It's Playoff Time!!!!!

by Jan Snyder

Whew! What a season it’s been for the Pens. Beginning on Opening Night at the Consol Energy Center with Mario pouring water from the Igloo onto the new ice before the game. Then “BOB” and the Flyers ruining the start of the season for the Pens by beating them.

Fleury’s slow start, but Brent Johnson’s timely play. Sidney Crosby on a pace for an incredible season and us with visions of year-end awards dancing in our heads. The tide turning as the fans chanted for Fleury, giving him a confidence boost and how he turned it all around.

The fantastic addition of Paul Martin and Zbynek Michalak, plus the fantastic play of Orpik and Letang.

The lead up to the Winter Classic and hours of the best reality TV ever with HBO’s 24/7. The warm weather and rain that came over Pittsburgh to make the ice bad, but none of that could dampen the enthusiasm of the Pens/Caps fans who made the most of a soggy situation.

The big hit on Sid – none of us realizing at the time how much that impact would impact our whole season.

Sid’s out, but we still have Geno – oops, down he goes until next year. But Staal was back and that would help. Sid would be back soon, right? Here we are four months later still without him.

Our Baby Pens came to the rescue as we watched more and more injuries occur. The hatchlings turned into full-fledged Penguins right before our eyes! Mark Letestu, Dustin Jeffrey, Eric Tangradi, Chris Conner and the d-men, Deryk Engelland and Ben Lovejoy. Their continued call ups came to be the norm.

A trade brought us James Neal and Matt Niskanen from Dallas. A great signing brought Kovy back to the Burg. As the injured started to return, they became a force again, especially Kunitz and Orpik.

Looking forward to seeing contributions from all of them as we head into the playoffs.

What can I say about the heart and soul players like Max, Dupuis, Rupp, Adams, Kennedy (Kennedy!)? They have all done their thing and the future Jack Adams award winner (I hope) Coach Dan, kept the ship on an even keel, no matter what happened, no matter who got injured. His optimism was contagious.

Even through the ugly game on Long Island, followed shortly by the Cooke incident, the coach navigated everyone through it all. He convinced the players and the fans that everything would be fine.

And so it is! We have home ice advantage in the first round of the playoffs. We have hope that Sid may return yet before it’s all over this year. We have fans who will do everything but get on the ice and play to help. We have a courageous team who let nothing keep them down or get them off the course they set out on before that first game in October.

The Lightning will be tough. Rooting against Ryan Malone will be tough. I’ve always liked Martin St. Louis, but I can stop that during the playoffs! Lecavalier and Stamkos will keep things very interesting.

I hope to see Mario Lemieux and Steve Yzerman drop the opening puck! I hope to see good, clean games with no injuries. I hope to see sportsmanship and great hockey – just what we expect each playoff season.

ARE YOU READY???

A Better Perspective

                                       roaming super analyst, Ray Ferraro 

                                              
by Jan Snyder


I love listening to hockey people talk hockey, so I tune in whenever I can for insight that as a fan, I don’t have. This week, Ray Ferraro, a former player, current broadcaster, husband of Hall of Fame player Cammi Granato, and owner of the best nickname ever – Big Ball of Hate – held forth on NHL Live. He was asked about the Penguins and their problems with winning at home in their luxurious new stadium with all the bells and whistles. We, as emotional fans, are seeing all the downside. Fleury’s struggles, defensive lapses, the team trying too hard to entertain the home fans are all reasons that have been thrown out there.

But listen to someone who is unbiased give his opinion and it might put a new perspective on yours.

                                 Consol Energy Center
Ray says the Pens are about as “at home” in their new digs as their opponents. They haven’t played many games there yet and, haven’t gotten accustomed to the bounces off the boards. The ice has been a problem at times, and of course, that affects both teams, but the Pens have to deal with it in practice too.

When we add in the loss of Jordan Staal for the whole season so far, we can see that the other players have had to move around and adjust. Toss into the mix two new defensemen, the departure of Sergei Gonchar and that big loss on the power play, and there are more reasons to expect problems. Not excuses, just problems, problems that need to be solved.

But now the Pens seem on the verge of overcoming at least some of the difficulties at home. The team has now won three of its last four at Consol Energy Center. The overwhelming support poured onto the ice by the fans in his first game at home after not playing for a while spoke volumes about the fans and how we really can influence the game. With Fleury’s lack of confidence, not to mention, lack of play, the first game back could have been iffy. But the fans weren’t about to let that happen. Before the puck even dropped, loud chants of “Fleury, Fleury, Fleury” cascaded down from the rafters and into the ears of the Stanley Cup winning goalie. After the game, he thanked the fans in the arena and told them how important that support was to him.

Crosby is playing like the Crosby we all know and love now. Malkin is improving every game and Kris Letang is doing it all. The new defensemen are fitting it and I’m sure the players are still getting used to new teammates. Before much longer, barring anything else crazy, Staal will be back making a huge impact with his play. Now about that power play – still a problem, but it’s got to get better, right? Maybe the guys will want to pick it up as HBO comes to town to film every aspect of everything hockey. At the least, maybe we’ll get to see the strategy behind the power play.

Heinz Field, home of the 2010 Winter Classic

I can’t wait for 24/7 on HBO. How cool will it be to hear what’s said in practice and to see what the guys do away from the rink? I’m even curious to see the differences between what the Pens do as opposed to the Caps. Four weeks of the show just won’t be enough! But then the show will culminate in the Winter Classic at Heinz Field. I can’t wait for that either! After traveling to Edmonton for the Heritage Classic between the Oilers and Habs, I thought I would never spend that much time outdoors in freezing temperatures again. But how could I pass up the Pens and Caps at Heinz Field? I’ll dress in layers and hope to find Bailey’s to add to my hot chocolate!

So thanks, Ray, for making me think less like a fan and more like an analyst. You’ve made me feel just a little better about the “home” team.

The NHL Is Paying it Forward

by Jan Snyder

What a Great Idea!


The National Hockey League collectively and the individual teams do their share of giving back to the community. Initiatives like Hockey Fights Cancer and Hockey is for Everyone make a big difference. Each team does its share of hospital visits and school visits striving to build awareness and help where they can.

But the program that caught my eye is Rock and Wrap It Up! The NHL has partnered with this organization to fight hunger across the United States and Canada, with all 30 teams involved.

I grew up in a family who wasted nothing! I don’t remember any food ever being thrown away unless it had gone bad. My grandparents immigrated from what was then Czechoslovakia and instilled in their children the importance of sharing and not wasting. Obviously, that mentality was passed down to the grandchildren as well. My grandparents grew all their own vegetables, many fruits and raised chickens. We ate everything they grew including grapes, raspberries, blackberries, pumpkins, bean, peas, etc. My “Bubby” made jelly, juice, preserves, you name it. Her pies were out of this world and she could make anything taste like gourmet food.

So seeing that “waste not, want not” mentality growing up has led me to feel the same way. I hate to see food go to waste especially in an economic climate that finds so many families struggling. I’ve been lucky enough to spend some evenings in suites at different venues. At the end of the evening, more food is leftover than ever should be and I would leave the event feeling badly about that.

But now, through Rock and Wrap It Up!, that’s all changed. The teams are packing up all prepared but unsold concession food on game nights for redistribution to local shelters and places of need. After the first two games in the new Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh alone, 1150 pounds of unsold food found its way to the Pittsburgh Food Bank. What an incredible difference that can make times 30 teams!

Rock and Wrap It Up! was founded by Syd Mandelbaum, who began the program in 1991, by redistributing food leftover after rock concerts. Then the program moved on to the sports venues. Both of Syd’s parents were Holocaust survivors who almost starved to death in Nazi concentration camps as teenagers. The experiences of our elders always leaves it mark on us and Syd decided to try to make a difference in the States, who accepted his parents in 1950, after they spent five years in a displaced persons camp in Germany. Now he is the difference maker for so many people who need help. Pay it forward is a great concept!

If you want to get involved with volunteering in your city, simply visit your team’s website. There is so much to be done that we all have to do our share.

please visit Rock and Wrap it Up's website

Step Back from the Ledge!

by Jan Snyder

Okay, so the Pens have lost their first two games. If this had happened in the middle of the season, would a two game losing streak be enough to panic over? I think not. Let’s take a big, deep breath and see what happens next.

The second game in Consol was much feistier and closer than the first game. After all, a Pens/Flyers game with no fights?? No matter how much the players tried to downplay going up against Montreal, while I was watching, I couldn’t help but think that loss that put the Pens out of the playoffs was still at the forefronts of their brains. The Pens played better, more shots, etc., but again, the goalie, this time Carey Price, was the difference. Geno raced around like a demon and the defense looked more together than they did during the first game. Let’s remember we have several new defensemen trying to learn the system and they are doing just fine.

I thought booing P.K. Subban the entire game was a little over the top. He accidentally cut Jordan Staal’s foot last year – hardly enough to indict him for a crime! Maybe once would have been enough! But then a penalty was called when it looked like Subban fell onto a Pens’ stick, but he was bleeding, and that led to the penalty and more vitriol aimed at him the rest of the night.

So back to the Consol. I explored a little more during the second game, hoping to run into ESPN hockey guy John Buccigross, who was attending the game, but I never saw him. We did find Dairy Queen and the sushi bar! Jim, my son-in-law, tried the Pittsburgh Roll – what made it a Pittsburgh Roll? The seaweed was gold/yellow and there was a splash of something black on top! Jim’s review was okay, not great.

I found more Pens Gear places scattered around, not just the one big store on the first level. We noticed too that the vendors who walk the aisles hawking beer, cotton candy, etc. seemed to be fewer in number, but maybe that was just our imagination.

The two new Zambonis are sponsored by some company that makes armor and heavy metals – don’t quite see the connection, but whatever. Also, during the first game, the arena announcer kept saying, “Ok, fans, the Pens are on the (sponsor name) Penalty Kill!” What?? It’s bad enough to hear, “Fans, the Pens are on the (sponsor name) Power Play!” but at least we, as fans, can get a little excited about that. But the penalty kill? At the second game, we were not urged to do whatever it was they wanted us to do during a penalty kill! I realize this sponsoring stuff brings in big bucks, but it’s so annoying. And I’ve only ever heard it before in the minor leagues.

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Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in Canada! Hope you stuffed yourselves with turkey!

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I happened to be watching the Caps/Thrashers game when the Atlanta goalie fell to the ice. What a scary sight that was! He was so still and so many people were rushing onto the ice that I expected a really bad outcome. Glad to hear that it was a fainting spell and Pavalec was released from the hospital.

*****

In my column about Opening Night, I completely forgot to mention the beautiful hand-forged commemorative tickets we fans received as we entered the building. What a fantastic keepsake from a really special evening.

Out with the Old, In with the New

                       Mario Lemieux, opening night, the new Consol Energy Center

by Jan Snyder

The Pens season finally began after what seemed like an eternally long summer! Going to the new Consol Energy Center with all the other fans created in my head a New Year’s Eve-type feeling. As we look ahead to the new, we leave behind the old.

Walking to the new arena while walking past the old arena left me feeling a little disquieted. In the dark of night, the Igloo, without any lights or activity, gives the appearance of a UFO that dropped out of the sky onto Center Avenue! I couldn’t help but sense that the Igloo felt like Cinderella at midnight! Everyone ignored the old arena that was so filled with wonderful memories and tossed it aside for the shiny new toy that is the Consol. I think if I looked closely, I could see little teardrops on the roof of the Igloo (okay, that’s just me and my overactive imagination!).

Back to the shiny new toy – what a delight to enter and immediately see a large Pens store – no more Pens Station – but all the same goodies and more. To the left is the eye-catching Mario’s Mural, featuring several photos of Mario Lemieux made out of tiny pictures of fans.  Anyone could send in their photo with a donation of $66 and be included in the mural. All the money goes to the Lemieux Foundation. We could barely walk by because everyone was taking photos! Front and center in the picture is Mario holding the team’s first ever Stanley Cup over his head.

Up the escalators to our seats – we stopped briefly on the suite floor to admire some of the great art work hanging on the walls. One group of pictures I liked showed Jordan Staal taking a shot, but the picture next to it showed only his stick that isn’t seen in the first photo. Just a neat artist’s eye view of a scene, I thought.

Concessions stands were everywhere – no more just hot dogs and nachos! Now we can get Tim Horton’s coffee, Country Time Lemonade, chicken tenders, burgers, pizza, fruit plates, salads, sandwiches, and of course, the Pittsburgh standard – Primanti Bros. These are sandwiches on fresh, homemade Italian bread, with the sandwich meat, plus your cole slaw and fries inside the sandwich! Delish!

I really can’t say that I took in everything. The Consol was sort of overwhelming on my first look. As we made it to our seats, the view of the ice was wonderful! Everyone can see, no poles or other obstructions. To the right of us, we could see the Captain Morgan’s Club and to the left, the First Niagara Club seats. Below us were the suites and high above, the press box – way bigger than before.

All the banners adorned the top of the arena, as well as the two retired sweaters, Briere’s and Mario’s. The scoreboard is huge and in HD. Great for replays!

We fans were asked to be in our seats at 6:45 for the pre-game Opening Night Show. I couldn’t wait to see what they had in store for us! I was truly not disappointed!

The show began with the workers removing the ice from the Igloo and dumping it into an underground collection bin. Then highights from the former players winning the Cup as the water dripped into a bottle. Each player added his own “drops” until the bottle was full. We were so entranced by the show, that we failed to see that Mario Lemieux had skated to center ice! Then the lights came up – and there he was – holding up the bottle of water. He theatrically turned and showed it to all four sides of the place, and then he poured the old “memories” water onto the ice at the Consol! Reminded me a little of the pensieve in the Harry Potter books. Don’t you wish we could all use that device and relive the player’s memories?

Then Mario skated off and the 2010-2011 team was introduced.

Mario returned with the Commissioner to drop the ceremonial first puck and then the game was on!

The place rocked and chants of “Let’s Go Pens” began in different corners. Although the Flyers scored first (Briere, much like the retired jersey) and more (3-2 final score), the answer to the trivia question will always be Tyler Kennedy. The question? Who scored the Pens first goal at the Consol?

After all the hype, the pre-game festivities and a game against our biggest rival, losing was no fun, but the experience was unforgettable. I’ll be back on Saturday and report more then and hopefully, I can talk about a Pens winning goal too!

Hockey is back!!

The Long, Hot Summer is Over

                   Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh Lake Fong/Post-Gazette

by Jan Snyder

Hockey season is finally back! After a particularly long, hot summer here in Texas, I couldn’t be happier to have October arrive and hockey begin. Already the memory of the Blackhawks hoisting the Cup is fading and I’m clearing out space in my mind to find places to pile up the 2010-11 memories.

What better place to begin than by seeing the brand spanking new Consol Arena in Pittsburgh on opening night! Taking on the Flyers in the first game would be special enough but doing it at Mario’s place will be twice as nice. I’ll stay for game two against Montreal and then report back to those of you who haven’t seen the new arena in person yet. Can’t wait.

The Pens will make an appearance in Dallas in November – sounds like a mid-week road trip for me! Can’t wait.

As visions of sugar plums dance in my head, all I want for Christmas is the Winter Classic! And classic it will be at Heinz Field, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The wind coming in off the river will make for a chilly day that will see the rivalry between the Pens and the Caps heat up. Having played in late December, the two teams will already be in a feisty mood on January 1. Caps fans aren’t far away – they will be there in droves to cheer on Ovechkin and company. Can’t wait.

Dreaming

We’ll all enjoy watching the season play out for all the teams. Who will be better than we thought they’d be? Who will fall apart, maybe because of injuries? What rookie will play like a ten year veteran? Most importantly, who will be playing for the Cup in June?

While perusing my three favorite sports magazines, The Hockey News, The Sporting News, and ESPN the Magazine, I couldn’t help but see a theme – picks to win the Stanley Cup include the Caps, the Pens and the Canucks. Here is the breakdown per magazine:

The Hockey News

Media Picks: Penguins, followed by the Sharks and Caps in a tie
Fan Picks: Canucks, Caps and Pens

The Sporting News

Canucks over the Red Wings; Caps over the Pens; Canucks to win the Cup

ESPN the Magazine

E. J. Hradek: Pens vs. Blackhawks; Pens win the Cup
Barry Melrose: Caps vs. Canucks; Canucks win the Cup
Mathew Barnaby: Pens vs. Red Wings; Pens win the Cup

Verrrrrrry interesting….

And the Winner Is...

Let’s flash forward to June – the Pens have won their second Winter Classic, eliminated the Caps in the playoffs and are playing for the Stanley Cup. Out west, the Canucks have taken out the Red Wings and are playing for the Stanley Cup.

Wait…..

The Pens vs. the Canucks for the Stanley Cup? I gather that many hockey people see this as a likely scenario, and I have to agree but here at Hockey and High Heels, this could mean BIG TROUBLE! You see, Lisa Ovens lives in Vancouver and the Canucks are her team. I, on the other hand, although living in Texas, am a Pittsburgher and the Pens are my team! Are you beginning to see the potential problems here?

Can a friendship between two female hockey writers who root for opposing teams in the Stanley Cup playoffs make it through a seven games series?? Will I go to Pittsburgh or Vancouver to see games in person? Will Lisa go to Pittsburgh to see games in person? Will we still be speaking??

Will the Canadian Canuck fans turn on their Olympic hero, Sidney Crosby? Yes, I think they will in a heartbeat if it means winning the Cup. Will they also turn on the likes of other Canadians like Max Talbot, Marc-Andre Fluery, Pascal Dupuis, and Kris Letang? What about their long lost pest, Matt Cooke? And native son, Mario Lemieux? You betcha!

And Pens’ fans won’t enjoy seeing the double-trouble the Sedin twins bring nor the highly talented Roberto Luongo invading the crease in the Consol Arena.

But there are still other problems. Can we stay awake for a coast-to-coast series?? Will we have to call in sick after games played in Vancouver??

Can Lisa be broadminded enough to publish my columns after a Pens win? Can I pretend not to be a sore loser after a Canucks win?

No matter how many problems this situation could potentially create, wouldn’t it be fun? Maybe for Pens and Canucks fans, but this is the time of year when every team and their fans think they will win the Cup and I don’t want to rain on that parade at all, so…

Let’s Slow it Down

Back to present day – just a few days before the drop of the puck for real. The Pens have come through their exhibition season 5-1, off to a good start. No Jordan Staal for 10 or more games will hurt, but we know he’s coming back soon. Can’t wait to see the two new defensemen in action. Can’t wait to see Geno and Max rebound from so-so seasons. Can’t wait to see how Sid reacts without Guerin’s counsel. Can’t wait to see Mario welcome us to the new place.

So much to hope for, so many dreams all around the league. Whatever team you root for and whatever you can’t wait for, I hope you get your chance to see it all start to unfold at a rink near you really soon!

Good luck, NHL!