot threw down twice in the 3rd, including a spat as time expired. Unfortunately, we missed the start of both Talbot fights as a result of FSN not being able to switch cameras like a normal hockey broadcast should.

-The Pens were called for Too Many Men on the Ice in the 3rd period. No, they couldn't score with six guys either.

-Next up: Tuesday vs. the Devils. Maybe you'll see David Puddy there. Well, probably not. But you might see GwenJen.

Also this weekend:

--#1 Ohio State downed #1 Wisconsin, 49-48. Exciting, high-scoring Big Ten basketball at its best. And a classy move by novice OSU basketball fans, who rushed the court. Guys, stick to football. By the way, I think we're getting close to the point that the court will be rushed at the end of each and every college hoops game.

--Corey Dillon wants out of New England. Come on, Steeler fans...who's going to be the first to start the "Let's Sign Dillon" campaign?

--NFL players proposed a "three strikes and your out" conduct policy, as they've tired of the Pac-Men types now populating their fine league. Some of the attendees included Dan Rooney, Marvin Lewis, Lendale White, Steve Smith, and T.J. Houshmandzadeh. When the meeting was over, Houshmandzadeh shined Rooney's shoes with a Terrible Towel.

--Kenny Wiz blames the motorcycle crash for Big Ben's struggles last year. As to who to blame for that horrific picture of Roethlisberger in the article, well, you can only blame Ben for that.

--The Denver Broncos added another chapter to one of the most tragic offseasons of any pro team ever. Running back Damien Nash collapsed at a charity basketball game. The game was a fundraiser for his 25-year-old brother, Darris, who had to have a heart transplant. This comes shortly after the death of Bronco Darrent Williams on January 1.

--Keep sending over those links (mondesishouse@gmail.com) and get an entry in the contest. I'm arranging an all-star link gallery for you to fritter away your Monday afternoon.

Maxime Talbot Likes to Partay

Thanks to reader Drew for the tip...

Here is the site where the photos were posted

Update: a commentor notes that a nattily-clad Sidney Crosby was also present at the party

John Fedko Hasn't Given Up Hope

During my usual late-night chat with my dad over the state of our respective teams, he told me that WPXI's John Fedko went on a five-minute rant about how the Steelers are still alive. My dad said that Fedko claimed the Steelers could still win the division with a 9-7 record. That would require a team that has played 2-6 ball to finish 7-1 down the stretch against the likes of Baltimore (twice), Cincinnati, New Orleans, and Carolina.

Submitted for your approval: John Fedko's sanity

Why commentators such as Fedko are making such outlandish claims is beyond me. How anyone can look at this team and think it can flick a switch is ridiculous. This isn't Shaq playing harder once the playoffs come around; this is a complete team collapse: offense, defense, special teams, and coaching. Anyone saying the Steelers still have a chance is just hurting their own credibility.

The Monday Night game tonight actually further illustrated the Steelers' sorry plight. I still cannot fathom the fact that they lost to the Raiders. Cannot, cannot, cannot believe it. Honestly, tonight Oakland looked like they don't even belong in the NFL. Their offense hasn't scored a touchdown since Randy Moss reeled in a 32-yarder in the first quarter against Arizona on October 22. That's 11 quarters without an offensive TD, for those of you counting at home. QB Andrew Walter was sacked nine times. His body language screamed of a beaten man. At least he managed not to throw any INTs. Their offensive line is ridiculously bad. Lamont Jordan had just nine carries. If I'd ever seen a hopless team, this was it. Forget talk about the Denver loss ending the season. The Oakland loss was the last nail in the coffin of the 2006 Steelers.

Seperated at Birth: Andrew Walter and Office Space's Ron Livingston

After watching a full half of the Raiders-Seahawks debacle, it was time for some hockey. The Pens took on the Anaheim "Don't Call Us Mighty" Ducks with a 10 PM EST start. For some reason, Mad Mike Therrien chose tonight to give Jocelyn Thibault his first start of the season. He managed to stop 37 shots (Thibault, not Therrien), but had me nervous on more than one occasion, with the Ducks having at least two more potential goals hit the post. But the Pens hung tough and managed to steal a point by taking the Ducks to OT. The highlight of the night had to be Nils Ekman's series of uppercuts on a Duck in front of the net with about 5 minutes left in regulation. Ekman was then tackled by Chris Pronger, who was tackled by Maxime Talbot, who was tackled by yet another Duck. Unfortunately, a questionable tripping call in OT to Noah Welch gave the Ducks one last power play, and Teemu Selanne (he of the golf course in his front yard) ended this one just 21 seconds into the extra frame. Next up is Tampa on Wednesday night. Hopefully Dan Potash didn't tire the guys out too much in California.

Sports aside, the high point of my evening was a 7 PM showing of Borat at the Destinta Theater in scenic Bridgeville, one of the 837 chosen theaters for the first week of release. There was a pretty strong turnout, considering this was a Monday night and we were in Bridgeville. I was actually carded upon buying my tickets, which is amazing considering I'll be 30 next year. And believe it or not, this theater did not have anyone taking your tickets. You could have virtually walked right in and no one would have noticed. But I recommend you pay. Because this movie was worth every penny and then some. No spoilers here, though. I will give you a great read: the "real" Borat and his frustrating story.
The "real" Borat is confused