2011 Winter Classic Set – Caps & Pens @ Heinz Field

Big news being broken by TSN, The Post Gazette and Greg Wyshynski of Puck Daddy – the 2011 Winter Classic Game will be played in Heinz Field.

“It’s official.

The Penguins will face Washington in the NHL’s 2011 Winter Classic Jan. 1 at Heinz Field.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is expected to make a formal announcement about that, along with several other high-profile league events, during a press conference in Chicago Friday.” {PG}

Alex Ovechkin will face off against Sid Crosby and the Penguins, in yet another chapter of A.O vs. Sid. You have to give some credit to the League for playing to their marketing machines, and let’s all hope they’ll draw in the coveted casual fan.

“Winter Classic ratings were down last January for the Philadelphia Flyers vs. the Boston Bruins at Fenway Park. This was because we had two losing (at the time) teams without many marketable players, and because the “baseball nostalgia” card had just been played at Wrigley Field the previous season.
But if the NHL wanted to ensure the bloom wasn’t off the frozen rose, the Penguins and the Capitals in an outdoor game was the easiest — and some could argue laziest and safest — solution
.
As we wrote back in January: “Ovechkin vs. vs. Crosby in 2011, no matter the venue, and this ratings hiccup is ancient history.” Especially with a new television contract negotiation coming up, and the Winter Classic being a major chip in that poker game.” {Puck Daddy}

TSN is also reporting that the Montreal Canadians will play the Calgary Flames in McMahon Stadium:

“While outdoor hockey may well be the last thing on fans minds at the moment, the NHL will formally announce the locations of dual Winter Classic games next season… the Montreal Canadiens will travel to Calgary sometime in February to face the Flames at McMahon Stadium.

This will be the second time that a Canadian city has hosted an outdoor game after Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium set the standard in the inaugural Winter Classic between the Oilers and Canadiens in 2003.” {TSN.com}

Exciting news for sure, and it’s good to see Canadian teams getting involved again, even if it seems like a ‘mercy game’ somewhat.

MSG Adding ‘Sky Bridge’ to Building Renovations

The venerable Madison Square Garden will be undergoing a serious facelift in the very near future. Among a plethora of other changes, the renovation will include the addition of a drop-down concourse attached to the ceiling.

“Forget courtside! The hottest ticket at the revamped Madison Square Garden will be straight above Spike Lee’s head. Up to a thousand fans will get to sit in premium nosebleed seats on the two sky bridges that will be built five stories above the playing floor as part of the $850 million inside-out reconstruction of the “World’s Most Famous Arena.”

“This is our signature element. It will be a unique experience in sports and entertainment,” Hank Ratner, CEO of Madison Square Garden, told The Post.

Rather than merely renovate the Garden, the project, funded without a dime in taxpayer subsidies, calls for building an entirely new arena in the shell of the 1968 building, he said.

“This gives us the best of both worlds. We keep what’s iconic — the exterior and the famous ceiling — and create a whole new building,” Ratner said.

Construction will start in earnest on June 14 and go through several phases over the next four years, moving from the bottom up. The work, which will not disrupt the Knicks or Rangers seasons, will occur mostly in summer.

After conducting focus groups with fans, MSG officials found that the biggest complaints were over the arena’s lobby, its narrow concourses, the limited food choices, the lack of bathrooms, and the poor sightlines at the higher levels, Ratner said.”We gave the whole list to our architects,” he said.

One longtime complaint about the Garden is that the building gives no sense of its location in the heart of Manhattan.

By moving out most of the office space, the revamp will turn the somewhat claustrophobic lower concourse into a wide thoroughfare with city views, shopping and high-end dining options.

This concourse will pay homage to the Garden’s history, with tributes to Knicks and Rangers championships to such landmark events as the Ali-Frazier fight.

Also, as part of the first phase, to be completed for the 2011-12 seasons, is the addition of 20 “event-level” suites. Located below courtside and featuring kitchens, bathrooms, fireplaces and dining rooms “nicer than most apartments in Manhattan,” the suites lead up to the best seats in the house.

The following year, the arena’s upper bowl will be redone.
The new seats will all be more plush, and the angle of the bowl’s incline will be increased 17 degrees to bring fans closer to the action.
This phase will include the addition of 58 “lower-level suites,” which would be larger and closer to the action than the ones in the current Garden.

The sky bridges and new lobby are set to be completed for the 2013-14 seasons, along with a party deck on the 10th floor and remodeled upper-level suites.

Pricing has not been set for the sky bridges, but the courtside suites reportedly sold for upward of $1 million. {New York Post}”

I’m not sure exactly what watching an NHL game from above or parallel to the jumbotron would look like. I wonder what kind of sight lines ‘ceiling’ seats would deliver, but it’s an exciting and unique design idea at the very least. I’m just hoping the architects will learn from this disaster, and make the Sky Bridge safe.

{From Deadspin}

Hawks Sweep Sharks, Advance to Stanley Cup Final

For the first time since 1992, the Chicago Blackhawks are only four wins away from lifting the Stanley Cup.

“Dustin Byfuglien’s second winning goal in as many games has the Chicago Blackhawks in their first Stanley Cup Final in 18 years.

Two days after scoring in overtime in Game 3, Byfuglien’s power-play goal with 5:55 remaining capped a two-goal rally and gave the Blackhawks a 4-2 victory against the San Jose Sharks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Sunday afternoon.

The victory capped a four-game sweep and gives Chicago a chance to play for its first championship since 1961.

“It doesn’t get any better,” defenseman Duncan Keith said in an on-ice interview immediately following the game. “This is what we play for and dream of since we’re kids. It’s going to be a hell of a time and we’re going to have a lot of fun.”

Byfuglien’s goal was set up after Dany Heatley took a slashing penalty against Patrick Kane. With the power play in its waning seconds, Kane fired the puck toward the crease, where Byfuglien was able to stuff the puck past Sharks goaltender Evgeni Nabokov. It was his third game-winning goal of the series, as he also had the decisive tally in Game 1.

The bedlam officially started when Kris Versteeg scored into an empty net with 42 seconds remaining.

Dave Bolland and Brent Seabrook scored in the second period for the Blackhawks to erase a 2-0 deficit. Patrick Marleau picked up his eighth of the playoffs, while Logan Couture also scored for the Sharks.

“They certainly deserved the series,” San Jose coach Todd McLellan said. “I thought we played hard with them. We competed with them. You know, we battled. We were in every minute of every game, but we were the second-place team.”

Antti Niemi hardly broke a sweat while making just 16 saves. Nabokov wasn’t much busier, stopping 23 of 26 shots.

“We didn’t get the start we wanted but we stuck with it,” Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews said. “We wanted to get it done at home. It was just four games, but it felt longer than that.”

For the third time in those four games, the Sharks struck first.

Devin Setoguchi fired a long shot from the left wing boards that didn’t get through to Niemi. However, it took a fortuitous bounce off the stick of Keith and right onto the tape of Couture, who whipped a quick wrister over Niemi’s catching glove at 11:08.

The Blackhawks struggled to find their game in the first period. After 15 minutes of play, they had just one shot on goal. They also lost Andrew Ladd to an undisclosed injury, forcing coach Joel Quenneville to mix and match his bottom-eight forwards for the rest of the game.

San Jose grabbed a 2-0 lead 7:35 into the second period thanks to some great defense and a lucky bounce.

With the Blackhawks on a power play, Kane was set up in the right circle for a one-timer into a mostly empty net. But Sharks defenseman Marc Edouard Vlasic went down to block the shot. The puck found Marleau, who tried to send it the length of the ice.

That’s when good fortune found the Sharks.

Marleau’s clearing attempt caught Keith up high around his face and stunned him. Marleau was able to start the shorthanded rush the other way. Vlasic moved up on the 3-on-2 and set up Marleau for the one-timer that gave the Sharks their first two-goal lead of the series.

“We got some bad breaks, Dunc got one in the mouth that caused a goal, but we stayed with it,” center John Madden said.

The Blackhawks appeared to cut the lead to 2-1 with a power-play goal with 7:12 left in the second period, but the goal was waved off because Toews cross-checked Vlasic to the ice seconds before the puck crossed the line.

Just 27 seconds later, the Blackhawks did get on the board, but it wasn’t easy.

The teams were skating 4-on-4 with Toews in the box for his cross check on Vlasic and Heatley in the box for hooking Brian Campbell. The open ice gave Seabrook enough room to glide to the front of the net and get a shot on Nabokov. The puck sat at Nabokov’s feet for what seemed like an eternity before it was whacked through his legs.

However, it was originally ruled no goal because the puck was quickly swept back out of the net. Replays showed the puck crossed the line entirely and the goal was awarded to Seabrook, his third of the postseason.

Bolland drew the Blackhawks even with his fifth goal of the playoffs with 1:22 left in the second period. He beat Couture to the puck behind the net and wheeled out in front. His wrist shot ricocheted off the mid-section of Sharks defenseman and past Nabokov to set the stage for the decisive third period.

The Sharks nearly grabbed the lead in the first minute of the final period when Setoguchi let a long wrist shot go that hit Marleau on the way to the net, then the crossbar. But the rebound landed in the crease and Niemi covered it.” {NHL.com}

Looks like (barring a small miracle) that we’ll be watching a Chicago-Philadelphia Final. You’ve got to like the Hawks chances against either East team, though, as both Montreal and Philly are the 8th and 7th seeds, respectively.

PK Subban Becoming Integral for the Habs

Rookie defenseman PK Subban is one of the best stories of the playoffs so far. Sneaking into the Canadians lineup at the age of 21, Subban has not only earned a spot on the blueline, but has contributed greatly to the success of the resurgent Habs.

“Subban, all of 21, had two games of NHL experience this regular season, called up for back-to-back games just before the Olympic break. But that did not deter Montreal coach Jacques Martin from dropping the precocious rookie into the lineup with the season on the line in an elimination Game 6 against Washington in the first round.

Now, just a dozen games later, Subban is a fixture in Montreal’s defensive rotation. In his first postseason game he saw spot duty, playing 10:02. Thursday, in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, he played more than 18 minutes. He is averaging almost 21 minutes a game, second among the team’s defensemen, behind only Josh Gorges.

That is a stunning coming-out party by anyone’s standards.

“I think when you first see him, because you are not sure what to expect — especially with the situation he jumps in at — everyone was a little taken aback, a little shocked at how he could step in and the things he could do for our team,” Gorges told NHL.com. “Obviously now, a few games in, you come to expect it. You come to expect him to contribute like anyone else.

“We have faith that he can go out there and play and put in good minutes. No one is looking at him as a rookie anymore. We’re looking at him as another one of the guys on the team that is going to help us win hockey games.”

Thursday night, Subban certainly helped the Canadiens win a game it needed to have. Facing a 2-0 series hole after going 0-for-Philadelphia in back-to-back shutout losses, Montreal could not afford to lose Game 3.

And, Subban was a big part of why they didn’t.

He assisted on the game-opening goal by Michael Cammalleri, getting a point shot through the defense to start a mad scramble that ended when Cammalleri roofed a loose puck over sprawled Flyers goalie Michael Leighton.

Subban also earned a primary assist on a power-play goal by Marc-Andre Bergeron in the game’s dying seconds and had a secondary assist on Brian Gionta’s breakaway goal early in the third period that gave Montreal a 4-0 lead.
Hamrlik, a grizzled veteran who once lived the same young superstar life now being enjoyed by Subban, has helped the youngster find his way this postseason.

“There are so many things to learn from guys like that,” Subban said, smoothly adding Montreal’s other veteran defenseman into the equation. “It’s been great for me.”

And, Hamrlik already sees the tutoring paying off in Subban’s on-ice performance.

“I try to help him; we talk on the bench or between periods,” Hamrlik said. “He’s a young kid and he’s going to have a long future in front of him. It’s nice to watch him play and to play with him. It’s a good feeling.”

Subban’s future glories, though, can wait. Right now, he has more important stuff to worry about.

“The focus now is on the team, not so much on me,” said Subban. “It’s about us in here, about what we need to do. In the long run, it’s better off if that’s where my focus is, and that’s where it’s been. All the guys are focused on the process of us winning and moving on.” {NHL.com}

PK Subban has definitely been a factor in the meteoric rise of the Montreal Canadians. PK’s success is indicative of the direction the game is headed – younger, quicker players are eating up roster spots that were usually reserved for the grizzled veterans. Chicago, for instance, has been winning games on the backs of their young players (Toews, Kane), while youngster Steven Stamkos kept pace with the leading scorers in the NHL all year.

ESPN in Denial Over SJ-CHI Series [PIC]

I was watching Sportscenter this morning, and I was a little confused when I saw the ticker that runs down the side of the screen. (Sorry about the poor quality, don’t have a solid DVR-screenshot program yet)

Clearly, the Sharks aren’t up 3-0 in their series. Must be some serious San Jose fans running the show in Bristol.

Hawks Win in OT, Take 3-0 Lead in Series

The Chicago Blackhawks are only one win away from advancing to the Stanley Cup Finals for the first time since 1992. Dustin Byfuglien scored the OT winner to lead the Hawks to a 3-2 victory over the Sharks.

“The young, wide-eyed Chicago Blackhawks were admittedly just happy to participate in the 2009 Western Conference Finals against the Detroit Red Wings and were bounced in five games. This year’s more grizzled, playoff-savvy team didn’t take anything for granted against the San Jose Sharks in Game 3 of the West Finals on Friday night.

After relinquishing a one-goal lead with 4:23 left in the third period, the Blackhawks showed toughness and resiliency before Dustin Byfuglien ignited the United Center by scoring 7:36 into overtime to give Chicago a 3-2 victory and 3-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

“I think last year, it was almost like we were in the situation where we felt good to be there. It was exciting,” said Patrick Kane, who has four assists in this series after having just 1 goal and 1 assist in last year’s West Final. “It was almost like it wasn’t supposed to happen for such a young team. Everyone was making us out to be such a young team.”

Seven wins in eight games is a roll that has Chicago one win from a trip to the Stanley Cup Final. The last time the Blackhawks won it all was 1961, and they will look to return to the Final for the first time since 1992 by sweeping the Sharks out the door in Game 4 on Sunday.

“You often hear people say the fourth win is the hardest to win in a playoff series, and we expect that’s going to be the case,” Blackhawks center Patrick Sharp said. “We don’t want to go back to San Jose and play in that building. It’s a tough one to play in. We’re in a good position, but the series is far from over.”

Just in case the Blackhawks have any thoughts of coasting and winning one of the next four games, coach Joel Quenneville can pop in a DVD of highlights of the Philadelphia Flyers’ epic comeback from a 3-0 deficit against the Boston Bruins in this year’s Eastern Conference Semifinals.

And with the Sharks showing no signs of having their confidence shaken by three straight losses, there’s no reason to think Sunday’s Game 4 will be a walkover for the Blackhawks.

“We’re down 3-0 and we’re not going to quit, that’s all I can say,” Sharks defenseman Dan Boyle said. “We need something good to happen to us, a good bounce to turn this thing around. Regardless had (the Flyers) done it or not, we’d still be believing in ourselves that we can come back. But seeing that it just happened, we know that it can happen.” {NHL.com}

The role players for Chicago (Versteeg, Byfuglien, Bolland) are stepping up at the right time, while Niemi has been solid in net for the Hawks. Patrick Sharp has continued to produce points, notching his seventh goal of the postseason in game three. Unless the Sharks can muster up a miraculous comeback, the Blackhawks have all but assured their spot in the Stanley Cup Final.

Seguin or Hall?

Most of us are focused on the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the NHL draft is just around the corner (you can check out our own mock drafts here) , but the first pick is an absolute toss-up between Taylor Hall and Tyler Seguin. There really hasn’t been any discussion about who was getting drafted first for the last two seasons, with John Tavares and Steven Stamkos both standing well above the rest of their respective classes. The Edmonton Oilers have drawn the first overall pick in the 2010 Draft, and Kevin Lowe is faced with the daunting task of choosing between the two.

Taylor Hall has pushed his way to the front of most all pre-draft rankings, but Seguin could definitely sneak to the top. Here’s what some scouts are saying about each player:

Taylor Hall, 6-1, 185, left wing, Windsor Spitfires

“The reigning Memorial Cup MVP has his critics (“I wonder about his decision-making sometimes,” said one scout) but most agree that Hall is the surest bet to star in the NHL. “Game-breaking speed,” said another. “Think Pavel Bure –he’s that explosive — and he’s extremely competitive. He doesn’t lose many battles.” There’s a desire to see more consistency from Hall, but a third scout says that’s part of the process when a player has been viewed so often. “Look, I can nitpick this kid to death, but if I had the (No. 1) pick, this is the guy I’d want. He’s a winner.”

Tyler Seguin, 6-1, 180, center, Plymouth Whalers

A cruiserweight forward with tremendous drive, high-end playmaking skills and a world-class shot — sound anything like Joe Sakic? Seguin could challenge for the top spot in the draft. Scout’s Take: “His development from the beginning of last season to now is off the charts. He has the ability to stickhandle and create at top speed. He’s relentless at both ends of the ice. It’s easy to project him as a first-line center in the NHL.”

That being said, who would you take? Oilers fans, vote in the poll and leave your thoughts in the comments.

Canadians Seeking Consistency – Carter Could Return for Game 2

After the 6-0 drubbing the Canadians suffered at the hands of the Flyers, Halak and the Habs are looking to stick to the game that got them to the Eastern Conference Final. Their gameplan might have to change, however, if Philadelphia forward Jeff Carter can manage to return to their lineup.

“It’s a long shot that Jeff Carter returns to the Philadelphia Flyers’ lineup for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final on Tuesday night.

Either way, the Montreal Canadiens didn’t seem too worried upon hearing the news of Carter’s possible return at the Wachovia Center on Monday afternoon. Carter hasn’t played since suffering a fractured right foot in Game 4 of Philadelphia’s opening-round series victory against the New Jersey Devils, but he skated in the morning at the team’s practice facility in Voorhees, N.J.

The Canadiens shrugged off the news, though. As far as they’re concerned, they’re simply in search of a win in Game 2 after being trounced 6-0 on Sunday night.

“I have no control of who plays for the Flyers,” Montreal coach Jacques Martin said. “My concern is to get our team ready to play. Before the start of the series, we knew we had to win a game here.”

Should Carter manage to return, it’s hard to imagine that it wouldn’t provide the Flyers with even more momentum heading into Game 2. Not only did Carter lead Philadelphia with 33 goals during the regular season, but his 6-foot-3, 200-pound frame could create another headache for Montreal’s defense.

“He’s a pretty offensive guy, but you can’t start changing your game plan,” defenseman Ryan O’Byrne said. “One guy comes in, one guy comes out. That’s the playoffs. Over the course of a seven-game series, there’s always guys in and out of the lineup. You can’t change your game. Obviously, he’s a big kid and he’s got offensive ability. But we won’t be changing our game.”

Montreal’s attitude is based off what it was able to accomplish in the first two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Sure, Carter’s a talented player with a knack for the net. But the Canadiens had to get past the likes of Alex Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby just to reach this point — a pair that combined for 101 goals during the regular season.

“It’s a team game,” Habs forward Glen Metropolit said. “He’s a good player, but they’ve had a lot of guys up due to injuries, and so do we. That being said, it doesn’t matter who they have. We just beat the top two teams in the conference, so we’ll see.”

Regardless of Carter’s status for Game 2, the Canadiens know they have to be better. They were outplayed in every facet of Sunday’s loss and need to have a better effort from everyone on their roster if they hope to go back to Montreal with a split.” {NHL.com}

Carter is an impact player, don’t get me wrong, but will he be close to 100% if he returns for Game 2? I think it would make more sense for the Flyers to sit Carter – if at least for this game. They’re up in the series, and there’s no need to rush him into the roster right now. If I’m a Flyers fan, I’m thinking more about re-injuring Carter, and potentially losing him in the Final than simply winning Game 2. That being said, if the coaches limit his ice time, and run him out for a powerplay or two, Carter might be able to provide some much needed offense for Philadelphia.

With the Canadians, so much of their gameplan revolves around their conservative defensive scheme – which they could only maintain for the first period of Game 1.

“I think tonight we didn’t play a team game,” Montreal coach Jacques Martin said in bluntly assessing his team’s performance. “We played an individual game, and you can’t be successful that way.”

Actually, Montreal held the advantage in play throughout much of the first period but couldn’t solve Philadelphia goalie Michael Leighton, who recorded his first playoff shutout in just his third start. Leighton was pressed into service during Game 5 against Boston when starter Brian Boucher suffered a knee injury. ” {NHL.com}

The Habs will have to find a way to beat Leighton, and they’re going to need their secondary to step up, as Chris Pronger will be shadowing Michael Cammalleri for the rest of the series. After watching Montreal win both of their previous series, I was struck by their ability to play a complete team-oriented game – as a cohesive unit. The Flyers have their fair share of dangerous forwards, and a controlled and responsible defensive effort will be the only thing that could get the Canadians to the finals.

Dissecting the Penguins’ Demise

Like most of the hockey world, I was shocked to see the Penguins dispatched in seven games by the resurgent Canadians. I had the Penguins losing in the second round, but I was certain that Pittsburgh had gotten extremely lucky by drawing the Habs. I figured Montreal would be worn down by their improbable first round victory over Washington – certainly too tired to compete with an experienced team like Pittsburgh. I said openly throughout the semi-finals that the Eastern Conference was ‘Pittsburgh’s to lose’ – and it seemed pretty reasonable at the time, with New Jersey, Buffalo, and Washington all out of the dance by the semi-finals.

Now, the Eastern Conference title will go to the seventh-seeded Flyers, or the eighth-seeded Canadians. The powerhouses in the East underperformed, and Pittsburgh was no exception. Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin didn’t record any points during Game Seven, and while some of that is a testament to the persistent defense of Hal Gill, it’s also clear evidence that the key players for Pittsburgh didn’t show up.

“Evgeni Malkin scored only one goal and had no goals at even strength in the Montreal series. Sidney Crosby managed only one goal in the series and it came in Game 6 when Gill’s monstrous mass of arms and legs was out of the lineup.

Trade deadline acquisition Alexei Ponikarovsky scored one goal in 11 playoff games and finished even for the two rounds. Slated to become an unrestricted free agent, it is hard to imagine GM Ray Shero believing ‘Poni’ is part of the long-term solution in Pittsburgh. Ruslan Fedotenko, the 2004 Stanley Cup hero, who played a key role in Pittsburgh’s march to the Cup last spring as well (14 points in 24 games), appeared in only six of the team’s 13 playoff games this year and finished with no points and a minus-3 rating. He, too, is an unrestricted free agent July 1.” {THN.com}

Jay Fester wrote some of this in his own blog, and some of it is fair, but he goes off the rails when he starts to delve into the motivation of the players.

“Having said that, have we ever witnessed a more seemingly disinterested group than the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game 7? Watching that effort from the Pens made me think their house and apartment leases were scheduled to expire at the end of May or that the siren song of the World Championship was too strong for some to ignore. Whatever the motivation, it certainly appeared the Pens had little.

Sergei Gonchar was jaw-dropping bad in Game 7. To call his performance uninspired is a gross understatement. Was the pending unrestricted free agent suffering from an injury and unable to perform, or was it something else that affected his play? As a GM considering whether to re-sign or sign him, I want to know what produced that performance before tendering big money.”

Whatever. Question their gameplan, their coaching, or their performance, but I think it’s unfair to second guess their motives. First, it’s all conjecture anyway – unless Fester has Gonchar on record saying that he didn’t really care about winning, I’m not inclined to take his word for it. ‘Disinterested’ teams don’t compete for seven game series – they roll over and die in four or five games. Journalism like this is just digging for sensationalism that simply isn’t there. What won this series for Montreal was their suffocatingly effective defensive system, coupled with the super-human play of Jaro Halak. Yes, Crosby and Malkin should have produced more points, but don’t malign their intentions. Montreal perfectly and efficiently contained the Penguins’ offensive firepower. Simple as that.

Even some of the members of the Pittsburgh media are calling for Evgeni Malkin to be dealt – evidently Art Ross and Conn Smyth winners aren’t welcome anymore.

“Staal’s development as a Selke Trophy candidate for his defensive work and offensive upside — at 21, he has produced three 20-goal seasons as a third-liner — gives the Penguins the option of trading Crosby or Malkin. Staal is a prototype No. 2 center and an emerging dressing-room leader.

The Penguins won’t trade Crosby, who aside from being team captain is the franchise’s face. Malkin, already a scoring champion and playoff MVP at 23, is the guy to shop.

Shero should start making calls to his contemporaries, and his first words should be: “Make me an offer for Malkin.” It must include a top-line wing, a top-pairing defenseman, two roster players and either two top prospects or two first-round picks.

To give up Geno, the Penguins must get the world in return. If they get it, their Cup window won’t be limited to three seasons, as it will be with the three-center plan.” {Pittsburgh Live}

Give me Malkin any day over Staal. Pittsburgh definitely had a real chance to win the Cup again this year – if they would have reached the Eastern Conference Final, they would have faced one of the weakest compilations of teams in recent memory. It wouldn’t have been a stretch to see them in the Final again, and last years Cup win clearly spoiled some in Pittsburgh. When unrealistic expectations meet failure, everyone looks for a scapegoat, and unfortunately, Malkin seems to have taken up that role. It just seems so impulsive and reactionary to deal such a successful player. Hopefully Shero isn’t listening to the ramblings of a blowhard like Rossi.

Penguins fans – don’t worry. Your team isn’t moving out of their prime, they’ve got so much talent, and if anything, this crushing loss will only add to the experience in the locker room. Pittsburgh will still keep their place as a powerhouse in the Eastern Conference, and they’ll continue to compete for the Cup for years to come.

Chicago Fan Narrowly Escapes Beer Bombardment

Vancouver was knocked out of the postseason last night, and one Blackhawks fan just barely escaped getting nailed by an airborne glass of beer.

If I had spent decent money for one of those RBK Edge jerseys, only to have it doused in a full beer from some ‘hoser’ (that’s right Canadians, I’m taking your terminology now), I’d be filled with insane rage. The guy/girl who threw that beer should be happy it didn’t connect. I think it might be grounds for a serious beatdown. Either case, no amount of beer acrobatics were going to get the Canucks past the second round this year, and the Hawks took care of business on the road.

{From Puck Daddy}

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