Pens 2011-2012 Season Thread

**Scorp** · 10-31-2011, 01:01 PM

Sunday, October 30, 2011
By Dave Molinari, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Sidney Crosby - How deep is the rust?

Ten months ago, Sidney Crosby was widely regarded as the finest player in the world.

Perhaps he will be again 10 months from now. Or 10 weeks. Or 10 days, for that matter.

But as Crosby gets closer to returning from the concussion that has prevented him from playing since Jan. 5, it's worth pointing out that he won't necessarily be the same player.

Not immediately, anyway.

Even if there are no lingering effects from his concussion, Crosby will have to deal with having been away from games for 10-plus months.

And while none of his teammates know what it's like to perform at the level Crosby routinely reaches -- OK, Evgeni Malkin probably has at least a rough idea -- several are all too aware of what it's like to return to work after an extended layoff.

And while their injuries were as different as their playing styles, they have at least one thing in common: All agree that their returns were not seamless, that they needed time to get acclimated before feeling entirely at home in game situations again.

"It probably took me a good 15 games before I felt comfortable out there," said winger Steve Sullivan, who missed 142 consecutive regular-season games, including the entire 2007-08 season, because of a back problem.

Crosby has, to this point, missed 54 games. Not as many as Sullivan, obviously, but more than the 40 Jordan Staal sat out at the start of the 2010-11 season because of a foot infection and its complications.

"The timing is one of the biggest things," Staal said. "It's a fast game. You think that in practice you're moving fast and you're feeling good, but when you get into a game, it's that much faster and that much harder to find openings and understand where you need to be."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11303/1186254-61-2.stm

**steelersbabex25** · 10-31-2011, 01:42 PM

You're Scorp again?

**Prosdo** · 10-31-2011, 06:09 PM

I hate this long gap in games.

**Prosdo** · 10-31-2011, 06:48 PM

Realignment could jeopardize Penguins' rivalries - 10-31-11

As reported by the CBC's Elliotte Friedman, a proposal on realigning the NHL's division is gaining steam among the NHL's governors. According to Friedman, the proposal would reduce to number of divisions from six to four. And they would look like this:

If the sight of the Penguins being in a division not including any of their traditional rivals from the old Patrick Division is jarring, just wait until you hear how scheduling would be handled. According to Friedman:

"The way it works is you will play every team not in your division home and home, and the rest of the games will be in your division. So Pittsburgh would not be with Philadelphia, and that's one thing the Penguins were understandably concerned about, because [they say] we're going to lose that rivalry."

In others words, the Penguins would play the Flyers, Capitals, Rangers and others only twice a season.

http://blogs.sites.post-gazette.com/...ries-10-31-11?

Interesting article on the realignment. Not a fan of not being in a division with Philly and Washington. These rivalries need to stay intact.

**Scorp** · 11-01-2011, 01:54 AM

Originally Posted by steelersbabex25

You're Scorp again?

Might be just me but i didn't think anyone cared for LambertPolamalu.

**Rampage** · 11-01-2011, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by Prosdo

Interesting article on the realignment. Not a fan of not being in a division with Philly and Washington. These rivalries need to stay intact.

I would definitely hate to lose those rivalries.

**steelersbabex25** · 11-01-2011, 12:29 PM

Originally Posted by Prosdo

Interesting article on the realignment. Not a fan of not being in a division with Philly and Washington. These rivalries need to stay intact.

Yeah that would be bad. In terms of the actual schedule, it would make the season easier playing those teams less often, but it wouldn't be nearly as exciting for the fans.

**Prosdo** · 11-01-2011, 03:11 PM

I'd swap Pittsburgh with Carolina or the Islanders. Probably the Islanders. Pens/Caps/Flyers match-ups are big match-ups for hockey. In a league that's trying to project itself forward you don't shoot yourself in the foot like that.

**LarryNJ** · 11-01-2011, 04:47 PM

Originally Posted by Prosdo

I'd swap Pittsburgh with Carolina or the Islanders. Probably the Islanders. Pens/Caps/Flyers match-ups are big match-ups for hockey. In a league that's trying to project itself forward you don't shoot yourself in the foot like that.

That makes sense for us but you wouldn't separate the 3 NY teams, from NY to Philly to DC is nothing. You could easily go to any of those games as a 1 day road trip. Being in the Philly area I certainly want to stay in the Flyers division. I'd take playing the Caps just in the playoffs because that's when we beat them, in the regular season we struggle against them.

If they do change it to that I certainly hope we get Detroit and not Columbus.

**Prosdo** · 11-01-2011, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by LarryNJ

That makes sense for us but you wouldn't separate the 3 NY teams, from NY to Philly to DC is nothing. You could easily go to any of those games as a 1 day road trip. Being in the Philly area I certainly want to stay in the Flyers division. I'd take playing the Caps just in the playoffs because that's when we beat them, in the regular season we struggle against them.

If they do change it to that I certainly hope we get Detroit and not Columbus.

lol True, but the Islanders are such a joke throw them anywhere.