PensUniverse Podcast 4.25/.12

In the final podcast (*tear) of the year we talk about what went wrong but try not to rehash too many of the same opinions of the last few days.  We take a brief look at the off season with some hopeful moves and some more realistic in nature.  We talk about what remains of the NHL and include the usual chit chat about us.

We would like to thank those of you that read our blog and listen to the podcast.  We cannot show how much we appreciate it and love our digital connection over Penguins hockey.  We would like to keep the podcast going and are open to your ideas.  Would you like a live show?  Should we include a reader question every week?  Let us know.  Once again.  Thank you.

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Brazilian Pens fans: An open letter...

It’s probably a surprise and hard to consider a letter from Brazilian fans. We don’t even have ice to play. What would we know about anything? But we are truly die hard fans, that despite of all adversity that comes with being a Brazilian Penguins fan, we love it and are proud of it. Don’t mind the different time zone, which we often find ourselves going to bed way past the time we should, or the language barrier, that we have to overcome every game broadcast or simply every time we want to look up our team’s latest news; or even the fact that we have to watch every game in the internet. None of that is an excuse to miss a game. It’s all worth after a win, or just a well played game, where everyone left everything on the rink.

The Penguins have never abandoned us, they took the ice every single night scheduled, we’re not abandoning them right now.

We’re not here to say the obvious about our sloppy defensive play, or that we will riot if we don’t win game 4. We are here to say we believe in you. Every single one of you, From Marc-Andre Fleury to Craig Adams. We know you can put last three games on the past, and play what you guys are capable of. We’ve been to tough situations before, losing two to Washington and Detroit, coming back from a 3-0 deficit against those same flyers in game 6, all of those in 09. This one might be a little harder, but if there’s a team in the NHL that can do it, it’s you guys.

We believe you can win 4 in a row against the Flyers, in fact, we believe you can win 10 in a row against those suckers. As long as you guys play with your hearts. Know that we’ll be cheering with our hearts until the last second, whether is game 4 or game 7.

WE BELIEVE! DO IT!!

From your Brazilian fans! Let’s Go Pens!!

http://www.facebook.com/groups/pghpenguinsbrazil/

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The enemy has won the battles, but can they win the war?

By Cole Wight

(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Just last week the Pittsburgh Penguins were on the verge of catching the New York Rangers for the first seed in the Eastern Conference. The Penguins were two points behind the Rangers going into a game against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday March 24th. Unfortunately the game didn't turn out as we'd all hoped. The defense left rookie Goalie Thiessen out to dry as the Penguins fell to the Senators 8-4. That same night the Rangers prevailed 4-3 over the Toronto Maple Leafs in a shootout to help increase there lead for the first seed in the Eastern Conference.

The Penguins went on to rebound from the 8-4 loss with a 5-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils, however dropped both games in a home and home series with the New York Islanders. The then Rangers went on a 3 game winning streak with victory's over the Wild, Jets and the lowly Canadians to increase there lead on the Penguins for the first seed. The Penguins did end up beat the Sabres 5-3, but sadly fell to the Philadelphia Flyers 6-4 yesterday in a brutal and bloody match. With only 3 games left in the regular season (Bruins, Rangers, and yes, the Flyers), it's gearing up for another Pens/Flyers playoff match-up.

History time.

We all remember that in the the 2008 playoffs the Penguins defeated the Flyers in 5 games in the Conference Semi-finals. The very next year the Penguins defeated the Flyers in Conference Quarter-finals in 6 games. However the Flyers have seemed to have the Penguins number this year. In the five games this year that the the two rivals have faced off the Flyers lead the Series 4-1. In the two aforementioned seasons the Flyers won the regular season battle in 2008, winning 5 out of 8 meetings; the Penguins won the season series battle notching 4 out of 6 meetings in the 2009.

The stage is set. Both teams are healthy and have a chip on their shoulder. You and I can't seem to get our blood pressure down.

Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury -- Giroux, Hartnell, Jagr, Talbot. Modern day Royal Rumble.

Buckle up.

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Atlantic Division Update

The Atlantic has been emerging as one of the best divisions in hockey and the 2010-2011 season was another example of the high quality of hockey in this division.  When you read through this update you will expect great hockey from this division in the coming year as well.  At the end of each summary we will highlight just one blog for that respective team, but there are many quality sites out there if you care to search for them.  Please share your comments on the rest of the teams across the NHL as we fill the void of the offseason.

New Jersey Devils

2010-2011 Record: 38-39-75 (4^th in the Division)

Offseason Thus Far:  The Devils finished the season on a positive note reeling off an impressive record in the last month and a half so they made sure to resign Andy Greene and back up goaltender Johan Hedberg.  Tough guy Cam Janssen came over to keep the tough mentality alive in the Atlantic.  Petr Sykora has also shown some life in the preseason.  However, the biggest move may be new head coach Peter DeBoer who has served as a head coach for 16 consecutive years at different levels of hockey. 

Analysis: New Jersey has to be riding a high after the end of last year when they completely flipped the script from the first two months of the season.  Ilya Kovalchuk was scoring on the power play and Martin Brodeur battled through injury to show old form.  Travis Zajac may miss the first few weeks of the season, but this team will have a healthy Zach Parise back on the ice.  They are definitely a threat to take the division. 

Blog: Pucks and Pitchforks

New York Islanders

2010-2011 Record: 30-39-13 (5^th in the Division)

Offseason Thus Far:  The Islanders have improved and became a much tougher team to play, but they were not overly active this offseason.  They had the negotiating rights for Christian Ehrhoff before sending those rights to Buffalo.  Marty Reasoner signed on.  The uncertainty of the team still swirls as a referendum paving the way for a new arena was voted down and they will be relying on young stars to carry the load.

Analysis: The Islanders lineup is pretty set as Mark Streit returns from injury while John Tavares, Kyle Okposo, Michael Grabner, and Matt Moulson hope to further the developmental process.  Brian Rolston is the elder statesman on the team at 38 years old.  Realistically this team could find scoring easier with the consistency upfront.  However, the goaltending piece is a mess with Rick DiPietro, Al Montoya, and Evgeni Nabokov all have a shot at being the opening night starter.  This team should continue to improve, but I am not sure they can match the competition quite yet. 

Blog: Islanders 7^th Woman

New York Rangers

2010-2011 Record: 44-33-5 (3^rd  in the Division)

Offseason Thus Far: New York got their main target by acquiring the number one free agent of the year, Brad Richards.  Mike Rupp also joined the Blue Shirts while Chris Drury was bought out and subsequently retired.  Steve Eminger came back to New York to add some depth on defense.  Brandon Dubinsky and Ryan Callahan both agreed to new deals, which may be just as important as the Richards signing. 

Analysis: This is a veteran-laden team that will open up the season in Stockholm, Sweden against the Los Angeles Kings.  They hope to repeat the feat set by the Bruins last year going on to win the Stanley Cup after being featuring in the premiere games overseas.  The addition of Richards may open up more room for dangerous scorer Marian Gaborik. Of course they still have Henrik Lundqvist in net that will see a ton of time as usual with a worthy back up, Marty Biron, on the bench.  Expectations are high for the Rangers, as they should be. 

Blog: Rangers  Lohud

Philadelphia Flyers

2010-2011 Record: 47-23-12 (1^st  in the Division)

Offseason Thus Far:  After tons of rumors about locker room chemistry they were somewhat proven by an organizational shake up.  The Flyers traded Jeff Carter and Mike Richards who may have been breaking the wishes of coach Peter Laviolette and his “dry island.”  They brought in Jaromir Jage and Max Talbot through free agency and landed Wayne Simmonds, Jakub Voracek, and Brayden Schenn through the trades.  They also signed former Coyotes’ goalie Ilya Bryzgalov to a lengthy contract.  Young playmaker James Van Riemsdyk also signed a contract extension.

Analysis: The question now is will the shake up hurt or help team chemistry.  It will be interesting to see how quickly they gel together.  If Jagr can set up Claude Giroux and Van Riemsdyk the Flyers could be in for a lot of success.  The Flyers and the Rangers will be playing in this year’s Winter Classic and thus followed by HBO for the 24/7 so that could be make or break time for the Flyers.  Coincidentally, that HBO series will be must watch television.  Consistency will be needed from the Flyers this year, but will team chemistry allow for it?

Blog: Broad Street Buzz

Pittsburgh Penguins

2010-2011 Record: 49-25-8 (2^nd  in the Division)

Offseason Thus Far:  The Pens were not about to get in the free agent frenzy with the high contracts players were getting with teams needing to spend up to the salary floor cap.  They did add veterans Steve Sullivan, Steve MacIntyre, Richard Park, Jason Williams, and Boris Valabik.  The health of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were bigger concerns. 

Analysis: Our writers at PensUniverse have been doing a great job of analyzing the Pens current situation.  I suggest scouring the archives of the last two weeks.  Health is the biggest topic and a monster first two months of the season carried them last year.  This year is could be the opposite where the team just needs to survive until January, but Malkin may lead the team to another dynamic start. 

Blog: You are already here.  

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Your 2010 Stanley Cup Champions, The Chicago Blackhawks!

(TSN)

A stellar time for Chicago sports fans, enjoy it....even your 1985 Bears did not accomplish something this great.

 (ESPN Chicago)

I think I can justify Marian Hossa lifting The Stanley Cup easier than I can resolve the Cup in Philly. 

Not because I can't stand the Flyers though..

Maybe that can be a post for later this summer.

What I can't stand, though, is the hypocrites...

You burned your bridge, this is your punishment.


Football can keep it's Madden Curse!

Patrick Kane with the OT Game Winner in Game 6

Congratulations to Marian Hossa, you've made history!
This picture looks a heck of a lot better if the crest on your jersey looked like this:

Mr. Hossa hold that Cup for the Pens, they'll be knocking on that door in '10-'11

Now for the slow season.....

Coming up: More player profiles and whatever shenanigans we come up with to pass time until September!

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Bittersweet week

The Stanley Cup Finals are set and for Montreal it was not meant to be. 

The nature of playing two 7 game series against teams that would refuse to lay down until the series was over. Philly made a point to step on the throat when they had to.

Dare I say it on a Pens site? Why not. 

The Flyers looked good at dismantling The Habs, but I hope they can adapt, Chicago as more firepower than Montreal.

The Stanly Cup Finals are set

Chicago vs Philadelphia

Starting on Saturday, and these teams better not disappoint. 

I will be rooting for the Blackhawks but I would settle for a good series of hockey- As in, 7 Games with NO too many men penalties and every game decided in 3 overtimes or more.

Something I did not forsee and it's a tough pill to take.....

In the same weeks the Flyers make it to the Stanley Cup Finals

The world loses Ronnie James Dio and Paul Gray  (Slipknot, Bass)

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Dale Tallon's greatest gift to the Blackhawks

That's right, Roy Scheider, the man who knows how to kill Sharks

Seriously though, who wasn't waiting for the inevitable collapse....

After that performance by San Jose, exactly how much more important is Joe Thornton over Patrick Marleau...

 

Yep, San Jose....

.

Such a fitting song for ANOTHER San Jose playoff exit...
and Marleau on the way out

Kudos to the Chicago Blackhawks, even down 2-0 in Game 4 there was no quit in you.

I should be bitter that Hossa is in his 3rd consecutive Stanley Cup Finals, but I am not. Get it done Hossa, I am really sick of this story after 2 straight years. 

I swear I can see this face.....

Screaming this....

The new Captain Clutch:

If you haven't seen it, here you go....

It's all about sacrifice and this guy knows something about that

Now just waiting for the latest internet video rage to spiral out of control...

1 Heatley, No Cups!

Turns out that a barbecue was planned in Chicago tonight...

Luckily, the seafood was already provided!

and for good measure and the last time I can use it this year....

I wish I had something positive to say about the Phlly/Montreal series....no, I don't wish that at all. The Flyers playing like they want something and the Habs are playing like drunk monkeys.

Can the Habs play the role of the cardiac midgets again?

We're going to see on Monday night

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Auto Repair Clinic held in Philadelphia

Luckily the Philadelphia Flyers found it far more important hang around and repair what random fans decided to do during Game 1

Someone forgot to tell them that Game 3 was tonight

Personally, I was busy in the Versus chat held by @Brian_Metzer

I couldn't help but sympathize with a fellow who left chat when Montreal brought THAT GAME that they play.

In Montreal's defense, they came to play tonight..they looked interested and took their game to Philly.

Leighton got....

Pronger was embarrassed all night, including a wonderful "pass" for the Game Winner:

Montreal just controlled the entire game...Gagne scored late, but no one cared.

There was even some typical goonery, as expected, when Philly trails late in a game...

Insert any remark about anything Flyer related, the shenanigans that occurred under the 2 minute mark MAY have some impact on Game 4....certainly questionable.

What else is new?

Next up Sharks vs Blackhawks, Friday Night 8PM

Other notes:

I am aware of the Paul Ladewski article that had surfaced, and several folks have responded to it: PSAMP , ThePensblog , From The Point

From here, I don't feel a need to respond to this piece at all.  A baseball Writer (with a vote for the Hall of Fame) comments on the failure of the Pens for making the Playoffs and losing in the second round....never mind. Read those links, and move on.

It speaks VOLUMES that the article was pulled down.

It's not that Pittsburgh does not care about baseball, but it trails the Steelers and the Penguins in popularity...by a landslide. If a certain ownership group actually made an effort to field a winning team instead of collecting luxury money of the Red Sox and the Yankees and resting on the laurels known as merchandising sales, people would be incredibly surprised by the increase of fan support for the Pirates.

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No Hockey = Slow News Day

The Pittsburgh Penguins have re-signed Derek Engelland 

The IIHF has something to say about players who say "NO"

Here is MY take on that

Lance Armstrong doesn't like Versus cutting over to Hockey from Cycling?

Mad Props to @tangent_man over at From the Point.com

Now Cycling is redefined this morning.....

I guess we know how Cycling is getting those HUGE ratings now

If you have ever wondered if PED's and drugs have had a drastic impact on hockey, I suggest doing some homework and start with the name, John Kordic

On a good note, we have hockey for the next 4 days

On a Sad note....No Penguins Hockey until next September

Flyers and Canadiens tonight...but I could find myself playing Red Dead Redemption instead. If the Habs haven't shown up yet and they play a home game tonight....... #justsaying

Most likely though, I will be over at Versus.com if Brian Metzer is hosting the room again tonight...which it is looking like he will be, according to his tweets. You should make a point to stop in, you never know who will be there.

Yeah.....slow news day...enjoy!

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History and other ramblings....

First off, a tremendous "Thank You" to the Penguins Organizations (Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton) for giving us more great things to talk and blog about. Although it would be nice, there is no requirement to bring a Cup (Stanley or Calder) home every year to keep our continued support.

New Faces to come, Old Faces to leave:

But that's part of hockey every year, and a wonderful allure to sports.

If you are a hockey fan and aren't even remotely interested in the possibility of history making tonight, you should be escorted out back and summarily forced to watch an infinite loop of "Roseanne" re-runs.

Don't let your team prejudice allow you to miss this!

Flyers vs Boston - Game 7

The Staal Drinking Game has taken a turn toward serious brutality, if Pittsburgh makes a move for Marc Staal, lives will be lost to alcohol poisoning.

Willie Mitchell has something to say about head shots.

Crosby says no to playing in WC after buying a new home.
(Face it, a well deserved vacation is due for the ALL of the Pens right now)

The Pittsburgh Penguins Eulogy over at Puck Daddy
(Seriously? Roethlisberger and local tragedy jokes in a hockey piece? I had expected more but much like the Caps season, I found disappointment.)
The Pensblog boys REALLY kept their Caps Eulogy classy AND hockey related
Once again, Pittsburgh owns Washington.....

Every week that passes, I lose even more respect for The Hockey News, see for yourself, stuff like this is why. The world is a better place listening to @Stanfischler

Seriously, in the Pens Game 7 loss to the Habs, the nicest words to me came from Flyer fans as well as a few from INSIDE the Flyers organization. No links to share, to protect the innocent, but it certainly commanded a lot of respect from me. However, I will say even though I am all about hockey history being made tonight, Scott Hartnell and Dan Carcillo...you are NOT exempt from my jobbing during the game.

Honestly, it's going to be nice to relax and watch some playoff hockey without a care in the world...as long as anyone BUT San Jose wins the Cup....

but  that's another story...

For the Penguins, the end of this season is just the beginning:

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Penguins Gameday 3/27/10 - Rivalry week ends.

It took me a while to get out of bed this morning, rough night last night only because I couldn't sleep. Visions of Flyers were in my head, Carrot Top Scott Hartnell and Dan 'Cheep Mustache' Carcillo were making me angry. Memories of Flyers of old, Ron Hextall and that damn Spectrum made me want to fight. The Flyers are known for one thing; being goons. Its all they know and it will always be there downfall in today's NHL.

Don't forget the TWITTER CONTEST for an AUTORGRAPHED 66 PUCK!

The Penguins will skate without Malkin and most like Gonchar this afternoon, not sure if this is just a precaution because we are playing the Flyers or if both players are still hurting. The lines for today are just about useless to put out because head coach Dan Bylsma is just pulling names out of a hat to put out with his centers. So here are the lines...

???-Sid-???

???-Staal-???

???-Kennedy-???

???-Talbot-???

McKee will get the nod if Gonchar isn't ready. Marc Andre Fleury will be the netminder from what I'm told. Good news for the Penguins is that rookie goalie Johan Backlund will make his first start in the NHL vs. Crosby and company.

I am not one to steal things from other Penguins blogs but Empty Netters put up my two favorite videos from Pens/Flyers history.

I cry just about every time I watch Mario score that goal, my only question is where is that baby along the boards and does he even know he was right there for that goal?
Simply the Best!!!!



My keys for this afternoons game.

1.) Fire pucks at the net - make him earn his paycheck.
2.) Power play - you know they'll let you get your chances.
3.) Don't be stupid - you also know they will try to get you to stoop down to them


My hopes for this afternoons game.

1.) Scott Hartnell gets crushed by Orpik
2.) Dan Carcillo gets punched in the face repeatedly by someone.
3.) Crosby scores the hat trick to give the Igloo one more victory over the Flyers in Pittsburgh.

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Pens Win: Gonch from the point...

Latest Pens Universe postgame ever.

Reason: I don't watch the NFL but 2 times a year. Once is AFC/NFC championship games and the other is the Superbowl. As such, today's once of them.

Anyway, the Pens won today and that's all that really matters. A quality performance by just about everyone stunned the Filthadelphia fans once again. According to Whistler's pregame stats that makes it 5 in a row in the Wachovia Center. Its one thing to win at home, its quite another to win and see the Flyers fans wallow in disgust after chanting "Crosby Sucks" over 100 times. Just a thing of beauty. And beating the Flyers with Sid having no shots on goal is a very good sign.

With Beej starting in net over Fleury, I'll admit, I was a little worried. I had no intention of rhyming there but it does work. While Beej has had bouts of solid play he has a tendency to foil under pressure. After the first goal from Carter, my anxiety started to build. Beej doesn't pin the post the way Fleury does. Sure he thought the puck was on the side of the net, but Flower just has that knack for protecting the corners. After that goal Beej did his thing. I became a believer. He stopped the next 26 and rightly earned the 3rd start spot.

I can't believe I'm saying this but the Pens have scored 6 times on their last 12 power plays. Two goals today proved that there is progress and they have been working on changing a few things up. Though its not going to end up statistically spectacular, the Pens need to get in a grove the latter half of the season and carry it over into the playoffs. Last year they were 20th in the league, so its not like much has changed. Either way when you have a man advantage you should score at least 20% of the time, at least...

On to the topic of the night: Gonch from the point. Seems to me that the power play hinges upon this very thing. While puck movement is crucial to open up the ice and get some men out of position, ultimately the
Pens are best suited when Gonch fires a bomb from the point. It should be mandatory that every power play Gonchar gets two shots from the point. Taking into account the very last one which Cookie tipped in, the puck streamed through 3 players legs to end in its final resting spot, behind Emery. Not sure about you but in my opinion the shot from the point seems to create more activity (and chances) than all the puck movement combined.

The defense certainly did a much better job at keeping guys out of the slot. Though Philly wasn't without their chances. A couple times I had my head in my hands only peak up and take a deep breath. Not to mention giving the Flyers 9 power play chances is one that goes in the "bad-things-we-did-tonight" column.

That's about all I have tonight. I will mention solid efforts by Crosby, Malkin, Fedotenko, and Staal. Feds was the one out of the ordinary for sure, but if anyone needs to get his mojo back its him. Sid almost made the city of Philly eat their hats with that steal and bomb off the post. Malkin had what is now known as "Geno's Sexy Moves." Nick Johnson did stellar work for an AHLer in such a physical game. A game like this makes Shero very happy.

And I actually hope that in the scrum below Cookie bit Ashole. 

Rangers tomorrow. Unfortunately we have to see Sean Avery. More idiots. At least Sid will be excited.

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PREGAME - 01.24.2010 - Pierre McGuire Philadelphia Flyers

12:30pm NBC

Make sure you keep the Migraine medicine handy. With the crew of Pierre, Doc, Eddie and Mike you know you'll be screaming at the TV before the puck even drops.

Things you'll hear during this broadcast.
1. Pierre McGuire between the glass ogling Mike Richards and his 'big stick'
2. Mike Milbury making negative comments about MAF.
3. Doc Emerick talking just to himself speak.
4. Eddie O just being a disgruntled ex-employee.

With those things in mind let us ponder....

If you didn't think it was hard to get up for another game after Thursday night's let down the team walks into the pit of hell to Face the Flyers. The Flyers have found a way to right their ship posting an impressive record since John "Herpes Lip" Stevens was shown the door in the beginning of December.


WELCOME TO PHILADELPHIA


When a Pens/Flyers matchup is played in Philly the game takes on a whole new meaning. Since he entered the league, Flyers fans have had a raging stiffy for Crosby. They've done everything they can to label him a diver, whiner, baby, pussy etc etc etc. This model of respect and admiration have won Flyers fans the title of "DUMBEST FANS IN HOCKEY". Oh, I'm sorry was that supposed to be "MOST INTIMIDATING FANS IN HOCKEY"?

Hard to type when when my eyes are teared up from laughing so hard.

Anywhoooo, when the Pens play in Philadelphia, the media attention turns to how Crosby is hated blah blah blah, you hear the team organist stir up the ogre-masses to a raucous chant of "CROSBY SUCKS"

It's like watching feeding time at the Zoo. But while the animals are too busy throwing their own feces at each other Crosby has fared quite well.

I guess the old saying is true...

Sticks and Stones may break my bones.......


THINGS YOU WANTED TO KNOW BUT WERE TOO LAZY TO LOOK UP:

• The Penguins have won four consecutive games at Wachovia Center, including Game 4 and Game 6 of last year's playoff series. ...
• The Penguins have scored 18 goals in four games against Philadelphia this season. ...
• Captain Sidney Crosby has produced 24 goals and 28 assists in 30 regular season games agains the Flyers.
• The Flyers are currently 8 points behind the Pens.
• The Pens are 5-5 in their last 10 games.
• The Flyers are 7-3 in their last 10 winning their last 3 games.
  

WHAT WHISTLER THINKS IS IMPORTANT TO THIS GAME:

In the last game, the Flyers found a way to attack the D, causing it to collapse. This allowed a skater to come into the zone free and clear. The Pens D has to prepare for this. Clearing the Zone has to be a priority. We cannot let them enter the zone cleanly.

Mr. Malkin needs to STAY OUT OF THE PENALTY BOX. He's attempts to jump start his game has caused his time to be short handed on quite a few occasions lately.



Dupuis-Crosby-Guerin
Johnson-Malkin-Fedotenko
Cooke-Staal-Kennedy
Godard-Adams-Rupp

(If I'm wrong with these BITE ME!)

Gonchar-Orpik
Eaton-Letang
McKee-Goligoski

Fleury

Crosby Sucks! LET'S GO PENS!!

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