Philadelphia Flyers: Forward Zac Rinaldo on his game misconduct

In the post-game media scrum, Zac Rinaldo said, "I changed the whole game."

I am going to predict that Zac Rinaldo will have the book thrown at him for his dirty hit on Kris Letang. I am going to say that he gets at least a 6-8 game suspension he deserves more. Rinaldo is a repeat offender so he "should" be suspended 10 games.

I didn't intend to hurt Kris tonight. I'm very sorry I did. At no point did I ever "joke" about such a thing. These reports are untrue.
— Zac Rinaldo (@RinaldoZac) January 21, 2015

* Zac Rinaldo - Supplemental Discipline History * #NHLonNBC #RivalryNight pic.twitter.com/hjP3eOb73v
— NHL on NBC (@NHLonNBCSports) January 22, 2015

Zac Rinaldo Boards Kris Letang

First, this is an awful, nasty hit. I know it's been said before, but these are the types of hits that need to be removed from the game of hockey, forever.

Since Zac Rinaldo is a repeat offender (he's been suspended by the NHL for a total of six games) he could get hit with a lengthy suspension. I know, this sounds like groundhog day.

For those keeping track at home, Rinaldo was given a five-minute major and a game misconduct.

First I realize that hockey is a contact sport that everything happens at a very high rate of speed, but Rinaldo had no other intention, but to take out Kris Letang. I don't think we can blame the victim on this one. (Zac Rinaldo's Suspension History)

Apr 07, 2014	Suspended by the NHL for 4 games.
Feb 13, 2012	Suspended by the NHL for 2 games.
Feb 04, 2012	Fined $5,000 by the NHL.

Pittsburgh Penguins: Craig Adams No Goal, Goalie Interference (Video)

The Boston Bruins caught their second break of the game. Pittsburgh Penguins forward Craig Adams appears to have scored a legit goal. The goal is waved off by the on-ice official. In my humble opinion, this is not the correct call in this instance. Adam McQuaid appears to have pushed a Penguin into Tuukka Rask.

Looked like the Bruins caught a break on the no goal call for Pens. Adam McQuaid pushed Sill into Rask to create the contact with Rask
— Joe Haggerty (@HackswithHaggs) January 8, 2015

Robert Bortuzzo Has a Hearing With Department of NHL Player Safety

Another day, another questionable, dirty hit. For those that are defending this hit and saying that this isn't a hit to the head, look a the Gif above. The video evidence doesn't lie. Bortuzzo catches Jagr right in the head with his shoulder. The head is the principle point of contract.

Pittsburgh defenseman Robert Bortuzzo will have a hearing for a late hit on New Jersey forward Jaromir Jagr. Day & time TBD.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) December 3, 2014

Devils not happy with hit on Jagr. DeBoer: "If one of our guys did that to Crosby it would have been World War 4" http://t.co/1YWuaH2WCD
— Eye on Hockey (@EyeOnHockey) December 3, 2014

LOOK at latest #pens win with photos from @TribSportsPhoto >> http://t.co/wRebJJ3aP3 pic.twitter.com/tHClzPuFTK
— Rob Rossi (@RobRossi_Trib) December 3, 2014

Dustin Byfuglien's Dirty Hit on Steve Downie following Goal

First, Steve Downie is no saint; he'd probably tell you that. But check out this dirty, unnecessary, bush league hit that Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien put on Downie. This is unacceptable. After the play is over, I believe that Downie has the expectation to not be slambed into the end boards. I don't think that's being unreasonable, right? The play is over, he's scored a goal.

I think the NHL’s Department of Players Safety need to make an example out of Byfuglien. I am thinking a couple of game suspension would be about right. Maybe Big Buff should skate faster.

Simon Despres blows up Sean Couturier, Umberger vs Despres fight

Tonight, I was watching the Flyers and Penguins game. Check out this clean, hard hit.

In my opinion, this is a thing of beauty. Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Simon Despres absolutely blows up Sean Couturier with a shoulder-to-shoulder hit. The video from this angle doesn't do a good job of showing it. Of course you have the obligitory fight between R.J. Umberger and Despres.

Penguins Unveil New Third Jersey

Looking at these jersey's I am having flashbacks of the 1991 Stanley Cup Playoffs finals where the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the Minnesota North Stars four games to two, to win the Stanley Cup. The Penguins will wear their new third jersey 12 times this season.

Trib Live: Free Agent Ryan Malone Might Sign with Penguins

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This is actually a sad story. I was thinking of catchy title, but drug abuse and addiction is no laughing matter. So, the Penguins now have Car Bomb Carcillo, Steve Downie the hack and Ryan Malone, the same guy that was baffled when the Tampa Bay Police found a bag of coke in his back pocket. I actually hope the former Saint Cloud State Husky can clean up his act and have a successful season.

Jason Mackey, Tribune Live -- With forwards Steve Downie and Daniel Carcillo, the Penguins aren't lacking for potential projects.

Could the return of Upper St. Clair native Ryan Malone be next?

General manager Jim Rutherford isn't saying. But interest on Malone's part is tangible.

“There's a natural attraction there,” said Malone's agent, Mike Liut. “He grew up there. He played there. They lost in the (Stanley Cup) Final when he was there. There's that association.

“But management (now) is completely different. I have talked to Pittsburgh about him throughout the summer. They're kicking tires. They've expressed some interest, but it's just that. Which is fine.

“There isn't anything where I can say, ‘Hey, this is what we're going to do.' Hopefully I can next week.

Ryan Malone back to the Pens? He's in. Team? Maybe. My #TribHKY story from today: http://t.co/1AmpUcFIZU
— Jason Mackey (@Mackey_Trib) September 6, 2014

Minnesota Wild: The second most exciting time of the year

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Tomorrow is one of the most exciting times of the year. Starting at 11:00 A.M. Central, the 2014 NHL free agent signing period begins. I like many other Wild fans, are excited to see who the Minnesota Wild end up signing. Will there be some former WCHA players calling Saint Paul, MN home? Looks like the Wild aren't looking for long term commitments, either.

Chad Graff, Pioneer Press - Thomas Vanek, 30, is a pure scorer, the type the Wild lacked last season when they finished 24th in goals scored, netting 2.43 per game.

Matt Niskanen, 27, is coming off the best season of his career, having scored 10 goals and recorded 36 assists and a team-best plus-33 rating for the Penguins. He would instantly upgrade the Wild's defense.

But at what cost?

That's what Fletcher is trying to determine in the final days before free agency begins.

With Vanek and Niskanen interested in hearing the Wild's pitch, Fletcher's decision on the two free agents ultimately might be defined more by years than price.

Related articles

• Minnesota WIld: Free Agency Pondering
• Wild Kicking the Tires on Jarome Iginla

More reasons to not like the Pittsburgh Penguins

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Former Pittsburgh Penguin defenseman Ulf Samuelsson was one of the dirtiest players to play the game of hockey, now he's in the running for the the Penguins head coaching job. More reasons to not like the Penguins.

TSN.CA -- New York Rangers assistant coach and former NHL defenceman Ulf Samuelsson is on the list of candidates who's interviewed for the head coaching job with the Pittsburgh Penguins, according to TSN Hockey Insider Darren Dreger.

Dreger reported on Tuesday that the Hurricanes sought permission from the Rangers to interview Samuelsson for their coaching vacancy.

Samuelsson played 16 seasons in the NHL with lenghty stints in both Pittsburgh and with the former Hartford Whalers.

Penguins fire coach after he leads team to 109 point season

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Nothing like waiting till Friday afternoon to make a bunch of personnel moves, but it happened. I am sure none of us should be shocked that Dan Bylsma was fired by the Pittsburgh Penguins today, because we were told that it was probably coming. Bylsma’s crime, his team didn’t make it past the second round of the NHL playoffs. Wrap your finger around this, Bylsma led his team to a 51 win, 109 points season. No seriously.

Bylsma is a good coach and won't be unemployed very long. The Grand Haven product led the Pengiuns to a 252-117-32 (.628) in five plus seasons.

Pierre McGuire will not be the GM of the Pengiuns, Jim Rutherford hired

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Hockey fans got some bad news today. TSN's Bob McKenzie is reporting that Jim Rutherford will reportedly be named Penguins GM.

Chris Peters, CBS Sports -- Jim Rutherford will be named general manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins according to TSN's Bob McKenzie. Rutherford, who earlier this spring stepped aside from his duties as general manager of the Carolina Hurricanes, had been the dean of NHL general managers having spent 20 consecutive years with the Carolina organization.

Other rumored candidates for the job included Pens assistant general manager Jason Botterill, NBC analyst Pierre McGuire, Tampa Bay Lightning assistant general manager Julien BriseBois and a number of others.

Rutherford stepped aside from GM duties, but was expected to stay on with Carolina as the club's president. He was replaced by Hurricanes legend and former Penguin Ron Francis.

TSN, McGuire has second interview for Penguins' GM post

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Here's the latest on the Pierre McGuire applying for the Pittsburgh Penguins general manager position. Cross your fingers folks.

TSN.ca Staff -- The Pittsburgh Penguins may be looking into their past for potential general manager candidates.

According to Jim Matheson of the Edmonton Journal, sources say former Penguins assistant coach and current TV analyst Pierre McGuire has had two interviews with the team.

The Penguins fired Ray Shero last month after the team gave up a 3-1 series lead before being eliminated by the New York Rangers in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.

McGuire was part of Scotty Bowman's coaching staff when the Penguins won the Stanley Cup in 1992.

Pierre McGuire to the Pens as GM. Yes Please...

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For hockey fans' sake, I am hoping that Pierre McGuire will become the next General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins. As an NHL Hockey fan, I can't stand listening to McGuire as a between the boards analyst. I also know that I am not the only hockey fan that feels this way. Don't get me wrong, MacGuire knows the game of hockey, he's just very irritating to listen to on a weekly basis.

Despite McGuire's shortcomings, his contacts, outsider perspective and hockey knowledge would be helpful for #Pens business-minded leaders
— Mike Colligan (@MikeColligan) June 2, 2014

Still hearing that Pierre McGuire is a legitimate contender for #Pens GM job. Still don't buy it. My guess: he's part of GM search committee
— Mike Colligan (@MikeColligan) June 2, 2014

#Pens GM search process has been very silent, yet Pierre McGuire's visit to Pittsburgh is covered like one from the Pope. Should be telling.
— Mike Colligan (@MikeColligan) May 31, 2014

Related articles

• Pierre McGuire rumored to be leader for Penguins GM job, Twitter explodes
• Today in Hockey History, Pierre McGuire fired from the Whalers

Is Pierre Maguire going to the Pens?

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I would imagine that NHL hockey fans in the USA would cheer on such a move, unless you're a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins. Think of it this way, NHL fans in the USA would no longer have to listen to NBC Sports NHL analyst Pierre Maguire as he annoys fans from between the players boxes. As a regular NHL viewer, I would applaud such a move.

Bob Pompeani Show --- Scotty Bowman worked closely with NBC Sports NHL analyst Pierre Maguire who has been rumored to be a possible candidate for the open general manager position with the Pens.

He tells Bob that Maguire has been a candidate recently for many open positions and that he has a real desire to return to a team.

“He has a good broad knowledge of amateur hockey,” Bowman said. “But the big thing he has going for him for me is that he has a lot of connections. He has kept up with the hockey league. He is a hard worker. His knowledge of the NHL would be very high for sure.”

Pens to fire head coach Dan Bylsma?

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First, I think that Dan Bylsma is a very good hockey coach. I find it puzzling that the Pens ownership is going to blame the head coach for Sidney Crosby scoring (1g-8a—9pts) in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games. I find that troubling that the head coach is always to blame when a team loses. Bylsma did win a Stanley Cup during the 2008-09 season.

If Bylsma is fired, and he probably will be, he will get a new coaching job very quickly. Some  ownership group is going to want him to be their next head coach. I think the biggest issue is that the Penguins don't have a tough guy to protect Crosby and  Evgeni Malkin from all of the extra bravo sierra that they have had deal with on the ice. Like I mentioned earlier this week, if Wayne Gretzky had to put up with this garbage Crosby has during the Stanley Cup Playoffs, there would have been blood on the ice.

Rob Rossi, Trib Live --- Those questions already were being asked by majority co-owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle and CEO David Morehouse.

Penguins ownership will consider a sweeping overhaul that could include terminating general manager Ray Shero in addition to Dan Bylsma and the members of the coaching staff, multiple sources told the Tribune-Review. Ownership specifically is concerned about a perceived lack of accountability for players, overall team toughness and unproductive drafts, the sources said.

The sources also said Penguins ownership might not want to undergo a complete front-office shakeup with only about a month before the NHL Entry Draft.

No decisions have been made, and they will not be rushed, the sources said.

Shero and Bylsma have two years remaining on their contracts. Shero signed Bylsma and top assistants Tony Granato and Todd Reirden to extensions a few days after the Penguins were swept from the conference final by Boston last June

I am not a Penguins fan, but I have been taken back by how many fans are calling for his head. This past season Bylsma lead the Penguins went 51-24-7 record and finished first in the Metropolitan Division. That's a very respectable finish and it's very hard to win in the NHL playoffs.

(Video) Sidney Crosby cup checks Dominic Moore after being mugged by him

First, I am not a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins by any stretch of the imagination, but in this case I don't blame Sidney Crosby for being upset. Shouldn’t the ref call the penalties as they present themselves? The blatant holding the stick, is a penalty in high school, college and in the NHL.

The treatment that Crosby has been given during the playoffs, that has gone uncalled is ridiculous. Does the NHL want their star players out with injuries or concussions?

Also, what is Crosby supposed to do? Dominic Moore has Sid’s stick and won’t let go, that’s should be a penalty, so Crosby stuck him. While we don't want to see players spearing their opponents, sometimes the opponents should expect "something" in return, especially when they do stuff like this.

You have to give kudos to Chris Kunitz for sticking up for his fellow teammate as well. Can you imagine what former Oilers tough guy Dave Semenko would have done, if someone had done this to Wayne Gretzky? There would have been blood on the ice.

20:00 PIT Chris Kunitz Roughing - 2 min against Dominic Moore
20:00 PIT Sidney Crosby Cross checking - 2 min against Marc Staal
20:00 NYR Brian Boyle Cross checking - 2 min against Sidney Crosby

(Video) Marc Staal Cross-Checks Sidney Crosby

I was on YouTube looking for something else when I came across this video. Anyone wonder why some of the star players like Sidney Crosby might not be scoring as many goals as they do during the regular season.

#becauseitsthecup ... Even thought it's the playoffs, cross-checking your opponent in the head is still a penalty, right? It should be. This should be called, this is a dirty hit and should be a five-minute major in my opinion. Thoughts?

Henrik Lundqvist: Rangers Consistent Star when Struggling to Score

Well the New York Rangers will have their work cut out for them if they are able to surpass the offensive talented Pittsburgh Penguins in the second round, especially after the grinding seven game series against the Flyers. However, the Rangers do have one trump card in their hands, and that is goalie Henrik Lundqvist.

With the New York Ranger power play being terrible in these playoffs, not getting many scoring chances and giving up shorthanded rushes, Lundqvist has always been there to save the day. Hank is posting a 2.07 goals against average and a .926 save percentage, which are outstanding numbers in any league, but has a playoff record of 5-4 because the lack of offensive support for the annual Vezina Trophy worthy goaltender. 

So far in the series against Pittsburgh, two games, "King" Henrik has made 36 and 34 saves respectively only allowing two goals in each of those contests. The Rangers need to start to find ways to put pucks in the net to support their goalie, who is giving the Rangers chances to finish games in the win column every single night. 

As addressed briefly earlier, the Rangers are struggling putting pucks in the net, especially from their power play and big gun Rick Nash. Their power play has hit just three times out of 37 attempts, or at a 8.1% success rate. You can't get very far in the playoffs if you aren't scoring with the extra man.

Now for the struggles of superstar power forward Rick Nash not being able to find the net. Going into tonight, Nash lead the NHL during the playoffs in shots on goal with 37, but has yet to find the twine. One can only think that he will break through soon and open the floodgates, but will it be too little too late against the offensive powerhouse Penguins? Maybe, but if Sidney Crosby ends his goal scoring troubles before Nash, and the rest of the Rangers are able to find the net more, this series doesn't go more than five games unless Hank is able to steal the Rangers some victories. 

Penguins Keep Finding Ways Without Crosby Scoring Goals

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Tonight was the eighth game of the playoffs for the Pittsburgh Penguins and they notched victory five of the 16 needed to win the Stanley Cup tonight. Nothing too strange about this right? Wrong. Sidney Crosby has yet to score a goal in the Stanley Cup Playoffs and it's driving Pittsburgh fans nuts.

I am seeing all over social media of Pittsburgh fans ripping on their captain, saying he isn't playing well because he is not scoring goals for the black and gold. What they fail to realize is that Crosby has been almost a point per game clip in assists for the Penguins in the playoffs thus far.

Tonight's game was a prime example of that. Crosby was creating scoring chances whenever he was on the ice and the only thing keeping him off the score sheet was Henrik Lundqvist. So for all you Crosby "haters," have faith in your captain. He is the best offensive player in the entire world. Even Wayne Gretzky had a streak of 12 playoff games where he would not net a goal. So even the best have slumps.

Switching to the defensive side of the puck, goalie Marc-Andre Fleury has also been getting a lot of grief from the Penguins faithful as of late. Yes he isn't the Flower of the Stanley Cup 2009 team, but he still is a very solid goaltender. Tonight was a prime example of that.

Personally I am a Marc-Andre fleury fan. He plays a real solid butterfly and generally is not out of position. He had a real solid season this year, but wasn't spectacular by NHL fans standards.

None the less, the Penguins are finding ways to win games in the playoffs and keep pushing for Stanley Cup number four. Fans just need to keep being fans and support your team. No player is perfect and will go through "slumps," and let in bad goals every now and then.