Monday was a busy day in Penguin news: not only did Sidney Crosby skate, but ESPN's Pierre LeBrun unveiled a letter written by Mario Lemieux to NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman on the topic of discipline. The text of Mario's letter:
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh Penguins. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pittsburgh Penguins. Show all posts
3/13/2011
LiveBlog Field Trip: Oilers vs. Penguins
I'm live and on-site this afternoon at the Consol Energy Center for today's Pens-Oilers matchup. And I have the distinct nature of being the next-to-last person to pick up their media pass, being bested only by the great Michel Therrien. Let's just say describing my pace as "slow motion" today would be an insult to the Joggin' George Hendricks of the world. Although I must say, I timed my trip perfectly to coincide with every red light on the sometimes-depressing Rt. 51, as well as arriving at the same time the Pens fans who were likewise running behind their schedule.
3:20 PM: Nothing notable has happened in the game yet, so let's delve a little more into my trip in today. Sensing I would be too late for the CEC pregame meal, I stopped at Sheetz for a MTO burrito and a 125-gallon Diet Pepsi. Bad idea. Although it could be inspiration for a future installment of Nerd vs. Food, which has been on somewhat of a hiatus.
I continued on down the aforementioned Rt. 51, and the further I went, the more my mood turned sad. If you're not from the Pittsburgh area, let me describe a stretch of the road in the area of Baldwin/Brentwood. It basically goes "abandoned building, abandoned building, pawn shop, abandoned building, pawn shop, abandoned building." It's probably not the poster child for the economic renaissance of Pittsburgh. And to top it off, just before I got to the tunnel, there was a young girl on the side of road with a sign that said "stranded, broke, hungry" and she had her dog with her. Yeah, this pretty much killed my buzz of going to today's game.
Riding that wave, I passed up the $20 parking spot across the street from the CEC in search of a better lot. "I've never paid $20 to park for a Penguin game," I unwisely told myself. Luckily, I had a very pedestrian-friendly batch of Pittsburgh Police working the traffic lights, so I got to waste 15 minutes in traffic before finding a spot...for $15. Easily one of the worst examples of cheapness I've exhibited in my 33 years on the planet.
Follow that up with entering the wrong gate and getting two CEC employees who didn't know where the media entrance was, and voila! The recipe for a 2:59 arrival to a 3:00 game has been written. But at least I got to see the National Anthem.
3:30: I suppose I should write about the game at some point, because I can't imagine that the Pens invited me here for a travel log on how to not get to a game on time. And on that front, I must once again praise the team for continuing to invite bloggers such as myself to a real, live game. I know the Pirates did something with bloggers at their PirateFest this year, but I guess my invitation got lost in cyberspace. I can only assume that the reasoning was the time or 1,000 when I was critical of something they've done. Oh well. There goes an opportunity to change my mind about how their organization does things. At least one franchise in town gets it.
As for the game, the Penguins have outshot the Oilers, 11-1, and there's about 3 minutes left in the first period. That's right, the Oilers have one shot in 17 minutes. Is it too late to reunite Gretzky and Messier? Hey, if Tiki Barber is willing to come back, anything's possible, right?
3:40: The Pens kill off a two-man advantage given to the hopeless Edmonton power play. And to follow that up...GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL! Chris Kunitz scores his 19th of the season at 19:25 of the period, the Pens first goal since Tuesday. And I was making fun of the Oilers' offense.
3:42: After the first 20 minutes of hockey, it's Penguins 1, Oilers 0. Some other first period stats: shots were 13-1 Pens; hits were 12-6 Pens; Oilers were 0-for-2 on the PP; and Mr. & Mrs. Malkin made one appearance on the Jumbotron to thunderous applause.
4:00: We're off and running in Period II, and the Oilers already tripled their shot output from Period I. Must have been one heck of a locker-room speech.
4:08: GOAL! But the net was dislodged. So no goal. But wait! Max Talbot fakes Devan Dubnyk out of his jock and lights the lamp for the Pens just moments later, his 8th of the season, at 6:27 of the 2nd. Penguins 2, Oilers 0.
4:14: Chris Kunitz gets called for slashing, giving the Oilers another crack at a power play. I'm confident that this will end well, given what I've seen from Edmonton so far today.
4:16: Yeah, that pretty much went as expected. Now let me turn my attention to the Smith's Hot Dog giveaway. Unfortunately, I'm not sitting in section 102 today, so no free Official Hot Dog of the Penguins.
4:21: Penalty on the Oilers means the Pens' 21st-ranked PP unit hits the ice. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
4:24: That's three unsuccessful power plays for each team so far today. In other words, I'm confident that no all-time single-game scoring records will be broken this afternoon.
4:27: Kiss Cam time! Let's hope for some awkwardness!
4:29: Mr. and Mrs. Malkin close the kiss-cam segment with a lip-lock for the ages. And no, I wasn't fast enough to catch it with my camera.
4:31: Matt Cooke gets stopped on a nice chance, doesn't pass on the opportunity to mix it up immediately afterwards. Hey, he didn't get that SI article because he's a
4:32: GOAL! The combination of Tyler Kennedy and Jordan Staal put the Pens up 3-0 with about a minute left in the second. It's Staal's 8th of the season. Cooke also gets an assist. Now I must focus on the Dairy Queen Bazooka Blast.
4:51: Time to put down the snacks and focus on the third period. If the Pens can close this out and Pitt scores a #1 seed tonight, this should be a pretty good day in terms of Pittsburgh sports. Even the Pirates won!
4:54: And right on schedule, Ryan Jones ruins MAF's shutout with his 16th goal of the season at 1:11 of the third. As for the jinx, you're welcome.
4:59: Alexei Kovalev's been pretty quiet today (2 penalty minutes, 1 shot), but he managed to draw a penalty on Jeff Petry. If someone can give the Pens' PP some smelling salts, this might be a prime opportunity for an insurance goal.
5:02: The Pens are now 0 for their last 22 power plays, and 1 for their last 36. They haven't scored a PP goal in the month of March. Not a good sign going into the postseason.
5:05: GOAL! Zbynek Michalek scores his 2nd of the season on an assist from Craig Adams and Max Talbot at 7:52. Not only is it Michalek's second goal of the season, it's his second in the last week. 4-1 Pens.
5:08: The Pens announce today is consecutive sellout #201. We've come a long way since the Kansas City rumors.
5:10: While I was busy cracking one-liners today, the Oilers have somehow closed the gap in shots to 27-24 after falling behind 13-2 after one period. MAF has quietly played a solid game, and the defense has been praiseworthy as well.
5:12: Ron Burgundy and Brick Tamland prompt the CEC faithful to make loud noises, to moderate success. On that note, has it really been seven years since Anchorman came into our lives?
5:15: MAF is whistled for delay of game, to be served by Mike Rupp. That's called taking one for the team. Six minutes to go in this one.
5:16: Man down! Shawn Horcoff of the Oilers gets a slapshot absolutely blasted off his ankle at close range. That had to hurt...but he was able to skate off.
5:17: Kris Letang just got absolutely leveled behind the Pens' net by Gilbert Brule. Let's just say that wasn't appreciated by Letang's teammates. It's ruled a charging penalty, which puts the Penguins' power play back on the ice(!)
5:20: A Pens power play goal? A Pens power play goal! The slump is over! Chris Kunitz, come on down! Pens 5, Oilers 1, with 3:44 to go. Chili?
5:22: I was just saying, "Gee, it's been a while since I've heard Cotton Eyed Joe...."
5:24: We've got some legit candidates for Three Stars today. MAF has stopped 27 of 28, so you'd have to think he's in the running. Tyler Kennedy is dishing out assists like a young John Stockton. Chris Kunitz has two much-needed goals. I go with that trio in some order.
5:28: And there we have it! Pens 5, Oilers 1 - a nice win and a nice effort after Saturday's stink bomb against Montreal. Now let's hope the trip from the arena is better than the trip to the arena.
TWITTER: twitter.com/mondesishouse
EMAIL: mondesishouse@gmail.com
3/10/2011
Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week
It's hard to believe, but the time has come for another edition of Best of the Web, your weekly all-you-can-digest trip around the world of Pittsburgh sports. Inside this week: a heartbreaker for Robert Morris (and controversy for their old coach), a rematch for Pitt, trouble for Terrelle, Pascal Dupuis' entry into the world of food, How Hines Ward Celebrated His Birthday, the sudden retirement of a WVU legend, and much, much more. As usual, we're going 20 links deep, so buckle up.
TWITTER: twitter.com/mondesishouse [93.7 The Fan at CBS Pittsburgh]
EMAIL: mondesishouse@gmail.com
3/09/2011
Dan Bylsma Gets 3-Year Extension
The Penguins haven't exactly been the Steelers when it comes to matters of continuity with their head coach, but they took another step towards changing that today.
3/08/2011
3/07/2011
3/03/2011
Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week
It's a busy week in Pittsburgh sports, with the Pens, Panthers, and Pirates in full swing, and the Steelers making some moves while football's still in business. That means I've got ample material to choose from for this week's edition of Best of the Web, which also covers the Hines Ward Dancing With the Stars saga, a familiar face interviewing with the Steelers, the arrival of the Pittsburgh Power season, Pittsburgh's world-class rudeness, and much, much more.
And if that's not enough, here's a bonus 21st link: The Top 25 Charlie Sheen quotes from his first week of explaining how awesome Charlie Sheen is. Because much like Charlie, this list is a winner.
TWITTER: twitter.com/mondesishouse [93.7 The Fan at CBS Pittsburgh]
And if that's not enough, here's a bonus 21st link: The Top 25 Charlie Sheen quotes from his first week of explaining how awesome Charlie Sheen is. Because much like Charlie, this list is a winner.
EMAIL: mondesishouse@gmail.com
2/28/2011
2/24/2011
Brooks Orpik Out Four Weeks
The diagnosis is in on Brooks Orpik, and of course, it's bad: a broken finger, which will sideline the pulse of the Pens' defense for four weeks. What, you expected good news? Given the Pens' luck, Orpik's lucky they don't have to amputate that finger.
Now that the Pens have three less defensemen than they did a few games ago, Rob Rossi writes that the team "is looking at D options" and that they "aren't done". Maybe they can swing a deal for Alex Goligoski?
But seriously, the situation on D should get a little better if Paul Martin can return as expected for the team's next game on Friday against Carolina. That's a good starting point. Mark Letestu and Dustin Jeffrey are also expected to return for that contest from the Pens' overcrowded list of the walking wounded; so with three guys coming back, plus Kovalev, plus the Dallas guys, there are a few reasons to be moderately optimistic about the team's short-term health entering a five-game road trip. Although this season, being optimistic is kind of dangerous. With the Pens' recent history, getting six healthy bodies back probably means Marc-Andre Fleury will slip on a banana peel and have an anvil fall on his head sometime in the next 24 hours.
Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week
It’s time for another buffet of links, going the usual 20 deep, in this week’s Best of the Web. This edition is rather Penguin-centric, with news on last night’s drama-fest at the CEC and the injury to Brooks Orpik, as well as trade rumors, a new job for a former Penguin executive, and high ratings for NBC’s Pens-Hawks game on Sunday. We’ve also got Steeler free agent talk, an absurd article on Big Ben, a look at the upcoming Pitt-WVU hoops game, and Jason Kendall being Jason Kendall, among many other tidbits. Because everyone loves tidbits, right?
[93.7 The Fan at CBS Pittsburgh]
TWITTER: twitter.com/mondesishouse
EMAIL: mondesishouse@gmail.com
2/22/2011
News and Notes
Another bit of feedback from the recent survey was a request for me to get back to doing more "link" posts beyond the weekly Best of the Web. As I often say, ask and you shall receive:
2/21/2011
Pens Deal Goligoski to Dallas for James Neal, Matt Niskanen
Ray Shero was busy shuffling the deck for another Cup run today, trading 25-year-old defenseman Alex Goligoski to Dallas for LW James Neal, 23, and D Matt Niskanen, age 24. And to answer your next question, yes, that would be the same Niskanen who fought Sidney Crosby this past November.
Weekend Wrapup
By my count, this is three disappointing weekends in a row in the world of Pittsburgh sports. Two weekends ago, we had the Super Bowl, which we will speak no more of. Last weekend, it was two Penguin losses (one making a mockery of the sport) and the death of Fam-a-Lee skipper Chuck Tanner, the last Pirate manager to win a World Series. This weekend, wins were elusive to both of the Pittsburgh teams in action. A recap after the jump:
2/18/2011
MH Joins the Big Lead Sports Family
As the Mondesi's House Extreme Makeover continues, another little piece fell into place today as the site officially became a part of the Big Lead Sports family of websites. I felt that the opportunities offered by BLS would really help the site in the long run, and I am tremendously excited to now be associated with one of the most popular sites in the sports blogosphere, The Big Lead.
I realize this week has been very choppy in terms of coverage due to the changes that have taken place and will be taking place, but everything should be back to normal by Monday. And by the way, if there are any other changes you'd like to suggest, please feel free to do so via email or Twitter. Thanks again for your patience during the little remodeling and your continued support of MH.
Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com
2/16/2011
Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week
It’s time for another round of 20 links devoted to all things Pittsburgh, spanning from Eric Godard to Frank The Tank to the great Ryan Doumit. Yes, no stone is left unturned in this week's Best of the Web, including news on a surprising Steeler coaching candidate, a nice sprinkling of some top 10, 50, and 100 lists, and most importantly, news on the new Dark Knight movie possibly coming to Pittsburgh and how the city continues its long-standing tie to the Batman franchise. You know, all the hard-hitting stuff you've come to know and love from me.
[93.7 The Fan at CBS Pittsburgh]
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com
MH Site Redesign Input Wanted
I've been very busy of late using my MH time towards an upcoming redesign/reboot to the site, which should slowly be rolling out soon. I'm sure you've noticed the lack of regular posts, but I have only so much time to use here, and I'd like to think of these as "bigger-picture" site projects. I'm happy to report that the pieces are gradually falling into place and the end result will be a much improved product that's more user-friendly.
With that in mind, I'd certainly appreciate your opinions on what you would like from the site going forward. I'm talking design, content, or any other changes you think would enhance your experience. I did this with my last major redesign a few years ago and received very valuable feedback that I was able to implement and continue to use to this day. I'm hopeful that we can get similar results this time around. I sincerely thank you in advance for any input you can share.
If you would like to share some thoughts on the site, please send your ideas to:
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com
2/14/2011
Wrapping Up a Rough Weekend
From losing Chuck Tanner to Friday Night at the Fights to the Penguins' bus breaking down in New York, this was not a memorable weekend in the annals of Pittsburgh sports, save for the Pitt win over 'Nova. But we shall fight on. A few thoughts:
2/10/2011
King Crosby Speaks
Sidney Crosby spoke to the media today, addressing his ongoing concussion issues and talking about when/if he may return to the ice this season:
Best of the Web: The Top 20 Links of the Week
It's link time, Yinzers. And we'll recover from a crushing Super Bowl loss with...link after link of injured or disciplined Penguins missing from the lineup for varying periods of time! Great!
Other than that, we've got the Steelers' first loss of the offseason, a famous beard meeting its demise, a guess on who gets the Steelers' franchise tag, an update on the Rinku and Dinesh movie, a new breakfast treat from a friendly Penguin, multiple surgeries for a Steeler, a ridiculous February defeat for the Pirates, and much, much more. As always, my message is the same: enjoy responsibly. Don't link and drive.
[93.7 The Fan at CBS Pittsburgh]
Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com
2/09/2011
Matt Cooke Facing Disciplinary Hearing
Another day, another Matt Cooke controversy...this time, it was his hit on Fedor Tyutin in last night's 4-1 Columbus win that is drawing the attention of Garage League Headquarters. For the record, Cooke received a five-minute major for charging on the play, but the Blue Jackets are crying foul. Those cries will be heard, as Cooke has a Wednesday disciplinary hearing scheduled with the league.
Cooke and Dan Bylsma both defended the hit, as you would probably expect, but I'm not too optimistic about the outcome of this one. Cooke has too often put himself in the middle of these controversies, and by now it's perceived that such plays are no accident. He's quickly becoming the James Harrison of the NHL, at least in the sense that his reputation precedes him, and he may very well have to sit down and cool off for a while after this latest event.
Mondesi's House: The Director's Cut (more links, commentary, etc): twitter.com/mondesishouse
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com
Email: mondesishouse@gmail.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)