Too Much, Too Little, Too Late

by Jan Snyder


Hello, fellow hockey fans! Here we are again starting the 2010 Playoff Season. I haven’t talked to some of you since that glorious June night when the Pens took the Stanley Cup. I’ve missed you and I’m glad we’re together again in cyberspace.

So Game One is history. Let’s all take a long, deep, cleansing breath and softly repeat: “Fleury will be fine, Fleury will be fine, Fleury will be fine.” Feel better?

Losing Game One isn’t the best way to start the road to the finals, but that’s what happened so we’ll deal with it. Despite the frantic push for a goal at the end of the game, the Sens won 5-4 sending the Pens home to ponder Friday’s game.

Let’s look at the bright side, shall we? Geno was awesome and Lord knows we need that from him to go very far. His two power play goals and one assist plus his physical play added a ray or two of sunshine. Scoring two power plays goals each at 13 seconds into the power play has to mean something – I just can’t figure out what! Maybe it signifies that Billy Guerin will score twice 71 seconds into a power play?

Sid was held down, but still managed three assists and we know he’ll work through whatever d-men the Sens put on him. Gologoski had a pretty good game, Max was involved picking up an assist and what about Craig Adams scoring his first goal in 112 games? The Pens managed a couple of slightly different looks on the power play and scored a couple of times, something else we’ll need as we move ahead.

A few other players need to step things up a bit but again, it’s only Game One. I liked how Coach Bylsma put it – it’s a Race to Four. Four games in four series and you take home Stanley. Let’s think of it that way and it’s a little easier to deal with.

Ottawa played well, even our old friendly rival, Jarkko Rutuu scored a goal. Alfredsson was quiet but that could quickly change. Their goalie, Brian Elliott, had a couple of rough patches too. Things will even out over the course of the series.

Since I was forced to watch the game on Versus instead of Fox Sports Pittsburgh, I heard different announcers than many of you. And I have to take exception with one comment that I heard during the telecast. I believe it was Billy Jaffe who said the Pens had to buckle down and not “feel entitled” to win the Cup. Maybe Jaffe has spent a little too much time in Pittsburgh over the past few days and has confused another Pittsburgh athlete with the Pens. No, Billy, that athlete with a feeling of entitlement plays for the Steelers. I’m sure the Pens know that a repeat of last year’s performance will take a Herculean effort from every man on the roster. I don’t think any of them are expecting another team to “allow” them to win. No referees are going to “give” them any breaks. They will go as far as their talent, hard work, and determination take them with no sense of entitlement.

Let’s look ahead to Friday and Game Two, another White Out Night at Mellon Arena. Will Sid score? Will Fleury bounce back? Will Carrie Underwood come to the game?

Whatever happens, we’ll talk about it again on Friday night.

What was your take on tonight’s game? Talk to me by email: texasjan@hotmail.com, or leave a comment below.

LET’S GO, PENS!

Random Sports Talk in the Third Week of July...

by Lisa Ovens

To begin, I'd like to share a very pleasant email I received late last week. It made my day that day, and isn't it a sweet surprise to have something make your day? Consider this a reminder: during the dog days of summer, take some time to make someone's day; with a compliment, greet stranger with a smile and a hello, or let someone know you think what they are doing is great...

“Lisa and the staff at Hockey and High Heels have created a great atmosphere for women interested in hockey and hockey fans in general. I am a huge fan of what you guys are doing for the sport. Keep it up!” - Mike Turtur, Hockey Director, mysportsdreams.com

Thank you Mike!

I heart pools...

And now for the Random...

ESPY Awards

For the first time in my life I caught the ESPY Awards, and what a slick affair. Sure makes the televised NHL Awards Show look a little on the hokey side. To put it into Entourage terms: the ESPY's get Ari Gold and the NHL Awards got "E". That pretty much says it all right there.

I still will give some props to the NHL for honoring its stars with a 1.5 hour telecast every June, unlike the other big, pro sports leagues. The NHL just needs to tighten up it's production. With two more kicks at the can hosting the event in Las Vegas, the NHL really needs to get it right in order to bolster it's image in the United States market. Get the tape for review...and get Samuel L. Jackson...y'all know that mother ****** likes the hockey!!

Shaq Attacks other Athletes

Okay, not literally, but he's taking on some the biggest and brightest sports stars...on their turf, playing their game. Beginning August 18th, 2009, B-Ball star Shaquille O'Neal will compete against pro's from the NFL, MLB, Volley Ball, Tennis, Boxing and Swimming. Shaq Vs. will air on ABC. Mark your calendars to see just how much game Shaq's got.

Brush with Shaq...many moons ago, I saw Shaq buy a carry case for his camcorder. We passed each other in the store. He's tall and I am small, so I'm pretty sure he doesn't speak about a brush with me :o(

Roller Derby Movie

I am a big fan of Drew Barrymore, and she’s directed her first movie. The film is titled Whip It and it’s about Roller Derby. This sport has been around since the early 1900’s, but as of the year 2000, women are ruling the Oval.

The film stars Ellen Page, and according to the Women and Hollywood blog...”think Juno on skates and without the pregnancy.” The release date is October 9th, so we can expect some members of the male sports media to reduce the movie to whatever their sexual fantasies might be at the time.

On Air Feud in Vancouver Lights up the Message Boards

It was a typical Monday afternoon in Vancouver. Sports fans were tuned into the Team 1040 for the Pratt and Taylor Show. During Dave Pratt's High Five segment, Pratt spoke about and praised older athlete's competing against the almighty youth (Golf's Tom Watson at the British Open was mentioned, along with a 79 year old poker player, Doyle Brunson and others) and wound up saying winning a poker tournament is one of the toughest prizes in sports". Don Taylor really took exception to Pratt labeling poker a sport.

Their sentences ran into each other's, their voices became louder, sarcasm spewed, leading to a "fumbling sound" from the microphone and Pratt leaving the studio. (Time for a really long commercial break) a little while later, Pratt is back and finished the show without Don Taylor. Neither host showed up for work on Tuesday.

Can you hear that? That's the sound of diehard sports fans around cyberspace arguing about what is a sport and what is not, courtesy of the Pratt and Taylor feud. Some of the arguments are histerical, debating what some people perceive to be gray areas like race car driving, curling, hot dog eating, chess, video games and more!

And can you hear this? This is the sound of media savvy diehards claiming the whole fight was staged. Yes, just like everything seems to be these days...


Big Ben Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steeler's quarterback has a little situation on his hands: he's been accused of sexually assaulting a Nevada hotel concierge employee. I am not going to get into any the legalities of this lawsuit, but I would like to remind all people staying in hotels, especially you guys, and only because this case is similar to the Kobe Bryant situation a few years back: If you have a problem with any of the amenities/ features in your room, you are supposed to call the front desk first, who will then send a maintainnance worker to your suite.

And if you are a woman working in a hotel, and a guest asks you to enter their suite to fix something and you are not a maintainance worker, politely decline and call the front desk to arrange a maintainance worker to fix the problem. Please save yourselves from suffering though potential situations like this, people...don't give the world any more news to gossip about than it already has.
End random.


thank you for reading...BTW, you are fabulous...look at you there...fabulous you!
- Lisa