Wild at Penguins - Pregame - 10-31-09

PREGAME

Greetings from an ugly day in Pittsburgh. It's amazing the weather we've seen within 24 hours. Yesterday in Columbus, it was 80 degrees, sunny and totally cloudless. You could get a tan in that weather. Today in Pittsburgh, clouds, 50 degrees, clouds, slight drizzle, clouds, windy and more clouds. Ugh.

We were running a bit late so no walk up from downtown. Consol Energy Center:

-We assume this is a Pitt-Johnstown hockey jacket. If so, solid:

-Mellon Arena:

-The ice:

-Former NHL all-star Pat Verbeek is in the building scouting for the Red Wings. Verbeek was one of the nastiest, toughest players you can imagine. Ask Tomas Sandstrom:

-EN commenter Miss Da Burgh checks in with two pictures. First a jersey foul that would Kjell Samuelsson mad:

-And this might be the sharpest "Slapshot" jersey we've ever seen:

-It's not a Hanson or Dunlop jersey. And it doesn't have a name plate. That would be the jersey of resident Charlestown Chiefs horndog Mo Wanchuk:

NOTE: If you're watching the FSN Pittsburgh feed at home, just wait until you get a Paul Steigerwald.... attire... for tonight. We're not going to ruin it, but it's very festive.

-Cotton candy heeeee!!!! Cotton candy heeee!!!

-It's former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach versus former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coach tonight. Dan Bylsma versus Todd Richards. We assume the winner gets Michel Therrien in a free-style rap contest.

-Some sights around the arena. Lots of Halloween costumes. This gentleman is dressed up as the Burger King:

-This couple is dressed up as a member of the Ukrainian national team:

-This gentleman is dressed like a brutish, power forward from the early 1990s getting nachos:

-These ladies are dressed like a Wales Conference all-star from the late 1980s:

-This lady is dressed like a tempermental, mullet-loving teenage phenom:

-This lady is dressed like the second-best No. 71 in team history:

These guys are dressed like the villian from a terrible Lance Henriksen movie and a Corapolis actor:

-This gentleman is dressed like a former 100-point scoring "superstar" for the Hull Olympiques:

-The announcement of Petr Sykora as a starter for the Wild brings a polite applause.

-This gentleman is dressed like an immature, whiny brat:

-Warm ups:

-The Penguins will honor Post-Gazette writer Dave Molinari before the game tonight for receiving the Elmer Ferguson Award. Dave will be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame later in November. It's a very fitting honor for one of the best writers in hockey and someone who is an even better human being.

-The Penguins scratches are Tyler Kennedy and Evgeni Malkin.

-The Wild's scratches are Benoit Pouliot and Josh Harding.

-Marc-Andre Fleury and Niklas Backstrom are your starting goaltenders.

-No Jeff Jimerson. Alyonka Larionov... or just Alyonka as she's known professionally we suppose... sings the national anthem. No Jimerson = No pic.

-Click here for the first period.