Going for 6.

Too much time has gone by since my last post, but this is no way correlates with a lessening addiction to hockey. It's in full force. Just ask the Verizon customer service rep that heard my wrath the night of the Devils game. You know, the one where we scored 8 goals? Also known as the one I had to listen to in its entirety on the iPad, because after close to two hours on the phone, Fios could not give me my Center Ice. I will not forgive you, Verizon, but somehow you still convinced me to upgrade my TV package. Now that we pay 2 bazillion dollars, I'd like my services to work 100% of the time.

I digress. I'd like to point out (for those of you who haven't noticed) that we are kicking ass and taking names. Now on a five game winning streak, we hold the top spot in the Metropolitan division, and once again, Sid seems to be racing toward the Art Ross. And Flower has been resigned for another four years. How can you not when the guy has three shut outs in four games? For the doubters (which at times has included me), can we ease up a bit on him now? At least until he gives a reason otherwise...

It's been some time since the Penguins AND the Steelers were simultaneously going strong. How long can it last? All I know is that both teams face the Jets next- Pens tonight and Steelers on Sunday, so you know where I'll be.

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 =)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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.

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.

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.

Birthdays, bubbles, and big hopes.

Good things

• Pens finally won a pre-season game last night!
• It's Chris Kunitz's birthday, and since he's 35 (and I'm 35), I don't feel one ounce of guilt or awkwardness in loving him.
• Speaking of Kunitz, he will be playing in tomorrow's game.
• So will Sid.

• AND...It's finally on TV.
• Also, Brandon Sutter and Beau Bennett have been on fire.

Bad things

• But...Beau might as well live in a bubble. Man down. Again.



• I don't yet have a third jersey (loving the throwback) nor tickets for a single game this season. This will need to change.
• Oili Maata and Kasperi Kapanen look too much alike. They will need to make sure they are always wearing jerseys. Or name tags.

So... you'll know where to find me tomorrow night, as well as 82 other occasions over the course of the next seven months. Looking forward to seeing what a new coach and some fresh players bring to this team.

Hello, September!

It might be 90 degrees out, but in my heart, hockey is on its way. It's 20 days from pre-season, and my father-in-law brought us back two essentials from Pittsburgh this weekend:

 

A case of Iron City!



 

 

And a banner way too large for my new office, but screw it, it's up!

 

 

 

And yes, I understand that we're only days away from football. Of course I know that its return should put hockey on the backburner, but even the Steelers looks like they'd rather be watching hockey (or smoking pot, but that's a whole other story).

 

 

So expect a lot more from me in about 3 weeks. I'll surely be missing Disco Dan and half the team we lost/traded, but I'm as excited as ever for the season!