I HATE Mike Richards from The Flyers but Ill take him anyday.
i always hear pens fans hating on hartnell, not much towards richards.
btw, we just got back and i admit i spent a good part of my vaca in espnzone watching hockey. the fans were great! a bunch of pens fans were there both nights (games 6 & 7). a bunch of philly fans, chicago fans, and montreal was well represented too. boston fans seemed a bit more interested in other sports...
but as far as fans go, we sat right in between pit and montreal fans for wednesday's action. the philly fans were on the other side of the bar, and i wasn't fighting the crowd. but everyone was really awesome, considering all of the passion that everyone had. not a ton of places anywhere that you can experience that.
my moment of appreciation towards pens fans came during the broadcast of lauren hart singing "god bless america" and kate smith (the original hockey diva) joined in on the video screen. my wife, who is a hockey fan, just not as much of a phanatic, asked about it. of course it was loud and i was explaining it to her somewhat loudly so she could hear, when a pens fan at the neighboring table turned and said shortly "it's pretty much one of the coolest traditions in hockey..." i enjoy how everyone usually respects the game there. met some really cool habs fans there, and had some great conversations too.
as for the crosby, malkin, ovie comments- i agree with how talented they all are. and would certainly help any team they are on. but the thing with crosby is he does whine waaaay too much. he's the most talented, or at least one of the most talented players in the game. don't beg for calls. not to compare carcillo with crosby, but i wish carcillo would stop embellishing so much. it's frustrating when there is an actual missed call, because the ref cant trust him....
anyway, gotta love the stanley cup playoffs!!!!!