(NOTE: The lead of today's post is being re-posted from yesterday. This was too good to not bring up again.)
The Spokane Chiefs beat the Kitchener Rangers in the Memorial Cup championship earlier in Canada, but that's not what most Canadians are probably talking about.
The celebration is:
We don't know if we should feel bad for these two guys or laugh hysterically. That look on their faces is indescribable. The crowd's groan was brutal.
Thankfully that's actually a replica of the real Memorial Cup. The real deal was in the Hockey Hall of Fame at the time.
The funny thing is, the only reason we saw this at all was because we went over to Windsor for a few hours and saw that live while getting a bite to eat.
FOLLOWING UP ON "DIMMING THE LIGHTS"
With an off day between games, we're finally able to round up all the responses to Thursday's post about what another Cup win for the Penguins would mean to the first two championships:
"For me, someone born in 1983, the 1970 Steelers are akin to America's victories in the World Wars, the invention of the telephone, and a myriad of other grand historical events. I, obviously, was alive for the Pens cup years, but in my anti-sports family the fact that the pens won the cup was only important because of the possible political/economic impact it could have.
I have been a pens fan since 1996, and feel a ton of connection and reverence for the cup teams. Why do I feel that way? For me it is the story line. Look the pens are an odd team (I like to call them the bipolar hockey team): Red Kelly, Les Binkley, Michel Bri??re, The Century Line, 4-3 loss to the Islanders, (Stinkage) 1.0, "beating" the NJ Devils for #66, Sucking with #66, The awesomeness of No. 66, The Cup Years, The drama of the late 1990s, Lemieux part deux, (Stinkage) 2.0, Crosby, maybe Cup 3.0.
Come on that is AN EPIC STORY LINE!
Steelers: (Stunk) for a million years, Chuck Noll, Terry Bradshaw, Immaculate Reception, SUPER AWESOMENESS, 1980s (stinkage) , Cowher, Kordell, 1995 Super Bowl loss, Jerome Bettis, semi-goodness to semi-badness, Big Ben, 2005 Super Bowl win. A good story no doubt, but it does not compare to the roller coaster ride that are the Pens. (I am clearly cutting the Steelers history a good bit short, but I think you see my point about the randomness and unpredictably of the ice chickens.)"
CB Holman
"I've been a Pens fan since 1967, when they came into the league. At my first game, (I was eight years old), Andy Bathgate skated over to me (the glass was lower in those days), chatted briefly, shook my hand, and then reached down and handed me a puck. I've been in love ever since! My dad and I attended hundreds of games, celebrating each victory and dying with each loss, sweating out bankruptcies and wasted draft picks. Well, the year the Pens won their first Cup title, my dad passed away and never saw them hoist Lord Stanley. I attended Game 5, and cried most of the first period. But what kept going through my mind, along with missing my dad, was where all these people were when they were talking about relocating and going through their bankruptcy? Days later when the Pens blew out Minnesota, 8-0, I shed tears again, for my dad who wasn't there to share in the joy, and for the years of futility we went through. Will the first 2 Cups wins lose their luster with a third? Not for me, as they will always live on in my mind and heart as a testimony to being a loyal fan, which is why the celebration was so sweet. And you always look back with fondness on your first (kiss, love, etc...)"
Chuck Vucetich, Red Lion, Pa.
"I am currently 29 years old. I was 12 and 13 when the Penguins won their Stanley Cup titles. I was basically in the infancy of my Pittsburgh sport fandom. That being said I remember being on the porch of my house with my parents watching the Penguins win that first Stanley Cup title. I rooted for the Penguins ever since those Stanley Cups, but I only became a true, hard-core fan in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Part of the reason I became such a huge fan was that I went to a small liberal arts college in rural Tennessee where most of my classmates had never heard of ice hockey (although we did have a field hockey team). Rooting for the Penguins kept me close to my friends and family in Pittsburgh and kept me close to the city itself. I put off studying for an organic chemistry final to watch the 5 overtime game, and I stayed in the basement of my Frat house during my own graduation party to watch Darius Kasparaitis dive across the ice after beating the Sabres.
But most importantly, I stuck with the Penguins through these recent 'tough times.' I listened to 80 percent of the games on the internet while I lived in Virginia and Birmingham until I was able to purchase the online Center Ice package this past year. I made it back to Pittsburgh every year to watch at least a few Penguins games. Luckily my mom had connections and I was able to score great seats, but if those connections fell through there was always the student rush program (at least until we got on this sell-out streak).
I firmly believe that the student rush program single-handedly saved this franchise. The program gave poor college kids something to do while getting them interested in the Penguins, even though the Penguins were not good for most of that time. Now, those poor college kids who utilized the student rush program are for the most part, no longer poor. And they are buying tickets to the games; as single tickets, ticket plans, or even season ticket holders. I know three of my friends are full season ticket holders now after growing up on the student rush program. The student rush program, built a large portion of the fan base you see at games today.
So, I guess if the Penguins were to win this Stanley Cup it would be for those student rush "graduates." It would be for the young fans that will make this franchise a viable entity in the city of Pittsburgh when ownership goes back to the city for another arena after Lemieux Gardens (what I like to call the new arena) has become old and worn-out. This Stanley Cup is for the fans of the team that were in their sports fan infancy when the last Cups were won. I don't want to say it would diminish the first two Cups, but it would be something new and different and would be held in each of our hearts differently. For the older fans, it would be a return to glory. But, for the younger fans, it would be almost a new beginning or a kind of satisfaction, that sticking with the team through the bad years was all worth it. The new Cup victory would be held in its own, and its banner would hang next to its brothers in Lemieux Gardens, but I think it would shine a little brighter, especially for the younger fans!"
Justin H. Kelly, Birmingham, Ala.
"I think a third win will put the first two in a different perspective to guys like us, who were around to see them win, but weren't old enough to really appreciate it. This run has been amazing, and like my friend Ben said, "Way better than when we were ten." I have to agree.
I also think that it would unquestionably hand over the NHL to Sidney Crosby, and to an effect, this young "dynasty" that has been talked about since last year. Not that there was a question whether or not the NHL is Sid's, but a Cup would confirm it.
I'm probably alone in this but, i think this will be a series for the ages, and I hope the Pens come out on top. It's going to be incredible."
Dan Stocker
"In response to the post about the dimming of the first two Cup titles, I don't think it will happen. The titles in 1991 and 1992 are held in such high regard because those are the franchise high points, without question. We as Penguins fans know the trials and tribulations that the team has been through, and among all the numerous lows, there always was those highs. Unfortunately for me, I was five and six years old at the time of the titles, so this will be my first Cup experience even though I was alive for the first two. I wish I could say I remember them, but I don't. First reason why a title this year won't dim the first two is Mario Lemieux. Lemieux was a great player, but with the Cup and Conn Smythe wins he became a champion. Anything associated with Mario is bound to live on in franchise lore. Willie Stargell was great in the 1979 Series, but never took away from Clemente's all world performance in the 1971 Series. Second of all, it was the first title. The first title will always have a special place in franchise history. Third of all, look at the Steelers of a couple of years ago. The 2005 run was instantly memorable, but it in no way took precedence over the 4 titles of the 1970s. We all know the Steel Curtain Steelers will always be held in the highest regard in this area, and nothing will change that. Same as the first two Cup teams for the Pens will live on. Plus, do you think any team that had Lemieux, Jagr, Francis, Stevens, Coffey, Trottier, Barasso, Tocchet, Murphy, the Samuelssons, and Recchi among its ranks will fade? I don't."
Robert Buckles, Rochester, Pa.
"First off I was in sixth grade when the Pens won the Cup and was nine months old when the Steelers got all of their fingers filled up so I know where you're coming from. But in the case of Pens I honestly don't think that we would be watching the PITTSBURGH Penguins at all if they hadn't won the Cup in 1991 and 1992. It was winning those cups then that caused us all to be fans (as you stated) and made care about them at all. Or if we had been say the St. Louis Blues who had merely participated in the playoffs from 1979-1980 season until the 2003-2004 season only to never reach the final round, would we love the Pen's this much. Would we have cared if they went to Portland or Kansas City if all they are going to do is break are heart? It's like the girl that keeps dating the same guy thinking they may get married and only to get dumped on the second date each time.
I think even if we win the Cup this year this will solidify those teams that we grew up with. We can look back and say it was because they were so good and they won the cups that they stayed in town and have a chance to hold it again.
I remember watching Brian Trottier sliding with the Cup (In Three Rivers Stadium) in Mr. Cray's classroom at St. Bonaventure in Glenshaw in sixth grade like it was just yesterday!"
Tim Geier, Wichita, Kan. (Formerly of Shaler.)
"Hey dude, you make it sound as if ALL Pens fans are going through puberty and still don't shave! What about we old timers (read 50-somethings) that watched the pre-Lemieux teams get their butts kicked every time they made the playoffs, if they made the playoffs. I for one can close my eyes and see Denis Potvin scoring that goal to tie it in the last minute after the puck jumped over Randy Carlyle's stick!
No, we long-time Pens fans, we won't ever forget the other teams and what they accomplished. Winning only adds to any team's legacy and mystique. Anyone who's ever been to Boston and seen all those Bruins and Celtics banners hanging from the rafters knows what I'm talking about. It only serves to reassure us that we deserve the Cup again after years of following mediocre teams and having faith they will someday win it all again."
Alan Berginc, Cranberry
"I was a teenager when Mario and his magical teammates won back to back cups. It was almost like watching the gods of hockey themselves, heroic and triumphant. Every moment was golden.
Now, I'm watching Sid and his friends, many years younger than myself, learning to win together. It's almost like watching kids of my own grow, learn, and achieve. Every moment is golden.
Let's not compare. Just be glad that we were there then, and that we are here, now."
D. Sculley
"I was also in 6th grade when the Pens first drank from the Cup. I started watching hockey two years earlier. The Pens were on the road in Edmonton. I think it was a 6-5 score-fest, and I was hooked when Robbie Brown scored and did the arm thing. You know the one. Mullets and the arm thing, I was hooked. Talk about "bandwagonning" the mullet.
I remember Mario not playing with the bad back and being depressed that he wasn't going to break Gretzky's scoring streak record, and the Pens falling out of the playoffs at the last second in 1990, only to go on a big tear and win the Cup the next two seasons, and all of the trials and tribulations in between.
Anyway, I don't think that winning the year will dim the light at all. Like other sports, hockey greatness (or stinkage) transcends time. With the digital age upon us, new fans and old can relive old triumphs and watch in awe the amazing talent of the Cup teams. Want to see Lemieux undress John Casey? Youtube has it. Hockey has changed a lot in 18 years, but it is still the same game. You can still tell that those Penguin teams were dominant, just like today's, able to play out of their minds when necessary. You could see that our speed terrorized defenses, and that's the same today. You could also see opponents' eyes as big as grapefruits when that speed involved Mario or Jagr. Great stuff, and again, we'll see that same thing this series with Sid & Geno.
I think things like that actually form a bond between the old and new. For instance, I can watch a young Lemieux dart and dance with a puck, making space where there were bodies, and think, wow, Geno does that too, he's also amazing, and vice versa. I wonder if younger viewers hear, "Ryan Malone is a lot like Kevin Stevens," and look it up online, watch the clips, and think, man, they are a lot alike.
This year isn't dimming the lights for me."
Steve Medwick, Bloomfield
"I just read your piece about the 1991 & 1992 Cup wins. I was alive to see that, thankfully, and I've been a fan of the team (and the sport) since I was 8 years old. My second grade teacher pointed out to me that a certain defenseman on the U.S. Olympic hockey team had the same name as me, so I watched, and was hooked. So I saw that 1989 series when Ken Wregget stood on his head in Game 7. I remember listening on the radio the next year when the Pens were knocked out of the playoffs by Uwe Krupp's overtime goal. I was watching with my dad and sister when they won both of those Stanley Cups, and those were special, special times for all of us. And I've been along for the ride ever since, from that horrid David Volek goal to the four overtime game in Washington, to the five overtime game when Primeau broke the city's hearts. I've been to games where Konstantin Koltsov was on the top two lines, where Lemieux had to throw down and fight Aki Berg, were Jaromir Jagr dominated on the ice, and where Marty Straka scored on a penalty shot against St. Louis. I remember Gene Ubriacco and Tony Esposito, I remember Craig Patrick taking over, I remember Ivan Hlinka and Herb Brooks and Rick Kehoe, Eddie Olzyck... all of it.
To answer your question, whether a Stanley Cup win now would dim the earlier ones: absolutely not. How many teams' fans never get to see their guys play for Lord Stanely's Cup? How many fans are just happy that their teams make the playoffs? We've been blessed in this town to have guys like Lemieux, Jagr, Francis, Stevens - now we have Crosby, Malkin, Staal, and Fleury. For just one of those players to come along once for a team is magical enough - for it to happen so many times for us is downright insane. 1991 and 1992 will always be great years, no matter what happens this year. If the Pens win it, this victory is just as sweet, and is great in its own way considering the recent bad years, the bankruptcy, the threat of the team leaving town, and the entire league a few years removed from being totally shut down. It'd be another banner hanging from the rafters, and no matter how it happens, you know that Badger Bob Johnson would be looking down and smiling while rubbing that big nose of his, telling anyone who can hear him "It's a great day for hockey."
Brian L.
"You bring up an interesting point about the shine on Pittsburgh's back-to-back Stanley Cup wins being dulled if this year's Pens team wins the Cup. But let me ask you this: Do you think the shine dulled on the 1970s Steelers in 2005, when Big Ben and company took it to the Seahawks to win the Vince Lombardi trophy? I don't think it has.
Despite the heroics of the 2005 team, which improbably won the Super Bowl as a 6th seed wild card team defeating the first, second and third seeds along the way, the brightest glow will always come from the memories of Bradshaw, Swann, Harris, and Stallworth. When ESPN shows its 24-hour Patriots coverage and asks who could've possible contended with them, it's the Steelers teams of the 1970s they talk about. When they talk about the best drafts ever, they go to the 1970s. When they talk about the best coaches, Cowher doesn't get the nod; Chuck Noll often does. The Steelers have won a Super Bowl less than five years ago, but the Steeler teams that still get most of the discussion and recognition are the teams from the 1970s.
This may all sound like a digression, talking about football in a hockey article, but it brings me around to my point. Lightning sometimes strikes twice. One team's success, or one player's success, does not necessarily diminish from another's. Ask Green Bay Packers fans if the Super Bowl won by Brett Favre took away from the ones won by Bart Starr. Ask Yankees fans if the World Series' won by Mantle, Ruth or DiMaggio diminished the shine on the ones won by Jeter and co. And feel free to ask the fans of the team the Pens are playing in the finals, the Red Wings, if the Cups won by Steve Yzerman and company took away from the Gordie Howe era. You may spark some spirited discussion between a man and his father, or even grandfather, who smile the entire time they argue about which championship team was the best.
Those two Cup wins by the Penguins of the early 1990s will never be forgotten by the people of Pittsburgh. Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Ron Francis, Tom Barrasso. I was 10 years old when those guys lifted the Cup. To be honest, as you've said, I wasn't much of a hockey fan until that year. At 10 years old, I believe my favorite sport was baseball, and I was busily trading Andy Van Slyke, Doug Drabek and Bobby Bonilla cards with friends. Ok, that was a bit of a digression. But I've been a hockey fan ever since. And if the Penguins' young guns (and Gary Roberts, who is both older and stronger than most redwoods) lift the Cup this year, I don't believe that it will diminish the shine from the 1990s Cup teams one bit. If anything, it will bring to light the greatness that was those teams; because the toughest challenge of all would be to match their feat and go for the repeat.
When the Penguins win three or four championships in the next few years, maybe we can entertain the idea once more."
Patrick Cartwright, Chicago
"As a Pens fan from day one in 1967 (I was eight years old at the time and can remember gathering around the old Philco with my three brothers and listening to the Pens on WEEP-AM. Boy, that makes me sound OLD!!) 1991 and 1992 were the highlights of my Pens support, by far. I've been thinking about where this one fits into that universe. It's funny, too, instead of getting all "crazy," I distinctly remember watching that 8-0 game vs. Minnesota in 1991 and just reflecting on all that I had been through with the team and just savoring every tick of the clock. My wife, also really enjoyed those years, she was a relatively new Pens fan and we would always say to each other that summer (and the next), no matter what happened, "Oh well, at least the Pens won the Stanley Cup!!" I think, to be honest, the Cup in 1992 was taken for granted a little bit, although still an enjoyable ride.
In many ways, I think I'm enjoying this run a little more. We're going to Game 1 in Detroit and we saw the clincher vs. New York in Pittsburgh which is probably my greatest "personal" moment with the Pens.
I think, too, that the Pens were SO BAD just recently that any fan who stuck through those years, has to be savoring this year just a little bit more.
So, to sum up, I think this year's Cup will be a bit more meaningful (if it's won) for the reason's listed above, plus the fact that Detroit is by far the best opponent yet for the Pens in a final. However, the first two Cup wins will never be forgotten and will always hold a special place in my heart and mind!"
Tom Perlic, Dayton, Ohio
"It is nearly impossible to imagine a diminished shine on either championship when the Pens win their next cup. The back-to-back championships of the early 1990's will forever mark the advent of our generation's unique hockey fanaticism built on the foundation of our forefather's generation of Pirates and Steelers success. Lemieux, Jagr, Stevens, and Francis will be to our generation what Ham, Lambert, Greene and Harris are to the previous generations of Pittsburgh diehards. As much as we all enjoyed Bettis' and Big Ben's improbable journey to Super Bowl immortality a few years ago, it did little to diminish the significance of the 1970s Steelers and their elite place in local history. I would expect the Pens of the early 1990s to permanently hold a similar place in Pittsburgh sports history."
Matt, Harrisburg
"As a 20 year old who turned 21 two days after the Pens carried Lord Stanley's Cup around the ice in Bloomington, Min., let me say that there is nothing that can dim the shine of the first two Stanley Cups in franchise history. In fact, to assume that a Cup in 2008 rose from deeper ashes and despair and is somehow "greater" because of it couldn't be further from the truth. No matter the circumstances, this potential Cup win and wins that may come in the future, all owe a great debt to the early 90's and in particular that 91 squad. Every Cup winner the Pens may enjoy should raise their sticks in tribute to those banners because without them and their success, they would be no celebrating today.
To understand why, people have to understand just how futile the Pens were before 66 arrived and for the first six seasons of his career. The recent troubles over four poor seasons are blinks of an eye compared to the 23 years of blindness. You want bankruptcy, it was there. You think a record of 22-46-14 is bad in 2005-06? Try 18-53-9 in 1982-83 and 16-58-6 in 1983-84. And when the team did show some life, there were the Islanders of 1975 coming back from being down, 3-0, Mike Crombeen in a decisive Game 5 overtime in 81 and John Tonelli pouncing on a puck that bounced over Randy Carlyle's stick in 1982.
May 25, 1991 can never dim. It will never be overshadowed by any event. Without even talking about which team was better or if Crosby has earned comparisons to 66 yet, it will stand as the greatest night in franchise history. Realizing they were still basically the same players, the Steelers almost uniformly look to their Super Bowl IX win as the best and most satisfying. Why? Because it was the first and forever shed the losing tag that franchise had long known.
The Pens history, while shorter than the Steelers was when they finally won, was every bit as horrid and more. And that was all wiped away on one glorious night in 1991 that extended deep into the next morning and let everyone know that no matter what would or could happen, this franchise could win, was and not forever doomed to failure."
Rich Perkins
"I think that should the Penguins win the Stanley Cup this year. It not only keeps the light shining but enhances it.
Let's face it, 16 years is a lot of time in between but it would be three cups in 16 years.
Do you think the Anaheim Ducks will win another Cup title in 16 years?"
NK, Erie
"The lights of that first Cup win could never be dimmed. I had been a fan of the team since I moved to Pittsburgh as a 12-year-old boy in 1972. I had felt the heartbreak of the Islanders coming back from love-three to beat the Pens in 1975. The heartbreak of them losing Game 5 in St. Louis on a turnover by Randy Carlyle, followed by more heartbreak the very next year when they gave away Game 5 against the Islanders late, then lost in overtime. Oh, and we won't even mention the bankruptcy. But then Mario came, and things slowly turned around. Yet, we still felt heartbreak in 1989 when the Flyers overcame Mario's Game 5 onslaught to take the series in seven. Things were looking up, but somehow the team missed the playoffs the next season.
I followed this team from all over the world, as I was in the Air Force in the 1980s.
Then came the magic of the 1990-91 season. The Craig Patrick steals of Murphy, Samuelsson, and Francis. The late-season run to the top of the division. "The Save" in Round One. The Caps fall in Round Two. The "Artie" guarantee of a comeback in Round 3. And finally...
There I sat in my family room in Omaha. A bottle of champagne at the ready. It was over long before it was over, so I had time to soak it all in. As the final horn sounded and I popped the cork, I had tears in my eyes. Tears of joy. The long wait was finally over. The Stanley Cup had come to the city of Pittsburgh. As a guy who had followed them through all the lows of the 1970s and 1980s, it truly was a special moment, one I will never forget. Those lights can never be dimmed, just brightened."
Mike Adams, Madison, Wisc.
"I will fully admit to not being a hockey fan way back in the early 1990s for the first two Cup wins. I got my jump-start into this whole hockey business in the early 2000s with the advent of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Baby Penguins, which slowly but surely built my affection for the big-boy Penguins as I started to see the Baby Pens of days gone by grow up to be contributing members of the parent franchise.
That said, I'm not sure if I can fully appreciate or understand your concern over the glory days of the early 1990s being sapped of a bit of its glory should this team win. However, I personally do not have a problem with the brightest point in the franchise's history getting dimmed by an even brighter point in the franchise's history should the team win again this year. Call it moments 1A and 1B, if you wish."
David, Wilkes-Barre
"I'm from Uniontown and spent five years living in Pittsburgh from 1982 until 1987. I've been a Pens fan since 1967. I went to games in 1968 when I was seven. I used to listen on AM radio. I bleed blue and white. The ascent, then the Cup wins in 1991 and 1992 were indeed a high point, but this team is just another chapter.
I can remember my Dad talking about the Pirates winning in 1960, off of Bill Mazeroski's homer like it was a sacred event, and when they won the World Series in 1970 we went to games. I was 10, it was a great time to be a Pirates fan.
Now I have two sons, nine and six, who both play hockey. Even though we live in Northern Virginia, and both of them have skated at the Verizon Center, they are Penguins fans. My oldest son wrote an essay about one of his favorite things about our annual trip to Mellon Arena to see a game around the holidays. They both know better than to touch the Cup should they ever get the chance.
If this teams wins does it make those other Cups lesser somehow? Not at all, if anything it only builds on a winning tradition, and brings the Cup home."
John Chernitsky, Haymarket Va.
"Nothing will ever dim that light, anymore than the last championship by either Pirates or Steelers dimmed the previous ones. The names of Mazeroski and Clemente are just as revered by fans as Blass or Stargell. Do the names Rothlesberger, Ward or Porter demand any more acknowledgement than Bradshaw, Swann or Ham? This Penguin team is a great team and should be regarded as such win or lose. So no, another title will only add not detract."
Chris Barnett, Atlanta
THE SCENE AT MELLON ARENA DURING GAME 1
EN shutterbug Lisa Bohm sent us a report from what went down inside Mellon Arena in Game 1.
"Some poor guy made a cardboard and foil Stanley Cup and tried to bring it in. You had to see it, the thing must have been five feet tall or bigger but security told him no. So what does he do with it? Throws it backwards into the crowd around the gate, whereupon a game similar to beach ball toss ensues. It only stopped when the Cup broke apart after about 10 minutes.
Someone in their infinite wisdom (and I'm sure to save money on staffing because they didn't know what kind of attendance they'd have) funneled all 13,589 of us through Gate One. Well you can imagine what a zoo it was! What were originally 3 lines to get in ended up with more like twenty of them all over the place, leading to the gate. They sold a ton of beer, a ton of nachos and pretzels and hot dogs. I don't know what kind of business Penn Station did because I didn't go over there, but I know it was open.
With tailgating, some of these people were really well organized. There was this group of gals that had a really neat, small red-enameled gas grill on which they were cooking - mostly to hand out to the really cute guys walking past. The number of cans and broken glass beer bottles in the lot pretty much told the story.
The only empty seats in the building were the luxury suites, press box row, the box seats, along with both upper decks on the west side. The two upper decks on my end of the ice were packed by game time. I think the first 10,000 of us were there like 45 minutes before game time.
Besides beer breath everywhere you turned, it was a fun event. Wide age range of folks, although predominantly the 18-35 crowd. Babies, old farts and everyone in between was there."
Lisa Bohm
EN-Lisa also sent us some photos from Saturday night:
EMPTY NETTER ASSISTS
Playoff Stuff
Penguins
-Michel Therrien shuffled the lines up. Assuming the stick, the new combinations will be:
Malone-Crosby-Hossa
Talbot-Malkin-Sykora
Dupuis-Staal-Kennedy
Roberts-Hall-Ruutu
Georges Laraque is out.
-Are the Penguins doing the right thing shuffling the lines? Vote on it here.
-Ron Cook is wondering where has Evgeni Malkin been.
-The Penguins need to get the power play going.
-Do the Penguins have to protect Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin?
-If nothing else, Marc-Andre Fleury will do a better job walking on to the ice for Game 2.
-Those two kids standing next to Fleury in Game 1 had a good laugh.
-The Penguins feel they can rebound.
-Can Sidney Crosby benefit from the butt-kicking in Game 1?
-Therrien had a press conference yesterday. Kukla's Korner has the transcript.
-A look at who played against who in Game 1.
-As Crosby rises, Malkin is falling.
-The Penguins are down in a series for the first time these playoffs.
-The Detroit News picked up on "WWGRD."
-Mario Lemieux isn't exactly a chatterbox.
-Jarkko Ruutu doesn't want to go toe-to-toe with Gary Roberts.
-The Penguins are worth a bunch.
-Even if they're not Canadian teams, a Penguins-Red Wings series is still a dream for the CBC.
-Game 1 drew a 1.8 on Versus. It was the networks highest rating ever for an NHL game.
-James Mirtle takes a look at the Penguins' free agents.
-By the way, there won't be a "We Like Mike -- Game 1 version." Don't blame us. Blame the Penguins. They're the ones that didn't score.
-"Steven" Crosby?
-Get that Stanley Cup:
(Kudos to Grant Franjione for the heads up.)
-From Stu and Christina in Key West (by way of Edgewood):
Red Wings
-Johan Franzen might play in Game 2.
-Detroit plays good defense.
-Nicklas Lidstrom wants the Red Wings to play even better in Game 2.
-Chris Osgood is back where he belongs.
-Osgood thinks the goaltenders interference rule needs to be clarified.
-Detroit general manager Ken Holland has a good system in place.
-Mikael Samuelsson is streaky.
-Find us another article today that uses the term "Newfies."
-In his first game without a face shield, Dan Cleary scored a goal.
-Detroit Free Press writer Shawn Windsor caught parts of all three major sporting events going on in Detroit Saturday night.
-Mike Babcock had a press conference yesterday. Kukla's Korner has the transcript.
-The Red Wings' legends are still tight.
-Concussions like Franzen's are tough to diagnose and treat.
-Vancouver Sun writer Cam Cole apparently looks like Detroit Lions general manager Matt Millen. And that's not a good thing.
-Niklas Kronwall running over Ryan Malone in Game 1:
-We snuck over the border into Windsor yesterday and took a picture of Detroit's skyline:
Not bad, but not the best:
(We fully acknowledge professional photography equipment and skills and a little bit of sunshine make lots of things look better.)
AHL
-The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have a wild history of Game 7's.
-Penguins coach Todd Richards is psyched about being in the AHL final.
-If NHL Penguins assistant coach Andre Savard moves on after this season, will Richards be promoted from the AHL?
Non-Playoff Stuff
Northeast Division
-The Panthers will not allow the Maple Leafs to talk to former executive Joe Nieuwendyk.
First Published: May 26, 2008, 8:15 a.m.
