I found a really good story to read concerning the Penguins' off-season obstacles. Check the story out here.

One thing is for sure, if we keep Malkin, he needs to get himself in shape. A 21 year-old professional athlete should not disappear toward the end of the season 2 years in a row.

From the Post Gazette (link):

The Penguins reconfigured their forward lines during this afternoon's practice at Joe Louis Arena.

The new-look conbinations were:

Ryan Malone, Sidney Crosby, Marian Hossa;

Max Talbot, Evgeni Malkin, Petr Sykora;

Pascal Dupuis, Jordan Staal, Tyler Kennedy;

Gary Roberts, Adam Hall, Jarkko Ruutu; and

Jeff Taffe, Kris Beech, Georges Laraque.

Roberts was a healthy scratch for the Penguins' 4-0 loss to Detroit in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final last night. He, apparently, will replace Laraque in the lineup if Coach Michel Therrien sticks with the new combinations for Game 2 tomorrow night at Joe Louis Arena.

My Take: Personally, I love that 3rd line combo. But, what I want to see more than anything, is a change to the Power Play units. We have to stop overloading unit 1; no team in the league could defend the 2 PP units we should be putting on the ice. Malkin has no business being on the point on unit 1.

Also, Michel Therrien informed reporters at today's post-practice press conference that Gary Roberts WILL replace Georges Laraque for game 2.

No Octopi for you! Let's hope this works; kudos to Wholey's for doing their part! Check the ESPN story out here! Also, there is another Octopi-related story from the Post Gazette.

Listen to Mike Lange call the Finals at Excuses!

I found a pretty interesting blog tonight concerning the best announcers in all of sports. It's just a random persons blog, but I think it's pretty accurate. You can read it here.

If any of you have a website, or a myspace page and would like to help promote this website and the initiative to get Mike Lange back on TV, please add this banner to your page:

Here is some code you can paste in if you know how:

<p align="center"><a href="http://www.bringbackmike.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.bringbackmike.com/images/lange_banner.gif" width="255" height="47" border="0" /></a></p>

Leave it to steigerwald to suck all the excitement out of the Stanley Cup Playoffs; my god is that guy awful at his job! What in the world is Fox Sports Pgh thinking leaving a guy like that on the air to call games? It is an embarassment to Hockey and the city of Pittsburgh!

The only thing that I could imagine that would be worse is having to listen to him call another season while the Penguins wear those awful powder blue throwback jerseys! I may just hang myself if that ever happens.

Well, it was nice to have 2 consecutive games without having to hear steigerwald's idiotic banter, but then it was back to the nonsense the other night against the Flyers. Oh well, the regular season is almost over and I'm sure a large percentage of the Pens' playoff games will be on national television.

Once again, he was trying to show us all how smart he is (Good Will Hunting anyone?) by using terms like "infusive". That is how he described Bobby Clarke's attaitude toward the Penguin's chances in the playoffs; I'm sure the kids watching the game knew exactly what he meant. What a joke!

Anyone else catch steigerwald thinking that a player who was not even dressed for the game scored the first Flyer goal? There is no way he prepares for his job, or if he does, it is clear that he is totally inept and in over his head. He obviously can't handle his duties because he has made the same mistakes over and over again for each game of the 2 seasons of torture that FSN Pgh has put us through.

The other night against the Devils, steigerwald said one of the more offensive things that I've heard in a while. The puck kept getting deflected up into the protective netting at either end of the rink, and Bob Errey innocently said "What we would do without that protective netting?" Then, without thinking (as usual), steigerwald cavalierly said "...lose more pucks, and get a lot more people hit in the face".

(And yes, it was said in a loose, almost joking fashion, otherwise I wouldn't complain"

Now, I am not sure how many of you out there are familiar with why that protective netting was put in place, so I'll quickly clue you in. A little 13 year old girl was hit in the face by a puck during a Columbus Blue Jackets game in 2002, and she unfortunately died a couple days later as a result of artery damage from the puck strike.

I know some of you reading this may think I am using this as an excuse to bash steigerwald, but the first thing that popped into my mind when I heard his idiotic comment, was "holy ****, I sure hope that poor girls parents aren't watching this game to hear that!" Pittsburgh and Columbus are about 2.5 hours apart, and it is quite possible that many people there are Penguins fans from their years with an NHL team - they very easily could have been watching the game.

This guy just isn't cut out to be an NHL commentator.

I will beat this point into the ground until steigerwald is no longer calling games on TV; there is no possible way he pays attention to his duties as a play-by-play announcer!

He was emphatically telling the viewing audience that there would be a penalty shot when a Penguin was hauled down on his way to the net with the puck, when in fact the referee was NOT signaling for a penalty shot - not to mention, any fan with common knowledge of the game knew that it was not going to be called as such.

He also thinks when the linesman raises his arm for icing, there is a delayed penalty. I wish Bob Errey would sit him down and explain the game of hockey to him. I could understand if these were rare mistakes, but these blunders happen over and over and over again!

Tonight, against the Rangers, steigerwald actually had the audacity to question the heart, spirit and will to win of all of the players that were suited up to play. As the Penguins were getting outplayed in every facet of the game, he said, "you have to think the Penguins miss the indomitable spirit of Sidney Crosby and his desire to win".

What a joke! He is seriously going to make me hate Sidney Crosby.

Also, who is steigerwald trying to impress with his vocabulary? I'm sure the 13 year old kids watching at home appreciate the so-called hockey broadcaster using words that are above their heads. He is just an awful commentator!

Happy St. Patty's day!

Well, it's late in the season and the Pens are getting more national TV coverage. I, for one, look forward to this time of year more and more over the last two seasons because it means I can hear someone other than steigerwald calling games on TV! I used to hate when the Pens were blacked out locally, because I couldn't listen to Mike Lange on TV, but it is much more refreshing now. Hopefully next season I'll only be frustrated for a handful of games, rather than the majority of the season while FSN Pgh has the games.

The Pens have also scored 14 goals in the last TWO games! This would typically be like christmas morning for Mike Lange fans if he were still on TV, but FSN Pgh took that away from us. In fact, my buddy Brent, who comes over to watch a bunch of games at my place, runs right out to his truck after the game ends so he can listen to Mike Lange on the post-game radio show while he drives home - I stream it online.

I have a feeling these 7 goal games will be common-place in the coming seasons, so please help Penguin Nation get Mike Lange back - call FSN Pgh and tell them you want Mike back in the TV broadcast booth!

Phone: 412 - 316 - 3800 (then choose option 6 for media relations)

Last night against Buffalo, I watched the first two periods on TV and then had to leave and listen to the third period while in the car. If you get the chance during one of the upcoming games, listen to one period on TV and then another on the radio; it is absolutely mind boggling how FSN Pgh fired Mike Lange in favor of steigerwald. Mike Lange isn't simply better than steigerwald, he is better than any broadcaster in the NHL, and is one of the most enjoyable broadcasters to listen to in all of sports.

WOW! It has been a while since the Penguins have had a national TV broadcast; I forgot how much better the games are when someone other than steigerwald is calling the play-by-play!

Mike Emerick and Eddie Olczyk really made me miss the duo of Mike Lange and Edzo!

When the Pens play as poorly as they did tonight, I kind of zone out and get distracted by something else. When that happens, steigerwald reminds me of when i was a kid, and my dad was lecturing me about something, and I just tuned him out but could still hear the babbling. He is just terrible.

He is also going to end up making me hate Sidney Crosby; steigerwald glorifies everything he does, no matter what it is. Sid could spit on the ice, and steigerwald would say that no one else in the league could spit that well. Unbelievable.

FSN Pittsburgh has officially introduced Ted Black as Steve Tello's replacement; Mr. Black becomes the new vice president and general manager.

In my opinion, now is the time to contact FSP directly (by phone or email) to express our disappointment in Mike Lange's dismissal. Please be courteous with your calls.

Phone: 412 - 316 - 3800 (then choose option 6 for media relations)

I am fully convinced that steigerwald does not pay attention to the game!

Tonight, he was unaware that there would be a penalty shot for Petr Sykora in the 2nd period and claimed the referee motioned very late for the penalty shot. Well, I was watching the game and as soon as Sykora crashed into the boards, the camera clearly showed the referee pointing to center ice. Give me a break; let's get Mike Lange back in there already!

Bob Errey with a Mike Lange-ism tonight! - "We've seen that fish before".

Happy Birthday Mike Lange!

These back to back games are brutal when you have to listen to Steigerwald on TV. He also thinks it's a dumb idea to try different things on the shootouts (i.e. Christensen); maybe Bob Errey should tell him the definition of the term "predictable".

Just wanted to make sure that everyone understood that the ice was fresh for the Alfredson break-away goal; I think Steigerwald only mentioned that 1 time - or was it 300?

Oh, and when did Steigerwald become canadian? Okay, I'm nitpicking, but Paulie musta been hanging out with Barry Melrose - "...goals a-GAINST."

I think they actually got up to calling four and a half minutes of play-by-play today.

Hypocrisy personified.

Tonight against the Bruins, at the end of the second period, Steigerwald had the audacity to criticize the local sports beat writers for being 'homers'. Some jokes just write themselves.

Anyways; it’s not bad enough that the Pens played like hell tonight, but then we have to listen to the incessant babble and stories on top of that? Seriously, I think there was a total of three minutes of play-by-play called! Not that I prefer his play-by-play, but isn't that his job? Just because a guy can remember (or be fed) a bunch of statistics and facts, it doesn't make him qualified to be a broadcaster in professional sports! Anyone can regurgitate stats and facts, but if you can't convey them in an interesting, or entertaining manner, no one cares!

Mike Lange was a guest on the Mark Madden radio show today; it was so refreshing to hear such a superior hockey mind objectively discuss the blockbuster trade that the Penguins made. I wish it were easier to synch up the radio broadcast with television. It's ridiculous that I even have to try that, Mike should be calling the games on television!

During the Ottawa game over the weekend, Pierre McGuire was in the broadcast booth. Coming back from a commercial, television viewers are treated to 3 guys staring at the camera saying nothing. A painful 4 or 5 long seconds go by with Bob Errey and Pierre McGuire's faces saying it all - 'why isn't this guy speaking'? Then, someone behind the scenes reminds Steigerwald that he is inexplicably being paid to talk on television.

Penguins are leading the Canadiens by one goal and Montreal pulls their goalie. As goaltender Cristobal Huet skates to the bench to give his team an extra attacker, Steigerwald once again speaks before he thinks - he assumes there is a delayed penalty against the Penguins.

Now, this may seem petty, but it's representative of how clueless Steigerwald is. You see, a quality broadcaster is aware of all situations relating to the game, and at the very least thinks before he speaks. All Steigerwald needed to do, was look at the referee to see if he had his arm with that pretty little orange armband raised into the air, which would indicate a delayed penalty. Instead, he chose to show us all what we already know - that he isn't fit to be a NHL broadcaster. When a team is down by one goal, hockey fans, and you would hope a broadcaster, would know that team is going to pull their goalie. Steigerwald doesn't, which further proves my point that FSN Pgh made a horrible mistake.

Jarko Ruutu comes out of the Penalty box, gets a lead pass from Malone and scores on a breakaway. Paul Steigerwald, oblivious to the fact that Ruutu was the man in the box, calls "Scooooore (sounding like he has something lodged in his throat), Jarko Ruutu scores a short handed goal!" The astute Bob Errey then reminds the fumbling broadcaster that it is impossible to score a short handed goal with the teams having an even amount of players on the ice; not to mention he should have known that the player who was just serving the penalty was the one scoring the goal.

Again, this is petty, and if it were his only mistake I'd let it slide - but this is a frequent occurance with Steigerwald. Not to mention that a player coming out of the penalty box and being sprung for a breakaway is perhaps the second most exciting play in hockey (second only to a penalty shot). I mean, any knowledgeable hockey fan is aware of this possibility and watches for it to happen; how can an NHL Broadcaster make this mistake? They don't, which is why Steigerwald should be calling high school hockey games.

Paul Steigerwald doesn't seem to understand his job description (not that it would help); his job is to do play by play while letting Bob Errey chip in with interesting tidbits and stories. All too often, Steigerwald rambles on with nonsense that has nothing to do with the game - while the game is in progress.

What is "winding"? Steigerwald always says this word, which I'm not even sure is a word. He pronounces it as if he were speaking about wind in terms of the weather; "Crosby is winding his way through traffic." He obviously, or maybe not, means winding (said like winding a clock). I'm sure he thinks he is doing something innovative though...wrong!

Let's say there is 3 minutes left in any random game; they will go to commercial and Steigerwald says - "We'll be right back after these words, Pens lead 4 - 2 with 3 miles to go." Miles equal minutes? The analogy is stupid! "Miles" elude to a long distance.