Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Battle of PA!

Until this morning, our family was split fairly even. My husband and I are obviously Pens fans, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law root for the Flyers, and my nephews were split (as shown here):
 
 
 
Little by little we've tried to infiltrate and bring my nephew Jake over from the dark side, and wouldn't you know- this morning I see this picture posted on Facebook:
 
 
Please ignore the crazy hair (it was "crazy hair day" at school), and please focus on the fact that my (smaller) nephew is also sporting a hand-me-down Winter Classic Crosby shirt. It's a good day in PA.
 
Pens/Flyers is always an exciting rivalry that always has my stomach and knots. There's also an adequate amount of taunting and teasing, much of it surrounded by the Flyers lackluster start to the season (at least they have the Eagles) and ever-amusing captain Claude Giroux. This should make even a Flyers fan laugh: http://nblo.gs/10Qkjp

So best of luck to my Penguins. Glad to know that they'll be one more kid rooting tonight for the good guys =)
 
 
 
 
 
 

Friday, October 17, 2014

Fight 'til the end, fellas.


We were in beast mode as the game began. Two power play goals early on, and the puck seemed attached to one of our guys. I'm not sure where we went downhill or what shifted. It could have been that we let a lead get the best of us and they wanted it more. That certainly was the case after the "no goal" call (which even a Pens fan would agree was the wrong call). I hated that we had lost the lead, hated that we were headed to overtime. Didn't predict that Sid would head to the box and with 3 seconds remaining the Stars would take the 2 points. Just proves the point: FIGHT 'TIL THE END.

Despite everything, the loss didn't matter as much as Pascal Dupuis dropping to the ice and laying there, players and staff surrounding him, for felt like eternity. Was he paralyzed? We didn't know a thing. The puck hit him so awkwardly where there was no protection. All of this after basically a season out. But... what came next I would only expect from (Super) Duper.


Thumbs up. He'd be OK. Not only OK, but he'd be in full gear for practice today.


Almost paralyzed? No big thing. This only confirms what I already know as fact: Hockey players are tough the toughest of any mainstream sport. Broken jaws/hands/feet/legs/noses, missing teeth, torn MCL, ACL, strokes...Men who sacrifice their bodies for their teammates, and for the love of the sport. Men whose only question after an injury is "when can I get back on the ice?" I'm in awe of these athletes.

So, the Pens were handed their first lost last night. Tough to swallow, but an entire season ahead of them and a NY team on the horizon who deserves THEIR first loss. Who would have believed the Islanders would be 4-0?! Not this LI-born girl.

Friday, October 10, 2014

One down, 81 to go.

So, it's not secret that I was a maniac at 7pm last night, and no, it wasn't in the excited for game type of way. My TV was telling me that I wasn't subscribed to Center Ice, and I was frantically yelling back, "YES I AM!" Half hour later and hallway through the first period, I'm (rudely) told that no one is getting the HD channels (My bad, I didn't think to check the non-HD). So, NOT the way I thought I'd start the season, but I quickly cheered up when I watched us take an early lead against the Ducks. Did Fleury do some "Fleury things" that made me uncomfortable? Sure (one costing an avoidable goal), but overall I was impressed by what everyone brought to the ice. New additions stepped up to defend their teammates, players who haven't seen a regular season game in 10 months matched personal bests. I like Malkin on wing. I love the way Sutter has stepped up as a key player on this team. I also LOVE this and want to make it my weekend uniform (I also wouldn't mind if the man behind it hand-delivered it to me).



In short...I'm beyond excited to see what the Penguins can do.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

My kind of holiday.

If you're trying to have a conversation with me today, your voice is drowned out by my head screaming, "hockey, hockey, HOCKEY." Although the NHL season officially kicked off last night, and I thoroughly enjoyed the Flyers/Bruins game, tonight's the night I've eagerly anticipated for the past four months. In other words:
                    


New coaching staff, exciting additions and heart-breaking subtractions to the roster, and veteran players that have something to prove after lackluster consecutive post-seasons. Could it be that we have a mostly healthy team? How long will it last? So many questions, so much potential, so much hope. One game at a time, and it all starts in less than five hours.