The Decision

Don't worry hockey fans, this has nothing to do with LeBron James, the Miami Heat, or basketball at all for that matter. I just wanted to inform everyone that I've decided that from now on my weekly feature, "NHL in a Nutshell", will now be posted on Friday afternoon rather than Sunday. It's much more convenient for my schedule, and the posts won't conflict with the NFL games this way. As much as I know everyone enjoys my writing, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that my posts can't exactly compete with the NFL.

From now on, you'll be getting "NHL in a Nutshell" two days earlier than before! Hooray! When the season starts up, I'll also be doing a weekly player feature (I'm still figuring out exactly how those are going to work). Be sure to keep an eye out!

Finally, I'd like to congratulate Penguins GM Ray Shero on his well-deserved five-year contract extension. Shero is one of the best GMs in hockey and has already brought one division title, two Eastern Conference Championships, and one Stanley Cup to Pittsburgh. Some naysayers point out that he had it easy coming in to Pittsburgh, when the team already had Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. I, in return, would like to point out that a) he's done a fantastic job in building around Sid and Geno by bringing in the right role players, and b) superstars alone don't win playoff series or championships. Just ask Caps fans. Shero has also locked up the Penguins core players (Crosby, Malkin, Staal, Fleury, Orpik, Letang) long-term, which will keep the team competitive for years to come.

So congratulations Ray Shero! We here at Pens Nation appreciate everything you've done for our beloved Pens and I know we're not the only ones who were thrilled to hear about the extension. I'm sure I speak for all Pens fans when I say to keep up the good work!

P.S. Preseason games start this Wednesday folks! Hockey season is almost here! Get PUMPED!