Vote for Geno

Malkin trails Sid, Kovey, Koivu and Alex Tanguay is Eastern Conference All Star voting.

Go here and vote:

http://fanballoting.nhl.com/

Will get back to updating this blog sometime

until then follow me on Twitter. http://twitter.com/svanormer

Knocking on the Door

I haven't been posting here but rest assured I've been watching every second of this remarkable playoff run. What else can you say but the next time the Pens play a game the Prince of Wales trophy will be in the house.

Pittsburgh has figured out that when you stand up to a bully and punch them in the nose they turn tale and cry home to their mommies.

Michel Therrien has coached this team to perfection and gotten everyone from the biggest star to bench riding 4rth liner to buy off on his defensive system and the rest of the eastern conference hasn't figured out how to solve it.

- The Gonchar play on Richards breakaway will go on the Penguins franchise highlight tape
- Anyone else want to question the Hoss trade?
- I really want to see TK get a goal
- 11-1 in the playoffs!

Pens 4 Sens 0

Photo from NHL.com
Things I saw:

- Gonchar is probably one of the unsung hero on this team. He makes so many great plays with the puck to hold the zone.
- Great game from the "role players" Talbot, BGL, GFR, TK was great in this game.. Ruutuu what can you say.
- The Hossa, Crosby, Dupuis line is getting there. They had so many opportunities that gerber stopped. And the Captain was playoff ready diving for pucks and blocking shots and throwing blows when necessary
- Of course the Steel City line was produced the offense Geno played a little tentative at times but had 3 big points "Geno take the Jag"
- Liked seeing Talbot going all big brother to defend MAF
- MAF's time on the bench this year served him well, he has been so solid since his return
- I love when BGL gets possession of the puck and then fends everyone off with the giant butt. He puts the puck in the vault and no one is getting it.

Check out the write up by The Pens Blog

Kris Beech is back

http://www.pittsburghsportsinsider.com/?p=1989#more-1989

It's 2001 all over again.

Some of the Pens cash in on lucrative sponsorship opportunities

This is too funny.

http://deadspin.com/349317/and-the-oscar-goes-to--the-pittsburgh-penguins

In Brief:

- Sid's Ankle has a blog. Very well done.

- Tyler Kennedy has mono

- Geno has a trip to Atlanta

Upon Further Review...

Having the Winter Classic on January 1st worked out ok.

According to the PPG the game was the highest rated regular city game in a decade.

The game looked great. The atmosphere, the crowd, the pregame were all awesome.

Loved the blue unis.

Debacle

That's the only thing you can call that game last night.

Let me say that I hate the Flyers. They're just bullies and punks. And the best way to deal with a bully is to stand up to them and punch them in the mouth. But last night the Pens let the Flyers get them out of their game. And the game devolved into a embarrassment that had the Pens threaten the 100 penalty minutes and surely a pending suspension for 'Big' George Laraque.

The Flyers baited the Pens into penalty after penalty and by the third period whatever knuckle draggers bothered to show up to the Wachovia Center were chanting taunts at Sidney Crosby and throwing their grungy hats on the ice. ( The Pens allowed two hat trickss, one to Pittsburgh product RJ Umburger).

As much as I like to see the Pens stand up for themselves and their teammates. That's not their game and the score shows what happens when you let them get you out of your game. Flyers 8 - Pens 2.

And I like BGL but his slide into Biron was cheesy at best. They should have sent Conklin to fight him.

PPG has the details of a post game confrontation between MT and Flyer thug Ben Eager.