Thank you, Pittsburgh Penguins, for a fantastic season...

In a way I am relieved that it is over. The past 9 months have been tremendous for a hockey fan that has longed for the days of the early nineties to return but seem to have taken much to long to get here.

Well, those days have returned. The Pens were within 2 wins of skating with the Cup this season and I completely expect another deep playoff run next season in a few more following.

The heartbreak of losing in the Finals is still fresh in my mind but I am genuinely thankful for the many memories that this season has given me. Looking back at the beginning of the season I would have been ecstatic having the knowledge that my team would be competing for the Cup in June. But along with the achievements that Pens have accomplished comes hope. Hope that they will win the last game they play. Hope that I can see that victory parade marching down 5th Avenue downtown. Not this time though...


So now begins the free agent process. The Pens have many players to sign, if they can. Ray Shero has his work cut out for him in the next few weeks trying to stay under the cap and getting a couple of these guys signed for less than market value with the hopes that another Cup run is inevitable. Guys like Malone, Hossa, Gil, Ruutu, Orpik, Laraque are all set to accept any offer they wish. Young stars, Malkin, Fleury, Staal will be signing long term, big money extensions. Obviously, not all of these guys will be on the roster come training camp in September (only 3 more months!) so the team will have to make some tough choices. But that is part of the new reality of the NHL. With a salary cup in place, even the teams with the highest revenues must pick and choose who to sign and who is replaceable.


During the upcoming months I will keep up on all of the news for signings and draft and anything that happens with the new arena project. But for the next few weeks I am taking some time away from the Blog and concentrating efforts on other endeavors. So until then...