The Confluence of the Three Rivers

Ya win some, ya lose some

By Tony Ferrante | August 27th, 2008

This must be how it feels to be a “real” journalist (yeah, right).

I had hoped to bring you my next Q & A session in the coming days, but I was shot down in flames.

I contacted one of my favorite on-air personalities, FSN Pittsburgh’s Dan Potash, recently in order to attempt to get another interview set up. Well, it turns out that FSN’s management doesn’t permit their anchors to do these types of interviews with blogs and such, so he had to turn me down. Dan mentioned to me that over the years he’s been contacted by several of the Pittsburgh sports blogs for interviews, but he’s had to turn them all down.

But rather than simply reply back to my email and saying “thanks, but no thanks”, Dan was graciously enough to call me at my palacial estate and explain why he had to decline. I appreciate the gesture, Dan.

Damn, there goes my chance to delve into the aura of Trenni Kusnierek.

Oh well, blog goes on. I’ll be getting something else set up in the coming days.

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Penguins’ prospect camp set for 9-15 September

By Tony Ferrante | August 26th, 2008

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From the Penguins:

The Pittsburgh Penguins will hold a prospects camp from September 9-15 in Kitchener, Ontario. The Penguins’ prospects will have several days of practices before competing against prospects from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ottawa Senators, and Florida Panthers.

Pittsburgh Penguins veterans will report to training camp in Pittsburgh on September 16th. Schedule details will be released prior to the opening of camp.

Following is a schedule of games:

Saturday, Sept. 13th vs. Toronto, 7PM
Sunday, Sept. 14th vs. Florida, 2PM
Monday, Sept. 15th vs. Ottawa, 2PM

The complete prospect camp roster can be found here.

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The Confluence talks hockey with the Penguins’ Joe Sager

By Tony Ferrante | August 25th, 2008

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In our first of what hopefully will be plenty of Q & A sessions, we’re joined by Joe Sager, who is the Penguins’ Director of Content/Publication. He also serves as host of PensTV on PittsburghPenguins.com and co-hosts Penguins Hotline on WXDX (105.9 FM). He also contributes stories to USA Hockey Magazine as well as Goalie News Magazine and other publications.

Thanks for participating Joe, it’s much appreciated.

Tony Ferrante: How did you get to your current position with the Penguins ?? What are some of the challgenges with your job(s) ?? How about the perks ??

Joe Sager: I had worked in the newspaper industry for nine years and covered the Penguins for a suburban newspaper for three seasons. Once I saw the lockout was ending, I sent in a letter and my resume asking if there were any open positions. Fortunately, my position was open and they knew who I was, called me in for an interview and I was hired.

There are many challenges with this job – mainly just the schedule/amount of hours I put in on a regular basis. It was pretty bad during the playoffs. For the final month of the regular season and all of the playoffs, I did not have one day off and I was working close to 60-70 hours a week and travelling with the team. It definitely is a great job, but it really wears me out mentally and physically sometimes. Plus, I do so much of everything, there’s very little chance to recharge the batteries.

The perks are being with the team and getting to know the players and who they really are, as opposed to just hockey players. So, that’s fun. Being around the team, especially in the playoffs, was fun because of the environment and everyone was so fired up. Also, having the chance to have my work featured on NHL.com and causing the Penguins’ website to be ranked No. 1 in the NHL this year is also rewarding.

TF: I’m sure you’re read most of the hockey pundit’s prognostications for this coming NHL season. Most of them are predicting that the Penguins will take a hit backwards. One columnist from Sportsnet in Canada even said that the Penguins will struggle to make the playoffs. While the Penguins did lose some significant assets that helped them reach the Stanley Cup Finals this past season, especially Marian Hossa, how do you feel that Pens’ GM Ray Shero has done in free agency attempting to replace those that left ??

JS: On paper, I really like the moves Ray Shero and his staff made. Losing Hossa was a shock, but that’s his choice. Everyone always asked me if the Penguins would re-sign him and I’d always say, “Hey, it’s not just the Penguins who have to make an offer. He has to want to stay here, too.” Well, you see the answer to that one. But, I think the Penguins are actually deeper offensively with Fedotenko and Satan, rather than just signing one big name. Of course, they are coming off down seasons, so there are a lot of “what ifs” but how could you not find success playing with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin as your center? I like the Matt Cooke signing a lot. He’s my kind of player. I like the addition of Eric Godard as well. So, we’ll see how the pieces all fit, but so far I think the moves are great.

TF: Sidney Crosby’s work ethic is a well-known attribute of his since his arrival three seasons ago. What are some of the things that Sid does behind the scenes that make him the best player in the NHL ?? In what ways does he provide the necessary leadership to be team Captain ??

JS: Sid is always working. I mean ALWAYS working at being better. He puts in extra minutes off the ice to train or lift. And, he’s the most-competitive person I have ever met. He’s always challenging his teammates to little games, like who can throw a Gatorade bottle into a trash can across the room first. If Sid misses, he will request you throw it back to him and he’ll toss it until it goes in. He just has that competitive fire and drive.

He’s a leader based on his work ethic and desire. The players see how hard he works and how he never slacks off, so that sets a standard for everyone to match. He’s not that much of a rah-rah guy, but when he speaks, people listen. He’s just so intense that I think that really rubs off on everyone.

TF: Gary Roberts’ short tenure in Pittsburgh turned into rockstar status nearly overnight. While his on-ice stats were certainly not eye-opening, his presence was no doubt a significant asset for the young Penguins. Do the Penguins have that type of a leadership presence now that Roberts is gone ??

JS: Yeah, I believe so. While Roberts was in Pittsburgh a short time, he really influenced the young players. And, I think they’ve really matured quickly in the past couple years. So, I think seeing Roberts and what makes him tick was a great thing for the team. Now, they are starting to be “mature” rather than just young kids. They know what they need to do and what it takes to do it now. Plus, there is still plenty of veteran leadership in the locker room with guys like Sergei Gonchar and Darryl Sydor and Petr Sykora.

TF: The Atlantic Division certainly improved itself during the offseason, even as four of the five teams in the division made the playoffs last year. Additions such as the Devils’ Brian Rolston and the Rangers’ Markus Naslund and Nicolai Zherdev will make the Atlantic Division even tougher than it has been in recent years. The Pens will play these teams now 24 times vice 32 in previous seasons. How do you see the Penguins matching up against their divisional opponents ??

JS: The Penguins have to be the favorite in the Atlantic Division. I think they match up well with those teams. Of course, the Devils always concern me with the way they play. Plus, they have Martin Brodeur and he can single-handedly win a game as he has proven throughout his NHL career. He especially worries me in a seven-game playoff series.

TF: As I just mentioned, the new NHL schedule will decrease the amount of divisional games for the Penguins, but increase the amount of non-conference games. For those living in Western Conference cities, this will give fans of those teams more of a chance to see Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin in their town. Do you like the new NHL schedule, or did you prefer more games with divisional rivals ??

JS: I do like the new schedule. I was never a fan of the old division-heavy schedule. I can only watch the Islanders play so many times. I think it’s great to match up with different opponents. I think it’s great for the league, too.

TF: Even on camera, the Penguins’ locker room looks like it is a pretty raucous place, I can only imagine what it’s like when the press is gone. Can you tell us your favorite locker room moment ??

JS: One that immediately pops into my head was when I was interviewing Max Talbot for a game preview. For whatever reason, we couldn’t stop laughing. He’d say something funny and I’d burst out laughing and then I’d do something to make him laugh. We’d compose ourselves and then I’d ask a question or not even make it through it and we’d start laughing. This went on for 10 minutes before I just said, “OK, we’re done” and we never did film it. It was a fun time.

TF: As you’re probably aware, Penguins bloggers rate amongst the largest number of NHL blogs. Penguins blogs such as The Pensblog, the Post-Gazette’s Empty Netters, and the Faceoff Factor are regularly linked on dozens of NHL and general sports blogs, sometimes on a daily basis. As a member of the online community yourself, how do you feel the Penguins view the blogosphere, and do the Penguins themselves visit Penguins blogs from time to time to get the fans perspectives ?? In addition, do they have any accommodations planned, perhaps in the new arena, for bloggers similar to the New York Islanders’ special bloggers section ?? What blogs do you frequent ??

JS: I don’t know if the Penguins visit any blogs. I know they try not to read the papers or anything. I know they do read my stories on the Penguins’ website because they often compliment me or mention they saw my stories. But, I never really asked them if they are into the blogs.

I am not sure if there will be any new accommodations planned in the new arena. I do know there will be a more modern and larger pressbox. Whether that means room for bloggers, I am not exactly sure. There’s a fine line there because anyone could say, “Hey I am a blogger, can I have a press pass?”. So, I would imagine eventually there will have to be some sort of regulation or guidelines set up for that sort of thing.

I generally don’t frequent blogs. But, I do check out the PensBlog and Empty Netters from time to time. I usually don’t have much downtime to surf the web at work and when I get home, I try to get avoid reading about the NHL so I can preserve some sanity. But, when I do check out the blogs, I usually enjoy what I see. There is some really funny and creative stuff out there.

TF: So are Penguins’ staffers such as yourself looking forward to the brand spanking new accommodations that will come when the Penguins move into the new arena ?? What sort of improvements should the press expect when the new arena opens its doors ??

JS: Yes, the Penguins staff is looking forward to the new arena. But, while it’s only two seasons away, it seems like an eternity. So, we really don’t focus on it too much since we have to deal with the current situation. But, I am sure it’s going to be awesome for us, the players and the fans. It’s going to be great for the region, in general. In terms of exact specifications, I don’t really know those – other than what we have posted online and that has not really talked about much of the internal features. I am sure we’ll know more as the construction progresses.

But, at the same time, I will be sad to see Mellon Arena go – just from the pure sentimental value it has for me and others.

TF: Are their any additions that viewers of pittsburghpenguins.com and PensTV can expect for the upcoming season ??

JS: There are always new additions to pittsburghpenguins.com as well as PensTV. So, you just have to check back often. In addition, all of the PensTV content can be found on Comcast On Demand, so check that out as well. I believe we have a training camp show scheduled to be filmed soon, but I have not heard any further details. But, as soon as something happens, you can find all the info on pittsburghpenguins.com!

Thanks again, Joe.

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New Penguins poll is up

By Tony Ferrante | August 24th, 2008

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Thanks to all of those who voted in our previous question that asked you for your grade of Penguins GM Ray Shero during free agency. There were 389 total votes, here’s how the voting went;