2016 Stanley Cup Finals
- Thread starter COOL MAN
- Start date
Though I'd change things up and leave you guys alone tonight; I suspect Grapes.....who's despised Pens ever since Ulf S. kneed Cam Neely......was talking like that simply to try and convince Canadian viewers to keep watching a series they don't give a shit about to begin with.
It's GOT to be killing San Jose that 1) they keep Sid and Geno off the board in regulation time and they still can't win, 2) Jumbo, Pavelski, Couture, and Marleau COMBINE for a grand total of 4 SOG 3) their idea of a GREAT period thus far in this series was tonight's 3rd period, where they could only outshoot the Pens 9-6, and 4) the ONLY thing Jumbo has been good for is cheapshot stick work
Pens have every reason to feel good going into San Jose, and I now believe they CAN steal one out there.
ONE question. ...did you guys feel at all nervous after they scored that equalizer? I'll be honest. ...I didn't tonight. The wife was of course lol :wink:... from what I saw tonight, and even the 3 games previous these guys are zoned right in...locked in! I was nervous o plenty throughout the last 3 rounds but tonight I sat back in the chair and thought all good...mind you I jumped sky high out of it yet again when Sheary hit the twine lol...
They are now close enough to really taste it...us fans are close enough to taste it...I suppose the question remaining is what sort of jam we see out of them in the lion's den this round...as you say CM they have to be feeling awfully good about themselves right now , just dont get cocky fellas...stay the course...stay locked in!
Going on the road might actually be good for the Pens in order to KEEP them from getting too comfortable. I'm not predicting a win on Saturday, but if they can withstand the inspired first 10 minutes the Sharks will inevitably play, they deliver a brand of hockey that should continue to frustrate the Sharks..... and Jumbo may end up turning his stick loose on his own teammates.
Meanwhile, Conor Sheary......who got his tiny ass downright tattooed by apparently not-as-good Tampa.....joins his buddy Rusty with a GWG. Tell me THAT'S not a good sign for the Pens' actual prospects to win this series. Gonna be fun to listen to NHLN Radio tomorrow and hear Stellick and Simmer and Barnaby attempt to convince themselves the Sharks are STILL the much better team and that they "just have to play their game" and everything will be fine for them.
Meanwhile, Conor Sheary......who got his tiny ass downright tattooed by apparently not-as-good Tampa.....joins his buddy Rusty with a GWG. Tell me THAT'S not a good sign for the Pens' actual prospects to win this series. Gonna be fun to listen to NHLN Radio tomorrow and hear Stellick and Simmer and Barnaby attempt to convince themselves the Sharks are STILL the much better team and that they "just have to play their game" and everything will be fine for them.
I was nervous BEFORE they scored the equalizer simply because they HAD outplayed them so soundly but could not net a couple more. A bad bounce or two and, even though you have pretty much dominated, you lose. I was so thankful CS netted one in SDOT to put it away! If, as CM stated, they can "steal" one in SJ, they will be sitting pretty.
In a brief temper tantrum. ...Couture re: Sid's faceoff win in OT ' He cheats, he's Sidney Crosby, they don't throw him out of the circle'....oh boy...LMFAO! Maybe we should tap sticks together 3 times and say 'GO' like peewee again? I think somebody left their soother back in San Jose!?! Priceless. ....
I actually thought after game 1 just how appropriate the names/ mascots of these 2 teams are! The big bruising Shark vs the smart ,speedy, adept, little Penguin!
Enjoy the little vignette from our friend Jean Michel Cousteau....I think it says it all!
Enjoy the little vignette from our friend Jean Michel Cousteau....I think it says it all!
Irrelevant drivel, just like it's going to be when we (or the Pens) start whining about how puck-luck (or official's calls) begins going against us when the series shifts, which is how things usually work. As for Couture specifically, he's obviously just trying to get the stripes to start thinking; I myself doubt it works for him, but who really knows.
BTW, I've only heard a bit of NHLN coverage this morning, but it certainly sounds thus far as though the analysis is exactly as I expected. That is, this series continues to be about what the Sharks aren't doing rather than what the Pens are doing. And since it's been close.....and it certainly has......the Sharks are essentially a sure pop to win both games in San Jose simply because they'll play "better" (whatever that means, exactly) at home.
Of course, that's what the 2-2-1-1-1 schedule is designed to do.....give the lower seed their chance to level the earth.....and it certainly can happen here (especially if Jones' goaltending continues at this level). Meanwhile, it'll be interesting to see if we see the analysts.....meaning those being interviewed, rather than the NHLN Show hosts.....begin to quell their essentially total commitment to San Jose superiority at least a bit as the day goes on today.
BTW, nobody asked me, but I'm absolutely 100% convinced Geno is playing with one arm.
Whether it's his elbow or wrist, about the only thing that seems to be working for him are his legs. He appears to be having trouble receiving passes......his own passes don't (to my eyes) seem to have their normal crispness......and I'm certain I've seen him wince in pain a few times. That's something you virtually never see from NHL players (Geno included), at least aside Ben Bishop.
I think he's one of those guys......and none of us knows how many others (Rusty, Nicky B, and Tanger are three who immediately come to my own mind) are doing it as well.....playing right now on sheer guts.
Whether it's his elbow or wrist, about the only thing that seems to be working for him are his legs. He appears to be having trouble receiving passes......his own passes don't (to my eyes) seem to have their normal crispness......and I'm certain I've seen him wince in pain a few times. That's something you virtually never see from NHL players (Geno included), at least aside Ben Bishop.
I think he's one of those guys......and none of us knows how many others (Rusty, Nicky B, and Tanger are three who immediately come to my own mind) are doing it as well.....playing right now on sheer guts.
I'm thinking back now and I cant remember which game It was vs the Bolts but I recall Geno suffering a hell of a whack on the wrist from one of them? And right after it happened he doubled over In pain and straight to the bench...Not so Jumbo Joe also whacked him pretty good in game 1, although in that case I dont recall him recoiling in pain....
No question the ones you mention will appreciate the extra day off between 2 and 3. Bonino...man he must have bruises up and down his legs/feet!
I know I mentioned it last night briefly but...I'll harp on It a bit again lol...
Sid is blocking out the white noise and garbage thrown at him almost religiously this time around...Thornton is all over him in the late 2nd to the point of knockin his bucket clear off and still...nothing, no whining to the ref, no engaging the asshat period! This is a far cry from the fella we saw a few years ago, being goaded by Giroux etc...this guy is zoned in like I've never seen him before and is fully engaged in all the right ways. I think OM1 Mentioned that he saw that look of a steely eyed leader out of him more often...and we're certainly seeing it now.
I'm not sure if it's one or all of a number of factors...The coach? Cetainly getting the most outta him. The fact he feels healthy? Perhaps. He realises how incredibly hard it is for a team to run this gauntlet? Surely he does. Or perhaps a thorn in his side about all the McDavid chatter, Toews is the best leader and should be Team Canada Captain bafflegab? Indeed he seems to be saying 'Nope I'm still the man ,and I'm not done with that mantle yet'....who knows maybe he'll have a stinker Saturday eve but I somehow think it will be the opposite based on what we've seen of late....
Keep enjoying the ride boys! It doesn't get ANY better than this IMO....
Sid is blocking out the white noise and garbage thrown at him almost religiously this time around...Thornton is all over him in the late 2nd to the point of knockin his bucket clear off and still...nothing, no whining to the ref, no engaging the asshat period! This is a far cry from the fella we saw a few years ago, being goaded by Giroux etc...this guy is zoned in like I've never seen him before and is fully engaged in all the right ways. I think OM1 Mentioned that he saw that look of a steely eyed leader out of him more often...and we're certainly seeing it now.
I'm not sure if it's one or all of a number of factors...The coach? Cetainly getting the most outta him. The fact he feels healthy? Perhaps. He realises how incredibly hard it is for a team to run this gauntlet? Surely he does. Or perhaps a thorn in his side about all the McDavid chatter, Toews is the best leader and should be Team Canada Captain bafflegab? Indeed he seems to be saying 'Nope I'm still the man ,and I'm not done with that mantle yet'....who knows maybe he'll have a stinker Saturday eve but I somehow think it will be the opposite based on what we've seen of late....
Keep enjoying the ride boys! It doesn't get ANY better than this IMO....
Pittsburgh Penguins
You can't watch Sheary's OT game winner too many times.
Here's the slo-mo version.
You can't watch Sheary's OT game winner too many times.
Here's the slo-mo version.
Not only did Sid decide to not retaliate, he never even changed his friggin' expression. It's almost like he knew there was an iso camera on him, and figured if he pushed enough buttons.....which turned out to be when he stuck his hand on Jumbo's logo and pushed....he'd sucker Jumbo into doing something dumb (and maybe get penalized).
That didn't happen, but that might end up being one of the more memorable replays of this series if the Pens win (and especially if Sid somehow finds a way to win the Smythe).
It was just reported that Tomas Hertl didn't practice today for San Jose.
Bob McKenzie just said on NHLN Radio he took some kind of shot from Patty Hornqvist in the 3rd period the other night and finished the game skating in less than ideal fashion.......and now he sits out practice today. Did anyone recall this hit ?? I didn't see it......and frankly, don't recall even hearing about it (which doesn't mean it didn't happen).
But if Hertl is below par tomorrow night, that (IMO) is a big problem for SJ and a good thing for the Pens, as I myself think he's been.....by several magnitudes.....their best and most dangerous forward thus far in the series.
Bob McKenzie just said on NHLN Radio he took some kind of shot from Patty Hornqvist in the 3rd period the other night and finished the game skating in less than ideal fashion.......and now he sits out practice today. Did anyone recall this hit ?? I didn't see it......and frankly, don't recall even hearing about it (which doesn't mean it didn't happen).
But if Hertl is below par tomorrow night, that (IMO) is a big problem for SJ and a good thing for the Pens, as I myself think he's been.....by several magnitudes.....their best and most dangerous forward thus far in the series.
Pittsburgh Penguins
All expected players are now on the ice for practice in San Jose.
Time to get going!
All expected players are now on the ice for practice in San Jose.
Time to get going!
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http://www.theplayerstribune.com/2016-6-3-ryan-whitney-mike-rupp-stanley-cup-final-preview/
well worth the read...
Pittsburgh Penguins
Crosby: "I think we are all doing the same thing in the faceoff circle."
Letang: "I don't take anything for granted. We just have to play a smart game. It's a long series. The most important game is the next one."
Dumoulin: "When we are at our best, we dictate the play. We just have to play North/South."
Coach Sullivan: "I think our team is playing the game the right way right now... We just have to keep getting pucks and people to the net."
Coach Sullivan on depth in lines: "For me it's pick your poison. On any given night a different line might be the best one on the ice."
Coach Sullivan: "It seems like every night it's different people that step up. It's big plays and also the subtle plays that help us win."
Murray: "This is my first time ever in California. I'm not used to the hot weather this time of year."
...lol
well worth the read...
Pittsburgh Penguins
Crosby: "I think we are all doing the same thing in the faceoff circle."
Letang: "I don't take anything for granted. We just have to play a smart game. It's a long series. The most important game is the next one."
Dumoulin: "When we are at our best, we dictate the play. We just have to play North/South."
Coach Sullivan: "I think our team is playing the game the right way right now... We just have to keep getting pucks and people to the net."
Coach Sullivan on depth in lines: "For me it's pick your poison. On any given night a different line might be the best one on the ice."
Coach Sullivan: "It seems like every night it's different people that step up. It's big plays and also the subtle plays that help us win."
Murray: "This is my first time ever in California. I'm not used to the hot weather this time of year."
...lol
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Saw this come across on Bleacher Report earlier this afternoon regarding Kessel and Thornton......it's a pretty damned compelling piece for those of us (unlike t) who haven't been exposed to either of these two for any extended time over the years.
https://theringer.com/stanley-cup-f...l-5542a919c1cb?curator=SportsREDEF#.c7i4uu1wm
Kessel's biggest problem in Toronto......and this is anything but a scoop.....was always that the local cement-heads (media and fans) simply had to have someone on which to blame everything for all of their team's miseries. Of course, the highest-paid guy on the team......especially if he has no interest whatsoever in defending himself to them (or kissing their arses).....is always the easiest target.
Meanwhile, if the Pens do win the Cup, the first guy from Ontario from whom I'll be looking for public congrats extended Kessel's direction is Dion Phaneuf (and t knows why I mention him).
https://theringer.com/stanley-cup-f...l-5542a919c1cb?curator=SportsREDEF#.c7i4uu1wm
Kessel's biggest problem in Toronto......and this is anything but a scoop.....was always that the local cement-heads (media and fans) simply had to have someone on which to blame everything for all of their team's miseries. Of course, the highest-paid guy on the team......especially if he has no interest whatsoever in defending himself to them (or kissing their arses).....is always the easiest target.
Meanwhile, if the Pens do win the Cup, the first guy from Ontario from whom I'll be looking for public congrats extended Kessel's direction is Dion Phaneuf (and t knows why I mention him).
https://www.nhl.com/news/penguins-tom-kuhnhackl-making-dad-proud/c-280867512
Penguins' Kuhnhackl making dad proud
PITTSBURGH -- Erich Kuhnhackl towered over everyone in the family waiting area inside Consol Energy Center late Wednesday, a large, fit man in a crisp blue suit with flowing hair and a big grin.
Other than his physical stature, you never would have thought Kuhnhackl was anything more than a proud hockey dad watching his son, Pittsburgh Penguins rookie forward Tom Kuhnhackl, live his dream and play in the Stanley Cup Final.
Except he is way more than that. If he weren't, he would not have been invited into Mario Lemieux's suite during Game 2 so "Super Mario" could meet the man he played against in the 1985 IIHF World Championship, so he could meet someone who is his German counterpart.
Erich Kuhnhackl is considered the greatest German hockey player to ever live. In 2000, he was named the best German hockey player of the 20th century. Now 65, he's still a Lemieux-like celebrity back home.
"You can't walk on the streets with him back home," Tom Kuhnhackl said of his dad prior to the Penguins' 2-1 overtime win against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. "You wouldn't make it far because everybody recognizes him."
Home is Landshut, Germany, a long way from here. In Pittsburgh, the Kuhnhackl men are together because of the pact they made when Tom was a kid trying to figure out his path in life.
Erich told Tom to do what he wanted to do. He never pressured him into playing hockey. But if he wanted to play hockey, he would be there for him every step of the way.
"You must go your way," Erich said.
Tom chose hockey because, "I wanted to be like my dad one day," he said.
He knew that was a reach as soon as he watched video clips of his dad in his playing heyday. Erich retired in 1989, three years before Tom was born, which is why Tom lists Marco Sturm, a German native, as his favorite player. But the video told him all he needed to know about his dad's talent.
"You see him being way taller than everybody else and just being a force out there, picking up the puck in his own end, skating through five guys and then scoring a beauty backhand," Tom said.
Erich scored 773 goals in 772 professional games in Germany's top league, including 83 goals in 48 games in the 1979-80 season.
He never played in the NHL by choice. He spent a few months with the New York Rangers before a season in the 1970s, but found better money playing in Switzerland.
Erich scored 131 goals in 211 games for the German national team, which is still an all-time German record. He played in two Olympics, taking home bronze at the 1976 Innsbruck Games. He played in seven IIHF World Championships and is a member of the IIHF Hall of Fame.
"It's an honor to have such a great person as a father, as a role model for me," Tom said. "If I ever need anything, advice about hockey, it's just great to have him in my life."
But Erich's stature in Germany made Tom's hockey life harder in many ways. There was a price to be paid as the son of Germany's greatest player.
"The name was so much pressure," Erich said. "You must work harder than the other guys. But I tell him all the time, 'Buddy, this is your life. You can be a good hockey player. You have the size. You're thinking hockey. But this is only your decision.'"
Tom's NHL dream came to him early, so dad became his coach and mentor. They practiced together and Erich would film those sessions and go over them with Tom.
"Sometimes I think I was a little bit too tough to him," Erich said, "but better to be too tough and you work harder and you give yourself a big chance."
Tom embraced every session, every lesson. He felt like the luckiest young hockey player in Germany because he had a chance to be the student to the best player the country has ever known.
"He always told me, 'You're good offensively, but you're horrible defensively and you're not going to make it far,' " Tom said. "I was always like, 'Yeah, right, we'll see.' Now if I look back, he was totally right."
That's the irony. Tom has found a way to live his dream in the NHL, but to do so, he had to become a completely different player than his father.
Erich was a skater and a scorer, the biggest player on the ice, an unstoppable force. Tom is a grinder, a penalty killer, good on the walls, away from the puck, physical.
"It's about not giving up a goal now," Tom said.
It wasn't always like that. Tom scored 39 goals to lead the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires in the 2010-11 season. He had 11 goals and 12 assists in 18 playoff games to lead Windsor to the conference final that season.
But when he turned pro he learned that to last, he would have to transform his game. The Penguins put him in the East Coast Hockey League. They wondered how he would handle it considering he grew up around greatness and wanted the same for himself.
"But you know what? Tommy didn't act like a privileged kid at all," Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin said. "He accepted all his responsibilities. When we put him in the East Coast Hockey League, he had a great attitude, went down, did his work and was a real pro. We were wondering how this kid would handle it because of how he grew up. I'm sure coming over from Germany he didn't expect the East Coast Hockey League, but he was amazing."
Tom said his time in the ECHL taught him how to be the player he is now.
"The hardest thing for players is to make it in a way you never thought you would, to accept a role other than the way you've grown up your whole life," Guerin said. "That's what Tommy has done."
Erich has watched Tom do it on the biggest stage, the Stanley Cup Final. He has seen his son get within two wins of hoisting the Stanley Cup. He'll be in San Jose to see if Tom and the Penguins can get it done there.
That he has watched in relative anonymity, or at least as anonymous as a 6-foot-5 man can be, had made the experience even richer for him.
Tom's hockey career has always been about Tom. Erich is just happy to have played a role.
"It's the greatest," Erich said. "I have a son. He plays hockey. And his motivation all the time was to play in the National Hockey League. This was his dream. He's living it."
Penguins' Kuhnhackl making dad proud
PITTSBURGH -- Erich Kuhnhackl towered over everyone in the family waiting area inside Consol Energy Center late Wednesday, a large, fit man in a crisp blue suit with flowing hair and a big grin.
Other than his physical stature, you never would have thought Kuhnhackl was anything more than a proud hockey dad watching his son, Pittsburgh Penguins rookie forward Tom Kuhnhackl, live his dream and play in the Stanley Cup Final.
Except he is way more than that. If he weren't, he would not have been invited into Mario Lemieux's suite during Game 2 so "Super Mario" could meet the man he played against in the 1985 IIHF World Championship, so he could meet someone who is his German counterpart.
Erich Kuhnhackl is considered the greatest German hockey player to ever live. In 2000, he was named the best German hockey player of the 20th century. Now 65, he's still a Lemieux-like celebrity back home.
"You can't walk on the streets with him back home," Tom Kuhnhackl said of his dad prior to the Penguins' 2-1 overtime win against the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday. "You wouldn't make it far because everybody recognizes him."
Home is Landshut, Germany, a long way from here. In Pittsburgh, the Kuhnhackl men are together because of the pact they made when Tom was a kid trying to figure out his path in life.
Erich told Tom to do what he wanted to do. He never pressured him into playing hockey. But if he wanted to play hockey, he would be there for him every step of the way.
"You must go your way," Erich said.
Tom chose hockey because, "I wanted to be like my dad one day," he said.
He knew that was a reach as soon as he watched video clips of his dad in his playing heyday. Erich retired in 1989, three years before Tom was born, which is why Tom lists Marco Sturm, a German native, as his favorite player. But the video told him all he needed to know about his dad's talent.
"You see him being way taller than everybody else and just being a force out there, picking up the puck in his own end, skating through five guys and then scoring a beauty backhand," Tom said.
Erich scored 773 goals in 772 professional games in Germany's top league, including 83 goals in 48 games in the 1979-80 season.
He never played in the NHL by choice. He spent a few months with the New York Rangers before a season in the 1970s, but found better money playing in Switzerland.
Erich scored 131 goals in 211 games for the German national team, which is still an all-time German record. He played in two Olympics, taking home bronze at the 1976 Innsbruck Games. He played in seven IIHF World Championships and is a member of the IIHF Hall of Fame.
"It's an honor to have such a great person as a father, as a role model for me," Tom said. "If I ever need anything, advice about hockey, it's just great to have him in my life."
But Erich's stature in Germany made Tom's hockey life harder in many ways. There was a price to be paid as the son of Germany's greatest player.
"The name was so much pressure," Erich said. "You must work harder than the other guys. But I tell him all the time, 'Buddy, this is your life. You can be a good hockey player. You have the size. You're thinking hockey. But this is only your decision.'"
Tom's NHL dream came to him early, so dad became his coach and mentor. They practiced together and Erich would film those sessions and go over them with Tom.
"Sometimes I think I was a little bit too tough to him," Erich said, "but better to be too tough and you work harder and you give yourself a big chance."
Tom embraced every session, every lesson. He felt like the luckiest young hockey player in Germany because he had a chance to be the student to the best player the country has ever known.
"He always told me, 'You're good offensively, but you're horrible defensively and you're not going to make it far,' " Tom said. "I was always like, 'Yeah, right, we'll see.' Now if I look back, he was totally right."
That's the irony. Tom has found a way to live his dream in the NHL, but to do so, he had to become a completely different player than his father.
Erich was a skater and a scorer, the biggest player on the ice, an unstoppable force. Tom is a grinder, a penalty killer, good on the walls, away from the puck, physical.
"It's about not giving up a goal now," Tom said.
It wasn't always like that. Tom scored 39 goals to lead the Ontario Hockey League's Windsor Spitfires in the 2010-11 season. He had 11 goals and 12 assists in 18 playoff games to lead Windsor to the conference final that season.
But when he turned pro he learned that to last, he would have to transform his game. The Penguins put him in the East Coast Hockey League. They wondered how he would handle it considering he grew up around greatness and wanted the same for himself.
"But you know what? Tommy didn't act like a privileged kid at all," Penguins assistant general manager Bill Guerin said. "He accepted all his responsibilities. When we put him in the East Coast Hockey League, he had a great attitude, went down, did his work and was a real pro. We were wondering how this kid would handle it because of how he grew up. I'm sure coming over from Germany he didn't expect the East Coast Hockey League, but he was amazing."
Tom said his time in the ECHL taught him how to be the player he is now.
"The hardest thing for players is to make it in a way you never thought you would, to accept a role other than the way you've grown up your whole life," Guerin said. "That's what Tommy has done."
Erich has watched Tom do it on the biggest stage, the Stanley Cup Final. He has seen his son get within two wins of hoisting the Stanley Cup. He'll be in San Jose to see if Tom and the Penguins can get it done there.
That he has watched in relative anonymity, or at least as anonymous as a 6-foot-5 man can be, had made the experience even richer for him.
Tom's hockey career has always been about Tom. Erich is just happy to have played a role.
"It's the greatest," Erich said. "I have a son. He plays hockey. And his motivation all the time was to play in the National Hockey League. This was his dream. He's living it."
http://penguins.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=884953&cmpid=pit-twt-penguins
California Native Lange Returns Home for Cup Final
SAN JOSE – On the bus ride to practice this morning, Pens Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Lange was chatting with the driver.
“I asked him where he was from,” Lange said. “He was from Boston and he said he came out here to California. I said well, thank you because I took the covered wagon and went back the other way. He looked at me and then he got it.”
Lange is from Sacramento, which is about two hours outside of San Jose, and travels to the Golden State almost every year to visit with his family. His mother is still living and his grandmother passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 102. His siblings are all still in the area, and he loves coming back to spend time with them.
While he won’t be able to see them on this trip, it’s always special for Lange to return home – especially for a reason like this, to call a Stanley Cup Final.
“I was born and raised here,” Lange said. “We’ve got five generations of people from as early as the Gold Rush days. I’m a true native Californian. It’s warming for me. I’m just so happy to see the growth of hockey, not only in California but everywhere now in the States.”
Lange knew he wanted to be a broadcaster when he was just 9 years old, but his interest was always more in baseball and basketball. That began to change while attending college at Sacramento State University.
One day, his friend Len Shapiro – who was also a broadcast major – stopped by Lange’s apartment and asked him if he would like to go to a hockey game.
“I said ‘Leonard, I don’t know a blue line from a red line. What do I know about hockey?’ And his words were, ‘you never know,’” Lange said with a smile. “That was kind of the key phrase, ‘you never know.’”
So Lange decided to accompany his buddy to the game at a tiny little rink in Sacramento, where the teams in the league played 4-on-4 hockey. About midway through the season, Lange began working in the penalty box.
“Those were on either side of the Zamboni and you had to have communication with the PA announcer, who was up above, because they didn’t have a clock and you would tell him how much time was left,” Lange said.
“Fortunately, I was pretty decent at math and I would give it to him, and he would announce to the crowd that there was one minute left on the penalty or whatever it was. So the other side of it was that while he was doing the game and being the PA announcer, he would call the game in the building. It was actually very fascinating. It was really good.”
After that season finished up, Lange and his friends tried getting the college professor who served as the advisor to let them air the playoff games on their radio station.
“We had done football and basketball and baseball, and that’s where I got my start learning how to broadcast,” Lange said. “He said I don’t think so. So all right, we lived with that.”
The next year, that same advisor asked Lange if he would come back. And since Lange had so much fun helping out at these games, which drew around 400-500 people a night, he agreed.
Right before the season started, that advisor came to him and said that the guy who had been handling PA announcer and play-by-play duties wanted $10 a game to do the games. The advisor said they couldn’t pay him that, so would Lange do it for $5?
“It didn’t take more than a split second and I said, ‘Are you kidding me? Sign me up,’” Lange said. “Because at that time, five dollars could buy me a Shakey’s pizza, a full one at $1.35, and a pitcher of beer and I’d still have money left over. I was thrilled to death as a college student and ready to go. Sign me up and that was it.”
At the end of that season, they again asked their advisor if they could air the playoff games. And this time, he said yes.
“I kept those tapes and that’s how I ended up in hockey, believe it or not,” Lange said.
As if it all couldn’t be more full circle, the friend who first asked Lange to accompany him to a game, Len Shapiro, will be at Game 3 on Saturday in San Jose.
“As he said, ‘you never know,’” Lange smiled. “We’re still lifelong friends. So that’s how it kind of came about for me being involved in hockey.”
From there, Lange started to move East. He sent out a bunch of tapes all across the country, one of them going to the general manager of the Phoenix Roadrunners of the Western Hockey League – who responded, telling Lange he liked what he’d sent him but didn’t have anything open at the moment.
After the months stretched on without a job or any more replies, Lange decided to pack his bags and move to Phoenix – where, as he put it, he “hounded that poor man day after day after day” by going to his office and asking him if anything had opened.
“I befriended the guy that was doing broadcasts for their minor-league team,” Lange said. “I went to him to see if I could get a job, talked to him. He knew how passionate I was. He kind of took me under his wing and said, ‘well, I might need a guy to maybe help me with the stats or something.’ So I started doing that for no money. I would broadcast there at the arena away from him and then he would listen to it and give me ideas and stuff to do.”
After a few months of that, Lange finally caught a break that January when the hockey club called and asked if he was still interested in working for them.
“That was an easy answer,” smiled Lange.
From there, Lange worked as their public relations director and then as the color analyst, where he got the opportunity to work under the man who would become his mentor, Al McCoy.
“I got to really kind of learn the game from the bottom up,” Lange said. “And then Al McCoy went to the Phoenix Suns the next year and he’s been the voice of the Suns ever since. He’s still there. He’s the most tenured broadcaster in the NBA. We’re still lifelong friends and dear friends. So I took over the first year and all we did was win a championship.”
Now, in his 41st season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Lange is calling his fifth Stanley Cup Final with the franchise and has watched them capture three so far – which he didn’t necessarily think would be the case during his early years with the team.
“When you look back on it, how blessed can I be to have all the chances to work these Final series,” Lange reflected. “In the early going, in 74-75 and until 91, it didn’t look very promising at that point if I was ever going to go back to a championship situation. But dramatically turned around with the arrival of Mario (Lemieux), there isn’t any question he was the big difference. When you look at teams in this league over the last 25 or 30 years, who’s had more star great players than the Pittsburgh Penguins? I don’t know another team. And I got to see them all, be around them, call the games night after night, offensive thrills galore.
“I mean really, I am so blessed with what’s happened to me as far as being with the Pittsburgh Penguins and doing games. It’s pretty simple.”
California Native Lange Returns Home for Cup Final
SAN JOSE – On the bus ride to practice this morning, Pens Hall of Fame broadcaster Mike Lange was chatting with the driver.
“I asked him where he was from,” Lange said. “He was from Boston and he said he came out here to California. I said well, thank you because I took the covered wagon and went back the other way. He looked at me and then he got it.”
Lange is from Sacramento, which is about two hours outside of San Jose, and travels to the Golden State almost every year to visit with his family. His mother is still living and his grandmother passed away a couple of years ago at the age of 102. His siblings are all still in the area, and he loves coming back to spend time with them.
While he won’t be able to see them on this trip, it’s always special for Lange to return home – especially for a reason like this, to call a Stanley Cup Final.
“I was born and raised here,” Lange said. “We’ve got five generations of people from as early as the Gold Rush days. I’m a true native Californian. It’s warming for me. I’m just so happy to see the growth of hockey, not only in California but everywhere now in the States.”
Lange knew he wanted to be a broadcaster when he was just 9 years old, but his interest was always more in baseball and basketball. That began to change while attending college at Sacramento State University.
One day, his friend Len Shapiro – who was also a broadcast major – stopped by Lange’s apartment and asked him if he would like to go to a hockey game.
“I said ‘Leonard, I don’t know a blue line from a red line. What do I know about hockey?’ And his words were, ‘you never know,’” Lange said with a smile. “That was kind of the key phrase, ‘you never know.’”
So Lange decided to accompany his buddy to the game at a tiny little rink in Sacramento, where the teams in the league played 4-on-4 hockey. About midway through the season, Lange began working in the penalty box.
“Those were on either side of the Zamboni and you had to have communication with the PA announcer, who was up above, because they didn’t have a clock and you would tell him how much time was left,” Lange said.
“Fortunately, I was pretty decent at math and I would give it to him, and he would announce to the crowd that there was one minute left on the penalty or whatever it was. So the other side of it was that while he was doing the game and being the PA announcer, he would call the game in the building. It was actually very fascinating. It was really good.”
After that season finished up, Lange and his friends tried getting the college professor who served as the advisor to let them air the playoff games on their radio station.
“We had done football and basketball and baseball, and that’s where I got my start learning how to broadcast,” Lange said. “He said I don’t think so. So all right, we lived with that.”
The next year, that same advisor asked Lange if he would come back. And since Lange had so much fun helping out at these games, which drew around 400-500 people a night, he agreed.
Right before the season started, that advisor came to him and said that the guy who had been handling PA announcer and play-by-play duties wanted $10 a game to do the games. The advisor said they couldn’t pay him that, so would Lange do it for $5?
“It didn’t take more than a split second and I said, ‘Are you kidding me? Sign me up,’” Lange said. “Because at that time, five dollars could buy me a Shakey’s pizza, a full one at $1.35, and a pitcher of beer and I’d still have money left over. I was thrilled to death as a college student and ready to go. Sign me up and that was it.”
At the end of that season, they again asked their advisor if they could air the playoff games. And this time, he said yes.
“I kept those tapes and that’s how I ended up in hockey, believe it or not,” Lange said.
As if it all couldn’t be more full circle, the friend who first asked Lange to accompany him to a game, Len Shapiro, will be at Game 3 on Saturday in San Jose.
“As he said, ‘you never know,’” Lange smiled. “We’re still lifelong friends. So that’s how it kind of came about for me being involved in hockey.”
From there, Lange started to move East. He sent out a bunch of tapes all across the country, one of them going to the general manager of the Phoenix Roadrunners of the Western Hockey League – who responded, telling Lange he liked what he’d sent him but didn’t have anything open at the moment.
After the months stretched on without a job or any more replies, Lange decided to pack his bags and move to Phoenix – where, as he put it, he “hounded that poor man day after day after day” by going to his office and asking him if anything had opened.
“I befriended the guy that was doing broadcasts for their minor-league team,” Lange said. “I went to him to see if I could get a job, talked to him. He knew how passionate I was. He kind of took me under his wing and said, ‘well, I might need a guy to maybe help me with the stats or something.’ So I started doing that for no money. I would broadcast there at the arena away from him and then he would listen to it and give me ideas and stuff to do.”
After a few months of that, Lange finally caught a break that January when the hockey club called and asked if he was still interested in working for them.
“That was an easy answer,” smiled Lange.
From there, Lange worked as their public relations director and then as the color analyst, where he got the opportunity to work under the man who would become his mentor, Al McCoy.
“I got to really kind of learn the game from the bottom up,” Lange said. “And then Al McCoy went to the Phoenix Suns the next year and he’s been the voice of the Suns ever since. He’s still there. He’s the most tenured broadcaster in the NBA. We’re still lifelong friends and dear friends. So I took over the first year and all we did was win a championship.”
Now, in his 41st season with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Lange is calling his fifth Stanley Cup Final with the franchise and has watched them capture three so far – which he didn’t necessarily think would be the case during his early years with the team.
“When you look back on it, how blessed can I be to have all the chances to work these Final series,” Lange reflected. “In the early going, in 74-75 and until 91, it didn’t look very promising at that point if I was ever going to go back to a championship situation. But dramatically turned around with the arrival of Mario (Lemieux), there isn’t any question he was the big difference. When you look at teams in this league over the last 25 or 30 years, who’s had more star great players than the Pittsburgh Penguins? I don’t know another team. And I got to see them all, be around them, call the games night after night, offensive thrills galore.
“I mean really, I am so blessed with what’s happened to me as far as being with the Pittsburgh Penguins and doing games. It’s pretty simple.”
800pm EDT/500pm PDT.......well, strictly speaking, puck drop is probably something like 820pm EDT. Of course, it's useful to consider ALL the discussion this week regarding how advantaged SJ was thought to be with the time. If anything, the clock actually works to the Pens advantage since faceoff is actually at THEIR normal time.
Meanwhile, something is going on with yours truly that virtually NEVER happens; my confidence coming into Game 3 is actually on the RISE. If the Pens can withstand the inevitable big SJ start, they have a good chance to take advantage when the Sharks start getting tight in the shorts.
What I don't know is if (strategically speaking) they pick up where they left off after Game 2 and continue pushing the play, or if they try to give Murray some extra help.....especially early in the game.....by dropping back and defending their goal with a little more purpose. Probably, HCMS simply decides "don't fix what ain't broke" and he forces San Jose to deal with what they haven't proven (at least not yet) they can.
It would be SAH-WEET if they could get on the board early......even if it's due to a SJ defensive misplay (or Marty Jones' FIRST mistake of the series).
Glad you jumped in today before Game 3, rooney......good to have you aboard. If you have time, stay involved with us tonight and throughout the rest of the series.....believe me, the rest of us Pens-shills will be here :clap:
With Hertl out, let's hope Pavelski remains asleep at the wheel.....and Thornton remains more focused on cross-checking than playing the game. As for Sid, It'll be interesting to see if he.....in a sort-of Henrik Zetterberg role.....initiates a few more cheapies of his own to egg Jumbo (or Logan Couture) into taking a retaliation penalty or two.
]Glad you jumped in today before Game 3, rooney......good to have you aboard. If you have time, stay involved with us tonight and throughout the rest of the series.....believe me, the rest of us Pens-shills will be here :clap:
I am a former SPAHL player. I still have my Nicholson Piledrivers sweater from the 70's.
Great to see the Pens winning with such low point production from 71, 87, and 58.
It's time for 71 to bury one in the back of the net.
I am a former SPAHL player. I still have my Nicholson Piledrivers sweater from the 70's.
Great to see the Pens winning with such low point production from 71, 87, and 58.
It's time for 71 to bury one in the back of the net.
The South Pittsburgh Amateur Hockey League. I played at Rostraver Gardens, Nevin Arena in Greensburg, Monroeville Mall, South Park, and Neville Island.
This was back in the early 70's. It was great fun.
Nicholson Construction company sponsored one of the teams I played on. The Piledrivers.
This was back in the early 70's. It was great fun.
Nicholson Construction company sponsored one of the teams I played on. The Piledrivers.
Welcome to the fray rooney...the Piledrivers! Love it! As you may have gleaned I am from the Great White Northland....I played the game a number of years , although not nearly as well as some of my pals , i was a far better football player than on blades lol...I still play pond hockey in the odd tournament here on our local lake. Our team is appropriately named 'The Mountaineers'...
Would be nice if we see something out of 71 tonight, although I wonder as CM mentioned if he is playing with a half an arm...he doesn't look 100% healthy to me...BIG factor tonight imo is if 58 can keep his head, stay out of the box and simply play his game effectively. ...they'll be coming for him would think....
LET'S GO PENS!!!!
At the start of the playoffs I felt that 87-71-58 would have to average 3 points per game for the Pens to be successful. 87 is getting his point per game. 71 is close.
The HBK has made up the difference. LGP
The HBK has made up the difference. LGP
You betch yur ass I do lol....
A player Kessel incredibly talented and completely miscast up here....and it started with the idiot Burkie figuring he knew better....trying to turn a player who likely unfairly maligned from the get go outta the draft, into the savior of a laughingstock organization. Kessel is not the straw that mixes the drink, he's about the best complementary ingredient one could ask for...and he was not going to be able to turn chicken shit into chicken salad...
He's now landed in a spot to allow him the greatest opportunity for success. ..kudos to GMJR for recognizing this....and leaving the Leaves (it really pisses off the locals when you use the proper plural lol), shelling out 1.2 mil per...his contract is very manageable for what the Pens are getting from him imo....
Um....I'll take Jim Jimmerson on the anthem duty any day of the week...cause she was just AWFUL!!!! Wow....
