Pens Win Opener: Beat Rangers 3-2

It was an electrifying evening at the old Igloo last night.  I think the town was buzzing more last night then any of the Stanley Cup games.  Everyone was in town early last night.  All of the usual watering holes were extra crowded, traffic was crazy and everywhere you looked you could see Penguin’s gear. 

For a miserable, rainy night, there were a suprising number of fans outside to watch the ceremony and game on Mario’s big screen.  It was great to see the energy exhibited by the fans last night.  I wonder if the support of the fans is going to keep up at this pace.  Are the Pens going to broadcast all the games outside?  It is only going to get better as the Pens move into their new facility across the street. 

Inside, the ceremony was presented very well, I thought.  The crowd was loud for the entire 20-25 minutes that the ceremony lasted.  I thought the Penguins did a very nice job with the whole thing.

Here are a couple of images that I captured last night.  Sorry about the quality, I took them with my Blackberry.

Oh, and by the way, the Pens won the game 3-2.  It was a great way to start the season.  I was pleasantly suprised by how well the Pens played.  That may sound weird, but I based that on what I had witnessed throughout the pre-season.  They really came together and played a nice game.

Notes:

• Goligosky looked very good.  I think this kid is going to have a great season.  He is going to make it easier to forget about the losses of Scuderi and Gill.  Having the luxury of three very capable (offensive) blueliners is going to do wonders for the powerplay.
• Both Crosby and Malkin scored.  Some in the hockey media are saying that Geno has the potential to really go off with some big numbers.  That would be great to see.
• Fleury made an amazing save last night to keep the game in check.  This guy is going to win games for the Pens.
• I think our boys are not going to fall into that “Stanley Cup hangover” so many people are talking about.  They are so young and so driven.

Here is to a long and exciting season!