-- updated --
The Penguin Recipe Page -- "The only good penguin is a digested penguin."
Penguin Hunting tips -- In his natural habitat, the penguin has several predators and from these we must learn the essence of penguin warfare..
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Sam Weinman / Rangers Report:
More from the Igloo -- Game 1 of Rangers-Pens is still some six hours away, and already there have been attempts—either real or perceived—to stir things up by the large media contingent here...
This was apparent about a minute into Sidney Crosby’s press conference, when he was asked about comments by Jaromir Jagr that Crosby and Malkin were not at the level of Mario Lemieux.
First of all, this is incorrect, because what Jagr really said is the game is so different now, guys like Crosby simply aren’t able to dominate like Lemieux once did...
John Dellapina's Blueshirt blog / NY Daily News:
Pens: We won't lose focus in face of The Grate One -- Sean Avery has yet to get in the face of any Penguin, but is he already in their heads?
Sean Avery has yet to get in the face of any Penguin, but is he already in their heads?
Whether it is reporters steering the conversation in that direction or the Pens unable to control themselves, much of the pre-series chatter in the Pittsburgh locker room has been about The Grate One...
Peter Botte / NY Daily News:
Rangers Put Wait And Talk To Rest As Penguin Series Looms
Jen C. / Rangerland.net:
Pregame ... We Want Hockey -- We’re seeing anti-Crosby sentiment in the local newspapers. I think the issue is being overblown just a tad bit. Yes, I do have concerns. I even wrote about Crosby’s on-ice drama not so long ago...YouTube Video [38 sec.]:
**** Sidney Crosby Fake Dive ****
Newsday:
Penguins Bring On The Firepower
NY Post:
Crosby Clampdown
The Matchups
Hockey Bird:
Building Excitement -- Bird and Rod have a bet on the series.
Oh yeah....Rod is the base player from the Eleventh Hour in Pittsburgh...
Iron City Golden Lager -- I used to love that beer...
Journal News:
Rangers' Playoff History With Penguins Is Ugly
Ranger Ramblings:
Rangers Look To Reverse Playoff History Against Penguins
Blueshirt Bulletin:
Where Have We Heard That One Before? -- UPDATE: Colton Orr returns to the line-up in place of Ryan Hollweg. Gary Roberts will not play because Sean Avery is apparently too much of a pain in the cup for him. Sidney Crosby doesn't dive -- film at 11:00...
The Dark Ranger:
Hours Before The Big Game
NY Times:
The Morning Skate: Know Your Enemy
Penguins Have More Than Game’s Top Star
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Please ignore that man that everyone is talking about.David Shoalts / Globe & Mail:
Penguins' plan for Avery: ignore him -- When it comes to drawing attention to himself, New York Rangers pest Sean Avery is as skilled as his hockey talents are modest.
And that, say the Pittsburgh Penguins, is the point. If they ignore him like the New Jersey Devils could not, then Avery's antics will not have an effect on the second-round NHL playoff series between the Rangers and Penguins that begins tonight.
Georges Laraque, who had his own nasty encounter with Avery 2½ years ago when both players were with different teams, said the Penguins are too accustomed to Avery to let him bother them ...
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Mark Spector / National Post:Penguins plan to ignore Avery ... or try to, anyway -- Sean Avery arrived in the Pittsburgh Penguins dressing room Thursday morning like smoke from a faraway fire. You think you have all the doors and windows closed, then you put on a clean shirt and it's there - that awful smell.
The maddening thing was that the Penguins had already locked everything down. They were going to do what we all do in life when there is something out there that we know is coming, but we don't really want to deal with it. They would simply ignore him...
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Mike Zeisberger / Toronto Sun:Will superpest get swatted? -- To hear the Pittsburgh Penguins tell it, the game plan to counteract New York Rangers superpest Sean Avery is to ignore him.
Good luck...
Meto News - Canada: Avery’s antics worth watching
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Deadspin:Previewing The Rangers-Penguins -- From Paul's First Letter To The Russians: So the Prophecy according to Bettman didn't come together exactly...
Sean Avery's a New York Ranger, and is the complete opposite of the salvation Crosby's offering to bring the hockey world. Here his is modeling his trademarked Punch Me in the Face Eyewear.
Prediction: Penguins in 7. Avery with 23 PIM.
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Penguin ScatEddy Spaghetti Penguins Blog:
CBC Exclusive: Sean Avery = Girl -- The following is a clip from CBC’s Hockey Night in Canada previewing the Pens v. Rangers series. The highlight is Jarkko Ruutu [calling Avery a girl] ...
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The Pensblog:Blame It On The Renney -- ... it hits you that the pent-up frustration of Pens fans over Jagr's departure from Pittsburgh could not have a better climax.
Slowly, your hatred for Sean Avery seeps out of your body as you stare at a wall.You remember that Sidney Crosby is on the biggest stage of his career.
You remember Marc-Andre Fleury is red-hot.
You remember when Dick Tarnstrom was the Pens leading scorer not to long ago. ...
We found some actual nice Rangers fans.
[HockeyBird] emailed us to wish us good luck in the series.
Also another solid Ranger blog is [RangerPundit], we have been reading since back before we even started a blog.
We cannot say enough good things about him.
He has been blogging since 2004. ...
comment: All kidding aside. The Pensblog is one of our favorite blogs and we will be reading it every day during this great series. Love their Avery photoshops and a good feud (with Blueshirt Bulletin).
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Seth Rorabaugh, Empty Netter blog / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:Do it for Zubie -- If nothing else, the Penguins need to avenge the memory of Sergei Zubov tonight ...
-Should Jagr be booed?
-Unlike everyone else, including us, the Penguins will plan on trying to ignore Sean Avery.
-We'll be blogging live tonight. Tune in around 6:30 p.m. or so. ...
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Post-Gazette:
Penguins Notebook: Protecting Fleury major priority against Rangers
The second round: Who has the edge?
Jagr returns to scene of prime for Round Two
Tribune-Review:
Pens hope to overwhelm Rangers' Lundqvist
Looking back on Jagr trade
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The Sidney Crosby Show:So It Begins -- My caption? One word: UNREAL...
This one's for the ladies (well, I suppose the men could vote too...): The radio station B94 is taking a vote to find out who is Pittsburgh's hottest Penguin. Right now ...
While most people in my office are saying TGIF, I'm saying TGIHNP!!!! (Thank God It's a Hockey Night in Pittsburgh!) ...
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Tony Ferrante / The Confluence of the Three Rivers blog:Penguins/Rangers: Enough talk, let’s drop the puck - Roberts Out for Game One
According to ESPN Radio 1250, Gary Roberts is OUT for tonight’s Game One. It appears that Roberts’ groin is still not healed enough to give it a go tonight...[...]
Ignore Sean Avery. Easier said than done, understood...
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Jes Gőlbez / Hockey Rants:Foolish Second Round Predictions -- Penguins over NY Rangers in 6
Malkin and Crosby are both emotional players, so I worry about them being able to ignore Sean Avery's antics...
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Igloo Dreams:Playoff Game #5 - vs New York Rangers -- blah, blah, blah, goaltending, blah, blah, blah, Avery ...
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The Last WordRanger Pundit prescient quote / April 14, 2007:
"How do you ignore Sean Avery? Do you ignore an itch? Do you ignore a gnat on your neck?"
Do you think the Pens will ignore Avery? Who goes after him first?
Hate to troll into your comments, but on that Crosby fake-dive, a reverse reply showed the Habs player put the butt end of his stick up in Crosby's face with a lot of force.
But as we're gonna hear a lot, we're just providing excuses.
Looking forward to a friendly rivalry in the coming weeks.
:)
pensblog,
it's possible, we'll take a closer look.
wes,
hope Jarkko Ruutu and Avery have a come together.