PensRinkRat

Ice Bowl is official

2007-08-24T22:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Rob Rossi and the Tribune Review:

The Penguins will start 2008 in cool style by playing an outdoor game in Buffalo on New Year's Day.
Several NHL officials said today that the game between the Penguins and Sabres on Jan. 1, 2008 will be played at Ralph Wilson Stadium, home of the NFL's Bills. In a made-for-television event -- the game will air nationally on NBC -- the Penguins and Sabres will skate on an outdoor rink in front of what the NHL hopes will prove the largest audience ever to watch an NHL game in the United States.

Neither the league nor NBC would officially confirm the tentatively titled "Ice Bowl," which is scheduled to be played at 1 p.m. An official announcement is expected on Sept. 10, prior to the start of training camp.

"If and when we have something to announce we will make sure the announcement gets heard," NHL vice president of media relations Frank Brown said.

The Penguins had no comment about their involvement in an outdoor game.
The league previously approached the Penguins about possibly hosting the outdoor game, but the team declined so that it could focus on planning for its new arena. The Penguins told the league they would participate as a visiting team, as the NHL is believed to have desired two U.S. markets for the "Ice Bowl."

This will mark the league's second attempt an outdoor game. The Montreal Canadiens and Edmonton Oilers played in "The Heritage Classic" at Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium on Nov. 22, 2003. That contest was played in sub-freezing temperatures, but was not televised live in the United States. That game attracted a crowd of more than 55,000 people

My Take: Love the idea and the concept, but a bad day for the game, they are going to compete against the holidays and college football bowl games.

Penguins arena delayed.

2007-08-02T21:55:00.000-04:00

The Penguins will wait until 2010 to open Pittsburgh's new arena.

The team said today it won't rush to complete the new building during the 2009-10 season. Waiting until the following season will give the team ample time to do the building right, not only for the organization but the city as a whole, spokesman Tom McMillan said.

He said the team would lose a couple of months of revenues by waiting but added it feels the trade off is worth it.

"The right thing to do is to do it the right way. The matter of a few more months will enable us to do that," he said.

The Penguins hope to break ground on the arena next spring, with completion targeted for the opening of the 2010-11 season.

In completing a deal in March to build the arena and stay in Pittsburgh, team officials had hoped to be in the new building during the 2009-10 season. But the more the team looked at it, the more it realized the more reasonable goal was the start of the 2010 season, Mr. McMillan said.

"We think this is by far the prudent decision," he said.

The new timetable isn't expected to increase the cost of the $290 million building.

Meanwhile, the city-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority has hired Oxford Development and Chester Engineers to serve as its watchdog in the design and construction of the $290 million arena.

The SEA board approved the hiring at its meeting today. The contract for the Oxford-Chester joint venture is estimated at $1.75 million. The firms will serve as the SEA's representative on the project, monitoring its development. The Penguins, who will be the lead tenant in the new building, will be responsible for the design and construction.

SEA Executive Director Mary Conturo said the joint venture was selected from seven firms through a request for proposals.

"They will be our oversight through the whole project," she said.

Also today, the board approved a $478,000 contract, plus expenses, with Graves Architects Inc. to design a 500-space parking garage adjacent to the new arena. The move was made in anticipation of a decision by the Penguins to opt for the garage, which would increase their contribution to the arena construction by $500,000 a year to $4.1 million. Ms. Conturo said that the Penguins, in her conversations with them, seemed to be leaning toward building the garage rather than surface parking.

Ms. Conturo said most site preparation work for the new arena should be done by October. The exception will be the St. Francis Hospital demolition, which is expected to start by November.

However, the arena construction could start before the hospital demolition has been completed.

Courtsey of the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

No suprise here, I still iwsh Pittsburgh would move faster on this. I was just down there the other day and was actually suprised by all of the demolition that has occured.

Lange and Bourque are back in radio booth; Staal in trouble

2007-07-26T17:29:00.000-04:00

Mike Lange agreed to a one-year contract to return as the Penguins' radio play-by-play broadcaster, and he will again team with color analyst Phil Bourque, the team announced today.

Lange is entering his 32nd season doing play-by-play for the team. It will be his second season since he was replaced in the television booth by Paul Steigerwald. Lange received the Foster Hewitt Award from the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2001.

Bourque, who was on both Penguins Stanley Cup championship teams in the early 1990s, enters his fourth season as the team's radio analyst.

The Penguins' radio flagship is WXDX, 105.9-FM.

The Rat's Take: Glad to see Mikey back, to me he is a Pittsburgh icon.

As we all know by know Jordan Staal got into a little bit of trouble at his brother's bachelor party. I really dont see this as that big of a deal and honestly think the news media is making too much of this, the funny part it Jordan is the legal age to drink in Canada, should have just had the party somewhere up there. Oh well, I dont see this as a big deal....and it better not distract Jordan.

Alain Nasreddine is back!!! Tanabe rumor!

2007-07-21T16:19:00.000-04:00

Alain Nasreddine is back one a 1-year, 2-way contract. He just adds more depth to this team, and you need depth to win, another great move by the Penguins front office. He will help Goligoski and the other young defensemen in WBS. He knows the system and can also be brought up if injuries do occur.

The Buzz on the Burgh is reporting the Penguins have interest in free agent defensemen David Tanabe, what are the opinions on this?

Promotional Schedule

2007-07-19T13:36:00.001-04:00

The Penguins today also announced a promotional schedule for the 2007-08 season includes four bobblehead giveaways and a tribute to Sidney Crosby becoming the youngest captain in NHL history.

The bobbleheads will feature Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Jordan Staal and Mark Recchi, with the latter's honoring him for scoring 500 goals in the NHL.

The Crosby captaincy promotion is scheduled for the home opener Oct. 6 against Anaheim, when fans will receive a captain's "C" as well as a photo of Crosby and a list of his accomplishments, all in a glass case.

Fans 14 and under are scheduled to receive three items over the course of the season: a Crosby growth chart, a tote bag and a Penguins Mr. Potato Head figure.

Thanks to the postgazette.com and penguins.nhl.com

Penguins sign goaltender Ty Conklin

2007-07-19T13:16:00.000-04:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed goaltender Ty Conklin to a US$500,000, one-year contract.

The 31-year-old split the 2006-07 season between the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Buffalo Sabres, going 3-5-1 with a 3.34 goals-against average and .897 save percentage.

The Anchorage native is 30-24-7 with a 2.65 GAA and .900 save percentage in 76 career NHL games in a career that started in Edmonton.

Conklin will battle Danny Sabourin for the backup job behind starter Marc-Andre Fleury.

Courtsey of tsn.ca/nhl

I once again love this move, very smart signing for this team. If fans felt uncomfortable with Sabourin, this signing should cool you off. He is a hard-working goaltender and will br great as the backup in the NHL or a mentor down in WBS.

Penguins add to front office

2007-07-17T17:25:00.000-04:00

Courtsey of penguins.nhl.com.

The Pittsburgh Penguins spent the summer getting better on the ice.

On Tuesday, they improved off it as well.

Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero added two former NHL players to his front office staff – Tom Fitzgerald (Director of Player Development) and Jason Botterill (Director of Hockey Administration).

Fitzgerald, who retired from the NHL in 2006 after a 17-year playing career, will oversee and evaluate Penguins draft picks playing in college, junior hockey, and Europe. In addition, he will work with prospects playing for the Penguins’ AHL affiliate in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Tom FItzgerald

“It’s going to be working closely with the coaches and players at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. My job is to get those players to Pittsburgh,” he said. “I will also work with the draftees and the ones in juniors and stay in touch with them, watch them, file reports – help them with their progress in any way, be a mentor and work closely with their coaches and their managers. I’ll also keep tabs on our kids in college and just to help them progress and get their development moving in the right direction.”

Experience is a strength Fitzgerald, who played in 1,097 NHL games, plans to use when visiting the Penguins’ prospects.

“I don’t think there is a price you can put on experience and I have that. I played in the AHL; I played over 150 games there, so I know what it’s like to be down there and the grind it is being young and a new professional,” he said. “I went to college for a couple of years, so I can identify with those kids. There’s a lot of value in that and I think it can help in a player’s development.”

Fitzgerald will be based in Boston, where lives with his wife, Kerry, and their four sons, and travel all over to work with Penguins prospects. He is thrilled to help shape the organization’s future.

“I am excited and nervous about it. I feel like I signed as a free agent and am still playing,” he said. “I am quite honored to be working for the Pittsburgh Penguins, with the rich tradition they have here and how bright the future is going to be. To be part of it is exciting. It’s going to be a coaching/management role, which is nice, too, because I always thought I’d be a coach; I felt I had that mentality. Now, I am coaching individuals one-on-one and trying to help them reach their goal, which is to be an NHL player here in Pittsburgh.

“When Ray called me, it was quite overwhelming, especially when you look at the Penguins on paper and say, ‘Wow.’ This is going to be a future Stanley Cup team. To become a part of it and then, even dig deeper and be the roots of the success here in Pittsburgh with the development of all their draftees and the kids on the farm, it is exciting. It’s a big task and I am up for the challenge. I am going to give this job every ounce of effort I did when I was playing – that’s just how I am.”

Likewise, Botterill will help craft the Penguins’ future. He will monitor the salary cap, including cap forecasting, contract research and negotiations, and work with salary arbitration and preparation as well as scouting.
Jason Botterill

“Since the implementation of the new salary cap, every time a guy signs, it’s not only what kind of money he is going to get, but what type of cap hit he’s going to have and how that’s going to affect players moving forward,” he said. “You look at some of the successful teams, like Anaheim. There’s always issues about they’re doing against the cap or who they can add. Nowadays, you can’t just go out there and buy all the players that you want. It’s no longer the days where the New York Rangers are going to be above and beyond and some teams don’t have the opportunity to win the Stanley Cup. The playing field is leveled and my job is to do a lot of research on the negotiations and try to find the proper comparables and then talk a lot with the scouting and coaching staffs to get their thoughts on players and what the numbers on the players are to put the best team on the ice and hopefully bring the Stanley Cup here to Pittsburgh.”

And, one of his responsibilities is to predict the future.

“Part of my job is to work on negotiations and contract research, but a lot of my job has to do with forecasting. The contracts you sign right now – and you saw it this summer with Sidney Crosby and Ryan Whitney – the terms the players are getting are going to affect an organization a lot down the road,” he said. “So, as much as you maybe want to go into the free-agent market and sign a couple more top players, you have to realize who is coming up for a contract next year within our organization as well as who all is going to be eligible for free agency around the league and you want to have that flexibility.”

Botterill starred at the University of Michigan and helped the Wolverines win the 1996 NCAA championship. He played eight seasons of professional hockey, including parts of six campaigns in the NHL. Following his playing career, he worked with the NHL Offices and the NHL Central Registry and spent the past season as a scout for the Dallas Stars. He believes his well-rounded hockey experience will pay off in this role.

“Hopefully, my ability to understand the game and the players will just add another dimension to the front office here,” he said. “Not only do I feel there is a team atmosphere in the locker room, but there is a team atmosphere on the managerial side as well. Ray and Chuck have done a great job here, but they are looking to add different elements. You see that with the hiring of Tom Fitzgerald to work with the younger players for development reasons. In the world of the salary cap, you always have to have younger players coming through the ranks because you just can’t go out and buy free agents year in and year out. Ray and Chuck aren’t going to agree with all my decisions, but I think they will hear them. The more viewpoints you throw out there and get going around in a room, the better chance you make the correct one moving forward.”

My take: More great moves by Shero, especially brining in Tom Fitzgerald. He knows the game of hockey inside and out, there arent many guys with his experience and background, plus he is known as one of the good-guys to play the game.

Therrien signs a 1-year extension

2007-07-16T13:00:00.000-04:00

The Pittsburgh Penguins announced Monday that the team has signed head coach Michel Therrien to a contract extension through the 2008-09 season.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed defensemen Mark Ardelan and Deryk Engelland, it was announced Monday by Assistant General Manager Check Fletcher.
Mark Ardelan

Ardelan, 24, played 79 games during the 2006-07 season with the Iowa Stars of the American Hockey League (AHL). He ranked fourth on the club in scoring with 38 points (8 goals, 30 assists) while leading the team in assists. His point total ranked 14th among all AHL defensemen.

The 5-11, 200-pound native of Regina, Saskatchewan, spent the previous season with the AHL’s Manchester Monarchs and recorded 30 points (9 goals, 21 assists) in 62 games played.

Engelland, 25, spent the 2006-07 season with the Hershey Bears of the AHL scoring 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) in 44 games played. He also collected 95 penalty minutes and a plus-12 rating. In addition, he played 14 playoff games registering 14 penalty minutes and a plus-1 rating as Hershey advanced to the AHL Calder Cup Finals.
Deryk Engelland

The 6-2, 197-pound native of Chetwynd, British Columbia, also spent part of the 2005-06 season with Hershey recording four assists in 37 games played. He registered 77 penalty minutes and a plus-2 rating. Engelland played one playoff game as Hershey captured the AHL Calder Cup Championship.

Engelland was originally selected by the New Jersey Devils in the sixth round (194th overall) in the 2000 NHL Entry Draft

courtsey of pittsburghpenguins.com

My take: Smart move by the Penguins are the one-year extension, this way is Shero still wants to bring in his own man he can, plus it is never smart to sign a coach to a long-term extension. Shero continues to do all the right moves.

Armstrong signs for 2 years & 2 minor leage center sign.

2007-07-12T17:27:00.000-04:00

Penguins foward Colby Armstrong resigned for 2 years today with the Penguins. He will get paid 1.2 million each season.

General Manager Ray Shero also continues to sign players for WBS as Chris Minard, a center, and Nathan Smith, a cener, to two-year contracts.

Colby Armstrong is another piece of the puzzle for the Penguins organization. He will run through a wall if he has to and he is best friends with Sidney Crosby. He will bring steady play and can only improve as he is only 24 years old.

Press release from the Penguins:

The Pittsburgh Penguins have signed centers Chris Minard and Nathan Smith to two-year contracts, it was announced Thursday by Assistant General Manager Chuck Fletcher.
Chris Minard

Minard, 25, led the Lowell Devils (AHL) with 49 points (32 goals, 17 assists) last season. He also ranked first on the team with 12 power play goals.

The 6-1, 200-pound native of Owen Sound, Ontario, has appeared in 103 career games in the AHL, registering 68 points (39 goals, 39 assists) and 56 penalty minutes.

Smith, 25, scored 40 points (19 goals, 21 assists) in 72 games with the Manitoba Moose (AHL) and played in one game with the Vancouver Canucks last season. Smith ranked sixth in the AHL with seven game-winning goals in 2006-07 and fifth on the Moose with 40 points.
Nathan Smith

The 6-2, 190-pound native of Strathcona, Alberta, has played in eight career NHL games with the Canucks, including four post-season games. He has appeared in 327 career AHL games with the Manitoba Moose, registering 113 points (47 goals, 66 assists). Smith was selected by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round (23rd overall) of the 200 NHL Entry Draft

Penguins schedules released and Ice Bowl News

2007-07-11T18:02:00.000-04:00

Also, the NHL schedule was released, and the home opener is against the Stanley Cup Champions Anaheim Ducks and the last two games of the year are against state-rival Flyers. To view the entire schedule click here.

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres are the leading candidates for the IceBowl. Thanks to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review for the following:

The Penguins seemingly are a leading candidate to play an outdoor game against the Sabres in Buffalo, if such an event is staged this season.
No announcement on a possible "Ice Bowl" will be made when the league releases its 2007-08 regular-season schedule at 2:30 p.m. today. However, the Buffalo News reported in today's edition that the Sabres would likely play host to the outdoor game, likely on New Year's Day, against the Penguins -- provided logistical issues can be addressed.

According to that report, a game would be played at Ralph Wilson Stadium, which seats 73,967 for football.

League officials would not comment, but the NHL is believed to favor the outdoor game being played in a northern U.S. market. New York City has been ruled out, and Detroit general manager Ken Holland told the Buffalo News that he did not see the Red Wings participating in an outdoor game this season.

Jeff Taffe

2007-07-11T10:52:00.000-04:00

According to Faceoff Factor (www.faceoff-factor.com), the Penguins have signed former 1st round pick of the St. Louis Blues, 30th overall in 2000 Jeff Taffe to a contract. Taffe has not lived up to the offensive potential he had when he was younger, but he is a physical, powerful foward. Standing at 6'3, 205, the 26-year-old Taffe should be a nice contributer down in WBS.

Taffe did play in 17 NHL games last year with the Phoenix Coyotes, and in 59 games in the minors Taffe had 20 goals and 20 assists.

Thanks to Faceoff Factor again

Taffe is also listed on the Penguins roster on there main site.

Alex Goligoski signs with Penguins

2007-07-11T00:53:00.000-04:00

One of the Penguins top prospects Alex Goligoski has signed with the team according to newspapers out of Minnesota. Goligoski who is 21, passed a physical in Pittsburgh on Monday and signed a 2-year contract, earning him 500,000 the first year and 600,000 the second if he plays in the NHL.

More on this soon!

Penguins sign Sidney Crosby to a contract extension!!

2007-07-10T17:30:00.001-04:00

Sorry I am so late with this, was busy at work all day.

43.5 million over 5 years, which will keep Crosby with the Penguins until 2013. The new contract extension will take effect in the 2008-09 season. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette the contract breakdown is as follows:

2008-09 -- $4 million salary plus $5 million signing bonus.

2009-10 -- $9 million.

2010-22 -- $9 million.

$2011-12 -- $9 million.

2012-13 -- $7.5 million.

This is great news for the city of Pittsburgh and the Penguins organization. Give major credit to GM Ray Shero for locking up Ryan Whitney and Sidney Crosby already. Sidney shows that he is a true leader and captain by taking a pay cut. Good to see money doesn't mean everything to him.

What an amazing offseason so far by General Manger Ray Shero; especially locking up to future stars to contract extension (Whitney and Crosby), hopefully Staal, Fleury, and Malkin will follow the same boat so that the organization can continue to build around them.

2007-07-09T23:31:00.000-04:00

Thanks to kdka.com

PA lawmakers have reached a deal on the budget. News Conference at 11:00 am tomorrow.

Great news for the city of Pittsburgh and Penguins fans worldwide as it looks like the new arena deal with still go through!

Great Mark Madden Article

2007-07-09T15:30:00.000-04:00

Great article written by Mark Madden talking about Ray Shero and the Offseason thus far.

Written 7/8/07 in the Beaver County Times and Allegheny Times Newspaper.

While many NHL teams used the increased salary cap as an excuse to spend money irresponsibly on mostly the wrong free agents, Shero decided to patch holes with reasonably priced veterans, let his youthful core develop for another season and then, a year from now, he'll know (and get) exactly what's required to take the Penguins to a Stanley Cup. Prices may go down by then, too.

Depth-Chart, Angelo Esposito thoughts

2007-07-09T14:32:00.000-04:00

PensRinkRat updated depth chart:

Centers:
1.) Sidney Crosby
2.) Evgeni Malkin
3.) Maxime Talbot
4.) Eric Christensen * can play wing
5.) Ryan Stone
6.) Tim Brent * still an RFA

Left Wing:
1.) Jordan Staal
2.) Gary Roberts
3.) Ryan Malone
4.) Jarkko Ruutu
5.) Tyler Kennedy

Right Wing:
1.) Petr Sykora
2.) Colby Armstrong * still an RFA, excepted to sign before arbitration
3.) Mark Recchi
4.) Angelo Esposito
5.) Jonathan Filewich
6.) Georges Laraque

Defensemen:
1.) Ryan Whitney
2.) Sergei Gonchar
3.) Darryl Sydor
4.) Kris Letang
5.) Mark Eaton
6.) Brooks Orpik
7.) Rob Scuderi
8.) Alex Goligoski * Excepted to turn pro
9.) Ryan Lannon * still an RFA
10.) Paul Bissonnette

Goalies:
1.) Marc-Andre Fleury
2.) Danny Sabourin
3.) David Brown
4.) John Curry

I have some ideas of what maybe the Penguins could do with their lines, but it is wayyy to early to start predicting the lines.

I know Angelo Esposito is a wildcard to make the team, but one of his best assests is his speed. In the new NHL you need to have speed and skill...he has both which could give him a good shot of earning a spot on this team. I think they could bring him along slowly...exactly what they did with Jordan Staal last year. He would learn a lot more by sticking in the NHL and not going back to Juniors. Once again he must come into camp in shape and with a good attitude. Just giving my two cents.

Armstrong files for arbitration, Thibault signs with Sabres

2007-07-05T21:12:00.000-04:00

Colby Armstrong is heading for arbitration, taking as guess I see a 2-year deal coming up just like Talbot and Christensen.

If Colby and his agent are smart he wil sign before the hearing...which I think is what is going to happen.

And according to tsn.ca, Jocelyn Thibault signed a 1-year deal with Buffalo, and the Islanders sign Mike Comrie, their second big signing of the day.

Guerins signs with Isle

2007-07-05T17:58:00.000-04:00

To no surprise the New York Islanders inked Bill Guerin to a two-year contract which will pay him 4.5 million a season. After losing out on Jason Blake and the other big name free agents Guerin seemed like a must for Garth Snow and Isle management. It was rumored for a couple of days now that the Islanders were making a big push for Guerin.

I am glad the Penguins did not waste 4.5 million on Bill Guerin. He would have been nice to have playing the wing alongside Crosby...but not for 4.5 million...I would have taken 2.5 million as acceptable.

One side note, the Crosby contract extension will resume talks next week according to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

Coming later tonight and updated depth-chart, info. on Colby Armstrong, and any new rumors.

Pens sign 2 of their RFA's this afternoon

2007-07-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

Penguins General Manger Ray Shero has signed foward Max Talbot and Erik Christensen too two-year contracts. The Penguins had 5 Restricted Free Agents left to sign, now that Talbot and Christensen are signed that leaves the Penguins with Colby Armstrong, Tim Brent, and Ryan Lannon.

The Penguins have re-signed forwards Maxime Talbot and Erik Christensen to two-year contracts, it was announced Thursday by Executive Vice President and General Manager Ray Shero.
"Max and Erik both made great strides in helping us reach the playoffs last season,” Shero said, “and we look forward to continued contributions from them in the future."
Talbot, 23, scored 24 points (13 goals, 11 assists) and recorded 53 penalty minutes in 75 games last season. He ranked second on the team with four short-handed goals and also netted four game-winning goals. Talbot began the 2006-07 season with the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (AHL) scoring four goals in five games.
The 5-11, 185-pound native of Lemoyne, Quebec made his NHL debut with the Penguins in 2005-06. Talbot has recorded 32 points (18 goals, 14 assists) in 123 NHL games. He was drafted by the Penguins in the eighth round (234th overall) of the 2002 Entry Draft.
Christensen, 23, tallied 33 points (18 goals, 15 assists) in 61 games played in the 2006-07 season. He tied for the NHL lead with eight shootout goals and had the deciding goal in three of the ten shootout victories for the Penguins. Christensen converted eight of his 14 attempts (57.1%) in 2006-07 and has the best mark in team history converting nine of 15 (60%) career attempts in the shootout.
The 6-1, 208-pound native of Edmonton, Alberta began the season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, scoring 24 points (12 goals, 12 assists) in 16 games before earning a spot on the Pittsburgh roster. Christensen has played in 94 NHL games, recording 46 points (24 goals, 22 assists) and 60 penalty minutes. He was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round (69th overall) of the 2002 NHL Entry Draft.

Courtsey of penguins.nhl.com