Fight Night in Flyer City posted by Greg

The rivalry between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers got hot again last night. Last night there were a few fights and a scrum.

The game started out rough with a penalty to Philly in the first minute of the game. The Pens would capitalize on the power play very quickly. Only a minute and a half into the game, the first fight started between Adams and Laperriere. Adams would win pretty quickly.

However, the story of the night came at the end of the game when Hartnell bit Letang during an altercation. Hartnell actually started the fight when he crashed into Fleury, but he may have also bitten Letang.

I'm not sure if there is going to be a retaliation or not, it'll depend on how everything works out.

Anyway, I made a post on my website that talks more about it and has a couple of videos that show the game. Check it out if you'd like more information.

See the post at tipsforhockey.com

Continue reading "Fight Night in Flyer City"

It's another Steelers Blog! posted by Nicole Ford

Hello, everyone, and welcome to my new Steelers Blog.  My name is Nicole, and I live in a little town called Butler, just an hour out of Pittsburg. I have lived here all of my life, and have been a part of Steelers nation.  I was not born to this, my family did not watch football together.  I am hoping to change this with my daughter.  I'm so proud of her.  Five years old, and already prone to cheering for the Steelers at the slightest provication.  Funny story recently.  The night of the final game of the Stanly Cup, actually.  My daughter and I were outside, and one of our neighbors was having a party, watching the game with their windows open.  Quite suddenly, they started a chant for the penguins, "Here we go, Penguins, here we go!"  My five year old daughter aparently thought they were saying it wrong.  She decided to correct them, by shouting the 'correct' lyrics down to them.  Say it with us now, "Here we go Steelers, here we go!"  The Penguins fans in the house heard her, and burst into laughter.                                                      I will be sharing my thoughts of the draft, the new season, and whatever else happens to be going on in Steelers nation.  I'll also probably have hilariouse stories about my little girl, Continue reading "It's another Steelers Blog!"

NHL Finals Recap and Award Predictions posted by Ryan Turner

The NHL season hasn’t even been over for a week and I already miss it. I have a fever and the only cure is more blaring goal horns. This season left a much better taste in my mouth than the previous one because not only did the Blues make it back to the postseason, their biggest rival didn’t win the postseason. The Red Wings had everything going their way. There hadn’t been a home team that had lost a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals in 38 years. The road team hasn’t won a championship in a Game 7 in any professional sport since the Pirates did it back in 1979. So Detroit took that fact and dominated the first period. Pittsburgh outshot the Wings 10-6 in the first, but it didn’t feel that way watching it. But then Detroit let them off the hook.

With no score after one frame, Pittsburgh had taken hold of the momentum. They got a turnover deep in the Wings’ zone in the first and a helpful bounce to take a 1-0 lead. Maxime Talbot was the culprit picking up his third goal of the finals. Just under nine minutes later, the Pens got an odd-man rush and Talbot struck again, firing a laser past Chris Osgood. It was a nice shot, but Osgood could’ve had it. If he stops that, it’s a completely different game. The Wings’ fans were still in the game after getting down 2-0, so staying within one likely would’ve allowed them to come back and win it. After all, they did manage to beat Marc-Andre Fleury once. Speaking of Fleury, he was a superhero for the Penguins in the third period, especially over the last two minutes. The diving save he made with about four seconds left was nearly as miraculous as Santonio Holmes’ catch to win Super Bowl XLIII. What a way to win the Stanley Cup. The Steelers got their rings last week, by the way. They weigh nearly a quarter of a pound. Now that’s some bling!

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Stanley Cup Champs posted by Amanda Dishong

The Penguins did what everyone said they couldn't do. They beat the Red Wings at Joe Louis Arena in game seven of the finals. Marc Andre Fleury played the game of his life. What a great save he made on Nicklas Lidstrom as time ran out on the Red Wings. But that being said, Max Talbot won the game for the Pens with his two big goals in game seven. The Penguins still found a way to win the game with the best player in the league missing half of the game. Malkin deserved to win the Conn Smythe trophy with all the great plays he made in the finals. I hope they don't lose too many guys in the off season, because I hope they repeat next season. Way to go Pens!Continue reading "Stanley Cup Champs"

Penguins win at home to force Stanley Cup Finals Game 7 posted by Jimi Begin

The Pittsburgh Penguins squeaked by the Detroit Red Wings by a single goal to take Game 6 by a score of 2-1 on their home ice.  As has been the precedent, the team having home ice advantage has taken every game so far in this too-close-to-call series.  The Red Wings will be glad to come back to play Game 7 at Joe Louis arena where they rarely lose.  They have an 11-1 record so far this year on home ice in the playoffs - and have outscored Pittsburgh 11-2 so far at home in this series.

After suffering a devastating 5-0 loss at the Joe in Game 5, Marc-Andre Fleury rebounded in typical fashion, playing some stellar hockey.  He stopped 26 shots in the game and fought off some quality scoring chances late in the  third period.  The only goal he let in was that of Kris Draper in the second period, after Detroit had gone down by a two goal deficit.  Chris Osgood was also excellent on the other end of the ice,  stopping some key shots by Pittsburgh's dangerous offensive machine and finishing with 31 saves overall.

It seems rare that we see this beast that we call "Stanley Cup Finals Game 7", but every hockey player aspires to get to this point.  It is the moment at which great players are defined and great teams make history.

Detroit has an incredible opportunity to grasp yet another Stanley Cup Title on their home ice this Friday evening.  God knows this Hockeytown could use a little good news in these tough times!

GO WINGS!!!!! 

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Detroit Red Wings Destroy Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 5 posted by Jimi Begin

Datsuyk's return seemed to be a catalyst for the Red Wings tonight as they destroyed the Pittsburgh Peguins 5-0 to take Game 5 in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.  The Wings now lead the series 3-2.  History seems likely to repeat itself as the Wings get closer to another Back-to Back Stanley Cup Win!

Pittsburgh got frustrated tonight and had 12 penalties with three 10-minute game misconducts -  totally unnecessary.

If the Wings win one more game, this will be their... 

• 12th Stanley Cup Title!
• 5th Stanley Cup in 12 Seasons!
• Second Back-toBack Stanley Cup title in 11 seasons!

Go WINGS!!!  We could have the Cup again in a mere 72 Hours!!!

What do you think?

Click on "Continue" to check out some cool photos!  Don't forget to leave your comments!!

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2009 Stanley Cup Finals Game 4: Pens Down Wings to tie series 2-2 posted by Dexter Jones

I went over to Patti and Jeff's last night to watch Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Finals, with the Detroit Red Wings up 2 games to 1 in the series.  We all know that when a home team is down 2-1, Game 4 is a must-win.  This was no exception.  Detroit came out strong in the first period, dominating play for nearly the entire 20 minutes.  The lone Penguins goal came on a power play, but early on it seemed like the Wings were going to do what they always do, which is control the puck, maintain the offensive zone, send forwards down low, take big shots from the point, and pounce on rebounds for goals.  The first two games were clinical in their approach.  Once the Wings get a lead, it's all about clogging the neutral zone and slowing down the opposing team's forwards.  This is nothing new.  It's not exciting, but it works. 

Game 4, however, saw the Penguins pull away in the second period.  Suddenly, Detroit was turning the puck over in all 3 zones.  Their skaters seemed slow to the puck and reluctant to play the body.  The overwhelming opinion in this series is that the Wings are considerably older than the Penguins, but in terms of ice time, both teams are playing a mix of older and younger players.  Bill Guerin and Sergei Gonchar are no spring chickens for Pitt, while Darren Helm and Justin Abdelkader have made their presence felt for the veteran Wings. 

More than age, turnovers were the story of Game 4.  Defenseman Rob Scuderi, normally very solid in his own end for the Penguins, made a horrible attempt at an outlet pass that ended up right on Helm's blade and seconds later was deposited in the net past Marc-Andre Fleury.  What a shame.  The crowd got very nervous at this point, and the general sense was "here we go again."  Any goals scored in the last two minutes of a period worry me because that's when fatigue and mental mistakes are most common.  The Pens limped to the first intermission, and I fully expected the Wings to take control of the game to start the second period.

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PENGUINS GET EVEN posted by Andy Natalie

   

Shots On Goal

TEAM

1st

2nd

3rd

T

Detroit

19

9

11

39

Pittsburgh

11

11

9

31

The tale of the tape gives you an overview of how Game 4 played out. It was important that Pittsburgh pick up the offensive chances and they did. However they are fortunate that their netminder Marc-Andre Fleury was up to the challenge as he was tested with 39 shots on goal.

For the Penguins Crosby and Malkin were the catalysts as they should be. Malkin got off 6 shots on goal and Crosby 3. Both had a goal and an assist.

The big blow for Pittsburgh was Jordan Staal's beautiful shorthanded goal. The Penguins scored 3 times in the 2nd in under 6 minutes.

All in all without oversimplifying I think the Red Wings showed signs of fatigue again. Yes they got some shots off but they seemed sluggish at times. And to be fair the Penguins stepped it up a notch.

Game 5 should prove very interesting. For Pittsburgh they need to be aggressive early to test the conditioning of the Red Wings and put pressure on them at home right away. And once again they need to cut down the chances that Detroit is getting. They are not going to be off forever nor is Fleury likely to save a barrage of shots every night. Although that could be a key factor.

Continue reading "PENGUINS GET EVEN"

Remaining Games: posted by Jimi Begin

Okay Folks, three games remaining now with the Detroit Red Wings Tied 2-2 with the Pittiful Penguins:

Sat, June 6   Penguins @ Detroit   8 p.m.    NBC, CBC

Tue, June 9*  Red Wings @ Pitt    8 p.m.     NBC, CBC 

Fri, June 12*  Penguins @ Detroit  8 p.m.    NBC, CBC

In light of the recent Pittsburgh offensive rally, I think it's important to remember that the team that takes a 2-0 lead in the Stanley Cup Finals is 31-1!!!!  To me that says a lot - plus the fact that we have home ice advantage with two more games at the Joe can't hurt either.  It allows Babcock to change lines more efficiently against Pitt, and gives Ozzy a little more confidence in the net!

Another interesting factoid: The Wings are now 11-0 when leading to start the third period in these Stanley Cup playoffs.

Continue reading "Remaining Games:"

The Red Wings Make a Statement posted by Andy Natalie

The recent version of the Detroit dynasty has proven to be an offensive force to be reckoned with. And of course Chris Osgood continues to be among the elite goaltenders in the NHL.

However that isn't what makes them such a formidable team. The fact is they just flat out know how to win. And Game 1's 3 to 1 victory was a classic example.

The Penguins offensive attack was up to the task but Chris Osgood was up to the challenge And Detroit as a whole matched the Pittsburgh intensity. The bottom line is the Red Wings find ways to win.

You know things are going great when Justin Abdelker steps right in for an injured player and scores in his first start. In the Stanley Cup Finals!

Hopefully the series will stay competitive but the Red Wings are not going to concede victory. The Penguins are going to have to pry wins out of their death grip.

Continue reading "The Red Wings Make a Statement"

Caps stun Pens in OT, win 14th straight (AP)

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Penguins-Caps goes on despite heavy snow (AP)

The Pittsburgh Penguins have made it through the snow. The nationally televised Super Bowl Sunday showdown between the Penguins and Washington Capitals was a full-go after all -- despite 2 feet of snow that paralyzed the nation's capital and had the visitors scrambling to find a way into town. With all of the airports in the area closed, the Penguins had to fly into Newark, N.J., from Montreal... [read full article]

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Caps host Penguins with win streak at 13 (AP)

In their quest to set the NHL record for consecutive wins, the Washington Capitals face a familiar obstacle Sunday: Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capitals have won 13 straight, four short of matching the longest run in NHL history. That mark was set by the 1992-93 Penguins, and now the current-day version of that team has a chance to preserve that mark -- weather permitting. [read full article]

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Gionta's 3 points lift Canadiens by Pens (AP)

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Crosby's 2nd-period hat trick lifts Pens (AP)

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