The Pittsburgh Penguins will have to do without star player, Evgeni Malkin, for about 2-3 weeks after he suffered a shoulder strain.  Coach Dan Bylsma wrote on the team’s website: “Geno is going to be out of the lineup for a couple of weeks.  He strained his shoulder about 10 days or so ago. I don’t know the exact day. It is precautionary for the player. We are worried about the safety of the shoulder. A couple weeks of rest and rehab will get that thing healthy so he can get back onto the ice.”

Bylsma continued:  “Obviously he has played …read more

The season-opener is just days away and there hasn’t been any real news about the groin injury Pittsburgh Penguins captain, Sidney Crosby, suffered during a pre-season game.  After playing less than two minutes, Crosby was forced to watch from the sidelines.

He really downplayed the seriousness of the injury but then he has been skipping practice.  Coach Dan Bylsma doesn’t feel like he should push Crosby to play or skate and I agree with him.  The season hasn’t started yet and, even if he misses the first couple games, it’s better than him hurting himself even worse and then sitting out …read more

Predictions are starting to pop up all over the internet (including my own) and one thing that a lot of people are wondering is whether the Pittsburgh Penguins can make it to the Stanley Cup Finals for a third year in a row.  Honestly, I wouldn’t bet against them because I think that, despite the fact that some changes have been made to the roster, the core players are still there and head coach Dan Bylsma has proven that someone can emerge from obscurity and lead a team to victory.

The truth is that back during the 2008-2009 season, I was …read more

I found some videos of Pittsburgh Penguins captain, Sidney Crosby, taking the Stanley Cup home with him over the weekend to celebrate his 22nd birthday in Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia.  He was actually flown home on a Sea King (a Canadian military helicopter) since Crosby wanted to show his love and support to the troops.

I thought the chopper was overkill but he hopped into a tank with Stanley and led a parade through the streets and then even made time for a private visit to a local children’s hospital.
It looks like the people of Cole Harbour (and the surrounding areas) …read more

Maxime Talbot played a big role in the Pittsburgh Penguins quest for the Stanley Cup.  Game 7 ended with a final score of just 2-1 and guess who scored both of those goals?  Yeah, you probably already know it’s Talbot but I had to say it in case you didn’t.
The injury apparently plagued the star “for quite a while” but the 25-year-old played in the postseason with so much intensity that I never would have guessed that he was suffering from a torn labrum.  I have been living with the lingering discomfort associated with a similar shoulder injury and …read more

The Stanley Cup 2008-2009 Champions: Pittsburgh Penguins DVD allows you to relive the journey with Pittsburgh Penguins as they battled to win the franchise’s first Stanley Cup since 1992.  When you think about how they lost in Game 6 of last year’s finals, their entire season takes on a whole new meaning. 
I wanted them to have another chance at winning the Cup but a rematch seemed so unlikely.  When it finally happened, I couldn’t believe it.  I really hoped that the Penguins wouldn’t meet the same fate as they did in 2008 and towards the end of this year’s …read more

Pittsburgh Penguins star Evgeni Malkin was presented with the 2009 Art Ross Trophy as the regular-season scoring leader.  The young Russian player was clearly nervous as he shared a stage with Alexander Ovechkin (who was accepting the Rocket Richard award) but his English is improving. 
I seriously cannot imagine getting up in a room full of people on a televised event and having to give an acceptance speech in a language that I barely know.  Just think of the Oscars – most of the winners only speak English and they struggle.
To make light of the situation, Ovechkin joked Malkin …read more

If you followed this year’s playoffs, you probably heard more than one commentator talking about the fact that Marian Hossa turned down a lucrative, long-term contract (worth almost $50 million) with the Pittsburgh Penguins in order to accept a one-year deal (worth $7.5 million) with the Detroit Red Wings.  The reason for his defection?  He thought he had a better chance of winning Lord Stanley with Detroit.
I really couldn’t believe he did (or said) that but I didn’t think about it too much until it was clear that the two teams were going to get a rematch.  I started mulling …read more

The Pittsburgh Penguins will be taking the same route as the Super Bowl Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers, as they enjoy the parade honoring them as the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions.  It’s set to start at 12:00pm at the intersection of Grant Street and Seventh Avenue.
I know that with the slumping economy, cities like Pittsburgh have really suffered so I can’t even imagine how much the Penguins and Steelers’ victories mean to them.  Mayor Luke Ravenstahl summed it up nicely: “No words can describe the history-making comeback achieved by our team.  No one believed that this could be done, that we …read more

Last night, the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the odds and took home Lord Stanley after thriller of a game at the Joe Louis Arena and no one can say that this team relied solely on the skills and talents of star players like Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin.  They pulled together and became the 2009 Stanley Cup Champions.

It’s been almost a full day and I still can’t believe it.  I will write more about some things like Marian Hossa’s decision to join up with the Detroit Red Wings to have a better chance at winning and the fact that Evgeni Malkin …read more