It’s no secret that the Penguins lean heavily on a core group of players to provide scoring opportunities.  Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin comprise the majority of the Pens offensive firepower, with one or the other having been involved in 32 of the last 35 goals scored.  While this prodigious output is great individually, it does not bode well for the team as a whole. As evidenced by last season’s... 

Several reasons could be given as to why this NHL season just “feels” different.  The compressed schedule has teams playing back-to-back games more often with the obvious potential of burning out some players.  The rash of injuries, some of the more bizarre variety, has teams utilizing more creative coaching solutions including the heavier use of AHL call-ups.  Additionally, especially for... 

Being a team captain in the NHL carries a number of duties.  Officially, captains (or alternate captains) are the only on ice players allowed to communicate with referees regarding interpretation of the rules.  This usually happens on plays when there is confusion, such as whether or not a puck crossed the goal line or if the puck goes out of play.  This is done mainly to ensure the refs are not... 

Evgeni Malkin ended a recent slide he would much like to forget – 11 straight games without a goal.  While he was still producing assists the lack of goals became a cause of concern among fans.  For whatever reason it just seemed like he couldn’t get the puck into the back of the net. That drought ended Saturday in a game against the Canucks.  Those that saw the game might write the goal... 

We’ve all been the “new guy” at some point in our lives, be it at school or in a new job.  It’s an unenviable position.  We don’t know the people and always feel out of sorts.  Lucky for us we are usually left alone to an extent, left in our cubicle or desk to work on our own until we begin to fit in.  Such was not the case for a young Alexander Pechurskiy.  His first day was a rather... 

Up until the moment the horn sounded last year to mark the end of the Stanley Cup Playoffs the criticisms against goaltender Marc-Andre’ Fleury were often fierce and volatile.  “He’ll never win the big one,” they said.  Others cried out “but he always lets in the soft ones” or that he was “mentally weak.”  I always took these with a grain of salt, for a number of reasons.  Yes,... 

For any NHL player lucky enough to be picked for his respective Olympic team it is considered a great honor, one that is not to be turned down.  Imagine the uproar if Sidney Crosby, Henrik Zetterberg, or Alexander Ovechkin decided they would rather have the time off.  I believe traveling home would become rather unpleasant. Therefore the matter is considered settled, they are playing and barring... 

When the NHL implemented the new overtime rules starting in the ’05-’06 season I have to admit I was thrilled. I am not a fan of tie games and enjoy the excitement of sudden death. In fact, nearly every major sport has a system in place to avoid a tie. There are some exceptions of course, such as the NFL (but it rarely happens) and Japanese baseball. But in other sports they keep playing until...