The Daily Bongo
April 2008
Tuesday, April 29, 2008 -- Late Evening
The Pens played the New York Rangers in the third game of the series. There was alot of talk about how the Pens have lost every game in the regular season at Madison Square Garden when playing the Rangers. However, the Pens came out fighting at the start of the game. Marian Hossa scored the first goal. Georges Laraque got his first goal of the playoffs. Evgeni Malkin scored two goals and had an assist. The Pens had an early 3-1 lead, which they lost, and then came back to win the game with a final score of 5-3. Marc-Andre Fleury also did a great job stopping 36 of 39 shots. What a game, and now the Pens lead the series 3-0.Evgeni Malkin was named one of the three finalists for the Hart Trophy today. The Hart goes to the most valuable player in the NHL. Alexander Ovechkin and Jarone Iginla were also nominated for the award.
Sunday, April 27, 2008 -- Evening
What a game! Today was the second game for the Pens and the New York Rangers. I went to today's game, and the experience was so overwhelming. The crowd was so excited and cheering throughout the game. It was a slow moving game with the first period going by without a goal by either team. The Pens got the first score with a goal from Jordan Staal. The Pens were playing well, and they held onto the lead into the third period, when it looked as if the Rangers scored with only a few minutes left in the game. However, the play was called off because Marc-Andre Fleury had trapped the puck, and the ref had blown the whistle. The Rangers pulled Henrik Lundqvist, who was doing a stellar job in goal and got the third star of the game, and pushed hard for the tie during a power play in the last two minutes of the game. However, the Pens sealed the deal when Adam Hall got an empty net goal. The Pens took a two game advantage with the 2-0 win today. Fleury got a shutout for the second time in this year's playoffs. I did take a few pictures at the game, but it was difficult to get many with one hand. My left hand was still in the sling, and will hopefully be out of the sling tomorrow.The live finale of Big Brother was on tonight. The jury members were really rough on Adam and Ryan. Shelia was especially psycho, and she seemed to think that it was all Adam's fault that she didn't make the final two. Shelia said that Adam threw the final competition and that he should have won it and taken her to the final. Because he didn't, Shelia thinks that Adam is a jerk. For some reason, Shelia thought that she played a strong game even though the only way she won a competition was through Natalie throwing the competition. The votes: Matty for Adam, Natalie for Adam, Joshuah for Ryan, Sharon for Adam, Shelia for Adam, and at that point, Adam was crowned the winner of Big Brother 9. Now it was time for America's favorite juror. Second place went to Shelia, and James got the first prize of $25,000. What a let down. Chatty Natty was my favorite in the show. I'm glad that Adam won because I really couldn't stand Ryan's girlfriend, Jen.
Friday, April 25, 2008 -- Evening
Tonight was the first game in the semifinal round of the conference playoff matchup for the Pens and the New York Rangers. The game was played here in Pittsburgh, but I did not attend the game because I am recouperating from some minor hand surgery that I had yesterday. My left arm is in a sling, and I am planning on going to the second game on Sunday. However, I probably won't have alot of pictures from the game. This game generated a ton of press because Jaromir Jagr is back in Pittsburgh and playing in the playoffs. Unfortunately, he is playing against his former team. Jagr was nice though, and spent alot of time talking to the media about being back and Pittsburgh and why he left 8 years ago. The main reason was because Jagr knew that the team couldn't keep him and the other strong players on the team. Jagr thought that if he left, the other players could be kept. However, that wasn't the case. I love Jagr back when he played with the Pens, and I was upset when he left. However, I quickly got over it. I would love it if Jagr would come back to play with the Pens.Back to the game. The Pens requested that the fans come to the game dressed in white shirts so the team would have a white-out. It was quite impressive to see all the white t-shirts in the stands. The Versus announcers were commenting on the dedication of the Pens' fans, and they are right. The experience in the stands can be great. The only problem is that most times you can't see because of tall people standing in front of you all the time. I've missed several nice goals because I don't have x-ray vision to see through people. The Rangers were the first to score on a power play caused by Ryan Whitney. The Rangers took a 3-0 lead early in the second period, and as the Versus announcers were saying the Pens never came back from a 3 goal deficit, the Pens scored two goals within 14 seconds of each other! At the start of the third period, the Pens were still down one point when they scored two points in matter of 20 seconds! The game was so exciting with the Rangers tying the game, and then Sidney Crosby scored with less than two minutes. It was later credited to Evgeni Malkin because it came off of his leg. The Pens held on and got the win. Boy was the audience jumping at the end! It was quite a game! Final score Pens 5 - Rangers 4.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008 -- Evening
Sharon was voted out on Big Brother's show last night. It was about time that the girl went home. Her days of playing everyone are over. Ryan did not use the POV, and Adam was then able to send Sharon home. The individual HOH competitions started with Ryan winning the first one, and Adam winning the second. So that means that Shelia's only hope is for one of the guys to pick her. She was talking on the live feeds about voting for Adam even if he sends her to the jury. Tonight we got to see how the first part of the HOH competition went. Shelia was the first one out, and Adam threw the competition to let Ryan win. He did it so he could have Ryan's trust. Then it was down to Adam and Shelia. Initially, Ryan and Adam were going to get rid of Shelia, but then Adam convinced Ryan that Shelia was incapable of winning any competition. Adam was right. Ryan had a lead of one point going into the final question. When he and Adam gave the same answer, we knew that Ryan was going to be the final HOH. Ryan told Shelia and Adam that both deserve to win. However, it was Bros before Hos and Ryan chose his buddy, Adam. As soon as Shelia was out the door, Ryan and Adam started talking about partying. Then unfortunately, we had to watch Shelia cry and whine about devastated hard she had worked, and how she kept with her alliance and how she was in shock about losing. I think that Shelia actually thought that she was going to be in the final two, and that she deserved to be in the final two.Sunday, April 20, 2008 -- Evening
Things are starting to heat up with the final four on Big Brother. From the live feeds, I know that Ryan as HOH put up Shelia and Sharon and that Ryan won the POV. As we got to see on the show this evening, Natalie kept on asking the guys over and over again that she couldn't believe the guys would do that to her. You had to feel for Natalie because she trusted those people. As Ryan said, Natalie was the leader of Team Christ and now Team Christ is no more. Meanwhile, Shelia was going on and on about how the guys were so unfair to not do her dirty work for her. Then Ryan got mad at Adam because Adam whispered to Natalie that Adam voted for her. Adam denies it, but it is what he did. I think that he did it because he felt so bad for Natalie. It's really hard to tell who Ryan trusts because he has made deals of some sort with all three players. As Ryan claims, it is only two, Adam and Sharon, but Shelia thinks that Ryan is on her side too. It will be interesting to see what Ryan does with the POV. If Shelia and Sharon stay on the block, Adam would be stupid to vote out Shelia because she is on his side while Sharon is on Ryan's. But then the players on Big Brother aren't always known for their smarts or their strategizing.Wednesday, April 16, 2008 -- Evening
I didn't watch all of Big Brother this evening, but I ran back and forth between the Pens' game in the living room and Big Brother in the bedroom. Natalie was voted out when Ryan voted to evict her and Adam voted to keep her. It came down to Shelia, and she broke her word to Natalie who threw the HOH competition so Shelia could win. Just goes to show that you should never trust anyone in this game. Ryan won HOH and that guarantees that he will be in the final three. I hope he nominates Shelia and Sharon and that Shelia gets evicted. That would show her. I think that both Shelia and Sharon are low-lifes, but that's just my opinion. I don't like how deceitful they both are.The Pens played Senators in the fourth game of the first round. This game was one of the most nerve-wracking of the series. I wanted the Pens to just end the series, and the game was so close. The Pens held on though with goals from Evgeni Malkin, Jarkko Ruutu, and Sidney Crosby. Crosby's was an empty netter in the last seven seconds of the game. Final score was Pens 3 - Senators 1. Now the Pens have to wait around for the other games to finish.
Monday, April 14, 2008 -- Evening
What a game tonight! The Pens played Senators tonight in Ottawa. I missed the first two periods of the game due to a prior commitment, and from watching the replays, I realize that I missed some great hockey. Ottawa was playing well, but Marc-Andre Fleury was playing even better. His save percentage is .956 in the playoffs, and he was stellar this evening. Fleury kept the Pens in the game when the third period started with a 1-1 tie. Sidney Crosby scored in the first 12 seconds of the third, and Jordan Staal scored abit over a minute later. Then finally, Marian Hossa got his first playoff goal. The Pens won with a final score of 4-1 and take a three games to none lead in the series.Sunday, April 13, 2008 -- Evening
I watched Big Brother this evening, and I have to admit that Shelia really irritates me. Shelia acts like she is friends with Natalie and Ryan, but she really has an alliance with Adam. Ryan and Natalie agreed to drop out of the boxes to give Shelia the HOH. Then Shelia starts campaigning hard against Natalie. Natalie should not have given up the competition, but she did that because she trusted Shelia. I really hate Sharon too because she is such a schemer trying to keep herself safe. Those guys are fools to not realize that Sharon doesn't have any enemies in the jury house. I like Natalie, and I don't think she is that bad. What I don't understand is why Ryan and Adam would fall for the scheme where they do the dirty work for Shelia and Sharon. Shelia gets out because she is going to have Adam and Ryan vote out Natalie so she doesn't have to vote out Natalie. Meanwhile Sharon is feeding the fuel by making up stories about Natalie. Shelia puts up Sharon and Adam. Adam wins the POV and takes himself up. Then Shelis puts up Natalie. Ryan and Adam "called out" Natalie on the live feeds and said that she was scheming with everyone. As she said, that's what they have all been doing. Ryan, Adam, Shelia and Sharon have been playing everyone too. The question is what will those people do. It would make sense to vote out Sharon because she definitely has votes in the jury house.Saturday, April 12, 2008 -- Afternoon
The Pens and Senators was an exciting one. The Pens had a 3-0 lead in the second period when they decided that they really didn't need to play. It was very obvious as I watched the play that the players were watching the action instead of participating. The Pens would be standing around and looking at the puck as it went past them with the Senators flying after it. The Senators tied the game in the third period, and it was looking like it would go to overtime. With only one minute and two seconds left in regulation, Ryan Malone scored, and the Pens took a 4-3 lead. Then with seven seconds left, Malone got an empty net to give the Pens a 5-3 win. They lead the series 2-0. Petr Sykora also score two back to back goals in the second period. Marc-Andre Fleury played well, but unfortunately when the team stopped playing in the second and third periods, it was the defense that went first. The first Senators' goal could have been prevented if Kris Letang had challenged Cory Stillman instead of backing up and letting him come up unopposed to the net. Check out my pictures of the game.Friday, April 11, 2008 -- Late Afternoon
The Pens will be playing the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7:00 pm. I won't be posting my pictures and comments about the game until tomorrow. Let's go Pens!Thursday, April 10, 2008 -- Evening
What a game last night! The whole atmosphere around the arena was electric. As I came up to the arena, I was amazed at the number of news trucks in the area. I don't remember seeing that number last year. There was even a newscaster from CTV. The Pens had the jumbo screen setup by the gate that I usually enter from, so I got to check out the fans who were there for it. Some had brought chairs, some drinks, but all brought enthusiasm for their team. There was so much noise in the arena when the pre-game video started. It was really neat with lightning crashing from the ceiling to the jumbotron, and images projected onto the ice. When the players came onto the ice through a smoke machine, the crowd went wild. We were all screaming and waving the white towels that were handed out as we entered the stadium. It was just great. Jeff Jimmerson sang the Canadian and US national anthems, and people sang along with both. The energy transferred itself to the team, and they came out flying. I know that yesterday I was saying that I would not play Gary Roberts because he's old and just came back from a broken leg and high ankle sprain. I take my words back now. Not only did Roberts score the first goal, he scored another in the third period, and was whopping butt all over the ice. In the last two minutes of the game, he was trying to give a younger Senator a punching, and struggled against the ref to make it happen. There was alot of physicality throughout the match. Marc-Andre Fleury gave Martin Lapointe a whack with his stick. When Lapointe got into Fleury's face, Max Talbot rushed to his best buddy's defense and roughed up Lapointe. Later when Sidney Crosby got a whack in the face from Wade Redden, Ryan Whitney jumped to Sid's defense and gave Redden a few roundhouse blows. Fleury did a stellar job in goal, and really showed all those nay-sayers that he is a quality goalie. As Michel Therrien said after the game, Fleury has been the best goalie in the NHL in his last 15 games of the season. The Pens won with a final score of 4-0. I can't wait for this Friday's game! Check out my oodles of pictures.I just managed to watch some of the live feeds for Big Brother last night when I got home from the hockey game, and there was an endurance HOH competition going on. Ryan, Natalie, and Shelia were still hanging out in these glass cages without a bottom. As they fell out, they were out of the game. Sharon had complained that she had hurt her back the day before, and she dropped out quickly. So Ryan and Natalie made a deal with Shelia that they would throw the competition in her favor as long as she put up Adam and Sharon, and if Sharon won the POV, and Natalie or Ryan went up in her place, that Adam would be the one voted out if there was a tie. Shelia agreed to it, and got HOH. Unfortunately it now seems that everyone is scheming against Natalie. James was evicted last night, and when I finally watched the show this evening, I got to see what has been happening at the Jury house. Matty has been disgusted with the antics of Chelsia and Josh and was rooting for Natalie. I like Natalie, but things have not been going well for her. Everyone is turning against her because they think she is too strong. Well, the thing everyone is missing is that Sharon is still around. No one hates her, and because she has been on the block so much, she hasn't had to vote against anyone to tick them off. I think that Sharon is the most dangerous person, and I can't believe they don't get it. I'm so glad that James and Chelsia are out of the game, because they are disgusting, immature, crappy people. At least neither has a chance to win the game.
Wednesday, April 9, 2008 -- Early Afternoon
The Pens will be playing the Ottawa Senators tonight at 7:00 pm. I probably won't be getting home until late, so I won't post the recap and pictures from the game until Thursday evening. Bryan Murray, coach of the Senators, has been trying to rile up his team by lisping on Monday that the Pens deliberately lost the game against the Philadelphia Flyers on Sunday so they would face the Senators. As most people have been saying here, someone should have made sure that Marc-Andre Fleury got the memo because he stopped all but one goal. It's just sour grapes on the part of Murray who is upset that his team has been the worst team in hockey since January. The Senators started the season red hot, but something has just gone wrong with the team. Also the Senators have had some recent injuries, like Daniel Alfredsson, which could impact their play even further. Everyone also keeps commenting on last year's playoffs. However, both the Senators and the Pens have changed since then. The Senators were hot and would kill every team in the Eastern Conference, and the Pens just made it into the playoffs and were inexperienced. Tonight's game should be a good one.I just got a text message from the Pens saying that they will be broadcasting games one and two on a giant 12 foot by 16 foot LED screen outside of Mellon Arena at Gate 3. If you don't have tickets, you can still be there and watch. You can bring your own food too (which is cheaper than eating in the Arena).
Monday, April 7, 2008 -- Evening
The playoff schedule was released today. The Pens will be playing the Ottawa Senators here in PIttsburgh on Wednesday and Friday evening. Then the series moves to Ottawa for games three and four on Monday (April 14) and Wednesday (April 16). Then it's back to Pittsburgh on Saturday (April 19) for game 5, Ottawa on Sunday (April 20) for game 6, and back to Pittsburgh on Tuesday, April 22 for game 7 if needed.Sunday, April 6, 2008 -- Evening
I watched the latest episode of Big Brother this evening. I haven't been watching the live feeds much with this season, and I know that it's because at this time of year I'm usually busy, especially with classes. One of the most entertaining parts of the show was the tricks that were played on Shelia. Everyone picks on Shelia because she just seems like the person who should get picked on. Another of the entertaining parts was when James starting bawling like a baby girl because he might go up on the block. Adam was stupid and bought into James' girly tears. James is such a baby, trying to act like a cool, strong, powerful man, but he's such a wimp! The thing that Adam didn't seem to get was that if James won POV and wasn't on the block, he would take off Sharon. Then Adam would have to put up either Natalie or Ryan, and because James and Sharon would be voting together, they would vote out either Natalie or Ryan. Fortunately, I found out from Joker's Updates that Ryan won the POV, took off Shelia, and Adam put James up on the block. So this week, it seems certain that James is going to finally leave the house. There has been alot of controversy on the Big Brother websites that the producers have been trying to do thing to influence the game and to keep James in the house. I have to admit that it really ticked me off when the fans voted to put Adam back in the house, but James wound up being the one who went back in. So what was the vote about? Anyway, this episode ended with Adam putting up Shelia and Sharon.Sunday, April 6, 2008 -- Late Afternoon
The Pens played a repeat match against the Philadelphia Flyers this afternoon in the last game of the regular season for both. The Pens needed a point (win or overtime win) to take first place in the Eastern Conference. However, they weren't able to get that. Sidney Crosby didn't play basically because the team was afraid that the Flyers were specifically target Crosby as someone to injury and take out of the playoffs. The Flyers have been playing with a dirty mentality all season long, and unfortunately, the team hasn't been penalized by the NHL for such behavior. That really sucks. Marc-Andre Fleury was in goal and played a great game. Unfortunately, the rest of the team wasn't up to the challenge of winning the game. Gary Roberts was back after his broken leg earlier in the season. I don't know what was the deal with bringing him back. After all, it's not like he was playing that well before he broke his leg (he was a -3). He's old, and he really doesn't have alot of playing time. Anyway, the Pens lost with a final score of 2-0, and will be facing the Ottawa Senators probably on Thursday night. The Senators have been playing the worst hockey in the league since January, so I'm hoping that we can get past them in the first round and make it the second round.Wednesday, April 2, 2008 -- Late Evening
The Pens played the Philadelphia Flyers this evening in the last home game of the regular season. The next time I see the Pens it will be in the playoffs. The game tonight was a really rough game, with the Flyers being very physical. George Laraque got into a great fight with Riley Cote. The Flyers were all over Sidney Crosby, roughing him up. The Pens played well though, and Marc-Andre Fleury was phenomenal in goal. The Pens won with a final score of 4-2, and finish first in the Atlantic Division. Now if the Montreal Canadiens lose tomorrow, the Pens will be first in the Eastern Conference! I won't have my pictures ready until tomorrow.I didn't get to watch Big Brother yet, but I found out from Joker's Updates that Josh was evicted, and Adam won HOH. Maybe James will evicted this week.