Yeah Absolutely

After a Penguins loss on New Year's Eve and two more this weekend, all I can say is that the Steelers had better beat Denver today because I couldn't take such a disappointing sports weekend.  Rather than write about my hockey team's recent skid, though, I'll focus this blog on something else.

Over New Year's weekend we watched Mr. Popper's Penguins.  A couple times.  When my kids like a movie, they tend to get a little obsessive.  Where, oh, where could this trait come from, I wonder?  I didn't mind the repetitiveness since I enjoyed the movie too.

Apart from being reminded of the absence of our beloved captain, as Jim Carrey's character Mr. Popper ice-skated around his New York City apartment wearing a Crosby jersey, I've been dwelling on another topic the movie broached.

(Don't read on if you're concerned about a movie spoiler!)

When asked where the family's gentoo penguins were, the zoo official explained the zoo already had another type of penguin and elaborated which animals the zoo did not yet have.  "What are you talking about? "Mr. Popper asked.  To which the official replied, "Trading them, Mr. Popper.  Zoos do it all the time, same as sports teams.  How do you think the Yankees won 27 championships?  I'm sure it wasn't their farm system."

Last season I discussed how I felt about trades after Alex Goligoski went to the Dallas Stars for Matt Niskanen, who seems to be fitting into our system nicely, and James Neal, who apparently wants to compete for the Rocket Richard trophy (though he's currently fallen behind league leader Stamkos, and I wish I knew where I could find the stat for how many goals he's had disallowed so far--my guess is about 6).

Outside of these deadline or off-season trades, I can't help but think how much the Penguins do rely on drafting well and letting the farm team develop their players.  While players like Mario Lemieux, aforementioned Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Jordan Staal have slid into the lineup without taking this extra step, other members of members of our current roster have certainly benefited.

Here are my top ten picks of current Penguins players that have gone through our farm system:

10.   Simon Despres:  has a goal and three assists in 13 NHL games and has shown good vision and defensive leadership (with honorable mentions Robert Bortuzzo and Brian Strait).

9.  Dustin Jeffrey:  only played six games this season and had last year's shortened by injury, but as a fourth liner he has added depth to the center position .

8.  Joe Vitale:  one of the team's best in faceoff percentages, played the majority of games this season, and brings energy and toughness to every shift.

7.  Richard Park:  (did not play as part of the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins but was drafted by Pittsburgh and spent time with the Belleville Bulls before logging time with the Penguins; played with five other NHL teams before returning to the Penguins) another team leader in faceoff percentages, a valuable penalty killer, and a veteran player with good speed.

6.  Tyler Kennedy:  has 19 points this season, solid on faceoffs, rarely shies from taking a shot (which as a longtime Pittsburgh fan where we have a history of players who like to pass, this is much appreciated), and contributed a game winner in Game 6 of the 2008-09 Stanley Cup finals.

5.  Ben Lovejoy:  (not drafted by the Penguins, but spent time with the Baby Pens after being acquired as a free agent) stepped up his game last season and continues to join offensive rushes and play defense with confidence.

4.  Deryk Engelland:  (also not drafted by the Pens) one of our toughest blueliners, especially when it comes to fighting and blocking shots

3.  Brooks Orpik:  assistant captain, Stanley Cup champion, shot blocker, penalty killer, and leading hitter (Crazy Eyes--need I say more?)

2.  Kris Letang:  All Star defenseman and Stanley Cup champion with scoring prowess sufficient enough to place him consistently in the first three shoot out contestants

1.  Marc-Andre Fleury:  All Star netminder and Stanley Cup champion, currently third in the NHL in wins this season, who recently played his 400th career game for the Penguins

This being my first top ten list, feel free to dispute my ranking and very brief descriptions touting the players' achievements.

After examining this list, do I feel reassured about our Baby Penguins playing the same system as the Penguins, about players fiting right into a game whenever injuries require, about our farm team developing skilled and successful players?

As Mr. Popper himself would say, "Yeah absolutely."

It's Silk

Holidays for me are a time to embarrass myself.  I blurt something out, and my family reminds me of it for years to come.  How lucky for me that they all seem to have such long memories.

One of the most famous, of course, took place in high school--my freshman year, if I'm correct.  It was one of those years when I wanted something very specific.

Despite all my hoping and anticipating, I unwrapped my gifts in an almost anti-climactic way, careful not to tear the paper because I folded it up and saved it.  As I pulled the lid off the white department store box I had just extricated, I caught a glimpse of red, felt the soft, smooth texture of the shirt's material, and exclaimed, "It's silk!"

Whether I laughed or cried or turned the same shade as the blouse I'd received, I'm not sure anymore.  Echos of "It's silk!" surrounded me as my extended family collectively enjoyed my response to the gift.  It was an expression that I would hear Christmas after Christmas as I opened my presents.

I don't save my wrapping paper anymore, though I hear if you shred it, it does make great filler for gift bags or shipping packages. Very rarely do I ask for a certain gift either, as I feel fortunate to have what I need (and most of what I want) already.  This year, however, was to be another of those unforgettable moments for me.

We distributed the presents at my mom's house so a pile sat in front of each of us.  I chose one whose tag stated it was from my youngest brother Evan, and for some reason I presumed it to be a sweater.  Not that a sweater is bad or good, but my rational mind made a guess.

As I ripped into the gift I saw black and gold and a Penguins logo, and I turned it over to see "Francis" on the back of what happened to be a different kind of sweater.  I cried.  On Christmas.  No blurted words, just blurted tears.

And my family declared, "It's silk!"

Maybe it's a silly thing to cry when you get a hockey jersey of your all-time favorite player from your baby brother.  I was so moved by the thoughtfulness of the gift, the expense he shouldn't have gone to, the joy of holding that "shirt" that I won't even mind if you bring it up again.

Photo courtesy of Jessica Brown-Bence.

The Start of the Season

October is not only a beautiful month but marks the precious yet fleeting overlap of hockey, baseball, basketball, and football. ~Jason Love

I know, the fifth game of the season is kind of silly time to start my blogging back up, especially when my team just lost. I saw this quote recently, and even though the Pirates are out of the playoffs (and have been for decades now), and even though CNN is broadcasting about the basketball lockout, hockey and football still contribute to the allure of October for me.

Now I for one feel very fortunate to be able to watch both of these sports. Which is the other reason for starting blogging now. I've gotten several letters from my brother Levi over the last five weeks while he's been in training for the National Guard Reserves, and despite his thirst for "civilian news," I think that he also really misses simple luxuries like watching sports, among other things. So partially this is for him--the least I could do!

So, Levi, to summarize: they're off to a good start.

Letang is leading the team in points. Tonight James Neal scored his fourth goal, with Cooke on his heels with 3. Malkin has sat a couple games due to his knee, but the way he was playing tonight, it was like the Geno show. They were perfect on the penalty kill (with 2 shorties) until Washington got a 4-on-3 in overtime tonight; killing 16 out of 17 still isn't bad. We signed Kunitz to a two-year extension. Oh, and Sidney Crosby got cleared for contact today--no big deal.

I know--this one is short and sweet and probably not anything new for anyone who can watch the Penguins whenever they want. I'll get back to elaboration and hopefully some charming little stories about my family as we relate to hockey.


Note:  No sooner than I had stated my intent to blog for my brother Levi, he returned from National Reserves training on a medical leave and got to watch some hockey of his own accord!  Of course, he did go back right before Thanksgiving and will now graduate his basic training in February 2012.


Random thought:  When the goaltender holds the puck, it's called "freezing the puck," but really someone else freezes all the pucks before the game even begins.

Go West, Young Man

Well, I think I'm ready.  I think tonight I will watch hockey again.

I've often used the mentality on others that if the team that beat yours is still in it, at least you know you lost to a quality team.  But I'm not thrilled to be watching the Lightning still living it up in the postseason.

Last Sunday at church, I had a conversation with another hockey fan in the congregation.  Never mind he's nine, a Canadien's fan, and the Pastor's son--he's got a passion for the sport and he likes to discuss it.  I had missed some church lately, and it was the first opportunity I had to offer him my consolation for his team's elimination.

I'm always interested in other fans' opinions, so I was asking Colin which team he thought was going to hoist the Cup this year, now that it couldn't be the Habs.

We shared a common outlook--it didn't matter who won it as long as it wasn't the team that eliminated our own.

While I could barely stomach the thought of the Lightning in the finals again, he didn't want to see the Bruins there either.  (As for the Bruins, I really wouldn't mind seeing them win this year, if only for Mark Recchi's sake, and because of Tim Thomas's amazing play.) But one of these teams will need to represent the East.

Together we agreed to cheer on the West.

Overall, he thought it was the Canucks' year (and they hadn't even wrapped up their series with Nashville yet).

We'll see about that.  They still need to defeat the Sharks.  I'll admit that I haven't watched a Western Conference playoff game yet.  The time zone difference kills me.  From what I know, I agree the regular season's number one seed is probably good for it.

First of all, the Sharks were forced to a Game 7 with the Red Wings, and they will have very little time off before their next series begins.  And the Canucks have been tested this post season:.  they received a wake up call in the first round, and their top players have been shut down, but they still managed to win their series.

But as we know, in hockey everything goes.  This is a whole new series.  That same Game 7 could mean positive momentum for the Sharks.  The extra time off for the Canucks could leave them out of focus.  Either way, the conference is well represented.

I can't wait to see how this one plays out.

Go West?

Playing Favorites

I wasn't ready for the end of the post season, and just because it's here, I'm not any more prepared for it.  I'm still feeling fairly nauseous about that game, so rather than analyze it, or critique the power(less) play, or question how the Penguins allowed the Lightning to overcome a 3-1 series deficit, I'm going to keep tonight's blog fun.

Who's your favorite player and why?

My active favorite is none other than Marc-Andre Fleury.  The Flower is known for his poke check and acrobatic saves.  Something about his demeanor reminds me of the French Canadian goalie of Slap Shot, or maybe that goalie reminds me of him.  I tend to favor goalies.  I had been favorite-less for years now and leaning toward Sid, but this season I made up my mind.  Fleury had such a tough start this year (and some of the "fans"--yes, you know who you are--thought we should deal him early), but with some adjustments on his part and more solid play from the defense, he put himself in the Vezina discussion.  Sometimes it's easy to forget just how young these players are; at 26, Fleury has already hoisted the Cup and serves as a veteran of the team.

My longtime favorite is the non-active Ron Francis.  Of course, it breaks my heart that he's instrumental on the bench of the Carolina Hurricanes and not the Penguins, even though I understand why.  As a roller hockey player, I strove to perfect my stretch pass, a la Francis.  One of the highlights of my youth was meeting him at an event, and I proudly display his autographed photo on my wall of fame.  I think my only regret is that I didn't start watching hockey earlier, as I missed his contribution to the Penguins' first two cup wins.  He always seemed like a quiet player, a sleeper, and also one who was okay with taking the supporting role to help achieve the greater goal.

So tell me about the player(s) you admire.

Game Seven

Well, Easter is coming to a close, and even though it's not a Penguins game day, we did have hockey on at our house.  George is showing great progress as he's the one who pointed out we'd be able to catch the Flyers-Sabres game on NBC today (normally Buffalo's games are blacked out as we don't have MSG).

Quick sidebar:  I saw on NBC there was an option to like NHL on NBC through facebook, and I'm curious--does anyone actually like watching hockey on NBC, or are they doing it for the same reason I am, as a necessity?  Personally, I'm not a fan of any of the announcers or commentators, except that I can deal with good old Eddie O.  And aren't the commentators what separates the stations from one another?  Maybe I'm missing something, but back to the topic at hand.

I think George was a little confused that I didn't want the Flyers to lose today.  He made it clear that they could head out to the golf course tomorrow, for all he cared; I'm nearly certain he thought I'd share that sentiment.

It's not as though I were rooting for them.

I explained to him the strategy I currently employ during the playoffs:  hope every series but our own goes the full seven games.  If our team goes on to the next round, I could only hope the team they play next was as tired, run down, and beat up as possible.  I want the teams to make each other suffer and wear each other down.  I want to see seven full games of them testing each other's strengths and divulging each other's weaknesses.

I could actually care less if Philly or Buffalo won their series.  I watch the hockey for love of the game, but find fantasy leagues detrimental.  Participating in polls that encourage me to cheer for the Penguins' opponents to move on to the next round only distracts from my focus on my team.

In the past, I had rarely chosen favorites in other playoff match ups.  While I preferred we not play the Caps or the Devils or [insert team name here], I didn't worry about it and let the ice chips fall where they may.

Last season, though, I let it get personal.  I let myself get distracted.  And as the Penguins defeated the Senators in six games, I let myself get sucked into the Caps-Habs series that extended to seven games.  I cheered on the underdogs as they clawed back from being down 3-1.  And I gloried in the fall of the number one seed to the Canadiens.

Of course, we all know how this played out.  Even though the Penguins won 3 of 4 regular season games against the Habs, and they had outscored them 15 to 9 in those games, we all know the playoffs are their own story.  This story did not end well for Pittsburgh.

And so rather than putting myself in a position to wonder if I rooted for a team because they were an underdog, or if I cheered for that team because I felt they were the easier team for us to beat, I'll just hope for game seven, round by round.

You might say that the Caps-Habs game did just that--went to game seven.

True.  But I chose a favorite in that series, and it wasn't the Penguins.  Regardless of which two teams are competing, my focus--the favorite--should always be the Penguins.

So I'm happy to say that the Blackhawks and Flyers have both forced a game seven today.  Let's go, Pens!