AllieLXXXVII

This sounds like it will be interesting, but it doesn't look like 87 & 8 will be doing much: ...Washington Capitals captain Alex Ovechkin and Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby will also help Roenick introduce a showcase that will include a trip to Pittsburgh to watch the Pittsburgh Penguins play against the Washington Capitals at the 2011 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic at Heinz Field on New Year’s Day...

A little preview: And why is this team annihilating the opposition? Simple. It's because Sidney Crosby is a terrorist. He is now blowing stuff up around the net. He is attacking goalies with his dirty-bomb of a shot. He is terrorizing defencemen with his enriched-plutonium speed and his improvised-explosive playmaking. And it gets better after that.

Way to go, Tanger! Not only is first among D-men (by about 16,000 votes), but he's also first among all write ins and has the second most votes overall (109,002 behind Sid!). Also, Flower is still in 3rd among goaltenders but has lessened the gap from last week, while Malkin has jumped to 5th (one spot behind OV) in the forward standings. The power of Pens fans! See the full NHL All-Star voting standings here.

...Scott Burnside seems to think so. This article is basically a bunch of the Pens players and personnel talking about Sid's season. While it's a good article, I probably wouldn't of posted it here had I not found three items intriguing. The first is a refreshing quote from Crosby: I know what my strengths are and I know what my weaknesses are. I don't worry about that other stuff. I know I'm not going to wake up and have a laser like Ovechkin or Stamkos. The second is a surprising assertion from Bob Errey: [Bob] Errey thinks perhaps Crosby's sometimes linemate Evgeni Malkin is over-shooting, trying to shoot too often to make up for a slow start offensively. The third is a nice analogy of Crosby's game; maybe the best I've ever heard: A player's game is a composition. Sometimes it's a line, sometimes a paragraph. Right now, Crosby's game is a novel.

This is very late, as Drew Brees was announced as the winner two days ago, but Sid was recently nominated by SL Price.

Forward Evgeni Malkin did not practice on Sunday, while forwards Sidney Crosby and Chris Kunitz left the ice early.... "The players that are not on the ice and the ones that left are dealing with some aches and pains and soreness," he said. "They are expecting to be on the ice (Monday) morning." Crosby confirmed that he would be ready to play. "Usually you go off early and try to prevent things from getting too bad," Crosby said. "So hopefully I was able to do that." If I had to guess on Crosby, I'd say it sounds like his groin is giving him problems. Just speculation.

Does that mean Sid the Kid will retire in the black and gold like his mentor, Super Mario? "That’s definitely the plan," Crosby says. "I love it in Pittsburgh. I love all the guys, and the organization is first-class. There [are] a lot of great things happening here." UPDATE: There was also a Q&A session.

Let's Go Flower!

I've got one thing to say.

Penguins head coach Dan Bylsma said today was a maintenance day for Sidney Crosby and that the Penguins captain should be in the lineup on Friday night against Anaheim. "It was just a maintenance day. We have a few guys who are banged up," Bylsma said. "It was better for (Crosby) to stay off the ice. "I'll know more tomorrow, but from what I do know, he should be alright." Bylsma also said that forward Pascal Dupuis should arrive back in Anaheim later on Thursday night, so he too will be back against the Ducks.

How many surgeries is that in the past 5 months? The Pens say he could miss "up to 6 weeks." Poor guy. Can't catch a break (no pun intended).

Excellent news, obviously.

Here are the new lines in this morning skate. I wonder how many shifts that Malkin line will last? Kunitz-Crosby-Dupuis Asham-Letestu-Malkin Cooke-Talbot-Kennedy Rupp-Adams-Comrie

"...[Crosby] went to Tim Hortons, which is like Dunkin’ Donuts, and got muffins and donuts and juices and coffee for everybody [who had gathered to greet Crosby's QMJHL team after a playoff victory]. And he shook hands with everybody and thanked them for being there for us." The article is a very good one. A nice, short read.