what are these two teams from?

R.J. needed to learn to keep his head up. I have that clip in HD on my comp I watch it when I need a laugh.

I miss Ruutu already

Me too, but I'm actually really excited that Ottawa got him. Since I'm moving there, I definitely plan on checking out a few games, and/or a practice or two, and hopefully talking to him. He's a very cerebral guy, after all [/mcguire]

Cool - he seems like a fun guy to meet.


I wonder if the "RUUUUUUUUUUTTTTTUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!" cheer is going to be replaced with "RUUUUUUUUUSSSLANNNNNNN!" Kinda doubt it

I'd say the replacement will be COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOKIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIE.

COOOOOKIE MONSTER bahahaa cant wait to yell that

Ruutu is a lot more likeable than Cooke, trust me.

I haven't seen much of Cooke yet, but I'm taking your word for it. I have a feeling I'll be liking Ruutu a bit less once he suits up against the Pens, though

Matt Cooke is a dick AND death in the dressing room....... In vancouver, they used to call him the 'lawyer' behind his back because he argued everything and everyone..

meh. that sucks.

I think the Pens have a pretty strong dressing room though.

Losing guys like Bugsy, Ruuts, and Laraque will hurt, but the core is still there in that room... Sid, Max, Geno, Staal, Whitney, etc.

I think Cooke will play well on the ice, in his role. He'll piss off his opponents, but he isn't going to get a lot of playing time. Crosby and Malkin will get increased playing time this season, including PK time, so Cooke will prolly play like 7-10 mins per game, if that.

just so you know, cooke makes me instantly dislike the pens. sorry.

I'll never forget the time mats completely destroyed cooke. I was a leafs fan for a few weeks after that...

The only problem with that is, with the POSSIBLE exception of Crosby, I don't see a lot of vocal, strong, leaders in that group. Cooke will become the biggest talker in the room on his first day..

I'm not in the locker room but from what I've heard here's my opinion on the locker room makeup of the Pens.

First off, just saw Therrien got a 3 year deal. Assuming he makes it the whole season he'll be the longest tenured coach in the 40 year history of the Penguins. (I was surprised to hear that) He's a guy that doesn't seem to put up with any shit and can keep bad apples in line.

Crosby is the leader...no doubt. He may not talk as much as some others but when he does, people listen.

Talbot is the talker. He seems like a guy everyone likes but also respects. He's a guy that gives 110% each game and that should be infectious.

Sykora, Gonchar, Sydor provide veteran leadership.

I don't know how the new guys fit into this mix but I've heard mixed reports about Cooke...I think if he gets out of line he'll be taken care of.

That's ok, I don't like Cooke either. I certainly perfer having him on my team, than being someone I hate every time he plays the Pens, though.

I don't know - Gonchar doesn't appear like he's a big locker room presence, and I'm not all that sure abotu Sykora, either. I'm hoping the combo of Talbot/Crosby is effective, maybe not as far as veterans getting in your face, but providing the type of atmosphere that new guys will need to conform to. Talbot can joke around and help keep things light, all the while Crosby gives a quieter "lead by example" approach.


Losing Roberts really hurts in this regard, though.