Crosby Misses The Canadian Cold

Keep warm, Sid (source: Flickr/ztil301)

No, seriously.

Instead of taking a car or bus down to the MTS Centre for practice this morning, Sidney Crosby decided that he wanted to walk down to the arena so that he could experience the real Canadian cold again. It’s about a 4 block walk from the hotel to the arena.

To make this story even more Canadian, our captain even stopped at Tim Horton’s, according to TSN’s Gord Miller on Twitter.

Imagine being the person behind the counter when Sidney Crosby comes in to order a coffee. Awesome.

The Pens play the Jets tonight at 7:30PM. Let’s Go Pens!

The Joy That Is Geno Strikes Again

Even off in Russia, Geno still finds ways to chirp other players.

This afternoon, Paul Bissonnette of the Phoenix Coyotes, DM’d Geno on Twitter, and tweeted the short but hilarious exchange.

Girls Love

Forget People magazine’s “Sexiest Man Alive” issue. The Russian edition of OK! magazine released their list of most eligible bachelors and look who topped the list. Our very own Evgeni Malkin!

Now, I don’t understand Russian, so I don’t really know what else the issue is saying. All I know for certain is that Geno is considered the most eligible bachelor in Russia by a tabloid magazine.

It’s been a breakout year for Geno. 50 goal season, Art Ross winner, Hart and Lindsay award winner, and now the most eligible bachelor title. I wonder how he’ll rank this with those other honours.

Geno isn’t the first Penguin to make a list like this. Back in 2009, Sidney Crosby was named one of Hello! Canada’s Most Beautiful Canadians. He was also chosen as one of People Magazine’s Surprising Hottie’s of the Winter Olympics. Don’t look at me, I didn’t come up with that title.

Congrats Scuds!

Scuderi and bb Scuderi, a future sports analyst

Rob Scuderi, former Penguin and current LA King, won his second cup tonight with the LA Kings.

There was a scary moment when Scuderi was boarded by Steve Bernier. Bernier earned a  5 minute boarding major and was kicked out of the game. However, that seemed to be the game changer and the Kings went on to beat the New Jersey Devils 6-1 to win the Cup.

Scuderi was much loved as a Penguin and I know that a lot of us are super happy to see him win again. Congratulations, Scuds!

Crosby Spotted At Game 3!

Crosby works the blue steel

Look up in the boxes! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s our captain, Sidney Crosby!

Crosby was spotted at game 3 of the Stanley Cup finals in Los Angeles, sitting in a box with Colorado Avalanche star Matt Duchene.

For those of you wondering “What the hell is Crosby doing in LA? And since when is he friends with Duchene!?”, Crosby’s agent, Pat Brisson, is based in LA. Sid and Matt share an agent, and were guests of his in his box.

CBC’s “Hockey Night in Canada” and NBC Sports both interviewed Crosby during intermission, and it was a welcome sight for us fans. Looking happy and healthy, Crosby told CBC’s Elliotte Friedman that he’s already resumed his normal summer workouts, the first time he’s been able to do so in a year, and that he’s ready to go for next season, which is news I think all Penguins fans are excited to hear.

Crosby also said he’s interested in the NHL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. The current one expires in September, and if no new agreement is reached, there is a chance there will be a lockout next season. Sid says he’s already met with Donald Fehr, the president of the NHL Players Association, and that he wants to be as involved as he can with the newest CBA.

On a totally shallow note, Sid was looking ridiculously attractive in his black button down shirt, which highlighted his tan. He was also looking more built than I can remember. The shirt was looking ready to rip from his muscles.

As for who he’s rooting for in the finals, Sid gave a typical diplomatic answer, not giving a direct response. That’s our Sidney!

Pittsburgh Penguins Superlatives!

Nice hair, Sid

The season has ended, so it’s time to pick the Penguins superlatives!

Note: These don’t necessarily reflect the season. I was just bored and picked ones I thought suited certain Penguins.

Without further ado, here are you 2011/2012 Pittsburgh Penguins Most Likely To’s!

VOTE FOR GENO

EA Sports is having a vote for the cover of NHL13, and Evgeni Malkin, current Art Ross winner, is in the running. He’s matched up against Scott Hartnell (ew!) and even worse? He’s LOSING!

You can vote as many times in a day as you can, so go and vote here!

Remember, a vote for Geno is a vote against Scott Hartnell. So it’s your duty as a Penguins fan to vote!

Catching Up With The Pens

Crosby being...Crosby at the Derby

So it’s been two weeks without Penguins hockey. What have our beloved Penguins been up to in the off season, besides playing endless rounds of golf?

In serious news, Zbynek Michalek had successful hip surgery, according to the Penguins site. He is expected to be ready for the pre-season.

Evgeni Malkin is playing for Team Russia at the 2012 World Championship and just like he did during the season with the Pens, he is dominating. He has 6 points, 2 goals and 4 assists, tying him with Sweden’s Loui Eriksson for first place. Team Russia has won all three of their games, and will play next on Thursday against Denmark.

Earlier, the Penguins ran a contest for kids where the winner would get to bring a Penguin to school for show and tell. The lucky winner brought Pascal Dupuis to her school, where he answered questions from the kids and read them a story. There’s a video on the Penguins site and it’s adorable. Lucky kids!

Sidney Crosby decided to try out his luck at horse racing. He was spotted at the Kentucky Derby, taking in the races and trying to shove his hands into his way too small pockets. I wonder if he won or lost money. The winner, I’ll Have Another, was a Canadian horse, so maybe he bet on it… Who would have thought Crosby was a betting man?

How To Survive The Off-Season

Is it October yet?

It’s only been a week since the Penguins were knocked out of the playoffs, but it feels much longer. How can one expect to get through the off season? I myself have been asking this all week, and have come up with a list that will hopefully help you guys too!

– Watch the IIHF World Championship
Evgeni Malkin will be playing for Team Russia, and I know that a lot of us would like to keep watching him play. The tournament starts on May 4th, and Russia’s first game is on May 5th.

– Watch the NHL Awards!
Evgeni Malkin is nominated for the Hart, the Ted Lindsay, and will receive the Art Ross trophy. And you know you want to see him make an acceptance speech in his adorable broken English.

– Follow the Twitter accounts!
Thank God for social media, and for the fact that a good number of Penguins have a Twitter account! Follow them all!

@malkin71_ is Evgeni Malkin
@jneal_18 is James Neal. Watch out for the chirrping between him and Geno. It’s hilarious!
@RevLovejoy6 is Ben Lovejoy
@ETangradi is Eric Tangradi
@BeauBennett78 is our newly signed prospect, Beau Bennett

If you want all the latest news and updates, then follow @PensInsideScoop. And of course, you must follow the mothership @pghpenguins. They’ll keep you updated on all the latest signings and happenings in the Penguins’ world

And of course, check back at Black Tie Required! We’ll try our best to keep you guys updated on all the news, plus we’ll have some fun stuff posted too!

Top 5 Goals of the Season

Despite what happened in the Stanley Cup playoffs this year, let’s remember that during the regular season, the Pens were one of the hottest teams in the league. The goals they scored were certainly ones to remember.

Let’s take a short walk down memory lane and remember 5 of the best Penguins goals scored this season