If you were to judge this post by its title, you could be excused for thinking it was about Christmas. But no, not for me. My favorite month is October. Halloween and Hockey.
Specifically today, hockey. I'm a one trick pony. I might like to watch a Blackhawks game, I might love to watch Pavel Datsyuk, or, as I call him, the Sneaky Russian, and if all else fails, I'll watch a Kings game. But my first, undying love, is the Pittsburgh Penguins.
After the last few years, I have to admit that for all my appreciation of Dan Bylsma, I was ready for a change. This is only the second game of the season, but so far, I'm liking what I see with one major exception. Penalties. And not the sort that were hinted at with the overhaul of my favorite team. I haven't seen nitty gritty, in your face penalties. I've seen, for lack of a better word, stupid ones. And I am well aware that my favorite player has been accused of taking his fair share of dumb penalties, but in just two games, it seems to be pretty universal across the board. I can only hope this isn't a trend.
All in all, the defensive pairings really seem to be working well. I particularly love seeing Simon Despres and Rob Scuderi out on the ice together. I might have been in the minority, but I was not thrilled last season to see Despres consistently scratched. He plays like a Letang, but without the flashes of brilliance. In his defense, he also doesn't play with the flashes of sheer stupidity that Tangers has been known to display on occasion. With the loss of Matty Niskanen, my newly crowned favorite defensemen is the Baby FinPen, Olli Maata. I believe I have mentioned in my blog how I misjudged him when he was kept on last season, but, damn. He is a wonder to watch, and I woke up at four in the morning to do just that during the Olympics. I can only hope he's a Pen for a long, long time.
From an offensive standpoint, wow. Sid is on fire and Geno is not far behind. That first game, against Anaheim, Sid was on point, but Geno was obviously a step slow. He was still a little slow at times tonight, but then he would just dominate, the way only he can. Sid has shown a fire and 100% determination that was missing at the waning of Bylsma's tenure. I can only hope that he stays as happy with Mike Johnston as he is and doesn't fall into another petulant snit. As for Geno, I get goosebumps imagining what is coming. And no article on the Pens would be complete without a shout out for my dark horse favorite, Brandon Sutter. I love that man. I am SOOOO happy we kept him and didn't do something terribly, irreversibly stupid and trade him last season for the selfish player now in Anaheim, Ryan Kesler. Did I mention I was thrilled? And his play is so complete, he is Pittsburgh's version of Jonathan Toews. And yes, I am well aware there is a gap between the two. Captain Serious is my favorite non-Pen, so believe me, I know the differences are there. I may love wholly one team, but I'm not blind or stupid. If you made me choose one player to watch, and I couldn't choose Geno, I'd take Jonathan Toews. It'd be a close tie after that, across all spectrums. Olli Maata, Anze Kopitar, Pavel Datsyuk...yeah, I'd have to work on the exact order. And I'd probably change my order as soon as I set it.
Finally, a tip of my hat to the Flower. He might have not had the best stats in that Anaheim game, but he has also shown a renewed fire and agression. I can only hope that he has something to prove, and, perhaps, he feels support that might not have been there before. I will always been a fan of Marc-Andre. Feel free to mock me all you want. For those Pittsburgh fans who might understand, I'd still take Kordell Stewart of Roethlisburger, too.
Until the next game.
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