Flyers Notebook: We hate the Penguins, Game 1 edition

The most anticipated series — first round, at least — in recent Stanley Cup playoff history is an hour away from puck drop. In case you haven’t heard by now, Danny Briere and Nicklas Grossman will be on the ice tonight. With that said, let’s take a look around the web and see what all the fuss is about.

First issue, of course, involves the incessant whining of Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. It remains to be seen whether the refs will focus on the game, instead of protecting the NHL’s biggest star and its favorite team. Back in Steel City, the site of Game 1, the Penguins aren’t having any of it.

“It ticks me off,” Penguins GM Ray Shero said.

Later, when describing the series, Shero told ESPN: “I don’t give a [hoot] what people say and the team doesn’t give a [hoot]. The players don’t give a [hoot]. This is inconsequential to the team. We know what this organization’s about. We know what we do in this community.”

So, there’s that.

We already know how Peter Laviolette feels about the Pens — ditto Rangers coach John Tortorella.

Former Flyer Jeremy Roenick also expressed his feelings to the popular hockey blog, Puck Daddy.

“Pittsburgh’s untouchable. Let’s just get that straight. If you say something bad about them, they’re going to complain, they’re going to whine, they’re going to revolt against you. The fans, they going to bitch-slap you all over Twitter.”

If this series was a Rihanna song, it would sound a little something like, “Hate, hate, hate, hate, hate.”

Jaromir Jagr, former Pen/current Flyer, referred to Pittsburgh fans as a nagging wife, according to Shelly Anderson of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette.

“It’s like your wife talking to you and you don’t hear. She’s complaining. Why are you going to listen to her?”

Anyway, on to the fun stuff, like this pump-up video …

And this video, with Bob “Hound” Kelly and Bryan Propp telling fans that we need to knock Crosby and Malkin down a few times, from today’s Pep Rally at the Comcast Center …