mikey's Thread of Penguin Randomness

[slappybrown]

how are the new unis

whats your favorite pizza in pgh

thank you for your service

[NTP66]

At least they didn't threaten to hockey play headshot anyone.

[nocera]

This is an important day in Penguins history. Not only did we draft MAF on this day in 2003 (and soon he'll be involved in another important draft), but the Pens also hired Ivan Hlinka.

2000: The Pittsburgh Penguins name Ivan Hlinka as their coach, replacing Herb Brooks. Hlinka, a native of the Czech Republic, becomes the second coach in NHL history who's born and trained in Europe (following Alpo Suhonen). He coaches the Penguins to the Eastern Conference Final in 2001 but is fired four games into the following season.

[Jim]

Vegas doesn't need Fleury. Pittsburgh needs Fleury out of here. The team that has a need has to pay. It is not rocket surgery.

But Pittsburgh actually does not need Fleury out of there... at all. Dallas NEEDS a goalie out of there. Pittsburgh would be just fine if Vegas took Rust or Cole and really fine if they took Hagelin.

[meow]

I'd rather take the broken kneecap. That's like a 6 week recovery time. A dinner with Milbury would cause irreversible mental trauma.

[Jim]

https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/stat ... 8108829696

This belongs here as well. This is going to be like running into your ex at the mall with her new fling.

So McKenzie is saying that the Pens had to give Vegas picks or whatever as a bribe to take Fleury... but he is also saying that Fleury is going to be the face of the franchise? Is he basically just throwing everything and anything into the wind no matter if one tweet to the next completely contradicts himself?

Why would this necessarily be contradictory? I think shmenguin has the gist of it in the posts above mine.

Bribe us to take the player that we plan to build our team and marketing around... go ahead, bribe us...

[MR25]

That's Dallas's fault. They shouldn't need an expansion draft to bail them out of dumb decision making.

Also all but confirmed Cody Eakin is the Dallas player chosen.

[meow]

Vegas doesn't need Fleury. Pittsburgh needs Fleury out of here. The team that has a need has to pay. It is not rocket surgery.

But Pittsburgh actually does not need Fleury out of there... at all. Dallas NEEDS a goalie out of there. Pittsburgh would be just fine if Vegas took Rust or Cole and really fine if they took Hagelin.

Yeah you're right

[slappybrown]

https://twitter.com/TSNBobMcKenzie/stat ... 8108829696

This belongs here as well. This is going to be like running into your ex at the mall with her new fling.

So McKenzie is saying that the Pens had to give Vegas picks or whatever as a bribe to take Fleury... but he is also saying that Fleury is going to be the face of the franchise? Is he basically just throwing everything and anything into the wind no matter if one tweet to the next completely contradicts himself?

Why would this necessarily be contradictory? I think shmenguin has the gist of it in the posts above mine.

Bribe us to take the player that we plan to build our team and marketing around... go ahead, bribe us...

I think the decision to include MAF in the announcement tonite (if that's true) and the subsequent marketing plan is made once the deal to pick him is worked out. GMGM didn't open his discussions with GMJR by saying "MAF is our centerpiece and we are taking him. Draft pick please."

[Dickie Dunn]

I preferred the day we fired Hlinka. Remember the 2000 season opener in Japan when the fourth line didn't log a single second of ice time? Those were good times.

[relantel]

I preferred the day we fired Hlinka. Remember the 2000 season opener in Japan when the fourth line didn't log a single second of ice time? Those were good times.

Hmm. The game sheets for those two games aren't available. (Games 18 and 25 of that season). But the adjacent game numbers are live pages. 17/19 and 24/26. First pens game live sheet available that season is game 3 (NHL game 47 - http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/2 ... 020047.HTM )

[robbiestoupe]

Ivan "we need a coach that connects with our 3 Czech players" Hlinka. That guy?

[Jim]

Bribe us to take the player that we plan to build our team and marketing around... go ahead, bribe us...

I think the decision to include MAF in the announcement tonite (if that's true) and the subsequent marketing plan is made once the deal to pick him is worked out. GMGM didn't open his discussions with GMJR by saying "MAF is our centerpiece and we are taking him. Draft pick please."

Oddly, Rutherford is not a moron either, so he doesn't actually need things spelt out for him.

[slappybrown]

Bribe us to take the player that we plan to build our team and marketing around... go ahead, bribe us...

I think the decision to include MAF in the announcement tonite (if that's true) and the subsequent marketing plan is made once the deal to pick him is worked out. GMGM didn't open his discussions with GMJR by saying "MAF is our centerpiece and we are taking him. Draft pick please."

Oddly, Rutherford is not a moron either, so he doesn't actually need things spelt out for him.

If it comes out as McKenzie suggested, then clearly Rutherford felt that GMGM's threat that he would not take MAF was at least semi-credible and he needed to grease the skids. None of that makes "VGK will take MAF and want him to be a marketing centerpiece" inconsistent with GMJR deciding he needed to include a pick. I'm not sure why you think this makes anything McKenzie has theorized "contradictory."

[Dickie Dunn]

I preferred the day we fired Hlinka. Remember the 2000 season opener in Japan when the fourth line didn't log a single second of ice time? Those were good times.

Hmm. The game sheets for those two games aren't available. (Games 18 and 25 of that season). But the adjacent game numbers are live pages. 17/19 and 24/26. First pens game live sheet available that season is game 3 (NHL game 47 - http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/2 ... 020047.HTM )

I've had trouble finding a record of the damn game as well. Closest I've been able to get is this: http://www.hockey-reference.com/boxscor ... 60PIT.html

Shows the Pens only having 15 skaters. The following game the Pens had 18 skaters with Kraft, Morozov, and Melichar being granted the right to touch that sweet Japanese ice.

[Pavel Bure]

I'd say MAF was also offered the option of ensuring he went to Vegas or allowing the Pens to trade him to the highest bidder. Given what he's done for this franchise he probably wanted to know his fate and make sure his family could be setup in a non-random situation.

[NTP66]

Serious question - who are the legitimately better choices at goaltender for Vegas? Mrazek? Grubauer? If they wanted a legit #1 goaltender from day one, I don't think they look any further than Fleury.

[Troy Loney]

I'd say MAF was also offered the option of ensuring he went to Vegas or allowing the Pens to trade him to the highest bidder. Given what he's done for this franchise he probably wanted to know his fate and make sure his family could be setup in a non-random situation.

I understood it to be that Rutherford was going to try and move him at the deadline if he didn't accept to waive the NMC. It was to allow him to finish to finish the year in Pgh.

[columbia]

It must be weird to be on an expansion team and talk to the media, "Yeah, we totally suck...including me."

[willeyeam]

Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think they'll totally suck.

[Troy Loney]

They'd probably be pretty good if it weren't for all the side deals they're making for picks.

[relantel]

@Dickie Dunn hmm. even the web.archive.org search for http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/2 ... 020018.HTM is a dead end. Same for http://www.nhl.com/scores/htmlreports/2 ... 020025.HTM

Recaps:
http://web.archive.org/web/200103021532 ... recap.html

http://web.archive.org/web/200101110510 ... recap.html

TOKYO (Ticker) -- The Nashville Predators upstaged the Jaromir Jagr show as the National Hockey League made its third venture into Japan.

Cliff Ronning scored within the opening five minutes and Mike Dunham stopped 25 shots to lead the Predators to their first season-opening victory in their short history, 3-1 over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Jagr, who led the league in scoring for a fourth straight season in 1999-2000, was limited to just one assist and Ivan Hlinka lost his debut NHL coaching debut. Hlinka, who guided the Czech Republic to the gold medal at the 1998 Olympics, was hired as an associate coach last February and labeled as the probable successor to Herb Brooks.

"I don't feel good but I'm still optimistic," Hlinka said. "Nashville was the better team today. Hopefully we can come back and be the better team tomorrow." Vitali Yachmenev tallied a power-play goal in the second period for the third-year Predators, who will square off against Pittsburgh again on Saturday at 12:00 a.m. EDT.

The Far East is no stranger to NHL teams opening their campaigns. The Mighty Ducks of Anaheim and the Vancouver Canucks began the 1997-98 season here and the Calgary Flames and the San Jose Sharks followed suit the following year. Showing greater speed and team play, Nashville jumped out to an early lead in the first period. Patric Kjellberg brought the puck over the blue line and left a drop pass for Ronning, who skated to the top of the left faceoff circle and fired a slap shot over the Pittsburgh goaltender Jean-Sebastien Aubin.

"We pride ourselves in discipline," Nashville coach Barry Trotz said. "We try not to give a team like Pittsburgh too many chances." Yachmenev doubled the Predators' advantage on the power play 8:01 into the second. The Penguins just finished killing off a a 5-on-3 but were still a man down when Scott Walker sent a pass from the left faceoff circle to Yachmenev in the slot. The right wing settled the puck down before shooting it between Aubin's pads.

"We were able to contain their forwards in the first two periods," Trotz said. "We hit three or four posts and were a little nervous but the guys rallied and did a good job." "I think the penalties we took in the second period were the turning point of the game," Hlinka said. "Every penalty is a bad one and we had our share today."

Jan Hrdina cut Pittsburgh's deficit to one with a power-play marker with 3:33 left in the second period. Alexei Kovalev, on the point, worked a give-and-go with Jagr and Hrdina put in the rebound at the doorstep. After getting outshot by a 23-13 margin in the first two periods, the Penguins put the pressure on Dunham in the third. But Nashville's goaltender was up to the task, stopping Janne Laukkanen in front with a little more than seven minutes remaining and Martin Straka with 26 seconds left.

"Mike came up big in the third period and did a great job for us," said Trotz. In between with Aubin on the bench for an extra attacker, Scott Walker pounced on a loose puck in the Penguins' zone and sent it into the empty net to seal the win.

"I feel fortunate to have good games here," said Walker, who played for the Canucks in 1997-98 when they opened the season in Japan. "I just seem to play a little better here. I don't know what it is. When I scored the goal with Vancouver it was a bit different but it was good to score today." Aubin made 31 saves for Pittsburgh, which went 1-for-7 on the power play.

[NTP66]

They'd probably be pretty good if it weren't for all the side deals they're making for picks.

Kinda where I was going in the other thread. This team is either going to be somewhat decent next year, or a pile of garbage.

[Jim]

Bribe us to take the player that we plan to build our team and marketing around... go ahead, bribe us...

I think the decision to include MAF in the announcement tonite (if that's true) and the subsequent marketing plan is made once the deal to pick him is worked out. GMGM didn't open his discussions with GMJR by saying "MAF is our centerpiece and we are taking him. Draft pick please."

Oddly, Rutherford is not a moron either, so he doesn't actually need things spelt out for him.

If it comes out as McKenzie suggested, then clearly Rutherford felt that GMGM's threat that he would not take MAF was at least semi-credible and he needed to grease the skids. None of that makes "VGK will take MAF and want him to be a marketing centerpiece" inconsistent with GMJR deciding he needed to include a pick. I'm not sure why you think this makes anything McKenzie has theorized "contradictory."

Because he is saying both sides of the coin. It's basically the definition of contradictory. Of course, he is also repeatedly saying "speculation". However, everyone is ignoring that and just running with the least plausible... speculation... as if it was already known fact.

[dodint]

how are the new unis

whats your favorite pizza in pgh

thank you for your service

I hate change.

Jioio's

Don't mention it.