Treats For The Eyes On The Penguins Off-Day

The Pittsburgh Penguins will look to keep their recent string of better play going in a huge game against the red-hot Ottawa Senators at Mellon Arena tomorrow night. They also will be looking to continue moving up in the Atlantic Division.

Ottawa did the Penguins a favor last night in winning their 7th straight game, because they dispatched the New Jersey Devils, 3-zip. The Devils are going in the opposite direction, and can I say that it's about time??

New Jersey has lost 5 of 7.

Hey, it's not like they are playing like the Edmonton Oilers -- losers of 17 of their last 18 games -- in the Western Conference, but I'll take it. The Penguins need all the help they can to catch up to New Jersey, and not just because the Devils still have 3 games in hand.

Anyway, back to Ottawa -- the city which holds the unofficial historical record for having the largest number of its franchise's hockey players to date famous female recording artists.

Of course, most people by now know that Senators' center Mike Fisher recently got engaged to former American Idol and country star Carrie Underwood.

By the way, has anyone noticed how his play has just about gone in the TANK for Ottawa since word of his engagement to Underwood spread?

Fisher was a candidate to be selected for Team Canada's Olympic squad just about 6-8 weeks ago, but his scoring touch has gone about as dry as his fiance's music.

Now, Fisher hasn't been the only player in Canada's Capital to tap the audio industry for love.

Former Senator Mike Comrie traveled down that path too, dating singer Hilary Duff while he played for Ottawa, and continuing to do so thereafter.

Which one of those two, I wonder, would my readers prefer in a face-off??

In my opinion, it's not even close. Duff takes it hands down. And not just because her music is better. My girl Hilary has got a little bit of that Jenna Jameson look going on, and that's why I'm feeling it.

And she also did a mean rip of a song from one of my favorite 80's and 90's electronic rock groups, Depeche Mode, taking the hook from their "Personal Jesus" song and spashing it all over a track she did called "Reach Out"

Great stuff.

Anyway, as far as the local hockey club is concerned, they sent Wilkes-Barre call ups Nick Johnson and Chris Conner back to the AHL immediately after the 4-2 win over the Rangers on Monday.

That doesn't mean one or both won't get called back up for the tilt against the Senators tomorrow if Bill Guerin, Max Talbot and/or Eric Godard aren't ready to play. Mainly, Johnson and Conner were sent down to keep the Penguins a bit more comfortably under the salary cap.

And while we're talking about the current occupants of the Penguins' M*A*S*H unit, there was no additional word throughout yesterday on the status of those guys.

I'll certainly post more as I know it.

More later.