Meeting Ziggy

I got another e-mail and picture from HftL reader, Elizabeth. This time she was lucky enough to meet Mike Zigomanis.

My friend and I went down to watch the pens almost loose on Thursday. After the game we got to wait for the guys to come out and sign things. I got my picture taken with Ziggy (I never really looked at him until u had him on HOTWC and he's hot!) he didn't even seem to mind me totally forgetting his name (I was really excited and couldn't remember "Mike" so I ended up stuttering "Ziggymanis")! Max also stopped and signed, I didn't get pictures of him but when he signed for me I said "Max I love you" and he replied "Aw thanks... I love you too"! All in all it was a lot of fun.

THANKS, Elizabeth for remembering HftL and sharing your story and pic with us (keep 'em comin')!!

Third Jersey Photos (Our Boys ROCKED the Jerseys Last Night)!!

Can you believe I failed to post some of these pictures HERE, ladies?!! I mean, after all, our boys DO look pretty smokin' hot in these new jerseys, don't ya think?!!! Me-OW!!

Were any of my HftL readers lucky enough to be there last night? Any good stories or pics you'd like to share -- I would be ever so grateful (as I'm sure the rest of the readers would too)!!

OK - this one sorta ties in with last week's, but it's just a large part of who Sid is and what makes him SO AWESOME (see if you agree)!!

Crosby is a Class-Act!

This is in light of the recent comments made by Alexander Semin (he just shrugs it off and takes it in stride).

“I would be better off keeping my opinion to myself, I think,” Crosby said. “(Semin is) free to say what he wants. I’ll keep mine to myself about him.”

BREAKING NEWS!! We Have PHOTOS, Ladies!!

OK - BIG THANKS goes out to Cat who recently posted a comment with a link to the Burgh Blog where she discovered that a reader sent PittGirl pictures of the Penguins playing soccer (Shirts vs. Skins)!!

And my question has been answered - YES skins was actually shirtless (HOT DAMN!!)!!!

Ladies, be sure to sit down before trying to view these photos -- I experienced light-headedness (which was due to lack of oxygen going to my brain when I stopped breathing for a few seconds) before I had to remind myself to breath, "in through the nose, out through mouth!!"

And OMG - Sidney is wearing his cap backwards (I think I'm going to faint -- but I'm such a dedicated HftL blogger, I'll wait until after I post these pictures)!!!

Hotties of the Western Conference: Mikko Koivu (Minnesota Wild)

I would use the words “Total Stud” to describe him. Everywhere there's action on the ice, that's where you'll find him (for all of you who are familiar with the Penguins [which I hope is most of you], a good “on ice” comparison is Tyler Kennedy). And though I have tried, I can think of no better description. The term “Total Stud” simply fits him to perfection.

IMPORTANT HOCKEY STUFF: What impresses me the most is his work ethic and the fact that he is good at everything. It just can't be said enough although I don't personally find that he has a specialty. He has 14 career multi-point games. You really need to take a close look at him the next time the Wild play your team. Only then will you fully appreciate what a REALLY GOOD hockey player he is. In these most recent playoffs he led the Wild in TOI against Colorado. In 06/07 he put up fantastic stats. Leading the Wild in everything from face offs, to (I think) goals scored. He's been getting a lot of time on MN's top line this year (along with ex. Star Antti Miettinen). Which has been one of the driving forces behind the Wild's success so far this year (08/09) [they were the last unbeaten team. Stars kicked their butts. Woo.] At the time of this writing, they lead the NW division. Mikko Koivu leads the Wild in points, and his nine assists rank him in the top 10 in the League.

THE REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF: 6'2” (I actually think he's taller than they have listed) 200lbs. Blond and blue-eyed; oh, and dimples ([*swoon*] I am a sucker for dimples). [oh, me TOO!!] He's got a really sweet look to him, kinda shy with the media, and he looks younger than he is. In my humble opinion, he's one of the top 10 most gorgeous men on the planet. But I'm biased because he's blond, so you may not want to take my word for it. In fact, I recommend lots of careful study, and detailed research (you can start with THIS). He was the deciding factor in my desire to watch a couple Wild games so far this year (I “suffered” through this in order to bring all of you the most accurate of information, you understand). He's one of those especially few guys, that when you see them in a photo or on TV, you have to stop, and consciously remember to breathE. I find him more “pretty” than “hot." Like you'd put him on a shelf and look at him; not just jump in the sack with him.

When I think of “All American” looks, he's really close to my mental picture of perfection which is a particular source of amusement for me since he's actually Finnish.

Researchers Note: Since I find myself writing for an East Coast blog (willingly, though) I feel that I should mention that I find him significantly hotter than his brother Saku, (Montreal Canadians) [no offense to the EC girls, or the Canadians fans, among which I count myself]. Although I will readily admit to having a “thing” for Saku [despite the lack of stature, come on, 5'10” I think 5'6” is probably closer]. Since I watched a publicity promo where they ask him about his “secret talents”. I think my heart stopped beating at the look on his face.

Shirts vs. Skins (OMG!)!!

OK ladies, when I read this article, I almost jumped out of MY skin and I think you may have the same reaction (or had the same reaction if you already read the article posted on the Penguins webpage).

Here's the little blurb I'm referring to (the Penguins players had a few games of soccer yesterday):
The soccer match consisted of two teams - shirts vs. skins - in a seven-on-seven competition.

[GOOD Lord!! The mere thought of it makes me weak in the knees!]

But then to my disappointment, it listed the players on each team (and my bubble burst!):
Representing team shirts were: Sidney Crosby [DAMN IT!] Rob Scuderi, Darryl Sydor, Jordan Staal [I'll say it for you, Kena -- DAMN IT!], Miroslav Satan, Pascal Dupuis and strength and conditioning coach Mike Kadar. Representing team skins were: Alex Goligoski, Eric Godard [OMG!!], Hal Gill, Mike Zigomanis, Kris Letang [OMG!], Tyler Kennedy [OMG! sorry for the oversight, ladies; he does have an awesome upper-body -- if you've ever caught a glance at him with street clothes!!], and Marc-Andre Fleury.

Do you really think they played with their shirts off? I'm leaning towards no. But who knows (were any HftL readers lucky enough to be there? [please, God!] DO tell!)

What was the rest of the article about? I honestly do not know. But seriously, it was about Therrien not having a typical practice yesterday and that the players (aside from Sabourin, Bissonnette, Eaton and Sykora who actually practiced on the ice) were able to choose to lift weights or play soccer as part of their "conditioning."

"It’s nice, we had a workout and a little game,” Crosby said. “Just get the guys together, get moving, get sweating. We had a mix of soccer and hockey. We played sockey today.”

Other interesting tidbits:

• Sidney was the goalie for his team and Godard & Goligoski took turns as goalies for their team
• Team Shirts (Sidney's team) won all three games
• winning team won lunch
• Crosby and Staal agreed that Satan was the top soccer player

Max's A & L Motors Commercial (Take 2)!!

I think this commercial is just as good if not better than the original A & L Motors commercial from last year; however, the overall consensus among Pens fans has been that it's not as good as the first one. Take a look and decide for yourself!!