Greetings from lovely Clarion, where we will get the NHL trade chatter, news, and some Pittsburgh Penguins analysis on the site before continuing this motorcycle trip along Pennsylvania’s northern rim for a couple of days. The trade chatter is focusing on offensive defensemen, and while some teams have an interest in Dougie Hamilton, they might swing toward Penguins d-man Erik Karlsson, too. The Washington Capitals were denied in free agency and are shifting plans, the New York Rangers are trying to make it work with Mika Zibanejad, and we analyzed our own Penguins analysis.
I did make an effort to take a couple of days off, but illness and responsibility will keep us tethered by Penguins coverage. I stopped in Clarion last night because the hotel was $54, and it was a good launching point to get an early start this morning. Riding north on Rt. 66, other motorists and I pulled over to capture this picture–obviously, a jet of some sort made a perfect circle between the cloud formations.
It was quite nice riding north with the sun disappearing over the mountains to my left, the temperature a moderate 75 degrees, as the orange hues reflected off the heavy rain clouds that were on the horizon, but fortunately going a different direction than I.
Then, I had to stop for food, too. Since not much was open late, I decided to evaluate the Perfect Margarita at Applebee’s. You know, purely for journalistic purposes. It has been a decade or more since I’ve been to an Applebee’s, but a full shaker of a Patron margarita was only $13. I would say it was quite good–the right amount of sour with a good amount of kick paired with some half-priced apps. I don’t do chains, but it was a solid outing, and it beat getting a grubby sandwich that had been sitting in all day a plastic container at the nearby supercenter.
Sadly, I took down the Penguins Live Chat video. It seems the SoundCloud software kept lagging, and the sound stunk. I couldn’t keep that up and let people watch that garbage. Perhaps I’ll do a make-good to test new software this afternoon if I can get settled at my favorite hotel, The historic Penn Wells Hotel, which is in Wellsboro, my favorite small town. I just breathe easier there. Groucho Marx stayed there, and (presumably) Bing Crosby also stayed when he premiered a movie at the classic theater next door in 1949. I always imagine Groucho holding court in the hotel’s ornate Gilded Age sitting room with large fireplace, mahogany pillars, and marble floors … and then insulting everyone who walked in.
I never forget a face, but in your case, I’ll make an exception.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: I thought we would have some fun. I put a few of my recent analyses to the test of accuracy and hindsight. It’s only fair I do that to myself since I spend all day doing so to athletes and executives. I had to admit there were a couple that were wrong, and one I got right. From trade analysis to the coaches, here’s our Penguins analysis.
I tried to be humble, and someone still had to take issue with me using a multisyllabic word?! Oh, now I’m really intensifying the endeavor to augment a few of your vocabularies lest your cerebellum rot upon the tangle and mangle of the yinzer dialect omitting and scrambling the language with an astrayed impunity.
Steelers Now: It’s a fair question. Minkah Fitzpatrick played last season, but that’s about all we can say. He was largely invisible, but GM Omar Khan got a good return for him. However, how will coaches replace Fitzpatrick and fill the gap in the Steelers’ defense?
Pittsburgh Baseball Now: Remember that six-game winning streak? Yeah, now it’s a six-game losing streak. The long balls were the killers as Kansas City bashed the Pittsburgh Pirates.
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
RG.org: Dougie Hamilton is a hot name on the market, and four teams are interested, including the Toronto Maple Leafs and Utah Mammoth. Also, those teams could settle on a deal for a certain Penguin. I hesitate to link to a site that is heavy on rumors and has been wrong on some big ones, but they’re also good guys (who used to work for us, so I know errors aren’t intentional). Jimmy Murphy breaks it down.
Sportsnet: What happens when a drunk guy gets froggy with a former NHL enforcer on a golf course? Yeah. There is a social media video of the altercation somewhere, as former Columbus Blue Jackets tough guy Nick Tarnasky seemed to enjoy resolving the situation, yelling, “Boom!” every time he socked the guy who got in his face. However, now Tarnasky is under investigation because he’s a Red Deer minor league coach.
I never understood the need to drink excessively on a golf course. You just dropped $50 or $100 on golf. I can drink in a bar without wasting a Benjamin on that infernal game.
Washington Times: The Caps GM Chris Patrick admitted missing out on the big-name free agents that he sought. Now, the Capitals are turning their attention to the NHL trade market and might go big game hunting.
TSN: “It’s tough to buy happiness.” A super agent answers the recent chatter of free agency and the importance or irrelevance of no-tax states.
Also, Evgeny Kuznetsov’s agent tells TSN that his client wants to come back to the NHL, but he will be affordable this time. No big contract needed, this time.
Philly Hockey Now: Very simple question, but the answer is a bit more complex than you might think, and there are more avenues and answers than you might realize. What should the Philadelphia Flyers do with Porter Martone?
Florida Hockey Now: It’s been a summer for the defending Stanley Cup champions. They signed all of their free agents, including 37-year-old Brad Marchand (to a ridiculous deal that will haunt them in a few years). George Richards has five thoughts on the wild Florida Panthers’ off-season.