The Atlantic Division figures to be tough this upcoming season…in more ways than one. First, it boasts what should be considered three of the top four teams in the conference: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and New Jersey. Second, it’s now home to some of the toughest SOBs in the league. Here’s what Atlantic Division teams will bring to the table in 2010-11 in terms of toughness:

• Pittsburgh – Eric Godard and Mike Rupp
• Philadelphia – Jody Shelley and Daniel Carcillo/Ian Laperriere
• New Jersey – Pierre-Luc Letourneau-Leblond and David Clarkson
• N.Y. Rangers – Derek Boogaard and Brandon Prust
• N.Y. Islanders – Trevor Gillies and Zenon Konopka

Wow – that gives all five division rivals a legitimate heavyweight and a tough-as-nails middleweight. Philly, as usual, should be a real pain-in-the-bleep to play against this year. They added Shelley and Matt Walker to a lineup that already included Laperriere and Carcillo, who combined for 42 fights last season. Overpriced free-agent pickup Boogaard is one of the most feared fighters in the league, and Prust threw down 25 times last season. PL3 proved himself to be a legit heavy (watch his all-time classic scrap with St. Louis’ Cam Janssen), and Clarkson is a skilled player who can hang with just about anyone. Gillies had 75 PMs in only 14 games last year, and Konopka led the league in fighting majors. Of course, Pens’ fans need not worry. Godard, despite missing most of last season due to injury, is still one of the best fighters in the game. And Rupp is more than willing, and able, to take on all-comers.

What’s it all mean? Inter-division matchups are going to be brutal this season. I’d expect a lot of well-played, close, physical hockey games. I’d also expect a lot of fisticuffs, which, for my money, isn’t a bad thing.

One more interesting transaction occurred late yesterday. Washington acquired noted goon D.J. King in a trade with St. Louis. Guess the Caps felt they needed to toughen up to hang with the big boys of the Atlantic Division. Winter Classic at Heinz Field: Crosby vs. Ovie and Godard vs. King.

I’ll leave you with this 2007 scrap between Godard, then with Calgary, and Boogaard. I’m sure we’ll see these two tangle again this season.

The season hasn’t even started, and Max Talbot is in the news. Good ole’ #25. Stanley Cup heroics and commercial appearances aside, he’s the kind of player Pittsburghers love – hard-nosed, hard-working and extremely fan-friendly. That’s why it came as no surprise – to me, at least – when I heard Talbot referred to Alex Ovechkin as “a real douche” in a radio interview. I’m sure Talbot meant what he said. Hell, just about every Pens’ fan agrees.

Talbot’s statement has predictably stirred up a ton of mind-numbing controversy. Here’s a pretty good recap.

What Talbot said was funny, but should he have said it? Does he have the right to name-call one of the game’s best players? Listen, it sure wasn’t the politically correct thing to do, and I’m sure Talbot regrets saying it – not because he didn’t mean it but because of the ensuing crap-storm. But you can’t fault the man for being honest and speaking his mind – it’s another reason fans have come to adore him. Plus, Talbot, while being a far inferior talent, does have something Ovie doesn’t, and no one can take that away from him.

One thing is for sure: because the blogosphere has latched on to this story and made a mountain out of a molehill, it will add even more venom to the already hyper-intense rivalry between the Caps and Pens.

What will hopefully go down as the worst trade in Ray Shero’s tenure as Pens’ GM is officially history. Alexei Ponikarovsky somehow got a one-year, $3 million deal from the LA Kings, who must be more desperate for offensive help than I had previously thought. Not to beat a dead horse, but Alex P. had 2 goals in 16 regular-season games for the Pens, then proceeded to do diddly-poo in the playoffs, netting 1 goal in 11 games.

The trade was worse than I had predicted at the time, and I didn’t like it when it happened. The Pens traded possibly their best offensive prospect, Luca Caputi, to Toronto for Ponikarovsky. In hindsight, the deal never should have been made. Ponikarovsky sucked, and it would sure be nice to have Caputi back for this season.

John Barbero, who served as the PA announcer for Pens’ home games since the early 1970s, recently passed away. If you’ve been to a game at the Igloo, you know Barbero’s voice. If you’ve watched a game on TV and just happened to hear a goal or penalty announcement in the background, you know Barbero’s voice.

Mike Lange is widely recognized as the voice of the Pens. But for those in attendance on game nights/days, Barbero was really the voice of the home team. He’s been there since before I was born, and he’s called virtually every home game for over 30 years. Truly amazing. Too bad he didn’t live to call a game at the Consol Energy Center. Nonetheless, he was around for three Stanley Cups and a plethora of memorable moments. The man, and his voice, will be missed.

If you want to learn more about Barbero, here’s a link to his obit.

A photo gallery on the Penguins web site takes you on a trip with the new CEC zambonis.  They may be black now, but just wait until they are dressed in gold.

View the photo gallery here!

The last time #11 was seen on Earth. (photosource: Yardbarker.com courtesy of Gary Roberts.)

I heard something very disturbing earlier this week and I feel the need to share.  Do you remember the creative and incredibly hilarious Gary Roberts jokes?

Sure…you remember.  For example…the grass is always greener on the other side. that is, unless gary roberts has been on the other side. in that case, the grass is most likely the color of blood and tears…There is no theory of evolution. Just a list of animals Gary Roberts allows to live.

I guess they aren’t so much jokes as statements.  Most people also attribute these to Chuck Norris.

The swingin' psycho...Johnny Gomes.

Here is the disturbing part.  I’m not sure how many readers are baseball fans, any Pirates fans willing to admit it?, but the Cincinnati Reds have an outfielder named Johnny Gomes who is earning a cult following.  Living in Reds territory, it is enough to make me sick.  Having been to a few games this year, I have witnessed the Gomes fandom first hand.

A colleague of mine went to a Reds game last week and people in the stands were sharing Gary Roberts statements but inserting Johnny Gomes instead.  Gomes is a lunatic but he has never thrown fistacuffs to my knowledge.  Second, how could any baseball player, save Bill Madlock of course, deserve to be aligned with these kick-ass comments.

My question to the P-Lab community.  Do any current Penguins deserve the honor of having bad-ass jokes/statements created in their honor?  If not, is there another player in the NHL who a Penguin fan would be willing to bestow this honor upon?

The Igloo hosted plenty of great concerts over the course of its existence. I was lucky enough to take in a few of them.

Soon, however, I began looking back…back to some of the concerts I witnessed at the old Civic Arena. There were some damn good ones. Here’s a few of my personal faves:

Jan. 29, 1999: Black Sabbath
Openers Pantera almost blew the roof off the place before Ozzy and Co. even took the stage. Seeing Sabbath live was a near-religous experience for me. At the time, that’s about all I was listening to. Iommi, Geezer, Ward…incredible. Awesome, awesome show. Side note: these were the best seats I ever had for a concert at the Igloo and, ironically, the cheapest ($35.50!).

March 26, 1997: Metallica
Borrowed a buddy’s car and drove to Pittsburgh from IUP by myself to take in this one. The trip was well worth it. Metallica did not disappoint, and the post-show theatrics were something I’ll remember for a long time.

March 11, 1999: Rolling Stones
This was the second time I had seen the Stones, the first in Pittsburgh. I have no idea how these guys continue to tour at their age, but they always entertain. It was impossible to not have a good time, especially for an unemployed college grad (which was me at the time).

June 23, 2006: Pearl Jam
This one was special for a couple of reasons: Pearl Jam is one of the greatest bands of my generation (personal opinion) and this was the last concert I saw at the Igloo. My wife and I had a blast, despite not having the best seats. Vedder and Co. were great.

Some extremely exciting news was released yesterday evening, as Pittsburgh was chosen to host the 2013 Frozen Four at Consol Energy Center. It will be the first time the NCAA Division I hockey championships will be played in the state of Pennsylvania.

This is a pretty huge get for the city. The Frozen Four is obviously college hockey’s biggest event, and it will draw enormous amounts of people to the Burgh. The atmosphere will be electric, and the hockey will be incredible. I can’t wait.

There’s no doubt this announcement was made possible by the new arena. Consol hasn’t even opened its doors to the public yet and it’s paying huge dividends to the city and to the local hockey community.