The Confluence

Crosby is Shero’s Wildcard Heading Towards Deadline

by Tony on 02/18/11 at 10:41 AM ET
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Well, it’s that time of year.  The anticipation is building.  The rumor mongers are coming out of the woodwork (thanks, Twitter).

Some pretty significant trades have already been made, some 10 days before the trade deadline on Feb. 28th.  So in that respect it’s natural for Penguins fans to start getting antsy, especially since so many teams have already made at least one move to re-shape their rosters.

But for Pens’ GM Ray Shero, he’s got more than just your normal NHL GM things to consider when it comes to making any major moves as we get closer to the deadline.

He somehow needs to assess whether he’s going to have his franchise player available sometime this season.

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Catch the Penguins and Blackhawks at NBCSports.com Sunday for Free

by Tony on 02/17/11 at 03:45 PM ET
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From NBC Sports:

NBCSports.com will be streaming Sunday’s 3:30 p.m. Penguins-Blackhawks game free of charge on NBCSports.com.

The specific URL where the game will be shown will be available on NBCSports.com on Sunday.

The stream will be HD quality, feature an online-only camera angle and in-game highlights.

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 Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,

A Deep Dive into the Penguins’ Fighting Majors

by Tony on 02/16/11 at 06:38 PM ET
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One of the main topics of discussion as a result of the Penguins/Islanders fiasco last Friday night was the fact that the Penguins lead the league in penalty minutes, major penalties and fighting majors, which they still do with 1113, 63 and 59 respectively.

I was really curious into the individual game circumstances that resulted in that league-leading number of fights by the Penguins, such as were the Pens winning at the time, prompting the opposition to try to give themselves a kickstart by dropping the gloves?  Or vice versa?

So I went through each game of the Penguins’ season to date, here’s what I came up with:

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 Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,

Vote for The Confluence in the “Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament”

by Tony on 02/15/11 at 02:48 PM ET
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The good folks at Sean’s Ramblings have been kind enough to once again nominate The Confluence into it’s “Best Pittsburgh Sports Blog Tournament”.

Looks like I’m matched up against the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Steelers blog “Blog N’ Gold”.

So if you’re so inclined, please vote here.

Thanks, as always.

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 Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,

Some Things Overlooked When Discussing Pens/Islanders Fiasco

by Tony on 02/15/11 at 02:38 PM ET
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Let’s put aside the dozens of articles that have been written since the debacle on Long Island last Friday night.  Everybody’s got an opinion on the matter, whether you’re talking about the Islanders’ tactics, the individual acts of their players or the residual effects, such as the NHL’s and/or Mario Lemieux’ respective responses.

That dead horse has certainly been beaten.  Personally, I’m moving on.

But before I do, allow me this one article to mention some topics relating to that game that either have been overlooked (maybe conveniently so), or simply ignored.  Whether they were purposely ignored is anyone’s guess, but let’s take a look at some other things that occurred Friday night that didn’t quite make the headlines.

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Bylsma: Two Years on the Job

by Tony on 02/15/11 at 09:01 AM ET
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From the Penguins’ Sam Kasan:

Today, Feb. 15, marks the two-year anniversary of the hiring of Dan Bylsma as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins. In just two seasons, he is one of the most successful coaches in team history.

Bylsma began the 2008-09 campaign with his first-ever head coaching job, with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, and ended it by hoisting the Stanley Cup with Pittsburgh.  Bylsma led WBS to a 35-16-1-2 record before Penguins GM Ray Shero brought him to Pittsburgh on Feb. 15, 2009. “I got a call from Ray and he wanted to talk on my office phone,” Bylsma said. “That five minutes was a whirlwind.”

Bylsma was introduced to the team at their hotel and he was behind the bench for his first-ever NHL game as head coach the following afternoon. The rest, as they say, is history. But that history is still being written.  Here is a look back at some of Bylsma’s monumental achievements so far:

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 Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,

Pens GM defends team’s style of play

by Tony on 02/15/11 at 08:22 AM ET
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From the Pittsburgh Tribune Review’s Rob Rossi:

Q: Does your team have an image problem?

A: No. Not at all. You’ve written that. You wrote it (Sunday). I don’t think it’s an issue.

I want to be a blue-collar, hard-working hockey team. We’re not a dirty team. OK, Matt Cooke - everybody is saying, “How can you say this and have Matt Cooke?” He gets fined, suspended. In the (Columbus defenseman Fedor) Tyutin case, (Cooke) was talked to by me and the coach. I talked to him after the Savard hit.

Hard-working and aggressive (play) go into the same thing. From our hockey team’s standpoint, I think we play with honor. I really do.  Matt Cooke wasn’t about Friday night. Friday night was something different.

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Crosby Gives Latest Injury Update

by Tony on 02/10/11 at 01:33 PM ET
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 Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,

Penguins Recall Four Players

by Tony on 02/10/11 at 09:04 AM ET
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From the Penguins:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have recalled four players from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton of the American Hockey League, it was announced by executive vice president and general manager Ray Shero.  The four players recalled are forwards Ryan Craig, Nick Johnson, Brett Sterling and Joe Vitale.

Johnson, 25, leads WBS with 20 goals while placing second (tied) with 39 points in 48 games. He also has a team-high 10 power-play goals.  Sterling, 26, is also tied for second in scoring on WBS with 39 points through 46 contests. He’s posted 18 goals, 21 assists, six power-play goals and a plus-12 rating.  Craig, 29, ranks fourth on WBS with 33 points on 13 goals and 20 assists in 49 games.  Vitale, 25, has appeared in 50 games this season for WBS, recording eight goals, 27 points, a plus-12 rating and two shorthanded tallies.

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 Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,

Pens Notes:  Hey, It Builds Character, Right?

by Tony on 02/09/11 at 08:30 PM ET
Comments (6)

What an absolutely ducky 2011 it’s been for your Pittsburgh Penguins so far, eh?

Before I start bloviating, allow me to apologize for my lack of very many opinion-related articles over the past couple of months.  Admittedly, I’m in the midst of my worst writer’s slump in nearly five years of blogging.  I’m fighting through it, and I thank Paul for being patient while I get my second wind.  Combine that with being busy at my real job (yes, I have one), and just recently with preparing to fly to Connecticut to pick up a Camaro I’m buying, I just haven’t expended the energy that I used to when preparing a good opinion article.  So, thanks.

But anyway, there’s certainly some hot-button topics to discuss, so let’s get started:

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 Tags: NHL-Hockey, Pittsburgh+Penguins,

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