Pittsburgh Penguins - "Great Day for Hockey" - Video

October 27, 2008
From NHL | Pittsburgh Penguins
Music by The Clarks
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Penguins Unveil New Marketing Theme
'A Great Day For Hockey' reflects the organization's optimism

The Pittsburgh Penguins unveiled a new marketing theme today, in advance of the team’s home opener at Mellon Arena Saturday night.

“A Great Day For Hockey” symbolizes the optimism of Penguins hockey and the Penguins’ fan experience, blending the echoes of past success with the promise of an exciting future.

“There is such a feeling of optimism around Pittsburgh Penguins hockey these days, from our tremendous young talent on the ice, to the phenomenal support of our fans, to the extensive community outreach by our players – and it all adds up to a growing bond between our team and the Pittsburgh region,” said David Morehouse, the Penguins’ president.

“Penguins fans know it was the late Badger Bob Johnson who coined the phrase, ‘It’s a Great Day For Hockey,’ but we believe that Badger Bob’s optimism is perfectly applied to Penguins hockey of the 21st century. With a growing young, tech-savvy fan base and a state-of-the-art arena on the horizon, we believe the Penguins reflect the energy, drive and innovation of the new Pittsburgh.”

The campaign will include elements of video, print and arena signage.

Hockey Hit Shatters Glass.

October 24, 2008
From You tube
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Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Boston Bruins. Less than a minute into the 2nd period Lucis hits Van Ryn into the boards. The glass shatters cutting at least two spectators

Leafs at Bruins - Lucic Hits Van Ryn, Shatters Glass

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49'ers will hire Mike Holmgren as Head Coach in 2009.

October 21, 2008
From Move the Needle
By Frank Murgia
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The Niners head coaching Job has Mike Holmgren written all over it. He is done in Seattle at the end of this season, turning the team over to Jim Mora Jr. and has already expressed he would like to coach again.

WHY: Runs the West Coast offense, used to be on the staff back in the Niners glory years. He is Good with young Quarterbacks (Montana, Young, Farve and Hasslebeck) and Homlgren was born in San Francisco.

Unless Mike Singletary gets the 49'ers into a nice playoff run Mike Holmgren will be the Head Coach of the San Francisco in 2009.

Steelers Sunrise

Steelers fans are unquestionably best in the NFL

From SI.com|Ross Tucker
Sent in by Henry Kuhn
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The news out of Jacksonville Monday morning that approximately 25 percent of the fans for Sunday night's Steelers-Jags contest were waving yellow Terrible Towels came as no surprise to me. The Steelers have the most dominant fan base in the National Football League and their ability to consistently travel, en masse, and infest other team's stadiums gives the Steelers a competitive advantage that no other franchise can claim.

For the record, I grew up in eastern Pennsylvania, was an Eagles fan during my youth and subsequently played for five NFL squads that were not located in Pittsburgh, so I have no allegiance whatsoever to the Steelers or their fans. I just call it like I see it.

Seemingly minutes within signing with a new team, a player will be told by someone within the organization that, unequivocally, they have the best fans in the world. And though there are thousands of die-hard fans in Green Bay, Washington, Dallas, Buffalo, Cleveland, New England, and every other NFL city, the simple truth is very evident to every player in the NFL: Steelers fans are the best in the business.

My thoughts on NFL fans were confirmed in a recent straw poll of a couple active players who said the Steelers fans far and away do the best job of taking away a home team's advantage. None of the players wanted to state their feelings publicly and disenchant their own fans, and for good reason, but the fact remains there is nothing quite as powerful in the NFL as Steeler Nation.

I realized this for the first time in 2004, while playing for a resurgent Bills team that was one win away from a playoff berth. Running out of the home tunnel and seeing the smattering of Terrible Towels and black and yellow in the stands was disheartening. The Steelers had already clinched homefield advantage throughout the playoffs, so this final regular season game was meaningless to them, yet their fans had made the trip in droves.

Though playing at home doesn't assure a team a victory, there are typically four significant advantages to playing in the friendly confines. There is no travel involved. The field and facility are familiar. The players can certainly feed off the energy of the home crowd. The noise can make it difficult for the opposing team's offense to call audibles or utilize the snap count to their advantage. Ask any offensive tackle how much fun it is blocking elite rushers on a silent cadence. They flat-out detest it.

The significant presence of Steelers fans in opposing stadiums, whether they are Steel City transplants or folks who traveled in for the game, effectively eliminates the last two advantages. It is difficult to feed off the energy of the home crowd when you look up in the stands and see that a significant portion of the crowd is actually cheering for the other team. Plus, the noise is not nearly as deafening when less than 80 percent of the fans in the stands are screaming in unison.

All of this adds up to the Steelers having a significant competitive advantage based upon their fans' ability to partially, if not completely, eliminate some of the basic reasons teams are so happy to play at home in the first place.

I know exactly what everyone is going to write in their e-mails to me. First, people are going to comment on the Jags having arguably the worst fans in the NFL, and I will not dispute that in the slightest. People in Jacksonville would probably be more excited to watch an SEC clash between Kentucky and Vanderbilt. But it is not just Jacksonville. Seemingly, no stadium is truly immune to the Steelers culture.

Secondly, I am well aware that the Packers, Raiders, Cowboys and Redskins, just to name a few, have great fans who pop up in away stadiums every time their team is on the road. Trust me, it does not compare to Steelers fans. I have played for some of those teams and it is not even close. The Steelers have the best fans in the NFL.

(Have a beef with Tuck's Take on Steeler Nation? Share your thoughts here.)

Fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers have
been waving Terrible Towels since 1975.
Gregory Shamus/Getty Images