Penguins Nation

With the Winter Classic, the Pittsburgh Penguins have shown off the pre-black-and-gold days with their two new sweaters showcasing teams of the past. What many fans did not know about the Pens was that they, unlike their football city counterparts, had a lot of different jersey changes as the game changed and the team's identity evolved. After spending time on the Internet, I found the five jerseys that Pens have worn as a team that put the rest to shame—some for their sentimental value, others for how sweet those sweaters were.Begin Slideshow

It’s a most deserving honour for Kris Letang to play in the 2012 All-Star Game, but an ironic one for a player who never dwells on individual contributions or acknowledgement. Added to the All-Star lineup for the game that takes place on Sunday in Ottawa, Letang, who happily cancelled alternate plans he had made once he found out he was on the roster, is the epitome of a team player. “You are always happy when your own numbers are strong, but it really doesn’t mean anything if the team isn’t doing well,” said the ...

Injuries and bow-outs have opened up space at the All-Star game for a few of Evgeni Malkin's pals.An injury to Winnipeg Jets star Dustin Byfuglien and Alex Ovechkin's suspension-driven absence have opened up roster spots for fellow Penguins Kris Letang and James Neal, who will join Malkin as the three Pittsburgh representatives in Ottawa.A look at their seasons so far: Evgeni MalkinAll-Star is a gross underestimation of Malkin's season so far. Hart Trophy favorite might be the more apt term, as Malkin is carrying the Pittsburgh Penguins' offense much like Sidney Crosby did a season ago.The Ottawa nod is Malkin's fourth ...

Say what you want about Matt Cooke. Over the course of his career, he has been an incredibly dirty player. Despite how you have felt about him before, it's hard to deny that he has cleaned up his act this season.  In fact in Cooke's first three seasons with the Penguins, he finished first or second in penalty minutes each season. This season, he is 13th in that category. He has played in every game of the season. It goes to say that he meant every word when he vowed to change his ways.  Although he's starting to earn some respect ...

Say what you want about Matt Cooke. Over the course of his career, he has been an incredibly dirty player. Despite how you have felt about him before, it's hard to deny that he has cleaned up his act this season.  In fact in Cooke's first three seasons with the Penguins, he finished first or second in penalty minutes each season. This season, he is 13th in that category. He has played in every game of the season. It goes to say that he meant every word when he vowed to change his ways.  Although he's starting to earn some respect ...

In the past year Pittsburgh Penguins superstar Sidney Crosby has played in only eight NHL contests. The team captain is currently on the sidelines recovering from a concussion suffered in early January 2011. The length of time he has missed has led some to wonder if retirement is in the cards for the 24-year-old.Crosby has stated that he is not thinking about retirement, but as the weeks and months of his recovery drag on, it may become more of a pressing question. A question that players such as Marc Savard and Keith Primeau were forced to address in recent years.If  ...

It wasn't very long ago that we were writing articles about the Penguins and six-game streaks punctuated by a date with the Washington Capitals.This one's only a little different.The Penguins have won six games in a row and Evgeni Malkin is on a level of unstoppable that by all rights is comparable to what Sidney Crosby did to the NHL in the first half of last season.Since the streak began, Pittsburgh has jumped from ninth to sixth in the East and have managed to do so without sustaining another major injury to an impact player.The ebb and flow of an ...

It wasn't very long ago that we were writing articles about the Penguins and six-game streaks punctuated by a date with the Washington Capitals.This one's only a little different.The Penguins have won six games in a row and Evgeni Malkin is on a level of unstoppable that by all rights is comparable to what Sidney Crosby did to the NHL in the first half of last season.Since the streak began, Pittsburgh has jumped from ninth to sixth in the East and have managed to do so without sustaining another major injury to an impact player.The ebb and flow of an ...

There have been plenty of bright spots in the National Hockey League thus far this season. From the Detroit Red Wings regaining the President's Trophy form they seemed to lose after their back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances in 2008 and 2009, to the surprisingly great starts of the Minnesota Wild, Florida Panthers and Dallas Stars, to the incredibly slick shootout move Chicago winger Patrick Kane used to score on Minnesota goaltender Niklas Backstrom. Perhaps the two most brilliant aspects of the league in the 2011-12 campaign, though have been individuals. And they wouldn't have to travel far to find each other.308 ...

Sidney Crosby has played only eight games over the course of the current NHL season. Despite that fact he unequivocally remains the face of the league.  Since early 2011, Crosby has spent most of his time recovering from a concussion.  During that time some have praised Crosby for elevating awareness of concussions and while I agree he has done that, I can’t help but think that he could be doing so much more. Most of what Crosby has contributed to the discussion of head injuries in hockey has been through a handful of interviews and the obsession the media has ...