Deadline

I was going to talk about our comp this past weekend but the NHL trade deadline just passed and I’m lightheaded now so I’m gonna talk hockey.

CONOR SHEARY IS A PITTSBURGH PENGUIN!!!!!!!!!

Okay, now that I’ve gotten that out there, I can talk on it a little more. Shears was probably my first favorite player in the NHL. If you scroll back on my Instagram, there’s a picture of him from the first Pens game I ever went to. He was a big part of what made me fall in love with the Pens over all of the other teams I could have watched. He’s 5’8 (tiny!), falls A LOT, and scored goals for the pens that were just fun to watch. He won 2 cups with Pittsburgh before he got traded to Buffalo, and that trade was one of the saddest things I had ever seen. He wasn’t really producing anymore, so the trade made sense for the pens, but it still hurt. He clearly loved Pittsburgh, and he was so valuable in the cup runs. Plus, I was so fond of the “Sid and the Kids” dynamic he had on the first line with Sid and Rusty or Guentzy. I have a soft spot for undersized players and rookies, and he checked both those boxes at the time. When I saw the trade today, I absolutely ran around my house and then cried a little. Sometimes things work out.

Other news: not much. The avs DIDN’T trade Josty. I was so scared he was going, but the deadline was fifteen minutes ago, and he’s still there. The leafs still have Tyson Barrie. I’m not happy about that one. He was supposed to go back to Colorado or home to Vancouver or anywhere that would treat him better than Toronto. They don’t deserve him. Penguins signed Marleau, which is a decent move. He’s older but skilled enough to help out where they need it. If Marino and Dumoulin come back soon, the Pens will be a big threat in the playoffs. The defense is where they’re struggling the most right now. If Guentzel comes back soon, that would be pretty great, too.

Welcome back home Shears, let’s go get another cup.