Well Pittsburgh Fanatics – it’s been a great, yet a tough couple of months for Pittsburgh sports. I think back to Big Ben getting suspended (yet never found guilty of anything) and slipping into a “there goes the season” moment – I was obviously wrong.

We had the opening of the NHL’s newest arena – the Consol Energy Center. Hockey had new life in the Burgh – and everyone was healthy except for Jordan Staal – this looked like a Stanley Cup season. Then, the excitement of the Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic being held at Heinz Field – that was something that would be on my “bucket list.” Then when I found out they would be playing the Caps (who I hate and always have…), it made the game build-up even better! I was contacted by HBO’s PR firm regarding HBO 24/7 and asked if I would like to put trailers from the series on my web site – way cool and it was an awesome behind the scenes look at both the Pens and Caps!

Mario hit the ice again for the Alumni game and I was there – awesome event and great time! It was a very laid-back game and you could tell the guys were having fun. Plus – to see an outdoor hockey game in a pro football stadium is just cool….

Next – the Steelers win the AFC Championship game and advance to Super Bowl XLV – life is good!

Moving-on to the NHL All-Star weekend – four Penguins players get selected with Sid the Kid Crosby getting more votes than any other player. Coincidentally he was leading the NHL in points weeks prior and possibly on his way to a record season.

So how did things pan out (like I need to tell any dedicated Pittsburgh sports fan…)?

• The Winter Classic almost got cancelled because of rain – this after cold temperatures for the weeks preceding the event. The worst two parts – Sidney Crosby took a head shot and the Pens got beat by the Caps…. A couple days later, Sid would take another head-shot that has since side-lined him.

• The Steelers went to Super Bowl XLV – but we lost to Green Bay – hard to take for any Pittsburgh fan – especially since we were going for number seven! They made a great effort to come back, but the planets didn’t align. Unfortunately – I found out my new neighbors are Green Bay fans – we had a bit of a neighborhood “display your spirit” battle.

• NHL All Star weekend – both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin were out because of injuries. Only Kris Letang and Marc-Andre Fleury made it – and they had to play on different teams.

• After the All Star game, the Penguins picked-up on the second half of their season – but all of our top players are injured. Sid – out for an undetermined amount of time with a concussion. Geno – out for the season with a torn MCL and ACL. The list goes on and on.

• A recent game with the New York Islanders looked more like a sixty minute “bench-clearing brawl with dirty hockey embedded than what we’ve been used to seeing – and yes – more injuries, fines, penalties, etc.

OK – so let’s find some positive in all of this mess;

• The Winter Classic was a huge success and the switch to a night game (a first) probably generated more ratings than if it had been held at 1pm EST. The city got a lot of exposure and the whole event was good for business.

• Sidney Crosby was injured – but he’s a smart guy and has elected to wait until he’s fully healed before returning – we all obviously understand that – I think he has many years of scoring titles and Stanley Cups left in him.  Get well Sid!  I predict we’ll see him back in the line-up soon.  Ask Pat LaFontaine about concussions.

• Jordan Staal is back and playing strong – and all of the Pens are stepping-up to the plate generating some serious offense and defense!

• The Steelers – I am so used to them coming-back – I was convinced a fourth quarter miracle would happen. OK – so we lost – Green Bay played well. If the Steelers don’t change much, we’ll see them at future Super Bowls. We have six – more than any other team – so let’s enjoy that for now.

• NHL All Star game – Kris Letang got two goals – and he’s a defenseman!  It’s a very fast game these days and the players are big – Chris did a great job representing the Pens! And Marc-Andre Fleury was great in goal considering the NHL’s best were shooting at him – it’s always a high-scoring game.

• Geno had surgery recently, so hopefully we’ll see a stronger Geno in the fall – or maybe a miracle will happen and we’ll see him in a Cup game!

• As of February 14th, the Pens are in second place in the Atlantic Division trailing Philly by only 3 points, and are fourth in the league tied with Detroit and only seven points behind the league leader – Vancouver. Pittsburgh has 24 games remaining in the regular season.

• The Pens pool of candidates from Wilkes-Barre Scranton have come though and stepped-up to the plate quite nicely. Ray Shero deserves a lot of credit for keeping the organization seeded with quality players and they come to games with lots of energy!

• The Islanders game – a lot of fines and suspensions were handed out. The Islanders have a few players the NHL needs to take a close look at – repeat offenders and dirty hockey. Mario Lemieux obviously feels the same way based upon his recent strong statement and said it wasn’t enough. Maybe the NHL will wake-up. Mario is usually reserved, but obviously feels very strongly about this subject and for good reason. I actually think there needs to be a “challenge flag” similar to the NFL for video replays on questionable calls.

So Pittsburgh Fanatics – keep your chin up – we have a great city and even greater sports teams and fans! The Pens will get healthy and look solid to make a run for the Stanley Cup again. Soon it will be baseball season and we also have the “Pittsburgh Power” coming to town. Go Black and Gold!

Cheers,
Dano