Honorable Mention – Pens back-to-back Cups
So this moment wasn’t within the last 15 years. But you know what, this is a blog about the Penguins and we’d be remiss if we didn’t include it. It’s close enough!!!
The Cup wins officially made this town a hockey town. Since the 1970s, Pittsburghers have expected greatness from the Steelers and Pirates. Countless championships led to this city being named the ‘City of Champions.’
Hockey was always on the back burner. The Penguins, at times, fielded a competitive team and gained interest in the 1970s. They reached the playoffs in 1970, 1972 and 1975 — where they became one of the only clubs in any sport to ever build a 3-0 series lead and lose, 4-3 (sigh). The beginning of the 1980s was rather successful as well, but from 1983-1989 the franchise missed the playoffs every year.
That drought diverted fans to the Steelers and Pirates, which were all enjoying success. In 1984 Mario Lemieux was drafted and things started to change. Just his name brought people to the arena to watch the team.
Still, wins were hard to come by. The aura of a superstar player only lasts for so long. But eventually the team improved, and after four years Pittsburgh was in the playoffs in the 1988-89 season.
Two years later, the Stanley Cup made it’s first appearance in the Steel City.
Pittsburgh Penguins 2009-10 Regular Season Schedule
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Pens sign Lovejoy, Wallace
The Pittsburgh Penguins announced today the signing of defenseman Ben Lovejoy and forward Tim Wallace (Penguins.com).
Both spent time between Pittsburgh and Wilkes-Barre last season. Lovejoy played in two games in the NHL, while Wallace played in played in 16 games and registered two assists.
The two will likely be the first to get a call up to the Penguins in 2009-10 if the Pens need fill-ins. Wallace is a guy people talk about as a possible permanent fourth-liner. He’s a gritty, grind-it-out winger that fits perfectly on a fourth line. Lovejoy is the best defenseman in the Penguins’ minor league system, in my opinion.
Click read more for their career stats in professional hockey.
Honorable Mention — Winter Classic
Everyone watching the game got a special feeling when Ty Conklin stopped Buffalo’s third shooter, Maxim Afinogenov, sending Sidney Crosby to center ice with the game on his stick.
I turned to my friends and said, “if Sid scores, this is everything Gary Bettman could have ever dreamed of.”
It was theater to the 10th degree. I hate using a Pierre MacGuire saying, but it’s true. The game was like the NHL’s Super Bowl and the league’s Tom Brady had one last drive to win the game.
Crosby took the puck, skated in on Sabres goaltender Ryan Miller, slowly drove in and, at the last second, fired the puck between Miller’s legs to win the game. It was the beginning of something special for the Penguins. It was a kick start to the first Stanley Cup Finals appearance for Pittsburgh since 1992. Lastly, it gave tons of Penguins fans, and the nation, a glimpse of how exciting the new style of NHL play could be.
Pens vs. Isles — Crosby vs. Tavares — Rumored for opening game
Several sources are reporting that the Penguins and Islanders will open the 2009-10 season against each other at Nassau Coliseum Oct. 3 at 7 p.m.
Sean Leahy at Puck Daddy and Point Blank both report this.
If it’s true, the National Hockey League and the New York Islanders are constructing a great plan to open the season. Many want to crown John Tavares as another superstar. All signs point to him eventually being just that.
As for the Islanders’ organization, the hype over this kid is increasing ticket, merchandise and pretty much everything else sales-wise. The opportunity to open the season at home against the defending Stanley Cup champions will only further the enthusiasm on Long Island.
Honorable Mention – Pitt Stadium’s Final Game
The final game at Pitt Stadium still hasn’t ended. In fact it never will.
With nine seconds left and Pitt leading the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 37-27, Pitt fans rushed the field and refused to leave. It’s almost fitting that one of the most historic stages in college football will continue to live on forever.
As a fan in attendance that night, I can speak with confidence about the atmosphere that night — Nov. 13, 1999. The stadium was packed with over 60,000 fans as the 8th largest crowd for a football game in school history.
Sure, neither Pitt nor Notre Dame were having championship caliber seasons like both programs had become famous for. However, both teams were fighting to go down in history as the last team to win at the fabled stadium in Oakland.
In fitting fashion, Pitt won, sending Pitt Stadium off in victorious fashion. Although with nine seconds left to play, the game will live on forever.
Honorable Mention – Three Rivers Stadium Implosion
A new generation of Pittsburgh sports fans have witnessed two Super Bowl wins, a Stanley Cup, the fall of the Pirates and countless other memorable events. We at Pittsburgh Puck Talk have put together our list of the ‘Top 15 Pittsburgh Sports Moments of the last 15 years.’ Today is the first day of the series, with the Implosion of Three Rivers Stadium being Moment #15 …
Three Rivers Stadium was demolished on Feb. 11, 2001, after 30 years of hosting both the Pittsburgh Pirates and Pittsburgh Steelers. It alone was responsible for more memorable moments in Pittsburgh sports than any other venue in the city’s history.
Three Rivers Stadium
From Roberto Clemente’s 3,000th hit to the Immaculate Reception, the city of Pittsburgh earned great fame for the events that happened there. After its opening on July 16, 1970, Pittsburgh came to be known as the City of Champions because of the success both the Pirates and Steelers had while playing in Three Rivers Stadium.
To get a good feel of how much history actually took place at Three Rivers, here are some facts about the stadium:
Top 15 moments of the last 15 years
For many of us, the last 15 years in Pittsburgh sports are our history.
A new generation of Pittsburgh sports fans have witnessed two Super Bowl wins, a Stanley Cup, the fall of the Pirates and countless other memorable events. We at Pittsburgh Puck Talk have put together our list of the ‘Top 15 Pittsburgh Sports Moments of the last 15 years.’
It’s a series that will start on Monday and run for three weeks. We will post a new moment every day from Monday-Friday each week.
We’ve been working long and hard on this project for months now and feel we’ve got the definite Top 15. And remember, it’s a list for the new generation of Pittsburgh sports fans.
The series will start with 5 honorable mentions and then progress in to a Top 10. We hope you’ll stop by to check it out and that you enjoy the work we’ve put in to them.
It’s just another way to enjoy a glorious offseason.
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Chris | PPT
Penguins sign Jay McKee
The guy many thought Ray Shero would go after is now a Penguin.
The Confluence, Faceoff-Factor and Hockeybuzz all confirm this.
Jay McKee, formerly with the St. Louis Blues, signed with the Penguins Thursday evening for 1 year at $800,000.
His career stats:
Lost in the shuffle — Chris Lee
Chris Lee
So many signings go unnoticed with the craziness of free agency. Such was the case for us and the signing of Chris Lee.
Around the same time Chris Conner was signed to Wilkes-Barre, so was Lee. Lee, 28, has yet to play a game in the National Hockey League. His situation in joining the Penguins is similar to Conner’s, with his chances of seeing time in the NHL soon being slim.
Lee earned $500,000 as a player for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the AHL — affiliate of the New York Islanders. The terms of his contract are unknown, but likely resemble that number. He is 6-0, 185 pounds and is a left-handed shooter.
His last two years in the AHL have been consistent, but nowhere near consistent enough to earn a chance in the NHL.
Team Info
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Stanley Cup Champions
Penguins Win Series 4-3
Playoff Stats:
Points: Evgeni Malkin (14 G + 22 A) – 36 pts.
Goals: Sidney Crosby – 15 G
Assists: Evgeni Malkin – 22 A
PIM: Evgeni Malkin – 51 PIM
+/-: Sidney Crosby — +9
GAA: Marc-Andre Fleury – 2.61
SV%: Marc-Andre Fleury – .908
Regular Season Stats:
Points: Evgeni Malkin – 113 points (35 G + 78 A)
Goals: Evgeni Malkin – 35 goals
Assists: Evgeni Malkin – 78 assists
PIM: Eric Godard - 171 PIM
+/-: Rob Scuderi — +23
GAA: Marc-Andre Fleury – 2.66
SV%: Marc-Andre Fleury – .905
