Flash forward to 2010.  The Penguins have been in the finals the past 2 years and are the current defending Stanley Cup Champions.  The Penguins are clearly the team expected to come out of the eastern conference, but once again they are in round 2 of the playoffs and heading to game 7.  The falling down mellon arena is trying to go out with a better send off than losing to an 8 seed, but if they can’t score 3 or more goals tonight or hold onto a lead, the Mellon Arena will exit in very depressing circumstances.

The penguins have all the top end talent on their side to go along with the experience and awards.  This is Game 7, not much of that matters.  The Penguins do have 3 things that do matter and are most likely the reason this will not end up a repeat of 1993, and those are Fleury, Crosby and Talbot.  They are just winners.

Then after about the 10 minute mark the penguins got it rolling, dominating play, forcing penalties, taking it to the caps for the rest fo the first.  It didn’t let up much in the second period and they finally cached in on one of the opportunities and tied the score 1-1.  Still controlling play but not the scoreboard the pens continued this through the 2nd period and into the 3rd.  Malkin, having a good game because of fedatanko’s improved play and new linemate Maxim Talbot, was talking over the game and causing all kinds of havoc, and drew a penalty just around the 15 minute mark of the 3rd.  So, in true hero fashion, non other than Geno capitalized on that PP and fired a wrister past Varly and gave the pens a 2-1 lead with about 4 minutes to go.

It could have been easy enough to just shut it down and hold on to that lead and get back in the series, but Dupuis thought that the refs would let a blatent pick go free after giving the pens 6 straight pwoer plays.  So he goes to the box and the Caps tie it up with 1:50 left.

It felt like the life was sucked out of all penguin fans at that point.  Seeing them dominate the entire game and to have it end up being tied 2-2 after 60 minutes, knowing that at any point Ovie could let a writer go and beat Fleury and pretty much end the season.

It was too close a score to go along with the style of the game.  Luckily enough Letang scored in OT to get the pens back on track and this series is on pace as expected.

So, as we head into the NHL All-Star weekend, one of the biggest flops of the season are the Pittsburgh Penguins who can’t skate their way out of a paper bag.

Who’s to blame?

Although it’s an unspoken code, you can never blame injuries for the reason why the team is failing. But let’s be frank - Alex Goligoski is no Sergei Gonchar. Why can’t players just come out and say something like: “Sure, we know we’re sucking wind, that’s because we don’t have the talent to replace the injured stars on the team.”

So, you hurt the feelings of Miro Satan. Who cares? He’ll be gone next year (I can only hope) along with that other wasted signing FedoTANKo (I know how to spell his name, just playing on words people). I know any player not named Hossa is considered not as good, but are you telling me that no other decent wingers were available?

So then we have Jordan Staal who seems to have remembered that scoring goals are part of his job. Maybe since he got that contract it really was a distraction. Jordan, a word of advice - keep renting, I think your time with the Pens is over come the trade deadline.

As it has been mentioned by others like Mark Madden, having 3 top-tier centers is a luxury, and would you really want to trade Crosby or Malkin away? Didn’t think so.

So, we trade Staal and Whitney to get some quality wingers who can play with Sid. Sounds harsh, but remember when Colby got traded away? Yeah, I think Hossa erased that memory just as fast. The Pens have Talbot - a faster and better player than Armstrong - and he just signed a new deal.

The Pens are fine in goal - they just need to play better defense. They need to re-sign Gill if it’s reasonable. Dump Boucher and trade Eaton - and I like the guy, but right now you can get a good return for him.

Rumor is that the Pens are trying to get Adam Hall back from Tampa. At least it’s not Gary Roberts. That guy got WAY too much credit last year. He missed the entire season, plays 2 games against a pathetic Ottawa team where he scores a goal, and they say his presence helped the Pens.

Are you kidding me? All he did was take up a roster space. So, back to the topic at hand. The Pens need to want it more. I know it sounds simple, but it is. They have the talent, they just don’t have the desire.

After getting 2 games away from the Stanley Cup, they know the regular season is a a long scrimmage. Problem is, if they don’t get to the playoffs in the first place, they won;t even be able to turn the ’switch’ on…

Pittsburgh is being haunted by liberalism and the city is still spending money it does not have. A little couple weeks ago Mayor Luke Ravenstahl (D), the boy wonder, was concerned and fretting because many of his hopes and dreams were pinned to revenues projected from a new casino (being built by Don Barden) on the North Shore. This project had not only fallen behind schedule, but is now in the process of being transferred to new owners and delayed. Seems Mr. Barden did not have all his ducks in a row and did not have enough funding for his grand plans despite a government oversight and selection process that was supposed to pick the best candidate to build this new source of tax revenues for our liberal government. Corruption? Quid pro quo? Your guess at how this man got the sole gaming license for Pittsburgh is as good as any.

This entire hullabaloo however means that future budgets may not be met if this casino does not open on time. Oh! Whatever will we do?

But this is typical - spending money we do not have. Is it any surprise that a series of elected Democrats from Mayor Luke to Governor Fast Eddie Rendell would put the city in such a predicament?

I know that we, in general, as consumers are used to throwing money this way and that way ringing up our credit cards. We are too willing to take a risk that next month, and the month after that, and then the month after that that nothing will happen to prohibit us from paying for luxury we bought today and could not afford. It is the same mentality that got us into the whole sub-prime housing mess where people took out loans they could never reasonably assume that they would be able to pay back only to moan when it came time to pay the piper. But should not our elected official be at least a little smarter than the average Joe?

Apparently not! Apparently making promises based on money we do not have and mortgaging our future is something they are also willing to do. Why shouldn’t they be? Everyone else is doing it!

Now if we remember even further back in this whole fiasco of thinking a casino would be Pittsburgh’s saving grace, we remember more about how this all began. It all started with a threat by the owner of the Pittsburgh Penguins, Mario Lemieux, to leave town if a new arena to replace the decrepit Civic Arena was not built. He even had someone willing to foot the cost of a brand spanking new place for the NHL’s Eastern Conference Champions to play. All that was needed was that the state of Pennsylvania to agree to give this investor one of the coveted, government controlled casino licenses.

Nope. Could not do that could we? The state must have control over who can and who cannot operate a casino in the minds of liberals. So they decided that there could only be one license for Pittsburgh and that they had to have a selection process to determine who the state would deem worthy of such an honor.

Governor Fast Eddie Rendell and the members of the state legislature had it all figured out when they passed the law permitting slot machine parlors did they not? So instead of an arena that would not have cost the tax payers a single penny, the government decided that Mr. Barden and his plan would win out. Although the deal included commitments that he would foot part of the bill for a new arena, the rest would be made up with tax payer dollars.

So we got hosed before on this too because of bureaucrats who are not qualified enough to be dog catcher much less controlling businesses. Now we see that the bureaucrats who made the determination did not do their homework on Mr. Barden, or had their palms greased by him – take your pick, because he did not have the funds to complete the project he was given! And you trust people like this with being able to provide you health insurance? Heck they cannot even get a casino built!

Thankfully the crisis looks to be at least partially averted. Don Barden has moved to sell his development rights and interest in the casino (pending bureaucratic approval of course) that those in Harrisburg decreed from on high that he was best qualified to build. And Mayor Ravenstahl was seen recently breathing sighs of relief and slumping over his desk, kissing his lucky horseshoe and uttering thanks to God – quietly however so as to make sure the ACLU would not hear him and decide to sue him for evoking the Almighty.

He is relieved because he has staved off having to explain to those that supported him where the money to pay for his promises was going to come from. Maybe he even learned a valuable lesson. But I doubt it. He will still be haunted by the specter of liberalism.

All this could have been avoided if only liberty had been embraced. If only the bureaucrats had kept their distance and let anyone who wanted to invest in a casino build one what is the worst that would have happened? That each would have either succeed or fail based on their own prowess and demand by the public for such an endeavor? Oh, the horror of the free-markets right?

Perhaps had the mayor embraced liberty then the lemmings that clamor at his heals looking for the crumbs he is tossing to them would not have nearly had a heart attack.

Pittsburgh Penguins are gearing up for a great season in 2007-2008, so you must have your Pittsburgh Penguins tickets ready to catch the action live. Last season, they did fairly well. They finished second in the very competitive Atlantic Division. With Sydney Crosby as captain, fans are looking forward to some great games.

Pittsburgh Penguins was one of the six expansion teams that joined the NHL in 1967. Their start was not anything to talk about. The Pittsburgh Penguins had seven consecutive loosing seasons. Their loosing season started in 1967-1968 and lasted until 1973-1974. 1974-1975 season was good for the team and this was also Marc Boileau’s first year as team’s head coach.

The Winning Years

In 1984, Pittsburgh Penguins were awarded the top pick in the NHL draft. The same year, the team added a very important player, Mario Lemieux. He scored 100 points in his very first season. In 1987-1988, Lemieux helped Penguins win their first winning record in nine years. The same season, he was also awarded the MVP award.

In 1991, Pittsburgh Penguins won the Stanley Cup under the expert guidance of head coach, Bob Johnson. In 1992, Penguins again won the Stanley Cup championship, after defeating the Chicago Blackhawks. However, this time Scotty Bowman was the head coach of the team. The winning streak of the Penguins always ensured that Pittsburgh Penguins tickets were always in great demand.

Mario Lemieux

Mario Lemieux has been one of the greatest players for Pittsburgh Penguins. Lemieux won the scoring crowns in 1992-1993, 1995-1996, and 1996-1997. He was also awarded the MVP title in 1993 and again in 1996. In 1999, he saved the team from going bankrupt by buying it himself. By 2005, Penguins paid back all their creditors.

You can get your Pittsburgh Penguins tickets to Mellon Arena online. By the way, Mellon Arena is where the team plays their home games. This is only for the time being. On March 13th 2007, an agreement was reached, according to which, a new state-of-art multi purpose arena would be built in Pittsburgh itself. The agreement binds the Penguins to Pittsburgh for the next thirty years.

The new arena will open in time for 2010-2011 season and I am sure that Pittsburgh Penguins tickets would be sold out like hot cake. Moreover, let us hope that the team is on a winning streak by then.

Presently, Pittsburgh Penguins are working hard on their game. And this shows in their players. Sidney Crosby, who has the honor of becoming the youngest captain for a complete season, heads the team. He has meanwhile broken many NHL records and earned many trophies. He has won the Hart Trophy, Art Ross Trophy, and Lester B Pearson Award.

With a great captain at the helm, fans are eagerly awaiting for the 2007-2008 season. In addition, the team has TY Conklin, Dany Sabourin, Darryl Suydor, and Petr Sykora playing for it this season.

If you want premium Pittsburgh Penguins tickets, Internet is the best place to find one. However, you should only buy from an authorized ticket broker, who will give you the best selection of tickets. Online process is safe and secure and not to mention, convenient. Buy your tickets online today and get ready for a great Penguin season ahead.

While many people watching the Penguins against Detroit tonight as the first of two Stanley Cup rematches, a lot of people in Pittsburgh are still upset that Hossa left Pittsburgh. First off, it’s not like he was drafted by the Penguins - he was a rent-a-player that fit in perfectly with Crosby.

We all got to see the magic of those two once they played enough together to click, and produce they did.

When Detroit raised the cup, it was all but assumed that Hossa would stay in Pittsburgh, or go to Detroit - but not for the deal he signed - a 1 year contract.

Ray Shero offered Hossa both a 5 -year and 7-year contract, the latter at the request of Hossa’s agent. Edmonton offered Hossa an $81 Million dollar deal at which he turned down. He claimed he wanted to play for the team with the best chance to win the Cup.

I can’t argue that Detroit isn’t one of the elite teams of the NHL. But it has been learned that the real reason why Hossa turned down the guaranteed money from Edmonton and long-term contract from Pittsburgh (and Detroit) is for one reason only: His ’significant’ other.

Apparently, she HATES North America, and wants to go back to whatever country she’s from. If Hossa wins the cup this year, he’ll be gone from the NHL and will play over in Europe.

So, I hope he gets it so that pussywhipped bitch can get the hell out of Hockey and let men who not only earn the paychecks, but also make decisions for themselves.

Teams are always looking to add a piece to their lineup that will get them over the top, and like we saw last year, the penguins added a few key pieces at the trade deadline that enabled them to reach the Stanley Cup Finals, including Hossa, Dupuis, and Gill.  Those are all great toppings, but if you don’t have the main ingredients like a talbot already in place, those moves usually only increase your payroll and leave you wondering why those moves didn’t work out.

Ryan Whitney told ESPN Radio 1250 today that he anticiaptes his return sometime after Thanksgiving. After trying a special walking shoe for 3 weeks, it was determined that surgery was the best option, and that’s what played into his taking so long to get the corrective surgery.

He also indicated that he won’t be joining the team on their trip to Sweden, so that he could focus on recovery.