My name is Ryan Wood, and I'm in my first year on The Sin Bin. I'm currently a junior up here at Penn State University Park, and I'm a lifelong fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
With that out of the way, I have a small bit of news to relay. The first is something that I'm sure Sean will have more to say on, but it appears that Mats Sundin has reportedly made his choice of where to sign. And the winner is...
The New York Rangers!
It was speculated earlier today that Sundin had narrowed his choices to Vancouver or New York. The official decision is expected to be announced later this week.
What does this mean for New York? Sundin is 37 years old, but he is still a dynamic player, as evidenced by his 32 goals and 78 points on a sub-par Toronto team last season. He has had 12 straight seasons of 70 points or more, and he should provide some formidable center depth on a team that already has Chris Drury, Scott Gomez and Brandon Dubinsky down the middle.
Also, New York could certainly use some offensive output. The highest scoring player for the Rangers so far this year is RW Nikolai Zherdev (10 G, 30 Pts.) and they have lost 3 of their last 5 games.
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Now for the Penguins related news. With the Civic/Mellon Arena on its last legs, Pens fans have been wondering for a while what the forthcoming new arena would be christened. That answer has arrived.
Consol Energy, which is based out of Pittsburgh, has won the naming rights for the next 21 years and will name the arena the "Consol Energy Center." The arena is scheduled to be open for the 2010-2011 hockey season.
As a fan, I like this news for mainly one reason...it makes the reality of the Penguins future that much more secure in my mind. This is a franchise that looked all but lost before a few years ago, and now there is no turning back. I couldn't be happier.
In addition, I like the name even though many other fans have expressed indifference or disdain. I think that it's rather fitting for this hockey team, which is certainly not lacking in energy.
...Just don't pronounce it "Con-sole" [Pensblog]
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Oh, and one final amusing note regarding Sean Avery.
Jaromir Jagr was interviewed as part of a Play magazine article about his thoughts on the Sean Avery situation. My favorite question and answer:
Would you love to see him playing for Avangard Omsk?
"No!" Jagr started waiving his hands and almost fell from his chair laughing. "Two years playing together for the Rangers was enough. Couldn't you come up with a lighter sentence?"
---------Well that's all for now. More to come in the future.
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