Pens vs Sharks (3/14/24)

[Pabst]

Remember 2016? Good times.

[fractalsteel]

Remember 1984? Mario
Summer of peyote, Vivette, Jodi and Sue Jones. Lots of holes in the memory banks from that Summer. More like blurs here and there.

I'm probably going to have the game on in the background trying to finish 'Oppenheimer'.

[fractalsteel]

You have everything that can go wrong( often self inlicted) for the Birdies that period.

Got off to a horrid start
Jarry saves their asses

Find their wings and get the first goal
Disallowed goal for the Pens

Mistake leads to a tie

Fluke goal with < than a minute sends the Birdies to the intermission down a goal

Fans didn't hold back on the boos

[Louis Lipps Service]

Fun fact: The Pens are only 5 points out of a playoff spot, and have played the least amount of games of all the other teams vying for that spot.

Saw someone tweet that last night and it blew my mind.

I haven’t been paying much attention, but I’m guessing the other WC teams aren’t setting the world on fire either.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect them to win more than a game or two in the playoffs should they make it.

But I would like Sid to get there for the season he’s had, at the very least.

[Pabst]

Remember 1984?

Nope

My first hockey memories were the 90/91 playoffs, and my HS years covered the black hole that was early 2000s Penguins hockey.


The current era has coincided with some great memories for me, though. I cut cable before the 2015/16 season, and rather than get that service back I ended up just going to a bar to watch the games...International Taphouse on 9th street. Great place, still there.
Anyway.....the Blues were playing the Blackhawks round 1 that year. Somehow, iTap became the Blackhawks bar for that playoff series (sidenote - ~20% of Mizzou undergrads are from Illinois. Instate tuition at UI is almost the same as Mizzou out of state). As I was watching Game 5 of Pens/Rangers, fans were gearing up for the Stl/Chi game coming on next. A guy in a Blues jersey sat down next to me because "you're the only one here that's not a goddamn Hawks fan". Fast forward 3 years and he was a groomsman in my wedding and I returned the favor in 2022.

My (now) wife and I started dating in October 2016. Her first hockey game was that February in St Louis. How she put up with me during the Caps & Sens playoff series that year I'll never know

[Pabst]

Fun fact: The Pens are only 5 points out of a playoff spot, and have played the least amount of games of all the other teams vying for that spot.

Saw someone tweet that last night and it blew my mind.

I haven’t been paying much attention, but I’m guessing the other WC teams aren’t setting the world on fire either.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect them to win more than a game or two in the playoffs should they make it.

But I would like Sid to get there for the season he’s had, at the very least.

I was saying this to myself since January. I swear they'd get within striking distance then lose like 3 or 4 straight.

[fractalsteel]

Remember 1984?

Nope

My first hockey memories were the 90/91 playoffs, and my HS years covered the black hole that was early 2000s Penguins hockey.


The current era has coincided with some great memories for me, though. I cut cable before the 2015/16 season, and rather than get that service back I ended up just going to a bar to watch the games...International Taphouse on 9th street. Great place, still there.
Anyway.....the Blues were playing the Blackhawks round 1 that year. Somehow, iTap became the Blackhawks bar for that playoff series (sidenote - ~20% of Mizzou undergrads are from Illinois. Instate tuition at UI is almost the same as Mizzou out of state). As I was watching Game 5 of Pens/Rangers, fans were gearing up for the Stl/Chi game coming on next. A guy in a Blues jersey sat down next to me because "you're the only one here that's not a goddamn Hawks fan". Fast forward 3 years and he was a groomsman in my wedding and I returned the favor in 2022.

My (now) wife and I started dating in October 2016. Her first hockey game was that February in St Louis. How she put up with me during the Caps & Sens playoff series that year I'll never know

I'll take the Summer of 84 especially when Jodi and Viviette invited me over to sunbathe nude with them on their roof and the margaritas were flowing.
Don't mix alcohol with Peyote but certainly do so with 2 beautiful women. Avoid the roof for obvious reasons.

[Pabst]

I'll take the Summer of 84 especially when Jodi and Viviette invited me over to sunbathe nude with them on their roof and the margaritas were flowing.
Don't mix alcohol with Peyote but certainly do so with 2 beautiful women. Avoid the roof for obvious reasons.

I can barely handle 3 beers at this point in my life


Funny enough, drinking on a roof with hot chicks brings me right back to spring break my Jr year of college. Similar situation, only with beer instead of peyote & margs (also it was kinda cold). Wound up dating one of those girls shortly thereafter and um....that was a mistake.

Your Summer of '84 would be comparable to my Summer of '08. I graduated in May but didn't start with my job until September (I'd been hired, but couldn't be onboarded until the fall). That summer was a blur of booze and parties....but at the same time that's when I started distance running, so it wasn't a complete waste.

All that said....I think you've got me beat on the summer of fun

[fractalsteel]

I'll take the Summer of 84 especially when Jodi and Viviette invited me over to sunbathe nude with them on their roof and the margaritas were flowing.
Don't mix alcohol with Peyote but certainly do so with 2 beautiful women. Avoid the roof for obvious reasons.

I can barely handle 3 beers at this point in my life


Funny enough, drinking on a roof with hot chicks brings me right back to spring break my Jr year of college. Similar situation, only with beer instead of peyote & margs (also it was kinda cold). Wound up dating one of those girls shortly thereafter and um....that was a mistake.

Your Summer of '84 would be comparable to my Summer of '08. I graduated in May but didn't start with my job until September (I'd been hired, but couldn't be onboarded until the fall). That summer was a blur of booze and parties....but at the same time that's when I started distance running, so it wasn't a complete waste.

All that said....I think you've got me beat on the summer of fun

Different eras. 60's/70's/and the 80's {to a degree} were so different from what is the common place/stance now in American society.

[Pabst]

Different eras. 60's/70's/and the 80's {to a degree} were so different from what is the common place/stance now in American society.

My niece is 16 and has zero interest in getting a driver's license and/or a job. This is an ever increasing trend among teenagers and it's mystifying to me.

[fractalsteel]

Different eras. 60's/70's/and the 80's {to a degree} were so different from what is the common place/stance now in American society.

My niece is 16 and has zero interest in getting a driver's license and/or a job. This is an ever increasing trend among teenagers and it's mystifying to me.

Might as well continue the thread.
Ask just about any teenager what the three branches of the government are? Or what attack drew the US into WWII? Ask them what Nagasaki or HIroshima means to them.
Blank stares.

I work with high school teenagers and most of them are very nice, polite but they are lazy and think work sucks. Ten minutes into their shifts and they are scheming to get sent home. Not all of them but enough to find it alarming.
They live on their phones and for their phones.
They think I'm weird for leaving my phone in my car when working.

[Pabst]

Might as well continue the thread.
Ask just about any teenager what the three branches of the government are? Or what attack drew the US into WWII? Ask them what Nagasaki or HIroshima means to them.
Blank stares.

I work with high school teenagers and most of them are very nice, polite but they are lazy and think work sucks. Ten minutes into their shifts and they are scheming to get sent home. Not all of them but enough to find it alarming.
They live on their phones and for their phones.
They think I'm weird for leaving my phone in my car when working.

My working theory is that younger folks can't handle being uncomfortable. This applies to boredom, working, sports, etc. I've seen way too many kids shut down at the first sign of adversity.

As you said, not universal but enough to be a trend.

Since you brought it up - Do you follow the World War II channel on YouTube? They're right in the middle of the Battle of Remagen right now (among other events). I was completely unfamiliar with this event prior to last week

[fractalsteel]

Might as well continue the thread.
Ask just about any teenager what the three branches of the government are? Or what attack drew the US into WWII? Ask them what Nagasaki or HIroshima means to them.
Blank stares.

I work with high school teenagers and most of them are very nice, polite but they are lazy and think work sucks. Ten minutes into their shifts and they are scheming to get sent home. Not all of them but enough to find it alarming.
They live on their phones and for their phones.
They think I'm weird for leaving my phone in my car when working.

My working theory is that younger folks can't handle being uncomfortable. This applies to boredom, working, sports, etc. I've seen way too many kids shut down at the first sign of adversity.

As you said, not universal but enough to be a trend.

Since you brought it up - Do you follow the World War II channel on YouTube? They're right in the middle of the Battle of Remagen right now (among other events). I was completely unfamiliar with this event prior to last week

I wasn't aware of that particular channel but will give it good look. I have probably read 50 books over the years about WWII. So many forgotten/ untold stories.
And youtube, it is a resource I need to use more often.

[Pabst]

Might as well continue the thread.
Ask just about any teenager what the three branches of the government are? Or what attack drew the US into WWII? Ask them what Nagasaki or HIroshima means to them.
Blank stares.

I work with high school teenagers and most of them are very nice, polite but they are lazy and think work sucks. Ten minutes into their shifts and they are scheming to get sent home. Not all of them but enough to find it alarming.
They live on their phones and for their phones.
They think I'm weird for leaving my phone in my car when working.

My working theory is that younger folks can't handle being uncomfortable. This applies to boredom, working, sports, etc. I've seen way too many kids shut down at the first sign of adversity.

As you said, not universal but enough to be a trend.

Since you brought it up - Do you follow the World War II channel on YouTube? They're right in the middle of the Battle of Remagen right now (among other events). I was completely unfamiliar with this event prior to last week

I wasn't aware of that particular channel but will give it good look. I have probably read 50 books over the years about WWII. So many forgotten/ untold stories.
And youtube, it is a resource I need to use more often.

It's a weekly recap of all events that happened during the war in that particular week. It's been going since 2019 - highly recommend.

I've been going down this rabbit hole for a few years