Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Update 11/6/12

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins had a successful weekend road trip. Before the road trip, the Penguins were 2-5-0. Now, the Penguins were able to defeat the Manchester Monarchs and Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
The Manchester Monarchs are currently the best team in the Atlantic Division. The Penguins had a difficult game ahead of them, but they were able to blank the Monarchs 3-0. After a scoreless first period, Eric Tangradi scored a power play goal in the second period to put the Penguins ahead 1-0, while extending his goal scoring streak to 5 games. The Penguins scored a power play goal later in the period off of a slap shot from defenseman Dylan Reese. The Penguins would end the game with an empty net goal by Paul Thompson with 40.1 seconds remaining in the third period.
The Penguins went on to play the Bridgeport Sound Tigers ranked 2nd in the Northeast Division. The Penguins were tied halfway through the second period, when Paul Thompson began his scoring stretch. He scored with a wrist shot from the far circle with about 12 minutes remaining in the period. Thompson later scored from the slot with an assist from Brian Gibbons 5 minutes later to put the Penguins up 3-1. Thompson completed the Natural Hat Trick with a goal that went five hole to beat the goaltender with 37 seconds remaining in the second. The Penguins were able to defeat the Tigers 5-3.
The Penguins are going to play the Binghamton Senators tomorrow night at home. Games can be watched at the Penguin's website.
That is it for this week. Check back next time for another AHL/NHL update.

Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins Update

The Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins are the American Hockey League affiliate of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Despite the NHL's lockout, the AHL continues to play games.  The Penguins have started out this season pretty rough, dropping the first four games of the season. After two wins against Rochester and Syracuse last week, the Penguins are at a 2-5-0 record. Each contest has been down to one or two goals, so the Penguins are not doing as bad as their record shows. Currently, Eric Tangradi is leading the team with five goals and zero assists, with five points on the season. Goaltender Jeff Zatkoff has struggled in his five games started. He has a save percentage of .894. His backup, Brad Thiessian, has played two games, won one game, and has let by 7 goals.
The Penguins are hoping for a much needed win tonight at Manchester before going to Bridgeport. Manchester has started out a solid team winning 5 out of their 6 competitions so far this season. In this situation, every game is a must win for the Penguins. Because they are 3 games under .500, the team needs to step up their game. Despite a few stars, such as Tangradi, stepping up and scoring for the team, many of the players are struggling, especially the goaltenders.
While I look at this situation as a must win, I still must remember that it is early in the season. But, every game is crucial during the year.
By the way, for those of you who are going to comment "This is a Pittsburgh Penguins blog! Who cares about the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins?!?" Many players from the WBS Penguins come up to the NHL to play when players are injured.. Brad Thiessian played a few games last year for the Pittsburgh Penguins, along with Eric Tangradi, Philippe Dupuis, and Simon Despres. The development of these players are crucial so they can hopefully play in the NHL with the Pittsburgh Penguins when they are needed.
That is it for this week. Check back next time!

Penguins NHL Winter Classic History

The NHL Winter Classic is one of the premier events held during the regular season. Every year since 2008, the NHL chooses two American based teams to compete in this popular sporting event. What sets the Winter Classic apart from all other games is that it is played outdoors, and teams wear retro jerseys from the team's jersey.
The first Winter Classic took place at Ralph Wilson Stadium near Buffalo, New York. This game was the highest attended NHL game with about 71,000 attending. The Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Buffalo Sabres 2 to 1 in a shootout. This game was especially special because a blizzard went through New York right around game time, making it a beautiful sight to see. While it looked cool, the ice surface was difficult to play on, and caused many irregular bounces of the puck and an increased difficulty in skating for the players. The main highlight of this game was seen in the shootout when Sidney Crosby scored the game winning goal.

The fourth NHL Winter Classic took place in Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. This Winter Classic took place between the Penguins and the dreaded Washington Capitals. The Penguins would go on to lose the game 3 to 1 with the lone Penguin goal coming on a breakaway from Evgeni Malkin. This game was the first Winter Classic to be played in primetime due to the unseasonably warm weather and predicted rainstorm in Pittsburgh. During the game, Sidney Crosby received a cheap shot to the head by David Steckel which was considered to help lead to Crosby's concussion issues during the late 2011 and most of 2012 seasons.

NHL Lockout Update 10/19/12

Welcome back hockey fans to another Penguins/NHL/anything hockey update. This week, the NHL's owners proposed a plan to solve the debate over the Collective Bargaining Agreement that would offer a 50/50 split for the players and a full 82 game season that would be likely to start in the middle of November. While this sounds like an excellent deal at first, you have to look at the offer from the player's perspective. "The Player's Association proposes that owners pay what they have promised to pay." tweeted former Penguin and current New York Ranger Mike Rupp. After debates over the current contract ensued, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman called the debates "a step backward". In response, many players are demanding to see how getting paid what was promised is seen as a step backward. Many players and sports analysts view the 50/50 deal as a publicity stunt to try to get opinion on the side of the owners.
"The owners' most current proposal was to reduce players salaries 12.3 percent," said Winnipeg Jets Right Winger Eric Fehr on Thursday. "Players asked me, 'How could that be fair?'"
Currently, I am starting to debate my viewpoint on this whole issue. I originally saw both sides to blame for the lockout, seeing everyone as being greedy. Now, I am beginning to see more of the player's perspective.  A 12.3% pay cut is significant. Many hockey players make less than a million dollars. This makes the NHL one of the lowest paying professional sports leagues in the country. Even as the NHL is making a huge revenue climb over the past decade, the owners are proposing that player's salaries to be cut. Also, many players suffer injuries during their career, and often find themselves unable to work after their hockey career, therefore making their salaries crucial. Because of these reasons, I have now decided to favor the players in this debate, as they are only asking for what they are promised.
Well, that is it for this week. Check in next week for more NHL news!  

NHL Lockout Update 10/2/12

Welcome back fans! As you might have guessed, the NHL lockout still isn't over. But, players continued negotiations with the NHL this afternoon in New York City for another two hours. At least we know that things are starting to head in the right direction.
While discussions continue, the NHL prospects had their annual game this week at the First Niagara Center, home of the Buffalo Sabres. Team McClanahan ended up winning this contest 5-2 against Team Housley with three major goals in the second period. This game gave many young players the ability to experience playing in an NHL atmosphere while not quite being on a professional hockey team yet.
"It was amazing, a great experience," Team Housley forward J.T. Compher said. "I've had so much fun being here. The Buffalo Sabres have been great, USA Hockey has been amazing. It means a lot knowing that young kids are going to look at this game and say, 'I want to play in the [All-American] Prospect Game, I want to be here for USA Hockey.'"
During the lockout, the coaches have managed to keep busy. Many of the Penguins' coaching staff, including head coach Dan Bylsma.
“You anticipate hockey for a long time in the summertime, getting ready for the season,” Bylsma said. “A chance to get on the ice, see these guys on the ice, work with players in the Pittsburgh Penguins organization – I get excited about that opportunity. I get excited about getting on the ice and I get excited about being a part of coaching our players.”
Finally, the Penguins organization is planning a new tournament to begin this year at the Consol Energy Center. The "Three Rivers Classic" college hockey tournament is set to take place on December 28 and 29th. The four competing teams are set to be Penn State, Ohio State, Miami of Ohio, and Robert Morris. Robert Morris, a nationally ranked hockey team, is easily a favorite for this tournament. I see them winning mainly because of their definite drive to win and overall skill on their lineup. Other teams, such as Penn State, are simply not as experienced in tournaments as this dominant Robert Morris team.
That is it for this week. Check back next week!

    

NHL Lockout 9/28/12

Well, another week has gone by, and still, the NHL remains locked out. The NHL released a report this week on Thursday morning that the remainder of the NHL's preseason has been cancelled. This means that if the NHL and the NHLPA reaches a decision soon, the earliest that the NHL season would begin is by October 8th. But, there is good news out of this. The NHL and the NHLPA have decided to continue negotiations. While both sides are still far away from reaching any agreements, this is a step in the right direction. Hopefully they can create a new Collective Bargaining Agreement and end the Lockout.

While things continue in the United States, Evgeni Malkin continues his career in the KHL. Right now, he has one goal and four assists in three games, which is outstanding.

While the NHL remains the dominant hockey league, they are not in charge of everything hockey. In fact, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) is in charge of everything hockey. This week, in Tokyo, the IIHF held their elections for offices. Returning as President of the IIHF is René Fasel. He will remain in office until 2016. The IIHF make executive decisions about the rules of the sport, and also hold tournaments in Europe every year for countries to compete in.

That is it for this week. Enjoy your weekend, and check back next week for more hockey news. 

NHL Lockout Update 9/24

Well, another weekend passes, and still the lockout has yet to be resolved by the NHL. Both sides are still standing by what they want, and not much progress has been made to reach a solution. While talks continue between the NHL and the NHLPA, it sure seems like this might take a while to resolve the lockout.
All I have been able to think about today is that the Penguins would have their first preseason game scheduled for this evening against the Columbus Blue Jackets. But, as we all know, there will be no hockey until October 3rd at the earliest for the Penguins, when they are scheduled to play the Detroit Red Wings. But, experts expect this lockout to continue well throughout the fall, and could even lead to a cancellation of the season. I typically like to be optimistic in bad situations, but I still have trouble seeing "the light at the end of the tunnel" in this debate. But, all we can do is wait, and hope for the best for this lockout end before they are forced to cancel the season.

While things in the United States continue to happen, Evgeni Malkin is continuing his career in the KHL. In fact, his game is about to wrap up right now. Unfortunately, there is no access to a live stream of the game, so we will have to wait until later to see how well he did today.
For full lockout and Evgeni Malkin updates, checkout http://www.thepensblog.com/. These guys are professional bloggers who update several times a day about the Penguins.
Thanks for checking in, and check back next time for another update. Lets all hope for the best!