TODAY'S HEADLINES

Sid saves the day: Sidney Crosby scored the lone shootout goal, saving Canada from a huge upset at the hands of Switzerland last night in a 3-2 win. It was another memorable moment in the rapidly-expanding universe of Crosby highlights, and this time it prevented a Swiss upset of Canada for the second time in as many Olympics. Switzerland has just two NHL players on their Olympic roster.

Crosby was not on the 2006 Canada squad that lost to Switzerland in Turin, and like he usually does, he made his point through actions last night. Because of Sid's heroics, 33 million Canadians can breathe a little easier today, but the Americans will come hungry for their showdown with Canada on Sunday.

Martin Brodeur, who allowed two goals on 23 shots, rose to the occasion by stopping all four Swiss shootout attempts. Nonetheless, it was a huge scare for Canada, which continues to struggle with line chemistry despite peppering Swiss goalie Jonas Hiller with 47 shots.

The Canada-US game is set for Sunday night at 7:40 PM Eastern. [PG]

Malone, US cruise past Norway: Pittsburgh native Ryan Malone scored his second goal of the Olympics, Brian Rafalski added a late pair, and the US defense held Norway to just 11 shots in a 6-1 win for the Americans.

Malone assisted on a first-period goal by Phil Kessel to get the scoring started, and goals by Chris Drury and Patrick Kane stretched the U.S. lead to 3-0 before Norway would get on the board. The lopsided victory is actually beneficial in this style of play, which uses goal differential as a tiebreaker, so the third-period goals by Rafalski and Malone did more than pad a lead.

The Americans, who've already outdone their 1-4-1 performance in Turin, were probably guilty of looking forward to the Canada game, where the odds will certainly be against them. If common opponents are your thing, the U.S. had much less trouble with Switzerland than Canada did, handling them by a 3-1 count on Tuesday. But I'm of the belief that this will fall into the "throw out all the records" category. [ESPN]

Slovakia sneaks by Russia: Pavol Demitra scored in the seventh round of the shootout, lifting Slovakia to a surprising 2-1 win over Russia late last night.

Former Penguin Alexei Morozov's goal for Russia held up until the 9:48 mark of the third period, when another ex-Penguin, Marian Hossa, beat Russian goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to tie the game at one.

Russia's Alexander Ovechkin and Slovakia's Jozef Stumpel traded shootout goals, but it was Demitra's that would eventually end it for Slovakia. Evgeni Malkin, held scoreless on seven shots during the game, had the final chance, but was stopped by Slovakia goalie Jaroslav Halak. [ESPN]

And don't forget about Pitt: The Panthers weren't sitting around watching Olympic hockey last night, as they were too busy beating Marquette 58-51 at the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

If you want to talk about balanced attacks, Pitt defined that last night, as Nasir Robinson, Gary McGhee, Brad Wanamaker, and Jermaine Dixon all led the team with 10 points each. Ashton Gibbs' game went MIA, as he was 0-for-6 from the floor and finished with just two points.

The Panthers finally got a big contribution from much-heralded and seldom-playing Dante Taylor, who had three uncontested dunks in a span of about two minutes to help Pitt go on a 14-5 run early in the second half. McGhee added a career-best six blocks, and Jermaine Dixon added seven boards to round out the Panther attack.

20-6 Pitt next faces 22-3 Villanova in an Elite Eight rematch on Sunday at the Pete. You're going down, Scottie Reynolds. [ESPN]

Hey, Penn State won a Big 10 game! Just for Adam the Penn State Fan, here's a quick congrats to the Nittany Lions for raising their conference record to 1-12 with an 81-70 win over Northwestern last night.

Chris Babb and David Jackson each scored 20 for the Nittany Lions, who shot 56% from the floor and 87% from the line on the night. [ESPN]

A Pirate already hurt: We're just days into pitchers and catchers reporting for duty and already reliever Joel Hanrahan is facing an injury.

The righty will probably open the regular season on the DL with a strained right flexor-pronator, which means another job just opened up for someone in the pen. He will visit the only sports doctor in the universe, Dr. James Andrews, for a second opinion next Thursday, but it doesn't sound good. [Trib]

Bo Duke, the General Lee, and Jake Busey coming to the Burgh: And they're not the only ones. Steel City Con, the huge pop culture fest, is going down next weekend at the Monroeville Convention Center. It's billed as the largest toy show in the US.

There are ample celebrities booked for appearances, and you can find the whole list here. You can also see unique movie and TV props, like the Back to the Future Delorean and the B-9 robot from Lost in Space. [SteelCityCon.com]

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Koz: TRADE DEADLINE WRAPUP

It's time for a guest column from our old friend Koz, who reflects in the afterglow of the trade deadline from the Penguin point of view. And now, in the words of Koz...

It's not been long since the Pens looked dead in the water. The coaching change rekindled a smoldering team and its playoff chances, but a Stanley Cup seems unlikely. As we reflect in the hangover of the trade deadline, this years Penguins are built to make a run, but no move was made to go “all in.”

As of today, the Penguins need to go 10-7 to make the playoffs. James Mirtle has put together the “playoff push” at fromtherink.com. Seeing that no team makes the playoffs in the shootout era with less than 90 points in the standings, this is a good gauge. Given the competition this season, it looks as though it will take closer to 92 points. The Pens have what I would call six “swing games” left – games against opponents also competing for the same playoff spot. Losing a swing game will have a big impact on the playoff push figure.

Is it more Dan Bylsma or is it that its NOT Michel Therrien? Too early to say, but I'm leaning toward the latter. The players were professional by not burying their old coach in the media, but they sure play like they are glad he's gone.

I've been for trading Jordan Staal, but I'm glad he's still around. Considering the players who moved and where the team stands, the value wasn't there and there's no need to be hasty.

Bye-bye Ryan Whitney. Should have seen this coming when my Penguins season schedule Windows wallpaper featured Orpik and Gonchar but no Whitney. Who knows what's going on with his foot problems, but inconsistent play (a career “minus” player) and other young puck moving defensemen waiting in the wings make this a good move. You have to “give to get” and Shero got out early on what might be end up an unfortunate contract for Whitney's future employer – he is inked for $4.5, $5, and $5.5 million in the last three years of his deal. That's Gonchar money and clearly Whitney isn't that.

The Pens didn't trade Sidney Crosby. Sorry to disappoint the growing numbers in the mainstream media who have been talking about this. While I don't think anyone was suggesting it as a deadline option, this is an “only in fantasy hockey” option. Trading Crosby in real life is a no-win situation and anyone who seriously suggests it is a loser. There is no way to get significant value for a once-in-a-generation talent and marketable figure. Evgeni Malkin is the Penguins best player, but that doesn't make Crosby a tradable commodity. Until Crosby can score more goals and dominate the play by himself, Malkin will be the team MVP.

Chris Kunitz has certainly had impact early. Amazing how a powerplay changes with a suitable quarterback (Gonchar) and someone to bang home rebounds and cause traffic in front. He's cheaper than Ryan Malone, signed through '11/'12, and has a higher points per game (.62 to .58).

The Pens got a lot this deadline without giving much away. Come to think of it, did they really give that much away last year? Christensen is still mediocre on good days and now been traded again, who knows what will become of that draft pick, and Esposito is far away from being a contributor. Yeah, I miss Colby Armstrong, but I really liked the Stanley Cup Finals.

Speaking of Hossa, do you think he's reconsidered his decision to pass on seven years with Pittsburgh to go for a one year deal? Now our world's economy is in the crapper – affecting contract negotiations in all pro sports, the salary cap might shrink, and he had a near career-ending experience. I hope he's fine and bounces back, but these are exactly the reasons why you don't pass up long term deals.

Bill Guerin > Gary Roberts. I don't know if WWBGD wristbands will be the fashion rage this spring, but Guerin has found his way to the Penguins after being rumored in a few past season's deadline deals. He'll have more real impact (read: scoring) that the mythical impact of Roberts, but still adds plenty of grit. Add in that the Pens basically got him for zamboni tires and this can only be a good thing.

Anyone else hear about the rumors of Tampa trying to trade Ryan Malone back to Pittsburgh? Are these true? Did Ray Shero even take that phone call or did his assistant screen them? All future deals with Tampa might have to include a “no tradebacks” clause to help keep the phone lines clear during deadline time.

I was stunned the Florida Panthers held on to Jay Bouwmeester. They are definitely “all in” for a run this year. That's unfortunate for the Pens because they have three more games against the Panthers. In addition to being in direct competition for a playoff spot, it would have been much easier to play against them with their best player and heart ripped out by a trade made to rebuild for the future again . In some ways it's a nice move for Panthers fans (all 59 of them) that I'm sure any of you who still root for Pittsburgh's baseball club can appreciate, because they should have an exciting spring. I expect them to make the playoffs and maybe win one round, but Bouwmeester is 99.99% certain to sign anywhere but Florida this offseason as an unrestricted free agent.

The Philadelphia Flyers traded for Daniel Carcillo. As the Post Gazette's Empty Netters would point out, I think Carcillo actually has a PhD in puppy drowning. The Flyers will never win anything until they realize the NHL is not Mutant League Hockey for Sega Genesis.

Mark Recchi is a cougar. He's “experienced” (read: old) but can still get it done and he just lurks around the team for a fresh young team to pounce on. It won him a Cup in Carolina, got him back with the Pens last season (though they dumped him), sent him to Tampa (oops) who was spending money like a college grad with a signing bonus, and now has him leeching in Boston. I think New Jersey's defense, newfound scoring punch, and a fresh Brodeur makes the Devils the East favorite, but Boston has been tough all year.

Sean Avery is back with the Rangers. Perfect. I hate them both and will enjoy seeing them on the outside looking in in April. I like John Tortorella, but I don't see how he salvages that mess.

The Washington Capitals did nothing at the deadline, but I don't think they need much. They are the “new Penguins” with hot young talent like Ovechkin, Semin, Backstrom and Mike Green. Mike Green is an absolute beast with the puck – he excels in every way that Ryan Whitney underwhelms. Their biggest question is goaltending. If Theodore gets hot in the playoffs, which I find unlikely, the Caps would be really tough to beat. Airbrush artists are disappointed today because we didn't see many goalies swapping colors.

Montreal also stayed pat at the deadline. The pressure is mounting and this team has been floundering – good news for the Pens. I can only think of one way to explain the Canadiens falling out of the playoffs in their centennial season:

Thoughts? You can reach Koz at koz81@comcast.net.

PENS MOVE INTO 8TH PLACE

PENS 4
STARS 1

The red-hot Pittsburgh Penguins moved to 5-1-1 under new coach/savior Dan Bylsma and 2-0 on their five-game road trip with a 4-1 win at Dallas, a contest marred only by FSN Pittsburgh broadcasting problems that Rob King apologized for profusely in the postgame wrapup. The win vaulted the Penguins into the magical eighth slot in the Eastern Conference standings. Ahh, if only the playoffs started tonight.

Once again, the goal-scorers were encouraging, including the Staal/Satan combo that teamed up for a pair on Friday, Kris Letang, and Evgeni Malkin, who notched his 29th of the season on a second period power play goal. Malkin was named the game's first star.

Playing without Sidney Crosby for a third consecutive game, the Penguins built a 4-0 lead after two periods, with Marc-Andre Fleury allowing only a third-period goal by Loui Eriksson in the process of achieving his 100th career victory. This was a game the Penguins should have won, and they did just that. A coaching change, a trade, a couple of wins, and all of a sudden, things are beginning to look a little brighter.

Next up is another winnable game, a Tuesday night matchup with the Pittsburgh South/Tampa Bay Lightning (20-30-12). Reports say the Lightning might be dangling Ryan Malone just months into his 7-year, $31 million contract. Other than Ryan Malone's bank account, did that deal really help anybody?

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

NEWS AND NOTES

--Friday's Backyard Brawl will probably be your last chance to watch Shady McCoy play at Heinz Field (for Pitt, that is). [PG]

--Congrats to my W&J Presidents, 35-21 winners in their first-round playoff game against Christopher Newport, which is either a school or one singular guy who somehow made it into the D-3 playoffs. [Washjeff.edu]

--Here's the highly-anticipated Ryan Malone song, sung by a guy who is really bitter towards Ryan Malone. [The PensBlog]

--Big Ben brings his mouth to a gunfight...and wins. What can't he do? [SPORTSbyBROOKS]

--Ben Roethlisberger=Guy Fieri. You'll just have to click the link to see how it relates. [Hugging Harold Reynolds]

--The Phil Savage email fiasco is detailed at length by Joe Bendel, with photos. A definite candidate for story of the year. [Fox 970]

--Loyal Notre Dame fans spent Saturday hurling snowballs at their own team during the Syracuse game. Yeah, that Charlie Weis hire is really working out well. [AOL Fanhouse]

--Looks like Pitt inked a top-25 recruiting class for hoops. Some have it 9th, some have it 24th. [PG]

--The Pens get high marks from Scott Burnside in his quarter-season report. [ESPN]

--PacMan Jones' next misstep will probably be the end of his NFL career. Can we start calling him "Morris the Cat" at this point? [ESPN]

--Anyone curious to see what Macho Man Randy Savage looks like these days? [Zimbio]

--A simply unreal Barry Bonds tattoo. That is all. [Mouthpiece Sports]

--Is it me, or does this recap of the Bengal-Steeler game sound a little overly-optimistic? [Cincinnati.com]

--Is the world aware that there's an ongoing lawsuit between Taco Bell and 50 Cent over their offer to give $10,000 to charity if he changed his name to 79, 89, or 99 Cent? [TMZ]

--I know this is from last week, but I didn't get a chance to mention it: how stupid were the auto manufacturer CEOs who flew private jets to ask the government for money? [ABC News]

--The word 'meh', thought of to be introduced to the world in a 2001 episode of The Simpsons, makes the cut for this year's Collins Dictionary. [Wall Street Fighter]

--There are 34 bowl games this year, meaning that 68 teams will be playing in the postseason. That's bigger than March Madness. [Wall St. Journal]

--OK know-it-alls: here's 5 things you didn't know about the NFL. [Ask Men]

--Why are America's worst hamburgers all so tasty? [Men's Health]

--Want to lose some fat from eating all of those bad hamburgers? Read this first. [Ask Men]

--Check out this video of young Adam Bender, the boy who plays little league with one leg. [YouTube]

--It's a sad days for Dancing with the Stars fans: Julianne Hough has called it quits, ending her Steeler-like dynasty. [Yahoo!] TV

--Twilight took in over $70 million this weekend, probably because there was no Steeler game to distract the country. [LA Times]

--Here are the 25 worst-selling #1 albums of all time. If you're wondering, the Ron Artest album doesn't qualify, since it never reached #1. [Yahoo!]

--The follow-up to Superbad has a trailer, and it looks promising. [FilmDrunk]

--Here's a list of the 10 Most Memorable Posthumous Performances. Wonder if Heath Ledger made the cut? [Yahoo! Movies]

--The child of Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz has a name: Bronx Mowgli. Seriously. [WWTDD]

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

NEWS AND NOTES

Been out of town for a few days, so I'm majorly backed up on reader emails and links. Plus, there are a few articles ready to go up, as well as the full recap and breakdown of the Pittsburgh Sports Media Popularity Contest. So help me at least partially clear out my inbox with a few of the better reader-submitted links:

--Former Lions RB Kevin Jones worked out, and the Steelers were one of four teams in attendance. I thought they were overloaded at running back?

--CBS's Pete Prisco decided to stir the pot and rank the Top 50 NFL players. Ben Roethlisberger was the only Steeler to crack the list, at #17. Of course, he would have to be below Carson Palmer (#8). The biggest story may be that FOUR Vikings made the top 20: #10, Kevin Williams; #12, Jared Allen; 15, Adrian Peterson; and 19, Steve Hutchinson.

--Kiss 96.1 found video of Georges Laraque singing "Ice, Ice Baby". Not sure if this will help or hurt him in free agency.

--The DVE morning show mentioned www.rottenneighbor.com, a website to "locate, rate, and share good and bad neighbors before and after you move."

--Cecil from Cecil sent over the 2008 video of the Stephen A. Smith sock-puppet hecklers at the NBA Draft.

--Vote for Pierogis N'at's Big Snack, a.k.a. Contestant 9, in an ESPN Radio 1250 search for on-air talent.

--Bob Smizik makes the case that Tampa Bay's turaround gives the Pirates hope. I think of the Rays kind of like the Penguins: a team blessed with so many high draft picks that they are just overloaded with young talent. Sorry, but the Pirates aren't in that boat yet.

--Any thoughts on the respective Ryan Malone and Gary Roberts jackpots from the Lightning?

Much more to follow later today

Devander: I HOPE RYAN MALONE LAUGHED

by Jason Devander
jasondevander@gmail.com

Honestly, I wanted to puke.

Granted, some of my stomach-churnings came in the aftermath of the Penguins being bounced by the Red Wings on Wednesday night, but I still wanted to vomit.

It goes back to Game 1 of the NBA Finals when Paul Pierce went down with, what looked like, a serious knee injury. He returned to the game minutes later, but my nausea arrived when he began to hit jumper after jumper and showing, what some called, "tremendous courage" by coming back after being hurt so seriously earlier.

He came back after flailing around on the floor, crying into the team doctor's arm while clutching his knee -- he refrained from licking his palms, a la Ferris Bueller -- and then teammates carried Pierce off the floor, which some folks at The Big Lead describe accurately as "more uncomfortable than any injury he received on the play." . For the big finish of embarrassment, team trainers or hangers-on whisked him away in a wheelchair to the locker room.

When you saw him go down, you thought "wow, that's a shame...his season's probably done." Then, as he returned several minutes later, healed by the miraculous powers of a neoprene knee brace, the inclination I felt became "wow, what a whiny, pussified girl" and so much like the kid you knew in fourth grade who cried when he got hit in the mouth with a Nerf football.

Now, I'm not the first nor the last to criticize Pierce. The Los Angeles Times' Bill Plaschke called BS on the moment, and so did, Phil Jackson, in so many words. But courage? Puh-leez. Yet, there were pundits after the game trying to compare Pierce's recovery from a knee injury to the comeback that the Knicks Willis Reed made in Game 7 of the 1970 NBA Finals.

Are you serious? Yes, they were serious. But, no, seriously people considered this an inspiring comeback. Have we gotten to this point in our society where the standards for magnificence are lowered to such an alarming degree?

Of course, the wonderful citizens of Boston will say this is the greatest thing ever, and they will all use this as another case of how the rest of the country hates-on everything Boston. In which case, they'll be right. I don't think it's a stretch to say that Boston is the new New York in the "I Hate Your Teams and Fans" Derby. (And for the record, I despise the expression "hate-on" and any form of "haters." Hate-on sounds too close to Head-On, the headache relief remedy applied directly to the forehead.

Don't get me wrong. I'm not a Lakers fan or a Celtics fan. And I really do believe that Pierce hurt his knee. But I am a sports fan who respects and relishes real acts of courage and playing through pain, especially on the largest possible stage of which the game can be played.

For the record, I believe Willis Reed's return in the 1970 Finals should always be remembered as one of the gutsiest and heart-filled performances by any athlete in any sport. Period. It ranks right up there with the Toronto Maple Leaf's Bobby Baun breaking his ankle in Game 6 of the 1964 Stanley Cup Finals and returning in the same game to score the overtime winner. It's there with Kirk Gibson's home run in the 1988 World Series. And let's not forget Michael Jordan's flu game in 1997.

But seriously, did Paul Pierce deserve the laurels that so many were ready to bestow upon him?

You want to talk about courage and playing through pain in THIS playoff year? How about Sergei Gonchar crashing into the boards at full speed in Game 5 vs. the Red Wings, hurting his back and shoulder, and then coming back to be a part of Petr Sykora's game-winner in overtime. And even that wasn't as impressive as Ryan Malone taking the USS Hal Gill's slap shot right in the face near the end of the second period, breaking his nose (again), and then returning for the start of the third after he was stitched up. Hell, Malone got up on his own and skated to the bench as blood poured from his face.

Malone didn't need a damn wheelchair.

And that's why I hope he laughed at Paul Pierce because, as the commercial says, "you'd never make it in the NHL."

QUITE A HOLE WE'VE EXCAVATED

DETROIT 3

PENGUINS 0

No, not even the much-ballyhooed presence of Luke Ravenstahl could inspire the Pens in Detroit

You've overachieved by everyone's standards all year long. Your team is down two games to none, failing to muster even one goal in Detroit Rock City. What time is it? Time for everyone's favorite pastime, The Blame Game!

Michel Therrien is blaming the refs. Gene Collier is calling out Gary Roberts for a "chicken-scat cheap shot" on Johan Franzen. John Fedko was pointing the finger at Evgeni Malkin, arguably the Penguins' 2007-08 regular season MVP, who has only one shot in two games. Fedko's callers were blaming Marc-Andre Fleury for giving up a few less-than-stellar goals. ESPN's Scott Burnside was busy making note of Ryan Malone's four penalties. Ron Cook is so down on the Penguins as a whole that he wants to know if it's too early to pick the Red Wings in three.

Everyone has theories, but no one has answers for how to deal with the Detroit Red Wings. They have outplayed, outhustled, and outscored the Penguins in nearly every facet of the game.

So the Penguins return home to Pittsburgh battered and bruised, their egos undoubtedly damaged. In what's becoming a recurring theme among the scratched, Georges Laraque was the latest to voice his opinion. Therrien and his coaches will go back to the drawing board, possibly juggling lines once again. What impact these events have had and will have on the Penguins' locker room is unknown to anyone who doesn't have access inside that sacred ground.

The bottom line is that the Red Wings aren't this good and the Penguins obviously aren't this bad. The shots for the Pens on Monday night were nearly as bad as in Game One: 6, 6, and 10, outshot 34-22 by the Wings. But just getting shots doesn't guarantee anything, because flopping Detroit goalie Chris Osgood has stopped every shot he's faced thus far.

Is the series over? Absolutely not, according to Max Talbot: "Look at me. I am really positive. We are going home, and that is a great thing. It is not like we lost two games at home. We lost the two away games. I think we got some good scoring chances. It could have went one side or the other."

I can only hope Talbot believes what he's saying, and watching him over the years, I'm sure he does. Hopefully that attitude is contagious, because the 1971 Chicago Blackhawks are the only team that's failed to win the Cup after winning the first two games at home. And if Detroit joins that team in history, that will be a Blame Game I'd love to see.

The Links:

PG:

Penguins face huge odds in trying to overcome 2-0 deficit

Penguins Q&A with Dave Molinari

Reputations falling as fast as Penguins

Detroit's domination has Penguins dazed, confused

Game Two: Stanley Cup Final photos

Red Wings: Babcock promises a better performance at Mellon Arena despite two practically flawless games

Detroit's domination has Penguins dazed, confused

Laraque unhappy with not playing

Trib:

Game 2: Scoreless Pens lose again (with Photo Gallery)

Starkey: Pens, Malkin fail to respond

Detroit Free Press:

Mitch Albom: Wings just two wins away from Cup

Angry Pens take verbal shots at Osgood

Franzen's return is one more headache for Penguins

ESPN:

Machinelike Wings taking life out of Penguins, Cup finals

Cherry/Melrose

The Crosby File

Pens look to regroup

TSN:

Just Two Good

Video: Highlights: PIT 0, DET 3

Video: The Breakdown

Video: A Little Bad Blood

Video: Podium: Sidney Crosby

Video: Podium: Michel Therrien

Video: Podium: Mike Babcock

Penguins still looking for first goal of Final

Koz: KNOW YOUR DETROIT RED WINGS

by Koz

koz81@comcast.net

The Pens face an unfamiliar foe in the Stanley Cup Finals, so let's bring you up to speed. You know what's at stake – the chance to have your name engraved on the same silver chalice as Jim Paek.

Leading Scorer(s) – The top two scorers for the Wings in both the playoffs and regular season are Henrik Zetterberg and Pavel Datsyuk. Zetterberg dates a Swedish model... and no it's not Henrik Lundqvist. Her name is “Emma Andersson.” You can google that one on your own time.

Detroit Red Wings brought to you by IKEA – The Wings have 9 Swedish players on their roster. The Penguins have none plus they have Jarkko Ruutu who is Finnish.

We know who this guy is rooting for

Public Enemy #1 – Team penalty minute leader Aaron Downey (116 regular season PIMs) hasn't played in the playoffs. Detroit's not a real “rough stuff” kind of team, though they are averaging more times shorthanded in the playoffs than the Pens (4.4 per game for Detroit vs. 3.9 for Pittsburgh). They aren't a soft team by any means though. Darren McCarty is probably a guy you'll learn to hate by the end of all this.

Goaltender - Chris Osgood is just about the only goalie running around with the player's helmet fashioned with a facemask (the other is teammate Dominik Hasek). What in the name of Wendell Young is that about?

Someone needs to tell Chris Osgood the 80's are over

Soon to be Overplayed Story Lines of the Series – Did you know that Sidney Crosby is only 20 years old? Did you know Marian Hossa used to struggle scoring during the playoffs? Did you know Ryan Malone is from Pittsburgh? Did you know Jerome Bettis is from Detroit? Did you know Chris Chelios is older than Methuselah? Did you know the Detroit fans throw octopi on the ice because they hate PETA?

This is the part where Cameron goes berserk

Hockeytown??? – The Detroit Red Wings haven't even sold out all their playoff games, including the conference finals. What a crock. This upcoming series is sold out, but I have a feeling we'll see some black and gold at the Joe Louis Arena. You can read more about how pathetic Detroit is here and here. Michael Moore blames General Motors for all this.

The only “Full House” associated with the Detroit Red Wings

I'll be at the Igloo for Games Three and Four (section B-15). Bring your cowbell. Let's do this.

STANLEY CUP A PENGUINS FAN

The Trib did their homework in unearthing an actual Saltsburg man whose name is Stanley Joseph Cup. And to top it off, he's a Pens fan with a tattoo of his namesake on his back.

Stanley Cup, a steel worker who puts in daily 10-hour shifts at the Akers National Roll mill in Avonmore, doesn't think of himself as a talisman. Nope, he said, he's just a regular guy.

OK, let me get this straight: a 59-year-old steelworker named Stanley Cup who happens to be a Penguins fan is out there and he's not being trotted out to every home game? This may be a bigger crime than the banner fiasco.

We also learned today in Penguin Fan News that Steelers DB Deshea Townsend has joined Mayor Ravenstahl in the "Celebrities Looking For Free Tickets" Club.

"I'll just call upstairs and see if they can pull it off," Townsend said of trying to score a few tickets through Steelers executives. "It's a great opportunity to be involved. Those are things you talk about later on in life; you're able to be involved when someone wins a championship."

In addition to Stanley Cup, Naked Flip-Flop Guy, Townsend and Ravenstahl, others are coming out of the woodwork to show their support. Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger plans on attending one of the games in Detroit. Pirates 1B Adam LaRoche recently admitted his new affinity for the game. Casey Hampton nearly broke the glass during the Rangers series. And it was also revealed that both Dan Rooney and Kevin Colbert have season tickets.

As for actual news on the players everyone is behind, here's a few links:

--ESPN is warming up to hockey again. Mike and Mike featured not only Mark Messier, but our very own Sidney Crosby on their show this morning.

--The .com end of the WWL featured Sid on the front page and compared him to Magic and Bird.

--Ryan Malone was featured at length for his blue-collar mentality. Props to Scott Burnside for his fresh angle on a Pittsburgh athlete. Was a smash-mouth Steeler unavailable?

--John Buccigross calls this the ultimate finals. SI's Michael Farber echoes Bucci's sentiments.

--TSN is all about MAF.

--Scotty Bowman is a consultant for the Red Wings and scouted the final three games of Pens-Flyers.

On a side note, he looks more and more like George Costanza:

and BREAKING NEWS!
Mayor Ravenstahl is ---gasp--- paying for his own tickets!

Stanley Cup, 59, backs Penguins [Trib]
Steelers and Pirates supporting Penguins in big way [PG]

LORD STANLEY, LORD STANLEY...

PENGUINS 6
FLYERS 0

2001-02: 28-41-8, 69 points.

2002-03: 27-44-6, 65 points.

2003-04: 23-47-8, 58 points.

2005-06: 22-46-8, 58 points.

Those were some long years, Penguin fans. Some LONG years. And that's before I bring up the fact that this team was up for sale and facing the possibility of relocation as recently as last year.

But Penguins management had a vision, one that was at least partially fulfilled on Sunday as another step was taken toward the ultimate goal of a championship. For the architects of the team, it had to be an incredibly rewarding day. Despite this being a long-range plan, the puzzle came together much quicker than anyone could have imagined, although that was certainly expedited by the February acquisitions of the final pieces: Pascal Dupuis, Hal Gill, and Marian Hossa.

And for Penguin fans, some of the most loyal in all of sports, it was a memorable day as well. I was there for the last day of the 2003-04 season as 16,124 boisterous Pens fans filled Mellon Arena to 95.1% of its capacity for a matchup with the 23-46-3 Washington Capitals. Not a bad turnout for a team that lost 18 games in a row during that season.

The goals that day were scored by Lasse Pirjeta, Matt Bradley, and Milan Kraft. Other names on the scoresheet included Fata, Hussey, Jackman, and Focht. The goalie was Sebastien Caron. A handful of players on the current squad were on the team that day, including Ryan Malone, Rob Scuderi, Brooks Orpik, and Marc-Andre Fleury. For those men, a trip to the Stanley Cup was probably the last thing on their minds as they suffered through that nightmarish season. They deserve all the accolades they are now receiving, as they were all part of the transition from also-rans to front-runners.

Yes, there couldn't have been a better script written other than the one that played out on Sunday. The Penguins advanced to the Stanley Cup, they were at home, they beat the Flyers, they scored six goals (two by hometown Malone) and Fleury got a shutout. The Penguins and their fans both left Mellon Arena incredibly satisfied but hungry for more.

The bond the Penguins have created with their fans was not a task completed overnight. It's the culmination of Student Rush tickets, delivering season tickets in person, handing out pizza to people outside the Arena, giant video screens for every playoff game, and scores of local charity events. Sure, the winning greatly helps, but this group is absolutely beloved by its followers.

The only sad part of Sunday's festivities was the realization that this will be the last time we see this particular group of players together. As Marian Hossa, Ty Conklin, Georges Laraque, Gary Roberts, Jarkko Ruutu, Pascal Dupuis, Adam Hall, Malone, Orpik and others hit unrestricted free agency, it's inevitable that some of them will no longer be Penguins. But if Ray Shero and company have proven one thing, it's that they know how to build a franchise. And as long as "The Big Four" are around and healthy, I'm pretty confident that the Penguins will be in the mix come this time of year for many seasons to come.

[By the way, I just wanted to note that I had this entire story written and lost it due to a crash. No, I've never heard of the word "backup" or "autosave". So it had to be completely re-written. Sorry for the late posting. Links, etc. to follow soon.]

ORANGE CRUSHED

PENGUINS 4

FLYERS 1

There is nothing sweeter for a Penguin fan than watching 19,965 orange-clad Philadelphians go home disappointed. Actually, there is; that would be a win in Game Four on Thursday night, which would be sweeping the Flyers off of their own ice. But we'll just have to wait a bit on the inevitable.

This game was all about de-fense, de-fense, and more de-fense. That, and the amazing goal-scoring magic of Marian Hossa, who never scores goals in the playoffs. Not only did he get what would be the game-winner back in the first period, but he put a nice bow on his effort with an empty-netter (a hockey phrase obviously named after the PG's great blog), his 8th goal of the postseason.

Unfortunately for Hossa, that still wasn't enough to crack the night's three stars. You've gotta squeeze R.J. Umberger in there, probably because of his Pittsburgh roots.

Yes, despite the excitement generated by the Pride of Plum, it was another bland performance from the Flyers, who are playing with about as much passion as the 1985 Pirates. They could only muster 18 shots on goal (5/3/10), and they weren't even in the mood to mix it up. But it's hard to have much emotion when you're constantly getting killed by Steve Downie gift-wrapping goals for the opponent. I thought T.O. left Philadelphia, but he apparently just switched sports.

Besides T.O., many fingers will be pointed at Daniel Houdini-Briere, who failed to register a shot (although he did get an assist). That's a sound, $52 million investment there. He's a real difference-maker.

MAF had another solid game, stopping 17 of the 18 shots he faced, although his most amazing accomplishment was probably fighting off the boredom of facing the Philadelphia offense. The Pens got a great all-around effort out of Ryan Malone, with a goal and three hits, and Ryan Whitney, who figured out that Flyers can be used as props on fancy goal-scoring attempts.

So the series resumes (and hopefully ends) on Thursday night in Comcast Country. Be there with brooms in hand...again.

Game Notes:

--The Penguins are 11-1, the first team to start the playoffs with that record since the 1983 Edmonton Oilers. Unfortunately, nothing good ever happened to that team.

--Versus, you're absolutely killing me. Derian Hatcher had a great Game Two? On what, the NHL2K8 season you're playing in your hotel room on off days? And also, could you possibly tone down your pro-Flyer agenda just a bit?

--Tonight's Unnecessary Versus In-Game Interview Subject: Ray Shero.

ESPN Fast Facts:

--The Flyers' low shot total for a playoff game was 13 on May 24, 2000, against New Jersey in the East finals.

--Gary Roberts sat out due to illness and was replaced by Adam Hall.

--A pregame moment of silence was held in the blacked-out arena for Stephen Liczbinski, a Flyers fan and member of the Philadelphia police force, who was killed last week in the line of duty.

Links:

--Empty Netters live-blogs from their couch.

--Trib wrapup and Photo Gallery here.

--Jordan Staal is flying home Wednesday for his grandfather's funeral.

Your victory California Soul! Unfortunately, I only saw it once during the broadcast. Hopefully it's not dying a slow death a la the Flyers.

GET THE BROOMS OUT...AGAIN

PENGUINS 5

RANGERS 3

If this series continues to play out like it has so far, Sean Avery can report to his offseason internship at Vogue even earlier than anticipated. And he can send a thank-you note to teammate Ryan Hollweg, who decided at 15:56 of the second period, "Screw it, I'm going to drive Petr Sykora headfirst into the boards."

Hollweg's stroke of brilliance resulted in an Evgeni Malkin power play goal moments later, giving the Penguins a 4-3 lead that they would not surrender, spurring the Penguins on to a seventh consecutive playoff win and a 3-0 series lead.

The stat sheet tells only part of the story of this game. The Penguins scored five goals on only 17 shots, including lamp-lighters from Marian Hossa, Georges Laraque, Ryan Malone, and a pair from Malkin. On the other side of the ledger, Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 36 of the 39 shots he faced, running his playoff record to 7-0 in the process.

So the brooms most recently used to usher the lifeless Ottawa Senators out of the playoffs will come out of the janitor's closet once again on Thursday night at MSG. It will be an intriguing game on a number of levels: Will this young Penguins nucleus advance to their first conference finals? Will Jaromir Jagr retire? Will Avery take a run at Crosby? Has Brendan Shanahan decided which golf course he'll visit first?

Game Notes:

--Saturation coverage on all things Game Three from the PG's Empty Netters.

--Gary Roberts was a healthy scratch. Mike Prisuta asks if the Penguins still need him.

--Gene Collier shows some Malkin Love.

--Here's the Trib's official Photo Gallery.

--Prisuta: Crosby, Malkin ready for anything

--"He's awesome," right wing Marian Hossa said of Malkin, whose six points pace all players in the series. "Right now, he's playing unbelievable. The best player in the world."

ESPN Fast Facts:

--The Penguins became the 11th team in NHL history to start the playoffs 7-0. Eight of these teams won the Cup.

--Since 1984, only four players have won both the Hart Trophy and the Stanley Cup in the same year. Evgeni Malkin, is the only player who has a shot at the double this season

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.

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.

Koz: Come On, Get Happy!

PENGUINS 3

PANTHERS 2

by Koz

koz@insightbb.com

As the sun rises on Pittsburgh this 20th day of February 2008, the following statements are true:

--The Flyers have lost eight consecutive games.
--The New York Rangers blew a five goal lead and lost in a shootout.
--The Pittsburgh Penguins scored three third period goals to beat Florida and take first place in the Atlantic Division.
--Evgeni Malkin is the NHL scoring leader.

You can't say enough about a third period comeback like last night. The thing is, I almost expected it. I probably had no reason to, but the team is just taking on that kind of personality.

Ryan Malone – Just like Dino Ciccarelli, but without the misdemeanors: Last week, I briefly mentioned the development of Bugsy as a legit power forward. He's second on the team in hits and sticks up for his teammates with some momentum swinging fights. He comes up big in key moments, tied for the team lead in game winners (4) and secondly only to Crosby with a +11 rating. Wasn't it about this time last year that he was rumoured (you have to use that spelling when referring to hockey trades) to be going to the Rangers? Good thing that never happened. It's been a while since the Pens have had a quality power forward playing at a high level; this is a position crucial for playoff success.

Three's Company?: After doubting Ty Conklin in last week's column, he's responded by allowing no more than two goals in each of his last three games. Marc-Andre Fleury is rehabbing well by all accounts in WB/S (Three games, four goals, .957 save percentage). Now there is talk of three goaltenders.

Unless Therrien starts the All-Star Game Rotation, there's no way for the team to keep three goalies. Down the stretch, goalies need to find a groove. It'll be hard enough trying to keep Conklin hot and get Fleury back into NHL shape without Dany Sabourin hanging around. Besides, how crowded can the runway to the locker room get?

If Ray Shero thinks the Pens are a legitimate Cup contender, it doesn't make sense to have three goalies. I realize Sabourin is likely to be picked up on waivers as he's a bargain when you compare him to the quality of similar goalies financially (and the team who picks him up would only pay half price). But sitting the bench and playing as infrequently as a third goalie would play isn't very good anyway. The only decent reason I could see to hang on to a third NHL caliber goalie would be for fear of another injury to MAF or Conklin.

The next three games for the Pens (at Montreal, Ottawa and San Jose at home) could clear this up nicely. These are crucial games against tough opponents. All three teams have at least 70 points, and of course, Montreal and Ottawa are battling for the top spot in the logjam that is the Eastern Conference. If Conklin continues his success into next week it would do a lot to solidify him as the #1 for now. If he's shaky and Fleury returns, it could stir some more controversy.

Of course, if Sabourin were to have an accident we could move him out of the way easily via IR...

Where's Tonya Harding's bodyguard when you need him?

Attention displaced Penguins fans: For those outside the FSN Pittsburgh viewing area, Sunday's upcoming game against San Jose is available online through Yahoo!

Hockey YouTube of the Week: In honor of last night's number one star and considering my hatred for both the Maple Leafs and convicted DUI offenders, let's enjoy this moment from earlier this year when Ryan Malone broke Mark Bell's face and put him on IR until mid-March.

Somewhere, Lucifer is trying on parkas: In the past week Jarkko Ruutu and Brooks Orpik scored goals. Rob Scuderi, you're on the clock.

Motivational Call-Out of the Week: After calling out Sidney's weak ankle ligaments last week, all the buzz now is he might be returning on the short end of the 6-8 week prognosis. This comes on the heels of successful tactics of call-outs leading to success (see Whitney & Letang, 2/7/08). This week, I'm going on record against the people at Powerball for never picking my numbers out of the machine. What's up with that?

NHL Improvement Idea of the Week: News from the GM meetings in Florida indicates Marc-Andre Fleury might not want to get too comfortable in those new white pads. He might need new ones again next year (maybe he can go all black?) after the GM's unanimously agreed to continue to streamline goaltender equipment. This is definitely the preferred way to go rather than increasing the net size. If you look at old highlights, the goalies were much smaller, but the nets were the same size. Changing the nets would have historical impact, but restricting the mammoth pads would just work the standard back where it used to be.

Mondesi Field Trip to Pens Practice

Why do all these kids want a picture of Mike Yeo? Oh, wait. #87 is standing there, too.

After all these years living in the backyard of the Pittsburgh Penguins' practice facility, I finally decided to take the afternoon off and check it out firsthand. With father and brother Mondesi in tow, we descended on the beautiful Iceoplex at Southpointe in Canonsburg, PA, for an official Penguins practice. Keep in mind one thing---the Penguins' practice uniforms are made with a material that is very reflective of things like, say, a digital camera flash. So your eyes are not deceiving you. This is not Tron on Ice.

Escalade, Range Rover, Escalade...yep, I think we're at the right place. Although it seems like a rather random place to set up a playhouse.

The fantastic Jay's Sports Bar, overlooking Penguins practice. I recommend the cheese fries.

Georges Laraque and Gary Roberts discuss how many Pittsburghers skip work and school to watch hockey practice

Laraque does an effective job screening Marc-Andre Fleury. Fleury is too afraid to ask him to move out of the way.

Anyone in school today...anyone?

Here's a great shot of the "luxury boxes" in Jay's sports bar, overlooking practice.

Take a knee, boys. We need to discuss these GwenJen pictures.

MAF, biding his time until the next shootout on Saturday night.

Ryan Malone, who for some reason glows like this even when he's not wearing a jersey.

This has to be the only set-up where you can watch a world class team practice while running on a treadmill. Only in Canonsburg, folks.

Laraque watches as a teammate vaporizes before his very eyes.

Brooks Orpik, obviously needing a bathroom break, is forced to hold it.

Autograph hounds line up for a shot at a signature from their favorite player. Alas, Michel Ouellet will sign zero autographs.

So what other info could I add to my photo essay, you ask?

-There's a nice memorabilia display set up in the front of practice, with everything you'd possibly need to try and get signed. If you plan on getting a signature, it helps if you're either A. 10 years old or B. a female.

-Maxime Talbot and Evgeni Malkin like to blast pucks into the boards and directly at the glass at very high speeds for no apparent reason other than to amuse themselves and possibly the crowd.

-Jarko Ruutu entertained the crowd with one of the loudest F-bombs ever known to man when he was stuffed on a breakaway

-Eric Christensen and Marc-Andre Fleury gravitate toward each other during timeouts.

-Sidney Crosby did not participate in the last 20 minutes or so of drills, as he was talking hockey with Mike Yeo (seen in the photo above).

-Ray Shero was sitting amongst the crowd...in fact, he was three rows behind me. At one point, he asked who the nerd taking pictures was.

-The next scheduled practice is Friday, March 23rd at 2 PM. You can eat lunch, do your workout, and catch the Pens, all in the span of an afternoon.

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.

Pitt Wins, Pens Lose, NBA All Stars, More Video

Sorry about the lack of goods on Monday. Hopefully you passed the time by clicking on some of the excellent links you sent this weekend. Which reminds me, the Sid card contest winner is announced on Wednesday, so make a last push and send in your best links!

But I digress. It's time to get up to speed with a busy Monday of sports.

--I caught the Pens-Isles game (with a fine recap by the P-G's Empty Netters, by the way), and I was disappointed with the outcome. But it was just a matter of time until "the streak" would come to an end. One issue I had with the streak is when people referred to it as an "unbeaten streak"; the flaw in that statement being that the Pens did lose during the streak. Unless I'm wrong, and "Montreal 4, Pittsburgh 3" now counts towards an unbeaten streak. But I certainly didn't see any Pens celebrating that day. National media members: it's a POINTS STREAK. Learn the rules of the game, please.

--As for the actual game, Ryan Malone scored a hat trick, which goes under the category of "borderline-amazing". I'd be less surprised to see Crosby score eight goals in a game. Speaking of Sidney, he added not one, but four assists. Mark Recchi chipped in with two goals. The offense certainly made the trip to the Island. Scoring five times on Rick Dipietro should be enough to pick up a "W", but not when your goaltender/defense gives up six. Marc-Andre Fleury has an interesting season stat line: he's fourth in the league in wins, yet ranks a lowly 25th in goals-against average and 21st in save percentage. His stats remind me of Randy Johnson, circa 2006, with the Yankees: 17 wins and an ERA of 5; the similarity being that the Penguins, much like the Yankees, light up the scoreboard on a nightly basis, not only bailing out Johnson/Fleury from losses, but garnering them wins in the process. The Pens are 2nd in the NHL in goals per game; the Yankees topped the majors in runs scored. Let's hope that's where the similarities end with these teams, because the Yankees' campaign did not end on a high note.

--Pitt, now ranked 8th, squeaked out a closer-than-necessary three-point win over Seton Hall in Jersey. The Panthers were playing sans one Aaron Gray, who was there nonetheless, rocking a sweet adidas warmup and cheering on his comrades.

Can Pitt ever start a game with a lead? Ever? 3-2 gives way to 5-2 which moves to 9-2 and grows to 14-4 in a matter of minutes. This is one trend that simply has to go away before the postseason rolls around. I know that Pitt usually outlasts teams with their depth, but the deeper they go into March, the deeper their opponents will go as well. Pitt is not a team that will score in bunches and at will, which is a recipe for another early exit if they continue to dig early holes.

I realize that Grayzilla was riding the pines, but Pitt struggled more than they should have with a team sporting a 3-10 record in the Big East. Pitt is a TOP 10 TEAM. This was a division bottom feeder. If Gray is that important to Pitt's team (and I'm pretty sure he is), I hope that ankle heals quickly.

Jamie Dixon scored his 100th career win tonight, so hats off to the man. It must be sweet redemption to succeed so well so fast, especially when Skip Prosser was the guy Pitt really wanted for the job. But if he wants to stave off 100 losses, he needs to introduce Mike Cook to the bench more often. Cook is the college basketball version of the 2006 Steelers: a turnover machine. He rang up five of them tonight, fresh off the four he had in the Louisville loss. In between, he had a 15-point, 4-rebound, 1-turnover assist against Washington. Efforts like that show the upside he displays just enough to make Dixon keep him on the floor.

Pitt closes with three ranked opponents: at #12 Georgetown, #18 WVU, and at #16 Marquette. The Panthers stand at 24-4 and 11-2 in the Big Easy. Panther Nation is hoping Aaron Gray is back and The 100 Win Man can right the ship ASAP.

--I was really looking forward to the NBA All Star Game on Sunday. I thought there would be some real one-upsmanship between such mega-egos as Kobe, Agent Zero, and T-Mac. But the game was a few hours of missed alley-oops, ugly shots, and errant passes.

The highlight of the weekend was the NBA.com article that wrapped up the Celebrity Game on Friday night. Check out this sentence in the last paragraph:

"Among the many other notables in attendance tonight were Giants outfielder Barry Bonds, Mya, Ronald McDonald, tennis legend Boris Becker, Las Vegas Mayor Oscar Goodman with his traveling entourage of showgirls, a handful of WNBA All-Stars and more. "

OK, back it up. The potential all-time home run king is mentioned in the same breath as a fringe R&B singer who peaked five years ago, a sideshow mayor, and a fictional clown. Don't tell me the media, even the NBA media, doesn't hate Barry. I only wonder why HE would be caught at such an event.

--A reader points out some Mondesi-bashing in the Pittsburgh blogosphere. Some site called "Just Sayin" was critical of yours truly for the GwenJen saga of a few weeks back. To quote said blogger:

"I would like to weigh in about the rediculous Mondesi's House non-story of Evgeni Malkin posing with some busted sixes outside the Igloo or wherever. Seriously, the picture is innocuous, the girls aren't hot and it doesn't come anywhere close to comparing with drunken quarterbacks. Drunken quarterbacks aren't really a story either. Stop it, you're hurting us."

Yeah, that non-story was pretty rediculous, I'll give you that. But do you know what's even more rediculous? A site that writes about how boring another site is. But they link to Mondesi's House, which means at some point one of their authors was a fan. So they can't be that bad. They just have high expectations. I'm sorry we failed to see eye-to-eye on this important matter.

*FYI, the GwenJen trilogy was one of the top-5 most visited features of all time. Hits were well over five figures. So someone thinks they're interesting, even if Just Sayin' doesn't.

--No action yet on the $6,000 Sidney Crosby autographed chair. If it sells, I'll be booking an appointment with a furniture maker in the area very soon to capitalize on the craze, because that's about 10 times the price of an autographed Sid sweater.

--A lot of people clicked on the Penn State snowball fight/brawl video, so here's another entertaining clip from the increasingly-watchable break.com: a kid getting awaken with flying pizza on his head, then smacked across the face with a bottle of Aquafina when he voices his displeasure. Sophomoric, yes. But who among us hasn't attempted a similar prank in their heyday?