Not Dead Yet!

I haven't put anything up here in quite some time.

During the lockout, I was honestly thinking I was done with the NHL.  Millionaires versus billionaires. No one seemed to care about anything but squeezing the other side for as much as humanly possible, just because they could.  I couldn't have cared less.

Then a funny thing happened - once the lockout ended, I started getting excited for hockey again.  Next thing you know, I'm checking what time the Black and Gold scrimmage is on Wednesday (7:00 on Root Sports, in case you didn't know) and planning my weekend around the games in Philly and New York.

Damn you, hockey - I'd have far more free time if you didn't suck me back in!

So, expect regular posting on the blog again, for whatever that's worth.  Maybe I'll even dust off my stats work and see which refs are still Jabronies...

The title of the post says it all.

Hiatus? Another one? Really?

Yep.  That's the fun of being a one-man operation.  I'll be back next week.

Posting suspended temporarily

Igloo Dreams Headquarters is being relocated this week (in the real world, not the Internet), so there will be no new posts until this weekend or early next week.

Igloo Dreams Six Year Blog Anniversary

It was six years ago, just at the end of the lockout, that I started Igloo Dreams.

As far as I know, I'm the longest running Penguins blog.

This has always been a one-man operation (okay, The Wife wrote one game review back in Year 1), and while my drive to write can certainly wane during the summer, now that hockey season is here, I'm getting back in the groove again.

That means you can expect another year of previews and reviews for the games, along with some other articles (sometimes over at Hockey Independent).

As always, there will be no advertisements and no shilling over here - I only write because I like to do it.  Hopefully you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.

Quick hiatus

The blog is on hiatus for a few days while I escape for a quick vacation.

Let's Go Pens!

You've been where?

So it has been some time since there was regular posting on this blog. I think with the lack of activity during the middle of the summer, it's easy to get away from posting. That is habit forming, no doubt, just like regular posting.

With the start of training camp and the upcoming overseas trip, it's safe to say that regular posting will resume.... now.

You've been where?!?

It's been quite some time since I've posted here. The real world has shown up and claimed my time. Fortunately, it's the middle of the dead zone for hockey. Still not much going on, other than Whitney's injury.

I'll be back for sure as the regular season draws near, if not sooner.

Back in the Times

I wrote another small piece on each of the trades the Pens made yesterday for the NY Times hockey blog. You can see Hossa deal here and the Gill deal here.

Branching out

I can honestly say that when I started this blog I didn't expect much.

I certainly didn't expect to write anything for Slap Shot, the hockey blog of the New York Times.

As of today, however, I'll have to change my expectations.

This ruins it!

Now I have an excuse for my lack of a recap after the Pens 4-3 shootout loss to the Habs on Saturday. Never mind that I was at a Halloween party - it's even better than that:

I had 666 posts, before this one. Yeah - I can say that I didn't want to ruin that perfectly demonic number around the Halloween season. Especially considering the party was the 10th anniversary of the day I met my wife. Maybe they're related? Of course they are aren't!!

Tomorrow, the Pens play in Minnesota, and I'll finally get to watch a game. That means a better recap, and a happier blogger.

Posting suspended for a few days

Nice to see the Pens won last night. I'm away from the blog for a few days, so no picks, previews or game reviews this weekend.

525,600 minutes... times two

It was two years ago that I started this blog. Back then, there weren't nearly as many blogs about the Pens as there are today. It seems like everyone and their brother has started one, but that's not a bad thing. It raises the overall quality of the writing, because people don't stick around to read crap.

Anyway, after a break of about a month, I'm back and ready for the new hockey season. I'm excited to watch the Pens this weekend, and I'll have the normal preview / recap structure going this year, along with some more statistical madness, if I can get motivated enough.

The silence is deafening

It has been a nice break from writing. Summer is just starting up and the last thing I'm thinking about is sitting in front of a computer all day when I'm not required to.

Having said that, I do have some content coming soon. The Pens have signed a few players, the music is just starting to swell on the Recchi / Roberts song and dance, and I've been doing a little bit of research that will hopefully yield some interesting data soon.

Blog hiatus

This blog is on hiatus for about a week or so.

Grrrrr.... right in the middle of the best part of the season. Sucks, I know. I'll be back in no time to write some more.

Until then, check out the fine Penguins blogs I've highlighted on the right sidebar.

Hopefully when I return the Pens will have a playoff seed locked up!

Updating labels

While the Pens are trying to let the Devils back into the hockey game, I'm going to be updating labels (categories). I mention this because anyone reading on an RSS feed will see a ton of entries since they'll have been updated. Sorry for the extra noise...