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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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 [...]

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!

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.

Here is the disturbing part.  [...]

After finding out that Pittsburgh will host the 2013 Frozen Four at the new Consol Energy Center, I immediately began looking ahead to Sept. 26. That will be my first trip to the new venue, albeit for a concert and not a hockey game. Me and some friends will visit Consol to see Roger Waters’ The Wall Tour – a spectacle I just couldn’t pass up.
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 [...]

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 [...]