GAMEDAY 36 - SABRES

Posted by Rick on Dec 19, 2009 16:54.

7:00 PM

HSBC Arena

Listen to the game at [WXDX]

If you have any questions for Mike Lange, Phil Bourque or Bob Grove join the Penguins Radio Network Facebook page.

You can submit questions via the discussion tab for the Crash the Net segments or Penguins Hotline after the game.

The Sabres are playing their second of back-to-back games tonight.

Last night they defeated the Maple Leafs 5-2.

This is the Pens first game against the Sabres this year.

Ryan Miller played yesterday, so Patrick Lalime will start for the Sabres.

No word as to whether or not he will hold out for more money if he wins tonight's game.

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Let It Snow

Posted by Rick on Dec 19, 2009 09:00.

How amazing (and appropriate) is this video?

Go Pens.

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Charlie's Corner: No Homo

Posted by joe on Dec 18, 2009 22:01.

First off, I really enjoyed sharing e-mails with a bunch of you this week.

It is amazing seeing my face all around town.

If you'd ever like to chat or e-mail me stuff that hasn't made it to Pensblog yet, or was never used by the guys because they are dicktouchers, feel free to email me.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

And yes there is no "G" in there.

I would love to have a weekly MaleBag....

...segment each week where I answer questions.

After the jump, my first blogging enemy.

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Pens Fans Number One in NHL

Posted by Rick on Dec 18, 2009 16:21.

From the Penguins website:

"Pittsburgh Penguins fans have been named the best in the NHL by Forbes magazine, in ratings unveiled this week at www.forbes.com.

Penguins fans were rated No. 1 in the league, followed by Toronto Maple Leafs fans at No. 2 and Philadelphia Flyers fans at No. 3.

According to Forbes, “For the 2008-09 season, we ranked teams based on average regular-season home game attendance as a percentage of arena capacity, regular-season local television ratings as a percentage of the team’s metro area population and team merchandise sales. Pens fans emerged the most fanatical."

Basically this gives Flyers fans another thing to complain about.

It also gives us a reason to re-post a bunch of fan photos we've received over the last few months.

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The Men Who Stare At Goals. PENS WIN.

Posted by Pensblog Staff on Dec 18, 2009 08:13.

http://www.thepensblog.com/images/stories/200910/recaps/dec/flyers_17/bs.jpg

Greg M. saw this from the PG and sent it along:

"The Penguins often end practice with a shootout, which serves a purpose as a drill but also usually provides some fun. Goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who sometimes gets a little silly, really put on a show with unconventional moves as players bore down on him. A few times, he did a spin. He stopped defenseman Sergei Gonchar after one of those. Other times, he did a couple of quick pushups. Once, he turned his back to defenseman Mark Eaton and, looking over his shoulder, still made a stick save."

Fast-forward to last night.

Claude Giroux comes flying down in the shootout all pumped up.

MAF fakes a poke-check. Giroux shits himself.

MAF faked a friggin poke-check. When Giroux was in the high slot.

Goalies don't do that. That is where MAF is at right now.

Look for that poke-check when he faces Yomoshimi Tokagura on a breakaway during mop-up duty against Japan in February.

Maybe.

How demoralizing is this for the Flyers?

They probably played their best game in a while.

They controlled Bing and Geno to an extent.

They slowed down the Pens offensive game enough.

But they couldn't solve Marc-Andre Fleury.

And so another wrinkle to the world champs is shown.

In, really, his first steal of the season, MAF was all business.

Three years ago, the Pens lose this game in the third period.

Last night, MAF stands his ground and basically owns the game.

Pens get 4 out of 4 points against the Flyers in a home-and-home.

Take that any day of the week.

And now a big time game in Buffalo on Saturday night against the Sabres.

It may not feel like a rivalry game, but it changes once the puck drops at HSBC.

It always does.

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GAMEDAY 35 - FLYERS

Posted by Rick on Dec 17, 2009 17:00.

7:00 PM

Wachovia Center

Listen to the game at [WXDX]

If you have any questions for Mike Lange, Phil Bourque or Bob Grove join the Penguins Radio Network Facebook page.

You can submit questions via the discussion tab for the Crash the Net segments or Penguins Hotline after the game.

Want to take your Flyers hate on the road?
There's an app for that.

Chant along everyone!

"Crosby Sucks!"

It only makes him stronger.

Welcome to the Wachovia Center where it doesn't matter who wins, as long as someone gets hurt.

"I'm ready. I have a helmet."

-- Evgeni Malkin

Cheering for fights and chanting "Crosby Sucks" are the only two constants that the Flyers organization has experienced this year.

Everything else has been a mixture of disappointment, anger and failing to live up to expectations.

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Alternative Uses for the Civic Arena

Posted by Pensblog Staff on Dec 16, 2009 18:38.

After the Penguins jump over to the Con next season, Mellon Arena will lay behind them, cowering in fear, knowing that its end is near. It's not the type of ending Disney would have written for such an iconic building.

But...news flash: Walt Disney had lung cancer and died.

They are going to tear down the Mellon Arena. No petition is going to change that.
The guy that designed it is all jammed up. We don't blame him.

Let's face it. Making the Mellon Arena a parking lot is a tough pill to swallow.
But we reckon you've swallowed worse.
Like throwing down 70 bucks for a Milan Kraft jersey.

Not to mention there is nowhere to park as it is. Screw that parking garage they are building. Great, now instead of sitting in traffic in the parking lot, you can sit in the parking garage.

So, in theory, leveling the Mellon Arena for more parking is the right thing to do. Communism works in theory, as well.
And since it's Pittsburgh, this whole thing will be screwed up somehow.

So we've taken it upon ourselves to come up with alternative uses for the Mellon. Under our many proposals, the Mellon Arena would be saved, the city of Pittsburgh would have unlimited money, and the economy of the United States would be righted.

After the jump, we detail numerous plans, totaling in revenue streams upwards of $82 billion, that can save the Mellon Arena.

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Finish Him. PENS WIN.

Posted by Pensblog Staff on Dec 16, 2009 08:19.

http://www.thepensblog.com/images/stories/logos/numbers/6.png

http://www.thepensblog.com/images/stories/logos/numbers/1.png

Beating the Flyers always puts a hop in your step.

And this wasn't just a beating.

It was a dismantling.

If you're not going into back-to-back games with the World Champs with the intent of seeing how you stack up, you might as well pack up your season right now. For any other team, Carcillo's goal that cut the deficit would've woken up the entire bench. Instead, nothing happened.

What most people overlook about the Flyers is that their defense is incredibly bad. If this was 1999, people might be intimidated by Chris Pronger. But now he is so slow, he can't even take cheap shots. And people wonder why we think the Flyers are done? Chris Pronger is all you got? Malkin made him look like a midget.

Malkin dropped acid before this one. He was omnipresent. Bing with another three point effort.
Jordan Staal was out of his mind. You're top three centers combine for seven points, it is a good night.

This game was a statement: No one is going to push the world champs around. Or bite them.

But now the beauty begins. Enjoy this one for 24 hours. The pride of the Philadelphia Flyers is on the line Thursday night. After losing like this on the road, they get a chance to immediately to redeem themselves...in front of their "home crowd." Should be good times.

Stay tuned till after the recap for one of the worst columns in journalism history.

It involves Ron Cook, fighting, and little boys.

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