A Great Day for Hockey

A Great Day for Hockey: Cup Version

We'd always wished they'd made more of these commercials throughout the season instead of those other ones (you know, the ones with the girl in her PJs and the guy at his wedding).

Summer Vacation

Because of health and life in general, we're on a little vacation. It's been a while since we posted and we'll be in and out for the summer, but we'll be back for sure when the action starts. Right now all we have to say is Ray Shero continues to surprise us with how he's able to sign players for a great price and Savran on SportsBeat will truly be missed by us and a lot of people. We could write for at least a good couple of hours on how absolutely ridiculous that decision is and how disappointed we are that we no longer have that tie to Pittsburgh sports. It is truly a show that cannot be replaced. We are sorry for all of you out there as well who had satellite for the purpose of watching SportsBeat so you could get the Pittsburgh sports news you desperately needed. Obviously the decision was not made by someone who understands Pittsburgh sports and it's fans. Stan, loved the show.

Pens sign Feds at a discount

Obviously all those "experts" were wrong about Ruslan Fedotenko leaving the Pens. Feds decided to stay with the Pens yesterday. At a discount no less. He accepted a one-year deal worth $1.8 million to stay with the Pens. He made $2.25 million last year. He is now the third forward to take a pay cut to stay with the Pens. That definitely says a lot about the team.

The Pens signed another player yesterday in defenseman Nate Guenin who is from Sewickley. He's 26 years old, 6'2", 210 pounds and signed a two-way contract for one-year. If he plays in the NHL he will make $500,000, if he plays in the AHL, $105,000. Ray Shero is still looking for an experienced defenseman.

The Pens lost two AHLers yesterday in Jeff Taffe and Chris Minard.

Pens lose Scuds, DVD release and signings

Of no real surprise, the Pens have lost Rob Scuderi to the Los Angeles Kings. He has agreed to a four-year deal worth an average of $3.4 million per year. We can't really blame him for going for the money, he is 30 years old and this is his big payday, but we hate to see him go. The LA Kings aren't exactly too exciting either. We wish him the best out in sunny California.

Pretty slow day today for the Pens, although we're sure it wasn't exactly quiet behind the scenes. The Pens are thought to still be trying to sign Ruslan Fedotenko but sources seem to think he won't be staying with the Pens. The Pens are probably also looking for a defenseman now that they have lost both Gill and Scuderi. They are also reportedly still talking to Petr Sykora. Should be interesting to see who is playing with Geno next season.

On Tuesday July 7th the official Pittsburgh Penguins Stanley Cup Champions DVD will be in stores. This is a must own for all Pens fans so you can relive winning the Cup over and over again. The DVD includes a look back to the regular season all the way through to their Cup win. The DVD also includes exclusive player interviews and highlights from the victory parade. The suggested retail price of the DVD is $24.98.

Also on Tuesday, Kris Letang and Tyler Kennedy will be signing copies of the DVD in the Pittsburgh area. You must purchase a copy of the DVD to receive your autograph. Kris Letang will be at Donaldsons Crossroads Giant Eagle and Tyler Kennedy will be at Dick's Sporting Goods at the Mall at Robinson. Details for each:

Kris Letang
Donaldsons Crossroads Giant Eagle
4007 Washington Road
McMurray, PA 15317-2520
Signing will take place from 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM

Tyler Kennedy
Dick’s Sporting Goods
The Mall at Robinson
5000 Robinson Centre Drive
Pittsburgh, PA 15205
Signing will take place from 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM

If you're able to go to one of these locations (or both!) enjoy!

Pens sign new face, lose Gill and Garon

(Post-Gazette)

Not too much going on for the Pens on the first day of free agency, but they do have a new face. The Pens signed former Devils forward Mike Rupp who once played for the Erie Otters. He signed a two-year deal worth $800,000 next season and $850,000 in 2010-11. He's a physical player who isn't afraid to drop the gloves, as shown in the picture above. He's even taken up boxing lessons in the offseason to improve his skills.

We find this signing a little surprising but the cap hit isn't bad and we trust Ray Shero knows what he's doing.

The Pens lost a couple of faces yesterday as well. Hal Gill signed with the Montreal Canadiens for two years, $4.5 million. Mathieu Garon signed a two-year deal with Columbus averaging $1.2 million.

These aren't surprising losses, although we'll miss Hal Gill, he was a good player and a good guy. Hopefully now the Pens can find a way to keep Scuderi who still says he will give the Pens the last chance at an offer.

See you tomorrow. Go Pens!

We're back

We apologize for the unplanned hiatus we've been on for a while, but we're back now. Obviously a few things happened while we were gone, like the draft, signing Adams and Guerin, and Geno on the beach in Miami. We're not going to go back other than to say we like the two signings and think they were a good step in the right direction. Today at noon starts free agency and the frenzy that follows. Should be interesting to see what happens and we'll be here. Again, we apologize for the sudden hiatus. See you later today.

P.S. We never talk about the Pirates because like we've said, we're not big baseball fans and well...look at what a joke the Pirates organization is. Well they sunk lower yesterday in trading more players, including our favorite and only reason for watching Pirates baseball, Nyjer Morgan. We loved his personality (he was mic'd up last week during a game and what a man!) and his positive attitude towards playing on a joke of a team. Not going back too far in history here, getting rid of McLouth was a stab in the back to fans and now Morgan and Co. was a slap to the face. The Pirates will now no longer ever be on TV in this household. What a joke.

Thank God for the Pens and Steelers.