Hey Gretch and PAsucks NHL related.

[45hill]

Injuries to your top defensmen suck. At least he should be back for the playoffs.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=3616704

Sergei Gonchar of the Pittsburgh Penguins will mis 4-6 months due to surgery on a dislocated left shoulder, a source told ESPN.com's Pierre LeBrun on Monday.

The team is expected to announce Gonchar's injury status on Tuesday.

Gonchar was injured during the first period of the Penguins' preseason opener. At the time, Pittsburgh general manager Ray Shero said surgery is an option for the 34-year-old defenseman, who is entering his 14th NHL season.

"I think Sergei is at a point right now where he just needs to gather as much information possible through the doctors and make a decision when he's comfortable making a decision," Shero said last week.

Initial estimates said he would be out 2-3 weeks if he didn't need surgery.

Gonchar led the reigning Eastern Conference champions in ice time last season and was third on the team in scoring with 12 goals and 53 assists.

Gonchar is one of the NHL's premier offensive defensemen, having accumulated 430 points in 904 career games. He ranked second in the league in scoring at his position last season with 12 goals and 53 assists for 65 points and has had at least 57 points each of the past eight seasons.

Gonchar's injury means that Pittsburgh will open the season without their top two defensemen. Ryan Whitney underwent foot surgery last month and is likely out until December.

[gretch6364]

Losing Gonch is a big loss that will be extremely hard to overcome. The good news is that the team pulled together last year and when MAF and Crosby were out. Hoepfully Goligoski and Letang and can hold their own. It will be a good opportunity for their careers, but the Pens are going to need both Gonch and Whitney back for the playoffs if they want to make it back to the finals.

That will be a pretty big boost for the team though when they come back. If they are able to stay in the division race without two of their top 4 d-man, then get them back a month or 2 before the end of the season, they will have a ton of confidence. Like last year when their No 1 center and No 1 goalie came back just in time for the playoffs.

We'll see...my fingers are crossed.

[Keegan]

Should be a rough start for them, but I'm sure they'll manage.
As long as my Sens do well I'm happy

[45hill]

Losing Gonch is a big loss that will be extremely hard to overcome.

I know exactly how you feel.

[Tye 1on]

That's rough. He's damn good. That and losing Hossa and the second string goalie won't help either. I predict this year tanks, but next year they contend for or win the Cup.

[gretch6364]

Second string goalie?

Conklin is 32...here is his pro Career:

2007-08 Pittsburgh NHL 33 18 8 5 1866 78 1013 2 2.50 .923
2007-08 WB/Scranton AHL 18 11 7 0 1058 39 484 2 2.21 .919
2006-07 Buffalo NHL 5 1 2 0 227 13 120 0 3.43 .892
2006-07 Columbus NHL 11 2 3 2 491 27 210 0 3.29 .871
2006-07 Total CBJ/Buf NHL 16 3 5 2 719 40 330 0 3.33 .879
2006-07 Syracuse AHL 19 3 12 3 1085 60 611 0 3.32 .902
2005-06 Edmonton NHL 18 8 5 1 922 43 359 1 2.79 .880
2005-06 Hartford AHL 2 1 0 1 130 5 73 0 2.31 .932
2005-06 Hamilton AHL 3 1 2 0 152 8 86 0 3.17 .907
2005-06 Total Ham/Hfd AHL 5 2 2 1 282 13 159 0 2.77 .918
2004-05 Grizzly Adams Wolfsburg Ger 11 - - - 623 31 386 0 2.99 .920
2003-04 Edmonton NHL 38 17 14 - 2086 84 959 1 2.42 .912
2002-03 Hamilton AHL 38 19 13 - 2140 91 1064 4 2.55 .914
2001-02 Edmonton NHL 4 2 0 - 148 4 66 0 1.62 .939
2001-02 Hamilton AHL 37 13 12 - 2043 89 1059 1 2.61 .916
2000-01 New Hampshire HE 34 17 12 - 2048 70 874 - 2.05 .920
1999-00 New Hampshire HE 37 22 8 - 2194 91 984 2 2.49 .908
1998-99 New Hampshire HE 22 18 3 - 1338 41 - 0 1.84 -
1997-98 Did not play - - - - - - - - - - -
1996-97 Alaska-Anchorage WCHA - - - - - - - - - -
1996-97 Green Bay USHL 30 19 7 - 1609 86 - 1 3.21 -
1995-96 Green Bay USHL 30 - - - 1727 82 - 1 2.85

He had one good stretch with Pittsburgh last year...that is it...the rest of his career has sucked. If I was a Wings fan I sure as shit would hope he doesn't have to play more than 20 games and pray he can go .500. Losing Hossa sucks, but the team was battling for the Division title before Hossa even got there. Hossa played 12 games with the Pens during the regular season. I hardly think they are going to tank this year because of the loss of these two players and a majorly overrated Ryan Malone. I would say they are better at the beginning of this season than they were at the beginning of last season.

I doubt we will get a Hossa type player this year at the trade deadline...but I don't think they will suck this year. At least that is my opinion.

[skibuminwyo]

The Pens shall take it, even without him. Just my .02. Hockey is the only sport I care about, and we all must accept the fact that the Pittsburgh Penguins can kick some ass. They came close last year, it is their time.

[iceman]

Caps have the best player in hockey (yes i went there) and will knock the pens the fuck out this year, finally.

Meanwhile the team I care about but fucking hate, the stupid fucking Bruins, will continue to wallow in sub-mediocrity for yet another decade or so.

[ICEHOCEY77]

Go Preds Go


Go fuck yourself Radulov

[gretch6364]

Caps have the best player in hockey (yes i went there) and will knock the pens the fuck out this year, finally.

Meanwhile the team I care about but fucking hate, the stupid fucking Bruins, will continue to wallow in sub-mediocrity for yet another decade or so.

I hope the Pens and Caps get to play in the playoffs...man I loved playing them back in the day. I wish I could find the stats for how many times the Pens beat them.

Also...one player is not a team....hence why I am happy the Pens have both Crosby and Malkin....just like Francis and Mario...a 1-2 punch is the best. The Caps are a one line team.

[ArmadaBC]

[Rontele]

I hope the Pens and Caps get to play in the playoffs...man I loved playing them back in the day. I wish I could find the stats for how many times the Pens beat them.

Also...one player is not a team....hence why I am happy the Pens have both Crosby and Malkin....just like Francis and Mario...a 1-2 punch is the best. The Caps are a one line team.

Listen, dipshit, the Pens are not going to make it back to the Finals.

Malkin sucked in the Finals last season. That is all that matters.

NOW, ON THE OTHER HAND and while we are discussing teams that are not just one line...ahem

1) Datsuyk, Holmstrom and Hossa
2) Zetterberg, Franzen and Hudler

suck it, gretch.

[PaSucks]

Caps have the best player in hockey (yes i went there) and will knock the pens the fuck out this year, finally.

Meanwhile the team I care about but fucking hate, the stupid fucking Bruins, will continue to wallow in sub-mediocrity for yet another decade or so.

I won't argue your first point, although I'm not sure I totally agree, but they won't beat the Pens in the playoffs.

As far as Gonch, obviously there is no replacing him but we have two young offensively gifted dmen that at least have the potential to pick up some of the slack, but it will be baptism by fire for Goligoski. (I'm sure I misspelled that) Time will tell. They dominated Toronto in the preseason game I went to, for whatever that is worth.

[PaSucks]

Listen, dipshit, the Pens are not going to make it back to the Finals.

Malkin sucked in the Finals last season. That is all that matters.

NOW, ON THE OTHER HAND and while we are discussing teams that are not just one line...ahem

1) Datsuyk, Holmstrom and Hossa
2) Zetterberg, Franzen and Hudler

suck it, gretch.

Malkin had a concussion and the flu in the finals. He can have a pass. I can't disagree with calling Gretch a dipshit though, thats a tough argument.

[Tye 1on]

Gretch, you are one great fan. I raise my beer to you sir. 6 pack/5 bucks that the wings leave the pens in the dust?

[iceman]

Gretch, you are one great fan. I raise my beer to you sir. 6 pack/5 bucks that the wings leave the pens in the dust?

She's a right-wing religiotron who had some hockey beat into her at some point.

And like i said,I'm not a huge caps fan, but Semin, Backstrom, Ovechkin, Nylander, c'mon, bitch, they got talent. all four of those guys are in the top 10 under-25 in the league.

[ArmadaBC]

She's a right-wing religiotron who had some hockey beat into her at some point.

And like i said,I'm not a huge caps fan, but Semin, Backstrom, Ovechkin, Nylander, c'mon, bitch, they got talent. all four of those guys are in the top 10 under-25 in the league.

Don't forget Kozlov and Fedorov, both are old as shit but Kozlov put down 50 points last year and Fedorov is still one of the best defensive forwards in the league.

Throw in Karl Alzner as a very solid prospect and that is one hell of team.

The Theodore move though is kind of bizarre, maybe they figure Varlamov is going to be the guy.

Wings fan mark my words if Babcock doesn't fuck it up, Leino is going to seriously produce. He's SM-Liiga MVP and has been killing it in preseason.