nathan jara

I flipped over to SportsCenter this past weekend to catch up on some of the other playoff games, when who to my surprise was leading the hockey talk? None other that Matthew Barnaby. Yes, that old scrapper and trouble maker. I couldn’t believe it either. He was all spiffed up in his suit giving his analysis of the latest games. Wow. When I think of Barnaby, I definitely don’t think of a suit…this is the Matthew Barnaby I remember.

This month, HBO began an awesome new series called 24/7 Penguins Captials: Road to the Winter Classic. The network is creating a weekly documentary style series following the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals as they battle during the regular season leading up to the Winter Classic game on New Year’s Day. HBO is going behind the scenes and off the ice to give us a glimpse into the players and coaches behind the benches. Needless to say, it looks awesome. You can watch the first episode on the Penguins website. Below are a few treats.

Last night I was reminded in the best way possible that it’s time for hockey again. Thanks to a fellow co-worker, I was fortunate enough to attend the first game of the Pittsburgh Penguins pre-season. And there was an added bonus, as this game was the very first game to be played in the Pens’ new arena, the Consol Energy Center. Wow, what an awesome facility! The state-of-the-art feel to the building makes you forget quickly about the old igloo, even though it will be missed. The experience was also exciting for me because American Eagle is a major contributor and sponsor for the Pens and the new arena. It was a cool experience to look around and see our logo all over the place. And what a game! The Pens looked great! Lots of new young talent skating, passing, shooting, and hitting. The Pens left their first official game on the fresh arena ice with a 5 -1 victory over the Detroit Red Wings. What a great way to start off the season! Let’s go Pens!

I love golf. And I love Pittsburgh Penguins hockey. Today, thanks to my friends at American Eagle Outfitters, I was fortunate enough to combine these two things as I attended and participated in the 13th Annual Pittsburgh Penguins Alumni Golf Classic. The event took place at Valley Brook Country Club, located near Canonsburg, PA. This year, the Pens Alumni brought together a great group of past Penguin goaltenders. The elite group included players such as Les Binkley, the first Penguins goalie from 1967, Ken Wregget, from the Pens second Stanley Cup year, and Gilles Meloche, who tended the net from 1985 – 1988 and currently is the goaltending coach for the Penguins. I was actually able to play golf with Mr. Meloche today. What a great guy! He was a lot of fun and also is a great golfer. There were many times today during the scramble format of play that we didn’t think we’d have to even hit our shots after Gilles because he put it close just about every time. It was great to visit and talk with Gilles about golf, life, and hockey of course. He said he has a good feeling about the upcoming season, which was great news. He also gave me a few swing tips :) After our round we headed to the clubhouse for dinner and awards. I was able to mingle with some more great names like Dan Bylsma, the Pens’ head coach, Todd Rierden, the new assistant coach, Bob Errey, Dave Hanson of the Hanson Brothers, Paul Alexander from FSN Pittsburgh, Ed Johnston, Francois Leroux, Troy Loney, Joey Mullen, Bryan Trottier, and Ken Wregget. Check out some photos below to see some of my favorites. It was a super awesome day and one I will never forget. And I didn’t hit the golf ball half bad today either :)