words can hurt too
- Fountain-San

Hahah, apparently Choadsby can't handle the chirping.

Hahah, apparently Choadsby can't handle the chirping.
- Flyers_V88

woah dude. crossed the line w/ that one.

woah dude. crossed the line w/ that one.
- Fountain-San

Ahahaha, the jokes are endless with this.

The fix was already in before 30 guys met in a room. Don't be ignorant!
- powerenforcer

So the accounting firm that was in the room and the 30 team representatives were all duped by Gary Bettman?

So the accounting firm that was in the room and the 30 team representatives were all duped by Gary Bettman?
- rival22

yup. also managed to get flight 370 safely to the tarmac in Pakistan. Bettman is very sneaky.

So the accounting firm that was in the room and the 30 team representatives were all duped by Gary Bettman?
- rival22

I won't lie... It's always appeared that the Pens were literally given Corsby, albeit no definitive proof, everything surrounding the lottery seems sketchy.

-The Penguins were tanking hard financially
-The fanbase was almost literally non-existent
-Mario was still owed some serious coin from the league/Pens
-The Pens weren't even the worst team that year
-How can the Pens, a great storied franchise with some of the NHL all-time greats, go under? Would just kill the NHL....
-With the addition of Crosby, the NHL gets to avoid relocation and the Pens will eventually turn into a winning team, Cup contender
-Mario gets his money back, the NHL saves face...


Just my own take on it based on the information above, but I've always believed the league may have had something to do with it. Who knows for certainty though.

yup. also managed to get flight 370 safely to the tarmac in Pakistan. Bettman is very sneaky.
- Fountain-San

LOL! Nice... However, in all seriousness, check out stories involving this missing plane and Diego Garcia, seems VERY plausible to me.

yup. also managed to get flight 370 safely to the tarmac in Pakistan. Bettman is very sneaky.
- Fountain-San

He also traveled back in time and cracked the liberty bell.... duh.

Irrevelant? You mean like the garbage about fixing lotteries?

Of course you don't want to hear the truth about your team since Flyer fans are the biggest hypocrites in sports.
- acdc1206

no. the part that was easily viewed by being bolded. read more closely. thanks.

I won't lie... It's always appeared that the Pens were literally given Corsby, albeit no definitive proof, everything surrounding the lottery seems sketchy.

-The Penguins were tanking hard financially
-The fanbase was almost literally non-existent
-Mario was still owed some serious coin from the league/Pens
-The Pens weren't even the worst team that year
-How can the Pens, a great storied franchise with some of the NHL all-time greats, go under? Would just kill the NHL....
-With the addition of Crosby, the NHL gets to avoid relocation and the Pens will eventually turn into a winning team, Cup contender
-Mario gets his money back, the NHL saves face...


Just my own take on it based on the information above, but I've always believed the league may have had something to do with it. Who knows for certainty though.
- Flyers_V88

You also missed the new stadium.

Wow, this thing went off the rails quickly. Apparently, James Neal is such a dirty player that he fixed the Crosby lottery.

You also missed the new stadium.
- powerenforcer

Such is true, thank you.

Now before people jump all over this, I clearly stated above that this is my own personal take, and that it appears to be this case. Not IS the case.

My lord is this refreshing to finally here some truth. James Neal is a dirty, spinless, player. It's not bad enough that the Penguins, as an organization, get away with murder on the ice, but to finally here someone of authority and importance on the matter say something, it means a lot.

If James Neal would actually stand-up and fight and keep the matters on the ice, I'd have much less of a problem with it. But, he's a coward, plain and simple.
- Flyers_V88

Pens have 11 teams with less PIM than them... if they are getting away with murder than what are the devils getting away with... regicide? Neal deserves punishment but so do many other players.... and not fighting isn't cowardice... its smart hockey.

Pens have 11 teams with less PIM than them... if they are getting away with murder than what are the devils getting away with... regicide? Neal deserves punishment but so do many other players.... and not fighting isn't cowardice... its smart hockey.
- ChrisMS

Not to make this worse, but...in hockey, if/when you throw a dirty hit on a player (not just Neal that does it), and you're challenged, you should man up and defend yourself, much like Matt Cooke did when Thornton challenged him. Cooke knew he was gonna get beat, but he was willing to have a go with Thornton because he knew he had to, and I tipped my cap to him a bit. Neal (again, not just him, but his star status puts him in the spotlight) defers fighting to answer for his hits, and that is part of why he gets ragged on.

Pens have 11 teams with less PIM than them... if they are getting away with murder than what are the devils getting away with... regicide? Neal deserves punishment but so do many other players.... and not fighting isn't cowardice... its smart hockey.
- ChrisMS

No, I actually believe the "Code" explicitly states that if you can't take it, meaning if you can't stand up for yourself and back your actions up, don't do them.

Like I said, if Neal went out and fought and kept the issues on the ice, I'd be more ok with it. He's at least showing he has balls and won't back down and will settle the score there, on the spot.

Instead, Neal plays with virtually no control and constantly goes around dishing out cheap shots. I can't even think of another player in the league like Neal, with his talent, that goes around doing this. I mean really think about that... Says everything right there.

Not to make this worse, but...in hockey, if/when you throw a dirty hit on a player (not just Neal that does it), and you're challenged, you should man up and defend yourself, much like Matt Cooke did when Thornton challenged him. Cooke knew he was gonna get beat, but he was willing to have a go with Thornton because he knew he had to, and I tipped my cap to him a bit. Neal (again, not just him, but his star status puts him in the spotlight) defers fighting to answer for his hits, and that is part of why he gets ragged on.
- jmatchett383

^Exactly.

I won't lie... It's always appeared that the Pens were literally given Corsby, albeit no definitive proof, everything surrounding the lottery seems sketchy.

-The Penguins were tanking hard financially
-The fanbase was almost literally non-existent
-Mario was still owed some serious coin from the league/Pens
-The Pens weren't even the worst team that year
-How can the Pens, a great storied franchise with some of the NHL all-time greats, go under? Would just kill the NHL....
-With the addition of Crosby, the NHL gets to avoid relocation and the Pens will eventually turn into a winning team, Cup contender
-Mario gets his money back, the NHL saves face...


Just my own take on it based on the information above, but I've always believed the league may have had something to do with it. Who knows for certainty though.
- Flyers_V88

pens had a huge fan base... but Pittburgh fans don't accept owners of teams that dont put everything into the team. If the team wasn't willing to put the best team on the ice it could then the fans wern't gonna financially support the team... the fans are too proud for that, for better or worse. In fact some teams ought to follow suit and show the owners they mean business. The fan base was strong, just waiting. If the pens had not drafted crosby, but the team still spent to the cap, they still would sell out every game...just like they have for around the past 300. The ciry promised Lemiuex a new arena when he bought the team, then tried to back out. That was where the cat and mouse game of relocating came in.

Amazing that a classless organization such as your own, whose fans consistently chants "Crosby sucks" all the while the organist (and thus tacitly the organization) encourage it..... can claim the Penguins organization gets away with murder.

Ive seen hundreds of cheap shots over the years--most of them coming from Flyers players-- in the rivalry games with Pittsburgh. Neal went well overboard in that awful 2012 playoff serious, but the organization as a whole is not dirty and doesnt get away with murder. It did, after all, attempt to rehabilitate Matt Cooke. In previous posts I have called for the Penguins to do the same with Neal.

But if your organization is made out of glass, you shouldnt throw rocks at other organizations. As long as that organization and its fans continues the "Crosby Sucks" routine, you have no standing to accuse any other organization of wrongdoing.
- Amanion

Puleeeez! Are you serious? You and some (but not most) of your fellow Pens fans need to really start to develop thicker skin. Who cares what other teams' fans think of Sid - especially the cross-state fans who route for that other "classless organization".

As for Neal, Flyers fans are far from an exclusive group criticizing his antics. It is basically held league wide that he is in a group of 3 or 4 players who are the dirtiest in the league. I would like you to name one Flyer of the last 10 years (I assume that's longer than you've been a Pens fan) that consistently takes cheap runs at players and then hides behind the instigator rule. If you're going to spew nonsense about "most of the cheapshots I've seen come from Flyers" and "the organization sanctions the Crosby Sucks chant", you need to back it up because you are not really a credible source.

pens had a huge fan base... but Pittburgh fans don't accept owners of teams that dont put everything into the team. If the team wasn't willing to put the best team on the ice it could then the fans wern't gonna financially support the team... the fans are too proud for that, for better or worse. In fact some teams ought to follow suit and show the owners they mean business. The fan base was strong, just waiting. If the pens had not drafted crosby, but the team still spent to the cap, they still would sell out every game...just like they have for around the past 300. The ciry promised Lemiuex a new arena when he bought the team, then tried to back out. That was where the cat and mouse game of relocating came in.
- ChrisMS

Like I said, nothing is being stated from the above as being factual, just my own sense of it. The Pens did have one of the best fanbases, but seems to dry up as soon as Jagr dipped.

Not to make this worse, but...in hockey, if/when you throw a dirty hit on a player (not just Neal that does it), and you're challenged, you should man up and defend yourself, much like Matt Cooke did when Thornton challenged him. Cooke knew he was gonna get beat, but he was willing to have a go with Thornton because he knew he had to, and I tipped my cap to him a bit. Neal (again, not just him, but his star status puts him in the spotlight) defers fighting to answer for his hits, and that is part of why he gets ragged on.
- jmatchett383

If Neal doesn't change his ways, its only a matter of time before someone takes a legit shot at Crosby's head. Right or wrong, thats the truth.

Not to make this worse, but...in hockey, if/when you throw a dirty hit on a player (not just Neal that does it), and you're challenged, you should man up and defend yourself, much like Matt Cooke did when Thornton challenged him. Cooke knew he was gonna get beat, but he was willing to have a go with Thornton because he knew he had to, and I tipped my cap to him a bit. Neal (again, not just him, but his star status puts him in the spotlight) defers fighting to answer for his hits, and that is part of why he gets ragged on.
- jmatchett383

the hits should flat out jst be punished and harshly. but fighting is just dumb... why would he fight and take himself out of the game for 5 minutes? He is the pens best pure sniper. fighting isnt cowardly, its selfish. Not to make Neal look like some sort of role model but he puts the team over himself when he doesn't fight... his rep takes a blow but the team is the better for it. All things being said... I wish the pens would Cooke Neal and give him the extra hours of video training and the warning that if he continues they bench him or trade him. Shero is more than capable of finding a replacement...

If Neal doesn't change his ways, its only a matter of time before someone takes a legit shot at Crosby's head. Right or wrong, thats the truth.
- PhillySportsGuy

That's the sad thing. If you run around long enough and injure (or even try to injure) a key star player, and don't hold yourself accountable, then the other team won't come after you, they'll come after your star player. I wonder how Neal would feel if, after Game 3 of the Flyers series, when he refused to fight Simmonds, Rinaldo went out and launched himself elbows-first at Crosby's head. Again, if you wanna be a cheapshot, then either accept responsibility or be prepared for someone to do the same to you or your team.

the hits should flat out jst be punished and harshly. but fighting is just dumb... why would he fight and take himself out of the game for 5 minutes? He is the pens best pure sniper. fighting isnt cowardly, its selfish. Not to make Neal look like some sort of role model but he puts the team over himself when he doesn't fight... his rep takes a blow but the team is the better for it. All things being said... I wish the pens would Cooke Neal and give him the extra hours of video training and the warning that if he continues they bench him or trade him. Shero is more than capable of finding a replacement...
- ChrisMS

When your team is down by 3 goals with less than 5 minutes to go and you've just throw 2 cheapshots on consecutive shifts, then I don't think he's hurting his team that much by fighting.

Look at a guy like Shea Weber. He threw that cheap shot against Zetterberg that same year. The next game, he was challenged by Bertuzzi and dropped the gloves, even though he was off the ice for 5 minutes. He knew it was coming, and decided he'd answer.

That's the sad thing. If you run around long enough and injure (or even try to injure) a key star player, and don't hold yourself accountable, then the other team won't come after you, they'll come after your star player. I wonder how Neal would feel if, after Game 3 of the Flyers series, when he refused to fight Simmonds, Rinaldo went out and launched himself elbows-first at Crosby's head. Again, if you wanna be a cheapshot, then either accept responsibility or be prepared for someone to do the same to you or your team.
- jmatchett383

What if Giroux and Couts were unable to return in that series? Can you imagine the poopstorm that would have started. The fans and players would have wanted blood.

The league probably would have upped the suspension to 2 whole games.

Like I said, nothing is being stated from the above as being factual, just my own sense of it. The Pens did have one of the best fanbases, but seems to dry up as soon as Jagr dipped.
- Flyers_V88

when Jagr dipped the team, for various reasons, hit hard financial times... some stemming from poor business practices for years, some from the lack of arena revenue... the owners gave up on the team and fans recognized and stopped showing up... then in swooped Lemieux. He wasn't purely some angel... it was his only way of getting back the money he was owed... but it also proved to be a very sound investment.