Today in Penguins History (12/17/2011)

Today in 2011 marked milestones for a number of players on the Penguins roster.  In a home game at Consol Energy Center, the Penguins skated to an 3-8 win over the Buffalo Sabres.  But that wasn't the highlight of the evening as a few feats were completed.

1.  Current KHLer, Simon Despres scored his first NHL goal of his career, a power play goal at that, making the game 0-2 Penguins in the first and assisted by Jason Williams and Tyler Kennedy. 

2.  Evgeni Malkin scored his 7th NHL hat trick with his third goal, a power play goal, coming midway through the third period.  Malkin scored his 12th hat trick mid way through the 2018-19 season (he has two others in the playoffs).

3.  With the 3-8 victory over Buffalo, Marc-Andre-Fleury earned his 200th win of his career, with 16 saves on 19 shots.  As of this posting, he has 452 all time regular season wins.

4.  Brooks Orpik picked up his 100th point in the NHL, assisting on Evgeni Malkin's first goal of the game in the first period. Not known for his scoring prowess, Orpik would put 15 more apples on the board that year.

5.  This game marked the 700th NHL game for Pascal Dupuis and with his assist on Deryk Engelland's goal in the second period, he also notched his 300th career point.  He finished his career with 871 games and 409 points, retiring in 2015 due to complications with blood clots. 

6.  Carl Sneep recorded his first point with the assist on Evgeni Malkin's second goal of the game in the first period.  Interestingly enough, this would also be his last point.  Sneep never played another NHL game for the Penguins, or any team for that matter.

Sometimes I Like My Collection

2010-11 Crown Royale Scratching The Surface Signatures Evgeni Malkin #/25

Sometimes I Like My Collection

2010-11 SPx Winning Combos Patches Alex Ovechkin/Evgeni Malkin #/15

Some new PC love

I posted about my EPIC Pirate card the other day that I just added to my PC.  But that isn't the only thing I have been adding.  I have increased all four of my player PCs and Team PCs by about 100 cards (total not each) or so over the last few weeks.  Here are just a few to show some PC love...

The new CORNERSTONE of my Bill Guerin collection is this Be A Player Autograph of Bill Guerin.  As you can all see, Billy G is sporting his holiday best in his NHLPA Bauer sweater and matching Santa hat.  While not the most scare of his autos and certianly not the most valuable, I have wanted this card since I started collecting Guerin.  Why?  Just look at it.  It's freakin' cool!  Billy G is still young (I think this was still with the Devils), he looks goofy (possibly drunk), and he's wearing a Santa hat.  Did I mention he is wearing a Santa hat?

I have been sort of "hawking" many of the young stars in the Penguins system as of late.  I am not sure why since I started my Eric Tangradi collection about a year ago and he has still to crack the lineup on a permanent basis.  Brian Strait here as well as Joe Vitale saw a lot of ice time last season, especially Vitale.  These guys are pieces to the puzzle for the future development of the team.  We will see how well they fare this season (IF THERE IS A SEASON!! DAMNIT!!). 

I also found this nifty dual auto Simon Despres and Joe Vitale Titanium card you see here below.  These are numbered out of 50 and are sticker autos.  Unfortunately for me, the Despres was signed off the sticker so his signature is kind of cut up.

I picked up another Billy G auto as well.  This is another Be A Player auto from the Millenium Signature Series.  This is a Gold Parallel version of the auto, or at least I thought it was until I realized that all the autos in this set are gold.  Boy did I feel stupid.  Either way though, it is a nice card with a nice graph.

Here are a couple of James Neal cards.  I haven't officially made him a part of my PC yet but I have been considering it.  What irks me is that ever since they did the James Neal NHL:36 special, the fact that he has exploded production-wise on the line with Malkin and Kunitz, and the fact he is in a bunch of product from 2008 on up, his cards are selling way higher than they should.  Lot's of bandwagonners out there I guess. 

The one on the right is from the 08-09 Ovation set.  It looks kind of like Artifacts too which is strange.  I don't recall if I had any of these but looking back, it's probably because they were issued 50 cards per tin and sold in retail stores.  The one of the left is another Yellow Parallel from 2009-10 Champs.  Only, look close above the crossed sticks.  See those?  Those are Kudo Antelopes.  They look like deer with curly horns.  This is the Yellow Animal Parallel version and was seeded about 1:80 packs, a hard pull indeed. 

This came out of a pack, which came out of a hobby box of 2012-13 Score that I picked up from some dealer online who I can't even remember anymore.  It was either D&A Cardworld or that fairly new site WizWorldDeals.  Either way, I bought three boxes of these, thinking I would make a considerable dent in finishing a base set with rookies.  Oh, how wrong I was.  Out of three hobby boxes (which logically thinking would have came from the same case) I am still over 200 cards short.  Pathetic if you ask me.  But now I have lots of doubles, including this guy right here.  This card sort of reminds me of the old Dream Team cards from Score...or even the Bo Jackson from 1990.

What PC post would be complete without mention of a couple Mario Lemieux cards.  Both of these came from hobby boxes of the newly minted 2012-13 O-Pee-Chee.  The best set is back once again to torture me and take up valuable space on my Set Needs page.  Here we have the Mario Pop-Ups card which seem to fall one per box but I have seen some, including one of my own, result in two or three.  The other card is the Marquee Rookie Legend SP Silver Shiny Foilmajig.  It isn't black so there is no serial number but definitely a much harder pull than the other basic foil parallels.  Love those retro yellow sweaters with matching helmets.  They have to bring those back.

And last but not least is this Donrus...er...Panini Elite Series Gold Foil Sidney Crosby.  So many scratches and dust particles show up in this scan that it really looks ugly here.  In reality, this card is pretty sweet.  It's also nice to see a recent card of Sid where the picture chosen isn't one of him sporting his splotchy playoff beard growth. 

Hockey Gods Be Praised, We Have A Game 5

On the brink of elimination, the Pens mustered up whatever they had left in the tank, weathered the initial onslaught by Philadelphia, and some how came out with at 10-3 win.

Statement?  I don't think so.  Payback?  Not yet.

Simply put, it was a do or die situation for Pittsburgh and they stepped it up.  As in the rest of the games of the series, the goal tending was shaky at best for both teams.  Bryzgalov was pulled and Bobrovsky didn't fare much better.  Fleury was able to survive due to the enormous lead in front of him otherwise I thought Coach Bylsma was going to sit him too in favor of Brent Johnson.  The Penalty Kill, again, for both teams was atrocious.  There was a lack of solid defense on both sides of the puck.  But if you like offense, this was fun to watch. 

13 total goals in one game...That makes 51 goals in four games.  Probably not a record but it should be.

I realize it was only one game but if they can keep up the fast paced, mistake free (at least in the last two periods), intense game going, we might have extra innings in this one.  I'm still not convinced they can but tonight's' performance certainly showed that they have the ability.

As an editorial comment...the refs played this one tight.  I think word came down from Toronto that they were to call each and every penalty no matter how ticky-tack it may have been.  There was no "just let them play" mentality in this game.  There was hardly a five minute span without a call being made tonight.  Pavel Kubina, Wayne Simmonds, Zack Rinaldo, Matt Cooke, and Joe Vitale were all assessed 10 minute misconduct penalties with Kubina, Simmonds, Rinaldo, and Cooke all being tossed from the game.  Rinaldo and Kubina were justifiable.  Simmonds initiated the contact on Cooke and his jawing afterword is what got him tossed.  Cooke was the retaliation match penalty.  So either of those would probably have been left alone in any other situation.  Regardless, I think the message was sent that the officials aren't going to allow a repeat of Game 3 and quite frankly, I'm thankful for that.  There were 100 penalty minutes in this game.

Way to restore my faith in humanity, Pens.  At least for another day or two.

Tonight's 3 Stars...(hopefully not for the last time)

#3

 1 Goal, 1 Assist, 12:10 Ice Time, and he chipped in on some pivotal plays.  Pretty good for a D-man.

#2

 Finally gets on the playoff scoring board, 2 Goals, 1 Assist, 20 minutes of Ice Time and best of all, he was a +4, bringing him back to even for the series.

#1

A hat trick will do that for you.  3 Goals, a +2, and almost 23 minutes of Ice Time.  Staal was a workhorse tonight and they really needed that.

Pens vs. Predators: 3 Stars

The Pens played host to the surging Nashville Predators tonight at CES.  The Pens once again put up 5 goals in a scoring clinic, winning 5-1.  Some sports writers pitted this matchup as a Stanley Cup Final preview.  I am not one of those pundits however as I don't think Nashville is coming out of the second round.  Don't get me wrong, they are a talented team.  Now that they have Radulov back, they have the potential to make life miserable for a lot of other teams.  I just don't think their defense or goal tending are strong enough to get them all the way through to the end.  Purely opinion and speculation.  Feel free to disagree.

So tonight, James Neal continued his point scoring workshop by posting another 4 assists.  Malkin also scored twice giving him 45 on the year.  Cook scored again too giving him 17.  17 goals for Matt Cooke!!!  Unbelievable!  Here are tonight's 3 Stars...

#3

#2

 
#1

PS:  With that win, the Penguins clinch a playoff spot.  Like there was any doubt that was going to happen.

Watch this goal.  It's disgusting!!

This Is Just Unfair...I Love It (Penguins vs. Jets; 3 Stars)

These guys combined for 13 individual scoring points tonight in the Pens 8-4 win over the Winnipeg Jets in front of another sell-out crowd at CES in Pittsburgh. 

For those keeping score, that entails 5 goals and 8 assists.  Malkin now has 43 goals and 93 points as well as scoring his 200th goal tonight.  Neal now has 35 goals after tonight's hat trick and he added an assist.  And last but not least, Sidney Crosby has to have wiped the smirks off the cynics faces as he now has nine points in four games since missing 40 games with his concussion-like symptoms.  These are tonight's 3-Stars!! 


With Fleury in net, Winnipeg doesn't score 4 goals but he had the night off so rookie Brad Thiessen got the call with Brent Johnson still on the shelf with an undisclosed injury.  

I just hope this kind of scoring clinic can continue into the playoffs.  Long, into the playoffs.

Is There A More Dangerous Line In Hockey Right Now

Than these 3 guys right here?

Grant it, it was the Jets but 3 goals and 8 assists between them...That's just wrong.  Since December 10, they have combined for 41 of the Penguins' total 79 goals

Pens vs. Canadiens: 3 Stars

Since the game was last night, it's probably a little too late to post this but I was too tired to type it up after the game.

The Pens hosted Montreal last night at CES and things looked bleak until the third period when they out shot the Habs 14-7, scoring twice in regulation and then winning in an overtime shootout.  Montreal still hasn't been able to find a way to right the sinking ship under their new coach and continues their slide to the bottom in the East.  With that loss last night, they are now parked in 12th place in the Eastern Conference and have their work cut out for them heading down the stretch. 

There were quite a few things that provoked my ire during that game about the way the Pens handled the first two periods and the way the refs handled some questionable calls.  I won't even get into the little incident between Chris Kunitz and PK Slewban.  Someone needs to tell him that dishing out slewfoot's (feet's...what's the plural form of that word anyway?) is not a recordable stat.  If it were, he would win the award.  I guess he was fined a couple hundred bucks for it this morning or something like that.

I will show this interesting vid capture of the game, where in a rare Eric Tangradi sighting, we see a ref almost get crushed.



So on to the nights 3 stars...

#3  Kris Letang (Actual 3rd star should have been Eric Cole but I'm giving it to Letang because I'm sick of awarding stars to the opposing team, especially Montreal, and Letang's goal was ridiculous!) - - Letang has shown why he was missed since returning from his concussion injury.  In only his second game back since his injury, he scored the first goal for the Pens on a sick backhand shot that looked like it was going to be a wrap around try.  At the last second, he stuffed it in right behind Peter Budaj, tying the game at 1 apiece.

#2  Evgeni Malkin - - Malkin continues to play in beast mode as of late with Crosby still on the shelf.  He now has a goal in the last five games, including the game tying goal tonight and the game winner in the OT shootout.  When he's hot, he's HOT!  There isn't much you can say about it.  Check out the highlight video below and just listen to his game tying shot.  I love that sound!!

#1 Dustin Jeffrey - - Jeffrey scored twice in this game, and also added an assist on Letang's goal for a three point night.  The goals were his first two of the season and coupled with the assist, this was the first time he has ever had a 3 point night.  I loved to see this since it has been a rough road for him trying to comeback reconstructive knee surgery in the offseason.  Kind of a triumphant return to the ice if you ask me.

Mr. Comrie + Mr. Malkin = Mr. Win

In lieu of my normal Random Steeler Monday, I decided for a more subtle and less card related rant. 

It might be a he, or it could be a she.  I don't really know, nor do I really care to find out.  But the fact that it was said questions the integrity of the source, in my opinion.

I was reading some recaps of the weekend hockey games in preparation for my fantasy hockey draft tonight.  I happened upon the recap of the Penguins 5-2 win over the Red Wings yesterday.  I know it is still preseason but anytime a Pens team (especially a banged up one) can take the ice and out score, out goaltend, and out hustle a Red Wings team (predominantly the A squad), it makes for some great hockey.  (Queue the Wings fans flaming emails...I predict at least 10 before noon). 

In the final preseason game, coach Dan Bylsma was once again tweaking the line pairings in preparation for the season.  He put Mike Comrie on the line with Evgeni Malkin and it was almost slightly magical.  Comrie tallied two goals and Malkin had one and three helpers.  That line worked together like a fine oiled machine.  I went back and watched the rebroadcast online and I was quite impressed by what I saw from the two of them, especially considering the Pens were without Sid, Staal, Asham, or Orpik.

All I can say about it is this...if that is indicative of the kind of play we are going to see from the hockey-smart, 10 year veteran Comrie, I'm sold.  Plus, he is only collecting the league minimum $500,000.  That, my friends, is complete insanity!!  I just hope he can keep it up for a whole season and not put on his trademark 3 month offensive clinic followed by his 6 month hybernation period.

But here is what I wanted to point out about this little recap from the AP.  About half way through the article, there is a statement that goes like this...

"Comrie, who married actress Hilary Duff this summer, said he fits well with the Penguins."

What?

Are you kidding me?

They couldn't just say, "Comrie, who is beginning his 10th year in the NHL"  or "Comrie, who came to the Penguins in a free agent signing this summer" or "Comrie, the other white meat"?  No, they had to say he married Hilary this summer. 

Much to everyone's surprise, I'm not a writer.  I don't work for a news organization.  I'm not a credit worthy author or sports commentator.  But, you have to joking when you make some half-assed attempt at trying to connect some kind of pop-culture reference that ties hockey to the mainstream.  That is bush-league, isn't it?  That is borderline tabloid reporting, isn't it?  This is an author that says, "well no real hockey fans will read this article so since no one outside of that realm knows Mike Comrie, mentioning Hilary Duff will get me the web hits I need to keep my job".  I'm only asking these questions because I am not privy to the unwritten rules of sports writing, if there are any.  If it is fair game, then I apologize.  But something tells me, it was just stupid.
I need to go look at my new prize to help calm me down after reading that article.  Who are these nameless AP writer's anyway?  Did they come from TMZ?

Well Thought Out Yet Completely Random Penguin Cards of the Week: Game 7 Edition

With the unofficial self-proclaimed theme of the Pens being "Out For Justice", it is fitting that it all comes down to one game. 

WIN OR GO HOME!!!! 

With that being said, I wanted to present not one random Pens card but a multitude in the hopes that it may bring some luck.  These are the guys that need to play on some kind of Zen level tonight if the Pens are going to make it out alive.  I am not superstitious or anything but I did notice myself sidestepping all the sidewalk cracks on the way to work this morning.  I'm just saying...

2007-08 OPC Micromotion Brooks Orpik

Orpik was quoted as saying, "When you play a best of 7, usually the best team wins.  So, I think we're pretty confident going into it."  Let's just hope not TOOO confident.  Brooksy can be a game breaker and he is going to have to bring it.  Out For Justice!!

2008-09 Upper Deck Winter Classic Kris Letang. 

Tanger must play the game of his life tonight.  No more random shots AT the goal.  We need shots ON the goal.  Experimental gameplay time is over.  Out for Justice, indeed.

2009-10 Upper Deck Bill Guerin. 

When asked about game 7, Guerin said, "It's obviously not what we were looking for."  Yeah?  Well, you got it.  Now do what you do best and make it happen.  Your leadership is unparalleled in that locker room and whatever is left in that tank needs to be emptied tonight.  Out For Justice!!

And last, but certainly not least are the three key elements to tonights game.  If either of these three gentleman is having an off night, tee times will be early tomorrow for sure.  The time to show what we are made of is now.  There can't be another game 6 performance.  Out For Justice!!!

2009-10 Collector's Choice 3 Star Selections Crosby/Fleury/Malkin

We're Getting The Band Back Together

The Pens beat the Flames last night, 3-1, in a pretty fast paced game. Crosby scored a highlight reel goal (#30) in the first period that I tried to find on YouTube but it wasn't there yet. Plus my boy Guerin scored the game winner, a second-period power play goal (#15 I think). But the game last night felt more like the 2009 playoffs all over again.

The Pens reformed the dominant #2 line of Malkin, Fedotenko, and Talbot. I was so much younger back when they used to play together last summer but it seems like only yesterday. They didn't account for any points but it was great to see that Bylsma recognized the need to do something. Either way, this was a great thing. I am psyched. Malkin needs a spark. The Pens need a spark for that matter.

Malkin hasn't been his self this year (and by self I mean 100 point scorer). He has been playing poor on offense and defense, which since I've been watching him, is very uncharacteristic. Of course, it didn't help that Maxy was out for the first 20 games with his shoulder surgery. I think the Olympic break should get him some well needed rest to heal up. Here's hopeing going back to this line will get the train a rollin.