Finally, the wait is over. Several news sources are confidently reporting that a new arena deal has been agreed upon, between the Penguins ownership group and the appropriate politicians.

To read one of the articles... http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07072/769032-61.st
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This confirms what I've been saying for a while, even though KC offered a better financial deal to the Penguins owners, there were always other factors at play. First of all, the Penguins have a proven fan base, recognized as one of the strongest in the entire NHL. The KC area could not bring enough fans to even keep their last team in the area. Second, Mario Lemieux didn't work his butt off the last 20 years to see his reputation trashed at the end. Now, he can sell off his shares in the team, which he never wanted in the first place and he can recover the money that the team owed him those so many years ago. And he can save his reputation with the city that has embraced him since he scored that breakway on his first NHL shift. Naysayers, go home! Mario, you can finally breathe a sigh of relief! Current Pens, now you can focus on making a run at the Cup! 

Go Pens!!!

Jordan Staal added to his memorable rookie campaign by scoring his 20th goal of the season against the Flyers on Thursday night. That means that the Penguins are the first NHL team since the 1981-82 Oilers to have three players (Crosby, Malkin and Staal) with 20 goals or more all under the age of 21. The three Edmonton players? Wayne Gretzky, Paul Coffey and Mark Messier.

It's a great time to be a Penguins fan. If only the Penguins youngsters can follow in their footsteps...

OK, so I was going to refrain from posting about this, until I was surfing some Canadian online newspapers tonight and found that this is still big news north of the border. I wanted to watch the clip of the hit again before I stuck my neck out to comment. If anyone would like to view it again, here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2RMT5LrqaY>

First, people are entitled to their opinions; that's what makes the "free world" great. But I can't for the life of me figure out how anyone is viewing this as anything but a great hit on a great player. Some people are crying "Charging", but I don't see it. Koivu had control of the puck a second before Armstrong hit him, and Colby didn't take more than a stride before delivering the hit. Others are saying that Armstrong left his feat before the hit, but when you watch it in slow-motion you can see that Armstrong's right skate is on the ice when he makes contact. Others are saying that Armstrong used his shoulder, to whom I say, yes he did...it's called a shoulder check. Shoulder on shoulder, what is "illegal" or "dirty" about that? Show me more of that. Checking is one of the things that separates hockey from every other sport. Anyone who has played the game knows that you've got a keep you head up when you're out on the ice.

All of that being said, the refs were terrible that game, missing fouls committed on both sides. When the refs don't keep control, players will keep taking liberties until they're reigned in again. Also, Souray did the right thing in coming to the defence of Koivu. He stood up for his Captain, which is another thing that makes hockey great. The intensity of that game was like a playoff battle, just past the midway point of the season. What more can you ask for in a game?

So, sorry if some of my Canadian brothers snub me on the boards for a while. But there were alot of great things about that game, including Armstrong'#### (for Pens fans of course). I wish every NHL game was like that one. Hockey rules!

Gonchar had a 3-point night last night vs. the Habs and it got me thinking about how the Penguins defense has dramatically improved this season. In the past five seasons the defensive corps hasn't been nearly on par with the average NHL team. But Gonchar has been solid most of the year and Ryan Whitney has been getting better and better throughout this season.

With this is mind, I went to do some fact-finding, and I was very surprised at what I found. First, the Penguins have two d-men (Gonchar/Whitney) in the top 10 for defensive scoring. I confirmed that this hasn't happened in the last five years, and I'm pretty sure that it hasn't happened in the last ten seasons. (I had trouble pulling season-leader stats from before the 2000-2001 season.) NOTE: If anyone has a good site that they use for archived hockey season stats, please let me know. I appreciate it.

OK, so back to the thought at hand...next I dug a little deeper. The Penguins goal differencial has taken a sharp upward trend in the last year. Check out the comparison between last season and the current season:

Season - Gls For - Gls Agnst - Goal Diff 

 05/06     -     2.96     -     3.78     -    (-0.82)

06/07    -     3.34     -     3.04     -     +0.30

That's a serious turnaround; one that is deserving of some recognition. And it cannot be attributed to just increased scoring from Crosby, Malkin and Staal. The reality is that Fleury and his supporting cast of D-men are contributing on a whole other level compared to what Pens fans have come to expect in the last five+ years. They are playing better defensively and also helping to lead the counter-attacks the other way.

The Penguins' defensive corps is no longer the embarassing liability that had become the norm in the Steel City. Gonchar is finally justifying his salary, Orpik and Whitney are blossoming into the players that the organization hoped they would be, and Eaton is quietly proving to be one of the shrewdest off-season d-man aquisitions of the 06/07 season. The defensemen of Pittsburgh Penguins are beginning to gel this season; gaining confidence and the stats to prove it along the way.

After leading the league in increased attendance last season, the Penguins fans are filling the Mellon Arena at a 95% capacity rate. The Pens have had 14 sell-outs in 23 home games and have had sell-outs in 11 of the last 13 games.

Those are pretty impressive numbers considering the team's winning percentage has been hovering around .500 and that the local political support to keep the franchise has been luke-warm. This kind of fan commitment is something that can't be guaranteed by potential expansion areas throughout the country like Kansas City. This is a reason that the NHL is not so keen on relocating the team. You can't guarantee fan support beyond the season ticket holders.

...it's a chance for NHL fans to get some exposure for the league.

For any of you that are so inclined, ESPN The Magazine has left it up to the public to pick the cover athlete for their annual NEXT issue. If you go to this link you can view the candidates and make your choice: http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/playoffs06/next/ind
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To think that an NHL player has a chance to get enough votes when competing with NBA, MLB, etc. is a little niaive, but I thought that we could give it a shot.

You may now return to your regularly scheduled programs. And thank you for your continued support [Bartles and James quote, circa 1985].

There are some that are referring to it as "Plan C", or a modified "Plan B". Nonetheless, the point being is that a lucrative proposal has surfaced for keeping the Penguins in Pittsburgh. City Counselman William Peduto has suggested that state officials should provide the Penguins with the opportunity to partner in the entire redevelopment of the new arena site, allowing the team to share in its overall profits. This area, known to Pittsburghers as the Hill District, will see new business development in tandem with the new arena. Other officials have agreed that these rights are negotiable issues that should be included in the talks. This additional revenue stream would surpass the dollar values dangled by the Kansas City representatives last week. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Mr. Peduto has said that adding redevelopment profits could be a key element other cities such as Kansas City, which is making an aggressive move for the team, would have trouble matching."

Secondly, political officials have recently offered the team most, if not all, of the annual revenues that would be generated by a new arena. These is expected to be in the $20 million range.

Finally, another topic being currently discussed is that the Penguins could begin to collect on a percentage of the revenue that will be generated by the aging Mellon Arena through 2009, when the new arena is scheduled to be opened.

As it stands currently, the city and state officials seem to be taking this issue seriously. It's too bad it took seven years and the 11th hour to get things moving in a positive direction.

As written in an article today on ESPN.com:

"Hopefully, we'll move forward in the next week or so and really evaluate where we're going. but I'm very pleased with both meetings today," Lemieux said. "I've always been very optimistic [about staying in Pittsburgh]. I've been here for 20-some years. But we have to evaluate all of our options and that's why we went to Kansas City to look at what they had to offer."

Taken from an article in today's Pittsburgh Post Gazette:

Yesterday, on the eve of the meeting with Lemieux, Burkle and other team officials, Onorato [Allegheny County Chief Executive] said he was "cautiously optimistic" an agreement could be crafted.

"We're in the position to put together a very competitive deal for a new arena and a franchise to be in that arena, and I believe at the end of the day the NHL and the ownership of the Penguins will see that this is a competitive deal," he said.

Hopefully, talks will start going in the right direction and the Pittsburgh fans will get some encouraging news about the franchise staying put.

As reported on ESPN.com (Wednesday Jan. 3rd)

Mario Lemieux has confirmed:

"We are meeting with officials in Kansas City today as part of our effort to explore all of our options regarding a new arena," Lemieux said in a statement on the team's Web site. "We have heard many great things about their new building, which is scheduled to open in time for the start of the 2007-08 NHL season."

And so it begins, the chicken-fight between the current Penguins ownership group, and the City/State politicians. Hopefully, this is mostly a ploy to put pressure on the politicians. That being said, if I were a part of the ownership group I would do the same thing. An NHL franchise is a business first and foremost. Being in a situation where fans are not so blatently reminded of that is just a bonus in this day and age.

Brad (a blogger from Spectors' Blog) writes:

"I would like you to help spread the word that the Pens fans are holding a rally at 3pm on Sunday January 7 (before the game vs. the Lightning) to keep our Pens in Pittsburgh. It will be at Gate 1 of Mellon Arena, parking is available in the arena lots. We need as much support as possible to help show our support for the team and the need of a new arena in Pittsburgh, especially at a better deal than the original Plan B. "

Since I will be at my home in Orlando that night, I will not be there in body. But I will be there in spirit. I will, however, be at the Pens/Lightning game next week at the Ice Palace in Tampa. Look for me with the Pens jersey. (As if I'll be the only one. - haha)

Good luck at the rally Pens fans!

BGP

I'm happy for coach Cowher that the Stillers were able to put in a good performance yesterday. Fast Willie got another 100-yard game and was just a few yards shy of the 1,500-yard mark for the season. The O-line did a better job of pass blocking and Big Ben made some good throws. The Steelers defense finished the season without allowing a single 100-yard rusher the entire year. That is only the 2nd time in franchise history that they were able to do that. On top of all of that, the Steelers were able to end the Bungles playoff hopes - poetic justice.

I would like to take a moment to wish Bill Cowher well in his future. Maybe he comes back for another run, maybe he doesn't. I was only a young kid during the Steelers dynasty of the 70's. They are vague memories to me. I remember Noll on the Steelers sidelines, but in my memory, Cowher will always be the face of the Steelers. I met Cowher one time while I was working up at the Seven Springs mountain resort in Western PA. He was skiing with his family and stopped in the upper lodge to get warm and get some refreshments. He came to the back room to make a phone call. He was friendly and approachable, and appreciative that he could use our phone away from the crowd. In a perfect world this is the way that you would expect everyone to be naturally, but in reality people in the spot-light don't always live up to these expectations. Maybe I just got lucky and caught him on a good day, but this memory will always stick with me. Bill Cowher will always represent a "real" person to me. On the slopes, or in the Steelers' locker room or sidelines.

Good luck in whatever you do, Bill! You will always be the Steelers to me...

I don't have anything major to write about at this time. I feel like many other Pens' fans right now...like I'm in a limbo state waiting to see what comes of the new arena deal.

The Isle of Capri did not get awarded the Pittsburgh slots license, so the Pens' simplest answer to getting a new arena has been sunk. That being said, all hope is not lost. The water has just gotten a lot murkier. The Pens are still legally obligated to refrain from talks with other agencies concerning getting a new arena deal until the 30-day slots license award appeals process has completed (Try saying that 10 times fast...) In the meantime, Mario Lemieux has pulled the team off of the market until he and his ownership group can legally begin talks.

I hope that the goverment officials can get the right people involved to get a new arena built. Unlike the Pirates' stadium, a new civic arena would be used by more than just a major-league sports team. The Mellon Arena is not just too old for an NHL team, it is showing its age for all types of venues. The restroom facilities are an embarrassment and the food service areas can't even stack up against an average shopping mall these days. Even if the Penguins weren't around to use the arena, it would still be due for a replacement or a major overhaul in the near future.

Losing the Penguins franchise would not only be a civic disappointment, but an economic blow to all of the periphery legitimate businesses that feed off of the Penguins to help them survive. (Not to mention the scalpers who are out there 40+ nights a year. You can't expect them to transfer all of their work to online auction sites, right? Come on!)

Here's hoping that the politicians can pull the necessary strings to do what's fair for the ownership group and for the citizens of Pittsburgh. The ownership group has lived up to its end of the obligation, honoring its lease in a failing, 45-year old arena (with the financial scars to prove it). The fans have shown loyal support with strong attendance despite multiple losing seasons and being forced to watch games in an inferior building.

Go Pens...just don't go to another city.