FanNation

For better or for worse

As we await the start of the 2008-09 NHL season, we can spend the next couple months pondering on which teams have what it takes to win. With the big names of free-agency all locked up (unless you count Mats Sundin, who just doesn't seem to be interested in winning the cup), it's speculation time on how the clubs fared. Which one will I be focused on? Obviously, the Penguins.

All the Pittsburgh/Crosby haters are surely delighted that the Pens lost Hossa, as well as quite a few other significant names (alot to the Tampa Bay Lightning for some reason). However, the response I'm looking for here is an actual educated one, not one of the "wish we had Crosby" Penguin-bashers. With that said, did the Penguins get better, or worse?

Gossip Girls

I thoroughly enjoy watching sports shows. I find it interesting to hear the latest news around the hockey world. However as the draft draws near, there seems to be more rumors then there are truths. And it's getting annoying.

A great example would be the "hiring" of coach John Anderson by the Atlanta Thrashers which GM Don Waddell recently denied. I of course choose not to comment on rumblings of a Malkin trade. But where exactly do these stories come from? Do a group of hockey "experts" sit in a room deciding which story would cause the most buzz? I could sit here and claim "reliable sources" say that Gretzky is coming out of retirement, or Ovechkin is the one entertaining offers from Russia, or Peter Forsberg doesn't really have a foot problem. Maybe Eric Lindros is giving the NHL another go, or Calgary is shopping Jerome Iginla to try and snag a higher draft pick. There are tons of rumors that can easily be spread like wildfire, and for some reason, they hit the newspapers as if they are actually credible.

From Toronto, without love

I kinda like Leafs fans. They usually don't bash other teams, because quite frankly, they have no right to. Living just outside the city of Toronto, I do hear a lot of news surrounding the Leafs, and you must be living under a rock if you haven't heard about Ron Wilson possibly becoming the next head coach.

Leafs fans discretion is advised.

It seems like the Leafs front office guys either think the fans and media are really stupid, or just too darn loyal, because the amount of contradictions spewing from Leafs headquarters is astonishing. They wanted a new GM in place before hiring a head coach. But alas, Ron Wilson seems to be on the cusp of singing a four year deal. So either Cliff Fletcher is going to stay on as GM, or the new GM will be someone who loves Ron Wilson. And the plot thickens. Brian Burkes name has been tossed around since the moment John Ferguson Jr was fired. Oh but he's tied up with the Ducks. What to do, what to do.

Thanks for the memories

A look back on the 2007-08 season of the Pittsburgh Penguins can be described in one word: amazing. And for that, Penguins, I want to say thanks.

Game 6 was one to remember. Even though the Wings dominated much of the game, and the series for that matter, the Pens certainly made it interesting. For a team who most people unfairly disrespected all through the playoffs, they did pretty well in their first Stanley Cup Final since 1992. Hopefully now, they can get some credit for being a good team, especially since their plow through the Eastern Conference was constantly downplayed. This season has been incredible, considering the major injuries to top players. And speaking of top players...

Lose before you can win??

Before game 2 (which is almost more like a game 7) of the Stanley Cup final, I thought I'd provide a few thoughts...

Despite the fact that it seems Detroit is already running this series, I have to object to the reason being the so-called "lose before you can win" notion. As hard as it is to admit, Pittsburgh was badly out-played in game one, and yes of course experience is important, however there are plenty of players who didn't need much of it to win the prize. Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr, Patrick Roy, Cam Ward, Vincent Lecavalier and Martin St. Louis. Who are these players you may ask? Some the NHL elite who won the cup on their very first trip to the Final. The most tiring comparison I've heard this playoffs is the one of this years Penguins to the '83 Oilers, who had to suffer a sweep at the hands of the veteran Islanders. That's nice for Wayne and his boys, but it isn't the case with the '08 Penguins. Granted there are only 3 Stanley Cup winners on the roster (Petr Sykora, Darryl Sydor and Gary Roberts), but there are plenty of players who have already lost in the Stanley Cup final.