Tonight, the Pittsburgh Penguins suit up for their first preseason game against conference rivals and my sleeper team for the 2015-16 season, the Columbus Blue Jackets.  Both teams, once they assemble their regular season rosters, will boast young talent, a young, promising defensive core, and solid netminding.

As for tonight, we will only see (or should I say hear about) only a few of those players who will don the sweaters in the regular season.

Before I go any further, I have launched my podcast, "The Pensimist Podcast."  Click here to hear the first episode.

I digress.

But this is not a preview post for the aforementioned game; this is a summation of the last several months for the Penguins.

Like all of you, I'm thrilled that in two weeks, the regular season will commence and we will finally see some hockey.  It's been a long time since May and I'm amped up!  Let's go Pens!

If you're reading the title to this post and asking yourself, "What the hell is a 'pensimist?'" I don't blame you.  In fact, I'm glad it even registered and garnered a response.

A few weeks back, I had said that I will have some announcements coming up as we get closer to the season and well, Pens fans, this is the first and arguably the biggest.  It is certainly the one I am most excited about, so here we go:

Throughout the regular season, I intend to release a weekly podcast, entitled "The Pensimist Podcast."  Below is the demo logo I put together last night.  It may change in time, but for now, here it is:

The podcast will be more or less a recap show of the events throughout the week.  How the games went, what players did what and how they performed, and other ramblings that I may have.  I plan to release it every Sunday, but if there are other topics that I want to discuss anytime between then, I will release them when possible.

Of course like all of us fans, we do have other responsibilities in our lives.  Like I said, I want to do one every Sunday, but there may be instances where I'm unable to release them.  We'll play that by ear as the season gets going.

I am very excited to do this and depending on how well these go, I will attempt to get guests when possible to make this an interactive experience.  With that said and as you can see in the logo, feel free to send me questions through my Twitter feed or comments on the website (adamwilliams13.weebly.com) and I'll answer them with my opinions on episodes.

I'm curious to see how this will take off, or if it even does.  I know being a fan that we all love to talk about our Penguins.  I know that there are other podcasts out there specifically dealing with the Penguins.  I understand all of this, but I too have a passion like those hosts do and want to talk some hockey with some of the best fans in the world.

Thanks for reading and hopefully you guys will check this out.  I promise to be as good as I possibly can be and make this informative, entertaining, and interactive.  The last part only happens with your help, peeps!   


Lastly, you may have read all of this and still asked yourself, "What the hell is a 'pensimist?'"  When I post the first episode, hopefully within the next week, you'll absolutely find out, Pens fans! 

(That right there, is called a "tease.")

Thanks again and.....

Is it October yet?!

Hello fellow Pens fans and great morning to you all.  We are officially 30 days away from the start of the 2015-16 NHL season and I cannot be more thrilled.  That is until October, of course.

With that being said, a quick update here with more to come in the coming days/weeks.

I will be attending the Penguins November 14th contest against the New Jersey Devils at the Prudential Center.  It will be my third time seeing the Pens live and first time in an away arena.  Reasons for this are pretty simple:

1. Pittsburgh is a six hour drive for me and while I don't mind the drive, Newark is a third of that time.  
2. When looking at ticket prices for both arenas, the Devils offered a cheaper option.
3. Maybe later on in the season, I'll head to Pittsburgh, but for now, I'd love to see an away contest in a new arena.

I've been pretty good luck for the Penguins in the past, as they've outscored their opponents 5-0 in both Mellon and Consol.  Hopefully that luck will continue in Jersey.

I apologize for the title.  Sometimes attempting to be clever looks foolish.  

Nonetheless, I plan on attending a fair share of WBS Penguins games this season as well.  The ride is quick, the games are fun, and you can't beat the crab fries...seriously delicious.

I'm curious to see how the team will play this year with Matt Murray returning, a host of AHL veterans with ample NHL experience, and of course Bobby Farnham.  Some younger players return as well.

It's a favorite for my father and I to attend these games and this season will be no exception.

Hockey to me is like professional wrestling, my other sporting passion (and yes, it IS a sport).  I can't get enough of it.  The speed, endurance, hitting, and absolute skill that these players exemplify, no matter what league they're in, is fascinating and at times, awe inspiring to me. 

The chance to see both teams play this season is one that I look forward to and will share personal thoughts and opinions on throughout the year.

There may be some more Wilkes-Barre/Scranton coverage this season, which I'm excited to bring to the page.  This and some more updates will follow shortly.

Until next time, "Is it October yet?"