More Wedding Pics!

It's been a little over 2 months now since Colby Armstrong married his longtime girlfriend Melissa Lavelle (June 20th). I had been searching HIGH and low for any pictures I could find after that date and finally came up with a few good ones a couple days later (CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PREVIOUS POST).

However, just recently, more pictures have been making their way onto the internet and THANKS to HftL reader Jane N. for sending along one she found, it reignited my curiosity to see if there were more out there.

ENJOY!!

Meet Sidney!!

I've received some interesting emails from readers over the year I've been writing HftL, but none as cute as the one I got from Sandra from the UK a few weeks ago. So I figured I'd share!!

Well i've been followin the site for a while now as a pens fan over in the uk. I thought i had to share my cute Crosby picture with you. This is Crosby my guinea pig complete with hockey player black eye:-)

Isn't he ADORABLE (almost as adorable as the real Sidney!)?!!!!!! Thanks for sending the pic, Sandra!!

Sid to the Rescue [AGAIN!]

REASON #35
He looks [REALLY] good in red!!

OK -- superficial time again!!! With this week being Team Canada's orientation camp, we've been coming across A LOT of pictures of Crosby (and company) in their red Team Canada jerseys. We ALL pointed out the fact that Sid looks particularly HOT in red - let us take a moment to [re]reflect!! ; P

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
REASON #36
He's getting along well with Iginla
(which puts that pretty little smile on his face)

I couldn't pass this one up because I KNOW all of you have noticed this. A lot of pictures have him next to Jerome Iginla and that beautiful smile of his is brightening up his face on all of them!! I'm glad Sid is enjoying himself and the camaraderie playing for Team Canada - it looks like fun!!

What Does Tangers Do in the Off-Season??

Well go to VIP parties and hang out with lovely ladies, of course!!!

Kris Letang was recently spotted (by Hollywood P.Q.) at the VIP party celebrating the 6th anniversary of Dom Rebel (designer clothing company) - looking sexy as ever (so of course he was surrounded by beautiful woman and one on his arm!)! The Cup MUST change everything!!

Pictures courtesy of Hollywood P.Q. (Freelance Underground)

Western Conference Hottie: James Sheppard (Minnesota Wild)

IMPORTANT HOCKEY STUFF: Played for Team Canada at the 2005 Under 18 Junior World Cup. He finished the 2004–2005 QMJHL season 4th in team scoring with 45 points. In January 2006, Sheppard was one of ten QMJHL participants to represent Team Orr in the CHL Top Prospects game, where he recorded one assist. Sheppard went on to finish the 2005–2006 QMJHL season 2nd in team scoring with 84 points. Sheppard wore the honor of team captain for the 2006–2007 season but was left off the roster of Team Canada for the 2006 IIHF World Under-20 Hockey Championship. However, he made the QMJHL Second All-Star Team in 2007. Drafted: Minnesota's 1st round choice, 9th overall, in 2006. The 21 year old left handed shot has played 2 full seasons for the Wild. Seems to have a better passing game than scoring game. (and I must admit, he can make a pass at me and score anytime.) As he recorded 19 points (4 goals - 15 assists totaling 19 points) in 78 career NHL games for Minnesota. He holds the Wild single-season record for games played by a rookie with 78 in 2007-08. He took the time during last years summer to take full advantage of being in the NHL, and doing some experimenting with his stick [don't believe me, read here] A cute little "Hockey 101" sort of thing to watch here.

REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF: A baby-faced, 6'2, 210lbs chocolate center. Ok maybe I did get carried away with the "chocolate center" part, but take a look at him, and tell me I'm wrong. Dark blue eyes, and hair like a chocolate waterfall. [yes, I'm in an overly romantic mood] You've also gotta love this video of him and Josh Harding (who isn't too hard on the hormones either and I may do in a later post if no one has objections.) showing us around the Wild's team facilities. There's also this ADORABLE article, wherein he takes on some local kids in a video game tournament. Wears a size 15 shoe [no, I'm not making any comments about that, minds out of the gutter ladies, and stop laughing Stephanie] He is single and resides in Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia during the off-season. (The fantasy that comes to mind upon hearing that, is the beach in Nova Scotia, and he reaches up and pulls you down on the beach chair with him, where you can get your fingers caught in that fabulous chocolate hair of his... Oops, gotta stop now.) Nicknames are “Shep”, “Roscoe” and “Jimmy”. His hobbies include playing the guitar and eating. Says winning bronze medal with Team Atlantic U17 and first fight [Yup, now I know why I fell in love with him so quickly.] as his favorite hockey moments. His favorite television show is “Entourage” and favorite movies are Wedding Crashers and The 300. Lists Usain Bolt as his favorite athlete and Chris Farley as the one person he would like to meet. Says the fans are the best part of playing hockey in Min. Cheese is his favorite food. He starting skating at the age of three at Sackville Arena. Says his family are the people who most inspired his hockey career. Favorite band is Third Eye Blind and Hockey News [this made me giggle] as his favorite magazine.

O Canada!!!

This week Canada is following suit and is holding the men's Olympic hockey orientation camp (in Calgary). Among the chosen are three Penguins and these are their official team photos (YOWZA!!)!!!! ; )

Do you think we should make red the new vegas gold?!!!! : P

Crosby Pictures of the Week

These pictures are courtesy of HftL readers Annie (who brought the one picture on the HHOF Journal to our attention) and Zigh M. (who was lucky enough to take the other three pictures when she there to help Sidney celebrate his 22nd birthday with the Cup)!! THANKS to both of you for this week's pictures!!





As a little sidenote -- NOTICE the Penguins logo with Sid's number on his chest on his SeaDoo (COOL!)!!!

Crosby Pictures of the Week (Part 2)

I feel the need to "catch up" with my pictures -- meaning, with hockey season approaching, I would like the pictures of the week to correspond with the actual hockey happenings of the week.

This week, Team Canada is having their olympic orientation camp and our very own Sidney Crosby is participating (looking HOTTER than ever in Team Canada red, I might add!)!! ; ) Just take a look for yourself!!

Hyvää syntymäpäivää Jarkko!!

[This is one of my FAVORITE pictures of Ruutu which I got from HftL reader Lexie H.]

Yes, if you've been following this blog for any length of time, you know that one of my all time favorite players is Jarkko Ruutu!!

Well, today is his birthday (which he shares with my own dad) and I just want to wish him a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Hyvää syntymäpäivää

As a tribute, below are a few of my favorite Ruutu moments (as a Pittsburgh Penguin).

A Cool Cup Party Perspective

All summer long we've been following Lord Stanley on his journey all over the world with each member of the Penguins organization and the stories have all been told by the media who follow each Stanley Cup host.

I came across a really neat account of Mark Eaton's Stanley Cup celebration according to his party coordinator (a unique perspective that we haven't had yet!)!! It has some really awesome photos too (taken by professional photographers Anna Sawin and Steph Stevens). The company, TRUE & WESSON, plans seriously stylish events, so it looked like a pretty lavish party with a beautiful view of the Narragansett Bay at the Belle Mer in Newport, RI as a background.

It looks like Mark and his family had a memorable day with some amazine photos to capture the event. What a great-looking family!

For more information and spectacular photos, visit the Hank & Willie blog or TRUE & WESSON blog.

Godard Endorses Retro T-Shirts

I just came across this the other day. Worn Free is a retro t-shirt company which is carried at Steve Ford's "Decades" store in Pittsburgh.

Eric Godard is seen in the picture above wearing an Ian Dury "Blockhead" Worn Free t-shirt along side his girlfriend, Myrika, who is also wearing a Worn Free tee (Janis Joplin "Family Dog").

Family Photos with the Cup

Here are a few great pictures from the HHOF's Stanley Cup Journal of Penguins families posting with Lord Stanley (I LOVE these!)!!

My favorites are the Gonchar's and Kunitz's.

Cap's Goalie Suffers Tragic Loss

It's been confirmed today by the Capitals organization that the two-month old son of goaltender Jose Theodore and his wife Stephanie Cloutier has died.

"We are aware of the heartbreaking news," GM George McPhee said in a statement issued by the team moments ago. "At this time we ask that everyone respects the privacy of Jose and his family."

According to the Capitals Insider blog, the baby boy was believed to have been born two months premature back in June and that a close family friend reported "he had been hospitalized with respiratory complications since birth and died last week."

REASON #34
He sees / appreciates things for what they are
(things aren't "beneath" him)

There's no doubt that Sid was thrilled beyond words to win the Stanley Cup and even happier to host it for the day - for his BIRTHDAY, no less!!!

But the thing that really sticks out in my mind though is how he had no problems washing the prestigious piece of historic hardware -- using the garden hose, regular dish washing liquid and a dish cloth like you and me.

He pretty much summed it up easily with this statement:

"Just something else to do with it; I'm mean I've got it, I might as well enjoy every bit of it; I'll never complain about cleaning the Cup!"

THANKS!!

I just wanted to take the time to thank all of you who emailed me or posted a comment to express your sympathy for my loss. I can't tell you how much it is appreciated and how it was a ray of sunshine on such a very sad event. This is proof that Pittsburgh fans are one of the kindest / friendliest group of people you'd ever want to meet or surround yourself with!!!

I am back at work today (not saying that things are "back to normal" yet), but I'm hoping to have a post or two for tomorrow so that I can get back to business as usual as quickly as possible.

THANKS again for all your support - it means alot!!

Lack of Updates

I apologize to all of you for the lack of updates these past few days, but I had a very unexpected death in my family over the weekend which has kept me pretty occupied. I'm hoping to get back up and writing sometime within the next few days and ask for your patience while I do so.

THANKS!!

Western Conference Hottie: Dustin Penner (Edmonton Oilers)

I know in the past I've taken liberties, most notably, some Duck-bashing (I'm pretty free with Red Wing bashing too, on occasion.) Well no real offense is meant. And since Penner is a former Duck(ling), I'm promising right now to keep the Duck-bashing to a minimum.

IMPORTANT HOCKEY STUFF: A career that got off to a rocky start, then got on a good roll culminating in a Stanley Cup, even. Started playing in High School, he suffered a broken leg, his first College season. However it must have been a good omen, because in his return season, he scored 20 goals / 13 assists in 23 games, while earning the Most Determined Player Award for his improvement and stellar play after recovering from injury. He then went to an evaluation camp where he played well, with an average of three points per game. There he was spotted by the assistant coach for the University of Maine. Where he played on scholarship, through the 03/04 season, scoring the game winning goal in the semifinals, before going on to fall short of the NCAA title by a 1-0 score against the University of Denver.

His NHL career started off with his being undrafted, but signed by the Ducks to play for their AHL affiliate. He then bounced back and forth from the minors to the big-time, for a couple seasons before sticking in the NHL, in the 06-07 season. Where he played on "the kid line" with Getzlaf and Perry. He was 2nd in goals on the team during that season and playing on that line (which BTW, wasn't the top line). He won the Stanley Cup with the Ducks, in 07 and became and unrestricted FA that summer. He then signed with the Oilers, where he remains. Despite some argument as to whether he's worth his contract. I'm not familiar enough with the situation, to offer and opinion myself.

REALLY IMPORTANT STUFF: If 'cute boy next door" is your thing, he's got it well covered. Because as far as down home looks, he's it. He's that guy you see walking on the street, and think. I'd like to snap that one up for myself. At 6'4", 245 he's definitely well "covered" in that area as well. Some things he likes are wedding crashers, and massages (don't ask me if it's giving massages or getting them. Although, I kinda think either way around, that would be a really pleasant way to spend a lonely offseason evening. In fact, a little wine in front of a fireplace, in a rustic cabin on a lake. Plaid shirts, smell of summer evening air. He reaches out, touches his fingers lightly to your chin, so your looking int those pretty blue eyes, a few locks of sandy, light brown hair stray across his forehead... Ok... enough of that. I'm going to have myself, sidetracked and be unable to finish this post.

He's also big into working out, and enjoys his time in the training room. (um you know that sidetracking I promised not to do, well, it's getting perilously close to happening right about now.) His first car was a 1993 Pontiac Sunbird. Got his first stitches at 21 from being high sticked, and his favorite non-hockey sports team is the Anaheim Angels. If he wasn't a hockey player, he says he'd like to be a pro golfer (um, yea, ok). According to his team mates, he has problems with being late to a lot of functions. He thinks Keifer Sutherland should be the one to play him in a movie. (Anyone see a resemblance, yes or no?) Likes to eat Italian food before games. (and is known to cook it himself, even. Yes, a guy that can cook, curls every girls toes.) And of course, as a perfect ending.

We've got his "This or That" feature from the Oils website. Gotta love Canadian Hockey coverage.

Talbot's New Playmate

Picture courtesy of 25stanley.com

Max Talbot was enjoying himself at Kris Letang's Cup party last Wednesday with Playboy Playmate Anne Krystel Goyer as Letang hides behind Lord Stanley (perhaps he's ashamed to be seen with Talbot in that superstar sweater, but it doesn't look like Goyer minds all that much!)!!

Crosby Pictures of the Week

Of course the pictures featured this week are from Sid's big birthday bash with Lord Stanley!!! And I couldn't pick just one (but can you tell which one is my favorite?!!)!!!