You win some, you lose some...unless you're Buffalo

Let me tell you all a little story.

When I was in grade school, a friend of mine and I bet on a hockey game. I do not remember if it was the playoffs or the Cup, but our bet was a dollar to the winner. She took one team, and not knowing a great deal about hockey, I arbitrarily took the other because the name sounded neat. They played. I won. She payed me in pennies.

I asked her after why she was so bitter? I mean, what could be so great about a team named after small, flightless birds that live in snow and ice? Not compared to the big, quick men of the New York Rangers, after all. We discussed the finer points of hockey as only 4th graders can, and she started to tell me about a man named Mario Lemieux. The rest is history.

Since I did not have cable when I was younger, I only got to see snippets from Bruins games that happened to be against the Pens (mom was not a hockey fan), or check scores from the paper or magazines. High school, college, and my situation now, have allowed me a far greater ability to actually watch the Penguins skate. For my birthday last year I was able to see them skate in person for the first time. Of course, this would be about a month after Lemieux retired, but we still won (in Montreal, no less), and I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present than watching Sidney skate around and beat the Canadiens.

Why am I bringin this up? Because after listening to the game last night over nhl radio, I feel that I may have to find a way to rob a bank and get center ice. Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for having that radio broadcast, but I would have dearly liked to have seen Fleury make all those saves or Staal on that breakaway. That was the type of game you're glad you paid an extra 40 dollars to get decent seats for.


A few thoughts:

-Fleury was great last night, and if half of what the announcers called as 'spectacular' was true, I can imagine what it was like to actually watch him play.
-Malkin stepped up again, and I think with Sidney indisposed, he is really showing what he can do in the spotlight. As much as I want Sidney back, I can't wait to see more of Malkin.
-Although I couldn't see this, it sounded like the Pens got a bit more active and shot more. They were still focused on making plays, especially during the power plays, but they played well.
-Both teams had 14 minutes of penalties, the first holding about 8 of those. Is it just me or are the Pens a bit more fiesty lately?
-Nice to see that we've fall almost to the bottom of the Atlantic division. Thank goodness that Philidelphia is there to cushion us. Really though, 24 isn't horrible, in the grand scheme of things.

A few other hockey related things:
-Nice to see that the Wild's Backstrom has hit the top in save % and GAA.
-What happened to Toronto last night? The Bruins were good, but the Leafs were half asleep on the ice. Maybe they were just too busy staring at Sundin in happiness.
-Anyone want to tell me why the Flames lost last night?
-Nice to see that Edmonton is taking a break this weekend to save up all their energy to completely crush the Ducks on Tuesday.


Next Penguins game is Tuesday, rematch against the Islanders. Go Pens!