Penguins News

"Although the Washington Capitals and Pittsburgh Penguins have remained rivals for years, never have the two franchises been so similar. A precocious but sublimely talented core? A drastic improvement from the season before to end a lengthy postseason drought? A team chock full of players experiencing the NHL playoffs for the first time? A season of promise dashed in the first round — an unfortunate end but one leaving a suddenly renewed fan base contemplating future greatness?"

"The argument revolving around the "best player in the world" may be impossible to accurately define, but this much is undeniable: Of the three most-often referenced presumptive nominees -- Sidney Crosby, Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin -- two play for the Penguins. That's the Flyers' problem in the Eastern Conference final. Eventually, it'll be the Red Wings' or Stars' dilemma. "

"Forward Max Talbot skated Thursday prior to the Penguins' practice at Mellon Arena but did not join teammates for the session. Talbot is not expected to play tonight in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final, though he is optimistic of a quick return despite a broken right foot."

"Weary fans at Mellon Arena - at least the ones still awake - went numb when Philadelphia's Keith Primeau whipped a shot past goaltender Ron Tugnutt at 92:01 of a fifth overtime in Game 4 of an Eastern Conference semifinal series. The Flyers' 2-1 victory evened a series the Penguins had led, 2-0, after improbably taking Games 1 and 2 in Philadelphia. The Flyers won the series, 4-2."

"Thousands of towel-waving, Philadelphia Flyers-hating, Sidney Crosby-adoring Penguins fans will flock to Mellon Arena tonight for a much anticipated playoff battle against the team's cross-state rivals. And they won't even get in the building. Such is the city's growing love affair with the young and talented Penguins that people are gathering in large numbers to watch the team's drive for the Stanley Cup on a 12-foot by 16-foot LED screen set up outside of the arena's Gate 3 entrance."

"As if the May calendar weren't already packed with graduations, weddings, final exams, vacations and Mother's Day, along come the Penguins, elbowing their way into the schedule with up to seven Eastern Conference playoff games against Philadelphia. Not that anyone's complaining about the prospect of another national championship for Pittsburgh and the excitement that goes with it. But all these late entries into the best-laid plans are creating some serious dilemmas for hockey fans with their eyes on the Stanley Cup."

"The Penguins haven't been anywhere near the wrong side of an elimination game, which could explain why they have been so consistently loose and upbeat. But while they've shown few, if any, signs of stress, they almost always have been able to focus on the challenge before them. There is no such thing as a team of destiny -- teams make their own destinies -- but these Penguins have been playing for weeks with a calm and confidence that belies the pressures of this stage."

"With the Eastern Conference final starting tonight in Pittsburgh, the Flyers have lost Kimmo Timonen, their top defenseman, with a blood clot in his left ankle. "[Timonen] was hit with a shot in Game 4 against Montreal. He played in Game 5, and it continued to bother him," said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. "We had an MRI done on him and followed it up with a visit to a vascular surgeon today; we had a second opinion done today. "There is a blood clot right in the front of his left foot, right about where he ties his skate. "

"Right in front of our eyes, while almost no one is noticing, one of the greatest come-from-behind sagas in the history of Pittsburgh sports is unfolding. The Penguins, not all that far removed from bankruptcy and a string of four consecutive last-places finishes, are in the process of surpassing the Steelers as Pittsburgh's favorite sports team. The Penguins haven't passed the Steelers -- yet -- but they're coming hard after having long ago whizzed by the Pirates. "

"There were 27 major penalties handed out in eight regular-season games between the Penguins and Philadelphia. Sixteen misconducts. And, oh yeah, 104 minors. Take those number at face value -- or just about any other way, for that matter -- and one might get the idea these teams don't care much for each other. Which would be correct. But even so, when the Penguins and Flyers meet in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference final tonight at Mellon Arena, there won't necessarily be a parade to the penalty box."

"The first time they met, they were expansion siblings playing the first hockey game in the Spectrum. The Philadelphia Flyers beat the Penguins without incident, 1-0, on a goal by Bill (Suds) Sutherland and a shutout by Doug Favell that October night in 1967. Forty-one years later, with four Stanley Cups and a list of grievances, real or perceived, between them, the two teams from opposite ends of the commonwealth are involved in the biggest playoff series between them, with the winner, or more accurately the survivor, earning the right to compete for the NHL championship."

"Forget the obvious perils of drawing long-term conclusions, positive or otherwise, about any player on the basis of what happens in one game, or even one series. The simple truth is, public opinion has nothing to do with whether the Penguins will move aggressively to re-sign Hossa this summer, or whether he will agree to return. The first thing general manager Ray Shero and his staff will have to do is decide if, from a hockey perspective, they want Hossa on their team. That should require roughly three-hundredths of a second (if they proceed cautiously)."

"Perhaps the Penguins long ago should have called in the best archeologists. Even as methodical as they are, maybe they could have unearthed Evgeni Malkin's personality a little faster than it has emerged on its own in a new language. Twenty-one months after he arrived in Pittsburgh to sign his NHL rookie contract, the enigmatic center's off-ice nature remains nearly buried to all but his teammates, even while his hockey skills have jetted him to the forefront of his sport as he and the team prepare to play Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference final starting tomorrow."

"The Flyers' John Stevens and Pittsburgh's Michel Therrien have coached against each other in the postseason twice before, just not in the NHL. Stevens was the coach of the Phantoms and Therrien was behind the bench for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins during series in 2004 and '05. In 2004, the Phantoms lost in six games in the East Division finals. The Phantoms had won the division title that year with 101 points, 15 better than the Penguins, but Wilkes-Barre/Scranton got on a roll in the postseason. After beating the Phantoms, the Penguins beat regular-season Eastern Conference champion Hartford in seven games to get to the Calder Cup finals, but were swept by Milwaukee, which had the most points in the league."

"Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero, son of legendary Flyers coach Fred Shero, said the Flyers and Penguins didn't have much of a rivalry in the mid-1970s, when his father coached the Flyers to two Stanley Cup championships. "I never had a hatred for the Penguins at all back then," Shero told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I go back there now and see their fans, they're just crazy. Man, I was one of them. They're passionate about their hockey team. It's a good hockey town." As for where the Flyers-Pens rivalry now stands, he said: "This year, I got a taste for it. I can sense it on the street.""

"The Penguins, the Flyers' opponent in the Eastern Conference finals that begin tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, have the game's most feared fighter in Georges Laraque, who carries 245 pounds behind his bad intentions. Laraque's tough-guy reputation is such that few among the league's fighters will even take him on. One of them is the Flyers' Riley Cote."

"Sometime within the next two weeks, after they settle their score in the Eastern Conference finals that will begin tomorrow night in Pittsburgh, the Flyers and Penguins will line up for the traditional handshake that takes place after the clinching game of every Stanley Cup playoff series. Judging by the contentious nature that characterized the eight games the teams played during the regular season - when they combined for 431 penalty minutes - there seems to be a good chance those handshakes will take place with swollen knuckles. And there's a good chance they'll be exchanging smiles with rearranged dental work."

"The sharp left onto Rosemary Hill Drive takes you up an unpaved road as steep as the Allegheny Mountains. This is R.J. Umberger territory. Two of the three homes on Rosemary Hill are occupied by the family of the Flyers center. "He could hit a baseball as far as he wanted," Umberger's father, Richard, said of the property that covers several acres. Or he could walk to the bottom of the hill, turn left, and cross over to Hereda Field to play baseball. Or go another quarter-mile to Plum High, a school that R.J. - short for Richard Jr. - attended. "Everything he needed was right here," Richard Umberger said of his son, a hero for the Flyers in the Montreal series with eight goals. R.J. will try for more of the same when the Eastern Conference finals against the Penguins begin tomorrow in Pittsburgh."

"We've reached that point in the buildup to the Flyers' series with Pittsburgh where newspaper columnists take potshots at the other city. Stuff like: Our defining '70s film was Rocky. Pittsburgh had The Deer Hunter, half of which was set in a desolate, violent warscape and the other half of which was set in Vietnam. But we're going to skip that tradition here. We're talking about Pittsburgh, that bridge-happy city on the other side of the state. We're talking about our neighbors. Taking cheap shots at Pittsburgh would be like picking a fight with your favorite cousin."

"Forward Max Talbot did not participate in a full practice Wednesday at Mellon Arena - the Penguins' first since wrapping a second-round series Sunday against the New York Rangers. Talbot missed the final two games of that series with a broken right foot. He briefly tried skating yesterday prior to practice but was visibly frustrated before leaving the ice after only a few minutes. "

"Eddie Olczyk doesn't know where this latest Michel Therrien-John Stevens get-together is headed, but he knows where their relationship has been. "Obviously, there's been tension in the past," said Olczyk, an NBC/Versus analyst and a former Penguins coach. With Therrien's Penguins and Stevens' Philadelphia Flyers on a collision course in the Eastern Conference final, can a resumption of hostilities be far behind? "Maybe 'hate' is a strong word," former Penguins winger Colby Armstrong said. "Maybe it's not a strong word for Michel and John. I'm not sure where they stand." "

"The Pittsburgh ties within the Philadelphia Flyers organization extend beyond Plum native and Flyers center R.J. Umberger. There's another guy who has a family in Pittsburgh and fond memories of the Penguins. After 17 years with the Penguins organization, Joe Mullen will face the team he won the Stanley Cup with twice. Mullen is an assistant coach with the Flyers. Like Umberger, Mullen will put his Pittsburgh allegiances aside when the intrastate rivals meet Friday night in the Eastern Conference final. "

"Michel Therrien has never formally interviewed for a coaching job. Not in junior hockey, where he scored his first assistant's job in 1990 through a chance meeting with an opponent from his playing days. Not in the American Hockey League, where he simply answered his phone one day in 1997 and accepted an offer to coach the Montreal Canadiens' top farm club. And not in the NHL, where, again, he basically responded to the ring of his cell phone and said, "Yes," to offers in Montreal and Pittsburgh. Final tally: eight jobs, no interviews. "I don't know how one works," Therrien says, laughing. "

"Pascal Dupuis had a lot on his mind. New baby coming, family in Atlanta, and the new Penguins forward was constantly confounded by the lay of Pittsburgh's land. One otherwise typical March day, though, a local citizen provided him some perspective. "I was walking to my car after practice, and the fans were outside (Mellon Arena) waiting for autographs," Dupuis said. "One stopped to ask me a question. At least I thought it would be a question. It wasn't. "'You've got to beat the Flyers,' he said. "'We've got to be the Flyers.'" "That's when I knew." Pittsburghers and Philadelphians can co-exist, just not when it comes to their NHL teams. "

"Q: I realize that racking up goals is not the only benchmark for a player's production, but I am still concerned over Sidney Crosby's lack of goal production in these playoffs. He has made some great set-up passes that his teammates often seem unprepared to handle so I am just wondering if you think Crosby should start shooting a little bit more. He seems to pass up some good scoring chances to make the perfect pass and those don't seem to be working out for him all that often. Greg Tomsho, Prescott, Ariz."

"Perhaps the Penguins long ago should have called in the best archeologists. Even as methodical as they are, maybe they could have unearthed Evgeni Malkin's personality a little faster than it has emerged on its own in a new language. Twenty-one months after he arrived in Pittsburgh to sign his NHL rookie contract, the enigmatic center's off-ice nature remains nearly buried to all but his teammates, even while his hockey skills have jetted him to the forefront of his sport as he and the team prepare to play Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference final starting tomorrow. There are, though, starting to be some clues about the lanky Russian. Brush away a little dust, and an edge of Malkin's funny bone emerges."

"Goaltender Martin Gerber was, at least at times, Ottawa's best player, but that wasn't enough to keep the Penguins from sweeping the Senators in the first round of the playoffs. The Rangers' Henrik Lundqvist, a more established goaltender, looked human at times, invincible at others, but New York still succumbed to the Penguins in five games in the second round. Now the Penguins face Martin Biron, who is 8-4 with a 2.72 goals-against average and a .914 save percentage through two series after never appearing in an NHL playoff game before this spring."

"So welcome to The Deep. When the annual hockey odyssey begins, somewhere in the vicinity of the back to school sales, you look around North America and wonder which icy amalgams of sweat and skill and luck are exactly what is necessary to go deep in the playoffs. Who has what it takes to go deep?"

"PLAY A TEAM eight times in a season, throw in a superstar who plays with an edge and more than a couple of guys who love to hit hard, and the result is a rivalry that brings out the best and worst of everyone. While the Flyers' series with the Capitals and Canadiens were supposed to reach extreme physical levels, they never really got to that point. It will be a huge surprise if the Flyers-Penguins Eastern Conference final series, which begins Friday in Pittsburgh, doesn't get excessively physical."

"The Flyers think a lot of Pittsburgh Penguins star center Sidney Crosby. In just three seasons, the 20-year-old captain has collected some impressive statistics and awards, including the Hart Trophy as NHL most valuable player. "He matured . . . and is a better player than before," Flyers coach John Stevens said yesterday. "He's worked hard to get better. He was a great player last year. "

"Philadelphia general manager Paul Holmgren replaced Flyers legend Bob Clarke on Nov. 11, 2006. Even though the Flyers finished last overall in 2006-07, Holmgren used his first half-season on the job to plant the seeds for a quick return to success. The Flyers are in the Eastern Conference final for the first time since 2004 thanks to Holmgren's shrewd moves:"

""The playoffs last year, losing to Ottawa, was easier to take because it was our first time and nobody really expected anything," Penguins left wing Ryan Malone said. "We came into this season with a lot of people, everybody it seemed, expecting us to go from one-and-done to the Cup. "I'm sure a lot of people in November were questioning themselves for expecting so much from us this season. We weren't, though, even when times were tough. Maybe that's why we had it in us to get where we are today.""

"The Penguins scored another big victory yesterday, this one off the ice with city planning commission approval of the design for their $290 million arena. A month after battering the design as bland and too mall-like, planning commission members voted unanimously in favor of the project after architects tweaked certain elements to address their concerns."

"Twenty-one players went on the ice for the Penguins' optional workout at Mellon Arena yesterday. Conspicuously absent from the half-hour or so of low-key, four-on-four scrimmaging was center Max Talbot, whose right foot was broken when he blocked a shot in Game 2 of the Penguins' second-round series against the New York Rangers. Talbot, though, said he hopes to participate in practice today and reiterated that he expects to dress for the opener of the Eastern Conference final Friday night against Philadelphia at Mellon Arena."

"Players' salaries cover the regular season only, and the money they get for performing in the playoffs -- even if they lead their team to a Stanley Cup -- is dwarfed by what they make during the previous 82 games. All 16 teams that get into the playoffs receive money from a pool that is administered by the NHL Players' Association, with clubs receiving more money for every round they advance. That pool is funded by the NHL, and one league executive estimated its contribution for 2008 to be $6 million."

"And while the "Penguins-tanked-it" notion didn't begin in the Philadelphia locker room, at least some Flyers had no qualms about endorsing it. Winger Riley Cote was quoted as saying, "It's almost like they threw the game," and center Jeff Carter told reporters that "maybe they're scared of us, I don't know." Tough to misinterpret those sentiments or to see how such words could have been taken out of context. "

"R.J. Umberger remembers it clearly. That distinctive, heroic No. 77 jersey winding up and unfurling that frightening, thrilling slapshot. The puck arcing over the glass that back then wasn’t attached to a nylon net … what kind of fan needs protective netting at a hockey arena, anyway? “I saw it coming,” Umberger recalled, “blowing between two ladies’ heads … hit me right in the knee.” Ah, so many memories, mostly sweet but at least a couple of painful ones, too. It’s what young R.J. Umberger carried with him from so many formative nights at Pittsburgh’s fabled hockey building, The Igloo."

"Evgeni Malkin, the Pittsburgh Penguins' Russian-born star, remains a man of few words as he learns English and its tricky nuances. One subject, though, gets him talking, and a lot: the Flyers, the opponent that Malkin, 21, already loves to hate. The NHL's second-leading scorer and MVP finalist still talks about the 8-2 loss in Philadelphia on Dec. 11, how the Flyers bullied the Penguins and got them off their game by inducing fights. In an additional indignity, he remembers popcorn being dumped on the Penguins' bench by rowdy fans."

"For just a couple of minutes, Evgeni Malkin was comfortable. Malkin sat at his stall flanked by cameramen and reporters Sunday afternoon, displaying a portion of his personality the media rarely see. When Malkin was asked about not liking the Philadelphia Flyers — the archrivals his Pittsburgh Penguins will play in the upcoming Eastern Conference finals — a sheepish grin formed on the 21-year-old Russian's face. As his translator relayed the response, "Well, I don't like anybody," the grin transformed into a full-fledged smile. But as the questions mounted, Malkin's body language changed. He shifted and fidgeted, and by the end of a scrum more than seven minutes in length, Malkin let out a sigh of relief and even received a pat on the shoulder for his patience. In his second season in the NHL, Malkin's play has made him a bona fide star. But off the ice, he remains something of an enigma — the best player in the world fans know next to nothing about."

"If the Penguins do not have enough money to offer Hossa, who is making $7 million this season, the Rangers may be in the bidding for him. He is a strong two-way player and seems to be the kind of finisher the Rangers could use on a line with center Scott Gomez. If the Rangers keep him from returning to Pittsburgh, they would take a chunk out of the lineup of a division rival, one that looks as if it will be formidable for years to come."

"They were born seven years apart in St. Paul, Minn., home of legendary hockey coach Herb Brooks, but a birthplace isn't all Ray Shero and Paul Holmgren have in common. They're also connected by a rich period of hockey history and by the fact they have done as good a job of team-building as any general manager in the NHL. Each replaced a Hall of Famer to land his current job, as well. Holmgren was named the Philadelphia Flyers' GM in November 2006, after Bob Clarke stepped down. Six months earlier, Shero had supplanted Craig Patrick. You've probably heard that Shero's Penguins and Holmgren's Flyers open the Eastern Conference final Friday at Mellon Arena. Credit the players and coaches. Don't leave out the GMs. "

"Initial thoughts on an Eastern Conference final that, much like the Democratic primary, will keep Pennsylvania in the national spotlight: • These are not your father's, or, more to the point, Ray Shero's father's Philadelphia Flyers. Yes, the Flyers still consider themselves a bunch of tough guys. But the Broad Street Bullies reincarnated, they're not. Philadelphia has played it relatively straight in the postseason. If that changes, the Penguins have enough team toughness to respond. "

"Marian Hossa labeled "risky" the Feb. 26 trade that brought him to the Penguins along with left wing Pascal Dupuis and sent forwards Colby Armstrong, Erik Christensen, top prospect Angelo Esposito and a 2008 first-round pick to the Atlanta Thrashers. "Those guys were a big part of the chemistry, and you never know how a trade is going to work out," Hossa said. The deal has worked out well for the Penguins, who open the Eastern Conference final Friday night against Philadelphia. Armstrong is keeping an eye on his "good buddies," including captain Sidney Crosby, from his native Saskatchewan. He spoke with the Tribune-Review's Penguins beat writer Rob Rossi:"

"Approximately 2,000 tickets are available for Games 1 and 2 of the Eastern Conference final between the Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. Those games will be played Friday and Sunday at Mellon Arena. Fans can purchase tickets today at 10 a.m. Tickets will be referred to at "Round 3, Home Game 1" and "Round 3, Home Game 2." The Penguins encourage fans to order online at www.ticketmaster.com, as tickets for Rounds 1 and 2 sold out in minutes. "

"Following practice Monday, the Flyers made no secret of their distaste for the Penguins, who advanced to the East final after besting the New York Rangers in five games..."A lot of times when you play in the playoffs, the first game is touch and feel, where you kind of study the other team," Biron said. "The first game doesn't really show a lot of emotion. The second, third, fourth games of the series really picks up. Against Pittsburgh, it's going to start right from the first drop, and that's going to be incredible for these fans.""

"The transition was instant. Twenty-three years of holding an allegiance to the Penguins disappeared the moment Plum native and Flyers center R.J. Umberger signed with Philadelphia in 2004. "Absolutely not right now," Umberger said Monday when asked if he was still a Penguins fan. "This is something I want bad. I do not want to see them in the finals. This is the Flyers' time right now." The teams will meet Friday night at Mellon Arena in the first game of the Eastern Conference final."

"Ray Shero's dad is one of the most revered figures in Philadelphia hockey history, and the only coach to lead the Flyers to a Stanley Cup. But now that he is general manager of the Penguins, who will face Philadelphia in the Eastern Conference final, Shero's goal is to deny the Flyers a sequel to the championships they won in 1974 and '75 under his father, Fred. Shero said that his family's ties to the franchise based on the far side of the commonwealth really don't have an impact on how he views Round 3 of these playoffs."

"At the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, conventional thinking had the Penguins needing to win a round -- maybe two -- for coach Michel Therrien to keep his job. Guess who you're going to get to kick around for another season? There are many reasons to be thrilled about the Penguins' domination of the Ottawa Senators and New York Rangers, but the fact that it secured Therrien's future here at least for the short term is at the top of my list. I can't remember the most recent time I respected a coach more because of his honesty, strength and convictions. Bill Cowher, maybe?"

"In the realm of good hockey juju, Lowell Murray might qualify for the title of Penguins Team Witch Doctor. There are the game-day rituals: "I always wear the same jersey. I always wear the same hat to every game. There's a bunch of us that sit up in D-6. All of us are growing playoff beards." Watching from his home in suburban Washington, Pa., he always uses the same chair. On days he drives back to Pittsburgh for the games, he always arrives early. He once went beerless when his lucky beer stand inside Mellon Arena was closed."

"When the Penguins acquired Marian Hossa at the NHL trade deadline, it duly was noted that general manager Ray Shero had been part of the management team that had drafted him in Ottawa, and that he had spent considerable time around Hossa during the formative stages of his pro career. That gave Shero insights on Hossa's personality and mental makeup, helped him to project exactly what Hossa could be counted on to contribute and whether he would be a good fit in the Penguins' personnel jigsaw."