Whoooooooooo!

Do it.

Let's get this done so we can go on vacation.

Game 7. The final game.

Mike Tomlin, my colleague and one of the greatest leaders I have ever met, frequently talks about the importance of looking forward and not backward. Just yesterday, when discussing the recent Steeler workout minicamp with the media, he said, "I am not concerned about what happened in '05, '06 -- '07 or '08 for that matter," said Tomlin. "I am a singularly focused guy. My single focus is on developing a world championship-caliber team for 2009." Not to dismiss what happened last season because "it was an awesome team," Tomlin said. But, "Where we are is where we are. Where we are headed, more importantly than that, is our focus."

For the Penguins to win tonight, they must adopt the same "singularly focused" attitude. They must forget about every game that has passed and focus all of their thoughts, energy, and intensity on tonight's game. Nothing else exists. Their focus must be razor sharp. If they can do that, they will cut through their opponents like butter. The season ends tonight. The only question is which team will be the champions.

Bill Guerrin and a Chicken

The Save

In the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs in 1991, the Pittsburgh Penguins trailed the New Jersey Devils 3 games to 2. Their #1 goaltender, Tom Barrasso, was injured in game 5, leading some to believe that the season was nearly over. Barrasso's backup was a young man from Niagra Falls, Ontario, named Frank Pietrangelo. He was drafted by the Penguins in 1988 to be used as a solid back-up, and was never viewed as a player with great potential who could make it as a starting goaltender in the NHL. However, with Barrasso injured, Pietrangelo got his chance to start games 6 and 7, both must-win games if the Penguins wanted to move on to the next round. In the first period of game 6, after a face-off in his own zone, a quick lateral pass left Pietrangelo on one side of the net and the Devil's Peter Stastny on the other side with the puck. It should have been an easy goal for Stastny, who basically only had to shoot into the empty net. Out of nowhere, Pietrangelo dove to his left and grabbed the puck out of mid-air as it came off of Stastny's stick. The career back-up saved not only a goal but the entire season, as the Penguins went on to win game 6 by a score of 4-3. The next game, he recorded a shut out as the Penguins beat the Devils 4-0 to move onto the next round, eventually winning the first of two Stanley Cups. His game 6 save became known in Pittsburgh sports lore simply as "The Save." You can see a YouTube video of it here (click for link).

In my previous post, I said that the Penguins would win game 6 if a hero emerged. That hero was Rob Scuderi, the quietly reliable defenseman who blocked multiple shots during the game, but most importantly blocked an open net goal with only seconds left in the third period to save the Penguins 1 goal lead and allow them to win the game.



These two examples from the past and present show that heroes don't always have to come from expected places. They can often be most effective when they come unexpectedly out of the blue. To win game 7, to go into hostile territory and defeat a superior opponent, everyone on that team needs to step up and be a hero. There's no other way to do it.

Yes We Can.

It all comes down to Game 7. The hardest work is still ahead.

Superbowl ring

Today, I received my Superbowl Ring from Superbowl XLIII. As I am a panda of rather small stature, the ring is too big for me to wear. Additionally, I believe in looking toward the future and not dwelling on past accomplishments. However, the ring is a nice memento, so I put it in my safety deposit box at PNC and will pull it out from time to time and think back fondly on the 2008-2009 Pittsburgh Steelers.

Heroes and Villains and Game #6

No other past or future Penguins game exists anymore. There's only one game, tonight's game. It's not the game for the championship. It's the game that decides whether or not the Penguins get to play for the championship. It's a game that can earn back the respect of all the people who have written the Penguins off. There's nothing else to think about. Worry about nothing beyond today, because if the job doesn't get done today, there is no tomorrow to worry about.

Heroes could be made tonight. Santonio-Holmes-TD-catch-in-the-endzone-on-a-late-4th-quarter-drive-type heroes. Jaromir-Jagr-scoring-the-OT-series-winner-against-the-Bruins-in-1992-type heroes.





There will already be plenty of villains on hand tonight. Mike Babcock will be there on the Detroit bench, complaining about every penalty called against Detroit while ordering his imperial red army to illegally yet subtly obstruct every Penguin trying to cross into the Detroit zone. Marion Hossa will one of the faceless redbeards comprising said army, after having sold out his loyalties and his friends for what he thought was the easiest and quickest way to win a championship.





For the Penguins to win, they need to step up and be the heroes. At this point, no one can make them do that but themselves. They've shown in the past that they can rise to the occaision. The only question that remains is whether or not they will do it tonight. If they do, this game could be legendary.

In the wake of a defeat

It is very tempting to feel sad and dejected following the Penguins horrible 5-0 loss on Saturday night. I, for one, was very displeased with the lack of composure and discipline they displayed. It was difficult for us to watch the game. Bunny and I left the arena after the end of the second period, as it was clear to me that there was little hope of the Penguins winning the game, and even if there was, it could only have come from within themselves and not from us. I credit both the players and the coaching staff for the poor quality of play and lack of mental discipline.

I have suggested to Dan Bylsma that the Penguins should enlist the help of Mike Tomlin or Jerome Bettis behind the bench during the next game, as I think either of those two men would provide excellent leadership that is lacking from this team. However, I'm not sure if the Penguins coaching staff will heed my advice. This would be a great mistake on their part, for which I am not responsible. I will, nevertheless, continue to do my best to help the Penguins achieve their goals. A long, hard road remains.

Deflated Tires...

Here's hoping the Red Wings are out of gas. Go Penguins!!

Note: I give Mike Tomlin's excellent motivational suggestions a lot of the credit for last nights win. His words of wisdom helped myself and Dan Bylsma give the Penguins the confidence they needed to work hard and take control of the game.

Bunny and I will be in Detroit from Friday evening and Saturday for the next game. I will keep everyone posted as to how things go. If you watch the game on NBC, you may spot us up in Mario Lemieux's box.

Bunny says this is a good example of a "tool."

Bunny and I watched this video of Bill Cowher sounding the hurricane siren before Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semi-Finals, and Bunny told me to share it with everyone so that they can see what a tool Bill Cowher is. I'm not really sure that the colloquialism "tool" translates well into my native Chinese, but Bunny says it is indeed the appropriate word.

Click here for the video.

Mike Tomlin on the Penguins

Mike Tomlin is a quality guy, and very wise (unlike Bill Cowher). He's been helping me in my consultations with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the Stanley Cup Final. Hopefully, with his help, we can (as Jerome Bettis says) help the "Boys become men" and defeat the evil empire of the Detroit Red Wings. I would just like to point out that red is the color of almost all evil empires. Red is the color of the former Soviet Union, as well as the communist government of China (which oppresses my Panda brethren).

I talked to Mike on the phone today, and asked him, "Mike, how are we going to get the players to maintain their confidence despite being down 2 games to 1?"

He said, "Rob Rob, you gotta make sure they have a big windshield and a small rear-view mirror."

I asked him, "Mike, how do we defeat a team that may be the strongest team in the league?"

And he replied, "Rob Rob, iron sharpens iron. You've gotta underpromise and overdeliver."

I asked, "Mike, how do the Penguins remain hungry?"

He replied, "Rob Rob, It is not hunger that should drive them. Hunger and thirst can be quenched. They have to be a driven group. They have to seek greatness. The offense shoots. The defensemen stop the opposition from shooting. The goaltender stops the shots that get through. Together we all eat."

Amen to that.

NBC replaces Bettis as studio analyst

NBC opted not to renew the contract of former Steelers Pro Bowl running back Jerome Bettis.

And with Cris Collinsworth replacing John Madden as a game analyst, it created two openings on the network's "Football Night in America" studio show.

NBC announced yesterday it hired Tony Dungy, a former Steelers defensive coordinator and NFL head coach, and former All-Pro safety Rodney Harrison as analysts to replace Bettis and Collinsworth.

Click for link.



I talked with Mr. Bettis on the phone this morning, and his only comment was that this was an "unfortunate situation."

I think this is a terrible decision on the part of NBC. Mr. Bettis is an excellent color commentator. The real former Steeler who should be fired from television is the disloyal Bill Cowher, whose capped artificial-looking teeth only serve to distract people from the game. Plus, he's a terrible announcer.



What a joke...

Let's Go Pens!

We're down 2-0. We have to fight even harder, now, but we can come back! Go Penguins!!