Pittsburgh Hockey.NET

Another Penalty Shot added to the database

2011-04-25T21:30:00.000-04:00

A rare playoff penalty shot attempted by the Penguins. No one has scored since Jagr on the first post-season attempt...

Pittsburgh Penguins v. Tampa Bay Lightning Schedule

2011-04-10T22:04:00.000-04:00

Game 1: Wednesday, April 13 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
Game 2: Friday, April 15 at Pittsburgh, 7:00 p.m.
Game 3: Monday, April 18 at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Game 4: Wednesday, April 20 at Tampa Bay, 7:30 p.m.
Game 5: *Saturday, April 23 at Pittsburgh, TBD
Game 6: *Monday, April 25 at Tampa Bay, TBD
Game 7: *Wednesday, April 27 at Pittsburgh, TBD

Perfect attendance: Letang and Talbot

2011-04-10T15:15:00.001-04:00

Only Kris Letang and Maxime Talbot played all 82 regular season games in 2010-11 and they have made the list of 59 players for the Pittsburgh Penguins that did not miss a game all season.

Letang is the current holder of the Iron Man belt, playing the last 140 regular season and playoff games. Letang's streak started on November 28, 2009 vs. New York Rangers.

Another year of total sellouts for the Pittsburgh Penguins

2011-04-05T19:08:00.000-04:00

The sellout streak stands at 206. Mellon Arena and CONSOL Energy Center combined.

Here's the long list of the attendance figures for the Civic/Mellon Arena and CONSOL.

New broadcast name for the Penguins

2011-04-02T08:44:00.000-04:00

FSN-Pittsburgh has changed to ROOT. Name change reflected in the list.

Brad Theissen backs up Fleury wearing new number

2011-03-24T19:16:00.000-04:00

Brad Theissen, now wearing #39, and has been added to the all-time numbers list.

Remember what number he wore the last time he was called up? Click here.

Corey Potter, #42 ... Added to the all-time number roster

2011-03-15T22:26:00.000-04:00

Corey Potter, #42 ... Added to the all-time number roster.

Former Penguins player Nick Harbaruk dies

2011-03-12T23:09:00.000-05:00

Sadly, another Pittsburgh player has joined the Chapter Eternal.

Nick Harbaruk, who played for the Pittsburgh Hornets and the Pittsburgh Penguins, has been added to the Chapter Eternal list.

All-Time Roster Pages, new format updated

2011-03-01T02:14:00.000-05:00

Goligoski added to list of former Pens, Kovalev re-activated

All-Time Uniform numbers updated

2011-02-27T11:55:00.000-05:00

Here's the lastest addition with Kovalev wearing #72.

Another Pittsburgher in the NHL

2011-01-10T22:04:00.000-05:00

Mt. Lebanon's Matt Bartkowski has become the 14th native son to crack an NHL lineup.

He joined the Boston Bruins tonight and made his debut at the CONSOL Energy Center.

Penguins' Team Award Winners

2010-04-03T11:48:00.000-04:00

PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Penguins held their annual team awards ceremony before Saturday’s game with the Atlanta Thrashers. Here is a description of each award:

Baz Bastien Memorial “Good Guy” Award – Sidney Crosby & Marc-Andre Fleury

NHL Masterton Nominee “Comeback Player” Award – Bill Guerin

A.T. Caggiano Memorial Booster Club Cup – Sidney Crosby

Edward J. DeBartolo “Community Service” Award – Sidney Crosby

Defensive Player of the Year – Brooks Orpik

Player’s Player Award – Jordan Staal

Most Valuable Player Award – Sidney Crosby

Added another penalty shot to the list

2010-03-12T22:10:00.004-05:00

Marc-Andre Fleury is now five-for-seven on penalty shot saves. Fleury faced New Jersey's Ilya Kovalchuk tonight for his third penalty shot of the season ...

It's a 'Burgh thing

2010-03-04T23:39:00.004-05:00

Upper St. Clair's Dylan Reese has become the 13th native son to crack an NHL lineup.

Reese joined the New York Islanders on March 1 in a trade with Columbus, and dressed for the Isles tonight (March 4th). Check out the growing list of other locals in the NHL.

What's really cool, is the fact that Reese could potentially play in the Mellon Arena's regular season finale when the Islanders visit on April 8th.

Reese, at right with the Pittsburgh Forge in 2002.

The Poni Express out of Toronto

2010-03-02T22:00:00.004-05:00

LEAFS TRADE PONIKAROVSKY TO PENGUINS FOR SKOULA, CAPUTI.

Second trade in two days...

We'll be updating several pages in the next day:

• all-time numbers list
• all-time transactions
• former players stat sheet
• current season statistics

Sid Thwarts Sports Illustrated Jinx

2010-03-02T15:40:00.000-05:00

Sidney Crosby was the cover photo of Sports Illustrated in Canada the week before the Olympics, but his overtime heroics of the gold medal game against the US earned him the March 8th cover everywhere in North America.

Olympic Gold and Stanley Silver

2010-03-01T15:08:00.000-05:00

Since Olympic hockey began in 1920:
- 50 players have won an Olympic Gold Medal and a Stanley Cup Championship.

- 10 men that played hockey in Pittsburgh are on that list.

- Four players won gold while on Pittsburgh's roster (Jagr, Lemieux, Fleury & Crosby)

Frank Fredrickson
Played for Pittsburgh Pirates 1928-30
Won gold with Canada in 1920 (Antwerp)
Won Stanley Cup with Victoria Cougars in 1925

Bert McCaffrey
Played for Pittsburgh Pirates 1928-30
Won gold with Canada in 1924 (Chamonix)
Won Stanley Cup with Montreal Canadiens in 1930

Alex Kovalev
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins 1998-2003
Won gold with Unified Team in 1992 (Albertville)
Won Stanley Cup with New York Rangers 1994

Dmitri Mironov
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins 1995-96
Won gold with Unified Team in 1992 (Albertville)
Won Stanley Cup with Detroit Red Wings in 1998

Sergei Zubov
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins 1995-96
Won gold with Unified Team in 1992 (Albertville)
Won Stanley Cup with New York Rangers 1994, Dallas Stars 1994

Jaromir Jagr
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins 1990-2001
Won gold with Czech Republic 1998 (Nagano)
Won Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh Penguins 1991, 1992

Mario Lemieux
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins 1984-2005
Won gold with Canada 2002 (Salt Lake City)
Won Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh Penguins 1991, 1992, 2009 (owner)

Mikael Samuelsson
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins 2003
Won gold with Sweden 2006 (Torino)
Won Stanley Cup with Detroit Red Wings 2008

Marc-Andre Fleury
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins 2003 - present
Won gold with Canada 2010 (Vancouver)
Won Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh 2009

Sidney Crosby
Played for Pittsburgh Penguins 2005 - present
Won gold with Canada 2010 (Vancouver)
Won Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh 2009

Alexander Pechurski, one-game wonder

2010-01-17T00:50:00.007-05:00

The Penguins signed Alexander Pechurski to a one-game tryout. He was brought in to backup John Curry, who was backing-up Brent Johnson, who of course is the back up to Marc-Andre Fleury.

Curry gave up five goals on 14 shots and the 19-year-old Pechurski was sent in to finish the game.

Pechurski was the fifth goaltender to play one game for the Pens, the others:

Martin Brochu Played 33 minutes
March 17, 2004 (New Jersey)
1 goal allowed on 19 shots / GAA 1.82

Marv Edwards
Played 60 minutes
February 20, 1969 (Detroit)
3 goals allowed on 33 shots / GAA 3.00

Greg Redquest
Played 13 minutes
March 19, 1978 (Chicago)
(Only career game in NHL)
3 goals allowed on 5 shots / all-time team highest GAA 13.85***

Rick Tabaracci
Played 33 minutes
October 21, 1988 (New Jersey)
4 goals allowed on 21 shots / GAA 7.27

His final stats:

36 minutes, 1 goal allowed on 13 shots.
.923 save percentage and 1.67 GAA.

Voted third star of the game.

Here's the pages that have been updated:
All-time jersey numbers
All-time goaltender stats
One-Game wonders
2009-10 Stats page

The viedo replay ...

2010-01-12T23:47:00.003-05:00

Here's how the LET'S GO PENS folks feel ...

SITE UPDATE: Penalty shot database added

2009-12-31T09:45:00.001-05:00

Today is the anniversary of the first successful penalty shot at the Civic Arena, scored by Mario Lemieux in his famous "five goals, every way possible" game.

Decided to check into the Penguins penalty shot history and came up with a list that amplifies the "official team record."

Geek out here by clicking here: ALL-TIME PITTSBURGH PENGUINS PENALTY SHOTS

SITE UPDATE - Hockey First Introduced in Pittsburgh

2009-12-30T00:05:00.001-05:00

December 30, 1895 - The first time ice hockey was introduced in the Steel City. To celebrate we have added some images of the Casino under construction.

SITE UPDATE: Bourque claimed by Capitals

2009-12-05T16:43:00.001-05:00

With his 20 games and black and gold, Christopher Bourque is gone and has been added to the list of former Penguins.

Bob Johnson picks up family tradition

2009-10-07T12:31:00.003-04:00

Brent Johnson is expected to get the start in goal tonight for the Pittsburgh Pens against the Phoenix Coyotes.

Johnson, signed over the summer as a free agent, will become part of the fourth set of father and son tandems to skate for the Penguins.

Johnson's father Bob played in 12 games with Pittsburgh in 1974-75.

Click here to see the other three families and don't forget the siblings that suited up for Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Ranked Number One Sports City

2009-10-07T10:54:00.002-04:00

Sport News says Pittsburgh is the tops

When Stanley met Pauline

2009-09-06T22:49:00.001-04:00

Penguins President David Morehouse takes the cup back home.

Regional Sports Illustrated Cover

2009-06-16T23:37:00.002-04:00

A good date to play from behind

2009-04-25T20:19:00.001-04:00

Strange but true ...

Today was the third time the Pens overcame a three goal lead in the playoffs and the second time on this date.

Last year on April 25 the Penguins rallied to erase a 3-0 lead against the New York Rangers and won on Evgeni Malkin's powerplay goal with 1:41 remaining to win the opening game of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, 5-4.

ACHA 2nd Annual Division I All-Star Game notes

2009-04-04T13:05:00.003-04:00

In Wooster, Ohio on April 4th. 40 players throughout the nation were selected from a pool of 1,600. Five Pittsburghers (4 players, 1 coach) were selected to represent their colleges/universities at the event. Each of these players will be on the same team roster at this weekend's ACHA All-Star Event. These 5 leaders have been integral to their programs and to Pittsburgh hockey over the years in achieving a lot throughout their careers.

The Pittsburgh area players and coach were defeated by the White Team, 6-3.

Dave Fryer - Head Coach - Duquesne University - Hails from Oakdale, PA. 2nd ACHA All-Star appearance. Named as Head Coach of the Blue Team at the All-Star Game. Recently coached Duquesne to the ACHA National Tournament after winning the 2008-2009 College Hockey Mid-America Regular Season and Playoff Tournament titles. Dave played high school hockey for West Allegheny High School and collegiate hockey for the University of Pittsburgh.

Ben Herring – Forward - University of Rhode Island – A Senior from Sewickley, PA. 1st ACHA All-Star appearance. A very skilled forward, who is a leader for the Rams, Herring scored 12 goals and added 15 assists in 28 games. Played for Quaker Valley High School and the Pittsburgh Hornets prior to attending Rhode Island. Completed his collegiate career at URI with 107 total points. Helped Rhode Island win an ACHA Division I National Championship in 2006. Herring had one goal in the all-star game.

Tim O’Brien – Forward - Penn State University – A Sophomore from Bethel Park, PA. 1st ACHA All-Star appearance. Played high school hockey at Bethel Park High School and for the Youngstown Phantoms AAA prior to attending Penn State. Tim knows how to win. A talented lefty who has led Penn State to the ACHA National Tournament the past two years. Has led Penn State in scoring for both seasons he has been there. Accumulated a 46 point season with the Icers, scoring 29 goals. Helped lead Penn State to back to back ESCHL League Championships, earning MVP of the 2009 ESCHL Tournament.

Mario Panucci – Forward - Washington & Jefferson College – A Senior from McKees Rocks, PA. 2nd ACHA All-Star appearance for the Presidents. Played high school hockey for two years for Team Montour prior to attending W&J. An extremely fast skater with great vision and an ability to distribute the puck. His 70 point, 2008-2009 season is a W&J single season scoring record. Helped lead Washington & Jefferson to a College Hockey Mid-America League Championship in 2008 with a win over West Virginia. Mario completed his collegiate hockey career with 173 total points. Panucci had one assist in the all-star game.

Justin Thomas – Forward - University of Pittsburgh – A Sophomore from Pittsburgh, PA. 2nd ACHA All-Star appearance. Played high school hockey at Shadyside Academy. A very talented player who has led Pitt in scoring in his first two collegiate seasons. Justin is a pure goal scorer with a wicked shot. He has scored 72 goals in just two seasons at Pitt. He had a 51 point season in 2008-2009, as a sophomore, in helping lead Pittsburgh to the College Hockey Mid-America title game vs. Duquesne. Thomas had one minor penalty in the all-star game.

A Dozen Good Men

2009-04-03T21:28:00.003-04:00

Less than a week ago Western Pennsylvania native Christian Hanson was saddened when his college team was eliminated in the NCAA Midwest Regional. Tonight he was playing in the NHL, becoming the 12th player from here to make the big leagues.

Hanson, who wasn't drafted in the NHL, finished his college career at Notre Dame when Bemidji State beat the Fighting Irish on and signed a free agent contract with the Toronto Maple Leafs three days later on March 31, 2009.

Here's a list of the other 11 'Burg Boys that made the NHL...

Old jerseys for New Jersey

2009-03-28T19:39:00.002-04:00

The Pens have scrapped the retro blue for the rest of the season.

The Penguins were schedule to wear the alternate jerseys at least one more game on April 1 against New Jersey, but a team spokesperson has said that the team will use the traditional black and (vegas) gold for the rest of the year.

The team will also scrap the special third jersey logo puck that was used in the ten games that the blue uniforms were used.

Editor's note: Story has been confirmed by Dave Molinari.

For 29, 3/25 = 0

2009-03-25T23:33:00.003-04:00

Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 31 shots from the Calgary Flames to earn his 15th career shutout.

For the last three years, Fleury has earned a shutout on this date.

In 2008, Fleury made 31 saves against the New Jersey Devils to earn his 11th career shutout.

On this date in 2007 Fleury stopped all 29 shots to pick up his seventh shutout of the season in a 5-0 win over Boston.

Shaler Wins Class AAA Peguins Cup

2009-03-24T23:40:00.000-04:00

Seneca Valley's run of two consecutive overtime wins came to an end when Shaler sophomore Shane Shiring scored in the second overtime to push the Shaler Titans over Seneca Valley, 3-2.

Shaler advances to play LaSalle in the Class AAA Final at 4 p.m. on Saturday in West Chester.

Planets Align: Mars Wins "A" Penguins Cup

2009-03-24T20:58:00.007-04:00

The Mars Planets defeated the Bishop McCort Crushers, 3-2, in the Class A Penguins Cup Finals.

Mars had goals from Mike Mazzotta, Brady Sipe and Andrew Santa.

Bishop McCort's goals were scored by Matthew Holtz and Dane Domonkos.

Mars advances to play Bayard Rustin in the Class A Final at 11 a.m. on Saturday in West Chester.

Wildcats Strike: Greater Latrobe Wins "AA" Penguins Cup

2009-03-23T20:42:00.006-04:00

Latrobe continued a perfect season and won their second consecutive AA Penguins Cup by defeating the Montour Spartans, 3-0.

Latrobe had goals from Ryan LaDuke, Tyler Berger and Jayson Angus while goalie Nick Loyacona stopped 39 shots for the shutout.

The Wildcats, Section 4 champions, have only allowed 35 goals all season en route to a 22-0-0 season.

Latrobe faces Flyers Cup champion Council Rock South (18-5-1) on Saturday in West Chester to decide the state championship.

The music's over: Vince Lascheid

2009-03-20T10:10:00.004-04:00

Vince Lascheid, longtime organist for the Penguins and Pittsburgh Pirates has died at the age of 85.

Lascheid entertained the fans at the Civic Arena from 1970 through 2003.

He was inducted into the Penguins Hall of Fame in 2003.

It would be a nice tribute to Vince if the Mellon Arena played all organ music tonight against the Kings, or no music at all.

Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins Girls win Championship

2009-03-09T08:12:00.002-04:00

Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins Girls win first ever tier II District Championship with a 16-1 win over Columbus..

Pittsburgh Amateur Penguins Stats from the championship Game Sunday
Everyone Skater had a goal and the goalie collect a point.

F Morgan Becer "C" 3 goals 3 assist
F Traic Judge "A" 5 goals 2 assist
F Kelsey Hickey 1 goal 8 assist
F Lauren Lehman 1 goal 5 assist
F Linn Hansen 3 goals 2 assist
D Ashley Lindey 1 goal 1 assist
D Emily Levesque "A" 1 goal
D Michelle Daley 1 goal
G Samantha Zukowski 1 assist

The Century Marc

2009-03-01T19:34:00.001-05:00

Mark-Andre Fleury now has 100 wins , moving him up the all-time Penguins goalie list behind Tom Barrasso and Ken Wregget. Here's a complete list of all the Pens goalie stuff ...

Meet the new boss....

2009-02-15T20:51:00.001-05:00

The Penguins have fired Michel Therrien and replaced him with WBS bench boss Dan Bylsma (LEFT).

Bylsma has been named interim coach after compiling a record of 35-16-1-2 for the Baby Penguins.

Therrien was five games short of setting the record for all time consecutive games coached, held by Ed Johnston (276).

Bylsma will be the 20th man to coach the team; the tenth time in team history a coach has been replaced in mid-season.

The record for the first 19 coaches in their first game: 6-9-3-1.

Craig Patrick and Herb Brooks were the only two coaches out of ten to win their first game in mid-season takeovers.

The Penguins were baptized today...

2009-02-10T00:25:00.004-05:00

In 1967, Emily Roberts of Belle Vernon won a contest to name Pittsburgh's new NHL team: The Penguins. Here's the story of the team name and logo history.

Pittsburgh caught a glimpse of the hockey future when the United Fund's Miss Torch, Karen Antkiewicz (photo above) modeled the Penguins sweater for the first time.

Conklin stones the Pens

2009-02-08T18:36:00.005-05:00

Ty Conklin stopped 25 shots from Pittsburgh and became the third former goaltender to record a shutout for Pittsburgh, and returned to shut out the Pens.

The other two? Tom Barrasso had a team record 22 shutouts for the Pens and returned to to defeat the Pens 7-0 as a Carolina Hurricanes on December 16, 2001.

Patrick Lalime had three shutouts with Pittsburgh and two with Ottawa against the Pens.

Jocelyn Thibault shut out the Pens twice before signing here and had one after he was with the Pittsburgh.

Caputi's NHL record?

2009-02-04T10:13:00.002-05:00

First shift. First goal. An NHL record.

Luca Caputi scored 14 seconds into his NHL career. It's an NHL record for fastest goal at the start of a career, but the league won't honor it.

If the league kept such a stat, Caputi would have beaten Toronto's Gus Bodnar, who scored :15 seconds into his first game against the New York Rangers on October 30, 1943.

The league honors the game clock, not individual ice time. Bodnar started in his milestone game; Caputi just jumped over the boards for his debut 2:16 into the first period.

Officially, Caputi's tally was recorded at 2:30.

Bodner also has a Pittsburgh connection. He played with the Pittsburgh Hornets for 21 games 1946-47 & 1947-48.

We are aware that Lemieux scored on in his first shift on October 11, 1985 - although it took him 1:18 of ice time!

"Home" ice advantage ...

2009-01-16T20:27:00.004-05:00

Tonight's game features the Anaheim Ducks' Georges Parros (left) and the Penguins' Bill Thomas - the second set of Pittsburgh-area natives to play professional hockey in the Mellon Arena. Do you know the other Boys of the 'Burgh?

Remembering Michel Briere...

2009-01-05T00:05:00.001-05:00

Back in 2001 on this date, the Penguins officially retired #21 in memory of Michel Briere.

It was a long-overdue gesture. Many of the newer fans have never heard of him or knew the story of why the number is retired. Here is his chapter of Penguins history...
See rare footage of Briere's first NHL goal.

Home for the holidays

2008-12-23T12:22:00.002-05:00

Ryan Malone said he didn't know what to expect for tonight's homecoming. Malone, who spent the first four years with the Penguins, returns with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Malone is from Pittsburgh, but he's not the first native Steel City resident to play in the NHL...

Schock and awe ...

2008-12-18T23:53:00.002-05:00

Today is Ron Schock's 65th birthday. Many of the new Pens fans have never heard of him, but he's the all-time Penguins Iron Man. Here's a list of players to play in every game.

Schock came to the Penguins in 1969 and is sixth on the team's all-time games played at 648. Schock was the captain of the Pens from 1973 to 1977. During that span he strung together a streak of 328 consecutive games played to establish a team record.

Who's the current Pens' Iron Man? Evgeni Malkin. He's played in 216 games in a row (as of December 18).

Malkin missed the first four games of his career after John LeClair wiped him out in a preseason game but hasn't missed a game since.

Second on the list behind Malkin is Jordan Staal at 204 games. He only missed one game when he was benched against the Florida Panthers on December 5th, 2005.

An arena that nobody heard of ...

2008-12-17T00:02:00.003-05:00

Pittsburgh has a new arena under construction, but few people are aware that Pittsburgh's first arena – The Casino – was the first place in North America that had artificial ice and was the first place competitive ice hockey was played in Pittsburgh.

It was a beauty. State-of-the-art. But it only lasted 19 months. In fact, it burned down exactly 112 years ago today. Check out the details of The Casino.

New Arena Baptized

2008-12-15T13:18:00.003-05:00

The Penguins' new arena has a new name: Consol Energy Center.

Consol has agreed to purchase the naming rights to the new facility for a term of 21 years.

The arena is scheduled to open during the 2010-11 season.

Welcome Lovejoy !!!

2008-12-08T23:24:00.004-05:00

Couldn't resist an opportunity to include a reference to our other pleasure (The Simpson's).

Anyway, the Penguins have called-up Ben Lovejoy from Wilkes-Barre.

If you click on the photo of the Rev. Lovejoy you'll see a well-done 10 QUESTIONS WITH WBS D BEN LOVEJOY.

Lovejoy is the first Penguins player to wear #65. Here's the updated all-time numbers list....

"It's a Great Day for Hockey"

2008-11-26T21:01:00.003-05:00

Every year we mark the passing of "Badger" Bob Johnson.

He gave the team hope.

He led them to their first Stanley Cup Championship.

He taught us that "It's a Great Day for Hockey."

Feeling blue all over ...

2008-11-05T19:55:00.004-05:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins unveiled this season's third, or alternate jersey, tonight at Dick's Sporting Goods in Robinson.

Long rumored to be blue and white like the uniforms worn to ring in the New Year in the outdoor game in Buffalo, but "slightly different." The difference? No Winter Classic Patch.

The Penguins will wear the jersey against Buffalo on November 15th for the first of 15 games in the new, but old, blue and white.

11 games have been decided, mostly at home, and four more dates need to be scheduled.

The last time the Penguins wore blue and white in Pittsburgh was January 27, 1980.

News Flash! We know the Staals play hockey

2008-10-23T23:59:00.005-04:00

God bless the Staal family. They must be tired of telling their story and they must be just plain sick of us.

Henry and Linda Staal have four sons with solid NHL ties. We know.

How many more times are we going to see this story? FSN Pittsburgh, Versus, and NBC need to know that we know.

Back it the day, the Sutter family was hockey's first family and they had six brothers with NHL service.

Watch the video and ask how many times we've seen the complete family archive footage. There is no more. We've seen it enough. Same for the overused "STAAL TACTIC" headlines (Yes, we did that once). Bet if you opened up the family scrapbook, you'd find that headline in the majority of articles.

Make no mistake, this column is in no way a negative reflection on their hockey skills or a slight on family bonds. We've all heard the story and we should just leave those nice people alone.

If we ever want an interesting story let's tell the story of Gary Sutter (the seventh brother that never played in the NHL).

If you have been living under a rock for the last few years, the lockout is over, two-line passes are legal, the Staal family is ... ah, watch the video:

Sid's 100, 200, 300th

2008-10-19T08:03:00.002-04:00

Sid checks a few milestones off the list:

Bissonnette bloodies Bradley

2008-10-16T22:35:00.001-04:00

Here's tonight's video of the night:

Video of the Night: Godard v. Cote

2008-10-14T23:48:00.002-04:00

Nice Rock 'em Sock 'em fight about five minutes into the game tonite. This was the best fight since Gary Roberts schooled Ben Eager.

"Mr. 8.7" Returns to the Air

2008-10-13T13:58:00.003-04:00

Controversial (only if your are a Larry Fine look-a-like) Mark Madden returns to the air today. Finally.

Madden's unabashed love of hockey is important to the sport in this city. He's knowledgeable, entertaining and candid.

Getting Madden on the Penguins Flagship station, WXDX, is pure, ahem, genius.

You won't find this in the obituary section today, but, "AM Radio in Pittsburgh is Dead."

New Championship banners

2008-10-12T00:22:00.003-04:00

The Penguins new banners are now above the ice at the Mellon Arena and they look very impressive. The NHL MVP and Art Ross banners are a nice touch too.

While some of the purists have complained about the original banners being replaced, we are totally fine with the uniformity of all the banners, knowing that they'll be stunning in the new building.

Our only complaint? Where is the banner for the Pittsburgh Hornets three championships? They hung one in February 2001, but it has mysteriously disappeared.

A Great Day for Hockey

2008-10-11T00:23:00.004-04:00

“There is such a feeling of optimism around Pittsburgh Penguins hockey these days, from our tremendous young talent on the ice, to the phenomenal support of our fans, to the extensive community outreach by our players – and it all adds up to a growing bond between our team and the Pittsburgh region,” said David Morehouse, the Penguins’ president.

The video - featuring Scott Blasey (The Clarks) on vocals - speaks for itself. Wow.

The countdown has begun ...

2008-10-03T14:35:00.006-04:00

24 hours until the until the Bridgestone NHL Premiere 2008 Stockholm showdown between the Ottawa Senators and the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Here are a few dates to circle on the 2008-09 calendar:

October 11 - The Penguins will raise a banner to the top of the dome. It's not the banner we were hoping for, but it is still significant to be the Eastern Conference Champions. The team will not be on the ice when the banner is introduced and they'll be adding banners to celebrate the team's MVP and Hart Trophy winners.

October 14 - First match-up against the Flyers, without R.J. Umberger – of course he wasn't there in the conference finals, either.

October 16 - Forget the Crosby v. Ovechkin matchup. It's all about Malkin v. Ovechkin.

November 11 - The Pens visit Marian Hossa and the Detroit Red Wings for first game after losing to them in the Stanley Cup final. Maybe he saw this article: History doesn't bode well for Penguins

November 15 - Pens will wear their "throwback" blue jerseys in a remake of the Winter Classic against the Buffalo Sabres.

December 23 - Pittsburgh native and Tampa Bay Lightning's Ryan Malone comes home for Christmas. He's bringing some familiar buddies: Gary Roberts, Mark Recchi, and Adam Hall, and oh yea, this year's first overall pick Steve Stamkos.

December 27 - John Barbaro announces: "Montreal penalty, #17, George Laraque - Pittsburgh penalty to #28, Eric Godard, five minutes each for fighting. Time of the penalties. :54 seconds."

Jokes Beaten

2008-10-02T16:02:00.002-04:00

The Pens defeated Jokerit in the final pre-season game and are set to face the Ottawa Senators for the season opener in Stockholm.

By our count it was the 29th time in franchise history that the Pens played a non-NHL team in an exhibition game.

Click here to see a list of the non-league exhibition games.

NHL Kills Team Media Guides, Record Books

2008-09-07T20:56:00.007-04:00

The National Hockey League is going green, and team media guides are going, too.

In an effort to "reduce paper waste" the NHL has mandated that all teams stop the annual publication of media guides. The league will also end it's publication of the yearly record book.

The media guides will still be produced, but will only be distributed electronically in pdf form on the exclusive NHL media site, and in some cases, on each team's website.

This bums out the hardcore stats geeks and media guide collectors, but we'll have to live with the tree-saving mandate.

We'll cherish all 40 Penguins guides and hope that the trees that will be saved might find new life in the form of wooden hockey sticks. Remember those?

Ban the composite sticks for the sake of old time hockey!

- 33 -

The ground is broken...

2008-08-14T13:53:00.005-04:00

Moving forward with the evolution....

Penguins and elected officials broke ground this morning on the new arena.

The top photo is the magical moment and the bottom photo shows the engraving of the ceremonial shovel.

What's in a name?

2008-08-06T21:23:00.001-04:00

What should the new arena be named? (These are hypothetical) ( surveys)

There's no place like home...

2008-08-05T23:17:00.004-04:00

August 14, 2008

Finally! The Penguins have announced a date for a groundbreaking to replace Mellon Arena, the oldest arena in the NHL.

Check out the history of all five major arenas that have been home to competitive hockey in Pittsburgh.

Here's the story in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Here's what the Penguin's nation is saying on Let's Go Pens.com

Home remodeling

2008-07-15T18:35:00.007-04:00

The Penguins lost Pittsburgh native Ryan Malone a few days before the free agency deadline on July 1. No hometown discount from the hometown guy.

Malone wasn't the first guy from Pittsburgh to play in the NHL.

The Pens signed a hometown replacement: Bill Thomas.

Here's a list of native Pittsburghers to make it to the NHL.

Getting close on the Arena's Groundbreaking

2008-07-07T13:00:00.003-04:00

The groundbreaking for the new arena should happen in the first week of August.

To place everyone at ease over the cash flow of Don Barden's (he won the casino license for the Majestic Star and promised new arena funding of $7.5 million for the next 20 years) – the state has an emergency funding to cover any delays from Barden.

Click on the photo at left to learn more about the three Pittsburgh arenas before Mellon Arena opened to the public in September 1961.

Malone & Roberts are gone

2008-06-28T18:29:00.000-04:00

Gary Roberts and Ryan Malone have offically left the flock.

The free agency period starts on July 1 and we'll be busy updating the new and old players.

Click here for a list of transactions.

Click here for the all-time Penguins roster, with current players in boldface.

Final jerseys and another patch

2008-06-20T12:21:00.001-04:00

The final installment of Penguins uniform patches has been updated into the patch history section. Click on the photo to learn more about the details of the patch and the uniform set used for the six games against the Red Wings.

The white Final jerseys were made available to the public and a few are still available as well as the jerseys from the first three rounds.

Click here to see what's left.

The end is here

2008-06-04T23:55:00.003-04:00

It's over. The Penguins were eliminated by the Red Wings in the Stanley Cup final.

It was a wonderful season and we are a little sad - not entirely because the Pens lost, but because there's no more hockey this season. This was a special season in so many ways.

What a ride!

Petr the Great

2008-06-03T01:20:00.004-04:00

Petr Sykora scored with 10:03 remaining in the third overtime to help the Penguins stave-off elimination to a victory to force a Game 6 back at the Mellon Arena.

Goalie Marc-Andre Fleury stopped 55 shots - several "hockey card saves" - to earn the number one star of the game.

All of it was made possible by Maxime Talbot's goal with 0:35 left in regulation.

City of Pittsburgh shuns the Penguins...

2008-05-21T20:55:00.002-04:00

The city leaders have managed to let politics interfere with the will of the people. This time they have managed to let the spirit of the city get derailed by the spirit of the law.

(Here's the Trib's story on this...)

The Pens and Reebok wanted to decorate the side of Fifth Avenue Place with two giant, 40 x 85 foot banners (think Godzilla-sized Fatheads) of Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andre Fleury and the city's lawyers said, "no."

Some city council members and Mayor Luke have been walking on eggshells over a recent billboard controversy. Back in the beginning of April, the city placed a six-month ban on new billboards. So, the Pens banners featuring Reebok's poster children - technically, are advertising.

Rules are rules.

God knows, every politician in this city has bent the rules since the time Washington passed through these parts.

Council President Doug Shields' alternative? "Get a bed sheet and hang it off your front porch."

The Penguins banners would have been hung for a whopping two weeks and would have been strategically positioned to showcase two superstars, the skyline and, yeah, Reebok.

Imagine next Wednesday, while the national broadcast begins with a tight shot of Crosby on the banner and the camera pulls back to the wide shot of the city and the voice of Mike Emmerick squeaks, "From the confluence of the Monongahela, Ohio and Allegheny Rivers..."

This is how the city shows spirit to the first team to recognize the city's 250th anniversary with a patch on their uniforms?

The Penguins honored the city all season with the patch instead of their own 40th anniversary patch. (The Steelers, by the way, recognized their 75th Anniversary with a patch, and nothing for the city.

Let's hope that the leaders get their acts together. Let's hope that the team does well in the playoffs...keep in mind that the moratorium for banner hanging will be lifted by October 1 and there shouldn't be any fuss when the team wants to hang another banner on opening night.

The bandwagon isn't full yet...

2008-05-20T00:38:00.006-04:00

Okay, some of you have figured out that the Pens are involved in something big. Not a hockey fan? Don't understand the scenario involved to win that thing called the Stanley Cup?

Here's some things to help you sound knowledgeable around the water cooler:

• The Pittsburgh Penguins will play the Detroit Red Wings in the Stanley Cup final.
(Don't say "finals," that is an NBA trademark)

• There's no recent history between the two teams since they didn't face each other in regular season.

• The Penguins were the number two seed in the East and the Wings were number one in the West. Detroit had the best record in the NHL for the regular season and won the President's Trophy. Winning the President's Trophy isn't an automatic claim to the Cup; since the Trophy was first presented in 1985-86, only six of those teams have won the Cup.

• There is only one real Stanley Cup and it's the oldest trophy in North America. The Penguins have won the Cup twice, but they do not have two trophy's in the team office. Detroit has won ten Stanley Cup Championships, not ten Stanley Cups.

• Players from the winning team have their name engraved on the Cup and each player gets to host the trophy for one day over the off-season.

• It is a best-of-seven series and you need to win four games to win the Cup.
(Click here for the schedule of games)

• Take a nap in the afternoon. Each game is played until the bitter end. No shootouts, no ties...just SUDDEN DEATH. They will play period after period until one team scores.

• The Penguins have only lost twice so far in this year's playoffs and they are a perfect 8-0 at home.

• Pittsburgh has three of the top five point scorers in the post-season: Sidney Crosby (21), Marian Hossa (19), and Evgeni Malkin (19).

• Detroit has two of the top five scorers: Henrik Zetterberg (19) and Pavel Datsyuk (18)

Mike Lange's Flyers' series wrap-up call

2008-05-20T00:04:00.000-04:00

One for the archives...

Sew, what's new?

2008-05-19T20:35:00.000-04:00

While the Penguins players were still sleeping the morning after securing a trip to the Stanley Cup final, the equipment staff was busy altering the spring formal wear.

By early morning had all of the home and road jerseys were adorned with the 2008 Stanley Cup patch. Click on the patch to see the details on this an all of the other patches used by the Penguins throughout the 40-year history of the franchise.

Youth, home ice advantage in Pens favor

2008-05-19T00:03:00.001-04:00

The Penguins' are a young, rested team and have only played in 14 games to reach the Stanley Cup final.

Having the home ice advantage in the first three rounds of the Eastern Conference is the NHL's path of least resistance.

The Penguins will be in the comfort of their own homes watching tonight's Game 6 between the Dallas Stars and the Detroit Red Wings.

They have all publicly said that it doesn't matter to them which team they'll face, but tonight you can bet that they'll be cheering for the Stars to win in the second, or fifth, overtime to send it to a Game 7 in Detroit.

More time and energy are needed to to figure out how the West is won. Dallas has logged some serious time and travel this post-season; Detroit has been more economical in time played, but have spent roughly a day on an airplane in the past few weeks.

Pittsburgh has only played two extra games this postseason, and both were in the comfort of the Mellon Arena.

Home, sweet home.

...I've got my spine, I've got my Orange Crush

2008-05-18T20:31:00.002-04:00

The Penguins needed to show some backbone and thwart any Flyers uprising, or suggestion that the Eastern Conference final would be extended. Pittsburgh systematically and emphatically destroyed the Philadelphia Flyers, 6-0, in Game 5.

Series over. On to the Stanley Cup final.

They started early on the Flyers and wasted very little power play time to send the message. Ryan Malone started the scoring just 0:12 seconds into a power play to put the Pens up, 1-0, just 2:30 into the game.

Before the game the Pens needed to show they could put a team away. Today, they showed they had a killer's instinct. Marc-Andre Fleury stopped all 21 Flyers' shots for his third shutout of the playoffs.

After the game they showed the poise of a well-focused team. Captain Sidney Crosby looked uncomfortable near the Prince of Wales trophy.

"That's not the one we want to be holding," Crosby said in the post game press conference.

Pittsburgh is now 12-2 in the playoffs and a perfect 8-0 at home with a lethal combination of offensive skill and a tenacious defense.

The Penguins won't be wearing the 2008 Eastern Conference Champions hats and t-shirts, and neither should the fans. How many people do you see wearing Buffalo Bills NFC Championship shirts?

Pens/Flyers Game 4 photo gallery

2008-05-15T23:35:00.004-04:00

(Click the photo to see the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review photo gallery.)

Daniel Briere's photo was removed from the side of a milk carton tonight.

He accepted a challenge Philadelphia coach John Stevens sent his way. Briere scored a big goal to give the Flyers a little wiggle room on their way to a 4-2 victory over the Penguins. Briere and goaltender Martin Biron did the heavy lifting to stave-off elimination from the playoffs.

Jordan Staal, who spent the series off day flying home to Thunder Bay, Ontario to attend his grandfather's funeral, scored two third period goals to shrink the Flyers lead to one.

Pens/Flyers Game 3 photo gallery

2008-05-13T22:52:00.007-04:00

Click on the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's photo gallery - work produced by Chaz Palla & Christopher Horner - these two shooters have been having a great playoff season.

Not so random numbers...

• The Penguins are one of only four teams in the history of the NHL that won 11 out of their first 12 games.

• Sidney Crosby leads the NHL in scoring with 19 (4+15).

• Evgeni Malkin is tied for second with 18 (8+10).

• Marc-Andre Fleury leads the playoffs with 11 wins.

• Everyone on the team except Fleury has made the scoresheet. With an assist on Marian Hossa's empty net goal, Hal Gill became the last player to get a point. Pittsburgh is the only remaining team to have every skater on the stats board.

They gotta have Hart ... and Smith

2008-05-12T00:07:00.003-04:00

The Flyers head back to Philly - banged-up, but not beaten. They have officially moved to using desperate measures.

Time to roll out the Lauren Hart and Kate Smith God Bless America duet.

For the record, Hart is the best anthem singer in North America.

Yeah, it's been done this year, but we want to see it again.

Most assuredly, Versus won't broadcast the anthem ... even if Smith came back from the grave to sing it, so we've included the youtube link.

Did we mention that Hart is the best anthem singer in North America?

Pens/Flyers Game 2 photo gallery

2008-05-11T23:25:00.000-04:00

Here's some great photos from tonight's game.

Another puck, without the Penguins logo

2008-05-11T09:32:00.004-04:00

The Penguins are using the 20th different official game puck in team history.

Not many people will get an up close peak at the pucks used exclusively for the Pens-Flyers Eastern Conference Finals.

Here's a closer look at this year's playoff puck. You can see all the other styles used throughout the years on that page too.

The road to the White House

2008-05-09T23:28:00.001-04:00

The Mellon Arena was glowing in white again tonight for the opening of the Eastern Conference Final duel between cross-state rivals – and continued a streak of 62 consecutive sellouts.

Not much orange to be found, except a few seat backs that were visible for the first few minutes of the second and third periods between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers.

Outside, the crowd grew again despite the inclement weather. The crowd outside the Mellon around 8:45 p.m. was dangerously close to the crowd at PNC Park for the Pirates-Braves match-up. Two fans outside the arena were clutching their Willie Stargell bobbleheads when Evgeni Malkin scored with 6.5 seconds remaining in the second period.

Inside? Basically a sea of white - except for the few Philly fans. The largest Flyer representation had to be in section C-27 where the Umberger clan was parked in two rows. RJ's parents, Rick and Roseann Umberger, were very noticeable walking through the concourse. Many fans couldn't help but notice them. Most of the comments addressed to them were cordial enough while some people made jeers just because of their jerseys. Only one fan knew exactly who they were and still made some off-color remarks.

That person must have been role-playing as a Philadelphian. Class act.

YO! What's up with Rocky?

2008-05-08T21:47:00.001-04:00

Not since The Italian Stallion was filmed has this much attention been given to Rocky's clothing issues.

Rocky was dressed in a Sidney Crosby shirt and was blindfolded with Pens logo t-shirt.

Certainly not an original idea - last week some brave Canadiens fans slipped a Habs sweater on the Philadelphia icon - but this week Penguins fans responded to a dare on a craigslist posting and here's the photographic evidence.

Here's the lowdown on the Rocky caper.

No need to worry about protecting any of the statues here in Pittsburgh. A Flyers fan that attempts to cover the face of Willie Stargell or Roberto Clemente will only be doing the right thing to prevent further embarrassment of viewing the circus inside PNC Park.

Pittsburgh doesn't have a statue dedicated to Darren McCord from Sudden Death ... he actually had some playoff experience...Tolliver!!!!!

Perfection ends, Jagr continues

2008-05-01T22:13:00.004-04:00

We somehow thought that Game 4 might end with Jaromir Jagr handing off the torch to Sidney Crosby like Wayne Gretzky did for Jagr when The Great One ended his career at Madison Square Garden in 1999...

Didn't happen. Series now at three-games-to-one. Game 5 on at the Mellon Arena on Sunday.

Fact is, Jagr didn't quit – scored two goals and had one assist to make goalie Henrik Lundqvist's 29 saves hold up for his second shutout of the playoffs.

Hidden stats: The Penguins have been so balanced in scoring only defenseman Hal Gill is pointless.

And, um, the only Penguins player without a penalty this post-season? ... Georges Laraque.

The streak continues (with apologies to Nathan Smith)

2008-04-29T23:13:00.003-04:00

The Penguins are perfect in the playoffs. Tonight's 5-3 win over the New York Rangers wasn't textbook playoff hockey, but it was good enough to erase a sloppy second period to take a stranglehold on the series.

This is not like the New England Patriots flirting with a perfect season. They don't have to be perfect; tt is reassuring to know that the Pens can still afford to loose three games in this series, and three games in the next two series.

It is also reassuring to know that of the 11 teams that started 7-0 in the the playoffs – eight went on to win the Stanley Cup. Strangely, the last team to pull that off was the 1994 New York Rangers.

As for Nathan Smith, who played 13 games this year with the Pens, well...here's the story on his streak.

Fleury's "cup checks" keeping focus on the Cup

2008-04-27T21:52:00.003-04:00

Marc-Andre Fleury is starting to focus like a championship caliber goaltender. His play between the pipes has been spectacular. His play between the legs of opponents has been perfect.

Just ask Martin Lapointe, or Sean Avery.

Fleury, usually the mild-mannered netminder, has "grown a set" by delivering a stick to the "set" of Lapointe and Avery.

Unsportsmanlike? Yeah, so what? Just ask players that stood in front of Billy Smith, Ron Hextall or Tom Barrasso if they ever felt comfortatble in front of the crease? It's part of the edge a goalie needs to focus on the bigger Cup.

Fleury is starting to develop a swagger and other players are starting to notice.

"Even if you are wearing a (protective) cup and you get hit like that, it hurts like hell," Bob Errey commented after Lapointe was rung up in the first series.

White-Out almost a whitewash

2008-04-25T23:06:00.004-04:00

The Penguins spotted the New York Rangers a 3-0 lead in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals.

Looked like all the Rangers had to do was dot the "I"s and cross the "T"s.

But Jarkko Ruutu erased the shutout and the rally started. Four unanswered goals, capped by a Sidney Crosby slapper that bounced of Evgeni Malkin's shin into the net behind Henrik Lundqvist with 1:41 left in regulation.

The game had the same feel as the Game 1 of the 1992 Stanley Cup Finals against the Chicago Blackhawks when Jaromir Jagr tied the game late and Mario Lemieux beat Ed Belfour with 0:12 seconds left. By the way, that was the only other time the Pens erased a three goal deficit in the postseason.

The White-Out won't soon be erased from our memories.

"How sweep it is!"

2008-04-17T23:11:00.003-04:00

Highlights from the Pittsburgh Penguins four game sweep of the Ottawa Senators. Posted by steelcityassault... No commentary needed here ... great editing...great song!

Bulletin board material

2008-04-14T14:40:00.001-04:00

They don't have bulletin boards big enough.

Someone in the Ottawa Senators organization thought an oversized image of the handshake after last years Pens-Sens series would intimidate the Penguins.

The image is placed near the Pens dressing room in Scotiabank Place.

Sens Coach Bryan Murray denied any involvement.

More pucks than you can shake a stick at...

2008-04-12T00:59:00.004-04:00

The Penguins established a post-season franchise record for putting 54 pucks on net tonight (in regulation) against the Ottawa Senators, surpassing the mark of 49 set on April 26, 1970 against the St. Louis Blues.

Speaking of a lot of pucks, the Penguins introduced the 19th Official Game Puck in team history.

Not many people will get an up close peak at the pucks. In our "unofficial tally," we counted at least 18 pucks that left the playing surface from the ice or were flipped over the glass when an errant puck made its way onto a team bench in Game 1 & 2.

Here's a link to a closer look at this year's playoff puck. You can see all the other styles used throughout the years on that page too.

LWGRD?

2008-04-09T10:49:00.002-04:00

Look What Gary Roberts Did: He scored two goals and played a very physical game to help the Pens dominate the Ottawa Senators, 4-0, in the series opener.

Roberts started writing the final chapter in for his career's storyline with an impressive, opening round playoff game against his favorite whipping boys.

Roberts has tortured the Senators by scoring 14 of his 32 playoff goals against the very team that tried to acquire him at last season's trade deadline.

The Hollywood-like script started a mere :68 seconds into the game when Roberts pushed a backhand past Ottawa's Martin Gerber from six feet out and later scored from the edge of the crease.

This was Roberts second game back after missing three months with a broken leg and a high-ankle sprain. Not quite the legend of Toronto's Bobby Baun, who returned from a broken leg to score an overtime goal in the 1964 Stanley Cup Finals, but Robert's grit has become legendary.

Roberts played like there is no tomorrow, because there might not be an NHL tomorrow after this season. Roberts turns 42 next month and he's simply adding to his legend with performances like tonight. Roberts became the oldest player in NHL history to score two goals in a playoff game.

The 26-stop shutout turned in by Marc-Andre Fleury was crucial, but Roberts rang the opening bell and answered the call. He deserved to be named the Number One Star.

It's not a coincidence that Roberts has "WARRIOR" branded on his stick and gloves. He plays the role well.

Pittsburgh loves a bad ass like Gary Roberts.

Western Pennsylvania no longer interested in Senators Clinton and Obama

2008-04-06T18:15:00.011-04:00

Senators Hillary Clinton & Barack Obama are no longer the focus of Western Pennsylvania.

The primary focus is on the Ottawa Senators - yeah, the same Sens that eliminated the Pens from the playoffs last year in five games .

At least the Penguins will have one banner to raise next season, to mark their first Atlantic Division Championship.

The next banner chase will start on Wednesday night so it could be possible to see a Game 7 there on April 22...the same day as the Pennsylvania presidential primary.

We'll see how different this year's Pens will match-up against Bryan Murray's Senators who are mired in mediocre goaltending and are without captain Daniel Alfredsson, Mike Fisher & Chris Kelly.

This year's Pens finished first overall in the Atlantic Division, charging back from the bottom of the division - the Pens were in last place with 15 points on November 13.

Here's to the fall of the skating Senators.

"Et tu, Bryan."

The numbers game... Part deux

2008-04-02T14:53:00.001-04:00

The old sports cliche says a starter shouldn't loose his job because of an injury, but what about his number?

Adam Hall will be back in the lineup tonight wearing number 28. He used to wear 18 before his sports hernia. While he was busy mending, Pens' equipment manager Dana Heinze was busy mending a new #18 jersey for Marian Hossa.

Hall was gracious and surrendered his number to Hossa - who wore that number in Atlanta before a trade deadline deal.

TRIVIA: Two current Penguins now wear a different number than their original number issued to them. Who are they?

For a hint look at our all-time Penguins uniform number roster, click here.

If you still didn't come up with the answer, scroll down to the February 27 entry to find the answer.

Greater Latrobe Wins State Championship

2008-03-29T15:46:00.010-04:00

The Greater Latrobe Ice Cats are state champions.

Latrobe skated away with the Pennsylvania Cup after being crowned state champions in the Class AA High School Hockey Championship by defeating the Conestoga Pioneers, 3-2, today at the Cambria County War Memorial in Johnstown, PA.

The State Championship game-winning goal was scored by JeffJoe Regula. Latrobe also had goals from Alex Stahl and Zack LaDuke. The Ice Cats had a solid goaltending effort from Nick Loyacona, who stopped 33 shots from the Pioneers.

This was the first state championship won by the Ice Cats in their 28 year history and the second team championship in Greater Latrobe's history.

The Ice Cats were the only Penguins Cup Champions (Western Pennsylvania) to win in the state final:

CLASS A - Quaker Valley lost to West Chester East, 3-2, in the Class A game. QV's goals came from Noah Zamagias and Colin South.

CLASS AAA - Pine-Richland lost to LaSalle, 9-1, in the last game of the Cup Series.

Goal lights, camera, action!

2008-03-26T22:58:00.003-04:00

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that scenes involving the Penguins - Islanders game will be filmed for an upcoming movie starring Jimmy Miller.

Should be a great thing that showcases the old gray lady.

For those that might know about the other motion pictures shot at the Mellon (Civic) Arena, two other movies featured the Igloo: The Fish that Saved Pittsburgh, and Sudden Death.

Flower, in the springtime

2008-03-25T22:28:00.002-04:00

Any doubt what goaltender Michel Therrien gives the nod to when they playoffs start next week?

The Pens will count on Marc-Andre Fleury. No surprise.

Ty Conklin has been an incredible backup. He landed the plane when the real pilot was knocked out, but it's time to take off again.

Fleury has been hot. Red hot.

His last four games: 4-0-0, save percentage =.945 and a 1.5 goals against average.

Tonight he turned away all 31 New York Islanders' shots to earn his fourth shutout of the season.

Fleury's career total is now 11 in 168 games (.065) - exactly half of the club record held by Tom Barrasso. Tommy B had 22 shutouts in 458 games (.048).

No doubt Barrasso was a proven star in the playoffs. Even Mario Lemieux admitted that Barrasso deserved the Conn Smythe in 1992.

In 1991 Barrasso entered the playoffs with .896 save percentage an and in 1992 he averaged .885. Fleury is parked around .916 heading to this post season.

Can the Flower bloom deep into Spring?

EDITED: 4-1-08; other folks have noticed this: Fleury named number two star of the NHL for March.

Pittsburgh - Philadelphia Super Series?

2008-03-24T00:08:00.004-04:00

Here's to the most potentially super-charged rivalry.

The Flyers and Penguins play an unprecedented NINE consecutive games?

Here's the goofy - but simple - scenario that makes it a possibility:

The standings stay exactly the way they are now. The Penguins end up finishing in second and the Flyers in seventh place. That would mean a first round match-up between, you guessed it, the Pens and Flyers. A First/Eighth scenario is just as likely.

Here's a peak at the remaining Penguins' schedule.

It would take a seven game series to to run the total to nine in a row. Imagine that.

Hope Lauren Hart and Jeff Jimmerson have their voices rested.

St. Francis Hospital bites the dust

2008-03-23T00:20:00.002-04:00

It took ten seconds to implode the former St. Francis Central Hospital.

The area is really taking shape for Pittsburgh's newest arena and the "official" groundbreaking is likely to coincide with the first home playoff game.

The Penguins plan to move into the new arena during the 2010-11 season.

Greater Latrobe wins Penguins Cup Final

2008-03-18T23:50:00.004-04:00

Great Western Pennsylvania hockey tonight and congrats to Penguins Cup Champion Greater Latrobe Ice Cats.

The game was a tight, drama packed Class AA final between Latrobe and Franklin Regional that took overtime to crown the champion.

Congrats to the Pittsburgh Penguins, too. Their dedication to youth hockey is top-notch. Attention was paid to every detail - especially the white-gloved cup presenter.

Latrobe's Jeff Rossi, who recently returned to the line-up after an injury, scored once in regulation and the game-winner in overtime.

Rossi's goal was a clean goal; the kind you are proud to score and not embarrassed by if you give it up. He shot on Franklin Regional's Anthony Livecchi and then collected his own rebound.

And then the coolest thing happened: Livecchi collected the puck from his goal and gave it to Rossi.

Very sportsmanlike. Very classy.

Click here for the Tribune-Review's slideshow from the game.

Wishing you a Happy Craig Patrick's Day

2008-03-17T00:19:00.007-04:00

Let's pause to remember the luck of the Irish.

We can all be thankful that then Penguins' VP and General Manager Craig Patrick brought a four-leaf clover to Draft Day on July 22, 2005 to luck-out by the Pens drawing ping-pong ball #12 to win the Sidney Crosby Lottery.

Aside from Craig, the Penguins have had four other "Patricks"

on the team: Boileau, Lalime, Lebeau, & Neaton. Check the all-time roster page for this.

Patrick's shamrock wasn't the first one related to hockey in the Steel City...the

Pittsburgh Shamrocks played for only one season here - 1935-36 - in the International Hockey League.

New arena sold out?

2008-03-12T15:57:00.003-04:00

One year ago today Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell, Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato and Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl joined Pittsburgh Penguins co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle and announced a deal for a new multi-purpose arena to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh for at least the next 30 years. The Mellon Arena, with a seating capacity at 16,940, has been full ever since. Every game this season has attracted a standing-room-only sellout crowd.

The Penguins will set a franchise record tonight for consecutive sellouts in one season at 35 and run the total to 48 consecutive sellouts at the Mellon Arena. The current streak surpasses the high attendance marks following the Stanley Cup wins in 1991 & 1992.

The team has more than 1,000 people on the waiting list for season tickets - most wanting a least a pair of season tickets. If the Pens don't hold any seats back, the new 18,500 seat Mellon BONY Arena will be sold out before the foundation is even poured.