Pens Tidbits

[X-Terminator]

Recchi honored by NHL

By The Tribune-Review
Tuesday, January 30, 2007

Mark Recchi was chosen as the NHL's First Star and player of the week after scoring three goals and three assists in the Penguins' wins at Dallas and Phoenix. Winning awards isn't what motivates Recchi at this point in his career. Recchi, who will turn 39 on Thursday, is more into Stanley Cups.

"Winning in '91 and getting an opportunity with Carolina last year to win, that's what keeps me going," Recchi said Monday during an NHL conference call. "I look at our team now and I see a contender in the not too distant (future), and that's what I play for. When you get a taste of that, you want to keep going."

Recchi, who won Stanley Cups with Pittsburgh in 1991 and Carolina in 2006, became the oldest Penguins player to record a hat trick when he scored three times Jan. 20 against Toronto. He also became the 38th player in NHL history with 500 career goals when he scored twice against Dallas and, earlier this season, he scored his 1,300th career point and played in his 1,300th game.

? The Penguins again demoted defenseman Noah Welch to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League. It is his fourth stint in the minors this season. After beginning the season in the AHL, Welch was initially recalled Oct. 23 and demoted Dec. 4. He was recalled again Jan. 11 after a knee injury to Josef Melichar and sent back down 10 days later to get some playing time during the All-Star break. He was called up for the Penguins' recent trip to Dallas and Phoenix as an emergency backup because the team only has six healthy defensemen on the roster.

? Coach Michel Therrien on how the team will avert fatigue heading down the stretch: "We take a lot of pride about playing four lines and that gives us a lot of energy in the third period, and the conditioning of this team is really good. But in the meantime, we take pride about playing four lines. The team is there and everybody's got big roles, and we're going to stick to that."

Digits

23 - Points the Penguins have improved, compared with the 31 points they had with an 11-28-9 record a year ago.

66 - Players taken before Mark Recchi in the 1988 draft.

87 - Career goals scored by the three players -- forwards Darrin Shannon (87), Mark Major (0) and Daniel Gauthier (0) -- the Penguins opted for before selecting Recchi in the fourth round.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_490859.html

[HometownGal]

Excellent article on The Wreckin Ball, XT. He's in his late 30's and still plays his heart out each and every game. The way he's going and barring injury, he's got another 2-3 years left in him and I hope those years are spent as a Penguin.!

What a great game last night!!! Again, contributions from the back lines. Fleurry was awesome in goal, as well. LET'S GO PENS!

[83-Steelers-43]

6-0-1 and rollin SCM...

Fleury stifles Panthers

By Karen Price
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, January 31, 2007


There are many reasons why the Penguins are arguably one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the second half of the season began, including good puck possession, balanced scoring from all four lines and decent special teams.

But perhaps chief among them has been the play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who recorded his third shutout of the season and the fifth of his career Tuesday night in a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers.

"(Tuesday) was a great team effort, but we were completely led by (Fleury)," said defenseman Ryan Whitney, who extended his point streak to eight games. "It's great to see him step up. He's having such a great season and (last night) showed what he's able to do and what he's done for us all year."

Fleury made 32 saves in the win, as the Penguins (24-17-8) beat the Panthers at Mellon Arena for the first time since March 5, 2002, ending an 0-6-1 streak. Going into last night, the Penguins had beaten the Panthers only once since the 2001-02 season (1-12-1).

The Penguins are 6-1-1 since the second half of the season started, with four wins in a row and 13 points out of a possible 14 in their last seven games.

"It's a pretty good stretch," Fleury said. "I don't think I've ever had so many wins. It's a good feeling to know that every night we have a chance to win the game."

The Penguins even shut down Panthers captain Olli Jokinen, who had a hat trick against them three weeks earlier. The closest Jokinen came to scoring last night was when the Penguins got into penalty trouble midway through the third period and he hit the post.

Fleury hasn't lost a game in regulation since Jan. 9 at the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"You can hear him on the ice, he's always cheering," defenseman Alain Nasreddine said of Fleury. "He's happy when he makes a good save, he's happy when we block a shot, always talking to us and telling us, 'Good job.' He's so confident right now, and we're so confident when he's in the net, too."

Michel Ouellet, who has points in seven of his last eight games, scored his 10th goal of the season with 1:49 left in the first period to give the Penguins the lead.

Then early in the second period, the Penguins' fourth line chipped in for the second game in a row. Dominic Moore backhanded a shot past goaltender Ed Belfour from in front of the net.

Midway through the period, the Panthers got into penalty trouble, getting called three times in two minutes, and after two near misses from Sidney Crosby and Ouellet, Whitney scored at 10:46 to extend his point streak to a team-leading eight games (two goals, nine assists).

The game was the Penguins' first at home after back-to-back road wins over the weekend. Among the 15,405 in attendance was new Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who got an ovation from fans when shown on the Jumbotron in the second period.

With the win, the eighth-place Penguins increased their lead to two points over the ninth-place New York Rangers with a game in hand and pulled within two points of the sixth-place Carolina Hurricanes.

They'll try to tie their season high of five wins in a row on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens.

"We wanted to come back from that road trip and have focus to play this game the way we did the last few on the road," said Crosby, who had an assist. "We've always had confidence, we're just showing it more consistently right now."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_491075.html

[X-Terminator]

Originally Posted by HometownGal

Excellent article on The Wreckin Ball, XT. He's in his late 30's and still plays his heart out each and every game. The way he's going and barring injury, he's got another 2-3 years left in him and I hope those years are spent as a Penguin.!

What a great game last night!!! Again, contributions from the back lines. Fleurry was awesome in goal, as well. LET'S GO PENS!

I was kinda surprised that nobody posted that yet, so I took it upon myself to do so - it's a great accomplishment. He'll go down as one of the least-known 500 goal scorers in history, almost on the level of Ron Francis being the 5th leading scorer all-time. He says that he wants to play another year or two, and hey - the way he's playing right now and being such a well-conditioned athlete with few major injuries in his career, who says he couldn't?

Sadly, I missed all but the last 15 minutes of the 3rd period last night (so what else is new, huh? LOL), but I did remember to record it so I can watch it later. I did see the highlights, and it looked like everyone performed well, especially Fleury. The great thing about this current win streak is that they're getting contributions from their other lines so that Crosby and Malkin don't have to do it all. If they keep that up, they'll keep right on rolling and may end up in the playoffs after all!

Next up - Montreal. The key is to stay out of the penalty box, because their power play is excellent. But it should be a good one nonetheless!

[SteelCityMan786]

Originally Posted by 83-Steelers-43

6-0-1 and rollin SCM...

Fleury stifles Panthers

By Karen Price
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, January 31, 2007


There are many reasons why the Penguins are arguably one of the hottest teams in the NHL since the second half of the season began, including good puck possession, balanced scoring from all four lines and decent special teams.

But perhaps chief among them has been the play of goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury, who recorded his third shutout of the season and the fifth of his career Tuesday night in a 3-0 win over the Florida Panthers.

"(Tuesday) was a great team effort, but we were completely led by (Fleury)," said defenseman Ryan Whitney, who extended his point streak to eight games. "It's great to see him step up. He's having such a great season and (last night) showed what he's able to do and what he's done for us all year."

Fleury made 32 saves in the win, as the Penguins (24-17-8) beat the Panthers at Mellon Arena for the first time since March 5, 2002, ending an 0-6-1 streak. Going into last night, the Penguins had beaten the Panthers only once since the 2001-02 season (1-12-1).

The Penguins are 6-1-1 since the second half of the season started, with four wins in a row and 13 points out of a possible 14 in their last seven games.

"It's a pretty good stretch," Fleury said. "I don't think I've ever had so many wins. It's a good feeling to know that every night we have a chance to win the game."

The Penguins even shut down Panthers captain Olli Jokinen, who had a hat trick against them three weeks earlier. The closest Jokinen came to scoring last night was when the Penguins got into penalty trouble midway through the third period and he hit the post.

Fleury hasn't lost a game in regulation since Jan. 9 at the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"You can hear him on the ice, he's always cheering," defenseman Alain Nasreddine said of Fleury. "He's happy when he makes a good save, he's happy when we block a shot, always talking to us and telling us, 'Good job.' He's so confident right now, and we're so confident when he's in the net, too."

Michel Ouellet, who has points in seven of his last eight games, scored his 10th goal of the season with 1:49 left in the first period to give the Penguins the lead.

Then early in the second period, the Penguins' fourth line chipped in for the second game in a row. Dominic Moore backhanded a shot past goaltender Ed Belfour from in front of the net.

Midway through the period, the Panthers got into penalty trouble, getting called three times in two minutes, and after two near misses from Sidney Crosby and Ouellet, Whitney scored at 10:46 to extend his point streak to a team-leading eight games (two goals, nine assists).

The game was the Penguins' first at home after back-to-back road wins over the weekend. Among the 15,405 in attendance was new Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who got an ovation from fans when shown on the Jumbotron in the second period.

With the win, the eighth-place Penguins increased their lead to two points over the ninth-place New York Rangers with a game in hand and pulled within two points of the sixth-place Carolina Hurricanes.

They'll try to tie their season high of five wins in a row on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens.

"We wanted to come back from that road trip and have focus to play this game the way we did the last few on the road," said Crosby, who had an assist. "We've always had confidence, we're just showing it more consistently right now."

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_491075.html

Don't Stop believing Pittsburgh.

[83-Steelers-43]

Next few games should be something SCM. Montreal, Washington, Montreal and then Nashville. Some people doubted them against the Panthers, I say keep doubting them.

I see no reason why this team can't beat the Habs or Preds at this point. Team is hot and they are molding beautifully. Therrien has them believing.

[83-Steelers-43]

With Fleury, I'm still up in the air. There is no doubt the kid has been playing out of his skull over the last few weeks and he's always showed signs of becoming a very good future goaltender. I'm just hoping this is not a flash in the pan type of ordeal. I'm not saying it is and I'm not saying it isn't.

I still remain cautiously optimistic when it comes to Fleury. Do it for a full season and I'm convinced. Goaltenders are strange like that. In general you hear about a goaltender one season (Hedberg) and then the guy is playing backup and you never hear from him again. There is no doubt the return of Eaton will help keep Fleury's "streak?" going. Eaton played one hell of a hockey game last night.

Here's to Fleury keeping it up!

[SteelCityMan786]

Originally Posted by 83-Steelers-43

Next few games should be something SCM. Montreal, Washington, Montreal and then Nashville. Some people doubted them against the Panthers, I say keep doubting them.

I see no reason why this team can't beat the Habs or Preds at this point. Team is hot and they are molding beautifully. Therrien has them believing.

Sounds Good. Go ahead and doubt. They'll prove people wrong.

[X-Terminator]

The latest on the arena situation - still keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well and the deal gets finalized.

Officials Hope To Reach Arena Deal By Friday

Andy Sheehan
Reporting

(KDKA) PITTSBURGH Negotiations are continuing between government officials and the Pittsburgh Penguins as they try to come to terms on the building of a new arena here in Pittsburgh.

Both sides are now discussing the loose framework of a deal but still going back and forth on some of the issues.

Still, there is hope for an agreement by the end of the week.

But if all goes well, it could be drawing to close shortly with a happy ending for Penguins fans.

"Time is of the essence and we have gone back and forth, I'm hopeful this week that we will have an answer from the Penguins and hopefully a deal," said Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl back on Monday.

Sources say progress has been made on the overall deal and the potential sticking points such as the sharing of parking revenue and the sharing of development rights to the land after the Mellon Arena is torn down.

One source says there's been major discussion over just who will pay a $10 million debt the Pens owe to their former gaming partner Isle of Capri.

The state, county and city have refused to foot the bill, but the same source says the city and county may buy the central medical building from the Pens to partially off-set that cost.

The Pens bought the building several years ago as a possible arena site.

But again, there are no guarantees from the management here.

Sources are telling KDKA Investigator Marty Sheehan that this could get done in the next 24 hours in anticipation of an announcement on Friday.

However, the talks could very well take a step backward.

http://kdka.com/seenon/local_story_031155623.html

[X-Terminator]

BTW, I think it's bullshit that the Pens are still asking the government to pay even part of the $10 million owed to Isle of Capri - a debt that THEY incurred themselves by partnering with them. Corporate welfare at it's finest. Yes, I want a deal done, but the Pens have to be willing to give some things up. They CANNOT get everything.

Edit: Tulsa, OK is now interested in bringing the Pens there if there is no deal. NHL hockey in fscking TULSA????????? What the hell goes on in TULSA other than nothing?


Tulsa joins growing list of suitors for Penguins
Minor league hockey team owner in Oklahoma hopes to lure Penguins with 18,000-seat arena

Thursday, February 01, 2007
By Mark Belko, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

As state and local officials try to complete a deal to keep the Penguins in Pittsburgh, another city could be in the hunt for the team if those efforts fail.

Bob Funk, president and chief executive officer of Express Personnel Services Inc., told a Tulsa, Okla., newspaper that he has an interest in bringing the Penguins to that city if a deal falls through in Pittsburgh.

Mr. Funk, owner of the Oklahoma City Blazers hockey team, previously was part of a business group looking to invite the Penguins to Oklahoma City to play in the Ford Center. That invitation never materialized.

In Tulsa, the 18,000-seat BOK Center currently is under construction, with a scheduled opening in 2008.

According to the Tulsa World newspaper, Mr. Funk said he has formulated a plan to try to bring the Penguins to that city. He said he hoped to talk to Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux about a possible relocation.

Mr. Funk could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Tulsa is just one of several cities that could be in the running for the team if local efforts fail. Kansas City, with the $276 million Sprint Center getting ready to open this fall, is the presumed frontrunner should the team leave Pittsburgh. Officials there have offered the team a free arena, no construction costs, and half the building revenues.

Houston also has an interest in the team. While Oklahoma City did not extend an invitation to the Penguins, there may still be interest in bringing the franchise there.

The Penguins declined comment yesterday.

As cities line up to try to lure the team away, the team continues to talk to Gov. Ed Rendell, Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Allegheny County Chief Executive Dan Onorato about reaching an agreement that would keep the franchise in Pittsburgh.

While public officials continue to express confidence about completing a deal, no formal negotiations have been scheduled, although the two sides are exchanging information and proposals.

Mr. Ravenstahl said the parties could talk on a conference call later this week, but he added nothing has been scheduled yet.

"They're having conversations. I have not heard about any blowups so I guess that's a good thing," said state Sen. Wayne Fontana, a board member for the city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority, which is involved in the negotiations.

"Everything seems to be positive. There's been no negative conversations or statements by anybody, which I think is a positive sign. Some agreement could be reached any day now."

The state and local politicians are hoping to complete a deal under Plan B, a funding formula that includes $14.5 million a year for 30 years in slots gambling-related revenues, plus an annual contribution from the Penguins. Mr. Rendell has said the team contribution is now a "fraction" of the $2.9 million a year the Pirates pledged toward PNC Park.

In his interview with Tulsa World Sports Columnist Glenn Hibdon, Mr. Funk said three or four other franchises could be interested in relocating to the BOK Center, but that he had his sights set on the Penguins.

"Pittsburgh has Sidney Crosby, the brightest young star in the NHL in many years," he said. "They have great young players and they should be a strong team for many years to come."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07032/758485-61.stm