Oops, I did it again! 

I’ve been a big fan of Erik Christensen’s since he came to the Pens.  I liked his steady, thoughtful game.  One of my Christmas gifts this year was a Christensen shirt – the kiss of death.  When he was traded, I couldn’t help but feel a little bit guilty.  In the past, I’ve been a fan and bought a shirt of Ron Duguay’s shortly before he was traded and again bought a Paul Coffey shirt just before he was dealt away.  You would think I would learn from those experiences!  From now on, I’ll have to watch Thrasher games to see Erik play.

Mystery, Alaska

The Pens brought up a young player from Wilkes-Barre named Connor James.  Every time he takes the ice I’m reminded of Connor Banks, one of the characters from the hockey film Mystery, Alaska.  The movie is a fun look at our sport.  Just watching Russell Crowe “act” like a hockey player is worth your time.  If you haven’t seen it, rent it sometime and enjoy.

Bye now, Myron

Many of you may never have heard of Myron Cope, beloved Pittsburgh sportscaster, writer and all around good guy.  But you have heard of his “invention” – the famous Terrible Towel.  Fans of the Steelers wave them proudly at every game and have since the 1970s.  Myron, who passed away February 27th, 2008, dreamed up the idea but could never have known how they would literally become part of the fabric of the city.  The Pens honored Myron at a recent home game and asked fans to bring their towels and wave them in his honor.  Myron always closed his radio show with “Bye now” which we had to say to him one last time.  He’ll surely be missed.

Touch

Sports fan Alyssa Milano has started her own clothing line in conjunction with the NHL.  The newest catalog features not only her designs for women, but a couple of other pages of NHL jerseys from several teams that are cut for women, as well as purses, socks and jewelry.

Hey, Baby!

I’ve surely seen the Verizon commercial where the hockey fan is viewing the babies in a hospital nursery hundreds of times by now, but I still laugh!  “Hockey fans aren’t like other fans” – truer words were never spoken, right?

The Coach

Speaking of commercials, you have to love the “coach” in the NHL Network commercials.  How the guys on the team keep a straight face through his ravings is a mystery to me.  I love his little eye rolls when he realizes what silly things he is saying. His tale about why hockey is called hockey and not “pucky” is hysterical.

Sid-a-licious!

Finally, after 46 long days, Sidney Crosby came back to the lineup.  The team did right by their captain while he was out.  He entered the game with the Pens in first place, not only in their division, but in the Eastern Conference. Unfortunately, he only played in a couple of games before the wonky ankle acted up again.  He’ll still out another week resting up for the playoffs.