The Pond is Back

After a very busy July, The Pond will be back up and running. Not that anyone cares, because I don't think there are many readers, but we will be back for the long haul. Feel free to follow The Pond on Twitter. Really can't tell where this blog where go, but it will be about the Pens and the NHL as it has been in its short history.

The Pond's 10 Games to Look Forward To

With the season approaching more rapidly by the day, and the Pens gearing up for their Prospect camp and the the big club's training camp, we figured that it was time to update our list of ten games we look forward to the most for the upcoming season.

October 6th--Pens @ Canucks
First game of the season, in Vancouver. It's been a long time since we've seen hockey, and opening the season in Western Canada could be the best thing for the Pens give this offseason, and the indefiniteness of Sidney Crosby's status. Set the coffee makers though, it will be a rough morning after.

October 13th--Penguins vs. Capitals
Why?  First game of the year against the Capitals. Nothing else really to say.

October 17--Penguins @ Jets
Will be our first experience back in Winnipeg. Will be great to see some puck played up there. Plus this seems like one of those fan bases that are poised to be hated. It's like it is their God-given right to get a hockey team.

October 18th--Penguins @ Wild
Yes, I know what you are thinking, why the Wild? Because we get to see our power play go 0 for 6, and Mike Yeo's power play go 6 for 6 just to spite us all.

November 5th--Penguins @ Kings
Why? Well we get to see how ineffective Mike Richards is out west. I mean we grew to despise him as a Flyer, I don't think that changes much.

December 5th--Penguins @ Flyers
First matchup of the season against that other team from PA. No Mike Richards. No Jeff Carter. Some goalie who apparently will win on his own. We'll see. Plus, we get to hate Max Talbot and completely ridicule Jaromir Jagr again. Win all around.

December 13th--Penguins vs. Redwings
Will be very interesting when #68 is skating for the Wings and not the Pens.

January 22--Penguins v. Capitals
The last time we see them during the regular season. We will be very sick of this team by the end of January.

March 22--Penguins @ Flyers
3pm start on a Sunday. Could be an NBC game. It will be very enjoyable to watch the Pens and Flyers play on NBC and not have Pierre McGuire verbally blowing Mike Richards. The blood may be boiling by the time this game comes.

April 7th--Penguins v. Flyers
Last game of the season. Afternoon game. Could be for the division or even the Eastern Conference. You can feel the hate already.


Other Thoughts
Looks like the Pens have 12 sets of games that are on back to back days. There is a three game road trip starting October 29 in Toronto and Ending Nov 5th in Los Angeles. They have another four game roadie at the end of November leading into the first week of september, that will take them from Montreal to Carolina, with the Rangers and Capitals in between. Another four games on the road at the beginning of February, starting off in Toronto, then to Boston, then to New Jersey, and ending in Montreal. There is a three game road trip through part of the Atlantic division beginning on April 15th at the Devils, and ending with games on back to back afternoons against the Devils and Flyers on the 17th, and 18th.

The last 3 of four games are at home including two against the Flyers.  The Pens will also play the maximum 12 games on national television meaning they will be on VS or NBC.

All this means nothing. Probably makes no sense. But whatever.

The Return of Double J Part II

Well as Monday rolled around and it is now almost the end of June, Pens fans were set into the gloomy days of the offseason. No hockey, no news. Just sitting and waiting for Ray Shero to resign some guys to fill out the roster. A while ago we heard that Sid is beginning his workouts and Malkin sounds like he is ready to take over the world again.  Good news all around, but nothing big. Then Monday started, and a bomb was dropped on Pens fans and twitter and the internet were a buzz. Jarmior Jagr was again tied to the Penguins and this upcoming season. A few months ago, news of Jagr was falsely tied to the Penguins in the context of the Pens inviting him back to be a part of a 20 year reunion of the 1991 Stanley Cup Championship Team. This time it was for real. Pittsburgh Prodigal Son may be lacing them up for the Penguins this fall, at age 39. The Pond offers its opinion on the possible signing.

Two years...Feels like a decade

On this date two years ago, Pens fans from all over braced themselves throughout the day to prepare for 3 hours of hockey that may have defined lives. Waking up on the morning of a Game 7 of the Stanley Cup finals is much different than waking up on any ordinary day. We have been through nearly two months of hockey played at it most intense pace and one game was set to determine whether the season would be etched in silver at the end of the night. We all know what happened, but the Pens won't win a cup every year. Two years ago on this night, we were all celebrating a Stanley Cup. Here are The Pond's favorite moments of the run.

Pens Re-Sign Craig Adams to a Two Year Deal

The Penguins have re-signed Craig Adams to a two-year contract. We've said that this was an absolute must-sign for Ray Shero. Great to see that Craig Adams will be back for the next two seasons.  It's players like him giving up their body that make a team successful in the long run. Cap average is $675,000. Adams got his raise and even an extra year. A very low risk, high reward signings.  

Article from the Pens' site.  

Pens Ink Nick Johnson to one year deal.

What The Pond Said about him in our post previewing the Pens' free agents:

Could possibly sign a two-way deal and see time between the Baby Pens and the NHL club. He only played 4 games with the Pens and suffered a concussion while doing so. He should fill a role on the wing sooner or later, and it would be wise to keep him within our system.

It is a two way deal for $550,000.  Interesting that it was only for one year.

Article from the Pens Website:

The Pittsburgh Penguins signed forward Nick Johnson to a one-year contract, it was announced today by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero. 

Johnson, who was scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1, opted to re-sign with the Penguins to a two-way deal worth $550,000 at the NHL level that runs through the 2011-12 season. 

Johnson, 25, appeared in four games for Pittsburgh this past season, posting three points (1G-2A) before suffering a concussion that sidelined him for the remaining 23 games of the regular season and playoffs. 

Johnson (6-foot-2, 196 pounds) spent the majority of the year with Pittsburgh’s top-minor league affiliate, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. He posted 20 goals, 39 points, 10 power-play goals and a plus-12 rating in 48 games with WBS. 

Johnson, Pittsburgh’s third-round pick (67th overall) in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, has played 10 games with Pittsburgh in his career, notching two goals and five points. He’s played three-plus seasons with WBS after turning pro in 2007-08. He’s totaled 50 goals, 94 points and a plus-46 rating in 169 career games with WBS, adding 15 postseason points (8G-7A) in 26 contests. 

The Calgary, Alberta native played four seasons at Dartmouth from 2004-07. He finished his college career with 125 points (57G-68A) in 133 games. Johnson was named First-Team All-ECAC and First-Team All-Ivy League as a senior after scoring 35 points (10G-25A) in 32 games.  

Sidney Crosby to Start Summer Workouts

The Penguins dropped some very good news this afternoon, that Sidney Crosby will begin to get into his summer workout routine with his personal training in Nova Scotia, Canada.  Crosby met with Dr. Michael Collins, and apparently got the go-ahead to being the off-ice workouts. Not sure what this means exactly, but it has to be taken as good news, and we all know that Crosby's off-season plan is likely move involved than most NHL players. This means that it is a possibility that Sid's concussion symptoms have been gone for at least some period of time. There has been a time during the past 5 months that we really weren't sure if we'd see Sid back in top form. This news shows that he is progressing, and hopefully no concussion symptoms reoccur during the summer and he will be back to true Crosby form come October.

Here is the full article by Sam Kasan on the Penguins website.  

UPDATE:  Rob Rossi tweeting that the Pens are cautiously optimistic that Sid will be able to participate in normal hockey activity by training camp.

UPDATE:  Sid normally resumes on-ice activities in July.

More EA Sports NHL Features

This trailer just has a more in depth look at some of the new features in the upcoming edition to the EA Sports NHL series. Hopefully EA gets the tuning right, because some of these features will add some major authenticity to the game, unless they happen on every play.

Pens to Play Exhibition Game in Kansas City against the Kings

Looks like the Penguins will be facing off against the Kings in Kansas City on Tuesday, September 27 according to an article from The Kansas City Star.

As a painful reminder, the reporter had this to say about the Penguins:

The Penguins flirted with Kansas City as a possible new home before the 17,297-seat Sprint Center was completed in October 2007. The Penguins stayed in Pittsburgh once the city came up with the finances to build a new arena that opened in 2010 .

Those were dark, dark times for Pens fans. This game doesn't make much sense. Would be hard to say that Kansas City is a major player to scoop up another relocating NHL franchise anytime soon. Quebec might burn to the ground from the rioting if that happens.

The Offseason Review Series: Jordan Staal

Over the next few weeks, The Pond will take a look at how different aspects of the team performed throughout the 2010-2011 season, and consider the criticisms offered about them. This will be a series of posts updated pretty frequently to give us as fans an opportunity to look towards the 2011-12 season and discuss any areas which we would like to see the Pens improve upon in the future.

Jordan Staal

20 Years Ago Today: 1990-91 Stanley Cup Champions

It was 20 years ago today the Penguins lifted their first of three Stanley Cups on the road in Minnesota against the North Stars.  After the jump some videos and links.  

EA Sports NHL 2012

EA Sports put out their first video giving gamers a look into the new hockey game.  Looks like there is a new physics engine and players will play to their size.  The designers also look to have enabled player battles in front of the net, as well as "live goalies," which basically seems to mean that goalies will be flopping all over the ice, a la Tim Thomas.  They also added "glass breaking checks," which will of course delay game play, but you know it is really realistic since that actually happens about once a season in the NHL.  You can also fight with the goalies, which is pretty awesome for those Pens fans wanting to reenact Brent Johnson's KO punch.  The one thing that EA did get right was to add the ability to play in the Winter Classic at Heinz Field.  It looks from the video to be the only venue offered for New Years Day Tradition, but it is a start.  We will see how these new features work out and overall, they seem to be an attempt to make the NHL series more authentic and that is something hockey fans can appreciate.  Video from IGN below.

More NHL 12 Videos

The Return of Double J?

Last week the internet was a buzz with Pens fans contemplating the possibility of Jaromir Jagr of returning home to lace up the skates for the Penguins. As a Pens fan anywhere, hearing "Jagr," "Coming back," and "to Pittsburgh" in the same sentence put some excitement back into your life during the down time of the offseason.  Who wouldn't get excited at the possibility of one of the all-time greats coming back to the city where he started his career?

Western Conference Finals Preview

#1 Vancouver Canucks  vs.  #2 San Jose Sharks

The Western Conference Finals matchup includes two teams that have players labeled as playoff under achievers, and coincidentally, both teams have become jobbed as playoff choke artists. In fact it looked as if the Canucks would fit that billing as they squandered a 3-0 series lead against the Blackhawks in the first round, but would ultimately prevail in Game 7 to move on and then took care of the Nashville Predators in six games. The Sharks took care of the Los Angeles Kings in six games in round one, but looked almost reverted back to their playoff faltering ways after blowing a 3-0 lead against the Detroit Red Wings in the second round.  However, the Sharks would avoid another playoff collapse and move on to the Conference Finals after winning Game 7.  This could be a very good series between the two clubs that could go the distance as both clubs play similar high paced styles, and have gotten good goaltending throughout the playoffs so far.  After the jump we take a more in-depth look at the series.  

The 2011 Offseason

It is once again that dreaded time of year for fans of Pittsburgh sports teams.  The Offseason. It is the stretch from anywhere between April until mid-September where Yinzers have nothing to look forward to, except another losing season from the beloved Pirates. The longer the Penguins go into the playoffs, the more time that we don't have to divert our attention to the Pirates, but when the Pens lose early in the playoffs, the Battling Bucs are all we have.  Normally, we at least get a break from them beginning in July, when the Steelers start their training camp, but this year that saving grace is up in the air with the on going labor dispute in the NFL. In other words, this could be a very long summer for Pittsburgh, but hopefully it is a rewarding one when Ray Shero re-tools the lineup for next Fall. 


This post will focus on the Pens moving forward towards the beginning of training camp in September and the beginning of the regular season at the start of October. Ray Shero will have a very busy offseason as he has to deal with filling out a roster that currently has 10 unrestricted free agents and 2 restricted free agents. After the jump there will be a suggestion of next year's potential lines as well as insight into who Ray Shero should focus on resigning before the beginning of free agency this summer.  

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2010 and 2011 Season In Review--The Season of "What If?"

The 2010 season was the epitome of a roller coaster season, starting out at a low point with a mediocre beginning,  reaching new highs midway through, followed by a downward spiral with a few more dips until the end of the ride in April.  Somehow the Pens fought through adversity it and managed to secure home ice for the first round of the NHL playoffs.  However, when the casket closed on this season, the Pens did not have the firepower left in their roster to move on. We will take a look back at the season of "What If?" and re-experience the highs and lows along the way.  We will look at the offseason acquisitions all the way through the Pens being eliminated in the first round of the playoffs at the hands of the Tampa Bay Lightning.   I wont go through each individual game, but I'll go through what the season felt like, more or less.  It begins after the jump. Enjoy.

Welcome to The Pond on 5th Ave

Well here is my debut into the world of blogging.  Take it easy on me, at least at first.  Actually I don't care what you have to say about me, so bring it on.

This Blog will contain my opinion (I'm no expert) about the Pittsburgh Penguins and the NHL.  I'm doing this because I have an opinion and the internet makes it possible to put out there for judgment.  I have no clue if anyone will read this blog, but if you do, please feel free to comment below, whether you agree or disagree with a pose.  Any suggestions are welcome as well.

When it comes to sports in Pittsburgh, everyone has an opinion and everyone is an expert.  When it comes to the Penguins, it seems more experts come on board sometime between the turn of the new year and early February. As stated above, I'm not an expert outside of a decade's worth of deck-hockey and roller-hockey.  So I'll just put my hockey thoughts up for trial here.

Secondly, I'm not an insider, and I won't pretend to be.  Anything I pose on here will contain a link from another side, or the site will be referenced.

First up:  A (semi) season in review.