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!

And scene.

I went to bed, just as I did the year before when the Penguins lost to the Bruins, with tears in my eyes and a an emptiness only felt when a relationship ends. Like many fans, I was not only glued to each game, but to stats, blogs, articles, and press conferences from October through this morning. The roller coaster ride has ended but I don't want to get off.

I sometimes feel silly for the emotional investment I put into sports, and none more than hockey. I've always been a girl who wanted to belong to something. In high school and college, it was traveling up and down the East Coast for music, although sports were always in there- I remember being so obsessed with the Cowboys and Broncos that I would tape Superbowls. What pre-teen does that? (this one). Somewhere along these last ten years, hockey took over and my love and commitment to it started to grow and grow.

My life is very different than I thought it would be. Two years ago, I lost two unborn sons, and I'm forever changed from it. Since then, hockey has been not only something to take my mind off of tragedy, but it's been a constant in my life that I know will be there for me. Oddly, it has helped fill a void. It's something that I can get excited about and share with others. Following the Penguins has allowed me to be a part of something special. I boast about it like I would a family. It's also something special I share with my nephew, a kid who I adore like he was my own. And although Mark's right when he jokes, "You're not on the team," my heart is there. When I (and others) question why I take it so seriously, the counselor in me knows the reason: I need it. So a loss for me might (will absolutely) sting a little more than a casual fan.

My favorite blog, if you haven't noticed my reposts/retweets, is What's Up, Ya Sieve? The ladies are witty and equally passionate about hockey, and their blog says everything I want to write on here but much better. I woke up feeling deflated and cranky, but this morning's entry reminded me that being a part of something and sharing that experience with others, whether it's actually in-the-flesh friends and family or  people you've never met but "get you" make the disappointment worth it. Will I be cranky today? Absolutely. But I'm already filled with hope for October.

UGH.

I am tired, feeling ill and cranky today, and that actually doesn't have to do anything with the Pens (although it certainly doesn't help). I didn't want to lose Friday's game 5, of course. But I also knew the Rangers wouldn't make it THAT easy to clinch a spot in the Eastern Conference finals. But pushing it to game 7?...frustrating and scary. I missed 2/3 of last night's game but my nephew had me checking the score here and there throughout Mother's Day dinner. I was OK with not watching the game because it relieved some of the anxiety, but I had unrealistically hoped I would get home last night and see enough of a lead that I could watch the third period stress-free. Not the case. We looked like we had plenty of chances but Henrik was on point and we just couldn't get it done. Anyway, it's do or die tomorrow night. I'm opting for DO.

And...exhale.

I got a text from my best friend last night that someone she was having dinner with in the city suggested that they go to the Penguins game. Last minute. For free. I would have given my right arm to be there (although my cousin asked, "but what would you clap with?" Good point.). Well, slowly we are converting said best friend to a Penguins fan. I even dress her up when she comes to visit.

She lives in West Virginia now, so she basically has no choice, but I'd like to think I was the one to start the conversion to making her a better person. (And yes, she's drinking an Iron City).

So as I sat in my pajamas glued to NBC Sports, this was her view.

She said that every time the Penguins scores, MSG went quiet. I like that. She also got to see one of the best goals of the season.

The Rangers are 0-36 on the power play, but who's counting? I'm too busy staring at matching purple suits.

Game 4.

Why didn't I write about Monday's game? I DON'T KNOW! I had plenty to say about it! I could have written about Marc-stonewall-Fleury, or the Rangers inability to score on a power play, or this:

While I would have liked a few more shots of goal, especially in the third (only 1!), I love what I'm seeing. Talk about a confidence booster for MAF! Back-to-back shut outs, a great penalty kill, and a team that finally looks like they're playing with some heart.

7:30 can't come soon enough.

Series tied up!

I am nervous every game, but one that starts out with one penalty after another has my stomach in a perpetual knot. For the first period, it seemed like we were on the penalty kill more than we were even strength. And despite NY being gosh awful on the PP, if you give a team enough chances with the man advantage, they'll eventually score. But they didn't. We survived and finally thrived. We actually looked GOOD. 

Flower did his part when he had to, and if it weren't for Lundqvist being a rock star, we could have probably closed that game out with a bigger number before the -0. A shut out is exactly what we needed to go into NY tonight.  And Sid, despite not actually scoring, looked more like Sid last night. I went to sleep last night recognizing my team again. Hooray for that.