Blogs

Starting off, as my Saturday did around 3 a.m. with an evil alarm to ready me for travel to Raleigh: I hope Trib Total Media Steelers reporter Scotty “Franchise” Brown is prepped for a wild scene in New Orleans on Sunday night. I couldn’t help but notice what seemed like hundreds of Steelers fans at [...]

Greetings from the Tampa airport, dear readers. I’m quite exhausted this morning, and not because of the long trip — though certainly that didn’t help; rather, I am confident I spotted my first bed bugs under the mattress. Yikes. I can say that for all the concerned that come with traveling, bed bugs have jumped [...]

Just about to head over to the Penguins’ afternoon practice at St. Pete Times Forum. Weird how it seems like forever since they played, and that only Saturday it seemed like forever since they had a break. Anyway, how about a dip into some NHL rankings? = “Uncle Scottie” Burnside at ESPN.com has the Penguins [...]

Some quick-hit notes as I sit in the press box at St. Pete Times Forum. I arrived in Tampa (from sizzling St. Louis, where I’m pretty sure Mizzou fans are still drinking) just in time for a Sunday morning practice, and now I’m at the Predators-Lightning game working on a story to run Tuesday. Why, [...]

Greetings from Nashville’s airport, where I’m awaiting a flight to St. Louis for Game 2 of this three-game trek. My thoughts on the Penguins’ 4-3 victory at Bridgestone Arena Thursday night: – = So, the press-area situation at Nashville is less than ideal, though certainly unique. Instead of a high-level press row, there are rows [...]

Greetings Chipped Ice fans, All of a sudden, the Penguins can’t lose at the Consol Energy Center, or anywhere, for that matter. Tonight’s game had a surreal feel because of the guy wearing No. 55 for the visitors. Senators D SERGEI GONCHAR was back in town for the first time, and was given quite a warm [...]

Some postgame thoughts as I sit at the PGH APRT awaiting an early Saturday flight to Philadelphia: – = The Penguins will not practice this morning at Wells Fargo Center. I can’t say I’m surprised. They’ve played every other days since opening the season Oct. 7, and they are really bruised and battered. Ds ALEX [...]

The Penguins are about to hit the ice for their AM practice before tonight’s game against the Islanders. Some quick thoughts before things get going: – = C JORDAN STAAL (right foot) and RW ARRON ASHAM(left shoulder) skated with strenght and conditioning coach MIKE KADARfor about 45 minutes. Staal appeared to favor his foot slighly. [...]

Greetings, Chipped Ice fans. It was yet another somber postgame scene at Consol Energy Center, where your Penguins are now 0-3. Here are some tidbits. = D BROOKS ORPIK might not be out of the lineup for too long. He was in the locker room following the Penguins’ 4-3 loss to Toronto Wednesday and was walking without [...]

A couple of slices from the AM practice pizza to get everybody ready for Pens-Leafs tonight: – = C JORDAN STAALskated for the second time in three days, spending about 20 minutes on the ice at Consol Energy Center withstrength and conditioning coach MIKE KADAR. Staal was on the ice around 9 a.m. and off [...]