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Penguins News and Notes...

May 28, 2009, 4:56 PM ET [ Comments]

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With the final being set and the series not starting until Saturday, I figured that I would just put together a quick notes column that brought you a little bit of everything that is going on in and around the sure to be EPIC sequel between the Pens and Wings.

Oh No He Di’nt! OMG He Touched It!!!

I meant to comment on this yesterday, but ended up getting off on more of a serious post regarding the Penguins accomplishments leading up to today. I happened to be out in the world watching the game on Tuesday night, something I rarely get to do, and there was quite a bit of panic running wild through the streets as Sidney Crosby accepted the Prince of Wales Trophy from Bill Daly. I realize that this has previously been a kiss of death…the cool silver touching the hand of your team’s captain was akin to that of a poisonous snakebite to your playoff run. However, I do not think Sid was all that worried about it, as he is trying to start a new Penguins tradition.

He had his deflector shields up last season when it came to the POW Trophy. Neither he, nor anyone else on the team got anywhere near that trophy and it resulted in a loss in the Stanley Cup Final.

"We didn't touch [the trophy] last year, and things didn't go the way we wanted," Crosby said. "I thought we'd change it up this year."

I also know that he had it on pretty good authority that a couple groups of Penguins past had pretty decent luck in the final after lifting the POW Trophy overhead…

Mar POW

Hossa Seemingly Unfazed By Playing Penguins In Final

One year ago at this time, Marian Hossa was in the middle of putting together the finest playoff performance of his career as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins. As we all know, he and the Penguins came within two wins of winning the Stanley Cup.

When Hossa got the opportunity to test the free agency waters, he chose to sign a deal with those same Red Wings, saying that it gave him the best chance to win his first Stanley Cup Championship.

"It was a really tough decision for me to make," Hossa said. "When I compared the two teams, I felt like I would have a little better of a chance to win the Cup in Detroit."

The soft-spoken Slovak had no idea at the time, but as we flash forward ten months, he would become one of the most intriguing storylines surrounding this Stanley Cup Final.

"It's a unique situation right now," said Hossa. "Definitely this doesn't happen often. I tried to make the best of the situation for myself and help a team win the Cup."

Did he make the situation better for himself or will he again feel the sting of falling in the finals? We will begin to get that answer Saturday night at the Joe Louis Arena.

Here is a look at the entire interview that was conducted with Hossa after the Wings clinched their trip to the Finals.



Penguins Sign Defenseman Robert Bortuzzo

The Penguins yesterday inked another Ray Shero draft pick in defenseman Robert Bortuzzo. Bortuzzo was selected in the third round (78th overall) of the 2007 Entry Draft.

The native of Thunder Bay, Ontario appeared in 23 games during his third season with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). He collected 17 points (one goal, 16 assists) along with 24 penalty minutes this season after missing the start of the season with a shoulder injury.

The 20-year-old finished third among defenseman in scoring with 18 points (3G - 15A) for the Rangers during the 2007-08 season. Bortuzzo played in 52 contests with Kitchener, helping the Rangers win the Hamilton Spectator Trophy for the best overall record in the OHL last season. He contributed eight assists in 18 playoff games for Kitchener before falling to the Spokane Chiefs in the final game of the Memorial Cup.

Tickets for Games Three and Four On Sale Friday

Tickets to games three and four of the Stanley Cup Final will go on sale to the public tomorrow morning starting at 10:00am.

There will be approximately 1,000 tickets on sale for each game.

Fans are encouraged to order online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets also are available by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000; at all Ticketmaster locations; and at the Mellon Arena Gate One box office.

TRIB TRON Rides Again... At Least for Games Three and Four...

I just received this press release from the team and wanted to share it with you right away...the Trib Tron rides again!

Games 3 and 4 of the Stanley Cup Final will be shown on the outdoor screen in front of Mellon Arena.

Those are the two games broadcast nationally by Versus – Game 3 on Tuesday, June 2 and Game 4 on Thursday, June 4.

All other games of the Final will not be shown on the outdoor screen, consistent with NHL national broadcasting policy.

Also, in accordance with the policy, road games will not be shown on the Mellon Arena jumbotron.

The outdoor screen is made possible by Penguins corporate partners Trib Total Media and Consol Energy.

* * * * *

I will be previewing the final on Face-Off with Boomer Gordon this evening at 6:05 pm EST on XM 204. Please check it out if you can.

Will probably be popping up on XM at other random times during the upcoming weeks as well.

Stay tuned for more later…including a couple of guest spots and a Versus Game One Preview…

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