Hockey Beat » Pittsburgh Penguins

Penguins Lose Malkin For 2-3 Weeks

Jeanne Dupuis — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:30:39 +0000

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.”

image: TSN

Bylsma continued: “Obviously he has played with it and could gut it out, which is what Geno would be apt to do. At this time of the year the concern is the player and this is a precautionary measure.”

“I can play good, but it’s the early season,” Malkin added. “I feel good. It’s not a big problem, and I’m fine. I’ll be watching and supporting the team on the trip. It’ll be fine.”

I think this is a good idea. The team is doing well and it’s still very early in the season so I don’t see why he shouldn’t take this time to just rest the shoulder and see if the injury heals. That way, it won’t be nagging him or worsening during a time when it’s really crucial to have him in the lineup.

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No Update on Sidney Crosby Injury

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 01:04:08 +0000

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.

image: Zuma Press

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 for weeks.

The Penguins play their first 2009-2010 game against the New York Rangers on Friday.

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Are the Pittsburgh Penguins Poised For a Repeat?

Jeanne Dupuis — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 06:16:54 +0000

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.

image: Zuma Press

The truth is that back during the 2008-2009 season, I was really worried when they gave Michel Therrien the boot with 25 games left and put Bylsma behind the bench. I hadn’t heard of him before and I wondered if this was the equivalent of playoff suicide but they went on to post a 18-3-4 record down the stretch and defied a lot of odds to go head-to-head with the Detroit Red Wings.

They ended up losing, of course, but I think that the loss was important. I think that this team of young players needed to gain experience and overcome the serious disappointment that comes along with coming so close but walking away empty-handed.

I know some people still call Sidney Crosby a whiner but I don’t see a baby anymore when I look at him. I think he’s earned his captaincy. Yeah, he’s not perfect and still does the occasional douche move but who doesn’t, really? Crosby is an incredible player and, more importantly, he got drafted to a seriously crappy team and helped turn things around. He’s not like the Dany Heatley and Marian Hossas of the world who jump ship when their team is struggling and his dedication to the Penguins has earned my respect.

When you look at the fact that he and Evgeni Malkin have clearly formed an incredible alliance and definitely work well together, it’s hard to believe that, barring injury, this team won’t do well again next season. I do think they might regret not fighting to keep Rob Scuderi but I could be wrong.

What do you think? With Crosby, Malkin, Jordan Staal and goalie, Marc-André Fleury, I think they could easily win their division again as long as everyone stays healthy. If they do manage to win the Cup again, they will be the first team to celebrate back-to-back wins since the Red Wings did it in 1997 and 1998.

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Sidney Crosby’s Birthday With Stanley

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 06:17:10 +0000

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.

image: TSN

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) were really happy to welcome Crosby back to Nova Scotia. I’m guessing his trip home went better than Patrick Kane’s.

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Talbot Out 4-5 Months After Shoulder Surgery

Jeanne Dupuis — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 18:26:05 +0000

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 I can tell you that it’s pretty painful and all I do is type for a living.

According to TSN, he had surgery yesterday to repair the injury but it will take about four to five months for him to be ready to join his teammates. "We all agreed it was best for him to have the surgery at this time," said GM Ray Shero. "Although he will miss training camp and the start of the season, the doctors expect him to make a complete recovery."

I think it’s better to lose a guy at the beginning of the season than the end so it sounds like a pretty good plan. Hopefully he will able to work around the injury but still keep in shape.

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On DVD: Stanley Cup 2008-2009 Champions

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 16:30:43 +0000

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 finals, I wondered if they had it in them to stave off a team like the Detroit Red Wings.

Anyway, I could go on and on about it but this great DVD set highlights some incredible plays by Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Marc-André Fleury, Jordan Staal and, of course, the rest of the amazing team. They really pulled together and made this happen.

I’m also really interesting in watching the interviews with the players and coaches as well as seeing the exclusive, behind-the-scenes footage.

image: Amazon

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Malkin Wins 2009 Art Ross Trophy

Jeanne Dupuis — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 02:59:12 +0000

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 "is better than Pavel Datsyuk’s English." That got some laughs!

image: NHL.com

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Why Marian Hossa Didn’t Deserve to Win

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:27:44 +0000

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 over the possibility of Hossa watching the other team hoisting the Cup over their heads for a second year in a row and, instead of feeling pity, I began to feel hopeful. I wanted him to lose and I think that my vengeful attitude is justified.

Winning the Stanley Cup isn’t about jumping on to the roster of the team that you think has the best chance of taking it home. It’s about earning the honor and working hard to turn your team into the Stanley Cup champions. Look at what Sidney Crosby has done with the Penguins in such a short amount of time. I do believe that his enthusiasm and passion has helped push them to the finals two years in a row and, if I ever doubted his captaincy in the past, he’s proven that he is the leader his team needed.

Interestingly, Hossa wasn’t exactly effective for Detroit. Not only did he fail to score in the finals, he became almost non-existent in Game 7. I sometimes wonder if he didn’t psych himself out. Whatever the reason for his lack of effort, he failed his team when they needed him most. With Pavel Datsyuk and Kris Draper battling injuries, Detroit needed all of their players to be at their best.

After the game, Hossa said: “That’s life,” he said. “You just have to move on. It’s a great life experience. It’s a tough pill to swallow. It could be different circumstances if I sign in Pittsburgh and now they probably couldn’t sign some other players and they would be different team. So we could sit here for hours discussing this, but it could be different team, could be different things so I don’t regret the decision.”

Well, I have to admit that his logic makes sense even if it sounds like something he’s telling himself to feel better. I was glad that the Penguins were classy enough to not mention the irony during the postgame handshake. “Nobody said anything,” said Hossa. “I congratulated them and that was it.”

Hossa is eligible to be a free agent this offseason. I am really curious to see where he ends up and what kind of deal he gets. He’s clearly a great player and had a team-high of 40 goals during this past regular season so he probably will get a decent deal wherever he ends up.

image: TSN

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Penguins Parade in Pittsburgh Today

Jeanne Dupuis — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 07:26:26 +0000

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.

image: Zuma Press

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 could win on the road and defy history, and that the League’s youngest captain could make it happen. On Monday, let’s show the world how the ‘City of Champions’ welcomes home their Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins.”

I know that hockey isn’t as popular in the U.S. as it is in Canada but, hopefully, the Penguins will get a big turnout. I know that more than 300,000 people showed up for the Steelers so even if the Pens got a third of that, it would be amazing.

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2009 Stanley Cup Celebration in Pictures

Jeanne Dupuis — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 18:58:11 +0000

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 is now the first Russian player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy but, for now, I’m happy to just enjoy these pictures.

images: Zuma Press

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