I gotta say- I feel bad for the guy.

I went to the Rangers/Pens game last night, and man, the Penguins are falling apart.

I think it's time to ask the question-

Is the NHL asking too much of Sidney Crosby?

The crowd was chanting "Crosby Sucks" with the same zeal that they shouted "Sloppy Seconds" when Dion Phaneuf came to town, and while sure- the Madison Square Garden crowd has always been tough, I wonder- has the NHL put too many eggs in Crosby's basket?

He's a great player, but can any player handle that weight?

Look- I hate the Penguins, and there are a lot of elements of Crosby's game that I have big problems with. But if the Pens keep folding the way they have been, will the pressure of the league's marketing bury one of it's brightest stars?

I hope not.

I mean, not enough that the Penguins actually turn it around, but still-

A real fan of the game wants it's greatest stars to shine.

The way to do that is by reporting the excellence of the NHL honestly, and honestly- the NHL has been over-promoting this kid- yes KID- for years.

Sidney Crosby will be 22 years old in August.

Could the NHL be killing Sidney Crosby?

probably thought "There's no way Ritch could possibly hate Sidney Crosby more than he does right now."

Let's find out together!

If your answer was "enjoying a moment of quiet dignity," you are incorrect:



Holy cow.

In other news, TSN reports that in Pittsburgh's loss to Boston last night, they started six American-born defensemen who all played college hockey.

Those D were:

Ryan Whitney
Alex Goligoski
Brooks Orpik
Kris Letang
Hal Gill
Mark Eaton

As an American Hockey Fan, that's a great thing for not only American born players, but for collegiate hockey programs. Sadly for the Pens, it also appears to be a great thing for opposing forwards from everywhere else in the world.

Well, the game is over, and the Hawks just didn't bring their game, which made for a kind of a bummer ending to what was a great hockey game. Interesting to see if these two teams meet the Wings in the playoffs- these past two losses are a pretty sobering way to end a 9 game winning streak.

Some thoughts:

-Kudos to Darren Pang for letting us know that Ty Conklin took a bathroom break. Huet on the other hand, took his crap out on the ice.

-It's very classy and cool that they are opening up the ice space tomorrow for people to skate on for 10 dollars, with all of the money going to charity. They should do that every year.

-It is probably not worth saying this, but YES, the Winter Classic should happen every single year. Traditions are started when something is so much fun that you just really, really want to do it again. This game is one of those things. While the NHL never seems to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity, this is just great for the game. Let's do it again next year, and let's do it at Fenway with the Bruins and Habs.

-I am now watching "The music of Seal on Ice" on NBC. It's fucking bizarre. This is one Seal that I wouldn't mind seeing clubbed to death. Or eaten by a large walrus. Either way would be fine.

- So far, the home team has lost both Winter Classics. Too bad. It's really cold out there, and that's a long walk back to your cars. I remember the mood on the walk to the parking lot after the game in Buffalo. That's a long, cold walk for a bunch of fans who were really psyched up to attend a game that is the hottest ticket in town. I really hope the home team wins next year. Unless it's in Montreal. I love watching those french bastards suffer.

- "Seal on Ice" is still on in the background. Seriously, I would love to meet the TV executive who actually stood up in a meeting and said "How about Seal on Ice?" I would greet him, ask how exactly how it was that he decided to combine those two particular things, then set his penis on fire. I mean, Holy Shit. Seal on Ice? For Christ's Sake.

- I've been watching those Bud Light "Drinkability" ads all afternoon. Is that really a selling point? That your beer is "drinkable?"I mean, it seems to suggest that they are fully aware that their beer sucks, and have decided to strongly assert- "No, we know that our beer is watery piss, but despite all that, you actually CAN drink it. Despite what you have heard and experienced, this beer actually can physically be consumed. It has drinkability." Basically, what they are saying in this ad is, I guess, their beer isn't frozen. Nice work, idiots.

-I haven't been writing much on this blog over the past few months, mainly because I generally write on this blog when I am upset about hockey, and as a Boston Bruins fan, things couldn't be better right now. Look what I wrote about the B's this time last year, and you can see that all the signs were there. And Phil Kessel is definately hitting the back of the net.

-Happy 2009 everyone!

Well it's official ladies and gents- we have a hell of a hockey game on our hands.

Three unanswered goals from the defending Stanley Cup champs, a highlight reel go-ahead goal from Pavel Datsyuk.

One of the joys of watching this game from the greatest sports blogosphere on earth has been the great job Eric McErlain has been doing, posting video from the stands at the classic.

Here's some of his videos, which he threw up on Youtube:





A personal highlight for me was the Friday the 13th trailer. With apologies to Huet, Jason has the best looking hockey mask of the day. It was a new trailer that I haven't seen yet, but I am pretty fired up for this movie. Sure, other Friday the 13th movies have come and gone, but what does this one have that others haven't?

Topless Waterskiing.

That is what is known as raising the motherfucking bar.

I'm still commenting on the AOL Fanhouse liveblog, and had some fun with this exchange:

3:01
AdamGretz: If Bill Wirtz were still running the Hawks, would all of this be happening today?
3:02
Bruce Ciskie: Hell, no.
3:02
[Comment From Ritch]
It would be happening, but it wouldn't be televised.

No matter who loses today, the game of hockey wins.

Hey all-

Unlike last year, when I was lucky enough to join the throng at Ralph in Buffalo, this New Year's Day I'm parked on my couch watching the Winter Classic, and it's a great day for hockey.

I'm having a heck of a time adding comments over at NHL Fanhouse, who are running a liveblog of the event.

Check it out here!

It's already a better game, hockey-wise, than last year, here's a few thoughts:

-Conklin doesn't look strong. The wrap-around goal was soft and I've questioned his positioning.
-The pacing is fun to watch, lots of back and forth.
-Whoever was supposed to be covering Havlat on his goal F'd up. That was a missed assignment, plain and simple.
-Scrappy. I love the hits and the scrums. I'd love to see some Winter Classic fisticuffs.
-This is the first time Chris Chelios has back to Wrigley since he saw the Cubs win the World Series.

I'll try to write a little recap after each period here as well.

Second period is about to start.

Happy New Year!

Like everybody else, I've been a bit busy over the holidays, but not so busy so as to not drop a quick blog post to let you know what Bruins tough guy Sean Thornton said in the New York Times on Christmas Day. The article was your basic "here's what hockey fighting is for those of you who don't know that it's part of the game and are probably outraged by it" type piece.

Pretty typical, but I appreciate the Times (who have an excellent hockey blog) giving me something worthwhile to read on Christmas morning.

Here's Shawn's quote, answering an assertion by NHL Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell that fighting is on the rise because the solidarity the players felt directly after the lockout had begun to fray, now that several years have passed:

“It’s a theory. But I’d fight my sister if it came down to it. I’m friends with some of the guys I throw the gloves down with. If I start thinking who’s on the other side, then I’m not playing the way I can.”

This is an easy statement to laugh at, but if Shawn is any indication, my guess is, his sister is probably a pretty tough girl. Speaking of tough girls, on the other side of Thornton tonight are Eric Staal and the Carolina Hurricanes. If Staal is anything like his brother Jordan, it might not be his face that Thornton needs to protect. Or maybe that's not as much a Staal problem as a Penguins problem.

Oh- hey Lou!

You know, not much...coaching the number one team in the East, winning constantly, you remember- the kind of thing you fire guys for.

Best to Marty!

Sweet fight near the end there, too.