Our Favorite Games & Moments of 2010
The year is almost over. Soon you'll be drunkenly singing Auld Lang Syne and welcoming in 2011. Like all years, 2010 had its ups and downs. To say goodbye to the year, we've put together a list of our favorite moments. They're in no particular order.
If we've forgotten anything, let us know in cblog. We're just happy that we were able to remember this much at all.
The Final Regular Season Game in the Igloo
From the pregame ceremony to the 7-3 final score, it was about as perfect as a night can be.
From our recap:
How fitting that, in the last game in an arena that saw thousands of high-scoring games, we got one more.
The emotion that has been whatev all season...finally was back.
Perhaps in her dying days, the Mellon has flipped the switch.
Not only for the players, but for the fans, as well.
The Olympics
Regardless of who you were cheering for, the Olympics had it all. From Jaromir Jagr's triumphant return to the world stage, to Ovechkin once again failing when it counts, to the goaltending of Ryan Miller, it was a tournament for the ages. There wasn't a more storybook way for the tournament to end as Sidney Crosby goes down in history by scoring the winning goal in overtime.
(Sorry America, a Canadian is writing this post.)
Hello CONSOL
Despite the final score, how amazing was it to finally have the new arena we've all waited for?
Sid Goes Streaking
It doesn't matter that it ended. We haven't seen such dominance in years.
The First Episode of 24/7
After all the hype, it was finally here. And it was amazing.
What we said:
Not only did the first episode of HBO's 24/7 live up to the hype, it surpassed it. Over the past couple weeks, there's been an onslaught of articles about the HBO shit. It was almost getting unbearable. But in retrospect, it was all justified.
As Pens fans, we really have no idea how fans from other cities are looking at this first episode. There will undoubtedly be an explosion of articles on the Internet about this first episode, so rev up your Google searches.
From a Pens fan's perspective, this show is amazing. It goes without saying that the production quality is world-class. You almost forget you're watching a documentary about two professional hockey teams.
Trying to relay everything that was touched upon in this episode would be an exercise in futility.
Nothing we type can do it justice.
Game Three In Montreal
Just a huge game by Fleury. Ignore how the series ended and think about how you felt after that game. The Pens were up 2-1 and Fleury was hot. What a moment.
What we said in our recap:
There are two goalies in the world that have played on the NHL's grandest stage the last two years.
One is handing water bottles and towels to his teammates in Detroit.
The other one just ruined about 2 million French people's lives.
The Night Matt Cooke Killed Marc Savard
A dirty hit? Sure. But we loved watching people flip out.
What we said in our recap:
But this was a headshot. No doubt about it whatsoever.
It sucks to see hits like this take a player out; for any player to get injured, period.
(Pay no attention to fans from other cities wishing for Crosby to tear his ACL.)
Headshots have no place in the game.
But you know who else doesn't have a place in the game?
Matt Cooke...if he doesn't attempt a hit on Savard here.
There is a fevered competition on the Penguins' bottom two lines that has just kicked into high gear.
And Matt Cooke doesn't really light the lamp. He's on the team for a specific reason.
If he shirks away from delivering a hit, it is noticed in the film room.
The Boston fans went from booing Cooke to booing their own team.
The Penguins whipped out their balls, and they whipped them all over the Bruins, their fans, and their building. Other than the X morning show with Tim Benz, it's hard to imagine a bigger, more disappointing three hours for people.
If we were Bruins fans, we'd probably light ourselves on fire.
What a gutless, uninspired effort. Thank God Marc Savard isn't alive to see it.
But that doesn't surprise us.
No one even came to Savard's defense two weeks ago when it happened.
Dupuis Eliminates The Senators
What we said:
Mark Eaton partially leads a rush into the Sens zone.
The puck makes its way to Jordan Staal.
Seems harmless, as the Pens are outnumbered on the boards.
Staal refuses to die. The puck squirts to Dupuis.
Again, where would the Pens be this year without Dupuis?
12 Games Straight
What a streak. Our recap:
The emo Sabres goalie got outplayed, and badly, by Marc-Andre Fleury, who has gone from weak link to borderline Vezina candidate in one month.
Martin & Michalek come to Pittsburgh
Despite all the calls to sign the elusive "winger for Sid," Ray Shero knew the Pens needed to strengthen their defense. On July 1st 2010 he made the biggest splash in the free agent pool and brought Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalek to Pittsburgh.
What we said then:
At around 12:00 noon on Thursday, you were taking 20 bucks out of some joke ATM, still deciding on where you were gonna spend it for lunch.
Meanwhile, Ray Shero was handed roughly $10-million dollars and told to fix last season's playoff poopfest.
And he had one thing on his mind: Defense.
Last year's Penguins never had it together on defense. As of July 1, 2010, that is a thing of the past.
Our Washington Capitals Eulogy on Puck Daddy
...since Mike Green spent a chunk of his time Tweeting Tweets, running a slick website, and appearing in Geico commercials, did he forget to practice playing defense? To gear himself up for another playoff year? To get a respectable haircut? He won't have time to partake in any of these activities this summer, since he will spend the time in court, trying to refute claims that he has done irreparable damage to family of James Norris.
Read the whole thing here.
Carlton and Johnson Lead The Pens To Victory
After struggling for several games, the Pens went to Brent Johnson to hold the fort against Carolina. We went to Wilkes-Blog and brought up Carlton to boost our fledgling gameday character line-up. Both were successful.
Unfortunately Carlton celebrated a bit too hard after that game and was arrested.
He was suspended by Marty the Chicken, but returned against the Capitals on December 23rd and picked up the win in a shootout.
Deryk Engelland Knocks Out Colton Orr
Not much else to say here. If you didn't jump up from your couch when Orr hit the ice, you're dead inside.
The Columbus Invasion
What a demoralizing night for the Blue Jackets. How amazing was it to see Charlie on TV like that?
From our recap:
The crowd here was louder than it is in Pittsburgh and the Pens responded with a dominant game.
They're just rolling right now and it doesn't seem like much can stop them. Good teams take advantage of struggling ones, and that's exactly what we saw.
Sidney Crosby is playing some of the best hockey of his career, which is scary.
But the year isn't quite over yet. The alumni game is tomorrow morning (streaming live on the Pens website) and we have a feeling that 66 will give us one more memorable moment this year.
Enjoy 2011.
Go Pens.
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