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Sink or Swim...

In the eyes and mind of Columnist Jan Snyder, the current look of the Pittsburgh Penguins Universe resembles a pond, a stream, and an ocrean. It's a stretch drive update on all things Penguin.

Sea Creatures

Lisa Ovens
2007/2008 Season

Lisa 2008 Playoffs

Jan 2008 Playoffs

Green Hockey

Rink Rat

We Were Juniors

Womens Jersey

A Memo

Hockey Planet 2

07/08 Pre Season

Hockey Planet 1

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2006/2007

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2 Words: Well
Hung!

Guest Columnists
2006/07

Helen (Hockey) Peterson
Notion
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Here We Go!

Jan Snyder
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Ron Francis
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As The Arena Turns

Mark Seitter "Hockey Love Letters from Barcelona"
Letter 1

Lisa Rudyk
"Reports from the Field"
The Biggest Fan

Andrew Lavigne
"Reports from the California"
Game One

by Jan Snyder
Mon. March 2nd, 2009

“Just Keep Swimming!” – Dory, in Finding Nemo

As February turns to March, the March of the Penguins has become more like watching salmon swim upstream. Holding steady in the 10th spot, the Pens find that they have several teams to leap-frog over if they want to grab that 8th playoff lily pad.

So many things have been happening in and around the Igloo, the fish bowl where the Penguins reside. First Michel Therrien made his exit. Au revoir, Coach, and thanks for the fantastic memories of last playoff season.

Coach Dan

Replacing him was new coach, Dan Bylsma, aka, the coach who needs to buy a vowel. Since his last name doesn’t exactly roll off one’s tongue, I’ll call him “Coach Dan,” like Lt. Dan, Forrest Gump’s pal. (“Coach Dan” looks a bit like “Announcer Dan” Potash.)

Coach Dan didn’t endear himself to me nor to many other Pens fans when he took over and sat defenseman Kris Letang for the first three games of his stint as head coach. Something fishy going on here! Letang has played well and is a pretty impressive defenseman. Not only that, he wears #58 – a legendary defensive number in Pittsburgh because it was worn oh so well by linebacker Jack Lambert of the Steelers. Fortunately, Letang still has his teeth and doesn’t resemble Jack Splat in any other way. But Coach Dan, although professing to be a big fan of Letang, carped about his practices and said he would have to wait for his opportunity to play again.

The games have been more exciting under Coach Dan who is giving the players a little more freedom. The action is furious with a frenzy of goals as a result.

After Coach Dan’s first three games, Ryan Whitney traded his black and gold uniform for the black, gold, green and white of the Ducks. That maneuver opened up a place for Letang that he will hopefully hold on to for the rest of the season. His smooth skating, speed, and increasing offensive play bode well for the Pens. “Skate, Kris, skate!”

The Ugly Duckling

The trade enabled GM Ray Shero to lure in a big catch. We know from fairy tales that the ugly duckling turned into a beautiful swan. Let’s hope Chris Kunitz, who was a Duck, will transform into a handsome Penguin and become the perfect left winger on Crosby’s line. In his first game against the Blackhawks he scored a goal, dished out some big hits (at 6’, 195 pounds, he’s no shrimp) and played well.

Meantime, Captain Crosby can’t skate because of a groin injury. Right now he’s more like a sea turtle on land – flat on his back and flailing away, trying to get up! Goalie Fleury is swimming a bit around his goal crease too. The team needs him to stand up and be big in goal for the rest of these games in March and April. He might need as many arms as an octopus to stop all the pucks that will be coming his way. Geno continues to be the big fish on the small pond, registering a point in almost every game and leading the league in scoring. But best of all, the return of Sergei Gonchar from shoulder surgery has made all the difference. Looking like he only missed a few games, Gonchar threw himself fully back into the action. If the power play were a regular meal, Gonchar is just a little touch of Russian caviar to start it off.

Jaws

Cue the soundtrack from “Jaws” –
The team coming out of the East will have to face the Sharks at some point to get to the Stanley Cup Final. Sharks are bad news. Beating them will be a whale of a job. All the more reason for the Penguins to do their best impression of those determined salmon!

Let’s Go, Pens!

*Sea Turtle and Shark photos courtesy of Allan Hay

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