Sidney Crosby News

Pittsburgh Penguins Unable To Clinch First Division Title In 10 Years Falling 2-1 To New York Rangers During Overtime

Modnay March 31, 2008

Captain Sidney Crosby played a good game but was unable to lead The Penguins to their first division title in a decade as they fell to The Rangers 2-1 during overtime at Madison Square Gardens. Crosby picked up 2 assists last night at Mellon Arena when The Penguins beat The Rangers but he was unable to score points tonight or win the game against the same Rangers team. Despite losing, Pittsburgh managed to pick up a point putting them 2 points ahead of Montreal for first in the Eastern Conference. Winning just one of the last 2 regulation season games The Penguins have left, both against the Flyers, will guarantee them the Atlantic Division title.

Sidney Crosby Assists On Goals By Both Marian Hossa and Evgeni Malkin In A Penguins “Stanley Cup Playoffs Style” Victory Over The Rangers 3-1

Sunday March 30, 2008

During their fourth-last regular season game, Sidney Crosby and The Pittsburgh Penguins played an intense “Stanley Cup playoff style” game against The Rangers today. During the first period Brandon Dubinsky, assisted by Jaromir Jagr and Christian Backman of The New York Rangers scored the first goal of the game. Then Sidney Crosby assisted on the next two goals of the first period, first on Marian Hossa’s wicked wrist shot goal at 10:21 of the period, and then on Evgeni Malkin’s game winning goal at 17:56. The final and only other goal of the game came with only 43 seconds left in the game by Pittsburgh’s Maxime Talbot assisted by Jordan Staal and Rob Scuderi. Pens goalie Marc Andre Fleury performed exceptionally well in his seventh straight win, stopping 26 of 27 shots by The Rangers, many of them coming within a few feet from the net.

Apparently the Pittsburgh Penguins are almost back to full strength as evidenced by Sidney Crosby clicking well with Hossa, getting physical during the game, and playing well on a stronger ankle. Evgeni Malkin is still in the line up after a scare during the second period when he left to have his face stitched up after being cut by Brandon Dubinsky's skate. Evgeni Malkin has established his superb playing skills (currently at 104 points for second place in league scoring this season just behind Ovechkin at 109) will be a valuable asset during the playoffs. Marc Andre Fleury also has proven he is prepared to wins games with his spectacular record (only one loss out of 10 games) since returning from the high ankle injury that put him out of action for three months. Tonight The Penguins also showed they are prepared to play tough as they responded to The Rangers physically aggressive style of play. With the playoffs just around the corner The Penguins better get used to battling physically during playoff games, and playing through bruises and pain because that’s what they must do if they plan to win the Stanley Cup this year.

While The Penguins have a lot going for them right now there are areas they can improve upon. Of course with the Stanley Cup playoffs almost here every hockey team, regardless of how good, should be criticized so that areas in need of improvement are brought to light. The Confluence of Three Rivers discussed areas The Penguins could improve upon in their Blog post covering today’s game. For example, the post states that, “once again the Penguins did not get very many pucks on net, today only getting 20 (shots on goal). And incredibly, that includes eight opportunities on the powerplay when they only scored when they had a two-man advantage.”

After today’s game against The Rangers it looks like Sidney Crosby is back and clicking well with Hossa and The Penguins are pumped to take their division and conference titles before getting the playoffs started. The Pittsburgh Penguins beat The New York Rangers 3-1 to once again pull one point ahead of the idled Montreal Canadiens for first place in the Eastern Conference. Pittsburgh is also six points ahead of New Jersey by 6 points for first place in the Atlantic Division. By winning at least one of their last three regular season games The Pittsburgh Penguins will take their first division title since 10 years ago when they won the North East Division back in 1998.

The Pittsburgh Penguins will face The New York Rangers once more tomorrow night at Madison Square Gardens.

The Sidney Crosby Show Blog once again has a great game recap of today’s game. The details on Sidney Crosby’s cross checking and all the rough play and penalties are in the post.

Sidney Crosby Returns He Really Does

Thursday March 27, 2008

After much talk the speculation of when Sidney Crosby would return playing can be put to rest. Tonight in a home game at Mellon Arena Sidney Crosby played for the first time in 7 games as The Pittsburgh Penguins beat The New York Islanders 3-1.

After missing 21 games, Sidney Crosby returned to the line up on March 4, 2008 and played in three games. After those three games he experienced discomfort around the injured right ankle forcing him to miss 7 more games. Tonight Crosby returned for the second time and played with Marian Hossa for the first time. This was Sidney Crosby's first home game since January 18, 2008.

Sidney Crosby almost set up Marian Hossa several times for a highlight reel goal. Unfortunately, the pair were unable to complete the plays. Hossa left the ice twice disappearing into the dressing room each time after being hit. The second hit came early in the third period when Hossa was skating backwards and New York's Sean Bergenheim sent him to the ground. Marian Hossa was labeled as having an upper body injury but was seen walking around the Penguins dressing room after the game.

Evgeni Malkin, Jarkko Ruutu, and Georges Laraque all notched a goal for Pittsburgh, while Josef Vasicek scored the only goal for New York. Crosby took three shots on net this game but failed to get a goal or earn a single point tonight. Fortunately, The Penguins managed to win the game anyways giving them a 1 point lead over The Canadiens to take first place in The Eastern Conference.

Sidney Crosby played well regardless of notching points tonight. In fact, The Sidney Crosby Show Blog game recap pointed out: "(during the second period) something happened to let us know that Sid was back - I mean really back - this time. He was flying down the ice. The puck was up on its edge and, to get around the Isles' defenders, Sid used the blade of his stick to flip the puck up over Meyer. Then Sid skated around Meyer and regained control of the puck. He just couldn't get a shot on goal, or that would have been one of those highlight reel goals. It was stunning!!!"

It will be exciting to see Sidney Crosby playing in the final games leading up to the Stanley Cup Playoffs, especially if Marian Hossa's resumes playing with him again soon.

Sidney Crosby Resumes Playing Tomorrow Against The New York Islanders In Preparation For The Stanley Cup Playoffs

Wednesday March 26, 2008

Sidney Crosby participated in an optional practice today, with news reports claiming his ankle was problem free. In fact, reports have Sidney Crosby saying he felt stronger and more confident with this return as opposed to his last attempt to return from the injury.

Now that the Pittsburgh Penguins have clinched a playoff spot after beating The New Jersey Devils yesterday, 2-0, it looks like Crosby will attempt to get back into the swing of things just in time for the post season. Crosby will play centre on a line with Marian Hossa. This will be the first time Sidney Crosby and Marian Hossa play together on the same line and same team.

There have been several assumptions that Sidney Crosby would return over the last few games but that did not happen. This is the first time that Sidney Crosby has actually given the word he will actually play instead of saying he may play. This may really be Sidney Crosby's return and first time playing with Marian Hossa, creating a lot of excitement among hockey fans.

Marc Andre-Fleury Shutout The Devils As Pittsburgh Battled New Jersey Winning 2-0 And Securing A Spot In The Stanley Cup Playoffs

Tuesday March 25, 2008

Sidney Crosby missed another game and The Pittsburgh Penguins managed to bounce back from last night’s awkward loss to win again without their captain. Not only did the Penguins blank The Devils 2-0 during the eight and final regular season game between the two teams, but the win secured them a spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Just over five minutes into the game Pittsburgh’s Ryan Whitney sent the puck to Ryan Malone who scored the game winning goal on Martin Brodeur during the power play. The rest of the game was very tight as Pittsburgh and New Jersey took turns moving the puck up and down the ice with neither able to score a goal. With less than a minute to go in the game Pittsburgh’s Marian Hossa was able to put the puck into an empty net finalizing the win over New Jersey.

At least The Devils weren’t shamed with a 7-1 loss similar to what happened on Saturday night at Mellon Arena against The Penguins. While The Devils were unable to score a goal, they did manage to move the puck and create chances in a tight game, playing much better than their last game. Still The Penguins were able to shutout Martin Brodeur and his New Jersey Devils tonight.

Pittsburgh Penguins Goalie Marc Andre Fleury managed to notch his 4th shutout of the 2007-08 NHL Season. Fleury drafted 1st overall during the 2003 NHL entry draft now has 11 professional career shutouts. Marc Andre Fleury’s first NHL career shutout came during his sixth professional NHL game on October 30, 2003 when The Pittsburgh Penguins beat The Chicago Blackhawks 1-0. Tonight’s shutout gives The Penguins a jump over the Devils for first place in the Atlantic Division.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and New Jersey Devils have been battling for first place in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference. Tonight’s win keeps Pittsburgh in the top spot in the Atlantic Division, now 4 points ahead of New Jersey. The Penguins win now puts them just 1 point behind The Canadiens for first in The Eastern Conference. With The Montreal Canadiens idled until Friday night and The Pittsburgh Penguins facing the Islanders at Mellon Arena on Thursday, there is a chance The Penguins could win that game to take over first place in the East.

Reports have Sidney Crosby listed as day to day with his high right ankle injury and he could play in The Penguins’ home game against The Islanders on Thursday. Crosby has missed the last seven games in a row, and 28 of the last 31 games since his injury. While Pittsburgh continues to win without him, fans are eager to see Crosby play a few games before the regular season ends, and impatiently hoping he will be ready for the 2007-08 NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Sidney Crosby Fails To Return As Penguins Delivered Shameful Loss By The Islanders

Monday March 24, 2008

Reports of Sidney Crosby returning to the line up tonight turned out to be a disappointment for fans when he didn’t play. The Penguins lost to The Islanders 4-1 failing to clinch a playoff spot.

Petr Sykora was the only Penguins player to score a goal. No one from the Penguins organization could explain the poor performance of the team who just came off of a stellar 7-1 home game win over the New Jersey Devils on Saturday. Apparently the Penguins learned the hard way that The Islanders are not a team to be taken lightly.

Sidney Crosby did participate in the morning skate on Long Island and hopes still abound that he will return before the regular season ends, just in time for the playoffs. Crosby has now missed 27 of the last 30 games.

Sidney Crosby Was The Eleventh Penguin In Franchise History To Reach 100 Points In A Season And Tonight Malkin Became The Twelfth As Pittsburgh Obliterates New Jersey 7-1 Taking First Place In The Atlantic Division

Saturday March 22, 2008

For the last two seasons Sidney Crosby became one of the few Pittsburgh Penguins in history to reach 100 points in a season, Evgeni Malkin hit the mark with two goals and an assist tonight as Pittsburgh clobbered New Jersey 7-1. Tonight's game was the third time in five games that The Penguins have scored 7 goals in a game. The Penguins won 4 of their last 5 games and scored a team season high 7 goals in 3 of the games, all without captain Sidney Crosby.

The victory broke a tie between The Penguins and The Devils who were leading the Atlantic divison, both chasing The Canadiens for first in the Eastern Conference. Evgeni Malkin scored both his goals and earned an assist all in the third period of the game giving him 3 points tonight (102 in total this season and 4 behind league leader Alexander Ovechkin in a race for the Art Ross Trophy). The 100 points in a season mark has only been reached 28 times in franchise history by only 12 different Penguins players. Sidney Crosby reached the 100 point mark twice and Mario Lemieux did it nine times.

An expanded version of this article covering The Penguins’ Sidney Crosby-less 7-1 victory over The Devils, Crosby’s return for the Stanley Cup playoffs, Evgeni Malkin’s 100 point season making franchise history, what other 11 Penguins made the 100 point season milestone, Crosby possibly winning the Stanley Cup and IIHF Memorial Cup, Evgeni Malkin’s record against The Devils this season, and more is available right here on the Sidney Crosby Spotlight.

Sidney Crosby To Miss Games For Rest Of Week Including Saturday Against New Jersey

Thursday March 20, 2008

The Penguins are currently in a tie for first place with The Devils in the Atlantic division who they face this Saturday. Both The Penguins and The Devils are chasing The Canadiens for first place in the Eastern Conference.

Current specualtion says Sidney Crosby will not play any games until Monday of next week.

This would put Crosby in the line up for the road game against The New York Islanders Monday but Tuesday night The Penguins will face The Devils once more and Crosby will play them if back by this time.

In the mean time Sidney Crosby will be skating through the weekend with his conditioning coach to gauge his ability to return by Monday.

After beating Tampa Bay, 4-2, The Pittsburgh Penguins have 8 regular season games left and are not rushing Crosby back into the line up.

As a matter of fact The Penguins would rather have Sidney Crosby ready for the playoffs. The Pittsburgh Post Gazetter reported, "Coach Therrien was adamant that the Penguins will not rush Crosby back, and that Crosby, like other injured players, will have the final say on when he's able to return. While the Penguins plan to get Crosby some game action during the closing weeks of the regular season, their priority is to have him as prepared as possible for the postseason."

Evgeni Malkin Gets A Goal And An Assist As The Penguins Beat The Lightning 4-2 Tying The Devils For First In The Atlantic Division

Thursday March 20, 2008

Jarkko Ruttu scored the first goal of the game during the first period. According to Pittsburgh's Jarkko Rutuu (as reported by The Associated Press) the team's disappointing results in the first two periods can be attributed to sloppy play. However, when the third period started The Penguins improved their play just 51 seconds in with Jordan Staal and Petr Sykora scoring 16 seconds apart.

Evgeni Malkin assisted on Sykora's third perioad goal and put in a goal of his own during the second period giving him 99 points (only 3 behind Ovechkin for the league points lead). This gives Evgeni Malkin his 26th multipoint game of the 2007-08 NHL season.

While Sidney Crosby was not in the line up against Tampa Bay, reports stated he was to begin skating and conditioning his sore ankle today. Crosby has missed 4 games in a row and 25 of the last 28 games since his high right ankle injury.

This win against Tampa Bay puts Pittsburgh one point behind Montreal for first in the Eastern Conference and tied with New Jersey for first in the Atlantic division.

The Sidney Crosby Show Blog has an excellent game recap.

13-7-4 Record For Pittsburgh With Sidney Crosby Out Of Lineup
No Points For Evgeni Malkin
And The Rangers Beat The Penguins 5-2

Tuesday March 18, 2008

The Crosby-less Penguins couldn't get that lucky 777. After winning and getting 7 goals per game their last two games The Pens only scored 2 goals losing 5-2 to The New York Rangers.

Loud mouth Sean Avery got two goals for The Rangers while netminder Henrik Lundvist picked up his 100th career NHL win. Lundvist now holds the franchise record for the quickest (187 games) to reach 100 wins. The previous record, 198 games, was held by Mike Richter.

Evgeni Malkin was held pointless this game.

Sidney Crosby watched the game from a suite with his father Troy Crosby. Troy Crosby was still in town after attending a fund raiser on the weekend which honored his son Sidney.

Sidney was presented the American Irish Fund Chairman’s Award, which recognizes exceptional leadership in community and charitable activities, at the St. Patrick's day American Ireland Fund bash on Saturday night. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, "The East Club Lounge at Heinz Field was transformed into 'Crosby's Pub,' as a tip o' the hat to honoree and Penguins great Sidney Patrick Crosby (with dad Troy)."

Unfortunately, Troy Crosby didn't get to see his son, Sidney Crosby, play against the Rangers, nor did he get to see The Penguins win.

Sidney Crosby And Steve Yzerman Are Team Captains That Make Impact!

Monday March 17, 2008

The March 2008 issue of ‘Impact!’, The NHL.com’s online magazine showcased Sidney Crosby on the cover and a great feature article on The NHL’s youngest captain in league history. The article features thoughts and comments on Sidney Crosby from greats like Scotty Bowman and Steve Yzerman, Crosby’s idol and role model growing up. Find out who the top 10 NHL captains in the last 20 years are, and the successful team captain qualities that leaders like Sidney Crosby and Steve Yzerman posses.

Sidney Crosby Did Not Play With New Team Mate Marian Hossa Who Took Part In
The Penguins 7 - 1 Demoliton Of The Flyers During His First Home Game At Mellon Arena

Sunday March 16, 2008

Marian Hossa made his return to the ice tonight as The Penguins faced off against The Flyers. This was Hossa's second game playing as part of the Penguins, his first ending with an injury before the game ended. Earlier during the week fans hoped Crosby and Hossa would be on the ice together for this game.

However, on Wednesday March 12, 2008 Sidney Crosby announced he would not play due to soreness in his right ankle again. The same night Pittsburgh slaughtered The Sabres 7-3 picking up their highest scoring game of the season. Speculation arose that Sidney Crosby would be ready to play in The Pittsburgh Penguins next game to be held against the Philadelphia Flyers.

However, Sidney Crosby announced prior to the game he would be out at least another week. Crosby could be back in the line up when the Penguins host The Devils on Saturday.

Again without Sidney Crosby The Penguins clobbered The Flyers 7-1, matching their record for highest scoring game of the season only set last game.

Wathcing game highlights on the news was shocking as they displayed Mike Richards' skate blade flying up into the neck of Evgeni Malkin. Fortunately, Malkin made out much better than poor Richard Zednik did when his carotid artery was severed.

The game recap over at The Sidney Crosby Show said, "Man, I thought the 7-3 Sabres win was a murder! This was an absolute SLAUGHTER!!! The Flyers didn't seem to know the puck from a hole in the ground." The complete recap is available at The Sidney Crosby Show.

The NHL Will Be Sending Sidney Crosby And The Pittsburgh Penguins To Finland For Exhibition Game Prior To 2008-09 NHL Season

Thursday March 13, 2008

This NHL season opened with The Los Angeles Kings and Anaheim Ducks playing a couple of hockey games in Europe (London). The NHL will send Sensation Sidney Crosby and Russian Powerhouse Evengi Malkin to Helsinki Finland on October 2, 2008, to play an exhibition game against Jokerit (a professional top-level Finnish team) at Hartwall Arena.

Following the exhibition game the 2008-09 NHL regular season will begin in Europe with Sidney Crosby and company facing off against the Ottawa Senators October 4 and 5 in Stockholm Sweeden. A second pair of regular season games will feature The New York Rangers taking on The Tampa Bay Lightning in Prague (Czech Republic) also on October 4 and 5, 2008.

Despite Sidney Crosby Missing The Game With Sore Right Ankle Powerhouse Pittsburgh Pulls Off Highest Scoring Game This Season
Penguins 7 - Sabres 3

Wednesday March 12, 2008

Sidney Crosby was not in the line up against The Sabres in tonights hockey game. Sidney Crosby experienced pain in his right ankle after the team's morning skate and suggested he shouldn't play to Ray Shero and Michael Therrien. Crosby left after 20 minutes of practice and did mention he felt some discomfort while playing on Sunday against the Capitals. As a precaution Crosby sat out of tonight's game to rest the ankle.

Despite the abscense of Sidney Crosby, The Pittsburgh Penguins pulled off their highest scoring game of the season with 7-3 victory over The Buffalo Sabres.

This victory over The Buffalo Sabres gives The Pittsburgh Penguins a total of 87 points this season putting them at the top of the Atlantic Division by one point and tied with The Canadiens for first in The Eastern Conference.

Evgeni Malkin managed to pull off his 39th goal of the season. Penguins rookie Tyler Kennedy registered a goal and two assists. Kris Letang, Petr Sykora and Sergei Gonchar each earned a goal and an assist. Jeff Taffe and rookie Chris Minard had a goal each for the Penguins.

Rookie Chris Minard picked up his first NHL goal after playing 10 regular season games this year. The goal came on an assist from fellow rookie Ryan Stone. This was Ryan Stone's first NHL career point.

Kris Letang, Petr Sykora and Sergei Gonchar each picked up a goal and an assist for Pittsburgh, which improved its season point total to 87, tied with idle Montreal for first in the East and one ahead of idle New Jersey for first in the Atlantic Division.

Without doubt, The Pittsburgh Penguins are a powerful team this season with or without Captain Sidney Crosby playing. However, having Crosby in the line up makes the team even more exciting to watch. The Penguins now have three days off before facing the Philadelphia Flyers this Sunday March 16. This will give Sidney Crosby time to rest his ankle and let it heal. There is a chance Crosby will be back playing again for the game on Sunday.

Sidney Crosby Featured On Cover Of ESPN The Magazine 10th Anniversary Issue

Wednesday March 12, 2008

The tenth anniversary issue of ESPN The Magazine hits news stands today. Sidney Crosby is featured on the cover of the magazine. The magazine staff selected 10 athletes who represented an aspect of the magazine within the last 10 years.

As The Washington Capitals Hosted The Pittsburgh Penguins Fans Watched Sidney Crosby's Improved Game While Evgeni Malkin and Alexander Ovechkin Battled For The League Scoring Lead

Sunday March 9, 2008

In a Sunday afternoon hockey game Sidney Crosby played a much improved game after being back from injury for only three games. Meanwhile, points were picked up by Alexander Ovechkin (95 points - 2 today) who battled Evgeni Malkin (92 points - 3 today) for the NHL scoring lead. Prior to today's game Malkin was 4 points behind Ovechkin but after gaining ground he is now only 3 points behind. Jordan Staal got the final and fourth goal of the game on an empty net with thirteen seconds left in the third period. Just before that Sidney Crosby got the game winner with only 28.3 seconds left. On the final of their three road games, The Pittsburgh Penguins beat The Washington Capitals 4-2.

Washington's Niklas Backstrom helped out on Crosby's game winning goal. When Hal Gil's shot was deflected, Crosby picked it up and directed a shot on goal where Backstrom stood in the crease. The Capitals' rookie helped knock the puck into his own net past goalie Cristobal Huet.

As always the media hyped the Alexander Ovechkin vs Sidney Crosby story, both started out as rookies during the 2005-06 season, and are two of the best young stars in the league. However, Evgeni Malkin is demonstrating he is another youngster to be rekened with. Ovechkin currently with 54 goals this season may very well hit 60 goals by the end of the season. No player has scored 60 goals or more since the 1995-96 NHL season when Mario Lemieux (69 goals) and Jaromir Jagr (62 goals) hit the mark.

The Penguins will play their next game at home on Wednesday March 12, 2008 against The Sabres. This will be Sidney Crosby's first home game at Mellon Arena since coming back from his ankle injury.

In Sidney Crosby's Second Game Back From Injury He Managed An Assist But The Panthers Beat The Penguins 5-2
And
Florida Panthers Trainer Dave Zenobi Who Took Quick Action When A Skate Cut Richard Zdnick's Neck Was Honored Before The Game

Tuesday March 6, 2008

Sidney Crosby showed the world he is back as Penguins fans rejoiced two days ago when The Penguins beat The Lightning. That was the first of a 3 game road trip. The second took place tonight in Florida and it wasn't pretty.

Early in the first period The Panthers leaped to a 2-0 lead. The Penguins struggled for the rest of the game against the Eastern Conference's thirteenth place team. In the end Sidney Crosby pulled off an assist on Kristopher Letang's goal during the second period but it was the last for Pittsburgh. The Panthers won 5-2.

Prior to the game a special ceremony took place in honor of Panthers' trainer Dave Zenobi who litterally saved Richard Zednick's life. In a game against Buffalo on February 10, 2008, Panthers' winger Richard Zdnick had the carotid artery in his neck seriously slashed by Olli Jokinen's skate. Thanks to quick action by trainer Dave Zenobi, Zdnick's life was saved. Before the hockey game tonight The Panthers honored Zenobi in a ceremony where he was presented the ADT Good Sport Award.

After the award ceremony was over it was "game on" as Sidney Crosby makes his second appearance. Althought The Penguins lost the game, Penguins' fans are still overjoyed at the return of number 87, Sidney Crosby.

Sidney Crosby Returns For First Time Since Ankle Injury Creating Many Scoring Chances and Displaying His Astounding Skill
To Take Down The Lightning 2-0

Tuesday March 4, 2008

Sidney Crosby played for the first time in 21 games since injuring his ankle. Ironically his first game back was against The Tampa Bay Lightning, the same team he faced the day he injured himself. Crosby played a spectacular game. Earlier today Crosby told reporters that he wanted to be sure when he returned he would be able to play like he usually does. Creating many scoring chances and awesome plays Crosby was unable to score or set up goals until late in the game. Credit must be given to the excellent play of Tampa Bay and their goalie Mike Smith who made many hard saves.

The first two periods of the game were scoreless and Jordan Staal left during the first period with bruised ribs. In the last few minutes of the third period Sidney Crosby faked out Tampa Bays' Martin St. Louis, back handing the puck, which appeared to bounce off of Tampa Bay players, in front of the net to Maxime Talbot who put in the first goal of the game. Pasqual Dupuis along with Crosby was credited with an assist on the play.

During the dying seconds of the game (5 secs), Mad Max Talbot lost or broke his stick and made a hand pass to Evgeni Malkin. Malkin put the puck into the empty net scoring the second goal of the game. Malkin (89 points) is now one point behind Ovechkin in the league scoring race.

Marc Andre Fleury had a stellar game turning away 35 shots and getting the shut out. He was named the fist star of the game. Fleury has now won the last 5 games in a row he has played in. This was Fleury's second start, and third time playing in a game, since returning from the same high ankle sprain type injury Crosby suffered.

Mad Max Talbot was named the third star of the game.

The Penguins battled hard to beat Tampa Bay 2-0 keeping The Pittsburgh Penguins in the Eastern Conference lead.

Finally, Sidney Crosby is Back!

Sidney Crosby Returns From Ankle Injury
Recovered And Playing Hockey Again
Crosby In The Line Up Against
The Tampa Bay Lightning

Tuesday March 4, 2008

It was announced today that Sidney Crosby has returned and is recovered from the high ankle sprain that kept him out of action for 21 games. With a healed ankle and confident he can play the spectacular hockey he usually does, Sidney Crosby will be in the line up against Tampa Bay tonight.

Ironically, Sidney Crosby injured his ankle while sliding into the boards on January 18, 2008 while playing the Tampa Bay Lightning. At that time Crosby was leading the NHL in points at 63. Crosby missed 21 games. Thanks to the spectacular play of The Penguins, especially Evgeni Malkin, the team has managed to climb to the top of of the Eastern Conference (currently tied for first with The Canadiens). The Penguins record while playing without injured Sidney Crosby was 11-6-4. With the return of Sidney Crosby, watching The Penguins record approaching the playoffs will be interesting.

Injured defender Ryan Whitney (back problems) is also expected to play tonight. It will be an exciting moment watching Marian Hossa playing with Sidney Crosby on the ice for the fist time ever in the near future. Hossa is expected to return soon from a knee injury he suffered on February 28th, 2008 playing against The Boston Bruins. The knee injury sidelined Hossa for about a week. Should the chemistry be there between Hossa, Crosby, and the rest of team, then The Penguins will become a serious threat challenging for The Stanley Cup.

The return of Sidney Crosby will no longer have to be a guessing game for fans.

There was speculation that Crosby would return Saturday to faceoff against The Washington Capitals and Alexander Ovechkin. Ovechkin had an impressive 5 points last night in a game against The Boston Bruins, where Washington clobbered them 10-2. This was enough for Ovechkin (90 points) to jump past February's NHL first star of the month, Evgeni Malkin (88 points), for first overall in league scoring.

With The Washington Capitals idled tonight, Malkin could tie or surpass Ovechkin for first in league scoring if he picks up two points or more when The Pens face The Lightning. It would be nice to see Malkin earn the points on a third career hat trick with Sidney Crosby assisting on two of the goals. Sidney Crosby did just that on Evgeni Malkin’s first two NHL career hat tricks. Evgeni Malkin's first career hat trick was on January 3, 2008 against The Maple Leafs, and the second was January 14, 2008 against The New York Rangers.

Whether or not Sidney Crosby would have returned on Saturday facing rival Alexander Ovechkin, or to play against Tampa Bay, the team he played when he originally injured his ankle, makes no difference because both would have made exciting stories to add to Crosby's career history. In this case, we will be telling the Crosby returns to action against Tampa Bay story. Overall, this is one exciting day for the NHL and fans around the world who have been waiting long enough for Sidney Crosby's return to the lineup.

Evgeni Malkin Has Exploded And Has Been Named The First Star Of The Month For February
And
After Skating Again
Sidney Crosby Returns
To Join The Penguins On The Road

Monday March 3, 2008

In the absence of injured Sidney Crosby (he missed the last 21 games), young Russian superstar Evgeni Malkin has thrived for the Penguins and was named the NHL first star for the month of February, followed by Marty Turco second, and Tomas Vanek third. As of last nights game Malkin leads the league with 88 points (37 goals and 51 assists), 3 ahead of Alexander Ovechkin, and 3 past his season total last year when he was named Calder Rookie of The Year. This year Malkin unquestionably is a top contender for the Art Ross trophy (awarded to the player for leading the league in points) and the Heart Memorial Trophy (awarded to the player judged as most valuable to his team based on a poll of the Professional Hockey Writers' Association).

The Pittsburgh Penguins official web site reported, "Malkin led all NHL scorers in February with 26 points (nine goals, 17 assists) in 14 games as the Penguins posted an 8-3-3 record. Malkin recorded points in 11 of 14 games, including nine multiple-point performances. He recorded goals in eight contests and notched a 10-game point streak from Feb. 2-21, tallying 24 points (8-16--24) in that span."

There is also a great write up featuring Evgeni Malkin on The Hockey News.

Sidney Crosby To Join Penguins
For Road Trip

The Penguins official website also reported that Sidney Crosby will be heading out with The Penguins on a three game road trip. Specifics about his return to the line up were not disclosed but he participated in a complete optional morning skate at Mellon Arena this morning. The report discusses how Sidney Crosby feels to be back on the ice and traveling with The Penguins after having to stay home and watch the games on T.V., and the loss of his close friend and former roommate Colby Armstrong (Pittsburgh's 2001 first round draft pick). Its quite obvious they will miss eachother a lot. The Atlanta Journal Constitution quoted Colby Armstrong, AKA Army, as saying, "I was shocked and saddened to leave my friends." Sidney Crosby is heading out on the road for the first time without Armstrong.

Fans Welcome Former Penguins Who Are Now Thrashers With Cheers At Melon Arena As Pittsburgh Beats Atlanta In The Shoot Out 3-2

Sunday March 2, 2008

Today Sidney Crosby's close friends and former team mates faced The Penguins for the first time since they were traded to The Atlanta Tharashers almost a week ago in the blockbuster Marian Hossa trade deadline deal. Colby Armstrong, friend and former room mate of Sidney Crosby, along with Erik Christensen donned Thrasher uniforms at their former home Mellon Arena.

Despite playing for the enemy, fans at Mellon Arena showed their appreaciation for what the pair had done while with the Penguins with loud cheers during pregame introductions. Mark Recchi, playing for Atlanta today, was let go by the Penguins in December when he was picked up by The Thrashers. All three former Penguins found themselves on the same line together for Atlanta during the game.

The Penguins quickly took the lead with a score of 2-0 only two minutes and nine seconds into the game. Ryan Malone got the first goal assisted by Sergei Gonchar and Evgeni Malkin. Malkin's league leading points now stand at 88. The second goal came from Maxime Talbot assisted by Jarkko Ruutu and rookie Alex Goligoski. This was Goligoski's third NHL game and second NHL career point, with the first coming in yesterday's game against the Senators.

The Penguins failed to score again for the rest of regulation while The Thrashers picked up one by Jim Slater toward the end of the first period, and their second goal by Slava Kozlov just over a minute into the second period. Neither the Penguins nor the Thrashers scored during overtime.

During the shootout Pittsburgh Penguins goalie Marc Andre Fleury, recently back from the same type of injury as Sidney Crosby, was able to stop all shots he faced from former teammate Erik Christensen, Eric Perrin and Ilya Kovalchuk. Rookie Kris Letang, beating goalie Kari Lehtonen, was the only Penguin to score during the shootout to win the hockey game. Letang has scored 5 of 8 career shootout attempts. This was Letang's third time winning a game for The Pens by scoring in shootouts.

Its nice to see Marc Andre Fleury, who stoped 31 shots, fully recovered from his high ankle sprain. Hopefully, Sidney Crosby and Gary Roberts will be back soon. Marian Hossa is expected back sometime this week after injuring his knee on Thursday night against The Boston Bruins. This was Fleury's first start since his injury giving him 5 games won in a row when starting (Fleury did take over in yesterdays game making it his first time playing since the injury but that wasn't a start).

The Penguins are still uncertain when Sidney Crosby will rejoin the team who have been 11-6-4 since he was out with the high right ankle sprain.

The final score was Pittsburgh 3 - Atlanta 2.

This vicotry puts The Penguins one point ahead of The New Jersey Devils to lead the Atlantic division and tied with The Montreal Canadiens for first in the Eastern conference. They are lucky to have won this game after blowing a 2 goal lead early in the game.

Evgeni Malkin Scores A Goal And Picks Up Two Assists But The Pittsburgh Penguins Fall 5 - 4 To The Ottawa Senators

Saturday March 1, 2008

Luck has not been on The Pittsburgh Penguins side the last few days. Their newest member All Star Marian Hossa was injured when The Pens played last and didn't even finish his first game as a Penguin and is expected to be out a week. Yesterday while practicing in Ottawa Ryan Whitney suffered a pulled groin and was unable to play today against the Senators. Finally, The Pittsburgh Penguins suffered their second loss in a row, this time to the Ottawa Senators. The final score was 5-4.

Evgeni Malkin put on a stellar performace notching one goal and two assists but it wasn't enough to win the game. Malkin was named the second star of the game. Ryan Malone scored two goals and Petr Sykora notched one.

Defensman Alex Goligoski, who was called up from the AHL, played his first NHL game for the Penguins on February 13, 2008 against the Boston Bruins but did not earn a point. Tonight was his second NHL appearance and he managed to pull off his first point with an assist on Ryan Malone's second period goal.

Alex Goligoski was called up along with forward Connor James from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to replace for the injured Marian Hossa and Ryan Whitney.

This was the final regular season game between Ottawa and Pittsburgh.

The Penguins Injury Curse Targets Ryan Whitney Only One Day After Striking Hossa

Saturday March 1, 2008

Today The Pittsburgh Penguins face the Ottawa Senators. In order to prepare for the game in Ottawa The Penguins practiced at The Scotiabank Place yesterday, just one day after losing newly acquired Marian Hossa to a knee injury.

At practice The Penguins were struck once more by the injury curse that has befallen them. This time Ryan Whitney suffered a slight groin pull after a one hour practice session deeming him day-to-day. Whitney is is expected to miss the game against The Senators. The other injured Penguins include Sidney Crosby, Marian Hossa, Kris Beech, Adam Hall, Gary Roberts, and Mark Eaton. The Penguins injury curse has been busy this season.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has reported that Ty Conklin will get the start in tonights game after his worst performance last Thursday since joining The Penguins. Conklin's stellar play since joining the team has earned him the trust and respect of his team and tonight will be the perfect opportunity to redeem himself. With the playoffs so close The Pens goalies must be ready to perform at superior levels.

This will be the first time The Penguins face the Senators, followed by The Tharashers tomorrow, since Marian Hossa joined them. Hossa played for both of those teams in the past but his injury will prevent him from facing off against them for the first time as a Penguin.

The Penguins Injury Curse
Strikes Marian Hossa Early Preventing Him From Finishing His First Game As A Penguin
Final Score
Boston Bruins 5
Pittsburgh Penguins 1

Thursday February 28, 2008

Five time All Star Marian Hossa, aquired by The Pittsburgh Penguins at the NHL trade deadline, has joined the ranks of Sideny Crosby, Gary Roberts, and Adam Hall as being struck by the Penguins injury curse.

The injury curse struk during the second period of tonights game against the Boston Bruins when Marian Hossa and Glen Murray hit knees as they collided. Hossa suffered sprained medial collateral ligament in his right knee, he is expected to be out a week or two.

Sidney Crosby, originally expected to be out 6-8 weeks with his ankle injury, has reached the 6 week mark and indicated he is not ready to return. If Crosby manages to return by the end of the original estimated recovery period, within the next two weeks, we could possibly see him and Hossa return to play on the same night.

In tonights game the Boston Bruins dominated destroying the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-1. Pasquel Dupuis, aquired along with Hossa at the trade deadline, was the only Penguins to score a goal happening with 6:57 left in the game.

(Side note: Chris from Taking One For The Team put together a post featureing deadline traded players who have scored in their new team debuts mentioning Dupuis, Armstrong, and with hopes of Hossa to be listed when he gets his first full game in as a Penguin)

NHL point leader this season, Evgeni Malkin (84 points), failed to register a point. This was the fourth game since Sidney Crosby has been out that this has happend.

A win would have placed The Penguins in the top seed of the Eastern Conference. The sell out crowd went wild during a third period fight between Bruins left wing Milan Lucic and Penguins left wing Jarkko Ruutu that lasted a lengthy 1:47.

Why did The Penguins fall to The Bruins? Perhaps the players were not used to playing with new comers Hal Gil, Marian Hossa, and Pascal Dupuis and some chemistry still needs to develope. Maybe it was Coach Michel Therrien's frequent line change combinations that threw the Pens off. Marc Andre Fleury took over in goal for the first time since December, perhaps he was not up to speed yet. Whatever the reason may be, this didn't look like a super charged hockey team that the Penguins organization took a gamble with at the trade deadline in order to bring home the Stanley Cup.

The talent on the Penguins team is now extremely deep, when including injured players, and their combined offensive firepower surely is the envey of The NHL. Assuming the injured players, especially Sidney Crosby, Gary Roberts, and Marian Hossa return before the playoffs to join the energized Malkin and company, then there is hope for a shot at The Stanley Cup.

Little or no playoff experience for the younger players, questionable defense, and the ability of their goaltenders to play at peak performace could be their weak points. The Penguins only have a few more weeks to get used to eachothers play and gel together. However, it is obvious the owners of the team are going for The Cup. If breaking away from the norm of playing defensively to play an offensive game is their strategy. This may actually work.

Here is a video showing the play where Hossa injured his knee as he collided with Glen Murray of the Bruins, it occurs about 13 seconds into the video just left of the centre of the "screen".

Depleted By The Hossa Deadline Trade and Injured Sidney Crosby Among Others The Penguins Managed To Sink The Islanders Despite Being Outshot 52-20

Tuesday February 26, 2008

"I haven't seen a goalie steal a game like that this year."
Penguins defenseman Ryan Whitney.

In a game against the New York Islanders, Pittsburgh's Ty Conklin made a career high 50 stops, helping the Penguins sink their opponent to win the game despite lacking some of their best players.

Sidney Crosby, Gary Roberts, and Marc Andre Fleury are still not playing due to injury. Superstar Marian Hossa, Hal Gil, and Pasqual Dupuis have not joined the Pens since traded to the team earlier during the day's trade deadline. Former Penguins, Colby Armstrong and Erik Christensen, were sent away to Atlanta. Finally, two call ups from the Wilkes-Barre AHL, James and Nathan Smith , didn't even show until the second period of the game. Despite it all The Penguins beat The Islanders 4-2.

Evgeni Malkin scored one of the first period goals plus picked up an assist this game. Malkin is doing a spectacular offensive job for the Penguins in Sidney Crosby's absence. However, when Sidney Crosby returns being joined by Marian Hossa, The Penguins will surely be one of the most lethal offensive teams in the league.

Gary Roberts and Sidney Crosby Skating

Tuesday February 26, 2008

Gary Roberts who broke his leg during a game on December 29, 2007 was skating along with Sidney Crosby. This is an encouraging sign for the Pens. Roberts who began skating earlier this month is expected to return in late March. Roberts is also dealing with a high ankle sprain he suffered when he began skating earlier in the month. Reports have team officials saying Roberts skate was considered "good" at best. It appears Gary Roberts may not be a write off this season after all.

The Penguins Pick Up The Trade Deadline's Most Sought After Player Marian Hossa But Was The Price Too Steep?

Tuesday February 26, 2008

Its official The Pittsburgh Penguins, in a surprise last minute deal, picked up center superstar Marian Hossa from the Atlanta Thrashers along with speedy right winger Pasqual Dupuis. Mats Sudnin, who would have been the most sought after player, refused to waive his no trade clause with the Toronto Maple Leafs leaving the stage set for Hossa to become the NHL's most wanted.

Not only did The Penguins pick up Hossa and Dupuis, but they also acquired the enormus defender Hal Gil in a trade deal with The Leafs. Gil tends to lack speed and puck handling skill but his ability to kill penalties, position himself well, size and reach are an asset. Assuming he plays better in Pittsburgh than in Toronto he may come in handy on defense for the Penguins. This still remains to be seen.

Apparently, Pittsburgh Penguins general manager, Ray Shero, told reporters, "We've always had a hard time finding that fit for Sid, and I believe Marian is a guy who can think at that level, skate at that level and, obviously, he can score goals and kill penalties and raise everybody else's game."

So what did the Penguins have to give up at the trade dealine to get the right player to fit Sidney Crosby?

For Hal The Goliath Gil, The Penguins gave The Leafs a second and fifth round draft pick. For Marian Hossa and Pasqual Dupuis the Penguins paid a steep price and took a risk sending talented forwards Colby Armstrong (Sidney Crosby's close friend and roommate) and Erik Christensen to The Thrashers. These were a couple of the players The Penguins had been building their team around and fans adored. There is more, The Penguins also gave up 2007 top prospect Angelo Esposito and this year's first round draft pick.

The Penguins surely have the rest of the defenders in league worried about a team that boasts stars like league point leader Evgeni Malkin, superstar Sidney Crosby, and sniper Marian Hossa.

Obviously, The Penguins expect Sidney Crosby to return and bulldoze along with the all new bulked up team to take over The Stanley Cup. Only that would make this trade deal worth while. With so little time left before the playoffs this is a huge risk that hopefully pays off.

Sidney Crosby Undoubtly The Best Player In The Leauge According To A Sports Illustrated Poll of NHL Players Themselves

Monday February 25, 2008

Evgeni Malkin is lighting up The Penguins and is at the top of the scoring race, at the same time media polls suggesting Alexander Ovechkin is the top player in the league but Sidney Crosby gets the vote for the top player to build a team around.

A Sports Illustrated poll, featured in the February 25, 2008 issue, asked 365 NHL players, who couldn't pick a teammate, "If you were starting a team, who'd be the first active player you'd pick to play on it?"

Sidney Crosby won with an overwhelming 39% with the second place choices being Alexander Ovechkin and Roberto Luongo both with 14%.

Sharks Take A Bite Out Of Penguins Holding Malkin Pointless And Winning The Game During The Shoot Out

Sunday February 24, 2008

Evgeni Malkin was held pointless for the second game in a row remaining at a league high of 82 points (Ovechkin has tied that today). Going into the shoot out the game was tied 1-1. Here is a summary of the shoot out as reported on The Pittsburgh Penguins Official Web Site,

"Roenick scored the game-winner as all three San Jose skaters were successful in the shootout and Jonathan Cheechoo had the Sharks' only goal in regulation, leading them to a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

Penguins goalie Ty Conklin made 36 saves in regulation and overtime, but couldn't stop Roenick, Cheechoo or Joe Pavelski on wrist shots during the shootout. Sharks goalie Evgeni Nabokov allowed Eric Christensen and Jarkko Ruutu to score in the shootout, but stopped Kris Letang."

The Penguins sure could of used Sidney Crosby's help during the last few games against formidable contenders for the Cup.

The Penguins Dominate First Half of Game With A 3-0 Lead Only To Blow It Giving
The Senators The Win In Overtime
Ottawa Senators 4
Pittsburgh Penguins 3

Saturday February 23, 2008

By midway of the second period The Pittsburgh Penguins had played a dominating game with fabulous forechecking and hustling to loose pucks. Other than the ouststanding play of Senators' goalie Ray Emery, The Sens looked like a bunch of lifeless bums. Perhaps The Sens were suffering from low self esteem after losing their last five games in a row. Take that into consideration and the comfortable lead The Penguins took on home ice at Mellon Arena The Penguins played with a little less effort and care. Their aggressive forecheck dwindled and scoring opportunities were missed when fancy passes were attempted instead of shooting the puck on net. Then The Senators made a bitter comeback to win the game 4-3 in overtime.

Evgeni Malkins ten game winning steak came to an end. During the second period Malkin, frustrated after missing 3 scoring chances, broke his stick. In the end Danielle Alfredson scored the winning goal with just 3.2 seconds left in overtime.

Evgeni Malkin Continues To Lead The Penguins To Victory Even In The Absense of Sidney Crosby
Tonight's Score Pens 5 Habs 4

Thursday February 21, 2008

Evgeni Malkin notched his 35th goal of the season and picked up two assists in a 5 to 4 victory over The Canadiens. This extends Evgeni Malkin's game-point streak to ten games. Sergi Gonchar earned his 600th career point during this game. The Montreal Canadiens were Sidney Crosby's favorite team when he was growing up. Crosby did not travel with The Penguins to Montreal for this game.

So who do you think is a better player
Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin?
See what they are saying about this over at
The Sidney Crosby Show.

The Sidney Crosby Show also has a great game recap of The Penguins vs The Canadiens.

Sidney Crosby Given Practice Off Today To Rest Injured Ankle

Wednesday February 20, 2008

Sidney Crosby has been taking part in team practices, despite an injured ankle, for almost two weeks now. Today coaching and training staff gave him the day off to rest the ankle. Sidney Crosby has taken part in full contact practices with The Penguins causing speculation that he will return playing games sooner than expected. However, The Penguins have insisted his rehabilitation will take as long as expected, 6-8 weeks.

Ryan Malone Rallies The Penguins Out Of A Two Point Deficit And Evgeni Malkin Takes The League Scoring Lead Surpassing Alexander Ovechkin In A 3-2 Victory Over The Florida Panthers

Tuesday February 19, 2008

Sidney Crosby must be smiling tonight after watching his team beat The Florida Panthers, tying The New Jersey Devils for first place in the Atlantic Divsion. Not only that Crosby can rest easy knowing Malkin, who is replacing him at center, is playing like a young hockey phenom just like Crosby would have done if he was healthy and playing.

This was an exciting victory of the Pens as Ryan Malone's two goals pulled the team out of a two goal deficit, with the game winner coming with just 23 seconds left. The Penguins tie for first place in the Atlantic Division and Evgeni Malkin (79 points), with two assists, surpassed Alexander Ovechkin (78 points) as the NHL scoring leader. Although Evgeni Malkin's five game goal streak came to an end tonight, he now holds a a nine game point streak.

The Penguins have an imporved 8-4-2 record since Crosby has been out with an ankle injury.

Who Needs Sidney Crosby When The Penguins Continue To Win Without Him Including A 4-1 Victory Over The Buffalo Sabres Today

Sunday February 17, 2008

Despite a slow start and being outshot 23-8 half way through the second period, The Pittsburgh Penguins managed to find themselves ahead 2-0 by this point of the game against The Buffalo Sabres. Much of the credit should go to goalie Ty Conklin's phenominal play. Evgeni Malkin earned another multi-point game with a goal and an assist. In the end the Pens beat The Sabres 4-1.

So with The Penguins playing so well, who needs Sidney Crosby? Thats the question the Canadian Press posed to Petr Sykora who replied, "Oh, come on, how can you even say that? I'm not even going to answer that because Sidney's the best hockey player in the world. And he's going to be the key guy for us in the playoffs." Yes indeed the playoffs will be a time The Penguins will become one of the biggest threats to other teams battling it out for The Stanley Cup.

Sidney Crosby Takes Part In Full Contact Practice And May Be Back Playing Sooner Than Later

Saturday February 16, 2008

Last week, Friday February 8, Sidney Crosby began practicing with his team but contact was totally off limits as indicated by the bright yellow jersey he wore. This morning, for the first time since his high ankle injury, Sidney Crosby participated in a full contact practice wearing the regular black jersey. According to a post on the Rotowire website, KDKA-TV2 in Pittsburgh stated that, "The team insists that Crosby won't return for at least another two weeks, but even that would put his total absence at just six weeks. It wouldn't be surprising to see him return sooner than that."

Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported that Crosby skated hard by himself on Friday and this morning took part in all the same drills as the rest of the team.

Finally, Jodie over at The Sidney Crosby Show received some great photos of Crosby practicing. The pictures were sent in by one of her blog readers.

The Penguins Lose 4-2 To The Hurricanes Bringing Their Record To 6-4-2 Since Sidney Crosby Has Been Out
And
Evgeni Malkin Moves To The Top Of The Points Race Only Behind Alexander Ovechkin

Thursday February 14, 2008

This Valentines' day it is fair to say that Evgeni Malkin has become the heart of The Pittsburgh Penguins ever since their true sweetheart, Sidney Crosby, has been away. Evgeni Malkin managed to pull of his 33rd goal of the season unassisted during the second period making it 2-1 giving The Pens their only lead in the game. This was Malkin's fifth goal in his last four games, with a total of 10 goals and 13 assists in the last twelve games or since Sidney Crosby has been out with an ankle sprain. Evgeni Malkin now has a total of 76 points this season launching him to the top of the scoring race, trailing only behind Alexander Ovechkin (79 points) by three points.

The Penguins put in a solid effort and played a great game. Brooks Orpik scored his first goal in 181 games. According to The Pittsburgh Tribune Review, "when Penguins defenseman Brooks Orpik had last scored a goal, Sidney Crosby had nine career points, Jordan Staal was playing junior hockey, Evgeni Malkin was still in Magnitogorsk, and Mario Lemieux was a minus-1."

Cam Ward stopped 20 of the 22 shots he faced for Carolina, while Dany Sabourin's outstanding goaltending only allowed one even strength goal out of the 46 shots he faced.

In the end Carolina beat Pittsburgh 4-2. The Penguins have played the last twelve games with Captain Sidney Crosby out of the lineup with an ankle sprain and their record since then stands at 6 wins, 4 losses, and 2 overtime losses. According to The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, "The Penguins (32-21-5) have lost consecutive games in regulation for the first time since Dec. 11-13, although they remain first in the Atlantic Division and second in the Eastern Conference."

On a positive note The Sidney Crosby Show game recap reports that Sidney Crosby is progressing by continuing to rehabilitate his injury and was seen taking part in the optional morning practice before the night's hockey game. You can see video of Sidney Crosby practicing (start of video) followed by game highlights at TSN.ca.

The Penguins Fall To The Boston Bruins
Their Record Now Stands At 6-3-2 Since Sidney Crosby Has Be Out
But Malkin Manages A Goal
To Extend His Point Streak To Six Games

Wednesday February 13, 2008

After winning and playing their last three games at home, The Penguins lost the forth one in a row to The Boston Bruins 2-1. Boston managed two goals during the first period, while The Penguins played extremely poor. During the rest of the game Boston played a superior defensive game almost shutting out the Pens. After many chances Evgeni Malkin managed a goal on the power play during the third period extending his point streak to 6 games. Malkin has notched an impressive 16 points over this six game point streak.

Since the 11 games Sidney Crosby has been out The Penguins are 6-3-2 and Malkin has 22 points with 9 goals and 13 assists.

Alex Goligoski was called up from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton to make his NHL debut. The Penguins newest rookie played well but failed to notch a point.

Even Without Sidney Crosby The Penguins Manage To Beat The Talented Flyers For The First Time This Season With A Little Help From Evgeni Malkin's Four Point Game
Finally The Battle Of Pennsylvania is Worth Watching

Sunday February 10, 2008

Tonight The Pittsburgh Penguins were victorious against The Philadelphia Flyers 4-3. Evgeni Malkin earned four points with a goal and three assists, making this his fifth consectutive multi-point game. With Sidney Crosby nursing his ankle injury, Evgeni Malkin seems to be the hottest player in the NHL right now. In fact, here is what R.J. Umberger from the rival Philadelphia Flyers had to say as reported by The National Post, "he's the hottest guy in the NHL right now. You've got to stay on top of him and shut him down, and we didn't do that today." Umberger has 7 of his 11 goals this season against The Penguins. USA Today also reported Umberger as saying, "They are playing really good with Crosby out of the lineup, it's a little surprising."

There has always been a rivalry between Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, better known as "The Battle of Pennsylvania". Last season, 2006-07, The Penguins smoked The Flyers beating them in all eight games they played. Prior to this the Flyers have largely dominated The Penguins since they both enterend the NHL. These teams have faced eachother three times during the playoffs with Philadelphia winning each time. This season "The Battle of Pennsylvania" has become intense and obviously the best in the NHL. In fact, The Flyers have faced the Penguins five times and this is only the first time Pittsburgh has won. Finally, both teams have put together phenominal teams, of equal talent, at the same time to make this a rivalry worth watching.

With Malkin's peaking performances and Sidney Crosby scheduled to return by the end of the regular season, The Flyers may have something to worry about this time if they face them during the playoffs.

Sidney Crosby Skates At Team Practice For The First Time Since His High Ankle Injury

Friday February 8, 2008

While The Penguins are carrying themselves rather well by pulling off wins in the absence of Captain Sidney Crosby, his return sooner than later would be greatly welcomed by everyone, except his opponents of course. While it has been estimated that Sidney Crosby will be out of the line up for six to eight weeks, he has officially began skating and participating in team practices as of today.

During the practice Sidney Crosby wore a yellow jersey to indicate contact with him was off limits. While Crosby skated, took shots, worked on quick starts and sharp turns, he appears to be more focused on keeping well conditioned so he can return to play immediately after being cleared by doctors. CBC Sports reported that, "Crosby said he is hoping that by working on his conditioning while his ankle heals, he can play immediately after he is cleared by doctors."

While fans are sure to be excited and hope Sid will return to play soon there hasn’t been any official news on the topic. It appears that Sidney Crosby is healing rather well but considering a high ankle injury usually takes quite some time to heal fans should be happy he is progressing. Besides the Pittsburgh Penguins are a talented bunch of players who are keeping their club respectable in the absence of their Captain. As they say in the auto industry, “hope for the best but prepare for the worst.” Best case scenario Sidney Crosby returns to play hockey very soon, or worst case he will be back in six to eight weeks.

CBC Sports also quoted Sidney Crosby as saying, "I'm probably going to reevaluate it in about a week or two weeks and see where I am. It's going to take a while. I'm not ready to play ... Wishful thinking would be a couple of more weeks, but I really don't know."

Sidney Crosby Game Worn Captain Jersey With Tenth Anniversary Hockey Fights Cancer Patch Brings In $15,207 At Charity Auction

Wednesday February 06, 2008

The annual Hockey Fights Cancer charity auction for 2008 featured 30 game worn NHL team captain jerseys with the number 87 Sidney Crosby jersey bringing in a hefty $15,207.

Learn the details of these jerseys, including comparisons to the sale of Sidney Crosby's game worn Winter Classic Jersey and First All-Star Game appearance Jersey by clicking here.

Sidney Crosby Skates Again For The First Time Since His High Ankle Injury

Wednesday February 06, 2008

According to Shelly Anderson of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Sidney Crosby has been seen skating at Melon Arena, while the rest of The Penguins were on the road, earlier this week. Today Crosby was skating before team practice but did not partake in training. Speculation has begun that he may return earlier. However, Anderson known for her close relationship with the Penguins, would be a more reliable source. She has stated “There is no indication that the timetable for his return has changed. Crosby, out with a high ankle sprain, is expected back in March”. In a follow up report Anderson stated, " team officials said yesterday that is a normal part of (Sidney Crosby's) rehabilitation from a high ankle sprain and not an indication his recovery is ahead of schedule."

An estimated total time of 6-8 weeks for Sidney Crosby's ankle sprain to heal means he would return early to mid March. That would leave 3 to 5 weeks of the 2007-08 NHL schedule for Sidney Crosby to play hockey in. The Penguins final regular season game, before the playoffs, will be against The Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday April 6, 2008.

Gary Roberts who has been out of action for the Penguins since December 29, 2007, with a broken leg, was also skating with Crosby prior to their teams' practice.

Evgeni Malkin Ties Sidney Crosby For The Penguins Team High Of 63 Points

Monday February 04, 2008

In a game against The New Jersey Devils, Evgeni Malkin notched two assists to tie Sidney Crosby for the team lead in points this season. With Crosby out on injured reserve, Malkin will soon surpass him.

The Penguins led the game 3-1 early in the third period when Jordan Staal scored on the power-play but the Devils managed to rally back tying the game 3-3 by the end of the period. The Penguins lost in overtime when The Devils' Zach Parise scored just 37 seconds in for a 4-3 loss to New Jersey.

Ironically, Penguins forward Petr Sykor played his first six seasons with The Devils. Sykora's first NHL goal came in a game against Pittsburgh. During tonights game, Sykora notched his 600th career point, this time as a Penguin playing against his former New Jersey team. Sykora's first 300 NHL points came when he played for The Devils. Petr Sykora's 600th career point came with his 17th goal of the 2007-08 NHL season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins team record has suffered since Sidney Crosby injured his ankle and now stands at 3-2-2.

Evgeni Malkin Carries Penguins Well In Sidney Crosby's Abscense With A Goal and Two Assists In A 4-1 Victory Over The Carolina Hurricanes

Saturday February 2, 2008

Sergi Samsonov scored the first goal of the game during the first period for the Carolina Hurricanes and this was good enough for them to lead the first two periods. During the third period The Penguins turned up the heat and scored four goals. One of the goals came from Evgeni Malkin who also set up two of the other goals during the third period. Obviously, The Penguins are carrying themselves well without captain Sidney Crosby with Evgeni Malkin deserving the bulk of the credit. However, the rest of the Penguins are no sluches and deserve much credit as well.

The NHL.com game recap reported, "nobody in their locker room is saying the Penguins don't miss Crosby, just as no one would have said they didn't miss Mario Lemieux during his many injury absences. Still, not many teams have a center as good as Malkin to lead their top line when their biggest star is out."

Sidney Crosby was watching the game. According to The Sidney Crosby Show, "Early in the second, FSN Pittsburgh showed our man Sidney sitting with the man Mario way above the crowd in Mario's luxury box. One man was drinking water, the other wine. (I'll let you match the beverage to the consumer.)"

Evgeni Malkin Makes His All Star Game Debut With 2 Points Playing As A Replacement For Sidney Crosby

Sunday January 27, 2008

Sidney Crosby, the league vote getter to start in the All-Star Game, missed the game due to his ankle injury and was replaced by team mate Evgeni Malkin. While Malkin deservedly earned the right to replace Crosby, some would argue Malkin should of played regardless. After all, Malkin is extremely talented with quick speed, excellent puckhandling, and a great shot. He has also been playing some of his best hockey trying to pick up the slack with Sidney Crosby gone.

Why a player of Malkin's caliber was overlooked for the All-Star Game in the first place is quite perplexing. Then on January 12, Malkin was overlooked again as a replacement for Dany Heatly who will miss the game due to injury.

Evgeni Malkin went on a rampage only a couple of hours following the announcement that Boston's Marc Savard would replace Heatly during a game against The New York Rangers. The Pittsburgh Post Gazette reported, "Evgeni Malkin recorded his second hat trick in six games and threw perhaps the most crushing hit of his NHL career, burying Rangers defenseman Michal Rozsival with a shoulder to the chest midway through the first period, in the Penguins' 4-1 victory against New York at Mellon Arena".

Ultimately, Malkin did play as a replacement for Sidney Crosby, making " his All-Star debut with a pair of assists on first-period goals by Eric Staal and Buffalo's Brian Campbell". The previous quote was taken from an excellent overview ofthe 2008 NHL All Star Game at ThePittsburghChannel.com. A more detailed news article was written by The Associated Press.

The East beat the West 8-7. This video shows the 2008 NHL All-Star Game highlights.

Malkin Gets A Goal For 16 Over The Last 16 Games And Georges Laraque Gets Ejected With A Major Penalty In A Pittsburgh Penguins Loss
Final Score: Flyers 4 Penguins 3

Thursday January 24, 2008

The Pittsburgh Penguins played once more without captain Sidney Crosby and lost 4-3 against the Philadelphia Flyers. Evgeni Malkin notched a goal this game and has scored 16 goals over the last 16 games. Georges Laraque was ejected from the game with a major penalty when he hit Steve Downie from behind at the end of the second period. The Following is taken from an excellent game recap posted at the NHLPens.com website...

"With 3 seconds left in the period, Georges Laraque was given a major penalty and a game misconduct for hitting Steve Downie from behind into the boards. Downie went head first into the boards and lay motionless for a few moments, but was able to leave the ice under his own power. He subsequently rejoined the game. While the hit from behind was a penalty, it did not appear to be an intent to injure by Laraque."

Complete recap from NHLPens.com

Sidney Crosby Talks About His Ankle Injury At Melon Arena With Reporters During A Press Conference

Tuesday January 22, 2008

Sidney Crosby discusses his hi ankle injury in this video.

Prognosis of Sidney Crosby's Injury Says He Won't Play Hockey For 6 to 8 weeks
Missing The All Star Game
And
Evgeni Malkin Was Chosen As A Replacement For Sidney Crosby At The All Star Game

Tuesday January 22, 2008

Today the Penguins doctor was able to get a better look at Sidney Crosby's injured right high ankle sprain. It was announced he will miss 6-8 weeks. Crosby says waiting to heal may be the most difficult mental task he has faced so far in the NHL. The Pittsburgh Penguins official web site quoted Crosby as saying, "This is probably something that’s tougher mentally than anything I have probably had to deal with. I don’t think you want to get caught looking at a date and then you get to that date and you’re not ready to go."

Meanwhile it was announced today that Evgeni Malkin will replace center Sidney Crosby for the Eastern Conference at the 2008 All Star Game in Atlanta. The 2006-07 NHL Rookie of the Year, Evgeni Malkin, was quoted on the CBC web site as saying, " It is unfortunate that Sidney will not be able to participate. However, I look forward to playing in the game and representing the Penguins organization."

With Sidney Crosby Out Of The Line Up Tonight's Game Put Russian Against Russian As Evgeni Malkin And The Penguins Took On Alexander Ovechkin And The Washington Capitals

Monday January 21, 2008

The rivalry between Alexander Ovechkin and Sidney Crosby had to be put on hold tonight as the Capitals played The Penguins at The Melon Arena minus an injured Sidney Crosby. The media has been hyping The Penguins other young superstar Evgeni Malkin as the one to step up and take on a larger role. With that said, it was russian vs russian, countryman vs countryman, Ovechkin vs Malkin in a high scoring game ending in a shootout victory for the Washington Capitals with a score of 6-5.

While injured Sidney Crosby watched the game, Evgeni Malkin took over Crosby's center position and managed to pull off two goals and an assist. The other Russian superstar hockey player, Alexander Ovechkin, managed an assist and two goals during regulation time and scored the first of two shootout goals for The Capitals.

Alexander Ovechkin was named the first star of the game and Evgeni Malkin was the second. Ovechkin now leads the league in goals this season with 38.

This was one of the best hockey games this season and can you believe Sidney Crosby wasn't even in it?

Malkin and Ovechkin were team mates on the Russian Olympic team but Malkin showed no mercy when he checked Ovechkin hard towards the end of the first period. Alexander wasn't very happy as you can tell when he shoves Malkin in the video below.

Sidney Crosby Placed On Injured Reserve List With High Right Ankle Sprain Injury

Monday January 21, 2008

Sidney Crosby, who suffered an ankle sprain last Friday as he awkwardly slid into the boards feet first after being pulled down by Tampa Bay's Paul Ranger, has been placed on the injured reserve list. When a player is placed on injured reserve they must miss at least 7 days of play. This guarantees Sidney Crosby will miss the 2008 NHL All Star Game to be held in Atlanta. Pittsburgh Penguins team doctors were again unable to evaluate Crosby's ankle injury due to swelling today. They plan to do a thorough examination tomorrow. Normally, a high ankle sprain puts a hockey player out of action for a month or more.

The Penguins also put forward Adam Hall on Injured reserve with a pulled groin. They also sent defenseman Ryan Lannon down to the AHL after not playing with the Penguins during his two week stint. By sending Lannon back to the AHL and with two players on injured reserve, Sidney Crosby and Adam Hall, The Penguins are free to call up three players from the AHL. They quickly called up forwards Chris Minard, Tim Brent and Jonathan Filewich from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

By the end of the night that Sidney Crosby was injured, while playing Tampa Bay, he was in a four way tie for the league lead in points with Ilya Kovalchuk, Jarmoe Iginla, and Vince Lecavalier. However, one night later in a game between Tampa Bay and The Senators, Vincent Lecavalier scored a goal putting one point ahead of Crosby, Kovalchuk, and Iginla.

Here is a video clip showing how Sidney Crosby's ankle injury happend...

The Penguins Play First Hockey Game Without Injured Captain Sidney Crosby Beating The Canadiens 2-0

Saturday January 19, 2008

The Montreal Canadiens were Sidney Crosby's favorite team during his youth but tonight he did not join his team on the road to play them. Sidney Crosby suffered a high right ankle sprain yesterday during the first period of a home game against Tampa Bay. Sidney Crosby remained in Pittsburgh to be reevaluated by the teams medical staff. Since his high right ankle sprain remains swollen they will not be able to determine Crosby's prognosis just yet.

In The Penguins first hockey game without Sidney Crosby they were successful in winning 2-0 against The Montreal Canadiens. Georges Laraque set up Jeff Taffe for the first goal of the game during first period. Evgeni Malkin scored the second goal on the empty net with just 12.3 seconds left in the game. Dany Sabourin earned his second shutout and played in goal for the first time since December 21, 2007.

The Penguins must keep up their winning ways in order to make it into the playoffs and to prove they are still a contending team without Sidney Crosby. The NHL web site game recap reported Penguins defender Ryan Whitney as saying, "You lose the best player in the league, you've still got to be able to go out and win games and we're going to have to do it for a month, who knows, and we've got to stay in the playoff race. We want to get as high a seed as we can and tonight is the first step in proving that we're a good hockey team without him."

This is the fifth NHL game Sidney Crosby has missed during his Penguins and NHL career. The first four games without him were all losses, 2 regulation, 1 shootout, and 1 overtime. During their fifth game without Crosby, which was against The Canadiens, the Pens managed to pull off a win.

Hopefully, this Crosbyless win against Montreal is a trend that will continue for the Penguins. Evegeni Malkin, The Penguins other young superstar, has stepped into Crosby's center position and should feel some extra pressure on himself to help carry the team to success. Malkin played wing with Crosby at center and they made a dynamite combination. With Crosby out Malkin has moved to his natural position of center.

Penguins Lose Captain Sidney Crosby Indefinitely To High Right Ankle Injury In A 3-0 Loss To The Lightning

Friday January 18, 2008

Sidney Crosby left tonight's hockey game against The Tampa Bay Lightning during the first period with a high right ankle sprain. This is a serious injury that has plagued Pens goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for the past six weeks. Sidney Crosby will be evaluated by team doctors tomorrow but its not likely he will play any time soon. Crosby who led the All Star Game voting for starters will most likely miss the All Star Game too.

A high ankle injury usually sidelines hockey players for a month or longer. The injury occured as Sidney Crosby was shooting the puck while rushing The Lightnings' net. Tampa Bay defender Paul Ranger hit Sidney Crosby with a slash of his stick, knocking The Penguins captain down. Crosby, the trooper that he is, attempted to shoot the puck again as he slid and awakwardly rammed his feet into the boards ultimately injuring his right ankle with the high sprain.

Like Sidney Crosby and Marc Andre Fleury, Maxime Talbot missed a month with the same high ankle sprain. When asked to Comment on Sidney Crosby's ankle injury, The Pittsburgh Tribune Review quoted Talbot as saying, "He can expect frustration, some days you wake up and it feels good, others it hurts. It is a bad injury because you can do as much rehab as you want, but you just have to wait."

This will be the first extended period of time since joining the NHL that Sidney Crosby will miss games. He missed one game during his rookie season on Thursday February 2, 2006 when Pittsburgh lost 7-2 to the Senators. Sidney Crosby also missed 3 games in November of 2006 during the 2006-07 NHL season with a groin injury. The Penguins were unable to win a game without Crosby during that time. In fact, The Penguins suffered two regulation losses, on overtime loss, and one shootout loss.

Fans got to see what the Penguins play like without the heart and captain of their team for two and half periods and it wasn't pretty. The Penguins ended up losing 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Lightning, one of the worst teams in the current NHL standings. The Penguins were unable to put up as much offense without their captain and were outshot by Tampa Bay. The Penguins did manage to create several scoring chances but were shut out by Holmqvist, Tampa's goalie.

Hopefully, the rest of the Penguins can keep the team winning with some extra effort. In fact, The NHL website game recap reported that Vincent Lecavailer said, "Sid is a big part of that team, for them to win, someone else is going to have to lead, and I think (Evgeni) Malkin is going to have to do that."

Currently, Vincent Lecavailer and Ilya Kovalchuk are tied with Sidney Crosby for NHL points this season at 63. None of these three players, who all played tonight, managed to score a point. However, Calgary Flames captain Jerome Iginla earned a point on an assist in a 6-1 Flames victory over the Kings, bringing his total from 62 to 63. Iginal has joined Crosby, Lecavalier, and Kovalchuk as the league point leaders. Unfortunately, Sidney Crosby will most likely be out for a prolonged period and will be surpassed in points.

This hockey game was the first regulation time loss for Penguins goalie Ty Conklin since he joined the team. His only other loss was during a shootout. If Conklin can keep up his phenominal play and the rest of the Penguins pick up the slack they may be able to keep on track to the Stanley Cup playoffs.

Jodie over at The Sidney Crosby Show always thinks positive and gives Penguins fans hope that the team can make it through without the best player in the leauge. Here is what she had to say...

"Okay, so this is DEFINITELY a setback for the Penguins (losing the best player in the league is never a good thing) but at least we can still rely on our other superstar, Evgeni Malkin, to keep doing what he does best (score goals). We also have Max Talbot back, Ryan Malone was a beast until his leg infection - perhaps he'll find his game again and step it up, Jordan Staal seems like he is always thisclose to scoring and that kid has been huge on the penalty kill, Tyler Kennedy is a feisty player who can score goals and deliver big hits, and Petr Sykora has that wicked release. The situation is far from ideal, but if the other players turn it up a notch and play a little harder in the absence of their captain (which I suspect most of them will), the Penguins will be able to get through it."

Lets hope Sidney Crosby heals quickly from this high ankle sprain and will rejoin his team on their way to the playoffs.

Sidney Crosby 2008 Winter Classic Authentic Memorabilia Up For Auction Including
Sindey Crosby Game Worn Jersey
Sidney Crosby Pant Shell
Sidney Crosby Shootout Game Puck

Wednesday January 16, 2008

Some of the 2008 NHL Winter Classic Memorabilia is being offered for auction with proceeds going to charity. Its no big surprise that the highest bids can be found on Sidney Crosby memorabilia. In particular the Sidney Crosby authentic second period game worn jersey has been bid up to $25880.00 as of today with the auction ending tomorrow January 17, 2008 at 9:08pm EST.

(Updated February 6, 2008: The final price on the Sidney Crosby Winter Classic Game Worn Authentic Hockey Jersey was an astounding US$45,000.)

According to the NHL website, "The National Hockey League’s first regular-season outdoor game on United States soil was a classic, the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic. The MeiGray Group Game-Worn Jersey Authentication Program is proud to offer fans and collectors across the globe the opportunity to own a piece of history … the actual jersey worn by #87 Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins during the second period of this historic event."

Also up for auction are the 2008 Winter Classic Sidney Crosby game worn pants shell currently bid up to $2020.00 and the Sidney Crosby shootout victory puck is currently at $5005.00.

This is taken directly from the NHL Auction web site's description of the puck:

"...the actual puck used by Sidney Crosby of the Pittsburgh Penguins to score the game-winning goal in a shootout during the 2008 NHL Winter Classic. One thrilling shootout. One storybook finish. One historic puck. This is the actual puck, the only puck, used throughout the shootout that decided the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic, in front of the largest crowd in NHL history, 71,217. Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby fired this puck between Buffalo Sabres goalie Ryan Miller’s pads for the winning goal in the Penguins’ 2-1 shootout victory over the Sabres at Ralph Wilson Stadium. All six shootout attempts were taken with this puck:

Ales Kotalik snapped a wrist shot past goalie Ty Conklin, giving the Sabres a 1-0 shootout lead.
Erik Christensen fired a wrist shot wide of Miller’s net.
Tim Connolly was stopped by Conklin.
Kris Letang slipped a backhander past Miller, tying the shootout 1-1.
Maxim Afinogenov’s backhander was stopped by Conklin.
Crosby snapped a wrist shot behind Miller, giving the Penguins the 2-1 shootout victory."

These historic Sidney Crosby 2008 Winter Classic Game Used Memorabilia can been viewed at the NHL Auctions web site.

Sidney Crosby Assisted Evengi Malkin For The First Two Goals Early During The First Period Forewarning The Coming Of Malkin's Second Career Hat Trick In A 4-1 Penguins Victory Over The Rangers

Monday January 14, 2008

Sidney Crosby earned assists on two of Evgeni Malkin’s first NHL career hat trick goals only eleven days ago in a 6-2 slaughter of The Toronto Maple Leafs on January 3, 2008. Evgeni Malkin notched a second career hat trick tonight in a 4-1 victory over the New York Rangers. Again Sidney Crosby assisted on two of Malkin’s hat trick goals. In fact, Crosby assisted Malkin on the first two goals only 6:33 into the first period. Sergei Gonchar got the third goal of the game during the first period making the hockey game 3-0.

Jaromir Jagr was the only Ranger to score a goal which came just over nine minutes into the third period. Throughout the game Malkin attempted to notch his third goal of the game for the hat trick. Despite several chances Malkin was unable to succeed until the very end of the game. With just over twenty seconds left in the hockey game Evgeni Malkin scored on an empty net giving him his second NHL career hat trick on home ice at The Mellon Arena.

Sidney Crosby is leading all hockey players in assists for the 2007-08 NHL Season with 43. Sidney Crosby was named the third star of the game, while Malkin was first and Conklin was second.

Interesting Hat Trick Story

The Toronto CityNews report at 11pm caught my attention when sports reporter Kathryn Humphrey, metorologist Michael Kuss, and co-anchor Mark Dailey began discussing hat tricks after the story of Evgeni Malkin’s hat trick tonight.

Personally I have always wondered what happened with all the hats thrown onto to the ice after a hat trick. So when Michael asked Kathryn what happens to all of the hats I was eager to hear the answer. She wasn’t sure but ended up commenting that in Toronto the Maple Leafs wouldn’t know that’s for sure. I got a good chuckle out of that one.

A few minutes later she reported that in Buffalo they are donated to Good Will and in Toronto they are sold or auctioned off for charity or something similar. Then Mark Dailey reported that in the 1940’s a Toronto hat salesman, Sammy Taft, actually gave free hats to any Toronto Maple Leaf player who scored three goals in a game which looks like the start of a tradition in hockey.

The tradition evolved further as described in a report written by John Marshall from NEXTnc.com that states: “The idea of tossing hats to the ice is generally credited to the Biltmore Hat Company, which sponsored the Guelph Biltmore Mad Hatters of the Ontario Hockey League in the 1950s. The Guelph, Ontario-based company encouraged fans to flip their lids whenever someone from the home team scored three goals, a move that obviously was meant to drum up more business.”

Win An Autographed
Sidney Crosby Jersey and Hockey Stick
Sidney Crosby Reveals His Fitness Regimen And Is F